Backcountry

Spent the entire day walking through lovely backcountry on the Superior Hiking Trail. At Lake Agnes we marveled at how the lake would be a fraction of its size without beaver dams.

Hmong in St. Paul

Cycled to Lake Phalen where workers were completing this pavilion. It was built in Changsha, China, then shipped to sister city St. Paul. In return, Changsha got Peanuts statues, including Lucy in a Hmong dress. Changsha is the ancestral home of the many Hmong who’ve moved to St. Paul.

Snapshots: 1,000 Miles by Train to Tokyo

September 2018. I had spent the previous week exploring the three national parks in eastern Hokkaido. It was now time to figure out how to chunk a journey to Tokyo over the next 10 days. I had flown to eastern Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. The journey back to Tokyo would be slower. Armed with…… Continue reading Snapshots: 1,000 Miles by Train to Tokyo

Open Books

Slowed down for breakfast at Open Book’s cafe. Hundreds of miniature open books hang from the ceiling.