Microblog

​Our brother-in-law joined us for today’s hike. By dropping a car at our Lutsen finish point, we were able to hike straight-through instead of doing a loop. This section of the Superior Hiking Trail first took us along Lake Agnes, a body of water largely created by a beaver dam. From there, we headed uphill to great viewpoints, including one of my favorite views, shown here, looking toward the Poplar River.

Hiked a loop: Cross River on the ascent, a wooded ridge trail with glimpses of Lake Superior, then Temperance River on the descent.

Fortified by GORP we hiked a moderately energetic loop starting at the lodge where we’re staying in Lutsen’s ski area. Here, early in the hike, we crossed the Poplar River. If you squint, you can just see Lake Superior in the distance.

Hiked up one side of Split Rock River, improvised a river crossing (the bridge was out), then hiked back down the other side. Here, towards the end of our hike, this split rock is possibly the origin of the river’s name. Behind, the river flows through a gorge. And overhead the blue sky promises to hold for the next few days.

A thunderstorm was coming in behind us as we walked back after dinner, but we were safely at our hotel by the time it was overhead. Earlier we hiked a lovely loop trail through fall colors in the hills above Duluth.

Saw the “Jessi Reaves: process invented the mirror” exhibition at the Walker today, featuring impractical furniture built from found objects. I couldn’t stop remembering a day when Dwight and I were a great source of amusement for my father-in-law as we struggled to assemble an IKEA storage unit for him. This exhibition really took the idea of “furniture as a challenge” to the next level.

This was my view from bed this morning: sipping coffee, reading the news (the NYT and the Minnesota Star Tribune), and doing a side of doomscrolling where I like to challenge misinformation.

Structured today’s bike ride as a foraging exercise for hiking snacks. I picked up wasabi peas from United Noodles (a large Asian supermarket) and was pleased to confirm wasabi was on the ingredient list, not the commonly substituted horseradish. I also filled up on generic M&Ms from Seward Co-op and granola bars from Trader Joe’s.

The weather was great for our Sunday walk without jackets: the 70s and dry… until it wasn’t. A couple of short deluges forced us to make for cover. Here, we’re sitting in a park shelter watching geese embracing the downpour by having a feast.

At Wedge Co-op’s bulk section collected small quantities of ingredients for GORP for our upcoming hikes along the Superior Hiking Trail. So far: cashews, yogurt-coated raisins, pistachios, Brazil nuts, granola, dried papaya, rice crackers, and garlic sesame sticks. GORP stands for Good Old Raisins and Peanuts, so I guess I’m taking a few liberties. We like to make different mixes, some savory, some sweeter.

Following appointments at the U this morning, I checked their app periodically while cycling downriver. The news was great: my tumor marker is now “in the weeds,” confirming recent scans that show the tumors are no longer visible. I used the app to communicate with the care team, then returned to the U for a quarterly injection they’d missed. I’ll have just one more infusion in October, skipping the two final planned sessions. I’m grateful.

Looked out at the sun setting over Downtown back home from our usual Thursday dinner out. My day hadn’t gone as planned. Yesterday, I got an email letting me know the school was closed today for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. So, while Dwight worked in the university greenhouse, I unexpectedly hit the trails.

Tonight at the Guthrie’s A Doll’s House, I anticipated the moment the central protagonist, Nora, walks out into the snow, leaving her home and loveless marriage. Earlier, I had learned from the Guthrie’s study guide that this depiction of Nora was groundbreaking in 1879. Back in the elevator in our building, we had to reassure a neighbor who had attended the performance that Nora was seeking a new life, not ending her own.

Cycled through South Minneapolis with a friend on a route loosely themed around racial justice, stopping here at the former home of Harry Davis, Sr. He was a civil rights advocate in a racially divided Minneapolis from the 1940s and throughout the turmoil of the 1960s, and in 1971 became the city’s first Black mayoral candidate. The city is applying to have this house added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Mailing in our ballots for the November election and getting a COVID booster this morning felt like acts of resistance against the Administration. Its adoption of Project 2025 policies, which restrict access to mail-in voting and vaccinations, intentionally and disproportionately burdens people with limited resources.

Halfway through our Sunday walk, we crossed the bridge connecting Nicollet Island to Boom Island Park, a trail section that used to be a railroad line. A tiny, bright splash of red in the trees, just visible in this photo, reminded us that it’s officially fall.