Even though the day was a bit chilly and overcast, we just had to get outside of the house. We decided to make the drive west to Franz Jevne State Park.
We had been there before, back in May. Still, we wanted to see what the park looks like in a different season. As we made the drive out to the park, it was obvious that the colorful fall leaves that still clung to the trees close to Rain Lake were an anomaly. It pretty much looks like winter out along the banks of the Rainy River.
We started our visit with lunch at a picnic table. Sierra and I did some exploring nearby and found one of the small international boundary markers. Then we hit the trail, starting with a short road walk
before stepping onto a footpath.
There were lots of colorful fungi on the forest floor among the fallen leaves.
No wildflowers in bloom anymore, even the goldenrod has gone to seed.
Our route followed closely to the southern boundary of the park before turning nearly 180 degrees and heading back along the Rainy River.
We took a side path to where we had found the Hiking Club password on our last visit, to find a great view of the Rainy River
and an eagle flying across into Canada. There was a large eagle nest in an aspen tree (that seems a bit unusual) on the American side.
Sierra spent much of her time looking for colorful leaves. She left them in special places along the trail so that the animals could use them as "blankets".
Soon we found the "rock outcropping" marked on the map.
I took a side trip to investigate it a bit and found the park's official geocache in the process. I took one of the "Call of the Wildflowers" cards as a memento.
A short walk later and we were back at the start of our hike where Sierra decided she needed to pump some water.
Then it was the long drive home.
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