Hastings – Neaton Adventures

Vermillion Falls Park-Hastings-Minnesota

September 9, 2023Posted in Adventure, hiking, Minnesota, Mississippi River, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, UncategorizedTagged Adventure, exploring, Hastings, hiking, Hiking Adventures, Minnesota, nature photography, Old Mill Ruins, Outdoors, Parks, Vermillion Falls Park6 Comments

Today’s hiking adventure began at Vermillion Falls Park.

Vermillion Falls used to power the mill that is across the river in the mid 1800’s.

We set out to hike the Hastings 10 mile loop.

After leaving the Falls, the 10 mile loop followed along the Vermillion River Trail for a bit.

Wasps were taking over a bench. Hopefully, they were just resting and not creating a new home.

The trail followed alongside the Vermillion river.

A large corn field appeared to glow from the golden sun shining down on the end of season stocks.

The trail continued for several miles throughout several neighborhoods, schools, and businesses. After hiking through town, the trail led us closer to the Mississippi River.

One of my favorite trails in Hastings is along the River Dike Trail/Mississippi River Regional Trail. The Mississippi River is on one side of the trail and Lake Rebecca on the other side.

Lock and Dam #2 was our next stop.

We continued on the trail alongside the Mighty Mississippi River.

A Turkey Vulture was seen resting and another was in flight.

We crossed under the Hastings Bridge and made our way towards Levee Park.

The trail led us through the Historic Downtown Hastings and across several train tracks as we made our way towards C.P. Adams Park.

The Vermillion River Bridge has love locks all along the fence. Couples add their locks to the bridge as an expression of love.

For a change of scenery, we hiked a few non-paved trails towards the Old Mill Ruins.

The Old Ramsey Mill was built in the mid 1800’s. The mill caught fire on December 22, 1894. Today, we got to explore the old mill.

Today’s hiking adventure was 11.6 miles.

Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center-Hastings-Minnesota

June 4, 2023June 4, 2023Posted in Adventure, hiking, Minnesota, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, UncategorizedTagged Adventure, Carpenter St. Croix Valley Center, exploring, Hastings, hiking, Hiking Adventures, Minnesota, nature photography, Outdoors, Parks, St. Croix River8 Comments

Today’s hiking adventure was at the Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center.

Today I adventured out for a solo hike. Mother Nature has a way of healing the soul and I needed a bit of that today. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the squirrels were playing. I began my adventure on the Savanna Trail.

From the Savanna trail, I entered the South River Bluff Trail. The trail descended down the bluff towards the St. Croix River.

The river began to appear through the trees. I could hear all the boats’ motors roaring in the distance.

The right side of the trail was lined with stones. Some are covered in a dark green moss.

The trail led to a dock on the St. Croix River. Many boats passed by in the distance. The wake from the boats made the dock sway back and forth.

I must have been the first person on the trail this morning. I was walking into so many spiderwebs. Spiderwebs are so itchy!

The trail began to go straight up the bluffs. Many different ferns were basking in the heat.

The trail led me back to the Savanna Trail.

Next stop was the Ravine Lookout. A beautiful wooden deck stretched down the side of the hill. It was a bit buggy at the bottom, so I didn’t stay long.

The North Loop Trail was next.

The next part of the trail was my favorite. The tall pine trees looked amazing and they smelled wonderfully.

The Red Cedar Trail was next.

The Red Cedar Trail led back to the North Loop Trail.

The trail led to the front of the park. I crossed the road to take a photo of the park sign. A beautiful Polyphemus Moth was hanging on to a stem. I couldn’t believe how huge it was. After a bit of research I learned they only live for 4 days. I am thankful I was able to see it in its short life. It remained very still for me to take its photo.

Vibrant purple lupine lined the field by the front of the park.

I crossed the street and headed back inside the park. I took the trail next to a small pond. The pond was full of tadpoles!

I wanted one more view of the river before leaving this amazing park. I took the trail to the River Overlook.

Today’s hiking adventure was 5.5 miles.

Afton State Park-Hastings-Minnesota

February 5, 2023Posted in Adventure, hiking, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, UncategorizedTagged Adventure, Afton State Park, Candlelight hike, exploring, Hastings, hiking, Hiking Adventures, Minnesota, Minnesota State Parks, nature photography, Night hiking, Outdoors, Parks, Winter5 Comments

Last night’s hiking adventure was at Afton State Park.

We pulled into the park and there was a line of cars at the front office. One would have thought we were pulling into a nightclub. Since we already had a parking pass, we flew by all the cars in the VIP lane. I had to park in the overflow overflow parking lot. We were not surprised to see so many people wanting to experience a night hike. The moon was full, the trail was lit by candlelight and the temperature was decent. The sunset was gorgeous last night. The sky looked like it was on fire! By the time we began our adventure just a sliver of light was left in the sky.

The first part of the trail was smooth with a few icy spots.

There was a bonfire about a half mile into our adventure.

The next part of the hike was a little less smooth. The snow was soft and thick. One moment we are hiking on the snow, the next moment your foot falls through the soft snow causing you to trip. Everyone was making funny sound effects and laughing when slipping through the snow. At one point my right leg went deep into the snow and bam on my knees I went. We got lots of laughing in last night.

We decided to hike the trail twice due to it being a short loop. The moon was amazing!

I absolutely loved all the candles lighting our way.

I highly recommend taking in a candlelit night hike. Our hiking adventure was 4 miles.

Point Douglas Park-Hastings-Minnesota

October 8, 2022Posted in Adventure, hiking, Minnesota, Mississippi River, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, UncategorizedTagged Adventure, exploring, Hastings, hiking, Hiking Adventures, Minnesota, Mississippi River Regional Trail, nature photography, Outdoors, Parks, Point Douglas Park, Point Douglas Regional Trail, St. Croix River1 Comment

Today’s hiking adventure began at Point Douglas Park.

Brrrrr! It was a cold start to our adventure. Fog danced on top of the two merging rivers: St. Croix River and Mississippi River.

We left the park hiking on Point Douglas Regional Trail.

We crossed the Hasting Bridge where the mighty Mississippi River flowed under us.

Hastings majestic City Hall appeared as we exited the bridge and continued our hike on the Mississippi River Regional Trail.

A quick stop at Lake Rebecca offered a colorful view.

A giant eagle perched above us looking down at the Mississippi River waiting for its next meal.

Turkey vultures soared above us.

Some rested on a tower.

Our next stop along the trail was Lock and Dam #2.

Just after the Lock and Dam #2, the trail led us to a wider view of the Mississippi River. Here we decided to turn around and hike back to Point Douglas Park.

Fall is a magical time of year. The leaves are so colorful and the mid-morning sun warmed us from the cool air.

The train tracks were getting used today! We saw many trains pass by us on the different railways.

As we approached our starting point we decided to cross the Fort Douglas Bascule Bridge and hike into Prescott, Wisconsin. We took in the view of the BNSF Lift Bridge that was built in 1984 for trains to cross over the river.