Hastings – Neaton Adventures

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.

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.