Saturday, April 5, 2008

Great Day on Gateway

Spring came!! Bright and sunny today.
60 (sixty!) degrees by the time we finished.

Gateway trail is a paved trail with a gravel horse trail along it.
Horse folks were out today.
Bicycle riders were on Gateway today... including some small children on their bikes.
Many runners on the trail today... some just enjoying the day... and some clearly training for some upcoming race.

You may note that I did not say that the entire 8 inch snow of just 5 days ago had entirely melted.
A substantial portion of the trail was at least partially snow covered.
But Minnesota folks are hearty, stubborn, and really tired of winter.

We parked the car at the horse bridge and made our way about 4.2 miles up to Pine Point Park at the north end and back..
for an 8.4 mile round trip. Note that the distance is in
miles now that we are outdoors.

We ran.
We walked.
We tramped through a lot of snow.
It was slippery, but none of us fell.
You may note that I did not say the roller bladers or the baby strollers were out today.

As you can see here, some of the trail was clear and dry.
A young woman on horseback was training her doberman to accompany her.

And a delightful surprise along the way: There's our Runner Dude running toward us.. when we thought he was taking the day off.

This woman must be training for a horse show.
By this time we had shed jackets.

Here we are back within a mile of the car... and some of the deeper snow.
Little dogs were not so grateful to be walked here.

What a day!
Oh glorious outdoor run!
Best day of the year!

15 comments:

Unknown said...

What a great outdoor run, indeed! It must be nice to be outside for a long run.

Backofpack said...

Wow, some fabulous sights! I love the horse carriage. I'm glad you got a beautiful spring day to run.

Rich said...

That's some nice outdoor scenery!

rocketpants said...

Sounds wonderful!!! Glad you could get outdoors.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you had such a wonderful day!! You deserve it!

peter said...

Nice run, nice surprise. It must have felt great to be outdoors again.

Anne said...

How beautiful that path looks even without any dressing on the trees. Thanks for the photo journey.

Nancy said...

Oh good for you getting out and enjoying it. Those partially covered trails look very familiar. Glad no one fell. Hopefully a few more days and it will all be gone.

DawnB said...

you sure deserve this one what a wonderful day!!!

Steve Stenzel said...

I LOVE the Gateway! My wife and I bike from St. Paul to Stillwater and back many times each year (and stop at Darlas for Malts in Stillwater...). I want to get back out there!!!! Loved the photos!

ShirleyPerly said...

I can't believe there still so much snow there in 60 degree weather! Obviously, that must have been the only warm day in a while. Lovely photos, especially of those with horses. I never see that where I am.

CewTwo said...

Sunshine, I know what you mean. In Colorado, we tend to describe Spring as the grass getting greener between the snow storms...

Great scenery! What a way to spend a morning!

Unknown said...

It looks lovely, actually. :)

Jumper 2.0 said...

I love Gateway, but with that snow, I'll think I'll wait another week before making it out there.

Vickie said...

What a combination of weather on the trail! Sort of like one of ours. And at this time of year, it can also be flooded in parts. Hope all is well with you.