New Home

I've been working on a little something and have decided to move the blog to a new home.

http://www.marikivisto.com/

See you there.

North on 371

The early morning is truly my favorite of the day. If it weren't for the whole getting out of bed part, I would see those wee hours more often. I peeled my eyes open on this particular day (only because I am a dedicated friend) and was on the road by 6:00am to take photos of the Chase the Police Triathlon in Walker, MN. The ridiculously high dew point and dense fog made for some slow going, but also some great photo ops.

Only in Pine River are you prompted to ask Jesus why there is a ton of junk along side the road.

Canada: Part 3

I know. You're probably asking yourself, "Really? Another Canada post?" Yes. Another Canada post.

View from the new hotel after we ditched 'Hotel Hell.'

The Clown Car was a trooper.

I wasn't sure we'd come back friends, so we had to take a before picture.

Canada: Part 2

“I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” -Mark Twain

Amy could have very well hated me after our excursion at Grand Portage. She could have very well hated me after I became despondent over our shotty hotel room (beware the Prince Arthur Hotel). She could have super hated me after I left her laptop on the roof of the car for 12 blocks. She was a trooper though handling my moods with a grain of salt and my irresponsibility with laughter. (Perhaps watching your friend get pooped on through a car window is a little bit of a consolation... and karma. Damn karma.)

The hikes were good. One hike was great. Grand Portage could have been skipped due to the torrential down pour we were struck with. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park was phenomenal even though we had to endure a 12 mile hike with an 8 mile bike. Kakabeka Falls led us to one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever had the privilege of photographing.

Our trip? Yeah. It was amazing. The laughter, the sights, and the memories made up a trip that will surely get better as it marinates in time.

Canada: Part 1

I found myself in Canada for five days. Well, truth be told, I didn't just end up there (though I'm sure that would make a great story). It was a strategically planned escape from reality conveniently worked around busy periods at work.

We started out running-- literally. A quick 5k at the Hallett Center celebrating Fit Week followed up by Bloody Marys kicked off the long, long vacation weekend. We rolled up to Grand Marais for a night and then spent four days up in Thunder Bay. The scenery was superb (summary of hikes to come in a later post) and the people were kind of Minnesota Nice. For all I know other than a few extra "Eh?"s, I might have not even left the states-- I'm pretty sure we did though 'cause that boarder patrol lady pierced my retinas and stared into my soul with her terminator glare. I'm still shook up, rocking in fetal position, and sucking my thumb.

Thunder Bay is a happening place. Not.

The sign reads, "Gentlemen." I'm still not sure what type of an establishment this was other than it was a "Cinema" that sold lattes.

Window Panes and Picture Frames

I’ve been neglecting this blog despite a strong urge to do something about it. Fighting a lack of content, I hope to remedy the problem with a weather permitting vacation-- to Canada we go. More to come on that at a later date.

A couple weekends ago, I set George H. Crosby Manitou State Park in my sights. The trek to FInland, MN is a trip on highway 61 north west of Silver Bay. Tucked back in the woods, this particular park sported a great set of cascades as well as some great overlooks.
Describing the aforementioned park brings me back to the reason I decided to conquer state parks in the first place:

There is an abundance of natural beauty all around us that many fail to take the time to appreciate. I don’t want to be one of those people that miss the details. I don’t want to be looking through window panes and picture frames when I can be experiencing the world first hand.

 

Global Warming

I am a victim of global warming with unseasonable sunburn and blisters from yard work.

I've been making tracks. I hit up Mille Lacs Kathio State Park as well as Crow Wing State Park. Larson Lake Trails and Crato Lake Trail are also under my belt. Four geocaches down, hundreds of thousands to go.

Are you there spring? It's me, Mari.

The snow has melted all but for a few dirty piles.

And I'm ready. Ready for sun burn, bug bites, and road rash.

On the list: Eagle Mountain (highest point in MN), Grand Portage State Park (highest waterfall in MN), Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, and many in between.

Too early to start the count down?

Cracker Jacks

The stuff in my house isn't mine.

It's the remnants of past lives.

Nicknacks and Cracker Jacks.

The dust, that's not mine either.

Even the dog.

She's not mine,

Just acquired.

 

I don't want anyone to have to decide what to keep.

Or have a hard time throwing away Cracker Jack nicknacks.

Florida

I'm not going to lie-- I saw good portion of Florida through a van window. Sarasota, Naples, Venice Beach, Fort Meyers Beach, Capiva and Sanibel keys, Port Charlotte, and everything in between. The weather was less than lack luster. Two days were quite nice and came with a sun burn. The remaining three days were over cast, one accompanied with 12 inches of rain in Punta Gorda. When we weren't in the van on those cloudy days looking for a place to eat, the turn for the airport, or this shop or that, we spent as much time as allowable on the beach without facing some sort of mal effect from the wind chill. Yeah, that's right-- I said wind chill. When I left Minnesota, the last thing I expected to hear from the Weather Channel were warnings of frost, freeze, and wind chill. Those, however, were the cards we were dealt.

My favorite part of the vacation?

Well, it wasn't my time in the van, as enjoyable as that was. The van ride was needed to get there, though. In route the Sarasota International Airport, we took a pit stop on Siesta Key. Now, it might be a little known fact that I actually like kids (especially fun, energetic ones). And, as it turns out, I also like to act like a kid. Despite the dismal temperature, we still kicked off our shoes, soaked up the minimal sun, and played a rousing game of tag on the beach for nearly an hour. Tag backs allowed with only the swift and nimble left standing.

Kids and adults acting like kids playing tag on the beach-- hands down most memorable event of my vacation.

(It might have been the fact that my calves hurt for three days after prancing around the beach on my toes attempting to evade the tags of little people which made the occasion more poignant. On the other hand, it could have been the smiles and laughter that chaperoned the release of pent up energy that sealed the deal.)

Have you seen my feet?

Naples is apparently the home of the Escalades and other fancy vehicles.

Tin City, Naples.

Somewhere between Fort Myers and Naples

The contents of my pockets most days: minimal change, a few shells, and lots of sand. What isn't shown is the pack of Rollaids I also lived on.

Captiva Key

The rest of the album can be found here.

My peeps sporting our matching bracelets.

Back

Well, I'm back.
It was a whirl wind trip, but a good time nonetheless.

In the upcoming weeks I am going to try and put together a few blog posts. We ended up ringing in the New Year overlooking Port Charlotte with live music (and I had an awesome filet mignon). Even though I wasn't actually awake to see 2010 roll in, I was able to rise the next morning without a hangover despite the interesting array of beverages I consumed.

Year in review

The days are getting longer now that we have officially met winter. Three months until spring, four months until quality hiking, five months until graduation, and six months until an overdue trip to Thunder Bay. Ok, so graduation doesn't have much to do with weather or hiking, but it certainly will allow me to plan without time restrictions. I have much to look forward to this upcoming year, though the new year is not here quite yet.

Last New Year's, I made a resolution to spend more time with my camera and more time blogging. In doing so I had quite and active year. On top of work full-time, school full-time, two softball leagues, and hanging out with grandpa as much as possible, I was able to fit in 11 state parks. At those state parks I scaled walls, stood too close to the edge of cliffs, took thousands of pictures (literally), and miraculously escaped with only sore muscles and maybe a few scrapes. In those travels I ate lunches consisting of crackers and cheese overlooking waterfalls, disconnected from the world, found commonalities with hundreds of strangers, and forged a friendship.

One last trip is on the slate, and most likely it will be the first post of the New Year. Ditching the cold and snow of Minnesota for the warm, sandy beaches of Florida will provide a welcomed break from the daily grind. With camera in toe, I'll be slathering on sun screen to protect this fair complected, freckled, Minnesotan body.

This year's resolution?

More trips, more pictures, more blog entries.

(And keep eating healthy, keep running, keep my grandpa schedule, keep frequenting the E, keep working on being a better person, keep trying to surround myself with good people, keep searching for my niche in the technology world, keep on keepin' on)

See you on the flip side.

Just what I needed

On my way to the community center last night, there was a gorgeous sunset over Serpent Lake. What actually caught my attention was a gaggle of geese that had landed in the bay. Though they were a little too far away to get a good shot, the cat tails turned out alright.

So, just as I was bumming about the impending winter, Mother Nature gave me something to be excited about.


Serpent Lake