Let’s take in some views of the Straight River, and hopefully sight some turtles and spring wildflowers, including the rare Dwarf Trout Lily, at River Bend Nature Center in Faribault on Sunday, May 4.
9:30 a.m. — Meet at REI Bloomington for carpooling (optional)*.
If you’d like to carpool, I we should be able to leave cars in the lot at REI Bloomington. The drive from REI to River Bend looks like 45-60 min., so let’s plan to leave REI at 9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m. — Arrive at River Bend Interpretive Center to do some hiking.
I have a loose figure-8 in mind that might end up being 3-5 miles. We’ll go counter-clockwise first going north to the overlook and return to the Interpretive Center. Then we’ll go west and south again counter-clockwise to explore that area, returning to the Interpretive Center. Note that this will be my first visit there, so hiking distance is a guesstimate.
Optional post-hike socializing/lunch at nearby Crooked Pint Ale House in Faribault.
The address is:
River Bend Nature Center
P.O. Box 186
1000 Rustad Rd
Faribault, MN 55021
Bring a snack and water.
*I plan to start a Google Doc to coordinate carpooling, so if you plan to carpool, let me know so I can provide further meetup details (e.g., who wants to drive, how many passengers, staying for post-hike socializing, etc.).
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