autumn | Minnesota Prairie Roots

A favorite fall event in Minnesota: SeptOberfest in Wabasha September 26, 2018

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: autumn, fall festivals, kids activities, Minnesota, Mississippi River, Pumpkin Patch, Septoberfest, small towns, tourism, travel, Wabasha

I photograph festive Hill’s Hardware Hand nearly every time I’m in Wabasha. A photo I took of the hardware store several years ago hangs near the Our World hardware store exhibit (modeled after Hill’s) at the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul.

WABASHA IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA ranks as a favorite fall day trip for me. I love everything about this community from its historic architecture to the river to the National Eagle Center to its annual celebration of autumn and much more.

Banners throughout the downtown add to the charm.

A riverside play area awaits kids in Wabasha’s version of “Zootopia.”

A creative way of measuring height in Zootopia.

Another look at Zootopia, packed with activities for the kids.

An elephant slide zips kids down the hill into riverside Zootopia.

This Mississippi River town, population around 2,500, knows how to promote itself with fall-themed activities, events and attractions for all ages. From a pumpkin derby to a straw maze, petting zoo, kids’ themed play area, seasonal boutiques, a German parade and lots more, activities abound during SeptOberfest.

Outside a salon, a pumpkin transforms into the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.

Across from the Pumpkin Patch, an eye-catching street corner scene.

Pumpkins galore…these on a picnic table in the Pumpkin Patch.

Beyond that, I delight in the pumpkins, straw bales, scarecrows, shocks, German flags and other décor which add seasonal visual interest.

All over downtown are old buildings and harvest displays.

This all takes planning, hard work and time. I want the good folks of Wabasha to know I appreciate their efforts. They understand the value of bringing people into town, of growing as a fall destination, of promoting their community.

“Grumpy Old Men,” a film set in Wabasha in 1993, themes this year’s straw maze.

Gigantic sunflowers brighten the Pumpkin Patch.

Pumpkins transformed into characters from the movie “Trolls.”

Last year my eldest daughter, her husband and our then 1 1/2-year-old granddaughter joined us on a weekend afternoon to take in the kids’ activities. Izzy loved the riverside Zootopia play space, the straw maze and the Pumpkin Patch. This year Randy and I stopped in Wabasha on a late weekday afternoon. There were no crowds, only a few kids playing at Zootopia. The town was mostly shutting down for the day. But weekends you can expect crowds, though not overwhelming, with lots of families enjoying SeptOberfest.

There’s lots to do in the Pumpkin Patch, including playing tic-tac-toe.

If you’ve never been to Wabasha in the autumn, I’d encourage you to visit. There’s still lots happening in October. Click here to learn more. Also head down Minnesota State Highway 61 to LARK TOYS on the outskirts of nearby Kellogg for a spin on the handcarved carousel and a visit to the toy store and other attractions.

An overview of the Pumpkin Patch created under the bridge that connects Wabasha, Minnesota, to Nelson, Wisconsin.

For someone like me who appreciates small towns, especially river towns, and loves autumn, Wabasha offers an ideal one-day get-away.

TELL ME: Have you ever been to Wabasha’s SeptOberfest? Or tell me about another small town autumn celebration you’ve attended and enjoyed.

Check back for another post from Wabasha.

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The season of autumn in rural Minnesota, a photo essay October 24, 2017

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:01 AM
Tags: agriculture, autumn, country roads, fall colors, farming, harvest, landscape, LeSueur County, memories, nature, Rice County, rural Minnesota, seasons, Sunday afternoon drive, Waseca County

IN THE SEASON of autumn, farm memories draw me back to the land.

To follow country gravel roads

and county highways

past sweeping fields of corn

harvested,

A vintage Gleaner combine harvests a cornfield along LeSueur County Road 13 near Lake Jefferson.

under harvest

Partially harvested…

and unharvested.

Roads lead me by farm sites,

aged stately barns

Near historic Marysburg in LeSueur County.

and mammoth bins awaiting the yield.

Following a tractor pulling a 1970s era gravity box along LeSueur County Road 13.

I observe, too, farmers creeping tractors trailing wagons,

zipping along rural roadways

Visiting at the intersection of LeSueur County roads 13 and 16.

and stalled in conversation at a rural intersection.

Cattle graze along 241st Avenue, just off LeSueur County Road 13.

I scan the landscape with the eyes of someone who misses the farm,

A harvested field glistens with puddled rainwater and mud. Too much rain has slowed the harvest for farmers in southern Minnesota. They will be working long days and nights to catch up and get the crop in before the snow flies.

who remembers the hurry of her farmer father,

Enjoying a beautiful autumn Sunday afternoon along Waseca County Road 22.

who follows country roads in the season of autumn.

FYI: I shot these images in Rice, LeSueur and Waseca counties during a Sunday afternoon, October 22, drive with my husband.

Check back for more photos from that drive.

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Tour Rice County for fabulous fall colors October 14, 2017

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 4:30 PM
Tags: autumn, fall color tour, fall colors, Faribault area lakes, lakes, Minnesota, Rice County, rural Faribault, seasons, travel, trees

Kelly Lake, rural Faribault.

WHEN MINNESOTANS CONSIDER best places to see fall colors, they often think of the North Shore and Mississippi or Minnesota River towns. I doubt many think of Rice County.

Angling in Kelly Lake.

But we have some fantastic colors right here, right now, in this region an hour south of the Twin Cities metro.

I switched lenses for a closer view of the Kelly Lake angler and the stunning treeline.

Saturday morning, after picking up potatoes and zucchini at the Faribault Farmers’ Market, Randy and I headed north and west out of town on Minnesota State Highway 21 for a fall color tour. Our first turn took us off the highway headed for Kelly Lake. There we pulled into the public access off Kelly Lake Trail so I could snap a few photos in the beautiful mid-morning light.

A scene along 175th Street West on the way to French Lake.

Fishing French Lake.

A section of the French Lake shoreline ablaze in orange.

From there we drove toward French Lake, stopping at the public access along 177th St. West. I photographed more anglers fishing in the wind and cold. Already clouds were beginning to push in, greying the skies.

Near Roberds Lake.

Arriving a short while later at Roberds Lake, even heavier clouds settled in. We wished for sunshine to better showcase the fall colors, but realistically did not expect the veil of grey to lift.

Ableman’s Apple Creek Orchard is located at 5524 185th Street West. “Take a left by the smiley face near Roberds Lake” to find the orchard.

A turn onto 185th Street West yielded a surprise—Ableman’s Apple Creek Orchard. We stopped for a bulging bag of pie apples, chatting it up with friendly Diane who lives a mile down the road. Before we pulled back onto the highway, I admired the stone foundation on the mammoth orchard barn and photographed a stone still horse.

A clump of colorful woods southwest of Roberds Lake along Garfield Avenue required another stop on a gravel road.

Not much luck fishing Cedar Lake on this Saturday morning.

Eventually we reached Cedar Lake, where boaters were trying their luck—one had fished for three hours with only a single catch.

My eyes swept across the lake to the opposite shore and trees flaming red and orange between those still green.

As time raced toward noon, Randy steered the van back toward Faribault along Rice County Road 12. Swatches of colorful trees sweep along this stretch of roadway in the distance.

Eventually we ended up on Cedar Lake Boulevard before connecting with Roberds Lake Boulevard. There, at that intersection, a stunning maple flamed fire against the grey like an exclamation point at the end of our Rice County Fall Color Drive.

FYI: If you want to see the fall colors in Rice County, I wouldn’t wait. They likely will not be around for much longer.

Click here to read a previous post about places in eastern Rice County to view the fall colors.

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In the Pumpkin Patch under the bridge in Wabasha October 13, 2017

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: autumn, fall festival, festivals, free family event, kids activities, Minnesota, Pumpkin Patch, pumpkins, Septoberfest, straw maze, Wabasha, Zootopia on the RiverFront

MASSIVE MAMMOTH PUMPKINS sprawl across brick and cement walkways under the bridge in Wabasha in this season of autumn. Here among dried leaves drifted from trees and below traffic crossing the Mississippi River between Minnesota and Wisconsin, locals have staged the Pumpkin Patch.

It’s a place that attracts all ages, that draws people here to wander among the gigantic pumpkins somehow wrangled into place. This year’s winning pumpkin, grown by Gary Russell of Plainview, weighs 879 pounds. That’s a lot of pumpkin.

As enthralled as I was by these hefty pumpkins, I observed that my 18-month-old granddaughter and a lot of other kids (and their parents and grandparents) and others were equally as impressed.

My granddaughter carries a bean bag to toss into the candy corn prop.

The Pumpkin Patch certainly celebrates the season with pumpkins of all sizes, festive fall displays, themed kids’ games, occasional pony rides and music, and more. It’s the perfect mix to bring people to this spot, to draw them into nearby boutiques, eateries and more as they explore this southeastern Minnesota river town.

Izzy loves owls, including this one painted onto a tree in a bean bag toss game.

Families pose for photos on the stage against backdrops of fall decor.

Just across the street, more autumn-themed activities await families. Check back tomorrow as I showcase that portion of Wabasha’s SeptOberfest celebration. Wabasha wins my high praise for crafting creative spaces that focus on families and celebrate autumn in Minnesota.

FYI: For more details on all events in Wabasha’s nearly two-month-long SeptOberfest, click here.

To read about Zootopia on the RiverFront, my first post in this three-part series from Wabasha, click here.

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Free family fun at Zootopia on the RiverFront in Wabasha October 12, 2017

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: autumn, celebrations, fall festivals, family activities, free family event, kids activities, Minnesota, Septoberfest, small towns, Wabasha, Zootopia on the RiverFront

My first view of Zootopia on the RiverFront from the hill overlooking this play area along the Mississippi River in Wabasha.

ON AN EARLY OCTOBER Sunday in Wabasha, brilliant sunshine angled sharp shadows across the beaten grass of a riverside attraction teeming with kids and watchful adults.

The lion tunnel proved especially popular.

Here, while a young boy carried his tacklebox and fishing pole along a busy Mississippi River walkway, kids tossed rings, rolled balls, scrambled through a tunnel, zipped down a slide and more in a magical land. Here adults encouraged and interacted with the little ones and clicked endless photos.

My son-in-law, Marc, takes Izzy’s photo as she walks through the tiger tunnel while her mom (my daughter Amber) watches.

Walking on the colorful walrus crafted from tires…

My husband and I joined in on the SeptOberfest kids’ activities along with our 18-month-old granddaughter and her parents.

You can zip down this elephant slide into Zootopia on the RiverFront.

I discovered the play area after sighting an elephant slide behind Hill’s Hardware Hank. I walked the half-block to check it out and found the city of Zootopia. The good folks of Wabasha crafted a temporary themed play area after the movie of the mammal metropolis. What a delight for not only grandmas like me, but also for all those kids and other adults.

Wabasha has always impressed me as a small town that knows how to bring visitors into the community. The addition of Zootopia on the RiverFront to this year’s nearly two-month long SeptOberfest just notched up my respect for the tourism, business and other leaders in this southeastern Minnesota town of some 2,500. These folks are smart enough to realize that bringing families into town equals an immediate financial return plus an investment in future returns. The kids’ activities are free. But the local economy benefits from monies dropped in restaurants, gas stations, and ice cream and other shops.

Randy waits for Izzy to emerge from the lion tunnel.

Running in the kick ball croquet area.

Even the big kids/aka grandpas can have fun.

Watching my 1 ½-year-old granddaughter crawl multiple times through the lion tunnel, place rings on elephant trunks, roll a ball in the kick ball croquet area and more simply made me happy. Even at her young age, Izzy could participate in most of the activities.

This Zootopia rated as just plain good old family fun—Wabasha style.

In the foreground, on the hillside, giraffes (and zebras) overlook Zootopia.

FYI: Zootopia on the RiverFront continues through October 21. Click here for more details.

Check back for two more posts on kids’ SeptOberfest activities in Wabasha.

This community is also home to the National Eagle Center, another family friendly place to visit.

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Random bits of autumn from southeastern Minnesota October 11, 2017

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: autumn, fall colors, Faribault, landscape, nature, October, photos, Rice County, seasons, Septoberfest, southeastern Minnesota, thoughts, Wabasha

I love Hill’s Hardware Hank in Wabasha, especially in autumn decor. A photo similar to this hangs next to the hardware exhibit in the “Our World” play area at the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul. Hill’s inspired the exhibit. I am honored to have my photo hanging in the museum.

WITH OCTOBER NEARING mid-month and days until winter here in Minnesota dwindling, I feel a sense of urgency to observe and experience every nuance of autumn. That often means ignoring outdoor fall chores for a road trip or a walk in the woods or a stop at the apple orchard.

Among the many inviting autumn scenes staged in Wabasha.

This past Sunday took Randy and me east toward the Mississippi River town of Wabasha, one of my favorite southeastern Minnesota communities. This city knows how to welcome visitors via two months of celebration, coined SeptOberfest. I’ll share two aspects of Wabasha’s focus on fall in upcoming posts. But for today, here’s a photo peak at those nuances of autumn which so endear me to this season in Minnesota.

The beauty of rural Minnesota in autumn along a county road east of Bellechester and heading toward Wabasha.

I love the vistas of drying corn and soybean fields sweeping across the land.

A farm site viewed from Minnesota State Highway 60 in the Zumbro Falls area.

I love the flashes of red farm buildings in a muting landscape.

My sister Lanae, a floral designer in Waseca, created this autumn scene in her backyard.

I love the fall décor that infuses townscapes and gardens.

One of several seasonal boutiques in Wabasha. Barton’s Brickhouse Boutique is located across from the VFW.

I love the seasonal boutiques offering handcrafted gifts and the scent of pumpkin and apple crisp.

We didn’t find fall colors in Wabasha; we were too early. But we spotted beautiful colors in this treeline at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park on our drive back to Faribault.

In our many years of day trips in southeastern Minnesota, Randy and I have found some of the best fall colors in Rice County. This scene was shot from Rice County Road 84/Falk Avenue. The gravel road parallels Rice County Road 20, which is considered the “back road” between Faribault and Northfield. This scene is near the intersection of CR 84 with 154th street.

I swapped on my telephoto lens for a closer look at the distant treeline as seen from CR 84. Other places to view wonderful fall colors in Rice County are west of Faribault around the lakes and also in Faribault along residential streets in old neighborhoods, at River Bend Nature Center and from City View Park. I think we have some of the best autumn hues in southeastern Minnesota.

I love the hillsides of trees transitioning from green to yellow, orange and red.

I shot this image and the four following at River Bend Nature Center late Sunday afternoon.

I love, too, the individual leaves that wave color in the wind.

I love drying milkweed pods bursting with seeds.

There’s so much to love about October, except the prospect of winter edging closer.

TELL ME: What do you like most about autumn? Feel free to share details about favorite fall destinations.

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Hints of autumn in Minnesota September 11, 2017

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: autumn, fall colors, leaves, Minnesota, nature, seasons, thoughts

ALREADY THE EARTHY HUES of autumn brush the Minnesota landscape. Touches of red and orange and yellow tip trees now spiraling leaves onto grass and asphalt and sidewalks.

I delight in autumn, a season I welcome for the crisp nights that birth mornings of warm sunshine. Each day seems a gift to hold heart close.

Summer memories fly on the wings of butterflies dipping among fading plants—milkweed and goldenrod and petunias drying in pots.

The air carries the scent of corn ripening, the anticipation of harvest approaching, the promise of the yield.

And in the evening, when the sun slips too soon into darkness, when I close the windows against the overnight cold, I smell still the spicy aroma of chili ladled into handcrafted bowls shaped of the earth. And I am grateful for this season of autumn in Minnesota.

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Into the woods on an autumn afternoon in southern Minnesota November 10, 2016

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: autumn, city park, Kaplan's Woods, Minnesota, nature, oak leaves, oak trees, outdoors, Owatonna, photo essay, seasons, thoughts, woods

I DOUBT I’VE EVER SEEN so many oak leaves layering the ground. Thick. Brown. Rustling underfoot.

As my husband and I hiked into Kaplan’s Woods in Owatonna on Sunday afternoon, I noticed the abundance of oaks that distinguishes this city park from other parks/nature centers I’ve visited.

There’s something about an oak that denotes history and strength.

Yet, the distraction of all those oak leaves crackling underfoot doesn’t detract from my ability to notice nature’s details.

Flash of yellow among mostly brown and grey.

Bare (or mostly bare) branches set against a signature cobalt blue November sky.

Fungi laddering up a tree trunk. Beautiful in an artistic, natural way. Like Nature’s sculpture.

And then an unnatural road block at the end of a muddied path. “A gated community,” Randy jokes. And we laugh. Together. In the woods, under the oaks.

In the dirt, initials carved with a stick, an “A” and maybe a “U.” Another Audrey? Probably not.

We turn around, our path blocked. I suggest we return to the main trail into the woods. We’re unfamiliar with this place and I have no intention of getting lost. Neither does Randy.

Leaves crunch beneath our shoes. But then I stop abruptly, swing my camera left toward a moss covered log, the golden light falling just right.

I fail to hear or notice the runner closing in behind us. I’m in the zone, focused on photographing a selected scene. Randy, however, is watchful. He warns me. We step aside and continue on, a biker now barreling toward us on his mountain bike.

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Remember this weekend when the snow flies, my dear Minnesotans November 6, 2016

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 9:29 PM
Tags: autumn, Kaplan's Woods, Lake Kohlmier, Minnesota, Morehouse Park, nature, outdoors, Owatonna, photo essay, photography, seasons, thoughts, weather

Feeding the ducks in Morehouse Park, Owatonna, Minnesota, Sunday afternoon.

Feeding the ducks in Owatonna’s Morehouse Park on Sunday afternoon.

IF YOU LIVE IN MINNESOTA and did not spend most of this past weekend outdoors, then please do not complain come January. For we have had a gloriously long autumn that has extended in to these early days of November.

Walking on a carpet of oak leaves in Kaplan Woods, Owatonna.

Walking on a carpet of oak leaves in Kaplan’s Woods, Owatonna.

What a gift. What an absolute gift. Each day that the weather remains warm, sunny and without snow means one less day of winter.

Every detail, even leaves in a creek in Kaplan Woods, delighted me.

Every detail, even leaves in a creek in Kaplan’s Woods, delighted me.

For that I am thankful.

Some leaves are still clinging to trees like these by Lake Kohlmier in Owatonna.

Sunshine and warmth defined the weekend, one I documented with my camera. When the snow flies and the temps dip to well below zero, I will pull up these photos and remember the delightful Autumn of 2016. And perhaps that will carry me to spring.

Cruisin’ with the top down along Intersate 35E north of St. Paul Saturday afternoon.

Following a gravel road near Clinton Falls in Steele County on Sunday afternoon.

Finishing the corn harvest south of Faribault Sunday afternoon.

Mud hens bob across the choppy waters of Lake Kohlmier.

Checking out Lake Kohmier at the boat landing.

Taking the 1970s Ford Maverick out for a cruise Sunday afternoon by Lake Kohmier.

Sunday afternoon fishing along the Straight River in Morehouse Park.

Water churns in the Straight River at the Morehouse Park dam.

A recreational trail bridges the Straight River/Morehouse Park dam, a popular spot for outdoor enthusiasts this weekend.

Lots of dogs were out with their owners.

Almost unbelievable: mowing lawn on Sunday, November 6, in Owatonna.

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Glorious autumn in Faribault October 21, 2016

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 5:00 AM
Tags: autumn, Faribault, hiking, Minnesota, nature, outdoors, photography, River Bend Nature Center, seasons, thoughts

THE TIME OF LOVELY, stunning days in Minnesota is fleeting, moving from autumn toward winter. Those of us who live here understand that. And we appreciate each day that brings sunshine, warmth and no precipitation, especially snow.

With that mindset, it’s as if we can’t get enough of the outdoors. Raking leaves, clearing flowerbeds and other pre-winter activities fill our days. As do walks in the woods or drives to see the fall colors, which are nearly gone now except in portions of southern Minnesota.

Last Sunday afternoon, I slung my camera across my shoulder and joined my husband on a walk through Faribault’s River Bend Nature Center. We had about a half hour to hike before an afternoon obligation would draw us indoors.

I am not, by craft, a nature photographer. But I am an observer and a detail-oriented person. Put a camera in my hands and I begin to view my surroundings with even more detail. That’s one of the things I love about photography.

Through the lens of my camera, I notice the play of light, degrees of color or lack thereof, curves and lines and shapes.

Autumn is, if anything, a season when color fades, when muted earth tones prevail.

Except for the occasional flare of fiery red-orange maples and oaks. And the blazing yellow.

I love the cobalt blue skies of this season. While that hue was absent on the afternoon of my walk, I still tilted my head up to a canopy of clinging leaves.

I also aimed my eyes and camera lens horizontally to appreciate plants drying. Cattails dry to a cottony fluff. Milkweed pods burst with the promise of next year’s growth.