Lindsborg, Kansas

On a road trip from St. Paul to Colorado Springs we pull in to Lindsborg KS at dusk and decide to sit out winter storm Kayla for a day--good decision.

We are in Kansas anymore

Linsdborg is all about Swedishness and the Dala horse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalecarlian_horse is their ubiquitous logo (mascot?)

For a town of 3,500, in Kansas, it has enough cool stuff to keep us occupied for a day.  

And, by the way, my best meal--red chili at the Mexican restaurant.

Birger Sadzen museum, he did spend time in Colorado Springs.

I love that Sanzen started out traditional and ended up impressionist.   Since it's a winter Tuesday in nowhere Kansas we get  a personal, 45 minute tour from the director (who grew up in Denver).

Miss Missouri--not by Sanzen and we're in Kansas but best greeter ever.

 

 

National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson has a studio on Main Street.  He has an affinity for northern UK, dear to my heart, and posts fine photos on Instagram.  http://www.jimrichardsonphotography.com/

The Lester Raymer residence and museum.

Famous for distinctive character paintings but a multi-media guy, for sure.

Then there's......

and the castle on the hill.  Note ghost in entry.

Includes the extremely rare medieval restrooms.

On to Colorado.  Where's Kayla?

North Woods Dog Sledding

Dog sledding in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

1/24 - 1/30/16

Mural in Ely MN, deep in the north woods.  We're definitely to the right of center.

Forming snow blocks for sculpting in the Ely city park.

Where the dogs live.  10 of about 60.

Where I live upon arrival and the last night.

Where I live the rest of the time.  Sleeping bag, duffel bag and backpack at the shoreline.

How my boots spend the night.  The liners got to be inside the sleeping bag.

Dawn over the dog shit pile.

What the dogs eat--dividing up frozen ground meat with a log splitter.

What  we eat when we run out of cream of broccoli soup.

On the first day we speed along on groomed trails with empty sleds.

 

Tin Can Mike hoping to be chosen for some sledding fun--eat, sleep, howl, shit, fight and pull.

We load up the sleds

And load up the dogs and sleds.  Owner, guide and polar explored Paul Sherke surveys our progress.

We proceed along the road that takes us into the Boundary Waters Wilderness.  Some on sleds and most on skis.

And off we go.

Sometimes the trail just opens ahead of you...

other times it falls away.   Rolled the sled on this one.

Betty--overweight, snappish and never pulled her lead chain tight the whole trip.  There's one in every group.

Even in winter there are stretches of open water and large areas of slush under the snow from water that has squeezed up through cracks in the ice.

Sled's unloaded, dogs on a cable and the pot's on the fire.

The water hole and the access tool.

Visiting the Freeman's camp (2012 National Geo. Explorers of the Year) who are spending a year inside the BWCA.  They are very well connected through social media and visitors like us.

They travel with us for a day and do not sleep under the stars.

It's over the lakes, through the woods and back to the lodge we go.

Christmas '15 Outings

Colorado Springs

The Hatchet

The happy Family

Iron Mountain

Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site

Happy sheep

Happy ducks