One of the first things I realized after I started using my 1978 Bethany Pop-up camper is that there was a fair bit of movement once it was set up. Just walking into it caused it to shift which puts a lot of stress on the camper. It also causes one to be concerned about it tipping which has happened to many others. Especially if only one of the beds are being used as then its one big teeter totter/lever and probably the last thing you want waking you up!

A five day, four night trip to Interstate Park! We stayed in the MN Interstate Park but made several trips to the WI Interstate Park!

Hikes

• Walter F Mondale Trail June 5, 2021
• Cascade Falls June 5, 2021
• Skyline Trail June 6, 2021
• Silverbrook Trail June 7, 2021

A fairly easy trail with just a few hills which are not steep, no stairs, and fairly open. It's highlight is at the end where you will see a little waterfall which is partially obstructed by trees and bushes. Along the way you will see swamps, a small brook, and an old gangster hideout/party house.

It does go through some swamping areas so be sure to apply plenty of bug repellant! It is mostly shaded but there are a couple open areas. It is not a huge waterfall but for those of us who love waterfalls they are all beautiful!

The Skyline Trail at Interstate State Park (WI) connects the Ice Age Center (which is near the park entrance) and the Pine Group Camp. It follows the outer rim of the St. Croix Valley. It does have some steep hills/natural steps to climb but we did not find it overly difficult to do the trail. However, we did not do the entire trail since some of the lower parts were muddy and it was getting close to lunch time!

Cascade Falls is a waterfall in the town of Osceola, WI and is just a short drive from Interstate Park.

It hardly can be considered a hike since you just park on the side of the street, hike down a set of stairs, and you are right there! Was the first time I have been to a waterfall that was right in town and actually drove right by it the first time!

It was the perfect outing for a hot June afternoon though! There is even enough room to get underneath the falls and cool yourself off!

The Walter F. Mondale trail is at Interstate State Park (MN) it runs between the camp ground and the pot holes. It is an fairly easy trail and follows the St. Croix river.

Was a very busy spring so other than potatoes and peas I did not get anything out in the gardens until this weekend! Although with it having froze Saturday morning I am glad I waited! Still enough growing season left for everything to produce but certainly was a lot of work to do over a few days. I still have a ton of mulching to do so that I don't end up spending the entire summer weeding!

Last year word apparently got out, amongst the rabbits, that I was running a five star all you can eat buffet. Peas were decimated and barely got enough for a single meal. I do not mind nature taking some of the garden produce but time for some boundaries. A little bit of reading and I discovered egg shells, coffee grounds, hair, and blood meal all serve as a deterrent. I decided to use all four at once! Here is to hoping the rabbits now give my garden a zero star review!

In previous years, when I prepared and tilled the NE Garden Plot 1, I would get a green blanket of weeds before it was time to plant. Meant I would have to either hoe or re-till the garden! After a bit of research I learned about solarization. This involves putting a layer of plastic down for a few weeks to both heat the soil and kill the weed seeds. Often clear plastic is used but I ended up with black plastic and am just going with it. From my reading you can actually get soil temperatures up to 120 degrees with clear plastic after four to eight weeks.

I have not had great luck with getting peas growing in bales. A big part of the problem is that by the time the bales are conditioned we are also getting hotter temperatures. Peas are a plant that thrive better when its colder, especially during the early growing stages. So going to move back to growing them in soil. In the category of horizontal gardening I am going to plant them next to the bales, that have cattle panels. The peas will grow up them and the cucumbers, to be planted later in the bales, will also grow on them.

The Mad Gardener is buying peas. He plans to plant four rows each 27 feet long. Peas are planted one inch apart and in bands 1.5 inches apart. Essentially each row is two rows. How many peas does he need to buy?

Our mornings have have been on the cold side lately but that has not stopped the microbes from getting to work! Will be at least a month before I start planting but this way there will be plenty of time for them to heat up and then cool back down!

Even though we are in the middle of You Thought I was Done Winter it has not stopped me from getting the gardens ready!

The second batch produced just under three gallons of Maple Syrup, 2 gallons 3.5 quarts to be exact, quite the harvest for just five days of sap! Minnesota's constantly changing spring weather has its advantages with snow, ice, freezing temps one day and warm sunny weather the next! I started the boil down late Wednesday night (03/17/2021) and finished Sunday night (03/21/2021).

The 68 gallons of maple sap boiled down to just over two gallons of syrup!

I am tracking the daily collection, of sap, here!

Sugar content was near perfect, as tested with a maple syrup hydrometer! Now its on to the next batch of sap!

The clones continue to grow, not roots yet but that takes several weeks! The apple trees are starting to show signs of life too! Based, on what I have read, apple trees are the most difficult to clone and take the longest to get roots.

While the crazy weather changes, this week, felt a bit like a mad roller coaster it did cause the maple sap to flow! From March 2, 2021 to March 9, 2019 we collected 24 gallons of sap and then on March 10-March 11 we collected just over 12 gallons! March 10th it was cold, raining, and sleeting and having more than enough room in the pails I skipped harvesting.

Sap flows when day time temps are above freezing and night time temps fall below freezing!