Day 2 Continued

After a delicious lunch we went on a field trip to Bemidji State Park; only five minutes away from where we were staying.

We toured a bog.  Bogs are lacking in nutrition so plants adapt by turning carnivorous.  This is a pitcher plant.

Sphagnum moss, a great insulator, is abundant on the bog and keeps things cool down below.  Even in the warmest summers, the bog down below stays in the 30's.

Even on rainy days, the bog is a beautiful place.

For the limnology section of our field trip we went out on a pontoon to learn about the lake.  The ice had finally gone out the two days before so we were lucky to be able to be on the lake at all.  Some ice remains on the shore.

After our field trip we headed back for another delicious meal. The food here is fabulous.  Tables are served family style.  Supper begins with soup. A tureen is brought to the corner of the table and the person at that seat has the job of dishing out soup and passing the bowls around until everyone has some.  Meat, potatoes, vegetables, salad and bread are passed around the tables in big platters.  Vegetarians, like me, bring our plate to the kitchen where we are served a similar meal with mock duck instead of meat.  The breads and desserts are all freshly baked.  We had some free time to visit the silent auction and the star dome.  The stardome is a gray inflated structure that looks like a kid's jumping play structure.  It had a big dome in the center and two octopus looking arms that wrapped around the sides.  A friend and I wanted to explore it.  We walked around the thing three times and could not find any door.  Someone saw our struggle and pointed out the entrance.  The entrance was folded in on itself on one of the arms.  We had to unfold it and crawl in on our hands and knees.   Air flowed past us and out the open door.  We crawled about 4 feet and it was so dark in there I could not see anything.  I sensed we were in the dome part because I had more space above me; not because I could see anything.  A little light from a projector shone in the middle of the dome part.  A disembodied voice warns, "We're laying down in here so don't step on us."  I replied, "I am on my hands and knees so you are safe."  As my eyes adjusted I could see a moon projected on the left side of the dome. My friend asked, "How many people are in here and how long have you been in here?"  Turns out there were 3 people in the dome and they weren't sure how long they had been in here.  This was becoming a far out experience for me.  The three people, one of which was a male, were talking and laughing and pointing out the big dipper.  It was totally dark in there and although it was uncomfortable to be kneeling I wasn't sure where anyone was so I didn't want to move around too much.  As the minutes passed, more and more stars became visible.  My friend and I agree to leave so we turn around and crawl out the side arm and into the bright lights of the outer room.  We burst into giggles and agree that was one of the strangest experiences we've ever had.  We meet up with some other friends to watch the common golden eyes on the lake.  We identify the long slow snore and chuckles of the leopard frogs.  The local chapter, Bogs and Logs, serves us their annual "Ice Out Ice Cream."   They use lake ice in the outer part of the churn.  I am stuffed from dinner so I turn down the mocha, banana, and cherry/chocolate freshly churned ice cream.  Back in our dorm we sit and talk for a couple hours.  My joints ache from being outside in the chilly damp weather and it feels great to lay down and rest after a great day.