Rice Lake

I went camping this weekend at a state park near Owatonna.  We had a few hours of rain but other than that the weather was nice.

This state park has a problem with invasive parsnip.  These 5 foot tall plants with yellow "dill like" flowers can cause a blistering rash upon contact.  I didn't touch any.  The edges of the prairie and all the ditches are full of parsnip.

We also saw some Michigan lilies in bloom.

What is not to love about camping?  I can tell you - the mosquitoes.  Clouds and clouds of mosquitoes buzz around Rice Lake state park.  Mosquitoes come in herds, in waves, in hordes and by the thousands.  Even though I brought my head net I have more mosquito bites on me than I have ever had in my life.  The mosquito population can make a person not want to get out of the car.  Despite heavy use of insecticides we all got bit. A bite alone isn't bad but it's the slap you give yourself that hurts worse.  Worst are the hits that leave a bloody mark and carcass on your skin.  In between swatting mosquitoes we did have some fun too.  Food always tastes better cooked over an open fire.  Our campsite was a walk-in site set in tall oaks from where we  could see through the trees to a wetland behind us and a prairie in front of us.  We had lots of bird calls to listen to including common yellow throat, a murder of crows, robins, bluebirds, grackles, and goldfinches.  Some of us explored Rice Lake with the kayak.  It's a shallow lake full of reeds and rice with a few spots of open water.  This lake is the headwaters of the Zumbro River.  I looked for but could not find where the river let out.  Too much vegetation blocked my view.  I felt lucky to find my way back through the tall reeds to the boat landing. One nice thing about being on the lake was the freedom from the whine of mosquitoes.  Rice Lake was a great place to watch the super moon rise above the prairie and shine down on us through the oaks.