I grew up next to a river which was my relaxing area, sanctuary, library... etc. Now that I have grown up, the river has gotten bigger.
I live next to the St. Croix River. It's the largest part of the St. Croix River which is technically called St. Croix Lake. It starts at Stillwater and ends at Prescott.
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| Downtown Stillwater and the last year of the lift bridge - 4th of July 2012 at dusk. |
We visited the Boom Site
north of Stillwater and walked along
the western shore of the St. Croix.
Cliffs of sandstone loom over our heads and in some areas, in miniature caves under the sandstone, are springs that flow into the St. Croix. They are wondrously cold.
Before I could stop them, my children had taken a drink out of the spring and 24 hours later found out the water is okay for drinking. But we're not going to do that anymore. If I have my water tester along, we would know for sure... but it's not like that is a source of water for us.
During these intense heat days we walk or bike 4 blocks to the Lakeside Beach. With the rains that fell on Duluth, we saw the river rise
2 days later and then watched it slowly fall within 10 days.
The kiddos love it when the water is high because they are able to use a cement foundation a rental property is built on for a launching pad.
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| I couldn't quite get them all together |
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| They couldn't get into the water fast enough |
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| my reflexes were off... wayyyyy off. |
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| Doesn't it make you want to jump right in with them?? |
Last time we were there, the river was at it's "summer height" and temperature. The kids commented on how small the lake looked. The distance to the buoys was cut in half. However, since the water receded, we now can have access to the tiny springs in the beach.
Incidentally, with all the ice cold spring flowing into the river, the fluctuating temp of the river is between 77 and 84... Hmmmm.... It feels wonderful, but how do the fish feel about it? ...and what were those things floating on the water???
We found the sources of water and dug lakes and watched them fill up. The boys then found the water spilled over so they dug another lake and connected it to the next one... until it turned into....
The lakes were constantly being changed into various different shapes and sizes. Walls needed to be made, then destroyed. Castle fortresses were made in the middle of the lakes and then collapsed because of the rising waters.
I asked a life long St. Croix Beach resident what they loved most about the river. I was expecting her to name any one of the sites along the river that she went to, or a camping area. She answered with, "the smell of the river.. it's very distinct and no other river has this type of smell."
I agreed with her wholeheartedly.
The St. Croix does have a distinct smell. I smelled it for the first time last year when the wind blew toward the west, which is very rare. I loved the smell but didn't know where it came from. Later on in the week, we went swimming and I found the source. I cannot describe it, but like she said, I've never smelled another river like this.
