Yesterday afternoon we took a trip out to our LMSP (local Minnesota State Park), a place we used to frequent several times a week in the fall.  Now we live several miles further away from it so we haven't been out there as often.  It's a lovely park, full of hiking trails, trees, weeds, birds, and an old mill. 

The day began with a beautiful sunrise.  I love my back yard early in the morning, and the temps yesterday were such that I could sit out there for a bit and watch the sun come up.  With coffee, of course.

The leaves are getting sparse on most of the trees, but these red maples are still holding on to a few.  The sky was so blue when we left home that I grabbed the camera, hoping for good light for picture taking.

By the time we picked up Subway salads and arrived at the park, the sun was hiding under the clouds, but it was still nice and warm, so we had a picnic.

We drove through the park with the dusty roads creating a film on my just washed Prius!

I call this tree the Halloween tree.  It has looked exactly the same for 10 years, I think!  Kind of spooky, isn't it?

This is the old flour mill.  It is quite beautifully preserved.  I love our LMSP and will be heading out there more often as I have really missed the times I've spent hiking out there.