Stay away from others.
That seems to be the best advice I could give or receive in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While I would encourage everyone to stay at home almost exclusively and limit their exposure from others, at the same time, I haven’t locked the doors and barred the windows. There is a world of adventure to be had, and we need exercise and fresh air as much as ever right now.
So what can we do about it? How can we escape our plastic bubbles of safety while getting some Vitamin D? Head out to a local Minnesota State Park. You may have heard or are assuming that everything is closed, but here’s the word from the Minnesota DNR:
Executive Order 20-33 allows people to be outdoors, engaging in activities such as walking, running, and fishing and hunting. Minnesotans can continue to enjoy parks and other public recreation lands. We urge outdoor enthusiasts to:
- Stay close to home.
- Not congregate when outdoors.
- Follow social distancing guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health.
What is open?
- State parks. Bathrooms, vault toilets and shower buildings currently open will remain open. Other facilities are closed.
- Minnesota’s waters. You can fish if you have a license. Normal seasons and regulations apply.
- Hunting seasons. There are no changes to upcoming hunting seasons. Normal regulations apply.
- Public land. Wildlife management areas, state forests, and Scientific and Natural Areas are open for recreation. Campgrounds are closed.
- Public water accesses. State-managed public accesses are open, though the availability of amenities, such as docks, are contingent upon seasonal maintenance.
What is closed?
Announced recently, Grand Portage State Park is closed completely. Read the full details here.
The following DNR-managed facilities:
- Campgrounds, group camps, remote and dispersed camping at all state parks, state forests, and state recreation areas.
- Camper cabins.
- Yurts.
- Overnight lodging facilities.
- Group centers, trail centers and other ancillary buildings.
- Visitor centers.
- State park contact stations.
- Grand Portage State Park.
- Wabanica and Wheeler’s Point public water accesses on Lake of the Woods County are currently closed, per local emergency action.
For further information on what is closed, and current updates as the situation progresses, visit the Minnesota DNR website.
How can I visit Minnesota State Parks Safely?
Mitigate Your Risk
- Visit on a weekday instead of a weekend. Less is definitely more right now and you’re less likely to run into a crowd by heading out on low traffic days.
- Push yourself to get up early for a sunrise instead of a sunset. Nearly every time I’ve gone out for sunrise, I’ve been the only person I’ve seen.
- Buy your pass online before you head out. Less things you have to touch in the outside world. Also try to plan ahead so you can have the cool window sticker shipped in 5-10 before visiting the parks.
- Don’t go far. There’s a park within a fifty mile radius of all of us. When you stay close you use less fuel, so less stops to get more. You can eat at home before, bring a snack, then return home for dinner to save stopping somewhere for a meal.
- Try the less popular parks. Maybe don’t go to Gooseberry Falls, where you’d be likely to run into others on the short trail from the parking lot to the falls. There are 75 other places you can go, and I’ve enjoyed every single one I’ve visited thus far.
- Push yourself to try new trails. I’ve found one park so far with only one trail, but most have quite a network. Take the long way around, see something new and get a chance to spend more time alone.
- Don’t let people pet your dog. Not because your pet will transmit the disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports this is highly unlikely. But strangers coming up close to you to pet your precious pooch? Well COVID-19 provides a good excuse to politely make your dog walking outings simpler. Though it does suck for me, as I love to pet people’s puppies.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you are all staying safe and taking care of yourselves. If you’ve gone out at all during this time and have some good adventure stories of places you’ve visited that you might not have in the past, I would love to hear about them. While we figure out our new normals, it’s important to stay vigilant but not forget to focus on the things we live for.
If you like this post or know someone who could use a little incentive to get outside as the weather gets better, please consider sharing this on social media, and pinning on Pinterest!
Ian… I was so elated to find your postcard in my mail box. I rarely check it to avoid being in the small hallway. Today just before starting out on my 7:15 a.m. walk , I decided to check .
Thinking of you has never been hard nor occasional. You and your adventures are always with me. You are such a good writer to go along with the lovely, narrative visuals.
To answer your queries about the old hood, this is a sad time to live in this area for ME. I fall into the category of STAY IN. So I do. At first it was the BEST scenario. Picture my apt . Easy, easy access to visiting folks passing in front of my windows. New easy to open windows. Lovely new screens. The first 10 days I enjoyed opening the front ones like I had a screen porch and chit chatting with social distancing. The back window was great too as I sat in my kitchen (perched?) alert as to who was dropping off garbage and recycling or headed via the alley shortcut to Kowalskis. Than, with warnings of the virus traveling in the air and lingering on metal garbage cans etc, I closed up my hermitage.
Ian, this isn’t all dismal. I was MADE for this. (Well maybe not iNDeFINITELY) . My difficult pregnancies required bed-rest where I learned that as long as i had food and could shift around in place, I was content. So THIS is easy by comparison. I get out for solo walks but they aren’t good enough. This area is lousy with unmasked people. I ventured to our house over on Douglas and Emerson on the 30th to bring Matthew a painting I did for his birthday. We sat in the front yard. He and his wife and John and I all wore our masks. The total # of people I saw enroute , than sitting in the front yard and walking home was 90+. Four had on masks not counting my family.
John will be 100 in July. So we are extra careful for his sake as well as others.
Do you know the people who live in your old apt? Isaiah has been helpful doing Kowalski pick ups for me. I did venture there at first, but again, I was the only one wearing a mask. Julia went to Wedge two days ago and only a couple of people had on masks. Her friend who works there is anxious.
I can fill you in more on people around here, but think I’d rather do this through a facebook chat or on the phone if you are able.
The Chinese character for Crisis contains the chinese character for Opportunity! So I will tell you that I have been doing creative projects since I began my social distancing on March 11th. (the kids here started early…maybe because we have Sophia who is from China/ and Lichen , Ming’s long standing gf who is also from China. We have been on high alert. Our last visit was at 6 feet apart on 3/9 for my birthday.
Ming returned from Seoul and quarantined with Lichen in their LA apt. He was screened for temperature twice before boarding in Seoul but not at all at the LAX.
Everyone has been feeling well.
So , Ian, rsvp when you get this e mail. And if you want more installments, I can chatter on. I don’t know how to send you pictures of my art except by text. And my inner journey holds less general inspiration than your blogs. But it is mine and Una ( now 19 and blind) is willing to listen as long as I respond to her frequent meows, always for food. Stay Open and Stay my friend, you bearded bard. Loretta