Winter Makes A Welcomed Return To St. Croix Valley
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- In the quaint little river town, winter's beauty is on display -- and photographer Rudi Hargesheimer couldn't be happier. The snow-covered trees are his favorite.
"Just looking at the shapes of tree branches, I think that's beautiful right there," Hargesheimer said.
Marine on St. Croix is even more postcard perfect, now that it's painted in winter's white. Hargesheimer's photo cards are on the shelves of the historic general store. It's a local business where as snow came down, traffic picked up.
"With it the snowshoers, cross country is back, everybody's excited, the snowmobilers, business has picked up," said store clerk Gwen Roden.
In nearby William O'Brien State Park, the trail groomer is going again.
"We're packing snow to make it last as long as we can with the equipment now," park manager Wayne Boerner said. "The tighter we pack the longer it lasts as weather gets warmer. And this time of year you'll get more people out."
So folks are strapping on snowshoes and stepping into skis. Bob Fuchs came out to do some snowshoeing on a sun-drenched day.
"What, 20-some inches of snow in 12 days? I thought winter's back, so it's time to jump back in," Fuchs said.
Fuchs and Kristen Arden will exercise their bodies and refresh their souls.
"This is it absolutely, this is when Minnesota's awesome," Arden said.
Where relieving stress can be measured in ski poles, not pills.
"It's already pretty, but then you add the snow and it's magical," Roden said.
Now, let's hope that magic sticks around awhile.
