Off to an early start (6:45) and we were joined by Lane Rutherford who is our sales representative in this area. She biked for an hour and then we headed NW on our way to Fergus Falls. It was a fine day for biking--cloudy with temps in the low 80's. All along the way the crops looked very good. Corn and beans were the most prevalent but later in the day small grains were replacing them. A great deal of restored native prairie was seen all day. The dreaded wild parsnip was noticed sporadically in the Hancock area and much spotted knapweed also was noted. Two more corn company names appeared--
Garst and Lloyds. It was a good day for seeing wildlife--a kingfisher, roosters, baby pheasants, deer and ducks. The road kill was plentiful too--2 deer, 2 snakes, 1 hawk, 2 skunks, a striped gopher and a chipmunk. We experienced another case of "Minnesota nice". I stopped at a pretty farmhome to see if Gordie and John could rest on their shaded lawn. The owner was a delightful woman who was busy making bread and butter pickles with her 90 year old mother but she came out for a good long visit. We learned about their farm, the area, and that her husband's grandfather had planted the lovely grove of ash trees when he was a young boy. Recently she planted an area of several roses and many were ours. She got first hand information on their care and also a lesson on pruning and shaping an oak tree! Tonight we're staying at a lovely colonial inn on Maple Lake. Edie and Orville Lee (Lee's Nursery at Fertile)live nearby and they and Gail and Herman Holland (former owners of Holland Nursery in Moorhead) joined us for dinner. Another great day and evening!
