Into the Freezer!  Welcome to Winter Again.......

Happy New Year.  OK, I'm a little late, but I've had a cold, big bad germy one. I'm on the mend now, and did you notice how Cold it's been?  And that cruddy rain we had last week, it's not been pretty.  Let me tell you, though, we have our ski groomers out today, grooming the little bit of snow we have left.  They're doing a great job making something out of nothing.  If you haven't been out skiing because of the snow melting, you may want to try this week!  We're grooming Quarry, today,(1/26/10), and Kraemer Lake/ Wildwood tomorrow Weds, 1/27/10.  Remember, the parks are open year 'round and we will be grooming as long as there's good snow!! The lights at Quarry Park will remain on until they stop grooming.  So, bundle up and have a nice ski in one of our parks!  You'll warm up fast, it's great exercise!  PS I heard it's warming up next week, and we might just get some snow! 

Winter Greetings!!

December 23, 2009

Well, it's officially Winter now, so the snow is coming! At least that's what I hear.  We are hunkering (sp)? down here, ready for at least a foot of lovely beautiful snow just in time for Christmas!  Isn't it wonderful?  You are so lucky to live here where we have some of the best groomers in the state!  The guys will be out on Saturday grooming all the trails and plowing the lots for your Cross Country skiing enjoyment.  That's December 26.  What troopers!!  We have already groomed once, with the paltry teeny bit of snow we had. They pulled it off the sides of the trails, and made nice tracks out of a couple inches of lowly snow.  The parks are in pretty good shape for skiing, and I know some skiers around here, I'm betting they will be out in the snow storm!!  The parks we offer skiing at are:  Quarry, (lights are on til 11PM) Warner, Mississippi, and Wildwood/Kraemer Lake..  We also have snowmobiling on the trails specified at Warner Lake, Mississippi, and Spring Hill Park.  See our web site for the complete scoop on all this stuff!  Have a wonderful Christmas and I'll see you next year!   

Frost on the Pumpkin.........

November 17, 2009

Did you notice the crunchy grass this morning?  It's pretty, but chilly!  Did it make you think of anything?  Besides massive eating of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie?  We have a tradition around here about this time of year called Ski Patrol.  You can learn all about it by going to our winter information page.  Basically, all you need to do is sign up for 2
2-hour shifts of ski patrol and you can get a Quarry Park Annual sticker.  There's a small catch, tho, you have to know how to ski!  Of course, you probably guessed that already, but we would prefer you to be at least an intermediate skier and familiar with the park you choose to patrol.  We have 4 wonderful parks where we groom ski trails, Quarry, Mississippi, Warner Lake, and our newest is Wildwood/Kraemer Lake.  Our great Maintenance staff does a wonderful job of grooming the trails to perfection, so all we need is a few inches of snow, and we're in business. We ask you to fill out a short form after you patrol.  The orientation is in early December, so if you're interested go to the link above an sign up.  Think snow!! 

Fall has Fallen...?

October 9, 2009

Well, the calendar says October but my cold fingers say Decembrrrrrrrr.  I guess I missed Fall?? Oh, yes I remember that one nice day we had about 2 weeks ago when it was 72 degrees and sunny.  What? You don't remember? Come on, now, you must have blinked and missed it.  It was before they typhoon hit!  I mean the 6 days of rain, clouds, drizzle, and/or fog before we started freezing.  OK, I'm done whining now.  I still love the Autumn, and the trees are just gorgeous!  You must bundle up and come take a walk in Quarry Park this fall.  The leaves are changing quickly and I'm starting to accumulate them in the front lawn here. If you don't live near Waite Park, you may want to visit one of the other beautiful parks.  You may (not) be surprised to know they all have trees!!  And they are just gorgeous.  One of our employees said to visit them soon or they will be done!!  Our picks are Warner Lake Park, Mississippi River  and Two Rivers Lake Parks .  Or how about a ride on the Lake Wobegon Trail ?  The part from Albany to Holdingford is especially pretty right now.  Give one or all of them a try soon!! We'll soon be thinking about <<snow>> shudder!  Or smile, we'll be talking about Ski Patrol soon.  If you're interested, we'd love to meet you!!! Happy Fall!!!   

Almost Fall?

September 18, 2009

Wow! Can you believe Fall starts next week?  You'd never know it by the temps and humidity here in beautiful Quarry Park!  What a crazy summer!  It was cold in July, wet in August and now hot in September.  Good ole' Minnesota weather!  I don't know about you, but I'm ready for Fall.  It's my favorite season, when the leaves are changing, there's football everywhere, and a crisp fresh tone to the breeze.  What a great time to go for a walk.  We have several gorgeous parks to take a relaxing walk in this Fall, or how about a run, roller blade or bike ride? You could also climb a rock wall, take a dive, or view the newest Derrick just erected at Quarry Park.  Please try one of them, you won't be sorry.   I prefer Quarry Park, but also Warner Lake Park,  Mississippi River and Two Rivers Lake Parks are great this time of year!  Or how about a nice ride on the Lake Wobegon Trail?  It's not so hot in the Fall and you'd enjoy a nice brisk bike ride!  Check it out before the (gasp) snow flies.  Sorry, I just had to say it!  Have a fabulous Fall! 

Summer at the Park

July 24, 2009

At last, summer has arrived.  It's hot and humid and we love it!  Quarry Park and Warner Lake park are brimming with swimmers.  Everyone loves to cool off at the swimming quarry or the lake.  Summer doesn't last long so be sure to come on out and discover Quarry Park if you haven't yet.  Another great idea this summer is the DNR "Take a Day Off" on Saturday, August 8.  It's completely free and open to all ages.  No experience necessary and all equipment will be provided.  This is being held at Mississippi River County Park.  See you there! 

Almost June!!!

May 27, 2009

We all survived the Memorial Day weekend are back at work. Ho-hum!  But it's summer!!  Well, not officially but we start summer out here at Quarry Park right after Memorial Day weekend.  It's buzzing with the Seasonal people, and many visitors.  I just wanted to tell you today about a cool event coming up in June. It's the 10th anniversary of the Caramel roll ride.  If you haven't been on this, you should.  It's a blast! And there's free caramel rolls! Can you imagine?  It's too good to be true!  It's starting at Albany this year, and there are several different routes. It's on June 13, a Saturday.  Check out the web site for all the information and to register.  http://www.lakewobegontrails.com/

Greener and Greener!

May 14, 2009

Talk about Green!  Wow, we have green here at Quarry Park!  It's a glorious sunny day here at Quarry Park!  I'm thinking about the first summer holiday coming up....and the rising gas prices.  I guess we'll stay home this year.  But alas, all is not lost!  We will go to Quarry Park for a walk, swim? or to fish; or to the Lake Wobegon Trail for a nice bike ride on a paved trail.  It's so cool to see all the small towns along the trail.  There's some great trail art too!  (Check out the web site for pics!)  We're so fortunate to have these beautiful resources at our finger tips!  I like to hop on the trail in St. Joe and see just how far I can go.  I haven't made it to Fergus Falls yet, but I could IF I could!  Yes, it's paved all the way, where it joins the Central Lakes Trail. If it's a picnic you desire, check out Warner Lake Park and Mississippi Park. There are lots of picnic tables and grills.  There's disk golfing at Mississippi too!  There are picnic facilities at a lot of our parks.  Check out the information page.  You can find a list of boat landings, canoe launches and waysides there too! Have a safe and fun Memorial Day Weekend!!   

Spring has sprung? 

April 8, 2009

It's April now, most of the snow is gone, except those few pesky piles leftover from the huge piles we had in the winter.  Man, isn't it good to see pavement and grass again? 
My tulips are poking through the pile of leaves that were protecting them all winter, the birds are chirping.  Ah, spring is here.  I'm optimistic we won't see any more snow until December.  Let's all hope so!  I want to invite you to walk, hike, bike, roller blade, even skate board if that's your thing, in one of our parks.  It's so awesome to watch the trees bloom, and see the baby wildlife in the spring!  I have a cute picture of a set of baby twin fawns here, I'll show you.  They were right out in the yard at Quarry Park.  Wouldn't it be nice to take a stroll in the park after eating all that Easter candy?  Or stuffing yourself with Easter dinner?  Who knows, you might even see the Easter bunny!  Or you can stroll for a quick wake-me-up after church!  Just kidding, Pastor!!  It's a great time to enjoy the Parks, and cure that cabin fever you've been suffering from! 

Winter Wonderland....again! 

March 11, 2009

Well, just when you think Spring is about to, er, spring, you are pelted back to reality!  You must admit it's pretty, the snow that is.  Just to make you feel better we are giving you a FREE-BEE this week.  If you like to ski, now is the time to check out one of our parks. They were all four freshly groomed today, March 11.  The only one we charge a parking fee for is Quarry Park, and you can ski for FREE right now, until Sunday, March 15!  Isn't that great? If you like, you can also ski at Warner Lake Park, Mississippi River County Park, or Kraemer Lake Park.  At Kraemer, you would need a Grant-in-Aid ski pass.  Otherwise, they're all FREE!  It's our little gift to you like the snow was yesterday! :) 

Keep smiling, April is coming.........and we do live in Minnesota.  Enjoy the skiing while you can.    

Friday the 13!!

February 13, 2009

Even though it's an unlucky day for some, it's your lucky day if you like to ski at Quarry Park.  It's pleasant temperatures, not much wind (especially inside the park) and our crack grooming staff is working miracles with the ice/snow in Quarry Park.  Yes, they are able to make ski trails out of the icy mess we have since the melt.  It's so nice to have such talented staff and good equipment. 

Have a great Valentine's Day, and what a romantic idea, take your Sweetie out skiing under the lights!  Most of them are working now, except a very few on the inner loop.  So go for a moonlit/ski light lit ski and enjoy the warmer weather, while it lasts!

Thoughts from the office window.........

February 10, 2009

It's a blustery, cold, rainy day out there.  The snow is melting, the ski conditions are deteriorating.  We are hoping for new snow.  If we get 2-3" of snow as has been predicted by some radio stations, we will be able to re-groom the trails.  Stay tuned to the Winter Ski Trail Conditions page for current updates.  We update this every time they groom! 

The Maintenance guys have been working on those pesky ski lights and got about 2/3 of the inner loop working.  They can't do much more until spring.  It's great that we still have the outer loop lit.  It's 2.2 miles of groomed trail, with a skate/ski deck, in case you didn't know about it. 

Stay tuned for upcoming events.  Oh, and it's a good idea to start making reservations for summer now!  Many spots are already taken. 

Winter skiing and snowmobile thoughts......

February 5, 2009 

Greetings!  It's -10 degrees and sunny at Quarry Park today.  The trails were groomed yesterday and I hear we have excellent skiing conditions! The Maintenance guys are grooming experts, and they can do wonders with the crunchy snow we've got left!  We post the ski conditions every time they groom, so you can stay updated.

In addition to ski trails, we get a lot of calls about snowmobile routes, (5.16MB map)  We have special maps in the park office for the 4 sections of the state.  Just ask and we will send you one.  You may also be interested in the Grant-in-Aid snowmobile maps at the DNR website.

Here are some fun facts about winter in the Parks:

• We have 4 parks with groomed cross-country ski trails.
• We groom the snowmobile trail from Avon-St. Joseph.
• We manager over 100 volunteers for these 4 parks.  If you would like to volunteer for Ski Patrol, please contact the park office.

By the way, right now is a great time to get a Quarry Park pass!  If you don't have one, it's good for 12 months from the month of purchase, so if you buy one today, it's good through February 2010.