I thought it would be fitting to visit Fort Snelling on this last day of winter.  Mother Nature didn't put up too much of a fight with her "last stand," but she did cool us down considerably from the unseasonably warm weather we've seen the last few days.  I spotted some surprising sights out at Fort Snelling...check the out and all of my "Chik's Pics" of the Day in my latest blog.

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WINDLER: Chik's Pics - Lucky warmth at St. Paul's St. Pat's Parade

Thursday, March 19th - Fort Snelling on the Last Day of Winter

OK, it may be a bit of a stretch to make the "Last Stand" analogy with my trip to Fort Snelling.  I say that, because some quick research reveals that though Fort Snelling was a military fortification, it was never actually tested in battle.  That aside, I figured it would be fun to see what Mother Nature could throw at us with her final gasp of winter.  I'm not saying it's the final onslaught of cold or snow...we all know better than that!  A fresh batch of cold Canadian high pressure came to visit for the day, bringing with it the coldest temps of the week.  We managed 39 in the Twin Cities, while much of Northern Minnesota stayed in the 20s all afternoon.  The normal high is now up to 42, so I guess you could call that 39-degree weather "cool."  The sunshine and light winds did make for a beautiful day anyway!

And speaking of beautiful, as I was snapping my pics out at the River Overlook, I saw a  bird cruise above the Mississippi.  A man that was out bird-watching told me it looked like an eagle, but neither of us could be sure since it was so far away.  I took a bunch of shots and once back at the station, I zoomed in on the images and I think it was indeed an eagle.  They are so pretty!  But that wasn't the only surprise of my "Chik's Pics" outing.

As I got ready to leave, I heard an unfamiliar sound...a buzzing of sorts.  It took a couple seconds before I realized it was the sound of a motorboat speeding down the river!  Yes, that's right...boating season...has begun.  The Mississippi through the Twin Cities is ice-free for the most part, but that water must be mighty cold!  Never mind how cold it would be with the wind whipping through your hair.  Only in Minnesota, right?

What better way to say "goodbye" to winter and "hello" to spring, I suppose.  The vernal equinox occurs tomorrow (March 20th) at 6:44 in the morning.  And after our equal day and equal night tomorrow, we'll watch as the days grow longer and longer.  Longer days mean more sunshine, which in turn will mean a warm-up as spring truly springs.  In case you're wondering, there's a small chance of some spring snow next Thursday.  The latest measurable snow in the Twin Cities fell on May 24th, 1925.  We picked up 0.1" that day.  The latest sub-zero low in the Metro was March 31st, 1969 when we fell to 1-below.

Here are all my "Chik's Pics" of the Day from the Fort Snelling overlook: