Neulamäki Nature Preserve

I woke up this morning (NOV 5) to a chilly (30°F) overcast day with a light drizzle. My goal was to explore the Neulamäki Nature Preserve which is a few km southwest of where I am staying at the university. The Preserve has several trails including one that circles a small hill that dominates the Preserve. A second trail contains old forest.

My hope was to be able to see (and photograph) a few of the birds that winter in the Kuopio area. However, few were to be heard or seen so I was “skunked today”. All was not lost though since there were mushrooms and other vegetation along the trail including a few lupines that were late season stragglers.

While at the Preserve there was an occasional snow flurry – reminding me that winter will soon be here.  The trails were empty for the first hour of my hike and I enjoyed the solitude the park provided. A few dog walkers started to appear later in the afternoon signaling it was time for me to head home and begin working once again on my lectures for the upcoming CE course.

On the way home I stopped at Prisma – a Finnish store similar to a Walmart back home. I’m well stocked again with groceries for the upcoming week. Kuopio has completed a number of bike and walking trails near the university that were under construction back in May. It makes walking quite pleasant. They have even included some tree art sculptures along the way.

That’s it for now,

Daave