Lost 40

Les took another bike ride this morning, a little further on the same route from the other day. Returning to the camp, he got some wildlife photos. about mid morning, we headed out in the Jeep for the Lost 40. On the way, we stopped in the town of Blackduck for lunch and to take photos of the town's claim to fame. Yep you guessed it the world’s largest black duck according to google maps. We even saw the original, black duck! Midwest loves large animals.
We continuted out to the Lost 40. This is a protected area of old growth forest. Bare in mind that the vast majoriety of the forests in Minnesota have trees less than 16" diameter and they are VERY tall, The undergrowth is also VERY dense. No sign of “raking” of the forests to prevent forest fires. So back in the winter of 1882, the first forest surveys took place to begin logging operations. Due to the bad weather and rough terrain, the survey crew plotted Coddington Lake about a half mile further northwest than its actual location, thus concelling a virgin stand of White Pine and Red Pine that would have been logged. When this stand of trees was discovered, they were protected for their scientific and historic value. The largest red pine is 115" in circumfrence, 120' tall and 250 years old. The stand of trees is much more open than other forested areas in the state, and stands as an example of the way the forests used to be. It was interesting for us to wander through the stand on the trail system.Read more