Little Whore On The Prairie

Little Whore On The Prairie

I write about this place all the time, so I thought I'd share some photos.  They aren't the greatest, but perhaps you'll gain a better sense of the place and what makes it so special. 

And it is... special to me. It's the place I go to when the world gets to be too much. 

Or, when a certain need gets to be too much (wink, wink).

Entrance road.

This is the blacktop path you would walk down after leaving the parking lot at the three-hole golf course. You would be walking from the top of the photo. 

To the railroad tracks.

This is what's left of the wooded grotto which led to the railroad tracks. Minneapolis Parks and Wrecks tore it apart this spring.

Not much left of the wooded arch.

 There used to be large bogs on both sides of the grotto. Tons of frogs and turtles lived there.

They drained the bogs and put in drains due to a change in the water table which was causing flooding of the blacktop path. This flooding was due to the creation of fake snow during the winter months uphill from the bogs. When the snow would melt, it would alter the water table.  The need for fake snow is part of the gentrification of the park by the Loppet Organization. They seem intent on ruining everything that is unique about this wonderful place. 

This is the blacktop path we continue on toward the west. 

The three-hole golf course is to our right (north) and what remains of the bog, to our left (south). All along this path, I look for stray golf balls. Just a habit. By end of summer I will have collected over 100.

And up just around this next bend...

...we come to a fork in the road. 

I typically go to the right. Less traffic.

Up the broken blacktop path we go.  

This is the road typically driven by law enforcement. They only come when they get a call about loud parties down at the nude beach at Twin Lake, which is below and west of the prairie. That never used to happen. Oh, the parties, yes, but the calls, no. Unfortunately, the city sold the land on the opposite side of the lake to a developer and now very privileged people live there in their mini-mansions, ruining the fun of others. 

The road at the top of the hill. 

This is where I enter the prairie. 

This dirt road leads to Twin Lakes. 

It's used by hikers, bicyclists, park maintnance vehicles and the cops. 

 And here is the prairie. 

This was taken in late May. The grass is nowhere near as tall as it gets. By July the grass will be four to five feet tall. It used to grow to be over six foot, but due to the compression of the soil caused by excess man-made snow and skiers treading over it (it never used to be trod upon), the grass no longer grows as quickly or as well as it once did. I have observed this happening over the past three years. 

This is the oak tree where I like to sit. 

I seek shade a lot these days. Even then, I put on 90 proof sunblock. By end of summer I have a nice tan, but have avoided serious burns. 

If you go down this path (toward the top of the picture) you would go to Twin Lake. Go the opposite way and you will find my oak tree. 

Behind my oak tree, you will find this path which leads into the woods. 

The prairie is surrounded by woods. These woods are cut through with well-established walking paths and unfortunate mountain bike trails (thank you, Loppet Organization). 

This year, I went out to the prairie around the middle of March to check on it. The Loppet Organization was supposed to have this big deal ski race in February (It was cancelled due to Covid-19). We didn't have enough snow, so they had to make the whole course out of fake snow. When they created the course, they decided they needed to get rid of trees that were 'in the way'. So they badly hacked up all these very healthy trees and threw the limbs and brush onto our walking paths. I took a day and pulled it all out, throwing it in the under brush of the woods. For me, this is another example of how the Loppet Organization and Minneapolis Parks and Wrecks place profit before the well-being of the prairie and this park. 

In order to create the fake snow, they tore up portions of the prarie to pipe in water and cable in electricity. In the process of doing so, they damaged a number trees, in particular my oak tree. 

Here is an old troll den. 

Sometimes guys sit on the log waiting for dick to suck. They sit and smoke. Sometimes the spot is used for fucking. I don't have any pictures of the pods created in the actual prarie because the grass isn't tall enough yet. Those pods won't be fully established until end of June.

This path will take you to Twin Lake.

This path cuts through the back of the woods. 

Lots of fun to be had here. Guys who like privacy tend to lure their tricks back here.

Here is a pathway out of the woods, leading back to the prairie.

From my oak tree, you can see the opposite side of the prarie. 

The oak is on the west side of the prairie. 

The east side is where I used to spend all my time. But then I became concerned about my skin and the sun, so now I hide under my oak tree. 

Three or four pods will be created in this section of the prairie. The grass grows quite a bit taller and much sooner than the main part of the prairie. 

This was taken in early May. 

In the main part of the prairie there will be 7-8 pods created in the tall grass. There used to be many more, but the number of visitors isn't what it used to be. 

Lots of wildlife. 

This little deer got within 20 feet of me. She is standing near my oak tree. 

This was taken last year.

The amount of wildlife that live in and visit the prairie has fallen dramatically in the past 3 years. 

Due to landscaping efforts related to the mountain bike trails cut into the woods, all the wood chucks that used to make homes here have vanished. Likewise the wood ducks, who would use the tall grass to hide their nests and raise their young. The prairie is now mowed down in late October. This has destroyed the habitats of many of the prairie dwellers. 

Wild Turkeys used to be in abundance, but they, like the deer are being squeezed out by bike trails and dogs being allowed to run off-leash. We still have chipmunks and raccoons. Herons, hawks and eagles fly overhead.

Then there is all the trash left behind by the mountain bikers and the organized biking groups created by The Loppet Organization. These activities are designed to maximize the parks use, but fail to keep the health of its biostructure in mind. There are no trash cans, so people discard their water bottles, energy drink cans, and protein bar wrappers all over the place. I bring a plastic bag with me each time I visit the pairie and walk the perimeter of the prairie, all its trails and the woods picking up this trash. 

These are various veiws of the prairie. 

Keep in mind, these are taken very, very early in the season.

This is an alternative exit to the prairie. 

It leads to the newer, well-maintained blacktop path. The same one we came in on.

These photos were taken in 2018 and 2019.

Update: I went yesterday and they had chopped down the tree in the middle of the prairie. Very sad. Had some wonderful times under that tree.

My relationship with the prairie is a strange one. I feel like one of its stewards; as if its welfare is partly my responsibility. I do what I can. And my motivation is totally selfish. I simply cherish my time there. And, yes, the cruising is fun, but it's just one of the many benefits found there. 

Since the Covid-19 crisis, I have been using my car less and less. If the weather improves today, I plan on biking over there. 

Just to sit under my oak tree. 

Wishing you all the kind of peace and contentment I find at the prairie. 

- Uptonking at Wonderland Burlesque

In The Woods Somewhere - Hoizer