Fargo, North Dakota.

Though I really got started on “long walks” while hiking in Arizona, and I have many dozens of photos of my desert hikes, I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite places to walk. Amy’s challenge this week is called “Keep Walking”. She writes, “This week, we invite you to share your walking discoveries and photos on trails, streets, gardens, neighborhoods…” You can read her entire challenge post here. I submit, therefore, a photo walk at Orchard Glen Nature Park in Fargo. We discovered this park early in the pandemic last year and found it to be a great place to be outdoors and socially distant.

Last year, my wife and I returned there on several occasions to walk in the park that borders the Red River of the North at Fargo. We got to see the seasons change until early fall when we left Fargo to head south for the winter.

There aren’t many trails in the park and none of them are very long. Indeed, one can walk the entire park in a couple of hours or less… but why would you? Take the time to stop often and enjoy the beauty of the park. Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch and enjoy the afternoon.

Bring a fishing pole, some patience, and try your luck at fishing on the river.

One of my favorite sections in the park takes us away from the river and deeper into the nearby woods. The photo below was taken in the spring before the trees filled out and the ground cover hadn’t yet had a chance to grow. As the summer wears on, this forest becomes dark and moody, especially on heavily clouded days.

The best thing about the park is that it was originally a small private orchard. Now owned by the park department, residents are free to come and pick the fruit from the many trees when it’s harvest time. An online chart provides the best time to pick fruit from the various varieties of trees available.

I hope you enjoyed our walk through Orchard Glen Nature Park today. Thanks again to Amy for a great challenge this week. I invite you to click on any of the images above to visit the gallery of photos captured last year at the park. I even have a couple of extra photos on my Flickr page where you can view all of these photos enlarged in a gallery format.

John Steiner