Fargo, North Dakota.
I have a new favorite park in Fargo. Orchard Glen Park came about when property along the Red River was vacated due to excessive flooding in the spring. From the parking lot, a trail descends toward the riverbank and for a distance follows the bend in the river as it swings from northerly to easterly on its way to Canada.
It’s not uncommon to see a fisherman or two trying their luck while fishing from the shoreline. On this spring day, there was only one person fishing, but I could see he was equipped with a chair and gear. He looked to be settled in for the day. It’s easy to access the river bank from the park’s parking area. As I walk by, I usually ask how the fishing is going, and I almost always get an answer, as you probably could guess, some days are better than others.
On a summer day, we happened upon a pair of fishermen and a young boy. I asked my usual question and the boy got all excited about a fish they caught a short while earlier. One of the men showed me the catch of the morning via a photo on his cell phone. He had already released the fish back into the river.
Following the trail, it eventually veers away from the river’s edge and heads into a forest captured here on our first visit to the park. The trail winds through the forest presenting some interesting views of the old trees in this part of the park.
One parcel of land contains an orchard where you will find several varieties of fruit trees that still continue to grow and produce. Those trees are now on public property and any fruit ready for harvest belongs to the picker (as long as the picking is not for commercial purpose but personal use of the picker and family.) A paved road loops around the orchard that once was used for harvesting. That road is now blocked to vehicle traffic. Anyone who wishes to pick apples in the park needs to walk.
It was my original goal to capture the park in the four seasons, and every few weeks we would stop by and capture some new images of the changing park. Regular readers will note that in mid-September we embarked on a 29-day road trip. As a result, we missed the autumn season. We have a snowfall forecast for today (as this is being written, of course), so I will probably head to the park over the weekend to capture some winter scenes. Those photos as well as the Autumn images will have to wait for a post next year.
Of course, I had to try to catch the apple trees in bloom in the spring. I almost missed it, thinking about it only when I happened to see an apple tree in bloom elsewhere in the city. We immediately turned our car around and headed to the park.
The image above is captured from my drone. From that vantage point, you get a better view of the roads that encircle the orchard. Now that the property is in the care of the Fargo Park District, they are planting new trees. Over the last few years, they’ve added other fruit trees to this community orchard. In July, the cherries are ready for harvest. In August, the pears will be ripe for picking. Plums are ready by August through September, and the different varieties of apples are ready late August through October. You can find a map that shows the type of trees and their locations in the park on the park district website here. The park is located at 76th Ave S & Orchard Park Drive in south Fargo.
I submit for your review a gallery of images captured during the spring and summer at Orchard Glen Nature Park.
Flare Legend Adventures
With every post, you take me on another journey. Thank you!!
It’s my pleasure to share the places that people tend to overlook because they aren’t “iconic”. >grin<
Off-road sights are the best. I learned that at a very young age – thanks to mom & dad.
What a beautiful area. That’s so nice they let people harvest the fruit.
Indeed, and even to the point of providing other kinds of fruit in addition to apples.