Make a snow cave... and sleep in it!

Well everyone knows a good igloo rules.  They are usually very fun to make, then when they are done its kind of like you sit in it for a couple minutes and then say "Ok on to the next item on the docket." However, not everyone has actually spent the night in a snow fort, and if you can handle sleeping the whole night through in your cave you get instant bragging rights and tons of street credit.

There are a lot of ways to make a snow cave. In the picture above every little ice block was a milk carton that had been saved up for many months, then one night we filled em all up with water and left them on the porch, Next morning: BOOM! thousands of ice bricks, and when we stacked them up and sprayed water on them they were cemented in place.

Heres the old pile up chunks of snow.

 

This is the classic dig into the snowbank.

This next snowcave is a true backwoodsman's cave! The methodology was to make a huge heap of snow, let it all harden up over a couple days, then come back and hollow out the inside! Technically speaking this particular cave was made by my cousins and buddies when I lived out in Utah, however we have all the necessary equipment (snow/coldness) right here in Plymouth, MN to recreate their methods right in your own backyard.

Anders, Grant and Nic chilling out around the campfire preparing to brave the cold in their cave.

Nic Hogan, a true man of adventure, enters the cave. Unfourtunately for his compadres, I heard that on this night Nic was a true man of flatulence, unleashing alarming amounts of noxious methane gas into the extremely tight sleeping quarters!

Grant enters the cave.

As you can see they enter the cave as mere wandering drifters but in the morning they emerge as victorious true men with unlimited bragging rights and a truly inspiring tale to tell.

Yes sleeping out in a snowcave is possible! Make sure to take all the necessary precautions, caves can collapse or run out of air! Do not put yourself in a dangerous situation.

Drive on the Ice

Nothing says Minnesota like a nice drive across the lake.  Here in Plymouth this is no exception! Medicine Lake has ice roads plowed all over the place which means any old beater car can challenge the tundra and if you've got the capabilities to forge through the deep snow you've got no limits! Many take their cars on the lake for ice fishing purposes. Ice fishing isn't my cup of tea per se but throwing donuts and power slides always has been, and the frozen lake is like a blank canvas waiting for you to roll a few tight ones.

My rule for lake driving is wait till I've seen some other crazy guy drive across the lake first (preferably in a 1 ton diesel), because people die every year when their cars go thru the ice, so know your underwater car safety precautions. (and dont be the last one on the ice in march, thats dicey too, but you knew that).

Gettin' ready to ghost ride the whip on Schmidt Lake on the way to twins fest

Some locals ice road trucking the windstar on Medicine Lake

Whipping donuts in the suburban.

Some times you roll the dice and they come up snake eyes!

The good old boys figuring out how to get this beast out before she goes down any further.

Just know this if you play with fire you can get burned... Safety Pays in Many ways.

The Plymouth Dome

Its always summer in the Plymouth Fieldhouse! Yes that's right when its "negative one million degrees" outside just roll on over to the dome where the climate controlled temperatures will let you take off your caps and mittens and the fake grass is always growing tall and strong.

Location: 14800 34th Ave.,  Plymouth, MN 55447-1482

A big perk of the dome is that the running track around the outside of the playfield is completely free and open to the public most days from 8am-7pm for your running and walking needs.


A lot of the time in the dome is scheduled out for soccer teams and other activities but on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays from 2-4ish you can go in and do what ever you want (for the mere price of 3 dollars).  My personal recommendation is to throw around the old pigskin but I do know that several folks enjoy lacrosse, soccer and rugby in there as well.  I've noticed though that often if I just drop in the formal practices only take up half a field and I can snag a little bit of grass for a game of catch on the side!

Dome Ball, Fun for all ages! Plymouth Fieldhouse.

Nice TD pass in the Plymouth Dome!

Its a great place for young kids as they pump up inflatable bounce houses and other fun and games every monday wednesday and friday from 10:30am - 1:30pm!

And hey we're Minnesotans right? If you don't feel like paying the three bucks just take your football game out side. How bad could it be?

Cross Country Skiing

 Lets say your big on skiing, but you live in Plymouth, at first you may be bummed out because the nearest mountain happens to be out somewhere in big sky montana. But one way to fill your void is the good old Cross Country ski. French park  offers a great set up. And after 6:00 pm you slap 8 bucks down and you get ski rental and ski pass.

 All the trails are well lit and you get to struggle through trying to figure out XC skiing as seasoned old skiiers blast past you in the fast lane.

Night Skiing on French Parks well lit trails all night long.

 Ah but its not all flat land! There is some good downhill cruising.

The deep pow at Plymouth's French Park

And you didn't hear it from me but if you go off the marked trail, That's when the real fun begins.

Wakeskating

Dan Taylor going big on the CWB skate on Medicine Lake.

Since were deep in the heart of the Land o' Lakes I would like to describe one my my personal favorite activites: Wakeskating.  For those familiar with watersports you already know how fun this can be, for newcomers to the world of wake allow me to introduce you.

The Wakeskate is a board to be ridden on water and it differs from other boards because it has no bindings.  Thats right you just wear your old sneak's and tennies or you go buy a fresh pair of vans if you wanna get serious.

The allure of the wakeskate for me is it's accessability.  The wakeboarders and waterskiiers crave a big fancy boat, but on your wakeskate you're slashing behind your jet ski, your pontoon, your fishing boat, or whatever ghetto-rig you've got on hand. You could even ride behind your car if you can find somewhere to drive along side a flooded ditch!

Plymouth's own Jamison Metzger laying a nice wakeskate power slide. observe the classic Nike sneaks.

Hitting Rails on wakeskate at Plymouth's Schmidt Lake. Photo Credits to Seth Halsey and Geri Halsey

The wakeskate allows for a lot of creativity.  Watch some videos on Youtube, get some Ideas, do whatever you want, hit some rails ride across the grass, bring along some homies and make a day of it.

The bomb drop on the old SF Giants wakeskate.

Well this may all sound like a real blast but you may be saying to yourself: "Yo, dogg, i'm flippin burgers at mickey D's, where am I going to come up with 100$ to get a wakeskate?" Well your worries are over because I was once in your shoes as well: Check out Plymouth's top skater Stu J rocking the plywood skate:

First cut your piece of wood in the shape you want it...

...Then drop in. (Stu Jackson Plywood Wakeskate)

Welcome to Plymouth, Minnesota!

Hello to one and all,
What follows on this blog is a guide to some really great stuff you can do in Plymouth, MN. Plymouth is one of the greatest cities to live in according to Money Magazine. I'm pretty sure they made that ranking based on quality of schools, home values and stuff like that. Well, my ranking is based on good times and whether they roll or not. I'll let you be the judge and I'll unfold some truely classic P-Town activities. Hopefully when you're looking for things to do in Plymouth, this site will get you headed in the right direction.
-Dan

The ever dangerous Snapping Turtle, Photographed in Plymouth, Minnesota in 2011