mystery cave/shooting star trail

For some time, we had wanted to visit Mystery Cave in southern Minnesota. It is one of the state parks, and the one-hour tours often fill up. We got on a morning tour, and loved looking at the stalactites and stalagmites forming in the cave. It is a fairly level cave, so it is an easy walk to see several rooms, but we were especially excited, at the far point of the tour, to gaze at Turquoise Lake, a beautiful pool of clear water. After the cave tour, we drove on to Lake Louise State Park and rode our bikes on the Shooting Star Trail, an asphalt rails-to-trails route. We rode from Lake Louise to Taopi and back on a warm, sunny afternoon. Here is a picture of Turquoise Lake inside Mystery Cave.