Close to Home: Dayton

People travel all over, snapping pictures of beautiful sites along the way. But maybe we don't have to travel far at all.  Maybe we take for granted all the sites that are in our own backyard.  I've decided to pick a few cities 'Close to Home' and show you the simple things that make a town a town.  The things we drive by everyday and never really stop to appreciate.  (This will give me a chance to go out and shoot some cool pictures, which I really like to do - but it will also give you guys an idea of where we live)

What better place to start than in our town of Dayton, MN. 

Dayton is small suburb, about 45 minutes from Minneapolis.  It's population is about 5,000.  That is a small suburb out here.  (A large suburb is about 60,000)  Dayton isn't quite as country as where Jason and I grew up, but it isn't city life either.

Dayton is also home to Diamond Lake.  An 82 acre lake that is about a mile from our house.  Today the water was so calm its look like glass.  You can even see the reflection of the clouds.

Minnesota might be the land of 10,000 lakes, but it also has thousands of parks.  This state is crazy about green space.  Every city I can think of has at least two parks.  Most of the parks have lakes, paved bike paths, walking trails, and a playground.  Some have cross country ski trails and dog parks.  It's definatley one of Minnesota's charms.  In Dayton, Cloquet Overlook Park is the spot to go.  Aside from picnic spots, there is trail that takes you right down to the Mississippi River. 

And what town would be complete without a little history?  Check out St. John the Baptist Church.  The building dates back to the early 1900's.

I took all these pictures within two miles of our house.  Who says you have to travel far to find "picture worthy" spots?