Rice County's eight candidate high point areas are mostly in fields. Before I left, I programmed each point into my GPS, having learned in the past not to program it in saddles, only summits. I arbitrarily numbered each one--the northern three points I numbered 1-3 from north to south. The other five I numbered 4-8 clockwise from the road upgrade. I visited this area on October 30, 2004, as the fourth county attempt of the day, after completing Goodhue County an hour before, but did not finish. I returned on November 13, 2004 to complete Rice County. It was the first of 14 counties I completed that day, and of 21 for the weekend.
I came from the east on 510th Street, and stopped on the road next to HP #2. I could see that it was a well-defined hill, but I determined not to step on it because it was a still unharvested soybean field. While I was making my strategy for covering the state this summer, I determined that I would not walk in standing beans, because they are so subject to being knocked off (I made an exception when I got to Meeker County just because I was there and it was a virgin county). Even if I had got out and stepped on #2, there was still #1 several hundred feet further into the field.
I actually forgot about #3, which is half in a grove, half in a field. I decided to come back to this area again, when I get a chance.
On November 13, I arrived at the road near HP #2 about an hour before sunrise, and was pleased to see that it was harvested. I navigated with flashlight and GPS to HP#2, then to #1, then back across the road to the farmplace for HP#3, half in the field, half in the grove. The total time out of my truck was 13 minutes.
I turned around in the road, and then south on Rice County Road 80 toward HP #4. It was indeed a road upgrade, as is the whole road. It is built up substantially above the surrounding ground.
I drove into the short driveway and asked permission from the resident to hike to the high point. He was aware of it and mentioned that someone had been there this spring also. He also mentioned that he was the renter of the property, not the owner. I thanked him and headed off southeast to the middle of HP #5, the largest contour.
As I proceeded, I could clearly see that I was cresting the ridge and that I was on essentially level ground. I got about 300 yards into the contour and looked back when I noticed that it was higher where I had been. I also looked in the direction of the remaining candidates and noticed that there was nothing higher within sight. Just to be thorough, I visited them all, but, as I noticed especially while standing on HP #7, the second largest and very flat contour area, HP #5 was very prominent. It must approach very close to 1280 feet.
From HP #8, I walked north along the road to HP #4, and confirmed along with David Olson, that, even with its build-up, HP #5 is the highest area. It's difficult to believe that HP #1, 2 or 3, could be higher, simply because of the prominence of #5.
On October 30, I got back into my truck after 26 minutes of hiking, and headed north toward Minnesota S.H. 60, toward my next destination, the Le Sueur county high point.
On November 13, I drove south toward Steele County.
| Family Member | Count |
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| Mark | 48 |
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http://www.topozone.com
Minnesota Atlas & Gazeteer by Delorme, 3rd Edition, 2001.
| File Name: | |
| Written by: | Mark Ness |
| Last Revised by: | Mark Ness |
| on: |