Earlier this week, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students were happy to see the changing of seasons, as winter disappeared and spring commenced. With warmer weather and muddy grass everywhere, new opportunities have opened up for what students can do with their time outside. Students, after a week off from school while enjoying new adventures, looked back on some of the most memorable and enchanting places they visited during the spring.

English major Maureen Tomashek described “the beaming blue sky,” “sunny warmth,” and “red rocks” of the Garden of the Gods, characterized by beautiful rock formations created millions of years ago and the history of many prehistoric people as they visited the unique land, located in Colorado Springs. Tomashek remembers the “dusty air making me feel like I’m on an adventure,” along with the rattling of snakes in the distance.

Kayleigh Marshall described the beautiful springs of Florida as she looked back in her memory at places that have stuck with her over time. She described the weather as warm, humid, and sunny, setting the scene with images like palm trees. She described her past trip to the alluring state as “refreshing after the long winter” that characterizes Wisconsin.

Student Mark Yeakel mentioned a place familiar to many La Crosse residents, the bluffs. Simply put, Yeakel illustrated the image of the beauty of the spring season at the high altitude with “new leaves and new growth.

“My favorite place to go in the spring would probably be the valley that’s behind the rim of the city when everything is blooming. That’s definitely a key, it can’t be all dead,” Nick Kehler jokingly answered.

Fellow student Anna Callahan noted that other than the valley Kehler described, the most beautiful place she has visited during the spring “would probably be Perrot State Park. It’s beautiful.” Perrot State Park is located in Trempealeau, thirty minutes north of La Crosse. The park is known for its extraordinary views and bluffs, along with its hiking trails.

Spring is a time for new beginnings, and students have learned to take pleasure in nature to refresh their minds as they face the final half of the semester.