Arboretum hike
Mon, May 18, 2026, 9:30am
Peter Moe, retired University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Director and UMRA member, will lead a hiking tour of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum again this year on Monday, May 18! This will be Pete's third year leading this hike and it is always a big favorite of our members!
We will meet on the welcoming terrace in front of the Oswald Visitor Center at 9:20 am to start our hike. Please be on time so we can start hiking at 9:30. Pete will design the hike to be approximately 4-5 miles, which will include the 3-Mile Walk. The azalea garden should be in full bloom on the day of our hike. If you haven't seen the azaleas at the Arboretum in full bloom, you are in for a real treat. This garden is spectacularly beautiful.
The Arboretum restaurant is a lovely place to gather after the hike. Plan to have lunch together at the restaurant inside the Oswald Visitor Center after the hike.
Your completed UMRA registration will be used to be sure everyone has arrived. Registrations will be accepted up to 24 hours before the hike. Questions? Contact Bev Moe at [email protected] or Michael Luxenberg at [email protected], UMRA Hiking Club co-chairs.
Upcoming Events
Nanette leads a trail of two cities hike.
10:30 a.m. check in; 10:45 boarding; cruise from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Join UMRA friends and colleagues for a summer cruise and lunch aboard the Paradise Destiny II on beautiful Lake Minnetonka. Paul Maravelas, sailor, historian, and author of The History of Big Island, Lake Minnetonka will join us to share stories from 200+ years of lake-dwellers. Come early or stay after the cruise to explore Excelsior, a charming small town on the big lake.
Ticket price includes lunch: chef's sandwich, garden salad, fruit, chips, and cookies. Coffee, iced tea, and lemonade are complimentary and there will be a cash bar for other beverages. A vegetarian sandwich can be selected during registration.
UMRA’s Book Club I will discuss the debut novel Buckeye by Patrick Ryan when it meets via Zoom at 2 pm. on Friday, August 21.
You are invited to join the discussion of The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents 1773-1783 by Joseph J. Ellis.
"Monuments" is the theme for September.
UMRA member Mike Amidon, president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society in Mendota Heights, will provide a brief overview of the society, the library, and the many volunteers who help maintain it, when UMRA’s Family History Interest Group meets on Wednesday, September 9.
Bev Moe leads a hike around Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis with a social gathering afterwards at Isles Bun & Coffee.
UMRA Book Club I will discuss The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry when it meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 18. The day’s discussion leader will be Judy Helgen.
Critical issues facing detained immigrants and their families will be discussed.
UMRA’s September Living Well Workshop will feature Carol Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, interim dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School and interim executive vice president for Health Affairs. She is an internationally recognized cancer surgeon-scientist who also brings considerable leadership and administrative experience.
A 1978 short story collection by American author John Cheever.
Professor Arun Saldanha, the featured speaker for the first luncheon forum of UMRA’s 2026–27 program year, will examine how tourism has evolved in an era shaped by pandemics, climate concerns, and changing global realities; and encourage us to think about what it means to be thoughtful, responsible, and curious travelers.
The architecture in Iceland is as spare as the culture -- honest and simple.
Michelle Trudeau-Spanjers leads the hike at William O'Brien State Park.
Topics include longevity, distributions, long term care, Social Security, and comprehensive planning.
The theme for October is "Hands."
UMRA’s second “Campus Conversation” with a University leader will offer UMRA members an exclusive opportunity to meet with John Morris, president and CEO of the University of Minnesota Foundation. The focus of the conversation will be the role of the foundation and its relationship to retirees.
Jon C leads the hike at Nerstrand Big Woods with lunch afterwards.
.
Discuss long term care options with Fred Andersen.
Chris Coleman, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity president and CEO and a two time alumnus of the University of Minnesota, will provide a deep dive for UMRA’s October 27 luncheon forum into how Habitat creates, preserves, and promotes affordable homeownership for low-income households.
Bob & Jean Hall and Andy Whitman, participants.