A Dreary Day

2010 11 22 It was cloudy and raining, so my sister Marie and I visited our sweetest sister, Sugar.  It was nice to visit indoors on a day like this. 

We also hung out at the Spring Lake Library, we had stacks of books on the table.  Books about trees, wildflowers, Michigan history, insects, shrubs, pods, and more.  While we were here there was lightning flashing outside the windows, and thunder booming.  It was so dark it looked like night.

After a bit the sun came out so we found a park to explore.  We have been to Rycenga Park before, it is in Spring Lake Township, Michigan.  It has trails, a creek, ball fields, playground, and a  disc golf course.  We walked the trails, it was wet but not raining.  Then we dove down to the creek to have a closer look.

Here is what we saw.

We saw lots of dandelions on the ball field.  Not much for wildflowers but it felt good to be outside.

Still Lost or ... Found?

2010 11 15    Off we go in search of the missing scarf,  Grand River Park here we come! 


Still nice weather, 40's and sunshine.  We arrived at the park at 9am, geared up with boots and backpacks.  I took a quick scan for the purple scarf at picnic tables, playground equipment, map signs, nothing.  But we didn't expect it to be hanging out there, right.


We headed to the trail where we thought we had ducked into the underbrush near the stream that takes us to the Paw Paw patch.  Mostly browns, leaves and trees.  Remember we are looking for purple.  Marie and I had split up taking separate deer trails so we wouldn't miss THE SCARF.


It wasn't long before I heard her whoop then "I found it!  I found it!".  Of course the scarf was cold and damp from being alone on the riparian forest floor for four long days. 

Found!

We spent almost 4 hours in the woods!  How did that happen?  Marie found a Common Blue Violet still blooming! 

                                  Nice, a blooming violet so late in the season. 
Plants amaze me!              

We also saw Hoary Allysum, a dandelion, a speedwell, and some asters still blooming.  We found beautiful strawberry plant leaves. A pleasant day at the park.

After Grand River Park we drove to Grand Haven to celebrate at Ray's Drive-In with French fries and a rootbeer shake then back home to do research on things we had found at the park.  We identified a Slippery Elm, Nannyberry, looked into beechdrops, and Highbush Cranberry.  We are explorers.  FUN! 

Cabin Adventure - Day 3

The last day of our outing we did the usually morning things, shower, dress, breakfast, walk the dog, then packed up for the ride home.  We decided to take the Six Mile bridge way home.  Back to the Michigan County Atlas book, I see just SW of the bridge is a place called Links Pond, I have no idea what this thing is so we checked it out. 

Little Manistee River at Six Mile bridge

After stopping briefly at Six Mile bridge and walking along the shore  in a fruitless search of dead Bottle Gentian, we got back in the car, crossing the bridge (south) then turning right (west) on Old Stronach Road, the road marked Weir. 

One and a half miles down the road we came to a sign, Links Pond, OK.

There is a good two-track through the woods, 1/4 mile to an area to park.  We got Tilly out of the car and started to walk.  This is a cool and curious place.  There are lots of marshy areas and ponds, also the Little Manistee River.  We find lots of cedar trees, probably a great place for wildflowers earlier in the year.  But what was this place?  There is a small dam with a footbridge.

 We saw several numbered posts along the path.  I could contact the ranger station in Manistee, they must know what this was used for.  Maybe it is an old weir.  More research is needed. 

This sign was at Links Pond, hm...Michigan Wildlife Habitat Foundation.  It helps to take pictures of signs then I don't have to write this info down.  Links Pond is a cool place, I definitely want to go back there.

 Little Manistee River at Links Pond, notice the Larch turned yellow soon to lose its needles.


Mike, Tilly, and I walked ~one mile around the big pond and off into the woods, we crossed a small stream, but turned back not having a map and not quite sure where we were going. 

Back in the car and continuing west, less than a mile down the road, we came to the weir.

We ended up driving to Old Stronach Bridge.

There was a paved parking area here with a picnic table and grill, maybe a port-a-potty.  The bridge, I think, was recently redone as was the little park area. 

Now we went north over the bridge and turned east to get on Little River Road.  We are on the north side of the Little Manistee.  There is an overlook marked on the map, we got out to look.  It was a steep drop to the river, lots of beautiful trees blocked the overlook view.  

We traveled on until we again crossed Six Mile bridge then drove on to stop in at Hoag's Lake.

Hoag's Lake

After this we jumped on US 31 getting off in Hart for La Fiesta.

Crossing the bridge over Hart Lake in Hart Michigan.

The rest of the way home, the sky was full of wonderful clouds.  We got home and again it seemed like we had been away a week instead of 50 hours! 

It is always good to be home. 

                                                                           

The Day of The Lost Scarf

2010 11 11 Marie and I treated ourselves to an extra day out this week because the weather has been just so nice!  In Michigan it is archery deer hunting and even in many of our Ottawa County parks they allow hunting.  So look out for the hunters. 

 We visited Hudsonville Nature Center, in well yes, Hudsonville Michigan.  NO HUNTING!  Here there are planted prairies, a mixed hardwood forest,  moraines, wetlands, and a flowing creek.  I think the creek is part of Rush Creek by I'm not certain of that.

We were here late in June and we found many plants blooming.  Plants are amazing.

                                                  Herb Robert

                                         Orange Hawkweed


                                                           Red Clover



So these were some wildflowers we saw in June now things are shades of brown not much blooming and soon things will be white with snow.

Next stop on this day was Grand River Park.  This is a great place for a walk.  No hunting and we thought maybe we could find the fruit of the Paw Paw that we spotted on October 18.  We didn't find the Paw Paw fruit, it is probably gone, eaten or rotted or maybe we weren't in exactly the right place.

The day after this Marie called me with a bit of sad news that she had lost her scarf.  It wasn't an expensive scarf, but it was a scarf she thought was just right, soft and purple.

Will she find her scarf next time?   

Cabin Adventure - Day 2

Friday morning, second day of our trip and our 34th wedding anniversary, we took a hike on the Manistee River trail.  But before we left and after a hearty breakfast, we took Tilly out for a walk since she would be staying at the cabin while we went for the longer hike.  Last year we took her on a 10 mile walk, it is just too much for her 14 year old body.

                      Sunrise at the cabin

There was frost over night, probably the first frost of the season.  The car was frosty and the dry brown ferns had a coat of white.  Below is a picture of moss so pretty with little ice crystals on them.

We decided on starting our hike at Red Bridge on Coates Highway, this is the south end of the Manistee River Trail.

There is a parking area just east of the bridge on the south side of the road, to access the trail you cross the road (Coates Highway) then follow the trail along the road about 1/4 mile to trailhead.

OK good now we get on the trail and head north(ish), before long you are high above the river and have a great vista of the river valley below.

Many trees had a hazy smoke look to them, they must have already dropped their leaves.

Many signs have been updated in several of the US forest lands.  And this boardwalk has been replaced, it was pretty wet walking through here before.

Cool tree

We walked as far as Cedar Creek, it was a beautiful day with perfect weather.  And we hadn't seen one other person on the trail.  We had it all to ourselves!

If I remember right we were out for about 4 hours total, we weren't walking fast and we stopped several times to take in the view.  From the parking area on Coates Highway to Cedar Creek is ~3 1/2 miles, so we walked 7 miles, not counting going up and down the hills!  Perfect.

We drove to Wellston and checked out some stores, then drove to Irons for a good fish dinner at the Oak Grove Tavern.  The place looks a bit scary from the outside, but the food was good.  I would go there again.

Back to the cabin we went, Tilly was glad to see us and we walked her to the creek for a swim (her not us).  A serene evening up to about 8:30 when the owner of the cabin, Fern Dog, showed up along with two other people and 5 dogs.  Well it is a big cabin.

Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area and more

2010 11 08 Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, it was a wonderful day to explore these rolling dunes just north of Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan. The tract of land stretches up to the mouth of the Kalamazoo River where it empties into Lake Michigan.

This is what you get at Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, 171 acres, 3,650 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline, open dunes, interdunal wetlands, natural jack pine forest, hardwood-pine dune forest, Great Lakes marsh, 4,452 feet on an oxbow lake, the south pier of the Kalamazoo River mouth, and 1,650 feet of Kalamazoo River shoreline.

The temperature was in the 60's, warm for November in Michigan.  We didn't have a map of this place, so we wandered in the direction of our whims.  There are well marked trails through the dunes and they take you over to the lagoon.  We spent 3 hours wandering here.  There is much history with this piece of land...like most places.

                            Remnants of the old Pier

    On the trail at SHNA



After this we tried to walk at Tallmadge Woods, which is property adjacent to SHNA, but we were met with a Private Property sign.  We stopped in a few more places, one being Schultz Park which you can see from the Gerald R. Ford Freeway (I-196)  as you travel over the Kalamazoo River.  And we even saw a few wildflowers blooming.