Thanksgiving Week Fun

Thanksgiving week included all of the family, even the son from Texas and two other Texans, quad rides for all, walks in nature, an airplane ride piloted by Texan son, a yummy turkey dinner with all the trimmings, treasure hunts for the kids, and more.

A walk on the Grand Haven south pier.

The airplane ride from Grand Haven Memorial Airport with son piloting the plane, follow his blog here http://sabkha.blogspot.com/

 

Grand Haven Michigan east side of the city 

 Spring Lake at the curve on Leonard Street

Bridge on Mercury Drive at  Pottawattomie Bayou and the Grand River

Flying over Grand Haven looking north

  

                                               Quad Riding

        Next a hike at Rosy Mound Natural Area

 Lake Michigan

The weather has still been mild here in Michigan. 

Much to be thankful for!

A Lighthearted Day!

2010 11 29  Last week's adventure, dreary (except for the sister visit), this week's adventure, lighthearted.  I say lighthearted because I wanted the opposite of dreary.  Lighthearted =  free from care, anxiety, or seriousness.  Don't get me wrong, last week was still fun but we weren't outside as much. 

This week we played and explored in Little Black Creek (above), we found crayfish(below), some other unidentified squiggly creatures, a sort of quicksand, ice, and things to float down the creek.  All carefree FUN!

We went to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park (6585 Lake Harbor Road Muskegon, Michigan).  Approximate size 1200 acres, three miles of pristine beaches on Lake Michigan,  more than 10 miles of trails,  sheltered valleys between the wooded dunes and dense stands of hemlocks, 293 campsites each equipped with electrical service, Gillette Visitor Center, and Little Black Creek.  



Foot bridge on trail at Hoffmaster State Park

Goldenrod still Blooming!

Along the trail at P.J. Hoffmaster

Little Black Creek where it comes out of the woods to meet Lake Michigan.

               

              Beautiful Lake Michigan

After having fun at the beach we wandered into the woods and hills. We were up high on the wooded dunes.

Cool ravine we walked through.

We also added to our park/places list with a quick stop to Water Tower/Tank Park in Spring Lake Township.

We went back to my house, had a cup of lemon tea then went on a walk through our woods.  We saw three Great Horned Owls!  And what different calls they made!  The usual hoot - hoo-hoo hoooooo hoo-hoo we didn't hear, more whistles and a whaaa whaaaaaa-a-a-aarrk sound, Wow.

 I think the weather is going to change this week. It has still been 50 degrees here, that's warm for the end of November in Michigan.  We did enjoy this day!



South To Saugatuck

2010 11 01 There really are not many wildflowers still blooming here in Michigan, Witch Hazel, Chicory, Queen Anne's Lace, Common Mullein, Red Clover, Hoary Alyssum, Bouncing Bet, Asters, Common Dandelion are some you might find bravely holding on to their petals!



We even had a bit of snow this morning (November 5), first snow of the season!  So for this adventure we choose a nice walk in the woods, the South Trail at Saugatuck Dunes State Park.


Most of the parks and places we visit are FREE!  No fee to get in.  Of course we do pay for these places with our tax dollars. Michigan State Parks require a fee for a sticker. 


So if you don't have a Michigan State Park sticker and you want to visit Saugatuck Dunes State Park it is very near Shore Acres Park 6602 138th Avenue, Saugatuck  (remember Laketown Township Parks from 2010 08 23).  It is free to park here and access the state park trails.


If you park at Shore Acres you will be right in front of the state owned Felt Mansion , which was built by inventor of the comptometer, Dorr E. Felt.  Cool.

On to the trail!  Saugatuck Dunes State Park is a 1,120 acre (4.5 km²) Michigan state park. It is located on Lake Michigan between Saugatuck, Michigan and Holland, Michigan.

                                                           South Trail at Saugatuck State Park

                                                       What is over this dune?

Lake Michigan of course!

Lake Michigan 

 We had plenty of day left to drive to Lawrence and Mary Bell Wade Sanctuary owned by Michigan Nature Association.  This sanctuary has 72 acres located three miles east of Saugatuck in Allegan County Michigan on the eastern end of Silver Lake. The Wade Memorial contains a lovely beech-maple forest as well as numerous dogwood and hemlock trees on a high bluff overlooking the lake. 


This sanctuary was given to MNA by the Wades, who were prominent citizens of Holland, Michigan. It is a fine example of a beech-maple forest with hemlocks that have grown back after a wildfire that occurred in the early 1900’s. Silver Lake abuts the southwestern portion of the sanctuary.

The view of Silver Creek from Wade Sanctuary

So after all this wonderful time in the woods and dunes, we went north for home but along the way we saw a house torn down by a machine.


                                                          So long house!
We had another great day with gorgeous weather, especially for November 1st! 

Sisters complete (a variation of) a triathlon!

2011 October 18  My sweet sister, Sugar, and I completed our first "triathlon"!  We began at Rosy Mound Natural Area (13925 Lakeshore Drive Grand Haven, MI 49417) dragging our bikes out of our cars all by ourselves, already some exertion! 

We rode south on the bike path along Lakeshore Avenue all the way to Palomita Reserve (10630 Lakeshore Dr, West Olive, Michigan 49460) owned by The Land Conservancy of West Michigan,  about a 10 mile (round trip) bike ride.
Returning to Rosy Mound Natural Area we stowed our bicycles into the cars, then off we went on the second part of the triathlon, taking over 1000 (stair)  steps to Lake Michigan and back.  

 While at Lake Michigan we completed the third portion of this trek by swimming (our finger tips) in the lake!

Fun time!
 We saw lots of Hepatica leaves along the trail.

Rosy Mound is a classic Great Lakes dune system including high wooded dunes, foredunes, beach and a dune blowout. A 0.7 mile (one way) hiking trail from the parking area to the Lake Michigan shoreline includes 1,000 feet of stairs up and down the dunes and scenic views of woods, the dune blowout and Lake Michigan. A unique shade canopy, dune boardwalk trail and pit toilets are located near the beach. Improvements to this 164 acre park were completed in April 2004.  No pets.

We are "triathlon-ers".  Ha Ha!

Gales Pond, Genevieve Casey Nature Sanctuary, Park Road End

2013 08 19  Late August, Marie and I visited Oceana County, Michigan, stopping at Gale's Pond and Genevieve Casey Nature Sanctuary (53-acre sanctuary with a large marsh in the north; groves of pine and cedar in the south; and a low-shrub and lichen barren area that lies in the center).  The day started  very foggy.

Gale's Pond

 Wintergreen with pod

 Cardinal Flower

 Downy Rattlesnake Plantain with Marie holding a quarter to show the size of the plant.

  Turtlehead

 Great Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) Bellflower Family

We saw two kinds of Skullcap, Mad Dog and Marsh, both of the Mint Family.

Skullcap

 Pelecinid Wasp (Pelecinus polyturator)

 

Genevieve Casey Nature Sanctuary

Indian Tobacco (Lobelia inflate) Bellflower family

Steeplebush or Hardhack (Spiraea tomentosa) Rose Family

Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) Orchid Family

 

 Marie spied something in all this lush vegetation, do you see it?

She found one Smaller Purple Fringed Orchid (Platanthera psychodes)

Smaller Purple Fringed Orchid

We also made a stop at Park Road end in Oceana County along the shore of Lake Michigan.

That was it for this day in August.