Saturday, January 8, 2022

2022 January 7 - Two walks on a snowy day at Hofma Preserve and Stearns Creek Park

Wednesday January 5, 2022, Ottawa County Michigan and surrounding areas were under a Winter Storm Warning.  The morning was clear, in the afternoon the snow started falling and kept coming for the next two days.  There were breaks in the snowstorm and the sun would peek out at times.  I'm not sure what the total snowfall amount for our area was but last night at Stearns Creek Park the snow was more than 18 inches deep on the trail.

Yesterday I was lucky to go on two walks.  One in the morning at Hofma Preserve with my daughter and one in the evening with Mike at Stearns Creek Park.

First Hofma Preserve.  I really like walking here.  It has so many different features like the float bridge that takes you over Pottawattomie Bayou to Hofma Park, the overlook tower, and the addition of an old tree farm.  There are miles of trails and so many interesting places.





If you look closely, you can see the float bridge in the picture above.









We named this the Barred Owl trail, we have seen the owl here twice.  We actually saw it fly off yesterday while we were near the swampy area.  Sometimes you might hear its "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all" call. 





Stearns Creek Park walk was in the evening, it took over an hour to walk two miles through the deep snow.  When we got back to the car it was getting dark so not many pictures.  The snow was up past my knees (18 inches +) and on some trails, no one had walked on them since the fresh batch of snow.


No tracks on the trail.  It is difficult to tell but believe me it was a lot of work walking through this beautiful snow.  Also, very peaceful.

It was a good day to be outside. The temperature was around 20 degrees F. and very little wind.   I hope you enjoyed the walks.
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6 comments:

  1. New Hampshire GardenerJanuary 9, 2022 at 5:11 PM

    Wow, that was beautiful, and not a snowmobile track in sight! You've gotten far more snow than we have. We had maybe 4 inches after snowing all day Friday but it rained all day today.
    You must have been exhausted after breaking trail through 18 inches of snow! I can't do it anymore. I just don't have the lung power anymore, but I'm glad you do.

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 10, 2022 at 5:13 AM

    I agree, that was beautiful. It was beautiful even from inside my house. We only got about a foot or so. Nice to have snowplow service. I'm lucky to have the bike trail and streets for most of the year but they have been icy since Christmas. No traction, no walks. So thanks for showing us your snowy adventures. Your sister way up north, M :)

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  3. Plants Amaze MeJanuary 10, 2022 at 9:43 AM

    Yes it was beautiful, Allen, we mentioned that if a snowmobile had gone around the trail it might have made it easier to walk. Schools are closed for the fourth day in a row, this time due to icy roads and temperatures in the single digits.
    We were both working hard to get back to the car that day. There are loop trails at Stearns that would have shortened the walk, but of course we went the longest way.

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  4. Plants Amaze MeJanuary 10, 2022 at 11:51 AM

    Hello sister way up north, even though it was tough walking at least it wasn’t slippery. Now it is so cold, and here the driveway and sidewalk are icy, I’m not sure about the roads since I wasn’t out yesterday. Time to start hibernation? Maybe I’ll see you in the spring.

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  5. Mary E. StephensFebruary 5, 2022 at 6:34 PM

    Beautiful! As usual. :-) Thank you for sharing your gorgeous adventure with us.

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  6. Plants Amaze MeFebruary 5, 2022 at 6:41 PM

    Thanks, Mary. I’m glad you enjoy it. And I hope you are having a good winter! Spring is just around the corner.

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