Adventures in Michigan from December 2018

Some walks from December 2018 

 December 6  2018    Southern section of Hoffmaster State Park with Marie. The same day a walk around Black Lake Park.  We saw just a bit of the sun, and it was a nice day for a hike.

Lake Michigan

 .

     Little Black Lake

December 10 2018 Out for fun with my sister Marie, again.  This time we went to Grand River Park in Ottawa County, Michigan. 

Grand River

    Bambi Tree at the parking lot

We saw deer tracks going up this tree.  Must have been the rarely seen Tree Climbing Deer! 

 Some clouds, some sun.  Great day for a walk!

December 17 2018 Southern trails at Saugatuck Dunes State Park
This walk according to the map is 5.5 miles.  You start in tree covered sand dunes and end at Lake Michigan!  It is a beautiful walk, especially when the sun is shining. 



     Cloudy

    Sunny

Turkey Tails

 

  Beautiful Lake Michigan
  

 

 

 Part of the South Trail is a large loop, so going back we were on different trails than earlier.  Marie remembered a bunch of stumps that we came across last time we were here. (probably 2014)  And sure enough it wasn't long before we started to see stumps, lots of stumps dotting the dunes.
 
They are the stumps of Austrian Pine. "Around 2012 the DNR burned the pines to remove the Austrian Pines that were planted by a previous owner of the property to control erosion .  It is an invasive species.  The problem with Austrian pine is that it blocks the sunlight from the ground where native species are trying to grow, there presence tampers with the natural process of succession."


 

 

 It is a long uphill sandy climb on this section of the trail.  Whew!

 

Then back through the woods to the parking area.  It was a good hike!

December 19  My sister, Sugar, met me at Ottawa Sands, the new park in Ottawa County.  We also had a nice walk.  It is always good once you get out there.  Sometimes it is the getting out there, that is the hard part.

 

December 23  We were lucky enough to entertain our granddaughter, Vivienne, for the day.  We took her for a walk at Hofma Preserve.  Look more blue sky!

Christmas Day 2018   Our daughter, Betsy, and her husband Aaron joined us for a walk at Crockery Creek Natural Area. 

 

    Crockery Creek

So that wraps up 2018, well except for a trip to Big Bend National Park but who knows if I will get around to that post.  Hopefully more posts coming soon.  Thanks for stopping by!

Ottawa Sands and Saugatuck Dunes State Park in November

        November 15, 2018                  Ottawa Sands with Marie

   The Sag     

      Grand Haven Board of Light and Power along the Grand River

Walking along a trail I could just see the top of the county building in Grand Haven, about one mile away.  From the same spot I zoomed in with the camera and got the photo below.  The county building through the BLP power lines.

 Goldenrod was still blooming even though there was some snow on the ground.

 From Ottawa Sands looking east to the U.S. 31 drawbridge and the railroad bridge.

   We saw the eagle nest. We also saw the eagle flying high in the sky.

November 19 2018  Marie and I hiked at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, the north end.
"A day-use park along a secluded strip of Lake Michigan shoreline, Saugatuck Dunes State Park offers 1,000 acres of land with two and a half miles of shoreline. The Lake Michigan beach is a two-thirds mile hike from the picnic parking area. In addition, the park has fresh water coastal dunes that are over 200 feet tall. The park's terrain varies from steep slopes to rolling hills. The park, located in Allegan County, is relatively undeveloped."

 These mushrooms were growing in the sand, one had been broken off and the cap flipped over.  The top was edged in purple and underneath was all purple.

Then we arrived at Lake Michigan!

In this photo you can see Big Red the Holland lighthouse approximately 4.4 miles to the north of where I was standing at the beach at Saugatuck State Park.



 

High up in a tree, I could see a dark shape.  A bird?  A Walmart bag?  In the picture above you can just see it on the dark hill....center of the picture then a bit to the right.  I zoomed in (photo below) and I think it was an osprey. 



 

Here I circled the bird (with red) in the tree...



 That same day we also walked at River Bluff Park.

      Kalamazoo River

Some of the trail here is down from the Gerald R. Ford Freeway!  As long as those trucks stay up on the road! 

 Dandelion Blooming!

Witch Hazel blooming!

Some neat lichen?

We drove to Wade Memorial Nature Sancutary, no walk here....

We drove through New Richmond Bridge Park.

And we drove down 133rd Avenue, where in the spring we see so many of the early blooming wildflowers.

Then home past farms, and barns, and through a tunnel.

A wonderful day, I am so glad we went!  Thanks for stopping by the blog.