Best wishes for a wonderful year!
Happy Hiking in 2020!
Month: December 2019
Have a Beautiful New Year!
Lake Michigan’s Beauty in Winter
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes in the Midwest. And they are huge with beaches offen referred to as the “Third Coast” of the United States, right up there with the Altantic and Pacific Oceans.
Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes located entirely within the territory of the United States. It is shared, from west to east Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The word “Michigan” originally referred to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwe word michi-gami meaning “great water”. (1)
Some of the earliest human inhabitants of the Lake Michigan region were the Hopewell Indians. In the early 17th century, when western European explorers made their first forays into the region, they encountered descendants of the Late Woodland Indians.
Currently some 12 million people live along the shore with many booming tourist towns, including Door County in Wisconin and Saugatuck in Michigan.
(1) Superior Watershed Partnership Projects. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
Photo Tip Tuesday – Patterns
Patterns are everywhere. They can create harmony. They can be used as a leading line to the main subject. Whether you are in a city or in nature, with a practiced eye you will find these patterns. Below is one example.
Monochromatic Monday
The tranquil beauty of winter.
66 Hikes on Route 66 – #7 – Cal-Sag Trail
Imagine a marathon trail (at just over 26 miles, we mean that literally) connecting across the Chicago Southland from Indiana and the Chicago Lakefront to Lemont, Illinois and the I&M Canal Trail.
Imagine a channel that’s seen its share of booms and busts becoming a destination for recreation, a nature corridor, and a driver of good health and high quality of life.
Imagine discovering it was real. Welcome to the Cal-Sag Trail.
The once Historic Route 66, of the most famous roads in the United States that ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona and ended in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California, covered a total of 2,448 miles. It has always been iconic for roadside stops….dinners…antiquing…and many historical sites. Although it longer exists, you can still “get your kicks” on the path it took through the United States on other highways and roads. In this series, I will highlight the many places you can stop to explore nature along this route….focusing on spots in the Midwest. Looking for more stops….check out this guide.
Hiking through the Rock Formations on Holden Mill Trail at Eno River State Park — Mark All My Words
Standing under the immensity of several tons of granite and schist, I was both humbled and inspired by the power of nature.
via Hiking through the Rock Formations on Holden Mill Trail at Eno River State Park — Mark All My Words
Midwest Winter Scenery Photo Gallery
Love the Lens – On Location
Red Barns of Wisconsin in their Winter Whites
Winter can be a great time to get outside and expand your portfolio. Winter time transforms landscapes and locations into dream-like scenes different from any other time of year. And all it takes is a few good snowfalls to bring out the beauty of the red against winter’s pure white palate.
When is it Winter Camping? — The Adirondack Almanack
Winter is associated with migration, hibernation, changes in animal behavior, plants becoming dormant, and humans experiencing special health concerns ranging from hypothermia to seasonal depression. Winter even invokes its own special vocabularies to describe the conditions (e.g. black ice, whiteouts, and corn snow). Descriptions of winter camping depend on geographic location, opportunities to go camping […]
Best of the Midwest! Hiking - nature - photography 