Category Archives: Travel Blogs

Playing with Fowl Ice

December 8, 2019 Troy 1 Comment

Most of my posts have been about summer adventures because I’ve been captive with projects and haven’t been getting out with the camera much so there’s been nothing recent to really publish. The cold has been setting in with the occasional snow flake flying bringing a layer of ice on to many of the nearby lakes. I wanted to try and get out to capture some of this ice because parts of it are almost as clear as glass. My first concept though was a circle of waterfowl. On a nearby lake there has been a small portion of open water where geese and ducks congregate during the night often just standing on the ring of ice around this open water creating a circle of birds. On this morning though, several of them were already in the water swimming as the sun was nearing the horizon breaking that nice circle of waterfowl I’d hoped for. It was a nice sunrise none the less and I had made the necessary compromises so I could enjoy the outdoors with the camera. Time to adapt and focus on what was there.

Most of the waterfowl were Canadian Geese moving around the ice and in the water on this morning. As many were getting into the water there were a few standing on the edge of the ice. I thought they provided a nice silhouette against the golden sun through clouds. All I needed then was something interesting in their actions. Scanning the group I noticed two geese, possibly a pair, staying near each other. I liked how they’re looking at each other with some reflection in the golden ice. Once took a few photos as the sun was rising I moved so the sun was now shining on these geese and watched further. What I was really looking for was an eagle flying overhead causing these ducks and geese to all take off or to see an eagle float down from the sky trying to get something for breakfast. Eventually a young eagle did appear but it ended up continuing overhead towards another location.

Once the sun appeared from behind the clouds I noticed all of the geese and most of the ducks face into it. Were they trying to absorb any warmth from the fresh sunlight on this cold morning? It didn’t last long before they continued moving around into and out of the water with some flying off. Over the next half hour or so most of these geese took to the air likely going in search of food for the day. During this time I could hear a familiar sound off in the distance. As I watched the sky the pure white forms of Trumpeter Swans came into view. I followed them as they circled once overhead before coming in to the open water with a larger splash making their presence know to everything around. Once they had a chance to look around they began to swim towards me. Where they looking for the best food spot or did they want to check out what I was doing? After a short time closer to me they resumed feeding and swam back with the other birds still there.

While standing on the beach looking around for something that might make an interesting photograph I caught a trio of Mallard ducks getting closer and closer. They were still in the water when I first noticed them so I remained near my camera just in case but tried to continue appearing as though I wasn’t really paying attention to them. Eventually they made it to the edge of open water which prompted me to get back behind the camera. They hopped up on the ice, one by one, and waddled to the beach making their way closer to me. Their bright orange feet stood out in such stark contrast to the brown and white of the surrounding landscape. After a few pictures they returned to the water ending our photo shoot.

Having fun watching the waterfowl I decided there was enough light in the sky now to work towards my next goal for the morning. Photographing subjects with this nice clear ice covering much of the lake. There was very little success for awhile. A few photos started to show the patterns in the ice reflecting the sunlight. And then I spotted a leaf curled up on top of the ice with the sunlight shining around the oak leaf. Black and white was my objective with some ice pictures. That focuses the interest more on shapes and contrasting elements. This leaf photo was my favorite from the morning with the bright, back light highlighting the rounded lobes of this leaf against the straight lines crisscrossing in the top of the ice. One of the most interesting parts of this picture is the midrib and petiole of the leaf and how it curves through the photograph. An enjoyable picture for my first morning out in awhile.

Another picture with some interest in a red oak leaf with its lobes reaching up through the snow. Reaching for warmth and daylight from the cold snows grasp. The sharp points at the tips of the leaves in contrast to the rounded pieces of ice surrounding it and covering it. After this my time was up and I needed to return home. A much needed morning out watching the world come to life for the day.

Exploring, State Parks, Troy's Blog

Splitrock Lighthouse State Park

November 30, 2019 Troy 2 Comments

The only full day at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and I wanted to make the most of it. Sunrise in the middle of June is about quarter after 5 in the morning. That’s a difficult choice to make while on vacation. Roll over and go back to sleep for a couple of hours or make yourself climb out of a warm sleeping bag to watch the sun rise over Lake Superior. Rising behind the lighthouse which is peering over a cliff? Clearly from the photo above I chose to get up, but it was not easy as I needed to be out of the tent before 5am to get to a good viewing spot. I rarely regret getting up after I begin moving and get out of the door. It’s such a peaceful beginning to a day. Quiet and calm, often times with a serene scene. You can here the wildlife around or in this case, listen to the waves of Lake Superior crashing softly into the shoreline under a foggy landscape. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful sunrise at the lighthouse. The fog was such a nice surprise definitely worth waking up early for as it rolled out over the big lake on this cool, summer morning.

As the sun continued higher in the sky, the fog disappeared revealing interesting black sand beaches in a more northern setting. I’ve been fortunate to visit a black sand beach in Hawaii a few years ago and what struck me as a little weird is that the black beach of Split Rock State Park was similar even though the sand was made of from different rock. Or maybe the rock is not that different as they are both volcanic, I believe, and both get pounded into small bits and pieces from the forces of water crashing over them. Thousands of miles separate these different black sand beaches and quite different environments but they are not all that different to walk on. On this morning I had the beaches to myself to enjoy for a little while. A great opportunity to take some pictures of these beaches with large pieces of granite interspersed among the sand while enjoying the peacefulness of the quiet part of the day.

Hungar was beginning make itself known at this point which became a bit annoying. It required heading back to the campsite to find food and that meant leaving the tranquil warming sun over this beautiful beach. I fought this hungar for awhile longer which was not as hard as I thought it might be. The many distractions of every part of the landscape helped immensely. While the sun’s intensity continued to grow, I shifted from taking in the overall landscape to focusing in on a bit more of the details. There where so many different interesting rock formations, colors, and textures. Seeing some orange ribbons of stone traveling from the shoreline into Lake Superior which become interrupted by waves splashing up as they meet the shoreline. I could have spent a lot more time just exploring these places on the beach but on to more important things like nourishment.

Much of the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon were spent exploring some of the nearby state parks I love to see like Tettegouche and Gooseberry before returning for some R & R. My intent was to return to my sleeping bag for a little more sleep because my intention for the night time was to attempt astrophotography over the lighthouse. With the sun setting just after 9 pm at this time of year it would be well after 10 pm before I could start photographing the stars. Shortly after my hit the pillow I could hear a lot of water splashing down on the shores of Lake Superior near the campsite. I figured it would go away in a few minutes but it persisted over and over again. Finally I decided to see what was going on and noticed ducks making all kinds of noise back and forth along the shoreline. Of course by the time I would grab the camera and get to the shore they would surely be gone. But they continued which allowed me to set up next to a tree and capture some pictures of male Common Mergansers chasing each other. No doubt over a female. This went on for over 45 minutes before they where out of range. I returned to the campsite to see if I could now get a little sleep. And very little it was before hunger once again forced an exit to the tent.

As evening was approaching it was time to explore closer to the lighthouse to scout some possible locations for shooting the night sky. Viewing the lighthouse perched on top of a cliff looking out over this vast lake from the shores below really gave a different perspective of the Split Rock Lighthouse. One that I’d never seen before. It was so impressive from this angle. As luck would have it, there was such a nice blue sky with white, puffy clouds floating by for a great summer’s day picture. What made it even better is that the lighthouse was now closed to tours so there were very few people here in the area allowing for an even more relaxed time of exploring around the rocks along the shoreline.

With the sun getting even lower in the sky, it was time to return to the campsite for an evening fire as the air was growing colder. It was expected to get down into the upper 30’s Fahrenheit overnight which is a bit chilly when sleeping in a tent. The campfire would feel really good After a beautiful day exploring a small part of the North Shore. There’s so much more to Split Rock State Park than I had anticipated and this was only a portion of this park. There are other trails which I must return to explore another time.

Photos, State Parks, Troy's Blog

Roaming the Prairie

November 24, 2019 Troy

As summer began to wind down I ventured off to Southwestern Minnesota in search of the Prairie Fringed orchid while hoping to view the Perseid meteor shower from a prairie landscape. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful at seeing much of either of these. On my last morning there a local herd of bison started to move closer to my location. What an unexpected surprise! While they were closer, they still were pretty far away for some nice photographs. Still I had envisioned photographing bison as they worked their way around the mounds of stone scattered across this part of the prairie before beginning this camping adventure. Now it seemed as though there was a possibility of capturing those shots. It was about time to tear down the campsite so I focused on that as the bison were still quite far away. With each trip of gear to the car I would check on the herd. Eventually I lost them and figured they had moved on to a further portion of their grazing area. With my equipment safely stored in my car I glanced up to see people looking at something. The bison had worked their way much closer. Observing their direction for a few minutes I grabbed the camera and found a safe place to set up for some potential photographs highlighting the huge animals against the beautiful pink quartz exposed above the prairie.

Sitting for what seemed like a long time a head poked up above the grass. And then another, and another until the entire herd was becoming visible. I chose a particular stone outcropping and just waited for these bison to work their way near it. As they meandered closer I began to get a little nervous. These are very large, powerful animals. While there was a fence between us, it would be quickly trampled through if these bison had motivation to run through it. There was one bison that seemed more nervous than the others and kept an eye on me. I kept an eye on that one too. At this point several of the bison were grazing near the rocks I had pointed the camera at. I began to shoot away trying different compositions and distances taking advantage of the situation. They continued to move and were out of my range pretty quickly and I figured I was done. Just waiting for them to be completely out of sight before I move back to my car.

While sitting there watching, the herd came back and once again surrounded the rock outcropping I was focused on. What luck and this time they approached from a different direction providing me with a few different compositions. Once again there was one of these bison which seemed to be watching me more closely than the others. Although this time is appeared to be more out of curiosity than concern as it would reach down to eat more frequently. This time they lingered in this area longer allowing me to not only get more photographs but to just watch from time to time. I was fascinated by all of the burs stuck to their noses. Do they feel them? Are they annoyed by them? How do they get removed from their noses?

Feeling more comfortable near these large animals this time it almost felt like I was among the herd. That’s when a photo session changes from great to an amazing experience. When they just continue on their mission like you’re not even there at close range. You get to see some of the details of an animal or its behavior not easily noticed from a distance. When you can hear their light grunts and catch a bit of their scent as they grab a mouthful of grass. It all tells more about an animal than looking at them from a distance. I may have missed the Perseids and failed to find a Prairie Fringed orchid but this encounter with a herd of bison made the weekend all worth any efforts needed for a weekend trip to the prairie.

Adventure, Isle Royale National Park, Troy's Blog

Independence Day on Isle Royale

November 16, 2019 Troy

After the close encounter with moose the night before, it was nice to get back to camp and crawl into the sleeping bag for a night of much needed rest. Beginning to return to a conscious state, I eventually realize I’m hearing water splashing. Now more alert I open my eyes and realize this is Isle Royale and Feldtmann Lake is steps away from our tent. That must be a moose I’m hearing! I try to exit the tent as quietly as possible, grabbing my camera on the way out and take the trail out to the shores of the lake. There he is entering just a short distance down the shoreline walking in the opposite direction. Amazing to see this large, wild animal right there in front of me. I crouch next to a small shrub and just watch as the moose meanders towards deeper water, finding something to eat from time to time. Hoping to see at least one moose on this week long adventure and here it is only the second morning and my count is already at five. I know there are a lot of moose in this National Park, but to see that many in less than 24 hours seems almost surreal. Eventually this moose moves on and I turn my focus to other wildlife around.

Off and on through the night and early morning hours I would hear the call of a loon. Relaxing near the shore, a pair of loons swim closer searching for breakfast and giving the occasional loon call echoing down the lake. While enjoying their company I realize it’s the 4th of July. Our plan was to stay put near Feldtmann Lake for the day and just enjoy the day. Maybe catching fireworks from Rainbow Cove at nightfall shot off from Grand Portage. We had a down day planned just in case weather did not cooperate at some point or we were to sore from the 9+ miles of hiking to get here from Windigo. Fortunately we felt relatively well and the forecast called for passing storms in the afternoon with clearer days after so we could spend the day leisurely exploring around Feldtmann Lake. As the loons moved out of sight I turned around to return to the camp sight beginning to feel my stomach beginning to growl. Before I could go just a few feet I noticed a dragonfly soaking up the warming sunlight. They are such interesting insects and eat mosquitoes which is a great benefit on this island.

Eventually I return to the campsite and the others make their way out for the morning. Time to enjoy a warm treat today. Most days its just bars and dry cereal. Things we can eat while on the trail. After breakfast is over and our dishes are all cleaned up, we notice the other hikers have all left and we’re the only ones left. We decide to check out the other campsites and decide there’s one we would rather spend the next day at. The tent gets emptied and flattened so we can transfer everything a few sites down the trail and be right on the shore of Lake Feldtmann. One of the advantages of taking a day off from hiking. Once everything is set back up we decide to enjoy the view on this beautiful, sunny morning. Watching the water for awhile and we begin to see fish. There’s supposed to be Northern Pike in the lake. Then Kristen pulls one of her feet out of the water and there’s a leech attached. Bait? What can we do for a hook? Then I spot a lure stuck on a large stick under the water. I retrieved the lure and tried to save the fishing line attached without success. We took some of our rope, attached the lure adding the leech, and tossed it out. Unfortunately this wasn’t successful. No fresh fish for dinner tonight.

At one point a beaver would swim by at relatively close range and climb on shore just on the other side of our tent. A minute or so later it would return to the shoreline eating the leaves it just collected near our tent. They’re fun to watch close up but also a little unnerving. Their teeth as so big and sharp. They could clip through a bone with ease. Thankfully they really don’t want to attack humans so we could just watch them going back and forth in the lake without too much concern. I wasn’t sure how we would spend a down day. Would it move slow and boredom set in? Instead time was flying by and here it was lunchtime already. We prepared our Independence Day meal and enjoyed it in this amazing park. Afterwards we decided to wade in the shallow water near the campsite. The water felt great on our recovering feet from the hike the day before. Fish would swim just out of reach, including a few Northern Pike we’d heard about. Exploring the shoreline a little we looked at the vegetation moose seemed to graze on and could even see their hoof prints in the sandy bottom. After an hour in the water we decided to return to Rainbow Cove almost a mile away and take in the waves of Lake Superior while checking the western sky for rain and thunderstorms.

By this time clouds began to increase with some fog beginning to drift into Isle Royale. A crack of thunder could be heard off in the distance but there really didn’t appear to be any storms approaching. It must be moving around the island keeping us dry. We walked up and down the beach at Rainbow Cove for awhile just looking at the different stones and listening to the water splash against the rocky shore. Eventually we decided that fireworks probably would be covered by the clouds and fog and headed back to our campsite for the remainder of the night. As we got back there was once again a frenzy of hikers setting up their campsites after a long days hike. Several of them were disappointed as they tried to get to Feldtmann Lake early in order to get the best site but we were already there. A part of me felt a little bad because I understood their extra efforts to secure this beautiful spot only to have it already taken. The night began to overtake the day and we decided to head for our sleeping bags once again bringing an end to our Independence Day on Isle Royale National Park. Tomorrow would bring a 10+ mile hike further into the island.

Camping, State Parks, Troy's Blog

Camping at Split Rock Lighthouse

November 10, 2019 Troy

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is one of the most familiar locations visited when traveling to Minnesota’s North Shore. I have stopped there a few times to view the this iconic lighthouse a few times. Usually I would pull into an overlook for a few minutes to view it towering over Lake Superior. On one occasion I drove up into a visitor’s parking lot to see the building up close but never really stopped and participated in a tour of these structures. Until recently I didn’t really know there was more to this beautiful state park other than the lighthouse itself. A couple of years ago I saw pictures taken from places I wasn’t familiar with and began to wonder what I was missing.

Earlier this summer, a college friend and I decided to spend some time camping in Northern Minnesota. He had never seen what amazing scenery Minnesota is known for before. We talked about some of the different places we could go which would provide some fun adventures during a week of camping under the stars. Narrowing down the destinations I knew the North Shore needed to be on the list. I’ve never camped next to Lake Superior and this would be a good opportunity to do so. Split Rock Lighthouse State Park was not one of the places I really wanted to camp because it’s closer to Duluth than I wanted to be making this a busier park than I was interested in staying at. Looking a little further north for camping destinations I suggested a few places but decided to research Split Rock also. It didn’t take long to begin to become more interested in this relative unfamiliar state park because all of the campsites were walk in sites. This meant no RV’s with loud generators and air conditioners to ruin the experience. Exchanging a few texts and emails, my friend and I decided to take an opportunity and camp at Split Rock Lighthouse.

Once you take the short drive towards the beach and camp ground, the crowds of people begin to disappear. At least in early summer anyway. The campsites are beautiful with locations next to Lake Superior or views of the majestic lake. Because they are only walk in tent sites it was very quiet and peaceful. Just what I was looking for in a camping experience. There were only two nights in this place so we had to make the most of this short time. I wasn’t disappointed as we were absolutely blessed with a great mix of weather and beauty. The way our time here began, I was certain it would be a disaster and I would be looking to leave as soon as our sentence was up. We arrived mid afternoon and decided to scout out the campground before checking in and setting up. After a brief time looking over the different campsites we became anxious to get our gear and begin this new camping experience. As I looked to at the reservations to check in I realized they were for the next night and the night after that. We had no reservations for this night. I couldn’t believe I had made such a mistake. We discussed our options and I began to try and make some changes. At first I was attempting to change our reservation at another location in two nights. Unfortunately that place was almost 2 hours away. Driving that distance today after already driving half of the day to get to Split Rock was not appealing at all. I began to feel anxious and ill. Those reservations were unable to be changed so now what? It was difficult to research options as cell service was very limited and the ranger station had just closed. Eventually I found that there was a nice campsite available for the next couple of nights. There was a modest change fee to make this adjustment but that was minor in my opinion. Relief! Now we were ready to move our tent and food into our temporary home just as a crack of thunder radiated through the park.

We couldn’t see the storm to know which direction it was going as there were tall, rocky bluffs behind us blocking the view from the west. Let’s hurry and get the tent set up so we at least have a dry place to hide. With the booming thunder becoming louder and more frequent we rushed to get stakes pounded into the ground and the tent poles standing. Just as the last of our gear was brought into the tent it began to rain. Perfect timing! Maybe luck was with us. We were hopeful a storm would be a part of our time at Split Rock Lighthouse. I would love to photograph a bolt of lightning behind the lighthouse itself. There wasn’t a lot of lighting on display with this fast moving thunderstorm so that photograph would have to wait. It was still relaxing to just listen to the storm overhead as it wasn’t severe by any means. Once the rain stopped falling we emerged from the tent with enough time to cook something to eat before nightfall. The rest of our time provided nice clear skies with a few white, puffy clouds and perfect temperatures cooling off at night for some very much appreciated deep sleep. This has become a favorite place to camp and I definitely want to spend more time here relaxing and exploring.

Exploring, Jeep Badge of Honor, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Pictures From the Trail–The Needles from the Joint Trail in Canyonlands

November 2, 2019 Troy

After several hours of enjoying off road trails in Canyonlands national park, we stopped at the Joint Trail to take in some hiking and amazing views. There are basically two ways to get to this spot: traveling in a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle or hiking several miles through this beautiful desert landscape. This is a nice, relatively short hike through slot canyons with a little climbing in tight spots. It’s a very different experience from the hikes I’ve taken before. The tall, almost claustrophobic slot canyons were a little unnerving. What if they cave in? It almost felt like each side of the canyon was a tectonic plate slowly closing in towards each other. I continually reminded myself at first that these have been like this for a long, long time and the likelihood of rocks collapsing at the exact time I’m underneath is highly unlikely. Once I convinced myself that nothing will happen I could enjoy these geological wonders. Navigating through these canyons for a distance, there’s a climb to get up and out of them and there you are in the middle of the Needles this part of the park is named for.

Beautiful rock sculptures made up of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Each color is a different layer created during the formation of these sculptures before erosion formed them into what we see today making a them the colorful wonders you see in this photograph. Add in a blue sky and evergreens for a nice color contrast to the rock and you have such an incredible view.

Photos, Troy's Blog

Getting the Shot–A Beautiful Foggy Sunrise

October 26, 2019 Troy

Each time I view the picture above I am continually amazed at how much I enjoy it. The colors of the rising sun along with the stream flowing through the middle of it. And of course the fog. Without the fog this photo is just a nice picture of the sunrise. I never imagined capturing this shot on this morning. I was in search of another of Minnesota’s native orchids which I wrote about here. Since I was already coming to this park to find an orchid, I decided to get there earlier to enjoy the night sky which I was missing because the year has been so cloudy. While driving around under the star filled sky I eventually stopped at this spot to photograph the stars. Soon there was light on the horizon and I could see a heavier fog developing near the ground. Setting up a few different compositions I decided that this would be the shot I wanted to work with. Cameras see things differently than our eyes do and capturing a sunrise or sunset can be difficult as either the foreground becomes only a silhouette or the sky is to bright losing much of the beautiful color.

Anticipating this I knew I had to take different exposures to capture all of the different elements in the shot. Fortunately the camera was already set up for this from taking photos of the night sky. It was attached to a tripod and had a remote shutter release plugged in so as to not disturb the camera to get a sharper image. In this shot above I overexpose the scene to capture the color of the plants in the foreground. These portions where then blending with the underexposed photo, which is the second from the bottom, to bring out more detail in the plants at the bottom instead of keeping them as a silhouette. This is closer to what I was seeing that morning.

This next photo, above, is still overexposed but not as much. It reveals the fog in a more realistic fashion. Because of this I used the foggy portions of the photo to blend together with the underexposed picture below. The next picture below is what the camera considers properly exposed. This was not how everything looked to me at that time. There is no detail in the foreground and the sky is mostly blown out appearing white. There’s nothing that can really be done about this in a photo editing program using only the one picture. You can see why multiple photos are needed with different exposures to capture a more realistic scene at this time of day. Another solution to create a more realistic picture is to use specialized filters on the camera lens. I don’t have the necessary filters for my camera so blending multiple exposures in photo software is how I handle these situations. From this properly exposed shot I used the tree line next to the sky for the final photograph.

This next picture below is underexposed to bring out the colors of the sky before the sun rose above the horizon. Everything else basically became a silhouette. Often times I like that look but not for this photograph. I wanted the fog, which is so crucial to the whole scene, to be visible in the final picture. Below is the photo that I used as the foundation for the final picture at the top. From this I blending the different pieces from three other pictures of different exposures to create a photo that more realistically resembles the scene that morning.

Most of the time the best photos come from planning, preparing, and waiting for just the right moment to capture the scene with the right lighting. There can be a lot of time involved to set up a beautiful picture such as scouting out an area, trying different compositions, watching the weather forecasts, and possibly long hikes with all of the heavy camera equipment and suitable clothing for the conditions. This was a case of being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes you just get lucky and rewarded for waking up earlier than would be considered sane and getting to a location with plenty of time. I did drive around much of the area earlier in the morning and had to drive around a second time once I decided this was the spot I wanted to shoot from due to the stream and direction of the brightening sky in relation to that stream. There was some planning and scouting but not much.

What is even more amazing to me is you could go by this spot almost any other time and it looks very plain and lacks a great photographic quality. Ordinarily a place where you wouldn’t expect to capture a great picture. But a late summer sunrise combined with a beautiful fog makes the shot. The picture below shows the same location after the sun has risen above the horizon. The fog became even heavier for a short time but quickly disappeared once the sun warming rays penetrated through it. The water looks mucky and brown. There are a scattering of trees, some if which are dead. A variety of wetland plants which, typically don’t make nice pictures, are everywhere throughout the scene. Really nothing except the stream appears as though it would make a good picture. It really proves the importance light, timing, and composition make. I could have used the composition in this picture below and it would have made an interesting photo. By zooming into the scene a little more like I did, I feel like I’m taken into the landscape. I become a part of the scene enjoying the twilight as fog develops and water trickles by. You can almost here the morning birds beginning to chirp and feel the cool foggy air causing you to reach for the warm coffee nearby while waiting for the sun’s rays to reach above the trees and the day to begin.

Exploring, Troy's Blog

In Search of More Native Orchids

October 13, 2019 Troy

For the most part this has been a fabulous year for finding native orchids. I’ve managed to find six different species over the summer, a few of them in multiple places. One of the orchids, the Prairie Fringed orchid eluded me on my adventure to Blue Mounds State Park and Touch the Sky Prairie in Southwestern Minnesota during the late summer. I was likely a few weeks too late to see them in bloom and wasn’t able to recognize the plant without its flowers. That was a little disappointing but seeing six different native orchids was still a good find. Besides, it gives me a reason to return to Blue Mounds again. As fall approached I heard of a late blooming orchid just a 45 minute drive from my house. So of course I had to make a trip there.

Once in the area I saw multiple roads with multiple trails. Which one should I take? Where would this orchid be? I did know it liked more prairie like places with sandy soil so that is what I focused on as much of the landscape was wetlands or water. While this eliminated some places I still was unsure of which places to look in. My expectations declined as far as actually finding this orchid, especially after my last experience searching for orchids in Southwest Minnesota, but it’s still fun to explore new places and it was a beautiful day to be outdoors. I just picked a trail that had less wetlands and began walking the trail. There were so many interesting mushrooms which captured much of my attention. After awhile of walking I came upon a pair of dragonflies landed in a shrub next to the trail and stopped to photograph them. While doing this I wanted to get closer so I looked down to see where I was stepping and something small and white caught my attention. It was the Nodding Ladies Tresses orchid. I found it! I almost couldn’t believe it as I almost stepped on it. It was so small compared to all of the other plants around it. In the photo above there is one of these orchids near the bottom of the photo in the middle. It’s really tough to see but it’s the only white flower among the grasses and ferns. I was pretty excited and enjoyed capturing pictures of the tiny, white flowers. Later in the day I almost stepped on another one of these orchids on another trail so my chances of finding it were better than I thought. A seventh orchid to add to my list for 2019.

Adventures, Jeep Badge of Honor, Troy's Blog

Finishing Fins N Things….or at least trying to

October 6, 2019 Troy

Waking up and one of the first things I think about is it’s our final day on the trails. There have been so many exciting trails and amazing views combined with excellent weather over the past week and here we are at the final day of off-roading in Moab. I’m definitely not ready to leave this exciting area. There has been so much learned and experienced over the last several days that we want to continue on to more trails. At least we have two trails nearby to explore. Unzipping my sleeping bag, I crawl out of bed and make my way out of the tent. Another beautiful early morning in Utah even though the sun hasn’t illuminated the landscape with its warm rays yet. Some of the spring flowers are beginning to bloom in the valley Moab is set in adding to the incredible scene created by these desert mountains and snow capped peaks off in the distance. A little bit of food and it’s off to the trail we started this adventure with – Fins N Things.

The first 1/3 of this trail we completed on the first day upon getting to Moab. Now for the rest of the trail. It’s the easiest trail we explored according to different ratings and seems a lot less intimidating than it did on day 1. That doesn’t mean it’s just a walk in the park. There are still challenging spots that require your respect. Entering this next part of the trail we were moving along quite in the sand dunes when a group of buggies came up behind us. Being courteous we wanted to pull over allowing them to pass. Hitting the brakes there was no reaction. Something gave and now there are no brakes. Not good! Fortunately we weren’t traveling to fast and were able to slow to a stop rather quickly. Getting out to survey the Jeep we found fluid dripping by one of the rear wheels. A closer inspection revealed that the brake line was worn through and fluid was being lost releasing all of the pressure in the brake system. Trying to come up with a solution we tried bandaging the line and even attempted to cut the line and reattach the fitting so we could at least get the Jeep to a parts place for a correct fix. None of these ended up working so our next option was to work carefully and slowly over the trail using the emergency brake to stop when absolutely necessary.

Fortunately this trail had a road cutting across not far ahead that would take us off Fins N Things and get us to a more navigable road. We made it to the road with little issue but a lot of anxiety. Once on the road all we had to do was go down a steep hill with only the emergency brake and make it into to town and on to a parts house. This we did without incident. Now to figure out our best solution. After talking with the people in the parts store we first thought we’d have to wait until the next day as it was Sunday for a local dealership to open so we could get the correct brake line for the vehicle. After a bit more conversation it was decided to see if we could patch the line. After working for an hour or so we got the new section of brake line and tested it. Brake fluid still leaked out of the new connection. Turns out I had missed a step in preparing the line for the fitting. Going back and redoing the connection, it held the second time. Add in brake fluid to replace that lost and we were bake in business. It was now early afternoon and we were getting hungry so a trip back to the campsite for lunch and then determine what we were going to do. The brake lines still needed to be bled to get any air introduced during the repair was necessary to get the brakes working perfectly again.

With lunch now firmly in our bellies we decided to tackle the final piece of our repair and get the air out of the lines. On the repaired side some air come out and then fluid quickly after. Working on another wheel, there was no air so it wasn’t as bad as expected. It was now mid afternoon. What should we do. Another breakdown on the trail or if this repair doesn’t hold and we’re in trouble as parts places would be closing soon. We decided to take it out and at least finish Fins N Things. The easiest of the trails on our list and the trail that was the most difficult to complete. We were soon back on the trail were we left it and continued on climbing up and down hills and over small rock cliffs enjoying yet another beautiful day in Moab. There were no more incidences allowing us to relax and take in our last day of slick rock off roading. Once we finally conquered this trail it was getting late with only an hour and a half of sunlight. Not enough time to explore a second trail which was planned for the day. If all went perfectly well there would be time but taking a wrong turn or something else breaking and we would be trying to get off the trail in the dark. Not something we were comfortable doing so it was determined we should just enjoy the trail we finally finished and relax at the campsite for the last night. It was disappointing to end the day without the second trail but this Off road adventure was a lot of fun over the week. Breaking down wasn’t a great deal of fun but an experience we both appreciated because it helped us get an idea of how we would handle such a situation. Doing this kind of strenuous driving, something is very likely to break. It’s all part of the adventure!

Photos, State Parks, Troy's Blog

A Day on the Prairie

September 29, 2019 Troy

After spending the night in search of Persied meteors blazing across the sky, I was awakened by a blast of wind on a calm summer’s night. This blast came from an approaching storm. Another hope for me while staying in Blue Mounds was to see a storm approach from the west over this mostly cultivated landscape. There was some excitement but the darkness would make it a challenge to get great pictures showcasing the prairie under a stormy sky. I got up and began to prepare for the sunrise which I was quite certain would not be visible due to the clouds from this storm. To my surprise the sun appeared at the horizon and lit up the sky creating a beautiful beginning to what would be a warm summers day on the Prairie. My goal for the day was to explore nearby Touch the Sky Prairie for Prairie Fringed orchids. They had been spotted a few weeks earlier and my hope was to see and photograph this orchid adding to new native orchids found this year.

The sun continued to move higher in the sky going in and out of clouds from the storm that continued on its trek towards the south. Most of the storm was a state away. It’s amazing how far you can see from a high point looking out over the prairie and farmlands. Taking a short break to enjoy a little nourishment and dry my feet from the heavy dew and quick shower from the mornings walk I headed to Touch the Sky parcel of the the Northern Tallgrass Prairie a few miles away. There are some nicely mowed trails through this prairieland allowing you to explore this preserved land without much difficulty. Beautiful liatris bloomed all over the prairie providing a great source of food for the many monarchs fluttering about but no orchids in sight. Throughout the day I continued to search different areas of the prairie for what promised to be a stunning orchid. By late afternoon it was time for a break, and maybe a nap.

Storms were predicted for late in the day. The sun had heated the air thoroughly during the afternoon and humidity added to the warm sun to create a bit of a stifling atmosphere almost sure to produce some nice thunderstorms. I had an area in mind to photograph these storms and thought it was probably time to get there. On the way, there were a couple of vultures sitting on rocks. I typically don’t want to photograph them but they were in such an easy spot and because of the heat had little interest in flying away. They are interesting birds up close with features that are often difficult to see from the air. Taking a trail to a better vantage point, a storm was out over the horizon approaching from the west as I was hoping for. Unfortunately the sun was getting close to setting so the pictures of prairieland underneath some interesting lightning would have to wait for another time. As it got closer, I moved towards my campsite for shelter and continued to take pictures. Most of the lightning was cloud to cloud reducing the chance for a nice photo. I did manage to get the one you see below which includes one of the teepee’s available for rent at Blue Mounds State Park. If you look closely there are a couple of lighting bugs flying around also creating the photo I call camping with lightning bugs. So while I didn’t find the orchid I was looking for, I did enjoy so much of what the prairie has to offer on a warm summer’s night.

Gaining Life Experience

Category Archives: Travel Blogs

Playing with Fowl Ice

Splitrock Lighthouse State Park

Roaming the Prairie

Independence Day on Isle Royale

Camping at Split Rock Lighthouse

Pictures From the Trail–The Needles from the Joint Trail in Canyonlands

Getting the Shot–A Beautiful Foggy Sunrise

In Search of More Native Orchids

Finishing Fins N Things….or at least trying to

A Day on the Prairie

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