Travels with Charlie...

Charlie is about 13 months old now, and I've struggled for a while to get him used to car travel without getting sick.
In his crate he gets sick.

So I'd made him a DIY car seat and he liked it but still drooled and acted as though he was going to be sick at any time on most car rides. On the way home from our hikes he always curled up and slept, so I figured it was just nerves about going places. He never has acted sick while someone was holding him...

So!
Yesterday I decided to take him to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. He has proven over and over again to be an excellent little hiking partner. He is easy to take on a leash and is excellent at trail walking when I let him drag a line or leash. He still has issues with wonderful smells and ignoring me for those smells. But that is what a dog's life is all about. Smells. Charlie teaches me to stop and 'smell' the forest and look around.

On our drive to KVR he just sat in his car seat and looked around.
This isn't a very good photo, but I stopped to make a turn and grabbed a quick shot with the cell phone.

He was curious, but NO drooling or gagging!

When we finally got to our parking spot, he came alive and started to whine a bit. He has it figured out. Car ride = Hiking and Cool Smells.

I found the trail head for this section of the Cut Off Trail and we started along the rock formations. The snow, the big melt, and the big freeze had created a tail only fit for Yak Traks or cleats. Snow shoes would have worked with ice cleats, but I'd worn my Yak Traks.

What was amazing is that the Polar Vortex had cooled the rock croppings and the rapid warm up had created a frost on the surfaces of many rocks which gave the rocks an odd look as if they had white fungus on them.

Charlie forged ahead following the trail around this bluff ...

I was torn between taking closeup shots of all the ice and textures in this spot or just a landscape shot showing the trail along the rock formation. Ice formations were all around.

I just went with the 'Big' picture.

It was so overwhelming.
It was so quiet, except for the crows...
It was so peaceful.

The ice was beautiful in its own way, if you like winter.

We then turned and made out way back towards the stream and along a rock outcropping.
I walked between the stream and the bluffs.

The stark contrast between the ice and the frosty bluff was pretty neat. I didn't go any closer as there was water flowing under the ice between myself and the rocks.

Charlie and I made it back to the car and then we drove down and around the corner and parked.
We took another long walk to check out where Warner and the Kickapoo joined up.

There were Ice Shoves from the recent melt down and gnarled twisted wrecks of trees from this summer's flooding. Yet it was still beautiful.

We walked and took in the scenery.
When I got back to the Subaru, I set Charlie in his car seat and he curled up and fell sound asleep.

I am a Wander-er

Yesterday I had to go and change the SD card in the trail camera and put new batteries in it.

So Morris and I decided to just wander around a bit. I brought some snacks and we took a nice long hike through our creek bottom.

I found some huge coyote tracks. Rich said they could have been the 'wolf' that had been seen earlier this year. I'm not worried much about a wolf except when I have Morris with me. I'll bring a tape measure and see exactly how large the prints are and photograph it next time.

Then there was some quiet time where Morris wandered around close and watched me stack some rocks.

Rock Stacking. Rock Balancing. 

It isn't something I'd do on another person's property, but it is a nice calming thing to do. Plus it is fun. 

Or you can use it to mark a trail or spot you want to visit again.

My visitors last 2 weeks ago left some stacks for me. I enjoyed it and it made me smile when I came across it yesterday.

This stack left by my friends. It makes me smile!

Eventually I took Morris back home and deposited the SD card near the computer to look at. I went back out to explore the area in the back of our property and check out the deer stand back there.

A word about these deer stands. I think someone crazy invented them.

However, I went way way back to the second deer stand on our property.

Hmmm. I made sure my back pack was secured properly and then checked to see how secure the ladder felt.

Not too bad!

Once I was seated I took a look around. I really felt that I should have been facing the north, but then I suppose if I were sitting up there and a cold north wind was blowing, it may not be a good idea.

I thought that this was a new and interesting perspective. I'd have to keep this place in mind this winter. It would be neat to climb up, get safely seated and take some interesting shots.

I sat and listened to the woods. I really wished I could see one of those large bucks walk through. That would be fun to 'shoot' with the camera.

A squirrel ran up and down the trees close by and was too quick for me to actually grab a shot of him. However some gold finches were kind enough to alight on some berry briers.

The shot isn't great, but it was fun trying to 'capture' them.

I decided about an hour before sunset to go back home. The air was cooling off and I needed to check on all of the stock tanks. Hubby had gone to get a check up for his upcoming surgery on his eye lids, so I was 'in charge'.

Some girls met me on the way through the summer Dexter pasture.

My camera battery was dying so I whipped out my cell phone and took a shot.

One mule, one horse and lots of sky.

Belle and her gang were lazing around in their bedding. 

I noticed their water tank was low.

My day of Wandering was done.

Time to get to work.

Parfrey's Glen

I went to meet with a former 4H student of mine who is now ALL grown up...and married!

We've kept track of each other over the years, but finally decided to get together and do what we both love.
Hiking.

They guided me first to Parfrey's Glenn in Devil's Lake State Park.

We came to the cedar grove and began to explore.  The kids were fascinated by the formations of ice. And how slippery it was.  We spent quite a bit of time enjoying the small frozen stream.

I loved the textures and colors of the cedar trees by themselves.
I made a mental note to come back again.

We went on to explore Parfrey's Glenn.

I learned that walking sticks are probably the most helpful item one can have to check your footing before you take a step.

And I found out the hazards of having friends who have cameras also....

This was what I was taking a photo of....

The water was running under the ice and we could hear it and were constantly checking if the ice was thick enough. It was very slippery and I'd wish I'd brought my ice cleats along.

We hiked all of the way up to the falls and then spent time just enjoying the place.

The weather really came through for us.  It was temperate enough to be comfortable in good winter gear and wonderful for hiking.

Next stop, Pewitt's Nest.
And we had no idea what to expect there as none of us had been there before.

But I did know this.
Parfrey's Glen, I will be back!