Duward's Glen and Natural Bridge

This is the second year that I've gotten together with some 'younger' good friends of mine that I've known ... well for a long time.

Last year we explored the Devil's Lake area and they introduced me to Parfrey's Glen.  We explored Pewitt's Nest.  I only live an hour and a half from these places but it seems even with best intentions, I don't get back during the summer.

Saturday we started our hiking tour out with Duward's Glen. The Glen is retreat and conference center. If you are looking for a spiritual getaway, this would be the place.

This is a 3 exposure shot of the gorge rock wall.

We followed the creek that runs through it and explored.  It was very peaceful and the sound of running water was beautiful.
In spots winter was still trying to hang on despite the warm temperatures.

We even found a frog.  I don't ever recall finding or seeing one in February.  But there he was.

I don't know why but I found one of the moss covered walls simply interesting.  I tried a long exposure with it to see if I could get 'streaks' of water.  Water was coming down the rock and dripping off the moss.
It just looked like the moss was leaking water.

Maybe I just loved all of that green!

This area of Wisconsin is very unique.  Here is a child in the photo with the 'canyon' wall behind her.

We piled in the vehicles and headed over to the Natural Bridge State Park.  
I live in the driftless area of Wisconsin and enjoy some very wonderful rock formations in our area.  I had yet to see this rock bridge that was formed by Mother Nature.

The hike to the bridge was not very far, but I can see that the forest and the surrounding rock formations will be more interesting to me in the early spring when the hepatica, blood root, and spring beauties will blossom.

I found it disturbing that despite the sign that explicitly asks people NOT to climb on this rock formation, kids and young adults were doing just that.
Or my other pet peeve.  Letting your pet run loose when you are supposed to keep it on a leash.

We spent time looking at the lichen on the rocks ...I was trying to see if I could do a decent macro shot with my 40-150mm lens for the Oly camera.

A tripod would have helped and I carry one, but tend to skip it unless I am shooting a longer exposure of water.  

Moss sending up new shoots into the sunlight.

And the cedar trees that grew in these rock formations just fascinated me with their shapes.

I did a hand held exposure bracketing with the Oly.  I really like this tree.  I think I took several shots of it.

The two girls helped me set up Doe, Bo, Wild Troll, Stinky, and Dino for some photos before we left the Natural Bridge State Park.

Bo and Stinky try to have an important conversation with Doe and Dino.  Dino insists that he is a nice guy and only wants to date Doe.  "See," he says, "I can be a veggan!"

Wild Troll looks on and thinks about weeds. He is a happy Troll.

The family I went with consist of the mom who was one of my Horseless Horse students in 4H many years ago.  She and her husband and I have been friends ever since.
Now I get to enjoy hiking with them and their children.

More on our last stop for the day in another blog.  I'm not giving this place's location away.  The hike in and out is challenging to say the least.  But as we found out, it was extremely worth it.

But He is a Velcro-rapper!

Today finds Doe with Dino again.

He asks her if she would like to go on a Spa Date with him.
Doe says she doesn't know what a Spa is.

Dino takes her to the fresh spring along the creek bottom.  He jumps into the water and takes a dip.

He tells Doe to come on in, the water feels wonderful.

Doe jumps in and is surprised at how refreshing it is.  She tells Dino that her forest friends just call this 'taking a dip'.

He explains that Velociraptors are much classier and they take Spas, not dips.

Oh.

Stinky comes along and is horrified to find Doe in the water with a Dinosaur.  He begs her to get out right away.

Doe can't understand why Stinky is so upset.  She takes Dino and decides to find Bo and introduce her new friend.

Doe introduces Dino to her forest friends.  Bo gets upset and tells Doe that she shouldn't be making friends with strangers!  Especially a Velociraptor Dinosaur that eats meat.

Doe flicks her tail and tells Stinky and Bo not to worry, Dino and she had lunch of moss the other day and besides, "He is a Velcro-rapper, not whatever it was you said!"

And thus Doe has made a new friend in the forest.

Will Doe ever learn?
Or does Doe have a point?  Sometimes we can trust strangers!  And Dino does have big teeth and looks fearsome.  Perhaps he can protect her.

Time for a Toy Story

Let me begin by saying that this is an on and off again thing I have fun doing with my Grand daughter Ariel.  The Toy Story that revolves around the little toy deer that I have called Doe. Doe always takes off in crazy directions and does insane things, like trying to live in an ice cave.  Or trying to live in a parking lot.  Or wandering off and getting lost.

I carry Doe in my camera bag. And sometimes I carry other toys too and I always look for someplace interesting to photograph them and then make a short photo story of it.

Well the other day, I added a toy to my collection.

Thus the story.

Doe wandered off down the creek.  Her friend Bo that she met during hunting season had gone with Stinky to find another home for her. They said she needed a nice place to stay come early this Spring.  
She didn't know why, she preferred wandering much better than just finding a home.

Bo and Stinky tell Doe they will look for a new home for her.

Well, she was going to show them!  She just wanted to take a walk by herself. She liked the creek in any season, it was always so interesting.

Wait!
What did she hear?  Was that growling?

Doe looked up the rock wall where an ice cave had been forming.
What on earth was that???

Doe ran up to it and introduced herself. 
[Oh what would Bo and Stinky think right now?]

The creature had huge teeth and tiny eyes and funny looking hooves.  He said he was a Dinosaur and a Velociraptor.
Doe certainly didn't know what that was but she was hungry so she asked the Dinosaur if he was hungry.

Dino said yes he was very VERY hungry.  

Doe said she knew of a nice place where they could 'do' lunch.

And off they went.

Doe noticed that Dino had some very big teeth, but he was very polite and ate the moss with her at the sunny ice cave. Doe liked her new friend and couldn't wait to introduce him to Bo and Stinky.
She wondered what her pony friends would think of him too?

We can only assume that Doe's complete lack of fear and total innocence can work in her favor.  How often does one meet a Velociraptor and 'do' lunch?