January is Done...

January wrap.
The first of the year was mild and not very wet. I was able to get into the furthest valley in our area and hike along Black Bottom Creek.

Mid month we got walloped by two huge snowstorms. Next came the cold temperatures and wind chills. These are all normal events for January in a sense. But the winter has been warmer than usual due to La Nina.

For the past two weeks it seems that we've had nothing but fog, rain, dampness, and more fog. At first I was pretty excited about the fog. I could walk in it and enjoy the ethereal beauty of it. 

After a few days though, that wore off. 

Then we had a dense fog freeze advisory. I spent an hour walking around looking for frosted plants and leaves.

If I'd had my MapMyWalk App on, it would have shown me going back and forth and around in circles. I wanted to find some exciting and beautiful frost formations on plants.

The key word was 'exciting'. I didn't really find anything spectacular.

I went back out right away after hubby was up and had his breakfast. I wanted to take Charlie for a walk while the snow was still firm and he could walk on top of it.

I grabbed my snowshoes and off we went on a jaunt to the creek. The deeper we got into the forest, there was less frost.

By the time we got to the creek, I had to take off my snowshoes and carry them. Since the creek has so many little springs in it, the temperatures can be much warmer near the water. The difference is startling. You walk in mud and green grass as opposed to a foot of snow. 

I set my little camera on a log and took a photo of Charlie and I walking along the creek.

Our trekking area.
This is the spot where I always stop to admire the little trout. Since the last flood that cleaned out the creek bottom, trees have been falling down across the creek and through out the area.

Our walk becomes a bit more adventurous by having to negotiate around fallen trees and nasty multiflora rose.

The only times I can easily walk through this area is early spring, winter, and late fall. In the summer, it is impossible. The weeds and plants grow so high here that they are taller than I am.

When cattle grazed on this land, it was easy to get around. But the cattle have been gone since 2005 and the land is not managed very well. So it has a lot of invasive plants and it has gotten very wild.

Once we got out of the creek, I had to put the snowshoes back on. We followed the old deer/cattle/4wheeler trail which is growing in now too.

We climbed the hillside and went out to the meadow just east of our property and headed back home. Charlie was such a champ. The only time he asked to get picked up was when we heard a big boom far off.

We came up through the back of our land and walked through the area where the mules had dug up snow and had browsed during the the snowstorm.

This photo shows the back of our shed and the long hill driveway. The mules really dug things up, I was surprised at how much the snow had melted in this particular spot.

However!

The sun came out late in the afternoon to provide us with a stunning sunset.

I was pretty excited since we haven't had an evening with a beautiful sunset in ages:

Let's see what February brings!

Ice is cool

In our creek bottom there is a sandstone wall on a north wall that seeps water all year. If you didn't ever go into this are in the winter, you wouldn't know it was there. I'll never forget discovering it for the first time. 

I think it was the year I discovered snow shoeing. In the forest around us there are no groomed trails other than perhaps one you make yourself or one the deer and other critters have made.

I got pretty good at jumping the creek and climbing over downed trees with snowshoes on.

Here is the ice wall on the 3rd of January.

Depending on the winter temperatures, this wall will grow and melt and grow again. The sun never shines on this area and it is always cool even on hot summer days. There are cracks in the rock and sandstone that seem to breathe out cold air.

I find that pattern and the texture of the ice so incredible. It differs at different times of the winter. The ice generally looks a bit more yellow because of the particles of sand it picks up.

The water in the creek below it flows slowly still with frost on the rocks and surrounding grasses.

It takes a consistently very cold winter to freeze over the top of the creek, but the water still flows underneath the ice. This spot freezes often and thaws on warm sunny days.

Part of our daily routine is to take a walk to the creek and to the wall past the X spot where we stop and watch trout for a bit.

In the winter everything changes nearly daily. New tracks, the ice formations change, the creek freezes and thaws in different ways which is always fascinating.

Where the creek has a small springs, the water is so much warmer than the air that moisture collects on the grasses and makes the most incredible frost formations.

Below is one tiny spring the flows gently into the creek. The formations of ice and frost constantly change here. It is also a hot spot for the deer and carnivores to gather for a drink.

I guess I am just a sucker for the strange beauty of winter in this area. More and more I am realizing just how lucky I have been to live here.

More Stuck In..side

 -18

The mules are officially out of water and today will be the high of zero, dammit.
I'll get it done though. I will carry them water this morning and put it in pans and this afternoon when the temps rise, I'll fill the large tank. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Yesterday I 'played' with the converted Full Spectrum camera. I found that I can get interesting colors that are slightly strange if I use the camera without the Infrared Spectrum filters. 

I did this photo with a 665nm Filter.

The shot below is where I took all the photos using just the light from the back door which faces north.

Behold the mess. Old antique boxes stacked with a piece of plywood and a lid to an antique box for the back stop. Paper for any textured back grounds.

My dear friend from Alabama sent me some darling little toys via Amazon. I can't wait to take them to the woods for some adventures. Charlie is perplexed with the wind up toys and will take his nose and tip them over while they are walking.

The shot below is with no filter on it. 

Okay. When converting a camera a clear filter replaces the one inside your camera that blocks IR light. A camera converted this way is also used often in Astrophotography as it picks up light differently. No, I haven't tried that yet, but I may  try it when the temperatures are much nicer outside!

The tiny fake flower in the little brown bottle is actually bright red and the colors in the paper below should be a bit more orange. If I put the 'hot' filter on the lens, the camera would see the light as any normal camera would.

Next up, my wooden toys sent to me by a childhood friend. 

The marbles in back are actually clear and the paper is black with white grunge markings on it.

Bored yet?

Infrared is considered an artsy, non traditional, and way out there type of photography. The scenes that can be shot are pretty neat. However there is a lot more work to the final product depending on how a person wants it to appear. Post processing can be hard. Everyone argues over white balances and RAW files along with how to channel swap...or not to. 
My take away is this. I consider Infrared to be a license to do odd and beautifully strange photography. 

This is a place I am comfortable with. I have so many trials and errors that I am grateful that I have a digital camera and not film.

On a good note. Tomorrow we are supposed to get UP to 12 degrees! I'm considering putting on shorts and flip flops.
Yeah.

I may even start the Subaru and go to town for some groceries. Meanwhile, stay warm and safe. 

~~~ 

Late afternoon Update: I laid out the hose on top of the snow and used the sled to transport about 50 gallons out to the tank. What a workout! 

Of This and That

See? I've been playing with my little not Fairy Houses and the little resin squirrels and rabbits.

I wanted to give them a unique look. So I have been watching some tutorials and experimenting on my own.

I'm going to eventually figure out a work flow to make these look quasi painted and sketched as if they were from a children's' book.
~~~~~~~

In the meantime the weather is fluctuating like crazy. On Thursday the wind chills were dangerously cold. I hiked with a mask and goggles to see some of the creek's frozen beauty.

It was worth the walk. The winds were cold on the ridge, but once I got into the valley felt warm.

I followed the snowmobile trail which is also called 'the ridge road' down into the valley. The shadows were pretty neat.

The creek is always fascinating and changes often with the weather.

This will all melt away today with the temperatures soaring into the high 40's.

I'm wondering if there will be a snow melt...runoff occurring this afternoon. It'll be worth the walk down there to see.

Come Tuesday winter returns and the creek will change itself again.

Friday was a nightmare day. But I'm just going to call it that and leave it be.

I like Ice

Okay, some folks think I am crazy, but I do like winter. I love winter. I get excited for snowfalls, I enjoy a good ice storm [see I am not driving in those if I don't have to any more!], I like cold snaps.

I was going to work in the shed. The tool 'table' is my next project. But then two days of near zero temperatures got me thinking.
The quick thaw and the quick freeze over the weekend combined with all the moisture we had just might provide for some Ice Formations if one knew where to look.

I drove to Kickapoo Valley Reserve and went in to browse and vote for the photos in the contest. I actually voted for someone else's photo. It was a beautiful shot of the frozen Kickapoo River.

I zipped up and headed out on the Wintergreen Trail. I had brought my converted Infrared camera and the 'hot' filter which converts it back to the normal light visible light spectrum.
So many IR photographers put their cameras away when the leaves fall. But I thought it would be fun to see what happens in the winter.

It didn't take me long to get to the place of the well hidden 'Ice Caves' or 'Ice Falls'. I don't think these are very well known at all.

I think the ice reflected the same light spectrum as the sky did! This is not how it looks in the camera review screen. The sky and the ice appeared brownish orange. When developing IR for color a person has to swap the red and blue color channels.

No matter, I really liked how this turned out.

Another shot taken in visible light with the hot filter on the camera. I love the odd look of Infrared, but also love this shot. If the cold weather continues, the water will continue to flow out of the ground and over the ice building a huge formation.

I wore kids little knit gloves with open fingers and a pair of my Grandmother's hand knit mittens with a second layer of wool over the knit part. I was able to keep my hands warm in between shots and changing filters.

When I got to the bluff I'd wished that I'd also worn my face mask that I could pull up to my nose. It was brutally cold in the wind on top of those rocks.

Infrared again...

However, the view was worth it.
The ice that was forming on the surface of the river actually made eerie noises as they floated along hitting the rocks and shore below. At first I didn't know what it was and looked around for some sort of Creaky Monster.

I turned around and headed back as I had other things to get done at home. I really wanted to walk to the end of the trail but decided to leave that for another day.

I made a late lunch for Rich and he decided to take a nap. Charlie was nagging me for a walk so I went out and got Sven and we went off again.

I thought it would be too cold for the dog and the goat. I was wrong. The two of them seemed to enjoy the fresh air the same as little kids do. At least I didn't have to remind them to wear scarves or a nice warm coat. They already had nice fur coats on.

I didn't have Charlie's beeper collar on and at one point he decided to head off on a trail following his nose. I imagine it must have been the fresh scent of a deer. He came back and I decided enough was enough. I wasn't forgetting that collar next time!

The creek provided me with some beautiful ice formations to look at. I admit it. I am a ice/frozen falls/water junkie! I just can't get enough of searching for them.

See?
Doesn't Mother Nature make some of the coolest formations with water?

We live in a 'hollow' which means that the sun disappears from the sky a bit earlier than it does on the ridge. I called to my faithful dog and goat and we headed back up the ridge road.

My two pals and I headed home to do chores and make supper.
We'd had quite the day.

Why I like winter

A lot of folks dislike winter. And I understand that totally. Those folks are either unable to get out and enjoy the fresh cold air or ... well, simply don't understand how to dress for the cold foul weather.

There is a quote the Norwegians use that says:

There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.

And I have to agree with that saying. Most people who dislike cold weather don't layer themselves properly. It is easier to throw on a stylish coat and a pair of nice looking gloves to go outside.

However.
I've learned to 'layer' with the clothing I have at hand. I can't afford North Face, I wish I could, and I can't afford some of the clothing that is high tech either. However I did invest in some lower tier 'moisture' wicking undergarments, and then just went with what I had at hand.

That said, it was pretty warm yesterday when I tossed on my wool blend hiking socks, warm tights, and a pair of wind pants that I'd picked up on sale. I dressed comfortably as it was in the high teens and the sun was shining.

Why else do I like winter? My hair can be messy and hidden under a nice cap. There are NO bugs. I repeat. No bugs. When hiking in this area the leaves and undergrowth are gone so a person can see the land formations.

Which leads me to my hike yesterday. I went to seek out the Ice Caves. The KVR has a guided tour for people in February to the ice caves. I chose not to do a tour, but like to explore the reserve on my own.
During midweek, there are generally not a lot of people on the trails.

There are quite a few *Ice Formations* in the area, but I wanted to see some I'd heard about from a woman at CrossFit. She'd told me how to find them.
There is something to be said about 'networking'.

I found them fairly easily by following the tracks in the snow.

This is a 4 shot panorama done with my cell phone. It literally looks like there are islands of snow floating among the ice.
That is how it shows up while looking at it through a camera.
However there are layers of rocks with mounds of earth and trees growing on them.

I just stood for a long time and stared. As the winter season moves on, the ice formations get larger if we have the proper weather. Since we've had the wettest fall ever, I imagine the ice formations could be fantastic by February or March. That is... as long as we have good cold weather.
The sun doesn't melt these areas as the winter sun doesn't reach the face of the rock formations.

The area I live in is unique in its landscape.
What more fun can it be than to be a person that loves the cold weather and explore all of this?

I found the next 'cave' and spent a few quick minutes exploring it.

I really wish I hadn't told Rich that I would be back by 1PM at the latest.

There was more to explore for sure. And there was another location with at least 3 more 'ice caves'. I had wanted to check out the one on what I refer to as the Green Trail too.

But now I know about the huge ice caves.

I also am eager to go check out the two ice caves on my neighbor's land.

The weather today will be perfect. Snow/sleet mix with grey skies.
I already know what I will wear and I will be comfortable.

It is only a 3 mile round trip hike, but if I hustle I can do it in about two hours. There are a few hills and valleys to cross, but it may be worth it.

[This photo was from March 2018]

I do ... like winter...
It is cool...

Dislike this Ice Winter, But...

I have yet to spread our dwindeling supply of sand/rock/salt mix on this trail that I use 3 times a day to feed, water, and take care of our hounds.

I've taken to tying my Yak Traks onto my boots with laces. I could wear my snow shoes with their giant teeth that will grip and dig into the ice, but the Yaks are slightly less cumbersome.

In 3 weeks we've had 3 ice storms. There is another one scheduled for Monday some time. Well, okay the weather is snow/sleet/rain mix.
Since I have our Subaru now parked on the ridge, it will stay there.

I've used hay chaff and dirt from the shed floor on some of our worst walking paths. I've even taken it by the sledfull to the large heated stock tank so the critters could get some grip on the ice.

Amazing how the equine are dealing with it. The mules lead the way and the horses follow carefully. No one has slipped.

Under the ice crusted snow is about 3 inches of ice. Our lane for the skid steer is almost totally useless.

It is so nearly iced up that even with ice picks, the skid steer nearly has an impossible time negotiating the path.
Going up this hill is impossible.

We've decided to use another route for moving round bales for the cattle. That worked okay, but is now fast becoming nearly impossible also.
The ... ahem old skid steer with double the ice piks may have done better, but at this point? I'm not sure.

The Dexter cattle also have adjusted quite well. They have trails that they use and mostly hang out near the feeder.

However, this ice and melt and rain and ice and more melt, then freezing has created some incredible beauty in the creek area.

I finally had a little time to get down and explore. I didn't go far as chores would beckon me back home within an hour.

Many parts of the creek were frozen over completely and in other sections where springs came up kept it flowing.

Water...
Ice...
With water flowing beneath it...

I could have wandered about all day.

And here is the Ice Wall. I would love to get over to the Ice Cave.

However, I can be happy just messing around not too far from home.