Today was a random day

Since the rains have been off and on for the past few days and the humidity has come up, I thought that Morris and I should go check out the forest for interesting things.

Some days I have a purpose when hiking, today I didn't. I did follow the mule/deer trail that I keep trimmed and worked on some touch ups with my machete.

I stopped and admired the barberry bushes that have invaded the undergrowth and some I trimmed to the ground so Siera or I wouldn't have to brush up against them while riding or hiking.

The wild geraniums are just starting to blossom, soon the forest will sport purple blossoms as the violets and Jacob's Ladders fade away.

 Wild Geranium

Jacob's Ladder

Morris came along to keep an eye on me as usual.  He also is very helpful in finding hidden deer trails.  We explored one that I hadn't been on.  I had a lot of ducking to do, but the side trip was worth it.

We found some very odd mushrooms/fungi.

I have no idea what these are:

At last we ended up near a large dead elm tree and I began searching for morels.

I was not disappointed.

I found enough to make another delicious meal.

By the time I got home it had started raining again and the contractor's were putting away their tools.

Apparently the trusses are supposed to come on Monday!

I didn't take any update shots today as it was raining too hard by the time I got home.

And I had to make a nice late lunch and take a nap for my midnight shift.

It was a very nice and relaxing day.

Lost in the Woods

Well, not really.  I don't get lost in the woods, it is more like I lose myself in the woods.

I lose sense of time in a way.  I leave the outside world and all of its problems far away.  Instead I see tracks in the mud, I see fungi, I see the land and the forest...the shape of the trees now that they have no leaves...and I am happy.

When I started my walk the skies were overcast.  I was searching for a buck that may have been wounded on the last day of deer season.  Hubby lost the blood trail and so I decided to scour one of the sections of hillsides above the creek.

I took only my pink pocket camera and my varmit rifle.  I crisscrossed the hillside above the creek.  I followed deer trails, found deer beds, and even jumped up a fawn.

I didn't find the missing buck, but I can say that it is a darned good excuse to go back out and hike as many little trails as I can find.

I got back and did some things with hubby.  We put the side covers on his skid steer and I watered the large stock tank.

Then it began to lightly snow.  I went in the house and let Morris out.  He had been 'trapped' in the house for gun deer season also.
It was time he was able to get out and enjoy some fun.

I told hubby that I was going to take Morris for a walk and do the round about thing to get the mail.  Hubby knows that this means another hike through the woods.
After all, I can hardly stand to just walk straight up the driveway to get the mail!

It began to snow. 

I know Morris didn't mind at all.  He enjoyed every moment of it.

He is the most excellent trail companion as he can find even the most difficult deer trails.  Plus he always knows a short cut to home.

It was enchanting, the snow fell and slowly turned began to turn the ground white.  The forecast 'said' we'd only get about 1/2" of the stuff.

None the less, it made for a beautiful landscape.

We did eventually get to the road and get the mail.  The neighbors were out so Morris and I stopped to say hello.

We headed home just in time to do chores and eat supper.

After all, we were not lost, we were just side tracked for a while.

Day Hike

It has been way too long since Morris and I took a long hike through our woods and through the neighbor's woods.

Yesterday afternoon I grabbed some water, my pistol [hubby had watched a coyote run through our pasture yesterday morning, ... thus the pistol], Morris, his leash, and my camera back pack.

I took along my micro/macro lens, and the 35mm lens. Now one would say those two lenses are too close to do me any good but, I ended up making good use of each lens.

My trusted camera assistant was able to find our trails even though they were hidden by fallen leaves and a bit overgrown.
Of course he has travelled these trails with me since he was a pup.  Good Morris, you are a fabulous navigator.

One of the first very cool things we found was several trees that were surrounded by fungi!  I kept expecting a woodland faerie to appear.

Silly me, I didn't check to see if the dead trees were all the same kind of trees.

Anyway, we finally made onto the ridge on PeeWee's Land.  This area has been not been pastured now for 10 years and it is becoming quite the chore to get through certain areas.

But the view of the East hillside was pretty beautiful.  I used a polarized lens in this shot to bring out the color and to keep the sky from washing out.

The meadow was so overgrown that Morris and I had to fight our way through the weeds on what used to be an old cow trail.  
The area is now choked with Wild Parsnip and the Golden Rod is taller than I am.

We used the snow mobile trail to get around because cutting through the woods is no longer possible.

The creek crossing was hidden in lush weeds.

I heard Morris plop into the water and take a long cool drink.

Eventually we made it out of the woods and onto the crop land.  The walking was easier.  I can see by this corn, it looks ready to harvest.

Morris and I made it back home after hiking about 2 1/2 miles of hills.  I was tired and so was Morris.
He went into his crate and literally looked as though he were dripping out of it.

Today is our rest day, tomorrow Morris visits the vet to get a shot and check up.  I think he needs his teeth cleaned also...his breath is pretty foul.

After our appointment Morris and I are going to head over to Duck Egg Park and see if we can't get some shots of the dam and the Bad Axe River.

So today, we rest.

Jersey Valley County Park, Vernon County

One of the most overlooked places to hike and enjoy is Jersey Valley County Park.

Yesterday afternoon Morris and I piled into the Subaru and took off to the Park.

We decided to explore the trail that runs around the shoreline halfway around the man made lake.  It is not a well used trail, but we sure enjoyed it.

Morris probably appreciated this trail a bit more as I was able to let him off leash to walk.  On the main trail I kept him leashed.  We actually had this trail to ourselves and while we were there we only saw a runner on the main trail.

The colors are not spectacular yet, but the sun was warm and the breeze was nice and cool.  Our hike turned out to be very enjoyable.

Morris and I found an old picnic table near the shore.  It has been there a long time, but it looked like an inviting place to stop and rest.
The picnic table served as a good place to also use my tripod to set up an infrared shot.

Infrared shot: See the patterns in the water?  That is the weeds on the surface of the lake floating about in the 30 second exposure.

We ended up taking the main trail back around on the west side of the lake instead of hiking all of the way around the lake.  I wanted to get home to cook a nice supper and still have plenty of time for helping with chores.

Before we left Morris and I ran into a farmer who brought his sons to the beach along with their golden retriever/mix named Josephine.  She was a beautiful dog and she and Morris exchanged pleasantries.

I went up onto the dam and found a brilliant spot of color along the shore.

While we were there more people began to show up to the park.  A few had dogs.  A woman tried to walk past Morris and I and her huge black lab was incredibly bad mannered and difficult for her to handle.

I picked up Morris and stepped further away from her as her dog growled and lunged nearly taking the owner off her feet.

My second worry was that her dog was going to get loose and knock my camera and tripod down in an effort to get at Morris.
I wanted to really ask her why she was taking such an ill mannered dog out in public?

I just watched and was thankful that I hadn't run into them on the trail.

By 5pm a lot of people were showing up to take walks and enjoy the nice September day.

I gathered my things and decided to return in the early morning to see if I could get some shots of steam rising off the lake at sunrise.

Well, that is for another post entirely, as it became one more adventure...

I want to get back to another beautiful county park, Duck Egg and see if I can't get down into the Bad Axe River and take some shots of the water running over the rocks.

Happy Trails!  Get out and enjoy!

Summer Solstice

The day began with heavy thick fog.  I looked out the window at 5am and decided that I'd just go back to bed and relax.

After chores Rich moved the skid steer and parked it under the pine trees so it was in the shade.
The day's project was to take off the ice picks on the tracks of the skid steer.

After that, I thought it would be nice to hike down to the creek with Morris to cool off our feet.

Huh.

Here is the creek in February.  This is normal water flow for the creek.

Here is the creek yesterday.

Can you find Morris?  No?  I could barely find him and he had trouble getting through the growth.

Now a few things have happened to make it this way.
Wet, warm, humid spring with rain coming just enough to keep things growing, but NO gullywashers that  normally keep the creek bottom nice and clean.

Morris began to sneeze like crazy.  I know he has some allergies that are pretty bad during the ragweed season, but he was having no fun at all.

We simply turned around and went home.  I was greatly disappointed.  But then again I haven't kept my trails clear since April.  I'll have to check out my other trails.

Since the owners of this land have not fixed fence and pulled all of the cattle out nearly 10 years ago, the forest in some places has grown into an impassable gnarled prickly nightmare.

I guess that is why I enjoy winter, early spring, and late fall so much in this forest.

We arrived at home and Morris got a bath, I got a shower, and then I read a book for a couple of hours before chore time.  Lady of leisure right?
Hah!

Just before sunset I went out to check on Annie, one of our Dexter cows.  She really looked ready to calf so I got Rich and we watched the sunset together in the cow pasture.

It was pretty peaceful and quiet.  

We left the pasture after dark settled in sure that we would have a newborn calf by morning.

Oh...as of this evening, Monday night.  Annie has not yet had her calf.

Morris is Aging

Morris delights in snow, especially the light fluffy stuff.

Actually he loves taking hikes with me at any time he can.

However the older he gets the more I have to be careful about the kind of walks we take.

If the temperatures are near zero and the wind chill factor is below zero, I don't take him.

As much as I don't want to admit it, Morris is aging.  

By age 10 most Jacks Russells should be considered Seniors.  Morris will be 11 yrs old in July.  So he is a 'Senior'.

I see the gray face and I see him slowing down, but mention a hike...or grab the camera bag and he is jumping and going ... crazy, whining and spinning like a furry little top.

It sort of seems unfair that our dogs age so much faster than we do.  Look at that brown muzzle!

This shot was taken in January of 2012.

Oh the difference this year!

He is still quite playful and energetic.  He will toss his toys around the living room for a while and then go snuggle in his blanket on the couch or lay by the heater.

He is now content to lay next to me on the couch and be quiet while I read.

However, if he goes on a long hike in the cold [he runs and jumps and smells things as though he did as a youngster] he will stop every once in a while and asked to be carried.

I want to deny his aging.  I really do.  For nearly 11 years he has accompanied me on nearly every trip to the woods.

But we take one day at a time and enjoy every moment together.

And his loyalty to the grand children is endless.  Who could ask for a better little dog.
The books on Jack Russells say they are not good with children.
Harrumph.
Well Morris is.  He prefers children to adults I think.

He is rather content on these cold winter days to toss some toys and then go lay in a sun spot and enjoy himself.

Some Senior Jack Russels may get a bit cranky in their Senior Years due to those very same things that all elderly folks suffer from. Sore joints, stiffness, and so forth.

So far Morris has not been cranky.  Well unless you awaken him by sitting on a pile of blankets on the couch and find that you just sat on your Jack.

But I do notice now, if it is very cold and the creek is wide, he will put a paw on my leg and ask for a lift over the creek.

We had a great time on our last winter walk a few days ago.

When we got home he curled up on the couch and went right to some serious napping.

I know in my heart that eventually he will become a bit frail and too old to do the things we do together now.

But we are going to go ahead and live life as there is no tomorrow and enjoy each day together.

That is what this ~~ now old dog ~~ is teaching me.

You ROCK Morris!

Back to the Ice Flow

Morris convinced me that it was a good day for a hike.  As long as I took him, that is.

He sort of promised not to eat really icky things.  
So I loaded up my camera back pack and we set out for the ice flow on the east side of the valley.

I put ice cleats on my boots and was happy that I did. The extra traction assisted with going up and down hills and in the areas where the snow was soft.

It was even more important to have these cleats for when we got to the ice flow.
I had decided to walk up the ravine on the ice.
Well, I was able to in a few spots, but the going was slippery even with the cleats.

A few times Morris stopped ahead of me.  Or attempted to stop.
His feet slipped even when he was standing still.

However he seemed perfectly content to be my camera assistant.

When things got too slippery for his taste, he simply climbed the side of the ravine and watched me from above.

I'm sure he thought I was an idiot.

If that dog did not have on that red collar ... I wonder if I could have found him?

However, it was worth the walk and the hike.  Thank goodness for the cleats.

The spring in the upper part of the ravine was still producing water.  The spring is in an area that sun can get to while the rest of the ravine is in the deep shade.

So water keeps running over the formed ice and building. It looks as though waves of water were instantly frozen in this shot.

And yes the colors were blue, green, and brown in the ice.  I imagine from the minerals in the soil and rocks.

Lastly, a shot of the Adventure Dog/Assistant standing in the middle of the ice flow.

My next goal is to get to the 'ice cave' not at Wildcat Mountain, but here ... in the back valley.

And Morris kept his promise.  He didn't eat anything ICKY, but he did roll in something really nasty and got an immediate bath when he got home.

I know I wrote before about Morris going on a long hike with me and then it seemed he felt bad or perhaps stiff the next day.

He suffered no ill effects whatever after this hike.  I'm pretty sure that the warm temperatures probably had a lot to do with it.

It was 40 degrees when we took this walk.