Tag Archives: Adventures

A Winter Trip North

January 27, 2019 Troy

A cold, windy winter weekend exploring the shores of a cold Lake Superior provided a beautiful landscape to those who were willing to venture into seemingly inhospitable conditions. Arriving in Duluth the night before with temperatures just below zero and a strong northern wind made me question my own sanity and the safety of the conditions to be venturing outside the next day. Just a few minutes outside was enough to make any portion of skin exposed to the elements burn and start to lose feeling. How would it be to spend hours outdoors with these conditions which were forecast to be even worse in the morning even though the sun was expected to be shining bright?

Hoping to see the sunrise from the shores of Lake Superior, two friends who had never been to Minnesota’s North Shore and I got up well before the sunrise to grab breakfast and travel from Duluth to Tettegouche State Park. Anticipating a beautiful sun rise over the vast lake to begin a day full of exploring some absolutely amazing sights, our day began to a blaring alarm clock startling us quickly and reluctantly awake. After breakfast the outside temperatures were reading 15 degrees below zero. That’s Fahrenheit! I began to wonder if my car would even start at these cold temperatures. Maybe staying in the nice, cozy hotel would be a better way to spend this day. Instead I pulled on my heavy winter jacket and headed outside. That immediate blast of cold air took my breath away bringing the cold instantly to my uncovered hands and face as I looked up at the sky to see bright shining stars looking back at me. Unlocking the car I quickly got in the drivers seat and hoped for life to return to my vehicle. Turning the key was met with some resistance, almost as if the car was trying to tell me we were going nowhere on this clear, cold morning. Then the engine fired bringing life back into the quiet parking lot. Loading any gear we could possibly think of needing, we were off to endure this cold challenge nature was presenting. A little over an hour later we arrived at one of my favorite state parks – Tettegouche.

During this time in the car it had only barely begun to warm to a comfortable level making it a difficult choice yet again to crack open a door to venture into the frigid conditions waiting for us. The sunrise was supposed to have occurred several minutes before we arrived but there was so much sea smoke rising from the completely unfrozen waters of Lake Superior creating a cloud filled sky that there was no sign of a warming sun piercing the horizon. How could the lake be completely open in such freezing conditions? Deciding it was time to begin our adventure our doors opened to the cold air blasting from a wind blowing so hard from the north it was tough to even close a car door against its power. This icy wind made it feel like it was more than 30 degrees below zero! There could be no exposed skin if we were to stay outdoors for more than a few minutes. Thankfully there is a Visitor Center and rest area that remains open 24 hours a day allowing us to grab the winter gear and head inside to change in a more comfortable environment.

Now, with everything covered as well as we could, we headed to the beach to discover whatever beautiful sights Lake Superior had for us. Within a minute my glasses became covered in frost from the moisture in my breath quickly freezing to each lens making them useless in this environment. Hands and feet became a little cold to start but warmed up as the heat packs began to work their luxurious, hot magic making this outside ice world hospitable for a little while. Exploring along the shoreline, as we traversed icy and snow covered stairs making it treacherous requiring each step to be carefully placed, the beautiful winter landscape enveloped us helping to forget the extreme winter conditions surrounding us. Even though the water was without ice covering it, the entire shoreline showed January’s wrath as anything touched by a drop of water was now covered in layers of thick ice from the shore to cliffs 30 – 40 feet above the now calm waters. A warning of Lake Superiors potential power.

After climbing over ice covered boulders and walking along a beach or two, we decided it was time to head inland for more explorations and be witness to the waterfalls now frozen in place under a thick blanket of snow. Before venturing off to the waterfalls and river that make them, a short stop inside the visitor center was needed to bring feeling back into our faces. A few minutes next to the roaring fireplace and comfortable chairs made it near impossible to leave. Finally prying ourselves from these warm chairs we were back outside hiking along the Baptism River in search of a winter wonderland and any potential wildlife daring to venture out of their dens. There was about two feet of snow covering every portion of the ground slowing down travel over summer hiking trails. Fortunately others had forged a path making it passable without the aid of snowshoes. Trudging along the frozen rivers edge, the bright sun made its forecasted appearance highlighting each turn of this beautiful winter landscape. With the river running well below the surrounding hills we were given a much appreciated reprieve from the strong north winds making the outdoor environment much more tolerable. We could even remove some of the heavy pieces of cloth protecting our skin from freezing. Eventually the waterfalls appeared covered in several inches of ice and snow. In some areas running water could be seen through the ice along with a few spots of actual open water captivating us in this beautiful winter scene.

After tiring from the deep snow it was time to return to the now cold vehicle and find a warm place to sit and eat as we have felt the pangs of hunger for awhile. Recovering it was decided to continue on to some of the other treasures of the North Shore. Our next highlight was the popular Split Rock Lighthouse which was bathed in a warm afternoon sun now shining over the vast lake providing for some nice photo opportunities. Others were stopped at the same overlooked we decided to view this iconic lighthouse from hoping to catch the full moon rising over the ledge this building sits next to. Unfortunately the moon was coming up in the wrong place to be able to create this desired photo but it was still a beautiful scene.

Our final destination was Gooseberry Falls but daylight was becoming less and less so we needed to continue on from the lighthouse down the shoreline. We arrived with enough daylight to walk over the now heavily frozen river to view these popular waterfalls which were now covered with layers of ice which were covered by the beautiful glistening snow hiding almost any sign of water flowing over these solid cliffs. Laying on the snow the soothing sound of moving water could be heard almost lulling us to sleep on top of the soft, white powder we were laying on. I could have stayed there listening for a long time if it weren’t for the call of another scene needing to be photographed. I wanted to stay until well after sunset to capture the bright moonlight shining bright on all of the snow and ice so after the sun went down we spent a few minutes recuperating in the heated visitors center before grabbing camera gear and finding our way through the dark onto the solid river for some nighttime photos. Finally the stars began to shine and the moon rose high enough to shine on this sleeping landscape bringing a different view of Gooseberry Falls than I had looked at before. With numerous shots now recorded in the camera it was time to end our day and search out a warm place to eat once again.

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

What’s Up For 2019?

January 13, 2019 Troy

Our National Park Monopoly board has ended but there are plenty of adventures yet to be had. So far the next year has a couple of travel plans in it. Up first on the list is a trip to Northern Minnesota to explore the frozen North Shore with our French Student we are hosting until the end of the school year and in search of birds that migrate to Minnesota from farther places north in search of food and easier conditions than their summer homes. Seems a little weird to think birds actually travel south to Minnesota for the winter. One such bird that I’m hoping to see is the Snowy Owl which resides in the arctic during the rest of the year. Northern Hawk Owls are another bird traveling south along with Pine Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks. Along the shores of Lake Superior during the cold reside an amazing winter wonderland. Ice coating much of the shoreline, frozen waterfalls, and snow covering the landscape make for a beautiful scene many don’t get to see. It can definitely be cold but appropriate clothing makes being outside in Northern Minnesota actually enjoyable. This should be a good way to kick off Two Thousand and nineteen.

Another trip currently in the plans is exploring some of the off road trails in Utah. Designed and constructed his Jeep to go off road. We decided it’s time to take it out on and adventure and enjoy the fruits of these labors. Utah is well known for these types of activities with trails catering to multiple skill levels along with different off road vehicle levels. Skill levels vary and make sense as each trail adds experience to the driver as well as those navigating a trail but vehicle levels? As it turns out not all off road vehicles can handle the same conditions. Stock 4 x 4 trucks can handle many dirt/gravel/sand roads as long as they don’t have too large of ruts or too steep of angles for the vehicle to climb. Lifting a vehicle along with different types of suspension systems can increase the trail difficulty it can handle. For the serious off roader things like winches, extra fuel tanks, skid plates, and on board air compressors can increase the types of trail challenges a vehicle and driver can handle. Trails can be ranked in difficulty by different means such as the likely hood a vehicle will tip over or what type of equipment must be present in order to attempt that trail. Our sights are on easier to moderate trails for this trip as Utah is very remote and getting help can be a bit of a challenge if something were to go wrong. I’m looking forward to crawling around the Utah landscape and seeing some amazing sights.

Early in the summer there’s an adventure planned to go back up to Northern Minnesota to show another friend of mine the North Shore which he has never seen. During our week there we hope to see Minnesota’s native orchids in bloom along with the beautiful area of Duluth and multiple waterfalls along the shores of Lake Superior. With any luck there will be a nice summer storm producing some beautiful lightning out over the big lake. It can be a beautiful time to be in that area with all of the spring blooming flowers and wildlife roaming with their young even if the temperatures tend to get a little cool at night and the mosquitoes are starting to hatch in full force. We’ll be camping for the week and exposed to the elements which most likely will include rain. I’ve never had a full week up at the North Shore so am looking forward to being able to explore things in a little more thoroughly.

One final adventure in the plan for this next year is a backpacking trip to Isle Royale. I tried to do this a couple of years ago but things didn’t really work out to actually do it so I’m going to try it again. This time there should be plenty of moose to see but also a potential wolf howling off in the distance as they’ve began to relocate wolves onto the island to help control moose populations. If there are too many moose, vegetation can get decimated along with disease going through the herds which is something people would like to avoid if possible. A different route is planned bringing new views and areas to explore and things to photograph. The challenges of a longer hike and ways to reduce the weight of the backpack are things I’m looking forward to taking on.

As the year progresses I’m sure there will be other possible adventures and unforeseen events to make for a fun new year. Here’s wishing all of you a promising and eventful 2019!

Family Ramblings, Troy's Blog

2018 Reflections

January 5, 2019 Troy

I think I’m still trying to catch my breath from the past year. It seemed like there was always something going on making it feel as though every week just kept flying by in the blink of an eye. There were a lot of memories made and fun had but I hope the next year is a bit more relaxed. A few of my goals for Two Thousand eighteen included taking in as much of Super Bowl VII in Minneapolis, finishing the National Parks Monopoly board, celebrating a graduation, and doing some summer camping. Ohh ya, and continuing to work on my photography. I think all of the objectives set out for the year were achieved. You can read more if you’d like on the Year Ahead post.

Super Bowl VII was a lot of fun and pretty tiring with ten days of events. For each of those ten days I was either volunteering at Super Bowl Live helping people navigate downtown Minneapolis, taking pictures for people, crowd control for the outdoor concerts, or getting people out of their zip line gear. Many of the days were cold with temperatures dipping below zero degrees Fahrenheit but for those of us living in the cold, it’s all about dressing correctly for this very weather. Don’t get me wrong, retreating into a warm building now and then felt really nice just to gain some feeling in my fingers and toes. For a little more on Super Bowl adventures you can click here.

With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror all focus turned to our final park: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. With a few months left to finalize details there were many hours spent preparing for one last National Parks trip. After a couple of months passed we boarded a plane and landed in Kona, HI many ours later. I had forgotten just how humid Hawaii can be. It almost took my breath away as soon as I stepped out of the airplane. From there it was a week of exploring, snorkeling, enjoying family, and standing on an active volcano as we all found out a few weeks later. There was so much to see and do and I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. Many of those adventures can be found on these pages. One piece I had forgotten about was on our last day on the Big Island. I got up early to see the orange glow of Kilauea, which you can read about on this post. After taking in this amazing orange glow it was off to the airport heading to Honolulu for the remaining few days of our adventure. Upon landing we began to hear news of activity at Kilauea. This was the beginning of months of eruptions and earthquakes. A very memorable time!

Once we landed back in Minnesota and Spring Break was over the realization set in that the final weeks of school were about to begin for Lysa. Preparations for graduation went into full swing. The end of May came flying at us before we knew it and it was graduation week and then graduation day. Definitely a day of mixed emotions. A sense of satisfaction that your child has reached this stage, sadness that they are becoming adults and will be moving on beginning a new phase of their life, and looking forward to what they will become. Have you prepared them for this time in their life. What have we missed? The next day was continued celebrations with many friends and family stopping by wishing their congratulations and good luck. It was so nice to see many people that we’ve not gotten together with for some time. And now Lysa has entered her first year in college.

As all of the years events wound down and summer hit I took some opportunities to go camping at Lost Lake in Northern Wisconsin. Here’s a few posts about that if you’re interested. These were much needed weekends of quiet after the craziness of spring. Hopefully this is something I can do again in 2019. Near the end of summer we decided to take one more National Park adventure and visit the only one in Minnesota – Voyageur’s. We spent a couple of days here camping near the park during the peak of the Persied Meteor shower. Is there a better way to watch a celestial event than in the darkest area of the state? My post on Voyageur’s can be found here. During this trip we stopped at Itasca State Park for a few nights exploring one more area I wanted to see with the family – the place where the Mighty Mississippi River begins. A few posts on that can be found at this link. This completed everything I had set out to do in two thousand eighteen which was a great year of adventure. On to another year…..

Adventures, Camping, Troy's Blog

Return to Lost Lake

September 9, 2018 Troy

After my trip to Lost Lake in July I couldn’t wait to return having so much fun the first time and much more to explore that just wouldn’t wait until next year. So a few days after getting home I booked Labor Day weekend for another extended weekend of exploring, fishing, and campfires. Even though it marked the end of summer I was eager with anticipation of what was in store for a second visit to the cabins for weeks beforehand. The summer goes so fast as it is that I try to never look forward to upcoming events, but enjoy the things that are happening in the moment so as to not rush the summer away. As hard as I tried I couldn’t keep my mind off camping in the north woods of Wisconsin and I was not disappointed. Why is this area so much fun? For me it has to do with a number of things. First off it is a beautiful area full of lakes, scenery, and wildlife and I can just take it all in without the responsibilities of every day routines. Secondly I get to just be me and basically relax. There’s no being a father, husband, or son for a few days which can be a nice break. I love being those things but a break is kind of nice once in a while. And lastly I like heading to this area of Wisconsin because I get to see an old college friend and hangout doing whatever we want to do whether that’s fishing all afternoon, playing with our cameras trying to capture the beauty of the area, or exploring a new lake or trail.

On this trip it almost felt like a completely different place. Yes the lake is still there with the resident loon and the roads are the same but so many things around us gave new adventures. First off shorter days made a huge impact which I wasn’t fully expecting. It felt as though a good part of the day had already disappeared by the time day light became bright enough to see which just had a domino effect the rest of the day with everything happening later. Yes I was aware of earlier sunsets and later sunrises but the days flew by even faster than I anticipated as often we would be preparing dinner by lantern and fire instead of eating under a setting sun. The fire would just get going nicely when the yawns could no long be ignored and it was time to retreat to bed for the night although one of the nights we did continue to fight the tiredness and photograph the night sky. Some of the other differences between the July and September visits where clouds and rain, mushrooms, waterfalls, and light painting.

Our second night in the Chequamegon National Forest we found an area on a nearby lake where we could take in the sunset as the forecast called for clouds skies and some rain over the next few days so that was possibly the only opportunity to watch a beautiful sunset and we were not disappointed. As it turned out that was the last visible sunset during the rest of our time there. During our last night a nice thunderstorm rolled through completing the camping experience. Because there was so much rain mushrooms were popping up all over. It seemed as though I would photograph one and only a short distance away there would be another different, interesting mushroom. We lost count how many different mushrooms we saw and photographed over our long weekend there. I’ll probably do another post on only the mushrooms of Lost Lake. There is a waterfall drive in the area we were in which shows off a number of different rapids and small waterfalls. Even though they are not very high they are still mesmerizing to watch and listen to and well worth some time to explore which is something we didn’t do on our first visit to the area.

During one of the nights sitting by the camp fire we looked up and notice a break in the clouds revealing the numerous stars shining across the sky so we quickly grabbed a camera and some lights and headed to lake side for a little nighttime fun. The clouds really seemed to add drama to the night sky making for interesting photographs. Also we decided to attempt light painting which turned out great and was fun to play with. That started as night fishing with lighted bobbers and turned into photography experiments since the fish weren’t really interested in eating anyway. While there were these different things to explore there were some things missing which made this a different experience. There were a lot less frogs, no red dragonflies, and few butterflies. Fortunately there were also less mosquitoes even though they really weren’t all that bad in July. All of these changes made for a unique experience that finally satisfied my urge to camp at Lost Lake again this year. It does seem to be only a temporary sense of completeness as there is talk of returning next summer for another opportunity to enjoy these surrounding again.

Adventure, National Parks, Troy's Blog

How About One More?

August 20, 2018 Troy

We were all really sad to have our Monopoly travels come to an end in Hawaii and didn’t really want our National Park adventures to come to an end but there we were visiting an active volcano which was placed at the end of our trips as an incredible end in our family journey. Fortunately I found a loophole (excuse to visit another park) giving us another opportunity to explore a different National Park as a family. The Monopoly board has three ‘chance’ spots on it and three ‘community chest’ spots which we figured where there for us to pick out six of our own places to go. After a little discussion it was decided the ‘chance’ places would represent three different caves we’ve explored – Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and Mammoth Cave. For the ‘community chest’ locations it was thought the three national parks in Minnesota would make sense which includes Grand Portage National Monument, Pipestone National Monument, and Voyageurs National Park. All of these have provided adventures for us on previous trips with the exception of Voyageurs National Park so that is where we decided to go this summer as an unofficial ending for our Monopoly adventures.

While there we experienced a range of temperatures with days of 90+ degrees Fahrenheit which is unusual for extreme Northern Minnesota and days in the upper 60’s with nighttime lows reaching into the 40’s. Since we were camping there were times the heat was a little uncomfortable and so were the coolest of nights causing us to shiver while trying to sleep. The beautiful landscape made the time at the most northern portion of Minnesota very enjoyable. Much of Voyageurs is surrounded by water so to really take in this park some of the time should be spent on the water fishing, canoeing, or just exploring. We planned on going canoeing one afternoon and taking a boat excursion another day. Unfortunately we were unable to get on one of the boat tours and on the day of our planned canoe trip the wind was too strong causing that to be canceled. So there we were without an opportunity to travel over these same waters voyageurs would transport their furs over a long time ago. This didn’t stop us entirely from enjoying the water. On one of the hot afternoons we found a place to venture out wading through the nice, cool lake water to find some relief from the heat.

We intentionally timed this adventure to coincide with the Perseid Meteor shower peaking throwing a meteor per minute across the dark sky. Where better to watch this astrological event than a dark sky location like Voyageurs National Park? Fortunately our first night stargazing was mostly clear allowing us to watch as these amazing meteors streaking across the sky. Previous to this Canadian fires provided enough smoke creating a thin blanket over the sky preventing many of the meteors to be seen. We were not alone in our quest to see these fireballs blazing their way through the night sky as every park ranger we talked with also took time to look up and find a meteor or two during the night. This was certainly one of the highlights of our time in this great National Park. In the photo below you can barely see a meteor lighting up the sky in the middle near the top. It’s quite faint so you really need to look closely. Also in this picture is a portion of the Milky Way which can identified with the real bright spots combined with real dark areas in the left portion of this photograph. It almost look like the branches from a pine tree on the left side are pointing to the Milky Way.

During the day we found a few trails to hike allowing us to take in this serene landscape as it uses the final weeks of summer to prepare once again to enter dormancy to survive the harsh winter conditions not far away in this part of Minnesota. No National Park adventure would be complete without a junior ranger badge so of course one of the first priorities was to get to the nearest visitor’s center and pick up a junior ranger packet. While traveling to different areas of the park we would work on these books eventually completing enough activities to get sworn in and receive badges signifying junior ranger status. Even though our children are older now they can still become junior rangers and usually encouraged to do so by actual Park Rangers.

Probably the weirdest part of exploring this national park was that we were using our own vehicle. Usually we rent a car so that in itself has become part of each adventure. Upon picking up the car there’s a competition to figure out what color it’s going to be along with what state it will be registered in but we didn’t get to do that this time. There was one other time we traveled in our own car and that was while exploring Badlands National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park on our first set of adventures. There was definitely a higher level of comfort doing it this way though because there was no airplane ride which restricted the amount of things we could bring. As our time here dwindled there was once again a feeling of sadness because now we really were on our final national park adventure on the Monopoly Board. There are many more national parks I would like to visit but I’m not sure if we’ll be able to do so as a family in the future so for now our Monopoly Travels which began nine years ago come to a close.

Adventure, Troy's Blog

Under the Surface of Lost Lake

August 12, 2018 Troy

On a recent trip to Lost Lake in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest I read that the water clarity was pretty good so I brought my mask, snorkel. and of course the GoPro to explore the lake under the surface. I’ve never snorkeled in fresh water before so this would be a new experience. In salt water it’s pretty easy to stay afloat due to the high density of that water but fresh water I tend to sink rather easily so was nervous to try snorkeling in deeper water. Lost Lake seemed like a good spot to try as there is a lot of shallower places to swim allowing me to touch the bottom if needed.

My first adventure into the water brought several interesting observations for me. First, the water was a little cool but didn’t take any more than a few seconds to get use to which was nice. Next, the water clarity wasn’t quite as good as I was hoping for and finally, snorkeling in fresh water wasn’t much different than in salt water as far as being able to maintain my ability to float. I wished I had brought my fins once this was discovered because it was challenging to swim while holding a camera. Fins would make it easier to move forward while using the GoPro to record these beautiful fish.

I found it easier to move around by using my feet on the ground but that brought up a lot of the decaying organic debris into the water making the clarity even less. Some of the surrounding fish seemed to be happy with me doing that as I’m sure I was stirring up food with the debris. Once being able to move around a little easier I was able to focus more on the different fish, their behaviors, and the underwater landscape which was really interesting. There are pumpkinseed pan fish, perch, small mouth bass, and trout listed to be in Lost Lake. I didn’t see any trout but found the others lurking in weeds.

The landscape underneath the surface proved to be quite interesting with a combination of living and dead vegetation. Scanning through the weeds at different points there would be fish or two swimming in between them but if I stayed there for a minute or so there would soon be a large school surrounding me. I began to think there would be nightmares later that night of fish attaching from every direction. Fortunately that did not happen! At one point I just stayed in a single spot and turned completely around only to find fish in every direction staring at me. It was kind of cool and a little creepy at the same time.

Every so often I would come across a bare spot in the floor of the lake. As I watched some of these areas a larger pumpkinseed would return and begin to flare its gills and fins at me in defense of this spot it had previously cleaned off as a nest. I would move towards it and scare this fish away only to have it return a short time later. This wasn’t something I would do repeatedly as I didn’t want it to abandon the nest but found this behavior interesting as I was many times larger than the fish. After swimming among the fishes for awhile I returned to the shore to dry off eagerly wanted to go fishing. It almost seemed like cheating a little because I had found certain areas for certain fish so knew where to cast. That didn’t mean I necessarily caught them even though I had a good idea where they were. Another freshwater snorkeling adventure is definitely on my agenda when I get a chance.

Adventures, Camping, Troy's Blog

Lost Lake

July 20, 2018 Troy

Just after the Independence Day holiday in the United States I ventured off to Western Wisconsin with an old time friend from college to explore the Lost Lake area in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. This was my first time camping in a national forest and this was a great spot for my first attempt. I’ve read that if you’re going to a National Park you should often check out a nearby national forest for accommodations which are often more available and can be more affordable.

The cabins at Lost Lake were renovated in 2012 under the federal stimulus and provide a fun and affordable trip in well kept facilities in the beautiful Northwood’s of Wisconsin. The cabin we stayed in can accommodate up to 6 people with plenty of room. Fortunately the weather was absolutely perfect with daytime temperatures in the lower 80’s Fahrenheit for enjoying the area lakes and cooling off to the upper 50’s during the night for great evening sleeping.

There are several lakes in the area to explore but we always returned to Lost Lake for some swimming, fishing, and wildlife watching. It’s a small lake which does not allow any boat motors keeping it peaceful for all to enjoy either by swimming, fishing, or kayaking. I would get up at sunrise or shortly there after to enjoy the calm, quiet lake and watch a local loon or eagles fishing. A great break from the busy daily routines I’m commonly use to.

One of the creatures in abundance at Lost Lake are a frogs which can be heard throughout the day and into the night. Once I figured out what they looked like under the water with only their heads peering out at me it got a little frightening. At one point I counted over twenty frogs staring at me and several times more than a dozen just watching me. I was certain there would be nightmares about frogs attaching me during the night but fortunately that did not happen. Large bullfrogs can be found and heard all around the lake. I kept waiting for them to say ‘bud’ with another answering with ‘wise’ with ‘errrrr’ being croaked off in the distance. For those who don’t know this was a commercial created for Budweiser many years ago.

After enjoying a fire near the cabin one night I ventured down by the water to take in the night sky. The number of stars shining and reflecting in the water was just breathtaking. My plan was to take a few pictures and retreat to bed for the night as it had been a long day and I wanted to get up for the sunrise the next morning. After photographing and enjoying the night sky with peaceful sounds of frogs for over an hour I decided it was time to call it quits. After a few hours of some great sleep I drug myself out of bed to watch the sun appear over the horizon the next (actually the same) morning.

Light began showing in the sky way too early in July in Northern Wisconsin. I ended up getting out of bed at 4:45 in the morning with plenty of light to see my way from the cabin to the lake to witness the sun coming up an hour later. While I only got just under 4 hours of sleep that night there was no hint of being tired as the morning was so calm and peaceful it almost didn’t feel real. Fortunately I have photos that tell me otherwise. Clouds didn’t cooperate in the morning to provide one of those amazing sunrises with a colorful sky and while there was some fog on the lake I was hoping for more. Still watching the world come to life with birds moving to and fro while the loon and eagles began to wake up and start searching for food was well worth getting up for. Besides, if there were clouds for the sunrise there probably would have been clouds blocking all the stars just hours before.

During one of our afternoon just relaxing by the lake I brought my camera with the longest lens I have just in case there was something to capture. The resident loon kept its distance preventing a nice close up shot but that was ok. I was taking a picture of some of the frogs staring back at me when my college friend called out my name with a bit of a sense of urgency. I was all set up for my photo when he called again with a bit louder tone in his voice telling me I needed to look up only to see and eagle incoming. Turning the camera towards this majestic bird I focused in on it just in case it got closer and dove into the water in search of a fish. Shortly after I got focused in on it, the eagle did begin a quick descent towards the water only to grab a fish and retreat to a nearby tree to consume its fresh catch. Looking back at the camera I realized I caught this with a couple of frames which was fun to see even if it was from across the lake. Zooming out a little further I saw the reaction of a couple of kids floating at the beach as this eagle dove down right in front of them. What a sight that must have been! One of my favorite photos from our time at Lost Lake. It was such a great time I’m going back in September to do it again before camping season comes to a close.

Adventures, Hawaii, Troy's Blog

The Green Sand Beach – Hawaii

July 7, 2018 Troy

While spending some time on the Big Island of Hawaii there are numerous things to see and do and one of those items is to walk on the green sand beach. This is becoming more and more popular for a number of reasons. One of those is that this is one of only four green sand beaches in the world making it very unique. Another is getting there has become easier due to transportation availability. You can choose to pay for a ride unless you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, which is definitely required, or you can hike the 3 miles one way to get there.

Our group decided to take both options. Some payed for a taxi ride both ways, some used a taxi for one direction, and others hiked both directions. These “taxi’s”, which are 4 x 4 vehicles, cost us $15 per person round trip or $10 per person one way. They save a lot of time and make this beach more accessible which is both a good and bad thing in my opinion. I chose to hike both directions because the scenery is incredibly beautiful and I’m able to physically handle this hike. Just remember to bring plenty of water to drink and sunscreen or this can turn into a miserable experience. In the photo above you can see the views while walking next to the ocean. On the right side of the photo is the trail leading from the boat landing, where this journey begins, with a few people walking over the ridge. Unfortunately they are pretty hard to see due to the size of the photo. In the very top picture you can see the beginning of the trail with a boat landing in the little bay. Again the boat landing is difficult to make out in this photo but you can see buoys in the water directing boats into the landing.

After walking over some fairly rough terrain for over an hour due to many distracting views along the way we came upon this beautiful sight of the green sand beach. Once these amazing views were taken in I was surprised at how small this beach actually is and how steep the climb is down to the beach itself. I was quite warm by this point and ready to get into the water so we quickly made our way over to the trail down to the beach and went plowing into the ocean waves. The sand is very soft and felt nice on bare feet while working towards the salty water.

There was only a little over an hour to enjoy this incredible Hawaiian beach so not much time to really explore the area around it. Once I had cooled off in the ocean there were some pictures I wanted to take while here so I dried off and grabbed the camera to remember how beautiful it is from a distance and up close. The water is such a beautiful turquoise blue, the rocks are interestingly carved by the ocean waves, and the sand is an amazing blend of green, white, and black grains which you can see in the image below. These green particles apparently are from lava mixing with certain minerals as it flows from the earth and deposited in this remote location. There’s a better explanation of this on this USGS page. I could have spent a lot more time taking in this beach but there were other sights to continue on to so it was time to return to our car and head to the black sand beach.

Hawaii, Troy's Blog, Waterfalls

Waterfalls in Hawaii

June 9, 2018 Troy

When thinking of Hawaii one of the first things many people envision is of a waterfall in a tropical paradise. Well there are several on the Big Island of Hawaii to meet this expectation. Our first day on the island brought a conversation with a local orchid grower near Hilo regarding sights to see with waterfalls being high on our list. His response was a laugh followed by an explanation that there are numerous waterfalls with fast flowing water as it had been raining almost every day since the 1st of the year.

Our first stop was at Rainbow Falls near Hilo providing a beautiful waterfall flowing over the edge of a volcanic cliff crashing into the channel below. We were told that during the right time of day the sunlight casts a rainbow in the mist below giving this falls its name. It’s definitely a beautiful sight attracting many people to the area to explore this great water feature of Hawaii.

After taking some time to enjoy this area and listen to the water as it falls over the cliff and into the river bed below and use the available restrooms, it was off to see another of Hawaii’s popular waterfalls. After a short drive we arrived at the spectacular Akaka Falls State Park. Here there is a nice paved path winding through the jungle bringing you to an almost unimaginable waterfall. This is a waterfall with a 400 foot drop! I never imagined being able to get this close to such a place being able to witness this plunging river from a paved platform across the gorge. It is so tall and you’re close enough that it’s almost like you’re in a dream.

While the tall Akaka Falls is certainly the highlight of this state park, it is not the only waterfalls visible here. Another one can be seen through trees and shrubs and one more is quite a bit shorter but still beautiful to see. We were nearing the end of our day with the parking lot gate soon to close so it was time to leave but still difficult to tear away from a waterfall that seems like you only would see it in a movie or on tv. There are several other waterfalls but these seem to be the two most popular and worth seeing.

Hawaii, Troy's Blog

Snorkeling in Hawaii

May 12, 2018 Troy

One of my favorite things to do on a tropical island is go snorkeling to see all of the amazing corals and colorful fish. So when we began planning a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii I knew we had to set some time aside underwater adventures. Anytime there were a couple of hours free we headed to a beach to see what was swimming below and was never disappointed. Our very first morning in Kona we walked to a nearby beach and saw yellow tangs swimming everywhere. Within a few minutes I had to go back to the hotel and get snorkeling gear to get a better view of these fish.

A short time later we were in the water swimming among these beautiful fish watching as they dart back and forth finding food and swimming with the motion of the waves as they came barreling towards shore. It becomes so easy to lose track of time when you enter this amazing underwater world. So much of the land world slips away down here. Well, until you find something from land that has made its way into the ocean such as a tire or plastic bottle. Some of it from careless people while other pieces make their way here by accident from either the wind or a larger wave. I ended up losing a key card at one point adding to this foreign debris. Fortunately it was found again and I was able to keep this little piece of trash out of the ocean.

During a few of our last snorkeling adventures we were fortunate enough to come across sea turtles swimming along the reef. One of them kept swimming closer and closer to a point I needed to swim away trying to keep a safe distance from it for its protection. It was so much fun to see these large turtles up close as they scour rocks and swim around the sea. They move in such a lazy fashion like they really have no worries at all and just go with the tide. Even though I was able to get in the water on four different occasion for a couple of hours each, I could have spent so much more time in the water exploring the different beaches and bays around Kona. It was a great time that I hope to be able to repeat sometime in the future.

Gaining Life Experience