Olbrich Park

Evening pictures

As I have mentioned earlier there are a lot of parks around this town. Sometimes in the mornings I go out for a run and usually run through this park called Olbrich Park. It's pretty large, right by the water and there are tons of wildflowers at the edge to the lake. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

The other evening I went there with this photography group, and it was perfect. I hadn't really been out there with my dslr camera and I managed to snap some pretty pictures.

The sunset created such a beautiful light, it was a perfect evening for photography!

Where do you usually go to take some photos?

Hiking Devils Lake State Park in Wisconsin

Adventure Tuesday again, and this time I'll bring you to Devils Lake. I brought my DSLR camera on the hike, but since I wasn't hiking with W, I actually didn't take that many pictures. I did snap quite a few with my phone though, as always. 

Devils Lake State Park

    It's been hot, like for a Swede hot. It's in the upper 80s -90s (27-35 C) almost every day now, and humid, some mornings it's about 98% humidity. A friend of mine suggested going on a hike around a lake, and then finish of with a dip in the water. Of course we weren't the only people there, many many cars and parking lot was already filling up early in the morning when we arrived. Most people go there to BBQ, hang out and swim in the water. Fewer people actually do hike the trail, although, plenty of people compared to a day-hike in Alaska. I have a falcon guide book to hikes near Madison that actually describes this hike as "one of the tougher in the book". I guess this speaks to the fact that there aren't any mountains, or large hills in Wisconsin. There are several trails, you can walk along the ridge on both sides of the lake, which is what we did, in that way you actually get some views too. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

The Landscape   

    Since we wanted to hike on the ridge, we quickly started to climb and got some gorgeous views of the lake and the forest. The landscape is really pretty, boulders mixed with both deciduous and coniferous trees. And boulders, lots of boulders, leftover from glaciers back in the day, combined with lush green vegetation, like everywhere in Wisconsin. The area is a great spot for vulture watching, and we did see quite a few, but hard to catch with your iphone camera. We saw more signs of glaciers, and then one of the main attraction, which everyone else wanted to see and touch too: the Balanced Rock.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Trail Maintenance

    They really take care of their trails here, almost a little too much maybe. Parts of the trail actually had asphalt on it. Makes it easier to hike on though, and less erosion i would think, but not sure how it works during a heavy rainstorm. I would think it would channelize the rainwater? 

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

 I had a really great time, even though this is very different from Alaska. On the other hand it's very similar to Sweden. At the end of the day that dip in the water felt very good. 

Where do you go to swim, do you have any nearby lakes? Or maybe outdoor pools?

Why aren't you busy?

Aug 8th, Monday

“Say, Pooh, why aren't you busy?” I said.
“Because it’s a nice day,” said Pooh.
“Yes, but—”
“Why ruin it?” he said.
“But you could be doing something Important,” I said.
“I am,” said Pooh.
“Oh? Doing what?”
“Listening,” he said.
“Listening to what?”
“To the birds.  And that squirrel over there.”
“What are they saying?” I asked.
“That it’s a nice day,” said Pooh.
“But you know that already,” I said.
“Yes, but it’s always good to hear that somebody else thinks so, too,” he replied…

- The Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff

The neighborhood

A lot of times when I have some time over during the day or in the evening I go for short walks through the neighborhood. There are so many parks around town, and the streets are really lush and green.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

How's the area you live in?