Sunrise over Finger Lakes Amish Country

It was the one morning I was planning on sleeping in while we were on vacation this past August. The day before we had driven from Maine to the Finger Lake region in upstate New York and then stayed up way too late catching up with a friend at whose home we were staying over night. I had gotten up for the sunrise every day while we were in Maine (I don't get to see sunrises over the Atlantic Ocean every day!). I figured I just needed a day off from getting up early. 

 Life had other plans, though. 

The next morning I woke to the jingling of harnesses and sound of clip-clopping hooves as a Amish horse and buggy  made its way briskly down the road outside my window. I rolled out of the bed past my snoring husband and drew back the curtains. The world was awash in a purple and gold dawn. 

Who could resist? I quickly got dressed and grabbed my camera and joined by my friend (who hadn't been planning on watching the sunrise either), took a short walk down the road to breath in the dawn and to watch the sunrise. 

I'm glad the sounds of the horse and buggy woke me up, because it was a sunrise that shouldn't have been missed. 

Linked to skywatch Friday. 

Saugatuck Dunes State Park Beach--Lake Michigan

Today I am sharing a few more photos from our mini vacation to the western side of Michigan last weekend. Our first stop was Saugatuck Dunes State Park, which has 2.5 miles of secluded sandy beach with freshwater sand dunes that some of which are over 200 feet high. The beach is about a mile hike through a hardwood forest that is filled with several miles of hiking trails. 

The beach was quite, pristine, and felt a bit barren to me. It was my first time visiting sand dunes in the summer. (I've hiked them in the winter when covered in ice and snow, and that is a totally different experience--you expect barren in the winter.)

I mentioned afterwards to my husband when reviewing my photos of the dunes that sand dunes don't seem to be very photogenic, his reply was the sand usually isn't.

After all a sand dune is a giant pile of sand with some grass and maybe a few trees on the top. 

In any case, the sky and beach was beautiful, and you couldn't have asked for more lovely weather for the last two days of September. 

The only problem with short weekend trips is that when you leave, you feel you just have to come back again, because you know there is so much more to explore--there are trails on the other side of these dunes that we didn't get a chance to hike... 

For more photos of another beach along Lake Michigan that we visited last weekend, click here.

Pier Cove Beach--Lake Michigan

This weekend we took a trip to Saugatuck, Michigan on the west side of the state with some friends. Lake Michigan was too cold for swimming, but it was plenty warm enough to enjoy some nice strolls along the beach, and we were lucky enough to get to watch both the sunset and the harvest moon rise over Lake Michgan on Saturday evening. On the way home we stopped in Grand Rapids at the Meijer's Gardens. Lots of photos coming to both Dandelion Haven's facebook page and the blog!

One of our stops was to a pretty little beach along Lake Michigan in Saugatuck.

The beach was littered with hundreds of thousands of zebra mussel shells. While zebra mussels may make for a pretty photo, they are very harmful to the native species that live in the lake.

Seagull down.

Zebra Mussel shells.

Lake Michigan and Pier Cove Beach.  

Linked to Macro Monday.

Seals and Lobster Buoys--New Harbor, Maine

I am still working on sorting through well over a thousand photos from our vacation last month in Maine and the Finger Lakes. I'm generally pretty content with my little point and shoot camera, but there are some things that it simply doesn't work very well for--and one of those things is wild life (unless I am literally inches away from the bird or animal). One of our favorite things that we did was going on a seal watching boat ride in New Harbor, Maine. This is one of  those cases where I was really wishing I had a decent camera, though I did manage to somehow get a few half way decent photos. 

 New Harbor is one of the few remaining working fishing harbors in southern Maine. It is a lovely little town and is very much free of the touristy feel that many of the other seashore towns seem to have in that area. The ocean along the coast is dotted with colorfully painted buoys, each one marking a lobster pot. In the early morning the lobster men and women go out in their small boats and make the rounds, each boat checking 300 or so traps each day.

Lobster boat in the harbor.

The seals in this area live on a small rocky ledge. According to our tour boat captain, during low tide the seals hang out on the ledge, sunning themselves and resting. During high tide, which is when our boat arrived at the ledge, the seals are in the water diving for fish and feeding. Every so often they need to come up for air and a quick rest. 

Webber's Dry  Ledge--a few rocks sticking up in Atlantic Ocean is the summer home of New Harbor's Gray and Harbor seals. That figure in the foreground is one of the gray seals. 

A gray seal comes up for air near a lobster buoy. 

A harbor seal comes up for air. 

A colorful buoy marking a lobster pot. 

A lobster boat hard at work checking lobster traps near Webbster's  Dry Ledge. 

Sea Lavender

Sea lavender-
the delicate white blossoms
touched with purple
evoked images in my mind
of foam tipped waves
tinged with color
from the setting sun.

I grew it far from the sea
in soil made of clay and rock
on a New York hilltop
I gathered  the clouds of dainty blossoms
hung them to dry and twined
them into wreaths and garlands.

I planted it again far from the sea
it thrives in the sandy soil
of Michigan's farmland
I fill the vase on my dresser
with sprays of white blossoms
that dry lavender and pink
a reminder of summer's color.

Sea lavender-
this summer I found it
wild on a beach in Maine
its roots in the brink of the sea
and petals bathed with salty brine
I touched the blossoms in awe
a meeting of old friends
coming to a deeper understanding.

Sea lavender on the coast, near Damariscotta, Maine. 

(For Trina Holden, who also grew sea lavender in upstate NY-and understood when I told her about finding it growing wild on the coast of Maine.)







Linked to Real Toads. 

After 10 Days of Vacation...

I'm putting out a request that the remainder of my siblings who aren't married yet plan for a winter wedding. A destination wedding on a lovely beach in some tropical island in the month of February would be perfect. Then I wouldn't have to worry about coming home to a huge pile of ripe (and overripe) vegetables and a garden that is looking miserable because it was 90 degrees and sunny the whole time I was away. 

Not that I am complaining that my youngest brother and his bride chose to get married in her home state of Maine. It just meant that I would have to plan my vacation in the middle of harvest--because if I am going to drive 18 hours to a state I've never been to before, I am going to need some time to explore--especially if that state happens to be Maine!

Stay tuned for several posts on our adventures in Maine--and the couple of days we spent in the Finger Lakes area in upstate New York (which will be written in between canning and freezing the green beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers pictured above which I spent all picking today after getting home late last night). 

In the meantime, here is a small sampling of photos from some of the places we visited...

Lobster traps on the wharf and tubs full of sorted lobsters floating in the harbor in New Harbor, Maine, one of the few remaining working fishing villages in southern Maine.

There were many mushrooms in the woods at the Rachel Carson nature preserve in Wells, Maine. 

Dawn at Seneca Lake, the largest and deepest of all the Finger Lakes. 

Pemaquid lighthouse at Pemaquid Point near Bristol, Maine. 

Linked to Macro Monday and Mandarin Orange Monday. 

Beach Roses and Atlantic Skies

The Atlantic Ocean as seen after sunset from Ogunquit Beach in Ogunquit, Maine.

Wild beach roses line the beach...most were already past bloom when we were here on Sunday, but a few blooms and buds are still holding on. 

(Look for more photos from our recent Maine and Finger Lakes vacation coming to the blog...)

Upper Falls in Old's Man's Gorge

(See the links at the bottom of this post to follow along as my husband and I explored one of the best kept secret in Ohio this past January--the waterfalls, caves, trails, and gorges of Hocking Hills State Park.)

The upper falls in Old Man's Gorge is the most visited of all the waterfalls most likely because it is located at the beginning of the Old Man's Gorge trail and is right across from a large parking in lot and the visitor's center. Even in the winter, with the visitor's center closed, there was  steady stream of visitors and I had to wait a bit to get some photos of the falls that didn't contain people posing in front of the falls.

In any case, it is still a beautiful little waterfall and a great place for echos with the way the surrounding gorge walls encircle the falls.

As with all the other gorge walls, there were lots of icicles and small waterfalls trickling down the rocky walls...

Next post will be the lower falls--which also has a spectacular recess cave of it's own!

Join us on our hike of Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio-

Hocking Hills Park Part one: Introduction

Hocking Hills Park Part two: Ash Cave
Hocking Hills Park Part three: Rock Bridge
Hocking Hills Park Part four: Grandma Gatewood Trail
Hocking Hills Park Part five: Old Man's Cave
Hocking Hills Park Part six: Upper Old Man's Gorge Trail

Related Posts:

Musings At Rock House (a poem)
Ice Swirls

Hocking Hills State Park--Upper Gorge

After visiting Old Man's Cave, we continued up the gorge toward the Upper Falls (post with photos of the upper falls coming next). This section of the gorge is quite short, but still filled with lots of beauty. Since it contains the trail that connects the  Upper Falls and Old Man's Cave, which are the two most popular destinations in Hocking Hills, it gets the most foot traffic of all the trails. From what I understand, in the summer this part of the park can be quite crowded.

There are several bridges that span Salt Creek in the gorge. This bridge made of concrete slabs was one of the most interesting one (though not very safe since it was covered with ice!). I tried to find out more information about the architect, but a pretty extensive Internet search did not unearth any information.

Many icicles adorned the walls of the gorge--the above photo might be my favorite icicle of photo of the entire trip.

Continuing to head up the gorge we crossed another little stone bridge and came to a whirlpool--which has the name Devil's Bathtub.

Another  waterfall and the stone steps that lead up to the visitor's center.

And yet another waterfall...

...and a photo looking up the gorge.

Next post--The Upper Falls.

Previous Posts:

Hocking Hills Park Part one: Introduction
Hocking Hills Park Part two: Ash Cave
Hocking Hills Park Part three: Rock Bridge
Hocking Hills Park Part four: Grandma Gatewood Trail
Hocking Hills Park Part five: Old Man's Cave
Related Posts:
Musings At Rock House (a poem)
Ice Swirls

Hocking Hills State Park--Old Man's Cave

Old Man's Cave is a recess cave. It gets it's name from the trapper, Richard Rowe, who made it a part time home. Legend has it that the trapper accidentally shot himself while breaking ice with the butt of his gun on the stream in the gorge in get water, and that he is buried somewhere in the sandy floor of the cave.

The cave and gorge is formed from black hand sandstone and years of erosion from Salt Creek, the small stream that flows though  it.

The floor of the cave is made up of soft brown sand and was nice and dry.

Two views looking while standing inside the cave--the first one is looking south west toward the lower gorge...

...and looking south east...up the gorge.

The small waterfall next to the cave...

A small rock bridge spans Salt Creek right in front of the cave.

The gorge above the waterfall..

Next Hocking Hills post--Upper Gorge along the Old Man's Cave trail.

Previous posts:
Hocking Hills Park Part one: Introduction
Hocking Hills Park Part two: Ash Cave
Hocking Hills Park Part three: Rock Bridge
Hocking Hills Park Part four: Grandma Gatewood Trail
Related Posts:
Musings At Rock House (a poem)
Ice Swirls

Hocking Hills State Park Part 4: Grandma Gatewood Trail

 I have a confession to make. You don't want me to be your tour guide on a sightseeing trip. I didn't do much in preparing for this trip in the way of looking up maps and getting a feel for how we would spend our days. I figured when we got there we would just stop by the visitor center and pick up some maps and figure out where to go from there. Well, we got to Hocking Hills late in the evening in the middle of a rainstorm. When we woke up in the morning the rain had turned to ice and a light dusting of snow. That didn't stop us from going out, but the park service decided the ice and snow made for a good day to take off--and since the visitors center was closed on Saturday and Sunday as well, we spent our whole trip without a real map or any good idea of where we were going. To complicate matters, the signage along the trails can be confusing. There would be places where three trails connected--but only two signs with arrows vaguely pointing off in the distance--but not necessarily directed toward any of the trails. As a result, on our second day we took a very long unintended hike with no food (my husband will never let me forget that part of the day!), but the good part is, we saw got to see all kinds of things on the way, and even managed to find our way back to car all in one piece and before dark.) The first part of  our unintended long hike took us along part of the Grandma Gatewood Trail.

The Grandma Gatewood Trail is a 5 mile rim trail that runs from Ash Cave to Old Man's Cave. While is a relatively easy trail, Grandma Gatewood who it is named after, was a tough little lady. A farmer's wife and a mother of 11, she took up hiking in her older years. She was the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Main--solo, in one season, and at the age 67 to boot. And her hiking didn't end there. Later she hiked 2000 miles of the Oregon Trail and traveled every state in the US. She traveled light, eating very simply and sleeping under a plastic shower curtain and an army blanket. All in all, she gives me something to aspire to when I get older!

The trail follows the rim of gorge through hemlock woods. Many small streams wind through the wood and tumble down into the gorge. We passed many mini waterfalls and some larger waterfalls--and some that we knew were there, but didn't dare get close enough to the edge of the gorge for fear of falling over to be able to see them.

Rose Lake (a man made reservoir) is about half way between Cedar Falls and Old Man's Cave. This photo was taken while standing on the dam.

There were lots of icicles along the rocks overhanging the streams...

...as well as many twisted interesting roots along the way.

This is the top of a waterfall that plunges deep into the gorge. I believe it is Whispering Falls--photos of the waterfall from the gorge trail coming with another post.

Another small gem of a waterfall...

Next Hocking Hills post--Old Man's Cave.
Previous posts:
Hocking Hills Park Part one: Introduction
Hocking Hills Park Part two: Ash Cave
Hocking Hills Park Part three: Rock Bridge
Related Posts:
Musings At Rock House (a poem)
Ice Swirls