Arcadia- Authors and Animals

The final day of Arcadia Daze was shorter and calmer, with a little more time to do things besides interact with potential buyers.

John Wemlinger is an author I met at an event a couple of years ago. He told me I should try to get into Arcadia Daze, and that was good advice. I did well. I finally felt I had a comfortable enough margin that I could buy one of his books I wanted- The Cut- an historical fiction concerning the momentous and contentious cutting of a channel from Portage Lake in Onekama through to Lake Michigan. It dropped the water level of Portage Lake by 20 feet. I've just started reading it, but I can heartily recommend it.

He bought my sampler book, Accidentally Yours. I don't know if he's started it yet or would recommend it, but I'll tell you it's an eclectic collection of all the kinds of things I write. You may not like all the entries, but you'll probably like some of them.

John's wife Diane helps him with "marketing" (and moving all the crap around that one needs at these events). They make a great team. We had a good block of time before people really started coming through to talk about editing and publishing and all that sort of authorly stuff.

Since the vendors did not have to stay as long today, I popped over to Arcadia Marsh for a walk. The middle section of the marsh boardwalk is closed from April 15 to July 15 when birds are nesting, and I'd never managed to get there except during that time. But today, I got to walk all the way through.

I got some nice plant pictures but none of anything very unusual, so I'm going to show you animals because animal pictures are harder. Critters are more mobile than plants!

Who doesn't love turtles? Painted Turtles, and I chose this picture because their reflections are also in focus.

There were several Cedar Waxwings flitting around a space of open water.

Female Wood Duck swimming around.

And although this is just a female mallard- probably our most common duck, she's doing some nice contortions to get her preening accomplished, and notice the spread tail feathers.

I'm always tickled to get a good picture of a dragonfly. I've shown you this one before, but not very often. This is a male Widow Skimmer.

A nice Muskrat working its way around the same place of open water as the Cedar Waxwings. There was a lot of watercress here, and although cattails are their primary food, they will eat the cress too, so maybe that's what it was doing.

I thought that was probably going to be it for the wildlife. Another couple saw a green heron, but it was gone when I got to that spot. I walked the boardwalk trail twice to get in some miles, and almost at the end of the second time, I spotted a family of Trumpeter Swans. OK, it's getting so I see these fairly often, but I still love finding them.

An excellent day and weekend. The weather was neither too hot, too cold, nor too windy for an outdoor event. Developed a good relationship with a fellow author, made some money, and had a great hike. Can hardly improve on any of that!

Miles walked in 2026: 248.5
Miles walked for Onekama Challenge: 60.3

Streets in Arcadia 0.7 miles. Arcadia Marsh boardwalk twice 4.6, for a total of 5.3 miles.

See Arcadia Daze

More From Yesterday

There are more awesome things to share from yesterday, and today was quite ordinary, so I'll just go with the pretty things. Starting with the sunrise.

On the way home from the hike, Sue and I drove around Lake Gitchegumee, south of Buckley, and enjoyed the fall view.

But wait! What is out there? It's two adult trumpeter swans with three juveniles! There were four more as well, but they were hanging out with a bunch of Canada geese.

We managed to take some roads that were less traveled coming home and enjoyed an extended color tour. One stop for a quick picture at the overlook for Hodepyl Dam Pond. The reflection of the sky in the water was the best.

Today was a combination rest day and some puttering. I tried to make it more of a rest day, or at least tried to do things that weren't so much of the everyday pressing work. Mowed part of the yard. Last time before winter, I'm pretty sure. About half to go.

I did a little bit of work in my gardens- just moving a few things that I wanted to get fixed this fall.

See SPW at Highbanks Rollway

Back to Ludington State Park

  Because of the pictures I posted the last time I did this loop, some friends from Baldwin wanted to come do it with me. We made that happen today. I guess my brain was more focused on interesting details than the trail itself. You'll have to go to the link below to see that. We took the Ridge Trail out and returned via the Island Trail.

This is a picture looking south down Hamlin Lake. That band of orange-pink at the horizon is very strange. It looks like late afternoon and west, but this was closer to noon and south. We couldn't figure it out. But it's certainly a wintery landscape!

We heard a lot of noise while we were still up on the ridge above Hamlin Lake. It sounded like maybe geese, or small dogs barking. It was a whole flock of trumpeter swans! They were pretty far out on the water, but I got one fairly good picture.

I just liked this interesting pattern that had frozen into the ice of one of the little backwater ponds. The spikiness of the tree and the curves of the ice pattern are a nice contrast.

I thought this was a great joke. This little tree had such blemishes and blobs on its trunk it was a perfect pattern for camouflage wear. I thought, "We need someone with gray camo on to compare." I turned around, and... Reva was wearing just such a coat. A little more snow, and she'd would disappear.

For a different kind of camouflage, this is white birch bark. But look at all the gray, brown, orange, peach colors!

I HAD to stop along the road for a picture of big blue- Lake Michigan.

Our hiking crew? Sue, Kathy, Reva, and me. Of course, Sophie and Anabelle the pups were there too.

Sophie does seem to really like me. It's mutual!

We hiked about 6.5 miles.

In other news: Not much else happened. I got groceries on the way home, and did a couple other errands.

Ludington State Park: Ridge and Island Trails, and the bike path to complete the loop to the cars. About 6.5 miles

See My Favorite LSP Loop

Baker Sanctuary

  The vendor event went really well, and I found a place to take a short hike just a few miles from there on the way back to Chuck and Sylvia's. This is the Baker Sanctuary, through a prairie area and near a marsh. The trails were wide mowed paths This is a nice prairie landscape. Lots of asters and goldenrod The best find was trumpeter swans in the marsh. But what is that gray lump? It's a juvenile swan! Only two miles, but just a perfect way to stretch my legs. This is just north of Marshall, Michigan. One more day for the event.

See Twelve More Miles

Teeny Said, "Let's Do it Again"

 
Modestine is a fine name, but it's not gonna last. Her nickname is "Teeny." But, I'm happy to be able to tell you that she likes the exact same kind of weather I do. So when I told her that today was going to be cool with bright sunshine all day, she just begged until I said, "Yes, we can go out."

Omer was helpful, and spotted me so I only had to walk in one direction. I ended at (just past it at the next road) the same place as yesterday, McCarthy Lake, but this time I came from the other direction. It never disappoints.



Spring is taking its sweet ol' time showing up here. Nothing seems to be greening up at all. However, one of the nice things about being able to see a long way through the woods is that I can feel how I'm really moving through the landscape. Instead of just walking through constant trees, I can see the ridges, and feel how the trail lies on them.



This stump covered with moss and lichen shocked me at first. When I was farther away it almost looked like some strange dried-out cactus.



A reflection in McCarthy Lake.



There is a pair of trumpeter swans on McCarthy Lake. I got one good picture of one of them.



McCarthy Creek looks like a solid little stream, but it completely dries up in late summer.



And, look who I ran into again: Kurt and Connie. This is at least the second time this year. Other than that, I saw 5 mountain bikers, a few motorcycles on the motorized trail, and a family with little kids who were taking a different trail. We all kept our distance. It was a beautiful Sunday, and I'm glad to see people getting outside.



How did we do? I put 3 more pounds in Teeny, and we both did fine with them. Not up to full weight yet, though. Miles hiked: 9.25. Call it 9. Hike 100 Challenge 2020 is at 98 miles.

In other news: I "went to church" at two different services. My camera does seem to be dead. I got out an old one that still works.

North Country Trail, Lake County, MI, Timber Creek to 3-Mile Rd.

See Modestine's First Hike

Twelve More Miles

 
I did another hike today- six more miles mostly along the Manistee River, and then back.



It's late and I have to get up on time in the morning, so this will be quick.

It was a truly lovely walk, but I'll just throw out a few pictures.

This is a kingbird sitting on a stump. Nothing too special, but he did sit still for me.



Then, I saw a really huge trumpeter swan. It was so big, I didn't think it was a bird at first.



And then his mate showed up too.



I ate lunch in the shade of some lilac bushes before turning around. Also saw a rose-breasted grosbeak, pileated woodpecker (and some smaller ones), and a green heron.

The evening was filled with the MOWA meeting. Lots of noise and unfamiliar people.

Hike 100 Challenge = 106 miles!

North Country Trail, Fletcher Creek Campground to M37 and back, Wexford County, MI, 12 miles

	See A Tree Named Coco
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Day Fourteen - Midland to Mackinac

 
Today was awesome! I made eight miles of forward progress. I am loving the wild and remote feel of this area. Miles and miles of evergreens and aspen always with a low ridge in sight in the distance. That said, the woods is full of guys in trucks and Jeeps and on ATVs scouting out places to hunt. I find it a bit hilarious how often I'm getting passed by vehicles on these nothing roads.



I particularly liked this little stretch on the "Wannabuk" Trail. For one thing, the footing was solid. In the picture above the M2M followed a snowmobile route that is all churned up sand. Who knew I should have trained for this hike by walking the beaches?



But the trail turned off Wannabuk in that band of jackpine you can see above. It took me an hour to do the next mile and a half. It was back to bushwhacking with blazes, and then a stretch where I would never have found my way except there was a bit of a treadway to follow. Crossed some mucky areas that could be bad in spring, and a small creek that is part of the headwaters of the West Branch of Big Creek. Little log bridge. I ate lunch there with the water gurgling.



Then a large beaver pond where there would be some nice camping spots.



It was a good day for tracks. That soft sand took prints very well. I'm getting up in the area where the Michigan Elk Herd is located. Pretty sure I saw elk tracks both yesterday and today.



Most of the usual suspects: deer, raccoon, fox (of course it could have been a dog, but there were no accompanying human tracks), and maybe a bobcat. Kicking myself for not taking pictures of that. Sandhill crane, not too unusual, but fun.



The weather was perfect for hiking. I think it got a little warmer than they predicted, but about 50 degrees all day. My little thermometer broke just before this trip so I've had to guess. So I decided to try to get in a pile of miles. Pretty sure I got in 8 trail miles. But I had no particular interest in going back through that difficult stretch or repeating the 5 miles is soft sand, so I decided to walk other roads back. What a great choice!

There is an area along the Middle Branch of Big Creek that I thought was beaver flooding, but I later learned it was dammed to create a long skinny lake. Made that walk quite enjoyable.

I saw a pair of trumpeter swans.



And then I watched an eagle swoop down and catch a fish.



Trail miles total: 109- over half by any estimation. Miles walked today: about 14.

Today's trail angel is named Clayton. I still had 3.5 miles to go to the car. I had it in me to do them, but didn't like how late that got me back, because I had a motel reservation waiting (the shower felt great and now the wet tent is drying over the rod). A guy in a Jeep stopped and asked if I was walking for fun or wanted a ride. I said I'd gotten my trail miles in for the day and would be glad of a ride. Turns out Clayton is a member of the outdoor club where Luke "Strider" Jordon spoke this past week about his Great Plains Trail hike! Small world, right?

Weather looking bad tomorrow afternoon. I think I'll do a short hike in the morning, and then come back and go to the laudromat and hardware store.

Did I mention how still it was today? Many, many times I could hear no human sounds at all. No breeze. Just quiet!

	See Day Thirteen
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