Bowman Semi-Primitive Area - Glacial Goodies

 
Today I hiked about 8 miles through one of my favorite local places, the Bowman Semi-Primitive Area. It's within the Manistee National Forest, and includes 3 miles of the North Country Trail. Because it's so special, it's protected from motorized use. You can not even drive to the lake, which keeps it pretty nice.

I did a loop of the NCT and then the Bowman Trails. This is Bowman Lake. It's gorgeous in any season. It's a glacial kettle hole lake- formed when a block of ice calved off the retreating glacier. It has no inlet or outlet, but has remained a lake because it is spring fed.



There are several other kettle holes in the area, but they are dry most of the year. The second largest one did have some frozen standing water today. Notice the dark brown vegetation in the bottom. That is leatherleaf- a wetland shrub which indicates that it's wet close to the surface year round.



One of the things I love about this area is that it has just enough topography to be really interesting. It's full of glacial kames. These are little pointy hills deposited by water dripping out the bottom of the glacier. Just like letting wet sand run out of your hand to make a little pointed pile, but on a much larger scale.



It's hard to tell this shot is looking downhill when the previous one was looking up to a hilltop, but the trail here wanders beside and over these rolling humps.



You might think there would be a lot of glacially deposited rocks, called erratics. There are some, but most aren't very big. This is about the biggest I've seen there.



Here is the other type of geologic feature. This is a bowl-shaped depression, rounded rather than V-shaped as the kettles are. No leatherleaf growing in the bottom. That indicates that it's probably a blow-out, a place where wind picked up the loose sand and just sculpted a bowl.



One thing I thought was really interesting because I hadn't noticed it before. With no leaves, you can see for a long way through the trees. That blue ridge in the far distance is the ridge beyond the floodplain of the Pere Marquette River, on the other side.



And a few pretties- some kind of polypore fungus. I liked the yellow and creamy bands.



It finally got a degree over 40! The sun showed up at the end of the day. Always welcome.



And a lovely reflection at the edge of Bowman Lake.



Hike 100 Challenge for 2020 is at 53 miles.

In other news: I wrote a news article in the morning and did laundry.

56th St to 40th St on the North Country Trail, Lake County, MI, and then return via the Bowman Lake Trail, Leatherleaf Loop and Bowman ski trail. Total about 8 miles total

See A Day on the Trail with Annie

Nine More Miles

 
It wasn't warm enough to do more blaze painting today, but I wanted to go out on the trail anyway, so I connected to the piece I did the other day that is south of me.

This section includes a little ephemeral pond and stream. This often dries up completely in August and September, but when there is water it's one of my favorite little "secret" places.



I got a couple of nifty ice pictures near the bridge that crosses the feeder stream for this pond.





South of there is a hemlock swamp. I really love hemlock forests.



And a tiny creek that is also seasonal, but right now it even has a baby waterfall.



Turkeytail fungus- one never knows just what it will look like. Always rippled bands of earthy colors, though.



Spring is trying hard to pop. Trailing arbutus is in bud! Just give it a few days of sun.



It was chilly but OK for fast walking. I met a young couple from Ludington out for a walk with their dog. They had never been there before. "This is beautiful," the guy said. Yup. (Despite the fact that a lot of spring cleanup is needed on that section.)

Total out and back, 9 miles. Hike 100 Challenge 2020 is at 50 miles.

In other news: I worked on The Lonely Donkey in the morning.

North Country Trail, Lake County, MI, 56th St south 4.5 miles and back

See I've Got the Hiking Itch

Art Center Bingo- Square One

 
The Ludington Area Center for the Arts published a bingo card of art projects for people to try during this down time. Since I've been wanting to learn to do watercolor better anyway, I at least did one square. Here's the card- anyone can play.

So, I followed a YouTube video to do this one. My previous attempts at watercolor were not well instructed (not hardly at all), and were pretty bad. I'll show you three stages in the process of painting this one. Here's the basic background in place.



This is kind of the middle. One thing I learned for sure. Instead of using sketching paper (which I did with the cardinal), I bought a pad of "watercolor paper." Yeah, right. I guess I need to be willing to spend a tiny bit more money. It was terrible. But, it is a bit better than the sketching paper, and it will be ok for me to do some learning with.



I also bought a cheap paint set. The color selection is poor. Of course, you can mix to make colors you want, but the selection with my watercolor pencils is much better. Maybe next time I'll do a combo of the two.

Anyway, here's the finished first landscape try. (Well, not the first ever, ever... but in a long time)



My problem with the bingo card is that I want to do things that aren't in a row! Well, I can make up my own rules if I don't bother to submit it, right?

In other news: In the morning I was interviewed for an author podcast. Probably will be on line on Wednesday. I'll let you know. Worked on bookwork, and stuff, and did this painting.

See More Art

Philadelphia Flower Show - White Plants

 
I always like to find the plants with white foliage at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The choices go way beyond dusty miller and lamb's ear!

There were more than this, but a lot weren't labeled. The huge succulent garden in the entrance had few labels, but I think this is some kind of agave.



This is a border plant that looks a bit like lamb's ear. It's a Senecio. There's a genus with an incredible amount of variation. This is Senecio candidans, Angel Wings



Centaurea are knapweeds, yes like the invasive spotted knapweed. But many are beautiful ornamentals that aren't a problem. Centaurea cineraria 'Colchester White' has really white foliage.


This is a near-white succulent. This is a gasteraloe, a cross between a gasteria and an aloe. Variety 'Green Ice.'



And finally, for today at least, is an Aloe, 'White Fox.'



In other news: Busy day. I made yogurt, refrigerator soup (which turned out yummy), and whole wheat soda bread. I packaged and mailed books. I wrote a newspaper article.

See Meijer Gardens- White Plants

I've Got the Hiking Itch

 
No, that's not hiker's itch, it's HIKING ITCH. You know, that insatiable desire to go out and walk, preferably on my favorite North Country Trail. So, that's just what I did. I went in the morning before it was supposed to rain.

This is Jenks Creek. There's plenty of water in it in the spring, and without all the understory, you can really see how it wanders through the landscape.



I loved this landscape. The entire thing is on one side of a fallen tree, but couldn't you just go exploring there if you were small?



Connected with Sterling Marsh where I was a few days ago. The ice is all gone. See that line in the water far out there?



There are ducks making that line in the water. I shot a couple of pictures, but couldn't see what they were until I got them on the computer. Ring-neck Ducks! This is a male.



This picture isn't as good, but there is a female with them, so I'll show you.



And a little Brown Creeper working its way up a tree. They can walk down headfirst!



The world is still very brown and gray, but it's beginning to liven up a little bit. Today warmed up very nicely- into the 50s. And the rain didn't show up until later than expected, so I could have gone and painted blazes, but I didn't know that ahead of time. Supposed to get cold again tomorrow.

Hike 100 Challenge 2020 is at 41 miles.

North Country Trail, Lake County, MI, Jenks Rd parking to north of 76th St and back. 5+ miles

In other news: I got groceries, and didn't have any trouble finding what I needed.

See Rediscovering Jenks Creek