This is part two of my very looooong walk taken at Lake Erie Metropark on June 18th. Part one was last Monday’s post.
I figured I was on a roll that day … you will recall that just about the time I was ready to head to the car and drive to the other side of this very large park, I encountered the Sandhill Cranes, then, still on a high from that meet-up, I saw the trio of does. Well, what else would I see today?
Buoyed by my early morning good fortune, I decided to try a trail I’ve snubbed since I began walking at this park in 2018. I didn’t turn my nose up at the trail because it was only a mere mile long from start to finish. In fact, I’ve started on that trail several times, but turned back, as all too soon the woodland area was thick, raggedy-looking, with grass instead of a mulched or pea-gravel path and it was buggy. Because Michigan has had tick infestation and mosquito-borne illness issues the last three or four years, why tempt fate?
But this time I ventured forth because, like many of you, here in SE Michigan we were in moderate drought, having not had rain for weeks. I was wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, so I was game to give it a try – just this once.
The Metroparks have lots of signage, not only for the length of the trail, but also what conditions you will encounter. The “you are here” sign that greeted me as I began my trek is pictured above.
I was in the shade when I took the photo of the trail signage, so I’ll transcribe the conditions of this trail below:
“Trapper’s Run Trail is the main trail leading from the museum. This loop explores a dense hawthorn thicket and man-made features of the lowland landscape. A series of five overlooks provide an opportunity to peek into the surrounding marshlands. Take your time as you walk the old trapper’s route between the lagoons. This trail is mostly flat with eight shallow transitions between boardwalk and gravel trail.”
There was a map showing the location of the five overlooks, the first which is by the boat shed near Luc’s enclosure. I took a photo of the map so I could I.D. the overlooks later if necessary.
I set out with no reservations … after all, the wooded area did not appear to be all that dense and lagoons and outlooks meant open areas. “You worry unnecessarily Linda” I told myself.
BUT, within minutes of starting on Trapper’s Run, I was inside a dense wooded area … my radar went up. I knew I would not lose my way on a one-mile route which had markers, but it seemed pretty desolate to me. Having endured the fiasco of getting lost on a hot August day for many hours in the middle of Crosswinds Marsh Wetland Interpretive Preserve back in 2020, I was not about to get embedded on some secluded trail.
Hmm – it seemed as quickly as I found myself in a dense part of the trail, with little or no view of the sky, I rounded the bend to find another wooden outlook. As mentioned above, there were five outlooks in total and, though I climbed onto each one and took photos, essentially the views were similar of the marsh and lagoon. I scrapped most of those photos once I saw them on the screen as they all looked about the same, but here are a few views.
At times, the trail became open, sunlight streaming overhead, with a grassy pathway and the occasional park bench with overgrown weeds alongside it.
Then, once again, the trail disappeared into a dense forest area. I recognized the call of a Nuthatch and searched for it. It was creeping down the tree headfirst as a White-Breasted Nuthatch usually does.
I also saw a Goldfinch, though the lighting was not stellar here.
In the heart of this trek, near the Hawthorn thicket area, I found some interesting-looking fungi.
It was a little desolate so I picked up the pace. Suddenly I saw a petite blonde woman with an extremely long camera lens pointed toward a bird high up in a tree.
I was glad to see her and told her so. We exchanged names. Danielle had a Southern accent and told me she had moved up here to Michigan recently and, in a soft voice said “no worries – I walk Trapper’s Run nearly every day – it is safe.” I said “good – I am always very wary of my surroundings.” (Postscript – it is not my overactive imagination or that I am a worrywart – a few days later, in another county, a woman walking alone on a trail in a wooded area encountered a man who exposed himself. When she screamed and attempted to run away, he blocked her path. This was not the first time this man has done this in other parks, but I digress.)
I similarly gazed up at the tree, and asked “what are you watching up there?” She responded “a Baltimore Oriole that keeps turning its back to me.” I quipped “I thought that just happened to me.” I got a giggle for that comment and we stood there companionably, cameras trained on this beautiful orange and black bird. In the dim light, I strained my eyes to not only see the bird, but photograph it. It was not on my Birdie Bucket List, but was a welcome first sighting for me. These photos don’t do it justice.
We both decided to move along and I was delighted she was going the same direction as me.
Danielle said her favorite part of the trail was the Riley Creek Overlook and it was ahead. We veered off the trail to the right to check it out. I was impressed the Trapper’s Run trail managed to pack a lot of attractions into a one-mile hike. As we got closer I saw the overlook jutting out over the water, essentially a pier with no railings at all. By now there was a good breeze blowing and it was welcome as I’d been walking for many hours by that time. I never wear a watch on the weekend, as I am a slave to the time for my weekday jaunts, but I knew it had to be near noon.
Danielle and I walked together onto the pier – what a great view and no other humans, just an egret and a heron.
We spooked the heron and she pointed “look at it heading up to the tree!”
A few minutes later, the egret followed suit to join its pal in the tree.
But, best buds or not, the egret was bored and flew back down a short time later …
… then circled around Riley Creek Overlook a few times …
… finally skidding to a stop on the top of the water. Pretty fancy footwork, huh?
The egret seemed skittish and took off again. I wished it was closer as most of these shots were far away.
The egret and heron had their own agenda and it didn’t include us, so we decided to finish up the walk. Danielle had an appointment and I had a long walk back to my car on the other side of the park and it was now very warm.
I (finally) made it back to the car and driving out of Lake Erie Metropark, a huge shadow crossed over my car – it was one of the nesting pair of Ospreys who live at the nearby fire station. That’s fodder for another post as this one is already long and picture laden.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Awrsome shots as usual Linda! Love that egret dancing one…:)
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Thanks Michael! I was happy to see I got that egret dancing when I had the photo on the screen. He’s got the moves. 🙂
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It was nice to have a walking partner for a while. Pics are great as always.
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Thanks Kate. Yes, Danielle was very nice – we spent about an hour together. I encouraged her to try the other side of the park too, especially to see those barn swallows by the overlook, since Trapper’s Run was her usual/only route taken to date.
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Maybe you’ll run into her again. There was a guy I occasionally walked with at our local mall before the pandemic. Now that it’s open for walking again, people aren’t going. Last time I walked, there were 3 of us and it was completely boring. I wish we had exchanged cell # so that when one was going to walk they could text. I enjoy it more with someone to talk to there. In my neighborhood I often meet up with someone walking and walk with them for a while.
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Yes, it was nice walking with her. I never saw anyone in the neighborhood when I used to walk in the neighborhood before discovering Council Point Park.
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Congrats on venturing where you’ve wanted to go and that you found someone to walk along with! You captured the feel of the park with your photos – nice job. Truth be told, I’d be wary to wander alone in those areas. I’d bet any stalker wouldn’t want to be exposing themselves to someone with a camera ready to take photos. Leave the exposure moments for the critters and birds!! 🤣
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Thank you Shelley – glad you liked the post and pictures. It was not quite as exciting as the earlier walk with the cranes and does, but it still was unique and nice to meet Danielle. I have grown more wary of going into the woods alone as more incidents like the one I referenced happen. We had a teenager, April Millsap, who was killed in a park on a hiking trail, where she walked her dog daily. Her dog was guarding her body. The guy who killed her is in jail. We have the storm you had yesterday about to blow in here … I’m hoping to get through comments before I pull the plug on the computer.
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You’re welcome. I pray for your safety and bravery often. You’re smart and have good radar, keep up the adventures and enjoy the moments of fun meeting people like Danielle!
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Thank you Shelley – I try to be smart. Going to downtown Detroit for over three decades helped to keep me on my toes. I hope to run into Danielle again!
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Being aware of your surroundings is a gift to embrace.
I hope so too!
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In this day and age for sure Shelley. The world spins too fast for me sometimes – I would love to hearken back to simpler times, that’s for sure.
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Me too 🤗
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Great shots of the nuthatch, Linda. I’m glad you found a friend to finish your walk with. I tend to get nervous when I am on a secluded trail by myself too. You never know who you might encounter!
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Thanks Laurie. I heard that nuthatch before I saw it. Danielle was very nice and we spent about an hour walking together. I encouraged her to try the other side of this park, especially those barn swallows at the overlook with her high-powered lens. I am so wary of everything these days, but hearing what happened to this woman, just days after I was on a woodsy trail and thinking I wasn’t smart, gave me cause to pause. The fact that her exit was blocked was scary, but we had a teenager who was killed on a hiking path she traveled daily with her dog a few years ago. Not my county, but not in a rural area up north either.
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Such an adventerous lady you are. I believe this is one of your longest posts. Glad you had someone to walk with you for awhile. Great photos as always.
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Thank you Peggy – yes, I was full of adventure that day. I am often like that in Fall when it is beautiful and picturesque and the cooler temps are so conducive for walking. This was a very long post and I originally intended to split the post and have the Riley Creek Overlook and the heron and egret as a Wordless Wednesday post, but then I couldn’t put captions/words, so put them all together. It was nice having someone to walk with – Danielle was very nice and told her to try the other side of the park, especially the barn swallows area.
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Yes, putting words to your pictures is better than wordless wednesday posts.
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quick draw McGraw getting that Blue Heron landing Linda!
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Thanks Wayne! You and I being the same age and having grown up with the same cartoons, I did feel like Quick Draw. I lucked out with that shot, my first photo of a bird skidding to a stop.
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A nice trip and great that you found a walking buddy.
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Thanks Ruth – it was very scenic, despite my occasional misgivings about disappearing in/out of the woodsy areas.
It was nice having a walking buddy, if only for an hour. We are having that severe storm now – no thunder yet, but high winds and lots of rain. I hope you get some rain for your garden and stay safe.
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Oh we got rain and we also without power for 26 hours. Thank God for our generator to keep the freezers going. Did you lose power?
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Hi Ruth – I was wondering how you fared as I think your area got hit badly. Sorry to hear you had no power – that was fast for restoring your power as I heard some people would not get it back until Thursday/Friday. Yes, thankfully you had a generator to keep your freezers going, especially after all that hard work you have done canning, etc. for Winter. No, I did not lose power, despite those 70 mph winds. There were some trees down in my City, but nothing else. I hope we are done with the volatile weather for the rest of the year – it is going to be cooler for a few days.
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Nice bird photos and interesting new trail! I have only seen a Baltimore Oriole once. It was migrating through in the spring.
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Thanks Rebecca – yes, the Baltimore Oriole was a treat to see. I know lots of people around here are saying they have luck with seeing Baltimore Orioles at their jelly feeders or by putting out orange halves, but I’ve not seen any in the neighborhood here. I thought it was funny both the skittish egret and heron hightailed it to the tall tree once we showed up.
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Glad you did find your way along the trail and someone to join up with. I am not leery around here, but I’ve had bad experiences in urban parks. Robbed of my bike once by two guys, the dreaded flasher once. Who knows what other mischief I narrowly avoided?
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Yes, it was nice to meet up with someone along the trail Eilene. Danielle had no qualms at all about being in the occasionally desolate areas. I told her about being lost several hours at Crosswinds Marsh and it wasn’t fun, even a bit scary as it was a dense wooded area. Sorry you had your bike taken – hope you were not hurt. I was hit on my bike by a drunk driver many years ago – the bike did not fare so well and I had a lot of bruises and some road rash. Luckily she was just pulling out of a bar’s parking lot, so not going fast. She didn’t stop, but I got her license number and we eventually went to court – she said she stopped and I was okay, so she left. Hmm. I had the dreaded flasher once too and from now on if someone asks for directions while I am walking, I stand 10 paces away from their car to tell them the directions. 🙂
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Dang! Getting hit by a car is terrible! One woman in a bike here got run over by a woman in an SUV, but she truly never saw the bike and was also traumatized by it. The biker had a crushed pelvis but recovered. Glad you got the license and got her in court hope she had to pay some sort of penalty!
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I lost a day at work (I was working Summers during college) and she said the sun was low on the horizon and I pulled out in front of her. Not true at all!. She was just fined for a rolling stop and that is all. I was not happy that is how it turned out. I was a few blocks from the police station when it happened and I went right away to the police station, with the bike and gave them the license number and description of the car and driver before I forgot the number. They made the report and took pictures. At that time, the diner where I worked throughout college prepared all the prisoner meals as the diner was open 24/7. So I knew all the police officers who came in to pick up the meals (they rotate shifts, so I got to know all of them). I also went to high school with the desk sergeant who was on duty that day. So a couple of those police officers testified in court how I looked, the bruises, road rash – still she got off pretty easy in my opinion.
We just had a sad incident in Michigan earlier this month. A group of cyclists were riding for the Make-a-Wish-Foundation (riding for miles for granting wishes) and an SUV rammed into the group, killing two cyclists. The SUV driver was drunk and has been charged in their deaths. I never rode again outside, but have an exercise bike in the basement. I would like to get another bike and go on some of the bike trails which link the various Metroparks later, maybe when retired.
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That is a shame, all of it. I don’t care for road riding. I ride my mountain bike on trails and sometimes on bike paths.
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I think that is the way to go Eilene – much safer. We have these trails linked together and part of the Iron Belle Trail bike path which goes from Detroit to northern Michigan. My boss used to ride his bike from home to work, an 18-mile round trip. He did that for several Summers until one morning he passed the Chrysler plant and it was just past shift change and someone hit him coming out of the plant parking lot. He had no broken bones, but a lot of road rash which resulted in an infection. He now rides at Belle Isle which is a mile away from the office, but he drives there during the day and then rides about 25 times around the island to break up the day.
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It looks like an interesting place. Were there many mosquitoes/bugs out? Those egret pictures are priceless – that one looks like it’s striking a ballet pose!
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PS. As for your hesitation re unpleasant encounters, that would be my fear too sometimes depending on the surroundings, especially in parks which seem deserted at certain hours.
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And then to hear that story on the news, just a few days later … gave me cause to pause. I am always looking around. At that park, the Cherry Island Trail can be desolate at times – I go there after the other side as a general rule as there are a few more people out and about by then. We had a teenage girl killed on a nature trail a few years ago in another county. She walked her dog on that trail every day. The dog stayed by her body. It can be desolate in these bigger parks if you go too far off the main road.
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Um……sounds like a recipe for a murder mystery. Desolate, I don’t like. We have a few areas where the phragmites (sp) have become invasive and I always think that would be a good place to dump a dead body and no one would ever find it! Did they find out who did it?
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Yes they did find out who did it and he was tried and serving time in jail. I felt badly hearing the story, this young girl and her dog, a border collie, who stayed with the body. Some walkers on the trail passed by the dog but didn’t see her body, then returned from their walk and the dog was still there. They then called the police. I’ll send you the story in a separate comment.
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Here is a story after the murder – they didn’t know who killed her then. The second story is after he was sentenced.
https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2016/03/i_hope_the_four_walls_close_in.html
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That’s horrible! 14 years old? And first degree so planned? So many crazy creeps around…..I sometimes worry about you walking so early in the morning.
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Yes, only 14 years old – it was very sad to hear that story and I felt badly for her mom, whom I think raised April alone if I recall. Her mom was hearing impaired and originally did not want to give an interview but broke down and did it in the video clip I sent to you. At that time (2014), I was walking only in the neighborhood to/from Council Point Park and at Council Point Park only. I didn’t start going to bigger parks until 2017-2018. So I didn’t think of the April murder as impacting my walking habits, but I sure do now.
Thank you for worrying about me Joni; I appreciate that. After what I heard about the guy on the trail, it gave me cause to pause … maybe go later than I do now but I still have concern for COVID, even though I’m usually the only one wearing a mask and it is not really what you’d call crowded in these bigger parks. And with the heat we had all Summer, it’s nicer to go when it’s cool and more critters are out foraging for the first meal of the day. There are a lot of things going on vehicle wise as well, such as lots of people speeding, road rage, random shootings. A friend of mine I knew through Carol lived in Florida and died after a dump truck driver was texting at a stop light and rammed into my friend’s vehicle and he died two days later of horrible injuries. I just learned today that OnStar will no longer work on my car after 12/31/22 because it is a 2G vehicle – great. You can have some connection if you call for an emergency, but no longer vehicle diagnostics on the spot and no more vehicle tracking if it is stolen. A few more amenities if you have a smart phone and download the app – I don’t have a smartphone as you know. I’ve had to get two different cellphones – first it was no more 2G phones at AT&T, so I got a 3G, then it was no more 3G, so had to get a 4G phone this year. Annoying. I really do not need more than a flip phone – I never use my phone. I am going to keep the landline after I no longer work – it looks like in an emergency, cellphones do not pinpoint your location.
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I do worry about you Linda…if you don’t post for awhile, although I know you are often behind in Reader like me. Unfortunately the world is no longer a safe place. That park with the peaceful woodland trail is okay during the day, there are lots of people around, as we don’t have a ton of parks like you do, but I sure wouldn’t do it late in the evening. I’m not sure how far it goes, as the big park is 200 acres but at the end nearest the river is an small beach area known for partying and the drug crowd which is a shame as there are 3 nice condo/apartment buildings for seniors at that end. You certainly wouldn’t want to go out for a midnight stroll and there was one guy who lived there who got beat up by some thugs.
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Thank you for worrying Joni and right now I am five (maybe six) days behind in Reader. I got behind getting in all the groceries and getting here late in the day, plus we had three stormy evenings and I shut down. So very behind now. I mentioned Wyandotte and going to the River in the post about Marge’s five-year anniversary of her death. I follow the local crime forums and am amazed what is going on in Wyandotte now and it was always such a nice city. I cannot imagine going to the River in the dark like Marge did. She did have a side door and a sensor light and stepped right outside the door, down a couple of steps and into her car, but then she’d go to MacDonald’s and get coffee and something for breakfast – I don’t go out in the dark, dawn/dusk – none of it anymore. I am not happy about the OnStar situation – the button for emergencies was good, now gone. By the time you call the 800 number and wait … well, not happy about it. I got no letter from them; I was looking to see what day in September it expired – figured it was the anniversary of the day I got the car, September 17, 2009. The cheapest plan is now $24.00/month – that included diagnostics and vehicle tracking, so without that I don’t know if I’ll continue it. At least I’m not out at night, so maybe it will be okay.
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I don’t have anything like OnStar, I think that’s a Gm feature, just CAA which you have to call a toll free number for. I’ve only used it twice in 40 years, and both times were okay and I didn’t wait too long. I’ve heard it can be long though if it is a winter storm but I don’t go out then. It’s $130 for a year, and gives you free towing to the garage of your choice and a ride home, and battery jumps/tire changes etc.
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I just renewed my Allstate Auto Club roadside assistance card a few weeks ago and like you, I have had it for decades (since my first car in 1973). They did cancel the card because my first car, (VW Beetle), even though it was brand new, used to have stalling issues and I had multiple tows, so they cancelled me after a few years. I applied for a new card, when I got rid of the Beetle and got the Pacer in 1977 and have had it ever since and not used it since 1977. I don’t go out in a Winter storm either – in fact, now that the allergist no longer has walk-ins, I am going to suspend my shots again from November until April.
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I was surprised there was so much to see in a one-mile trail. It did not seem like a trail as it was not clearly defined with gravel or mulch or wooden walkways like they usually are. No, I did not see any mosquitoes or bugs Joni – are you wondering if that wooded area in your picture used in your post might be the same type of walk/hike? At that time we had not had rain in a while, or I would not have gone as it looked a little too rustic to me, so maybe buggy. The egret didn’t want to stay still – he’d land in the water, then take off and circle around. Guess he was spooked by us. It does look like a ballet pose! That was a surprise as I didn’t see how he landed until I saw the photo on the computer screen. He was not very close and it was a little windy and the long pier had no railings except at the very end of the pier, so I was concentrating on keeping my balance and watching all around me at the same time.
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That’s good re no bugs. No the woodland path i want to do isn’t near water or marshy areas, but I’ve heard it’s a bad year for ticks here so I’ll wait awhile. It’s more just deciduous trees. I’m not even sure how long it is.
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Yes, maybe wait until Fall or even Winter – it would be nice in Winter with freshly fallen snow to walk through. I understand though that if it is not a cold Winter, the ticks will still be active and can still be active in Fall until it goes below freezing. Why do we have bugs?
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I thought I would do a series on it – A Walk in The Woods – with a post for each season, winter, spring, summer and fall, starting with winter. It’s hard for me to get someone to check on mom if I’m away for any length of time. I have so many blog topics I could be writing, but need to stay close to home for now.
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Well, if you can’t take long walks Joni (and I understand why and sympathize with you because I worried being away from my mom the last year of her life just to do routine errands), you might want to consider doing this like I did in the link below. I did this twice: going to the beginning of the trail at Council Point Park and taking a photo during each season. The first time I did a collage of the four seasons for my header pic, but then the second time, as you see in the link below, I used individual pictures. I really wanted to get dandelions but the “bloomed” while the Park was shut down for COVID an entire month. I went to feed the critters at the pavilion, but did not go to the beginning of the trail. Anyway, if you only get a shot of the beginning of the trail like you showed in your last post, that might be an option – less time away from Mom and less worry about ticks. You might write you have concern about ticks – ticks are not always dormant in Winter.
As for this weekend, it was supposed to be great and I was happy since I spent Labor Day 2021 buying groceries every day, sometimes twice a day as they remodeled and I could not find my way around to do shopping before work. Anyway, now it is off/on storms and starting Friday, will be hot and humid again. Tomorrow will be a nice day, cool and sunny. It’s probably better not to be out on the road Saturday for the holiday traffic anyway. I’ll just go to Council Point Park instead and walk there instead – no worries about holiday traffic. There are still power outages and that may affect traffic lights as well. There are still a lot of people with no power after Monday’s storm.
I am behind in Reader and have not done next week’s posts, so better not to be galavanting around. Here is that post just as an idea … if you can only get to the entrance – the tick situation may not be as bad next year. The weather situation likely will be worse – sigh. If we get rain/storms this Saturday afternoon, then we get rain Sunday morning, the rustic trails will be muddy. I am looking forward to Fall.
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That’s a good idea. Yes I remember your post. I’m worried about the ticks, but also still plagued by mosquito bites – they must like me this year! Which is weird as I’m not out that much. But it might be those little no-see-ums again – very itchy anyway, for days it seems. Yea, the weekend forecast is bad again. I would like it to stay summer but those nice 75 degree days like today!
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Yes, try that idea Joni – it doesn’t require stepping too far into the wooded area, plus no worries about a long hike and leaving your mom alone. Just pop into the park and grab the photo(s). A walker at Council Point Park said she had a tick on her clothes a few years ago, but picked it off and no harm to her at all. She said there were ticks at the Southgate Nature Preserve – it is next to a high school and the students go into the preserve as part of science classes and all the kids reported seeing ticks on their clothes, so I haven’t been back there. It is quite open at Council Point Park – the only issue for me is I go under the tree to put peanuts and seeds for the squirrels/birds, but I do that and immediately check my pants and socks after I cross the grass and get onto the path again.
A fellow blogger and her husband are Canadian and often hike at Algonquin Park and other big parks with lots of ticks. She mentioned getting gaiters which you wear over the bottom of your pants and they lay on top of your shoes to keep ticks from getting into your socks/pants. The gaiters also work well in Winter to keep snow from getting into your hiking boots.
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I googled to see what hiking gaiters look like and that would work. I usually wear sweatpants/joggers while walking but the moisquitos/bugs can bite through the fabric. Jeans would probably be better as the material is a tighter weave.
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I thought hiking gaiters were a good idea too Joni. I had heard of the word “gaiters” but didn’t know what they were. The blogger (Susan – Trums Travels) says they also use them over their hiking boots in the snow too to keep their feet/laces where the boots tie up dry. I wear sweatpants in the cold weather and pants made from a nylon-type material in warm weather. Both are actually men’s pants, the Summer ones are very lightweight, but because I am tall, they at least fit and come down to my ankles.
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Beautiful birds pic. Beautiful capture all picture. Great adventure walked. That’s found someone to walk along with you captured some pictures. I like .
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Thank you for your comments rajkkhoja. It is a beautiful park to walk in and it was nice to meet someone along the trail as I usually walk alone. I liked the birds too, especially the egret doing his little “dance” on top of the water.
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Thank you so much! I like walking, seeing nature .
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That’s great rajkkhoja! Do you walk alone or with someone? I usually walk alone – this was something different, walking along with someone else. Sometimes I talk to other walkers at the park where I walk on weekdays (and some weekends too, plus throughout the Winter as I don’t like driving in the Winter).
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Very nice can’t driving in winter. I walk alone. But sometimes talk with ,meet friends and others walker. I like walk. I can’t tired.
Thank you so much !
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rajkkhoja, I don’t mind Winter if it is just cold – the ice and snow will keep me from walking as much as I’d like and I don’t drive unless I have to – so can avoid accidents or slip-and-falls that way. I work from home, so that makes it easier. I took the bus for many years when I worked in downtown Detroit. That’s nice about having friends or other walkers to walk with – you can go alone or meet up.
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Yes, very nice your decision, can’t drive in winter. That time very cold the ice and snow on the way unless accident or slip down. It like me. Where you live?
Thank you so much you reply my comments. Iam so glad.
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Yes, I am no fan of Winter at all – if it was just cold, no problem. I have a lot of warm clothes as I took the bus so many years. I live in Southeast Michigan – what about you? You are very welcome rajkkhoja; thank you for commenting!
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You are most welcome! I live in India , Mumbai .
My English is very little. Sometime i write wrong spell and sentence, some my mistake you read carefully.
Thank lots 🌷!
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Thank you for telling me rajkkhoja. Your English is fine – more than fine! I do not have any problems understanding you. I admire anyone who is able to speak a second language. I cannot speak the language of your country at all. I have a fellow blogger who is from Kerala. She has taken a blogging break at the present time. She came to the U.S. the Fall before the COVID pandemic to study at Yale University for a year. She left before the school year was up as Yale University closed due to COVID, so she had to finish her studies at home. I will send you a link in another comment in case it happens to go to your e-mail SPAM filter – it is about Susie because I see your comments on Anne Mehrling’s blog and Anne and her late husband met with Susie shortly before the pandemic. I am always behind in reading/commenting so I scroll through the comments to respond and see your name there. I don’t know if you were following Anne’s blog in 2019.
I studied French for many years. I am from Canada and am still a Canadian citizen. We moved here when I was 10 years old, but we had to study French from first grade on. I never studied French until college – I even had a class where we never spoke English, but because I don’t use French, I remember very little French from my studies.
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rajkkhoja – Here is the link to Anne’s blog that I mentioned.
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Thank you so much. You sharing me link. I can read it’s blog.
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You’re welcome rajkkhoja. I know I have seen you on Anne’s blog when scrolling down to leave my comment. Anne and her late husband got to meet Susie – they enjoyed meeting her very much.
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I always get excited when I see overlooks indicated on a map. 😉 It might as well say photo op. 🙂 Nice capture of the nuthatch! The fungi on the hawthorn(?) bark looks like a bit of nature’s art. Funny how birds love to turn their backs to photographers. The picture of the egret skidding to a stop on the top of the water was fantastic! How nice to meet Danielle and walk along for a time with someone familiar with the area.
I completely understand your concerns about walking alone in the woods. Once when my sister and I were teens and walking through a park we crossed paths with a man who exposed himself. We grabbed each others hands and ran away as fast as we could and never looked back… I suppose that might be at the root of some of my fears, even though that happened about 50 years ago. It was a very rude awakening.
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I get excited seeing overlooks on a map too Barbara and I was trying to figure out how they would have so many on a one-mile trail when I first set out. That tree fungi was interesting looking. The last overlook was fabulous and it was getting quite windy, so I wanted to make sure I looked all around, yet keep my balance since there was only one railing at the end of the pier and the rest was open. That egret was so funny skidding to a stop like that … I didn’t see it until I saw the photo on the screen. That egret kept circling, then going into the water, then taking off again. Danielle was nice – I enjoyed walking along and chatting with her.
I try now, after getting lost at Crosswinds in that dense wooded area, not to stray too far from the main road. Even the Cherry Island Trail is out of the way in parts. I do like going earlier in the morning to beat the crowd and also when critters and birds may be out foraging for their first meal of the day and it is more peaceful at that time as well. I also had a flasher, a man who asked me for directions when I was walking along a busy city street. Last time I did that. Now someone wants directions, I stand back, far from the car. As a youngster, my mom said “never go near a stranger’s car and never get into a stranger’s car, even if it’s a neighbor – no matter what the circumstances are.” I am sure it was unsettling for you and your sister – luckily you had each other and could run away as fast as possible and he did not follow you.
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Those early morning walks do make for some of the best wildlife spotting. Your mom gave you some great advice. You just never know…
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Yes, it is a great time to be scoping out wildlife for photos, especially in Summer when it’s cooler. That was good advice from Mom and in this day and age, you have to be mindful of your surroundings at all times. How I wish sometimes I was born in an earlier era Barbara, but look what happened to you and your sister decades ago. You just don’t know.
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What a great trail, Linda! Seems to have everything. We have some great trails nearby and I just have to get out there more…some I have to drive to and it’s been hot again. The dancing egret is hilarious, we see them all over the place here too. We also have a few bird sanctuaries 20-30 minutes away but I have not been there yet…shame on me. This month and next may be a good time to check this off, thanks for the inspiration! Enjoy your hikes!
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I enjoyed that trail Terri – lots to see packed into a mile-long hike. I usually go on the longer trails, but I am glad I tried this one. That was a lucky shot of the egret as I didn’t realize I got it skidding to a stop until I saw the photos on the computer screen. Too bad it was so far away, but I was happy to see it dancing anyway. 🙂 I’m looking forward to a little cooler weather to see the colorful leaves on upcoming hikes.
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Miss Linda……………………………such an interesting and informative story about your long neglected trail walk……………………….thank you……………….I’m glad that you met up with the other curious photographer Danielle………………..there are other adventurous people like yourself who enjoy nature,………………………….thank you for sharing all of your treasures
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Glad you enjoyed this trail walk Ann Marie – so many times I’ve seen it as it is near the Marshlands Museum parking lot, starting on the right of it and ending up on the left. If you blink you miss the starting point. It was nice meeting Danielle who is a regular on this particular trail as she liked taking pictures at that last overlook. Glad you liked my second installment of that long morning walk I took.
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I am a lover of marshy nature and beautiful birds. Your pictures did so much justice to this amazing place!! Thanks so much for sharing your love and I’m glad you made the acquaintance of Danielle! It’s fun to have conversations with like minded individuals. It’s why I love your blog so darn much.
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Thank you LaShelle! I am glad you enjoyed Trapper’s Run walk through the marshes and lagoons and the chance to see the heron and egret and the smaller birds too. It was nice meeting Danielle as I generally walk alone and so we spent about an hour together between chatting, walking and taking photos. It was a really great day at Lake Erie Metropark and really hard to top all that excitement. Hope you are feeling better after your bout with COVID and the rest of the family has recovered as well. I am so behind here at WP as we had a few stormy evenings, including severe weather last night, so I ended up shutting off my computer.
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Rob is still recovering but other than battling on again off again exhaustion I’m doing really well. Nikolai bounced back SO quick. Rob is still struggling but he’s hanging in there. Thanks so much for asking! Hope you faired well in the storms!
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Wow, that’s a long time for Rob as well – Nikolai being so young bounced back quickly, so that is good. You’re welcome LaShelle – I was hoping for your family’s sake it was over by now. I lucked out with the bad storms – thanks for asking! There were tons of power outages (250,000 homes/businesses) in the tri-county area where I live and over 3,300 downed wires, so our energy provider tackles the downed wires before the power restoration can begin. We had a death and a serious injury from the downed wires and people touching them. A lot of people still won’t have power until late tomorrow/Friday. We have lots of linemen here from neighboring states helping out.
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WOW 😲 what a storm! I’m so glad you’re doing okay! Hopefully everyone you know personally is doing okay too. I can’t imagine loosing the contents of items in the refrigerator with how expensive everything is these day too. Sending prayers up!
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Thank you LaShelle – yes, we’ve had some power lost through the years, once for an entire week. Lots of food spoiled over the years.
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I don’t blame you for being cautious, it’s different for a woman hiking alone or doing other things. I always look at the backseat of my car before I get in at LOL. I think I’ve watched too many murder mysteries 😄. It looks like you had a great hike and it would’ve been pleasant to run into another person and have a visit while walking. We also are very cautious about trails that aren’t maintained, because of ticks. We have a lot of ticks up here now. Egrets are pretty cool looking birds😊
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Yes, you have to be cautious especially if it’s earlier in the day and not many people on the trails yet. You’re lucky you are not navigating the trails or waterways on your own Susan. The early morning is when the critters/birds come out to forage and it’s more peaceful earlier as well, so I prefer that to mid-day or even late morning. I always look on the backseat too and I can remember about 25 years ago, there were warnings to women to always look under your car as someone might grab your ankles, pull you to the ground, steal your keys from your hand and drive off in your car. I did that for years and probably should do that now! 🙂 It happened in a K-Mart parking lot here in SE Michigan.
It was a great hike and nice not to be overly concerned about ticks or mosquitoes as it had been dry for quite a while. That egret skidding to a stop was fun to see in my photos. I was more mindful of the windy day and not losing my balance on the long pier with railings only at the end of the pier.
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Oh wow I did not know that about people hiding under the cars, one more thing to watch for! Yes and my husband is a big guy so I don’t worry too much with him around. The egret skidding was a great shot!
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Yes, very scary and I clearly remember my mom reading it out loud to me as she read the local paper and saying “don’t be thinking about other things Linda – pay attention and do this check before you get in the car!” This was long before the internet/social media could alert women about such dangers.
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Oh, how wonderful! You made a new friend, saw a ton of wildlife and walked a long, long walk. I hope you exchanged information and maybe set up a coffee date or another walk or something? It is smart to be cautious and I hope you carry bear spray. I understand it works well on humans also. Not sure how legal it is, should check that out.
I really loved the egret dancing on the water, by the way.
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Yes it was quite the day Zazzy. Danielle was very nice – we did not exchange info, but she said she walked that trail nearly daily, so I think I could probably find her there again.
I just looked and found they sell the bear spray on Amazon, but I will have to ensure they ship it to my state and it is legal here in Michigan. It is made by Sabre – I have their pepper gel as well on my fanny pack. I hope I never need it, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some.
That egret was a treat to find when sorting through my pictures. It was getting windy on that long pier with no railings except at the very end, so I was being mindful of the wind, the pier, so didn’t realize I got that shot at the time.
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Do you spray pepper gel?
You, my dear, need to get to Yellowstone if you’ve never been. You would have such a great time. I recommend mid-June. Dang, I wish I could go with you.
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I would love to go there Zazzy based on what you told me and LaShelle, (another blogger friend of Ally’s), wrote a post about Yellowstone recently as well. I know it was a favorite place of yours. I am going to stream the first four seasons of “Yellowstone” – I get it free with Comcast but I don’t have TV, so will watch it on the computer. I have heard it is good. I do carry pepper gel – I had pepper spray, then learned that spray could blow back, so better to use gel, so I got that instead. And I have a whistle I wear on a lanyard. But I will still look into the bear spray. Hornet spray is also good to have, though may not be as effective as bear spray.
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These pictures are amazing! I like the contrast of the wooden platform against the water. So glad that you didn’t have a repeat of getting lost and you found a walking friend.
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Thanks Esther – I’m glad you like the pictures. That was a very long platform over the water and the only place it had a railing was at the end of the overlook … it was windy that day as well, so I didn’t spend a lot of time standing out there in the open part. Danielle was nice and I met her at a time I was questioning myself why I had gone on that trail.
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So that’s where my Orioles go mid summer every year! Lol You always get the bet pictures Linda.
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Ha ha – It was a first for me Diane and I sure wish it had been a tad more sociable! Glad you enjoyed the pictures. I took a ton of shots while I was at Lake Erie Metropark that day.
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I like the names of the areas you walked through/by. Overlooks and a thicket. I never seen anything designated like that around here.
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Ally, one thing I do like is how the Metroparks identify each trail and overlook at the beginning of the trail and also give the walking conditions. The Cherry Island Trail is really unique as it goes through multiple habitats, from a rocky path along a shoreline to marshes and lagoons you see using the wooden overlooks.
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Hi Linda, what a nice walk! You could probably write about paper clips and make it sound interesting!
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Thank you Jeanine! I really appreciate you saying that, especially when I know my posts sometimes are probably over-long and picture-laden at times.
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My pleasure. I never mind long posts. (As you know, it just takes me ages to catch up…I’m not finding my blogging groove after the holidays but decided not to be too hard on myself. It will settle back to smoothly. Eventually)
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That’s great Jeanine. I don’t mind long posts either. I figure I do one short, one long per week. I used to post more, but it was too much. It’s hard to get that blogging groove back after such a long and wonderful vacation. And yes, do not be hard on yourself!
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I’m wondering how many pairs of shoes you need to keep your walking regime up, Linda!
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Funny you ask me that Pam as I just finished tomorrow’s post and I posted a pair of my walking shoes which look pretty decrepit and I mentioned I had two new pair, but have not taken them out of the box yet. I worried they eliminate the brand, so have spares. I have to say these shoes are comfortable right out of the box and I only go through one pair a year before they are relegated to yard work. I do wear hiking boots for the snow or when I worry there might be black ice as they have heavy lug soles. This weekend is the 11th anniversary of starting my walking regimen, same day of the week on the calendar as well. It seems like I have always been walking, like it was always a part of my day Pam. When I used to wait for the bus I would see all the retired folks walking down the main street for their morning walk and I’d envy them.
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Eleven years! That’s terrific, Linda. 🥰
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Thanks Pam!
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😘
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It is good to have company sometimes. Your photos are lovely, as always. I’m looking forward to the ospreys.
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Yes, it was nice JP – she was very friendly. Glad you liked the photos. It was such a gorgeous day. I took a quick peek at the osprey on the camera card. The pair was busy bringing nesting materials back to the nest which is on sitting atop the firehouse alarm which is an interesting photo in itself.
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