Photo Inspiration

I have been following a camera bag company on Facebook, twitter and instagram called Epiphanie Bags.  They are purse like camera bags that are cute and functional.  They recently started a giveaway challenge calling for your weekend top 10 photos.  The photo's didn't necessarily have to be from this weekend so I searched through my history and decided that my trip to New Orleans was one of my favorite weekends.  My sister and I took a photography tour with American Photo Safari through the famous French Quarter and learned how to approach shots and how to better use our cameras.  It was a great time for us and looking back it was a wonderful way to see New Orleans.
I thought I would share my entries for this contest and encourage you to visit the beautiful city.  I hope you enjoy the photo's

New Trails

My husband dislikes being on the same trail twice.  Every time we discuss where to go he wants to find a different starting point.  He always wants to go somewhere different or start on a different part of the trail.  I don't mind but I prefer to not blindly wander without a map or idea of the distance or type of trail we are on.  I like to know if it will be near water or not at all, if it loops or is an out and back, etc.   I like to plan.  This weekend we went back out the the Perry Lake Trails that are about 30 minutes from our house.  The website has a pretty decent map and good trail descriptions.  We opted to try the Section 2 west near the Longview Park.  The Longview Camping area is very close to the trail head for the 2 West section.  We drove into the camping area and the tent camping sites look really nice.  Right on the lake shore with shade trees and an amazing view.  We decided we will definitely come back to this area for some camping this summer.

The trailhead is just beyond this sign. There isn't parking right at the trail head but just a few hundred yards beyond there is a small parking area just off the road.  There is room for 2-3 cars.  

There is a map and some other various information in the trailhead sign.  It doesn't get too specific about where you are on the map which would be helpful.  

Off we go!

These trails weren't as well defined as the Slough Creek trails we were on a few weeks ago but they were well marked.  It just shows that they don't get as much foot traffic, which is just fine!!

These trails had some interest rock paths and a few areas of decent elevation gain and loss.  

Winston was happiest about the lake access.  It was about 1.5 miles into the hike but well worth it.  It was a warm day and he was thrilled to swim and play in the water.  

Some fun driftwood art!

We used the water as a turnaround point for us as we were just on a short hike today.  So most of the way back to the car was uphill.  

I love stopping to take a few pics of the flowers while they are blooming!

Desperate for the trails

My poodle mix Winston is desperate for trail running.  It has been rainy here and caused the trails to be quite muddy.  We have been going to the local dog park and some various pastures that have dried out a little but this isn't enough.  Winston heads straight for any clumping of trees looking for a trail.  He even heads down the game trails.  He runs into the trees desperately searching for a trail, barking once he finds one and then runs back to me as if to say, "It's here, I found it!"  I then just keep walking along the pasture areas and he continues this pattern of looking into the trees, sometimes running into them and the occasional excited bark before returning.
Winston has tendencies to be obsessive about things.  Fetch, for example, will occur with any item he can find from hedge balls to ripping roots from the ground to proudly present to you to throw.  Yesterday we went to the local dog park, which is only about 1/2 mile from the hiking trails we frequent.  We walked along the pastured area and played frisbee.  Once we started to frisbee back toward the car Winston just took off and went straight to the car dropping his frisbee at the back door.  I was kind of surprised that he was ready to head home but I loaded stuff up and we headed out of the parking lot.  Once we were leaving he started whining, turning circles and acting all excited again.  I was quite confused.  So, I pulled over at our hiking trail head to let him out and see what was wrong.  Well, I was fooled by a dog.  Once I opened the door and invited him out he immediately took off toward the trailhead, bouncing and yelping with joy.  Luckily there wasn't a car around since the recent rains, and threatening weather probably encouraged most people to stay away from the trails.  I walked around with Winston for a little while near the edges of the woods and he ran into the woods onto the trails and back to me yelping and barking with  joy.  I wished that I could explain to his little poodle brain that the trails were too muddy to go but he didn't care.  He ran through the trails leaving streams of mud flying in the air. After about 20 minutes of running and yelping we headed back to the car and he had flecks of mud covering his belly and sides like a car that had been driven through mud roads.  His face with his long tongue hanging was of pure joy ready to find another trail to run on.

I totally understand how he feels.  There really isn't anything better than an isolated trail to run on in cool spring weather.  I have created a trail hound in Winston and I'm thrilled.  He is going to be a wonderful little hiking buddy for years to come.

So excited we threw off a dog boot!

Today we hiked in a new area.  We went to a lake about 20 minutes from our house and hit the trails.  This lake boasts about 29 miles of hiking trails.  We have hiked a few of the trails but probably not more than 15 miles of the trails at the most and I think we had hit the same trail a couple of times.  This time I found a map, did a little research and we were rewarded.  The map to the trailhead left off a couple of key details like street names but we managed to find the correct spot.  

Winston was really excited because there wasn't another person around for miles.  This meant he got to run off leash.  He has only been on about 2-3 short hikes during the week so he was ready for a long run! 

The trails were very well marked.  It was pretty obvious that these trails didn't have as much foot traffic as our other lake trails that we frequently hike during the week.  

There were good signs and mile markers too.  

The trail went for almost a mile on top of a ridge overlooking the lake.  Since the leaves aren't on the trees yet we can still see the lake.  This beautiful view will be gone and it will be very wooded during the late spring and summer months.  

The trail then goes down toward the lake and there is a little spot to walk out to the water.  

Winston was really excited about getting in the water because it was a warm 60 degrees and he had been running since we started.  He loves going for a swim.  We took advantage of the waterfront for some pictures and enjoying the cool breeze off the lake.  

We continued on the trail for another few miles until Winston was begging for another dip in the lake then we headed back.   Since Winston was all refreshed after his swim he was in super dog mode running like a speed demon through the trails then running just as hard back to us!  In the midst of his crazy running phase Winston lost one of his Ruffwear Summit Trex boots.  I was concerned this might happen after he was in the water.  A quick retrace of his speed demon run and we found his boot, right on the trail!  We were so lucky to find the boot that we ended up just taking the boots off.  The trail was dirt without sharp rocks and we had not seen many locust thorns or glass.  He did fine the remainder of the trail without his boots and we weren't as worried seeing him racing through the trails.  

This trail doesn't loop so it is just an out and back on the same trail.  It was still a pretty trail with lots of changes in scenery.  Lakeside trails and wooded areas and even a few areas through old farmsteads.  The smell of the lilac and rosebushes from the old farmsteads was amazing!!

Sometimes walking among all the trees one tree will stick out and you just stop and look at it a little longer.  Here was my tree for this trail.  Don't forget when you are out and about hiking through the trees to stop and look at them.  They are really beautiful sometimes.  

We are excited to have found a new hiking area with lots of miles of trails that we are unfamiliar with.  This lake also has good campsites that we can get away for the weekend!  Looking forward to posting more about these trails and camps! 

Hellroaring Creek in Yellowstone National Park

While the weather didn't cooperate for hiking this weekend I reviewed some old pictures and my journal that detailed one of our favorite hikes, Hellroaring Creek.  This is one of the most beautiful and peaceful hikes in Yellowstone National Park.
Here's a look back at 2012.  

Our day started about 2 hours before sunrise with cinnamon rolls warming on the dash of the car by the heater.  It was yet another chilly October morning and the nighttime temperatures had been below 20 degrees every night.  Our tents and bags were keeping us warm but the heater of the car was a much needed pick up!  We were headed North from our base camp at Madison Campground to Lamar Valley.  Lamar Valley is well known in the Yellowstone Park System as being the place to view wildlife, especially wolves.  

We were able to make it to watch the sunrise and see the park come to life.  Unfortunately, due to the size of the Valley we ended up doing a lot of windshield time.  

The road winds through the valley and offers many views and opportunities to see wildlife.  There were a few cars on the road.  It was October so the height of tourist season was over and the week before they had almost a foot of snow, lucky for us it melted!

Can you see this guy?  It's a coyote centered in the photo.  They are camouflaged very well.  We were able to watch him catch a mouse.  It was fun to see him hunt.  

One of the highlights for me was to be able to see Moose.  Moose are one of my favorite animals to watch.  We were so lucky to see a bull, cow and calf grazing in the valley.  

I absolutely love watching these animals.  I could have sat for hours just watching them wander around. 

During our time at Lamar Valley we didn't see any wolves.  We had hoped to at least catch a glimpse.  We did see a large group of cars and people with spotting scopes.  We stopped to ask them if they had any luck spotting any wolves and turns out they follow the wolves and have devices to monitor the wolves' tracking collars.  They told us the wolves were in the backcountry and hadn't been near the road in the Valley for a couple of days.  

We had spent most of the morning in the car and we were all getting stir crazy.  I had done a little research before our trip and had a hike in mind, Hellroaring Creek Trail.  It wasn't very far from Lamar Valley and had great reviews.  We decided we would enjoy our lunch at Hellroaring Creek since it was a short 2 miles to get to the creek.  The trailhead was easy to find and had several cars already there.  

We quickly gathered our daypacks and lunch and took off! 

The trail starts with a 700ft decent into a valley via switchbacks.  The switchbacks offered a continuous view of the Buffalo Plateau and Hellroaring Mountain.  Once you get to the bottom you arrive at a suspension bridge over the Yellowstone River. 

  

The view from the bridge at the Yellowstone River below. 

After the bridge you walk through a wooded area filled with songbirds. 

After this wooded area the landscape quickly changes to a valley like appearance.  Few trees, tall grasses and small hills make up the remainder of the trail to Hellroaring Creek.  

Just after the wooded area there is this sign that points to backcountry campsites.  My quick and initial research on this trail didn't speak about it being a path to backcountry sites.  I have since read that they are great sites to camp at.  When we go back to Yellowstone we will have to do a backcountry hike from this trail.  

It is easy to see by the scat and tracks that many animals frequent this area, especially bison.  Once we got to the creek it was like an oasis.  It was a beautiful, rocky creek.  The rocks caused the water to sound like it was rushing all the time.  I can't imagine how this creek must look and sound when the snow is melting and it is really rushing! 

We stopped for lunch and enjoyed the privacy and sounds of the creek.  We did a little exploring around the creek, playing on the rocks and building rock cairns. While we were exploring we found an iPhone.  It was in a sturdy case and clearly had been lost by someone.  We decided to take it back to the car with us and see if we could return it to it's original owner.  

While we were sitting enjoying our lunch we were joking about how crazy it would be to see a bison out here.  We had seen so many tracks that we were certain they were in this area often.  We discussed how we would feel exposed with little area to hide except in the bushes along the creek, if a herd of bison were to appear.  We also joked about what we would do if a herd approached as we were on the grassy area of the trail.  

All of the joking came to a sudden halt when this guy appeared. 

At first we thought we were day dreaming.  We then starting hoping he was alone.  We also kind of hoped he wasn't.  We were so amazed that he was just walking right up to the creek where we were at.  

We of course made little movements and didn't talk and stayed clear of his path.

We were all very mindful of not getting close to him and allowing him to drink at the creek undisturbed.  It was just amazing to be so close to this bison and feel like we were apart of his world.  We were enjoying the creek and so was he.  

After we made it up the switchbacks to our car we charged the iPhone that we had found on along the creek.  It did not have a lock on it and we were able to discover who it belonged to.  We called the owner who lived in Georgia.  He had been on a boy scout trip several months earlier and lost it along the creek.  When we returned home we mailed the phone back to its' rightful owner. 

It's so nice when fun surprises occur.