In the summertime, I gave this park a 5 star rating for all it has to offer and included some very pretty pictures. In the fall, I posted more beautiful pictures of the colorful, fallen leaves and the beauty of the autumn season. This one is a winter review with pictures, based on a walk we took on a mild February day.
When we decided to bundle up and take a Sunday stroll during a break in the cold weather, I wasn't sure if there would be any beauty to be found on a cloudy, winter's day. I'm happy to say, "boy was I wrong". With a camera in my hand we started out on our much needed journey along the walkway. The first sign of beauty was a lone red cardinal sitting in the brush of fallen trees and twigs. He posed as I snapped a quick picture of him. As we walked along, more birds could be heard calling out with their unique chirps (Listen to my video I posted). With no leaves on the trees, the wooded area gave us a glimpse of squirrels chasing each other and frolicking up and down the tree trunks. Birds were hopping from one stump to another having fun in a quiet and barren park. (I took a video of this as well). The trees seemed to tell their own stories of surviving the weather as I took more pictures of their rarely seen winter beauty.
A walk around the water yielded even more picturesque settings. Three ducks were swimming in a section of melted water along the shore of the frozen lake (yes, another video as we enjoyed watching them playing in the frozen water). Streams once hidden by the summer leaves could be seen trickling along. Even the beauty of the frozen lake was worth stopping and admiring. Other people were also braving the weather and walking around the water and trees. It was so calm and serene and well worth a winter's walk.
If you're looking for something to do on a mild winter's day once the snow has melted, take a walk. Enjoy winter's beauty. Say hello and offer a smile to others who are enjoying their walks as well. Stop along your walk, look up at the tree tops and winter sky, listen to the birds and watch the squirrels and ducks. Observe all that nature has to offer during Michigan's winter months. In fact, at one point when we stopped along the trail to take in the sights and sounds, we heard a loud crack as a tree was giving way and we watched it fall, hitting other trees along it's fast, journey to the ground and it landed with a crack as it hit one last tree in it's final resting place. What a sight to behold and witness 'Pure Michigan' right before our eyes. What were the chances of that happening? It turned our 'fun' walk into an 'awesome' one because we took the time to stop and enjoy the hidden gems that are sometimes forgotten or overlooked in the cold winters. It was as if nature put on a quick show just for us and quietly said, "thank you for visiting, see you again in the spring and summer"! read more