A Bloy and his Blog » Lakes

Tenney Park sunset

Jonathan — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:19:49 +0000

Trying to see last night’s eclipse was a bit of a let down, but the clouds over Lake Mendota actually produced a pretty nice sunset.

Dock drifts

Jonathan — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:41:10 +0000

At last, winter has asserted itself in Madison.

Thursday’s storm created some nice snow drifts along the dock at Tenney Park. They looked like crashing waves to me, frozen in time.

Fiery sky over Trout Lake

Jonathan — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:27:02 +0000

The best sunset I saw on my last camping trip.

“Secret” places

Jonathan — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:14:58 +0000

I spent last week camping in Wisconsin’s Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest. One of my favorite things about that area, are all the secluded, “secret”, places that are just a short distance off of bike trails, hiking trails, and roads.

If you get off of your bike while riding on the trail near Crystal Lake, you’ll discover this above scene just a few dozen yards away (along a short hiking trail). Yet hardly anyone stops to take in its beauty.

The Mann Creek Wildlife Area (above) is located on a small turnoff along Highway N.

Some secret spots are only a matter of timing, like Big Muskellunge Lake at dusk. It’s located in a spot that is usually filled with people during the day, but no one else was there the evening I visited.

The Black Lagoon (below) is reached from a short walk along a boardwalk that juts away from the main Star Lake Nature Trail.

I’ve been camping in Northern Wisconsin for many years now, and almost every time I visit, I find a new one of these secret places. I wonder, how many more are out there waiting to be discovered?

Ice ornaments

Jonathan — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 02:14:40 +0000

I think Lake Monona is getting into the holiday spirit. Making ornaments from cold air and water.

Beauty in the gray

Jonathan — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:13:45 +0000

I like to call this time of the year the season of darkness. The hours of daylight are getting shorter and shorter. Everything is gray and brown, and there isn’t any snow on the ground to brighten things up. It’s all a bit depressing. But maybe I need to look at it in a different way. Take away the color, even from a gorgeous sunset, and there is beauty to be seen in the gray.

I should play around with black and white photography more.

Early sunsets

Jonathan — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:05:37 +0000

The sun is dropping out of the sky way too early these days. I took these pictures of the sun setting over Lake Monona about 4:30 in the afternoon the other day.

I suppose a beautiful sunset is some consolation for the smaller amount of daylight hours. Welcome to the season of darkness.

Reflecting on an oak tree

Jonathan — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:13:20 +0000

Edgewood boardwalk

Jonathan — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 03:03:31 +0000

This is how I spent my lunch break today. Walking along the boardwalk behind Edgewood College.

The boardwalk was built a few years ago, made possible by a grant, and a lot of volunteer work from Edgewood students and staff. It’s situated along the marshy shore of Lake Wingra, and a perfect spot to get back to nature in the middle of the city.

After the boardwalk ends, a hiking trail continues through the woods along the lake. The trails stops with a view of a small bridge that leads into Vilas Park.

What a great way to take a break from work.

Lake of the Clouds

Jonathan — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:06:30 +0000

Another scenic area of Porcupine Mountain State Park.

Seeing the haze in the air while standing on the bluff, the scenery reminded me of the Smokey Mountains.