Chain O' Lakes State Park...Life's Wet Rewards

I've tried to come up with a post for Chain O' Lakes a few times, but whenever I take my camera the photos end up disappointing. I went on Thursday for a short hike for the first time since fall, and even though it was only 40 degrees, wet and windy I got a few shots that were fun.

The Chain is not as large as some other parks at under 3000 acres, but it offers a lot of diversity.  Camping, hiking, cross country skiing, boating, fishing and horseback riding are all offered here.  We haven't camped here because it's less than 15 minutes from home and the sites are a little on the smaller side and closer together compared to the Wisconsin State Parks.

I've hiked the horse trails for a little variety before, got to watch your step though!  Dog walkers favor the other trails...so watch your step on those as well.  What can you do?  Otherwise the trails are well taken care of, and most are a nice mixture of sand and gravel that kept my boots from getting muddy, even when wading through big puddles.

I drove through the whole park before settling on my hiking spot, and I only saw this one mallard and his mate.  Where have all the waterfowl gone?  Last week there were so many geese out this way I was afraid they might be lining the roads soon.

With all the wet I was on the lookout for fungi and lichens, but did not find the bonanza I've come across in other states like Kentucky, North Carolina and even Minnesota.  There were a few interesting trees that caught my eye.  In the first picture I was struck by the striping, it reminded me of tiger fur, but in the second picture it looked like the tree was disrobing!

This log had quite a show going on, but it was the only example of fungal proliferation that I found.

Wildlife was scarce today, no geese, no hawks, but I ran across these mourning doves napping in the drizzle as I exited the park.  They didn't seem to mind my car or my camera so I got some wildlife practice with my new camera after all.

There was no one else out and about in the rain today except for Homer, who is stuck outside in all kinds of weather to help promote paintball at the Richmond Hunting Club.  I doubt he has had any takers in the weather we've been having lately!