Pam and Wayne Go Outside!

Spring is trying to come to the Midwest and it's been a swell week with temperatures above 45 and sometimes even closing in on 60F!  Wayne needed to go to Home Depot so I talked him in to going for a walk at Volo Bog which is just a few minutes farther down the road.

The snow has melted and it's a bit of a muddy mess, but the worst spots were easy to avoid.  I've been wondering why other iPhone pictures I've seen seem to be better than mine and I think I figured out why.  I downloaded the "Camera +" app and it was worth $2.99!  I have much more control over exposure and focus and it eliminated a lot of the glare issue I was having.  All the pictures in this post were taken with the iPhone and it was nice not to have to drag a backpack around though I would certainly carry all the equipment I think I would need if the location had the promise for great photographs.

There are some benefits to a muddy nature trail, like the opportunity to examine tracks.  It doesn't seem that the muskrats are out yet though, no sign or track of them at the bog.

deer

raccoon

We walked the Tamarack View Trail which is just under 3 miles and a nice little workout with some gentle hills that circle the bog and wind through recently burned meadows.  I'll have to come back in a month or two and see what wildflowers pop up. It'll look like this at the bog in another month or so.

It wasn't crowded but we did pass other couples and some folks with dogs.  The last time we went for a walk together was back in the Smokies in October, which is one of the reasons I'd love to leave Wisconsin behind.  The only time we've spent together in almost five months has been in front of a television or pushing a shopping cart.

Now that the thaw has arrived I will drag him out with me at least once a week and we have a weekend camping outing to Kettle Moraine's Ottawa Lake scheduled for mid-April.  Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and got out to enjoy the warm-up like we did!