JBtheExplorer
Native Gardener
I spent last week on my annual autumn camping trip to close out the season. It tends to be the last "good" part of the year before things get cold and ugly. This year, I had a longer trip than usual, and spent it at two different places. The first place was Point Beach State Forest. I go here just about every year, so some of you may remember it from last year when I also shared photos.
Here's the lighthouse this year.
Something interesting happened this year. I had five camping trips since summer and I saw Bald Eagles during every trip. Before this year, I'd only seen them a few times, ever, so it was pretty surprising to see them everywhere this year. Their population must be doing well! This one was flying down the beach. I thought I was too late to get a photo, but then it landed in a tree way down the beach. Would've loved to get a better photo, but it flew off before I ever had a chance. I actually saw a total of three during my few days here.
I also saw Turkey vultures, which isn't surprising. They're extremely common.
One day, as I was walking down the beach, I found a Green Frog. I've never seen frogs on the shore of Lake Michigan before. The rough waters are not what frogs like. I think the cold and dry weather may have forced it to stay there until it could travel to a better location.
Plenty of amphibians in the forest, too. I saw at least a dozen salamanders, and a couple of Wood frogs.
Whenever I camp here, I get up early to catch the sunrise over the lake. There was only one sunny morning this year, and it wasn't the most spectacular sunrise, but still fun watching it rise over the lake.
Little did I know, I'd also get to see the moon rise over the lake. It was more stunning than the sunrise. It was orange and just a couple days after being full. In this photo, I overlaid a second exposure of the moon to bring out the detail of the moon.
Autumn color seemed to be about 75%, but varied at different areas within the forest. Here's some color along the road entering the campground.
Last year, I discovered the mouth of the Molash Creek. It was a scenic area and it was at the top of my list of things to do this year. It was equally as scenic this year, but the mouth itself had shifted about 100 feet south, shortening the distance it parallels the shoreline. This was likely caused by Lake Michigan's record high water level. Last year, I visited the south/east side of the river. This year, I took a different trail and saw the river from the north/west side.
Lastly, with Lake Michigan's record water level, there has been destruction along the shore. The water was shockingly high last year, and is considerably higher this year. It's been eating away at the sand dunes and knocking down trees.
Down by the lighthouse, it's pretty incredible to see the dunes eaten away. I have no comparison photo, but in 2013, the water level was at a record low, so to see this much of a difference in 6 years is just insane. The water wasn't even close to these dunes six years ago.
This tree in particular is one I had photographed for years. It stood along a cordwalk in the sand and I always thought it was a cool scene. I was shocked to see it was one of the many casualties.
Hope you all enjoyed the photos. I'll share the second part of my trip soon, which was in the Kettle Moraine State Forest.
Here's the lighthouse this year.
Something interesting happened this year. I had five camping trips since summer and I saw Bald Eagles during every trip. Before this year, I'd only seen them a few times, ever, so it was pretty surprising to see them everywhere this year. Their population must be doing well! This one was flying down the beach. I thought I was too late to get a photo, but then it landed in a tree way down the beach. Would've loved to get a better photo, but it flew off before I ever had a chance. I actually saw a total of three during my few days here.
I also saw Turkey vultures, which isn't surprising. They're extremely common.
One day, as I was walking down the beach, I found a Green Frog. I've never seen frogs on the shore of Lake Michigan before. The rough waters are not what frogs like. I think the cold and dry weather may have forced it to stay there until it could travel to a better location.
Plenty of amphibians in the forest, too. I saw at least a dozen salamanders, and a couple of Wood frogs.
Whenever I camp here, I get up early to catch the sunrise over the lake. There was only one sunny morning this year, and it wasn't the most spectacular sunrise, but still fun watching it rise over the lake.
Little did I know, I'd also get to see the moon rise over the lake. It was more stunning than the sunrise. It was orange and just a couple days after being full. In this photo, I overlaid a second exposure of the moon to bring out the detail of the moon.
Autumn color seemed to be about 75%, but varied at different areas within the forest. Here's some color along the road entering the campground.
Last year, I discovered the mouth of the Molash Creek. It was a scenic area and it was at the top of my list of things to do this year. It was equally as scenic this year, but the mouth itself had shifted about 100 feet south, shortening the distance it parallels the shoreline. This was likely caused by Lake Michigan's record high water level. Last year, I visited the south/east side of the river. This year, I took a different trail and saw the river from the north/west side.
Lastly, with Lake Michigan's record water level, there has been destruction along the shore. The water was shockingly high last year, and is considerably higher this year. It's been eating away at the sand dunes and knocking down trees.
Down by the lighthouse, it's pretty incredible to see the dunes eaten away. I have no comparison photo, but in 2013, the water level was at a record low, so to see this much of a difference in 6 years is just insane. The water wasn't even close to these dunes six years ago.
This tree in particular is one I had photographed for years. It stood along a cordwalk in the sand and I always thought it was a cool scene. I was shocked to see it was one of the many casualties.
Hope you all enjoyed the photos. I'll share the second part of my trip soon, which was in the Kettle Moraine State Forest.
They say seeing salamanders is a sign of a balanced eco system, so it's nice you saw them 
