Quietly this year will be leaving and the new year will be ushered in; as it always has done over time, just as every day’s sunrise ushers in a new day. With each sunrise there is hope dawning – hope for each one of us, hope for all of us. How fitting are these lines by Emily Dickinson:
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all
I wish you all an abundance of hope for the new year’s sunrise, and for each day that follows.
We were fortunate to enjoy a quick 24-hour trip to Arches National Park in Utah earlier this month. Our timing was good as the weather was in the 40’s with bright sunshine, although we did find some residual snow in shadow areas. December is certainly off-season for the park as there were few other visitors which allowed us time to enjoy the quiet and appreciate the scale of these massive rocks. This landscape has been generating and changing for over 100 million years, and yet today we can walk among these rocks, spires, and eroded arches with easy accessibility and marvel at our small space in this big world and universe. Like earlier visits to other national parks, this trip renewed my appreciation for these special spaces. Big thanks to the people that set aside our National Parks and the people that work to protect them and share their wonder with others. Hopefully we will never take these parks for granted and future generations can experience a beautiful December visit like we enjoyed.
What a rich world we inhabit, with so many things to be thankful for! As our seasons change in the North it’s been wistful to say goodbye to the colors and brightness of fall. The leaves have fallen, allowing the sunlight to stream unhindered through the canopy of trees. The wind rustles branches rather than dried leaves. With a bench in a strategic spot, I paused on my walk in the woods to listen, to observe, to think.
And within a short span the calendar changed, the wind direction shifted, and winter slid in. November came and the winds blew cold coming out of the Canadian prairies and brought the snow. It was beautiful to watch it float down. The flakes silently landed on the trees. Others melted as they hit the water surface. For this moment the world was calm. And quiet. And beautiful.
With snow falling down around me, I gave a nod of thanks for the scene surrounding me and the changing seasons. Thankful for family and friends, near and far, and for those that came before me, and for all the love that surrounds me. Thankful for the paths I’ve followed, the adventures I’ve taken, and the lessons I’ve learned. Thankful for all the simple things – a roof over my head, clothes, heat, five working senses, and my health. I look forward to the lessons to be learned in this upcoming winter season.
The air hung unusually warm for a mid-September evening. So warm that the bugs and mosquitos were following me as I waited on the shoreline. But the wind had died down and the lake was calm. Slowly the full moon rose over the opposite shore. Peering between the branches and leaves, it cleared the tree tops. It was clothed in a pink veil but as it rose higher the color changed to a shade of orange and then to a golden glow.
As I marveled at this harvest moon I could hear an owl in the distance. Was it too watching this nightly ritual? And what of all the people that have stood on this shoreline and watched this very same moon rise into the sky? Those that once ventured north to a lovely small resort on this lake? Those that might have hunted in the woods nearby and fished these same waters?
The moon slipped behind some clouds as I was pondering these questions, and then it slowly inched past the threads of clouds and shone down brightly, glistening off the water’s surface.
After a full day of driving from northern Wisconsin, we traded our car wheels for bicycle wheels (and a ferry ride) to explore parts of Michigan. For the next six days of riding we enjoyed new friends, new sights and scenery, new bike trails, and local foods.
We started with a ride on the North Central State Trail taking us to the tip of the mitten, or the tip of the mainland of Michigan. A short ferry ride took us and our bikes to Mackinac Island which is surrounded by the Straits of Mackinac and Lake Huron. The early mornings were truly amazing as the sun rose over the bay. Unique to this island, cars and motorized vehicles were banned in 1898. The three main modes of transport are on foot, on bicycle, and via horse carriages and carts. Victorian architecture abounds, as do hanging baskets of flowers, and numerous fudge shops (even more of a reason to put in the bike miles!). We rode the shoreline route called M-185 around the island. This is a state highway, yet it is the only highway in the country that doesn’t allow motorized vehicles. There were plenty of sites to explore including Fort Mackinac which was originally founded by the British in 1780, later transferred to the Americans, then captured by the British, and eventually returned to the United States after the War of 1812.
With a ferry ride back to the mainland, we continued riding south and west, following the shoreline of Lake Michigan. On a cool and cloudy morning we left Petoskey and followed the Little Traverse Wheelway to Charlevoix. The boardwalk section of the trail was a great change from the pavement, and we were far enough north to see peaks of fall color showing in the trees. As luck would have it, the rain held off and we remained dry.
Our cycling climbing ability was put to the test as we continued south into Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. With twists and turns, slow climbs uphill followed by quick downhills, we rode through the forests and around the wetlands, lakes, rivers, and dunes that make up this park. To see a sand dune over 1,000 feet tall that descends straight down to the shore of Lake Michigan is truly amazing. Here the landscape is constantly changing from wind and wave action.
These parts of Michigan are known for their cherries and peaches. After a long day’s ride it was a welcome treat to enjoy cherry pie and peach shortcake, both served by obligation with vanilla ice cream! Our ride took us further south along the Lake Michigan shoreline past lakes and small villages, eventually ending our trip in Beulah along the shore of Crystal Lake. With a sense of accomplishment and a new appreciation for the beauty of the area, we traded our bicycles in for car wheels for the return trip home.
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