I own two mountain bikes and rarely ride them. I want to change that! The improvements that have been made to our miles and miles of bike/walking trails are phenomenal and inspired me to break out of my comfort zone … and ride my bike to work (and back). …
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If you’re interested in seeing one of Indiana’s most unique natural areas - over 14,000 years in the making - then Pinhook Bog near Michigan City is the place for you. For those unfamiliar with the term, a Bog is a unique ecosystem that forms when a wetland only takes in water from rain or snow. Pinhook Bog is even more distinctive for being a “Quaking Bog,” where moss has grown into a semi-solid mat floating above the water. Bogs tend to be very fragile ecosystems and Pinhook Bog is no exception: usually a gate closes off the trail leading over the Quaking Bog to protect the landscape…
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Getting my crew outside and active is one of my goals every day of every trip. Indiana Dunes is breathtaking, really something to see. We visited Indiana Dunes West Beach trails as a part of a familiarization trip with Visit the South Shore…
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Photo copyright Gary Fua It’s that exciting time of the year again, the time when bison calves are born on the prairie. On the morning of Monday, April 23, we spotted the first bison calf of the season! The calf was standing alongside her mother, nursing. With this furry little development, let’s take a moment to review some of the things we learned last year about bison……
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Photo by Chris Helzer @ TheNature Conservancy At Kankakee Sands, we have 68 different species of butterflies, and my daughter Savanna and I are excited to see every one of them! She and I enjoy walking the restored prairies of Kankakee Sands and trying to spot as many butterflies as we can. We often see the regal fritillary butterfly, spicebush swallowtail, tiger swallowtail, great spangled fritillary, morning cloak, and buckeye. But it’s the monarch that we are looking forward to seeing the most this year…
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Photo by Brian E. Small On cold, wintery nights, when the dark skies are lit up by the twinkling stars, I am simply captivated. Some see the Big Dipper and Orion, but not me, no, I see a bird’s bottom. And not just any bird’s bottom, but the white-speckled, black bottom of the elusive, secretive black rail…
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Photo by Chris Davidson. Lately we've had sightings of merlins at Kankakee Sands. Magical wizards at Kankakee Sands?! That would be incredible! But, well, not exactly. The merlins that are being seen are of the avian sort. "Lady hawk" is another name given to this majestic, light-weight, swift bird because in medieval times, it was the bird of choice for female falconers…
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Ten more bison have just arrived at Kankakee Sands! On the morning of the release, the doors of the trailer swung wide open and the new arrivals bounded out. The Kankakee Sands herd was there ready and waiting to greet them. The two groups sniffed noses, trotted around in excitement and then off they ran as one…
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If you’re looking to experience a new apple orchard and pumpkin patch that’s not that far from home, then consider County Line Apple Orchard in Hobart, Indiana. Last year, my cousins who live in the Chicago area asked us if we’d like to visit and of course I said yes. We had such a great time, that we made plans to go back again this year. But, we stepped it up a notch…
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One of the benefits of living in Northwest Indiana in the fall is the local orchards! There are a number of them here along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, but the closest orchard to our family is County Line Orchard in Hobart…
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