bogs Archives

Natural Wonders of the USA

So sorry I missed a couple of posts this week. We’ll get back on track with more Natural Wonders from the list today. Wednesday was my birthday. How old am I? Never ask a lady her age! Then the last docs for my taxes came in so I spent the rest of the time getting everything together for my tax guy. He’ll have fun this year…there was a severance payout, unemployment, and a cash out of my 401K all because of the layoff. He’ll earn his fee this year.

But lets get back to the fun things. We are winding down on the Natural Wonders of the USA. In my last post we reached #41 that was South Carolina and Congaree National Park. 9 more to go to make our 50 Wonders. So what’s next?

#42 Minnesota – Big Bog State Recreation Area

That sounds real inviting. What do you want to do for vacation? Lets go visit a big swamp but not the Everglades. Lets go north to the Big Bog! Big Bog has only been a designated area since 2002 so it’s kind of young. The area is comprised of wetlands with jackpine forests, nearby lakes and of course a big bog. The bog is about 500 square miles. There are approximately 300 species of birds, white-tailed deer, black bears, gray wolves and other animals. They don’t mention mosquitos but saying bog brings stinging insects to mind. Big Bog State Recreation Area has been called Minnesota’s last true wilderness.

The mystery of Big Bog | Columnists | ellsworthamerican.com

Photo Credit- Internet

#43 Colorado – Rocky Mountains

Oh my, The Rocky Mountains – Colorado. Been there. I stayed in the heart of the mountains in Breckenridge but I never got into the National Park. Admission to the park is by reservation and has to be booked in advance online. I tried everyday to get a reservation and was never able to get one. I asked locals about it and they said the reservation system never worked right. It was very disappointing. But this is what I know about the Rocky Mountains. John Denver sang wonderful songs about them. They take your breath away- literally- Beware of altitude sickness! The are beautiful and majestic. The Rocky Mountains are the biggest mountain range in the western United States. They stretch approximately 3,000 miles from northern part of British Columbia, all the way to New Mexico.

Colorado 2022 – Photo Credit Deb Neumann

Rocky Mountains 2022- Photo Credit Deb Neumann

#44 – Wisconsin – Cave of the Mounds

I’ve been to Wisconsin but I was there for my brother’s retirement from the Navy. The ceremony was in Kenosha. It was a quick trip and I don’t remember much about the state. I definitely didn’t see the Cave of the Mounds. How many cave systems have we seen so far under Natural Wonders? What’s one more? This looks really pretty. This limestone cave is believed to have started forming around 488 million years ago when the earth was covered in shallow seas

Cave of the Mounds | Cave of the Mounds, Dane County, Wiscon… | Peter Gorman | Flickr

Photo credit- Peter Gorman/Flickr

Well folks, that’s it for this post. Only 6 more states to check out. Back soon!

Saturday was nice but Sunday out did itself. Temps in the mid 70’s and a breeze that bordered on wind as it gusted throughout the afternoon. The sky was sunny and the day bright. If it weren’t for those occasional wind gusts one would never know a hurricane/tropical storm was working its way up the coast toward my neck of the woods.

Labor Day marks the end of summer and I was sad to see this marker arrive. I haven’t done even half of the things I wanted to do.

In the Rocks

No trip to New Hampshire, just the puffin trip to Maine and very little camera time in the woods anywhere!

I seem to move slower each year and I am much more of a klutz!

To avoid tripping over Buddy when he was so sick, I ended up stubbing my little toe and it appears that I broke it.

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Of course they don’t do anything except possibly tape it. I let it get almost healed and then over do it and am back to square one. But I was determined I was not going to let this last weekend of the summer get away from me completely so I headed out with camera in hand to run through some of my favorite wildlife spots. Although I won’t share where I went ( I made several stops) I will tell you that most are Mass Audubon locations.

My goal was to spot some ducks but I didn’t find any, not one. Most places were very dry. The summer long drought was clearly taking it’s toll. Ponds were little more than mud holes, brooks almost completely dry with a few mud puddles.

I was lucky enough at the bog behind the Bass Pro Shop to see both the large and the small. Tiny turtles that were small enough to sit on the lily pads were sunning in abundance when a huge snapping turtle rose from the dark brown waters. His nose broke the surface water and you could faintly see the outline of his shell. I had no idea such a big turtle lived in this bog! No photo of the big guy. The water was just too dark and brackish.

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At a more remote location I was thrilled to see a red fox stretched out on a rock enjoying the sun. I watched for about 30 minutes but he never looked my way. Occasionally he’d lift his head and look away from me or flick an ear so I knew he was alive but that was about it. I wanted to stay longer but I didn’t want to disturb him either so I thought it best to slip away, thrilled with the rare sight.

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I ended my day at the Trailside Museum in the Blue Hills of Milton, MA. I was hoping to get a photo of a snowy owl. Turns out they have a pair, a male and a female but they were in an outdoor pen and there was no place to get a clear shot because of the fencing on the cage.

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I didn’t linger as all of their displays are like that, red tail hawk, turkey vulture, bald eagle and white tail deer. All had “obstructed view” as far as the camera is concerned. One display did lend itself to photos and that was the river otter. I have to admit I wish I could say these photos were true wildlife photos but no such luck. I’ll have to settle for captive otter photos. (He was having a great time playing with his tail)

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