Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve - Grand Chute, WI.

I wanted to take some time to post about some beautiful places local to us here in Appleton and the surrounding cities/towns (referred to as the Fox Valley). I'll start with Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve because it's one of my favorites and the closest to our home with miles of trails to travel. 

(click to enlarge)

The preserve is free to enter but donations are welcomed, parking is also free. Just inside the preserve is a small nature center where there are restrooms, some taxidermy on display and a few items for sale. No dogs or bikes are allowed on the trails but I have used a stroller here, I recommend using a jogging stroller as some of the trail ground coverings are bumpy and vary from grass & dirt to mulch & crushed limestone. A very small section of the trail is logs which you would need to carry a traditional stroller over! 

We love to visit the preserve in the fall when the colors are changing and the weather is cooling off. During the summer months when it's humid here in Wisconsin we don't visit the preserve as often because the mosquitoes and ticks get bad! When we do visit in the summer, we don't travel far into the wooded trails. 

You will come across many uprooted trees throughout the preserve, these were pulled out of the ground years ago when a tornado went through the area. They sure are neat to see! 

During the Spring can be equally beautiful with all the flowers blooming!

If you're lucky you might spot a doe and her fawn, wild turkeys or tiny frogs & turtles! 

Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve offers many fun activities for kids (my boys have been here on many school field trips), you can find more information about their programs and/or sign up for any of them through their website here: www.bubolzpreserve.org

Thanks for reading!

Pikes Peak - Cascade, CO.

(August 2015)

While in Colorado Springs, CO. we had to check out Pikes Peak, we chose to make the drive up Pikes Peak Highway (for a fee) and was it ever gorgeous! 

Along the way are many spots to pull off and take in the views, below are a few of our favorite photos we took during the drive. 

Above: Atop Pikes Peak, to the right is the summit house where you will find a gift shop, bathrooms and refreshments.

We were very lucky to have nice weather the day we visited Pikes Peak, it was a little windy but very clear. Below in Manitou Springs it was a beautiful 73°F but at the summit it was a slightly chilly 40°F so bring a coat with you if you will be making this trip!


Thanks for reading!

Garden of the Gods - Colorado Springs, CO.

(August 2015)

Last summer we had a quick weekend trip to Colorado Springs, CO. and we fell in love with the area! We are actually now working towards getting our house on the market to possibly move to Colorado, that's how much we loved it! In our short 2 day trip we visited the Garden of the Gods National Landmark 4 times and we still did not explore the entire park. This park is a free attraction and it seemed the afternoon hours were the busiest but if you are visiting Colorado Springs it's definitely worth stopping here. It's amazing how beautiful something as simple as a rock can be, not to mention the mountainscape backdrop! We were in awe the entire time, I'll let some of our photos do the speaking for this post! 

This is the beautiful view of the park from the Garden of the Gods visitor center!

Below is a photo snapped from the trail head at the main parking lot.

We saw many rock climbers while at the park, you do need a permit to climb here. If you climb without a permit the fines are hefty!

Check out how tiny these climbers are against the rock! 

The very first night of our trip as the sun was setting we rushed over to Garden of the Gods to view the sunset and I am so glad we did, here's the amazing sunset from that night. 

If you want to beat the crowds to Balanced Rock, I suggest going first thing in the morning! It gets quite busy because everyone wants to climb up on the rock and snap photos but if you would like to snap a quick pic without lots of other tourists in your way head out at sunrise, no one will be there!

Up above & behind Balanced Rock you will find amazing views of the mountains and all kinds of cool rock formations! 

We snapped hundreds and hundreds of photos while in Colorado Springs and these photos are just a small taste of the beauty you'll see there! 

I'll leave you with a photo that was snapped from the backside of the park at sunset on our 2nd night. 

Thanks for reading! 

Sand Point Beach, Lake Superior - Munising, MI.

(August 2015)

This will be our final post about Munising, and I saved the best for last! If you are visiting Munising, MI. be sure to stop at Sand Point Beach, even just for 30 minutes! To get here, take 58 to Washington St. (Washington St. only goes in one direction). Washington St. turns into Sand Point Rd. You will see parking on the left but you should pass these spots up and continue on the road all the way to the end. The beach was much less crowded at the dead end. 

The water here is beautiful, clean and clear. We all had so much fun hunting for cool rocks in the lake, we stayed for hours and the boys still didn't want to leave. The sand on this beach is nice and even has little patches of pink sand here & there! Along the beach you'll find lots of driftwood and driftwood sculptures created by fellow beach goers. We thought these were pretty neat. The water here was a little on the chilly side (and we visited in August!) but we still got in to about waist high.

Looking down into the lake, here's what you'll see!

Thanks for reading!

Tannery Falls - Munising, MI.

(August 2015)

This was the last waterfall we visited and it was for sure the best! Finding the falls was a little challenging as there is no signage on the road telling you where the falls actually are. On 58 there is a set of stairs that lead up to the trail, the stairs are at the 58 & Washington St. intersection. If you turn on to Washington St., immediately to your right will be a few parking spaces and then you will need to cross 58 by foot to get to the stairs. This site it posted as no dogs allowed and you definitely can not get a stroller or wheel chair on these trails. Our boys loved this trail, the scenery and cliff walls are just gorgeous and being able to get down by the waterfall and walk behind it was pretty cool too!

Below is a tree growing out of the top of the cliff wall!

Below is a short video I shot on the trail. 

Thanks for reading!

Munising Falls - Munising, MI.

(August 2015)

These 50' falls are located a short walk from the parking lot. You can view the falls from below or climb up the stairs and take a short stroll to view the falls. If you can climb the stairs, it's well worth it. The high cliff walls certainly are impressive! Before visiting I saw photos online of people standing under the falls, this is not permitted though and dangerous! 

Below is the view from above if you take the stairway that will be on your right, just a little ways after entering.

 The view from below is equally beautiful!

Thanks for reading!