June Bugs: Zombie/Vampires of the Bug World

With the Memorial Day weekend comes an extra day for outdoor fun and this past weekend's weather was perfect for all sorts of activities in the Madison area. I spent the weekend enjoying backyard patio lounging, bike riding at the UW Arboretum, live music at Wurst Times and the Memorial Union Terrace, hiking at Indian Lake Park, BBQ's and even some mini-pontoon lake-cruising on Windsor Lake. 

Lilacs at UW Arboretum

Hiking at Indian Lake Park

"Boating" on Windsor Lake

Unfortunately, with the warmer weather comes the bugs and inevitably the season's first June bug sighting.  For those unaware, I have a terrible phobia of these not-so-small bugs.  I know they are harmless to humans but their size, sound, looks and propensity for aimless flight patterns puts them in my self-created category of super-scary-things.  Growing up a tom-boy, I had a hand in many things most girls would have avoided:  worms, fishing, snakes, tooling around on my bike and subsequently wiping out from pushing the speed limits.  Spiders and ticks aren't my favorite things but they don't stop me from doing anything I love.  So why does this beetle paralyze me with such fear?

June Bug

I can recall a number of terrifying experiences starting as far back as I can remember with my mom telling me about catching and putting them in jars when she was a kid.  Apparently they used to put sticks in there to watch them grab onto.  My mom decided to put her finger in one time and apparently the bug had enough taunting and decided to latch on.  Her screaminng and violent hand shaking wasn't enough to rid the creature from her hand and she flailed helplessly until eventually getting the bug off.  I think the image I created in my head of her experience scarred me for life.

I remember one crawling across the kitchen floor one night as a kid, slowly toward me as I screamed for help that never came.  I remember them hanging onto our screens, buzzing their wings trying to get in toward the light.  I remember seeing their eyes, which seemed to glow slightly and certain they were coming for me.  Ridiculous, you say, right?

Flash to a few years later, being at my grandpa's cabin in Winter, Wisconsin with my cousins and other family.  They were everywhere that one night and me and my one cousin sought refuge inside the cabin but couldn't contain our screams which set my youngest cousin to crying.  My grandpa kicked open the door from outside and it hit my cousin hard, sending him even further into a tailspin and garnered us a harsh scolding from all adults involved all the while still in panic mode.

One night my old beagle Max, who was outside on his tether, got tangled around a tree.  He began to bark to alert me to his need for assistance and before I could open the door, I saw that they were swarming the light on the patio, standing between me and Max.  I hoped my husband at the time would be coming home from work soon but in time I realized he must be working late.  Not wanting the barking to aggravate the upstairs neighbors, I had to deal with the situation myself.  I put on long sweatpants that cinched tight at the bottom, a hooded sweatshirt that I could cinch the hood closed over most of my head and face.  I tucked my hands into my sleeves and made a mad dash out the door, grabbed Max under one arm and ran back into the house as fast as I could.  Once inside, I frantically ripped off the garments, fearful that one of the bugs had attached itself to my clothes.  I then proceeded to have my first panic attack complete with hyperventilating, tears and almost passing out. 

Fast forward a year or so later, I find myself taking out some garbage to the dumpster of my apartment.  I'm not sure how I managed to come out the door and not notice them but in the dark of the dumpster, I could hear them flying around.  I ran back as quickly as I could to get back into the building and saw the door covered in them, swarming the light.  I started to panic because not only were they by the light, but apparently they were in the parking lot too.  In a moment of desperation, I ran into the building hoping none would fly into me.  Once inside, I proceeded to have my second panic attack.

One night out at my favorite watering hole, Topp's Hideaway in Windsor, I was talking to a friend in the ladies room.  She was in the stall, I was by the sink washing my hands.  All of the sudden, she screams a bone chilling shriek.  Apparently one had crawled up her leg and into her pants.  She wasn't sure what it was and when she reached down to pull it out, saw it was a huge june bug, threw it, stomped it and ran out of the stall.   Once she filled me in, we both screamed and ran from the bathroom in panic. 

Just a couple of years ago, my home in Deforest had it's own infestation of these awful bugs.  They were no where to be seen and then it would get dark and once the screen porch door was opened and the motion light came on, you could see tons of them fly in from the pine tree and head toward the light.  One night when I had plans to go into Madison late at night, I had to make another mad dash out the door and to the car.  I waited for the light to be off for a long time.  When I didn't hear them anymore, I ran out as fast as I could and got into my car.  Aha!  I thought.  I made it!  Then I was surprised to hear one in the car very near my head.  It must have hitched a ride with me.  I jumped out of the car and began to panic, once again.  I called my boyfriend, who I was supposed to go see, to tell him the debacle I was in.  I couldn't go in the car and I couldn't go back into the house.  I cried.  I screamed.  I felt so incredibly helpless and scared.  I managed to track down the bug in my car and half stun it with my shoe and kicked it out.   I quick jumped in and drove away.

That same season, at a friend's wedding at the East Side Club, I was having a fun night with friends, enjoying the celebration.  Leisurely minding my own business by the bar with wine in hand, I felt something hit me in the head.  I jumped, batted at it with my hand, not sure what it was, and much to my surprise, see one hit the ground.  The realization that it was in my hair and touched my hand was more than I could stand.  Shortly thereafter, I said goodbye to everyone and left.

Most recently, a couple of nights ago, the June bugs barricaded me in my apartment building by overrunning each entrance door of the building. Poor Cole is on a daylight only walking schedule now until they run their course which hopefully won't take more than a week or two.   

I did a little research on these bugs which are all over North America.  They grow from one half to one and a half inches in length.  They burrow into the ground, when they aren't making my life hell, are nocturnal and have an overwhelming attraction to light.  Oddly, too much light exposure can kill them.  They eat plants but as far as I can see, not other bugs (which is why I tolerate spiders fairly well, knowing the good they do).  So, as far as I can tell, June bugs are like zombie/vampires of the bug world.  They only come out at night, the light can kill them but they slumber most of the time in the ground until the temperature is right and then they emerge, ready to terrorize.  Ok, maybe this is a little over-dramatic but can you really blame me knowing the history I have with them?  

For more of my nature photography (where you won't see any June bugs) visit my Flickr page.

Weekend Camping Extravaganza: Part 1

For those of you who are unaware, I am on a mission to hike at every state park in Wisconsin.  There are currently 49 state parks with hiking trails and I have hiked at 36 of them.  For those doing the math, that leaves just 13 parks on the list.  I attempted to hike 6 parks this past weekend, all in the peninsula area of Wisconsin.  Since hiking, in my opinion, is always just a tad bit more fun with a buddy, I brought my pug, Cole, with.  To make things even better, a good friend came along as well.



Hitting the road!

I cut out of work at noon on a Friday with the truck packed full of my camping, hiking and photography gear.  I swung by my friends place and then we were off!  We arrived first at High Cliff State Park and quickly locked up the truck and headed into the wilderness.  We were pleasantly surprised with several cascading streams of water flowing down rocky hillsides toward the lake.  The trees were well past their budding so in every direction was a beautiful shade of bright green.  The sun backlit leaves, highlighting every vein.  We stopped for an almond butter and fresh strawberry preserve sandwich for lunch and silently indulged in the serenity of the forest.  Moss covered rock surrounded us in all directions.  The trail looped back to where we parked along the lakeshore so we were delighted with the sound of waves hitting the rocky shore. 



High Cliff State Park

Our next stop brought us to our campground at Potawatomi State Park.  After checking in at the ranger station, we found our campsite and quickly set up our tent and chairs.  After we got our fire going, we broke out a feast of food and twisted open a couple bottles of beer.  Around 10pm we decided it was time for bed and crawled into the tent to get some much needed rest to prepare for the hiking to come the next day.  Unfortunately, sleep was something hard to come by.  We knew it would be cold that night but we were not quite expecting 34 degrees cold.  We spent most of the night shivering in our sleeping bags, although Cole seemed quite warm and content by my feet inside the bag.  We awoke to a myriad of nature sounds in the morning around 5:45 and laughed at how loud it all was. 



Potawatomi State Park

We ate breakfast in the truck with the heat on and after regaining the feeling in our hands, began to tear down camp and prepare for the day ahead.  We set off to hike a trail running along the lake and were delighted to find the morning sky to be sunny and painted with thin strips of clouds.  Midway through our hike, we found some large rocks to climb down onto so we could sit and enjoy the warmth of the sun and beautiful view of the water.  It was hard to leave such a restful little spot but much hiking lay ahead of us so we climbed back up and continued our hike.  Toward the end, we met a Canada geese family with new fuzzy goslings swimming and honking near the lakeshore.  Before we left the park, we had the pleasure of meeting Clyde, an older Bassett hound, at the camp store where we picked up a few supplies for later that night including two keepsake Clyde mugs for our wine. 



Whitefish Dunes State Park

Our second hike was at Whitefish Dunes State Park.  We took a trail that immediately brought us to the sandy beach of Lake Michigan.  We followed that, absorbing the sun while the strong winds whipped past us.  We took some stairs up to the forest which brought us to the dog accessible part of the beach where I let Cole off his leash to frolic in the sand while we sat to eat fresh berries on the shore.  Once we were ready to continue on, we packed up and took the stairs back up into the forest and looped back toward where we began.  We were overjoyed to stumble across a porcupine slowly climbing a tree.  This had been a first for both of us so we decided to sit in silent wonder as we observed this beautiful little creature.  Once we had our fill of cute, we headed back through a section of poor dead trees and finally reached the truck to head on to the next hike.



Eagle Bluff Lighthouse at Peninsula State Park

We arrived at our final destination for the day, Peninsula State Park, later that afternoon.  Again, we checked in at the ranger station, found our camp site, setup camp and headed off for our final hike of the day.  We came across a lighthouse before cutting across the forest toward the other side of the peninsula.  Again, we saw a lot of dead looking trees but after awhile, we finally came across some backlit foliage that I love so much.  We attempted to stop at the firewood station but unfortunately it wasn't open yet so we headed back toward camp to rest a bit in our camp chairs and enjoy a beer.  Once the time was right, we headed back to pickup some firewood and get our raging fire started.  We were bound and determined to be thoroughly heated through before climbing into our tent for another cold night.  Mid-enjoyment of the fire's glow and warmth, we were surprised with a short medium intense rain which sent us for cover in the truck for about 10 minutes.  Luckily, that was all there was and the skies cleared and we were able to see a wide sky filled with more stars than I have seen in quite some time.  It was the perfect way to end our second night. 

We awoke early the next morning to gusty wind conditions  so much so that our tent had to be chased down while we began packing up after it blew away several campsites down.  We decided that the next hike, which would entail taking a ferry to Washington Island and then renting a kayak to paddle to Rock Island probably wasn't the best idea for our novice paddling skills.  So we decided to skip that park and check out an observation tower we accidentally found the prior day.  The 76 foot Eagle Tower stands on top of an 180 foot Eagle Bluff that lends spectacular (yet windy) views of Lake Michigan.  It was definitely a good way to start our final day of the trip.  Unfortunately, my new hiking shoes that I've been working on breaking in, decided to break me in instead and gave me two huge blisters on both feet that burned the moment I put them on that morning.  Using the logic that I had to come back to the area to hike at Rock Island State Park anyway, we decided to skip the final hike of the weekend at Newport State Park knowing that I wouldn't enjoy it much with the pain happening in my feet. 

We headed back to Madison and arrived in one piece, albeit exhausted, early that afternoon.  After dropping off my friend, Cole and I went home where I indulged in a much needed hot shower and some hot food.  All in all, it was a wonderful first camping trip of the season and I'm excited to explore the other parks on my list before moving to Oregon.  I'm hoping there's enough time to  do them all!

Check out more of my nature photography on Flickr. 

Morning Hike

So this week we had our first 80+ degree day of the year and seeing as a dear friend was in town for a short while, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go for a morning hike.  We took off around 8am for Devil’s Lake State Park which for this night owl, was a bit of challenge but one well worth the interruption in sleep schedule.  Most folks around these parts are well aware of this parks existence since it’s one of the best in the state for hiking, camping, kayaking, biking and more.  For this reason, it tends to be fairly busy but when you visit mid-week during the day, you have a little more privacy which we took full advantage of. 

Devil's Lake State Park, Baraboo, Wisconsin

If you are up for the challenge of hiking what I like to refer to as the “stairs from hell” on the West Bluff Trail, you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the lake and surrounding area.  On this particular visit, with such calm winds, the lake mirrored the trees beautifully.  We hiked to the far east end of the trail so we could lounge on a clearing of rock with an unobstructed view of the lake.  While I took photos and Cole explored every crack and crevice, my friend broke out her ukulele and sang some songs.   It was a pretty spectacular start to our day. 

Mourning Dove enchants us with a song

When we reached our fill of serenity, we headed back the way we came and departed to a nearby state natural area known as Pewits Nest.  I had meant to bring my friend here many times in the past but the universe never aligned for that until this day.  Pewits Nest is a special little place where you can wade into a creek and swim by a waterfall surrounded on both sides with tall rocks.  Even with the warm weather on this day, the water was still too cold for swimming but this didn’t stop us from taking off our shoes and walking around the creek for a bit.  Once our feet were thoroughly frozen, we headed to the top of the rocks to take in the view from above.  We found a nice little spot to rest and take in all the beauty of the sights and sounds of the rushing washing.  Had it not been for having a job to get to, I could have sat there all day. 

Pewits Nest State Natural Area, Baraboo, Wisconsin

To view more of my nature photography, visit my Flickr page here.

Happy Earth Day!

Needing to break in my new hiking shoes, Cole and I met up with a friend at Indian Lake Park this past Sunday.  It turns out they did more breaking me in than anything.  It was mostly cloudy with a few episodes of light rain but the fresh breeze was beautiful.  Cole met several dog friends along the way and even got some off-leash time too.  We saw lots of wildlife including cranes, geese and a variety of other birds.  We even stumbled across a tree humming because of all the bees tending to the flowers. 

Indian Lake Park

For those unaware, I have a bit of an obsession with reading long distance hiking memoirs.  Last night, knowing I only had a chapter or so to go, I set out to finish the latest one from the comfort of my bed.  I Hike by Lawton Grinter is a compilation of stories from his 10,000 miles of hiking adventures.  Much to my surprise, I discovered that the author had also made a documentary film about one of his long distance hikes on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) called TheWalkumentary.  Of course, once I found that online, I knew it was going to be a late night.  I’ve read so many stories of long distance hiking but this is the very first film I have seen about the subject.  It was great to be able to put something a little more visual along with the stories of transformation that inspire me time after time.
 

I didn’t find the time to celebrate Earth Day the way I would like to today with a beautiful hike and some photography but I did work on breaking in my hiking shoes a little more by wearing them to work.  Now, I am going to continue learning about the National Parks movement by watching part 3 of Ken Burns: The National Parks: America's Best Idea tonight which is available for your viewing pleasure right now on Netflix streaming.

“Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”  John Muir

To see more of my nature photography, visit my Flicker page here.

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.

John Muir

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_muir.html#0aogqyWHAv8swBtk.99

Spring Has Arrived in Wisconsin

It’s finally spring in Wisconsin and that means hiking season has begun!  My dog Cole and I did our first hike of the season at Governor Nelson State Park in Waunakee a couple of weeks ago on a trail we had not done before.  It was a short hike and the trails were pretty wet from the melting snow.  The trail brought us right by Lake Mendota and not only did we get a view of the capitol and downtown Madison, but we also were pleasantly surprised to see that the ice was melting.  There is a dog swim area there that I look forward to going back to once the water warms up a bit. 

Me and Cole

The weather reverted back to winter for a bit, so today was the first opportunity I had to get back out on the trails.  Cole and I joined a couple friends and their dog for some hiking at Hickory Hill Conservancy Park in Cross Plains.  The trails were considerably drier this time around.  On the first trail, there was a scenic viewpoint of the entire town.  The second trail looped through some recently burned prairie and then a nice wooded area with some pretty decent ridges and large trees.  Once the leaves come in, it will be even more beautiful.  We heard an interesting sounding bird in the woods but we could not identify its call nor could we see it.  Perhaps it will make an appearance the next time we are there. 

Hitting the trails at Hickory Hill Conservancy Park

I signed up to volunteer with a mobile skills crew project with the Ice Age Trail Alliance next weekend.  We will be building ¾ mile of new trail at the Gibraltar segment near Lodi.  It’s an overnight project so instead of continuing to borrow other people’s camping equipment, I’m working on getting my own gear finally.  My wonderful sister got me a purple camp chair as a belated birthday present and also found me a nice 3 – 4 person tent online that will hopefully arrive before next weekend.  The hiking shoes I’ve used for the last two seasons have finally given out so I stopped in at REI today and picked up a new pair of Keen hiking shoes.  I started the not-so-fun-for-my-feet task of breaking them in today as well.   The only gear I still need to round up is a flashlight, lantern, air mattress and rain jacket.  One of those car 12V DC to 110V AC power inverter converters would be pretty awesome too. 

Ice Age Trail Alliance Mobile Skills Crew

The planning of my relocation to Oregon is still pretty much in the brainstorming stage.  The first and most important task is to find a job.  I’m focusing my search on the coast but am also open to Portland and other parts of the state so I’m hoping with that many areas, there will be many job options to choose from.  I’m hoping to keep working in the nonprofit sector although I’d like to focus on conservation.  Oregon seems to be the perfect state to do that kind of work in.  Once a job is secured, that will determine my plan for everything else such as a place to live, what I will bring, how I will get it cross country and whether or not I need to find a storage unit once I get there.  One thing at a time though.  I’m looking forward to the journey to this new chapter in my life.  My first walk on the beach and hike on a trail in Oregon will be the reward for all the work it will take to get there. 

To see more of my nature photography, visit my Flickr page here.

My Salvation!

Prior to a decline in income in 2009, I was fortunate to be able to buy most things I wanted without a second thought: books, movies, music, dinners out, traveling, you get the picture.  Since that decline, I had to make some major adjustments in the way I lived.  It has been a difficult process at times but I am thankful for it in one respect more than any other:  it helped me become a more resourceful person.    

A little over a year ago, I decided to get a library card when I discovered there were more than just books inside.  The only thing that rivals my addiction to nature is my addiction to music.  It’s funny how something that has always been an option can seem like such a revelation when the light bulb first goes on.  “There is a place where you can borrow things that normally cost money, for free?!?  Sign me up!!”

I haven’t had cable in quite some time.  Instead, I paid for Netflix streaming.  It was a lot less expensive and had enough options to keep my mind sufficiently numbed from time to time when I needed it.  This summer had been filled with so much hiking and activities that I hadn’t used it in over a month.  So I figured best to put it on hold, save myself a little money, and stick to broadcast television. 

Since the decision to move to Oregon, everything is about reducing expenses these days so there will be no reactivating of my Netflix account.  With my goal of hiking each state park in Wisconsin almost complete, I began to wonder what free things I could do to keep myself busy in the coming months that will be spent hibernating from the cold.  During my last visit to the library to pick up some items I had put on hold, I decided to look at the DVD section and grab a couple of movies for the weekend.  I spent the entire weekend with my dog, reading books, watching movies and listening to new music.  Although a bit of a change of pace from my formerly jam packed hiking weekends, it was surprisingly enjoyable.

It then occurred to me just how lucky we are to have this resource.  I now have an entirely new appreciation for our public library system since it will be my savior for a long winter ahead that would have otherwise been dull.  I’m now looking forward to spending my nights curled up with a wide range of books, movies and music.  Who would have guessed that entirely new worlds were just waiting to be discovered right down the road at my local library?  To find your nearest library, visit http://www.publiclibraries.com/. 

Nothing that is Worthwhile is Ever Easy

It’s difficult for someone who wants to get out there and live life to sit around day after day alone.  These past couple of weeks I have been finding it difficult to keep saying “no” to invitations to get out and do things.  Bachelorette parties, bridal showers, birthday dinners, live music performances and so forth.  I love these times to get together with good people and simply enjoy each other’s conversations.  But, these things all cost money and I do not have the luxury of spending $5 here, $10 there, $20 over there.  It all adds up.  Being a single person living alone on a nonprofit salary does not afford many luxuries.  It definitely doesn’t allow for things like a savings account or retirement plan.  I live paycheck to paycheck and when emergencies come up, all hell breaks loose.  It usually involves living off ramen and boxed macaroni and cheese for weeks or even months on end until I can bounce back.  I knew when I decided to get serious about moving to Oregon, I would have to save about $6,000 - $7,000 over the course of the next year.  I knew that would be difficult and would mean making sacrifices in order to achieve but now that I’m actually making those changes, I find it a little more difficult than I first imagined. 

This is my last year in Wisconsin which means I naturally want to make the most of the time I have left here with my friends.   These people are more like my family than my family is at times and I know I will miss them tremendously once I’m in Oregon.  It seems a bit unfair, such is life, that amidst the last of my time here I am unable to participate in the activities that my friends and I usually do together.  There will be no going out to dinner or lunch or grabbing a drink and no fun weekend trips away.  This isn’t to say that there aren’t free things to do around town but they all tend to involve driving to get to them which anyone with a gas guzzling vehicle knows, isn’t cheap.  Every little bit adds up and I simply cannot afford any of it if I’m going to save anything for Oregon.  So instead of spending time with my friends, I’ve been reading a lot more, writing more (obviously), working on some photography projects, watching movies and pouring myself more into my work (if that’s even possible).  I do miss talking to my friends though and at times it’s more than I can bear watching everyone live their lives through Facebook pictures and status updates.    

Perhaps this is all part of my journey and exactly how it should be.  I believe beyond reason that there is a life waiting for me in Oregon that will bring a happiness I have never known.  I cannot explain it.  Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach wrote “Those who understand only what can be explained understand very little.” I do not know how much I understand about anything right now but I have faith in Oregon and am willing to follow that feeling where it leads me.    

"When you walk to the edge of all the light you have and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen:  There will be something solid for you to stand upon, or, you will be taught to fly." - Patrick Overton