Walking the Ecosystem Preserve, Calvin College, Grand Rapids MI ~ 9/25/14

Like it or not, Fall is fast approaching. And today was beautiful and we wanted a walk somewhere other than Roselle Park. Then I remembered a friend mentioning a nature walk at Calvin College and we decided to check it out. And it is fabulous. Here's the welcoming gate and path (sorry, no dogs, bikes, or running - we're totally cool with that).

This is the forest primeval (thank you, Longfellow).

But humans always make their mark, for good or mostly for bad.

The paths diverge throughout the preserve and offer various outlooks on marshes and ponds.

It's a lovely, woodsy walk.

Interesting to see the Safety Phones scattered throughout. A nice college version of the old pay phone or highway emergency phones (that were always out of commission).

Signs warned us to stay on the path and we heeded the warnings.

It was nice to see some fall flowers in the few places that receive sunlight, and a shroom.

We saw a total of four people here this afternoon, one of whom walked through the Restricted Area Gate, free as you please. We almost followed but decided to save that for another day.

So cheers to finding new paths to walk and enjoying the beauty of Autumn!

A Day Like Any Other But More So ~ 9/20/14

We started with a walk through Roselle Park (see our 9/14/14 visit) and found more beauty, repose, and a toad.

Then dinner with our friends at Bull's Head Tavern, chosen not only for its food but also for its convenient location a block away from DeVos Performance Hall where we were headed to hear the Grand Rapids Symphony. But first fun with mirrors.

And then the symphony. Four Sea Interludes by Benjamin Britten (melodic and heavenly), The Lark Ascending (soloist James Crawford) by Ralph Vaughan Williams (exquisitely beautiful), the world premiere of Philip Sawyers' Hommage to Kandinsky (uneven), and then everyman's favorite, Beethoven's Symphony #5. Ta Ta Ta Da. Wonderfully performed and directed without a score by the great David Lockington. Great day and awesome concert.

Roselle Park, Ada MI ~ 9/14/14

This 240-acre nature preserve in located on the former Ada Beef Company property and is a lovely place to go to for a walk. The paved walking trail covers just over 3 miles if you take every path option, and the park has been certified as a Wildlife Habitat.

The path leads down to the Grand River and follows it along for about a mile.

A few viewing platforms are found here and there and here are some very green views from the first one we encountered.

This little platform offered some beautiful views of the river and also a lost bobber caught in a tree :-)

This tree will soon make its acquaintance with the river.

We saw a little bit of fauna (sandhill cranes in the distance) but mostly flora.

Muddy creeks, a boardwalk, and a tranquil creek cut through the acreage.

The original grain silos from the beef company were left on the property and one was converted into an observation tower. On previous visits the door had been locked but today we were lucky. 

We climbed the 95 steps up to the top and found the door to the deck locked - ouch!

But we did get a few nice views from this vantage point.

So we climbed the 95 stops back down and found this explanation for the locked door in paragraph two.

The bottom of the other silo has been converted into a climbing wall.

This is a great use of flood-plain property, and the park does occasionally close in the spring when the Grand River floods. So cheers for converting a toxic, beef raising/slaughterhouse property into a beautiful, recreational place for people to come and enjoy nature.