Back To The Nature Trails

I needed to start getting back out visiting nature again, but I think I needed to get back to it in kind of a small way. I wanted to visit some nature trails with that idea, so the obvious solution was a small nature park that was also close by. Dunham Prairie Preserve is perfect for that.

I've decided that I need to visit a good nature park more routinely, so I'm going to be visiting this one at least every few days from now on. That's how I used to do things when I went on my little everyday adventures back in Michigan. It was the best time I ever had with nature.

I would visit those old parks just about every day, but I've never done the same thing since I've been here in Iowa. I guess I never gave this park a chance. I liked the park at first, but then I quickly decided for some reason that there wasn't much to see here. Maybe I just missed my old parks.

At my old parks I used to see lots of wildlife, but not so much here. But I got to thinking recently that I didn't see many animals at those old parks until I was visiting them for awhile. Maybe those animals had gotten used to me and they weren't as afraid as before. Maybe it can be the same here too.

Even if I never see much wildlife here I might learn other interesting things about this place. I've never considered knowledge about plants one of my strong points, but I was getting pretty good with the plants at those other parks. There's lots of plants here to see.

I've had a theory that out here in the country the animals have more places to hide than they did in the city where my old parks were. Maybe that's why I don't see as much at my new parks. But maybe I'm wrong. I won't know until I really try to visit a park more often.

One of the features I liked about this park from the start is this bridge. It's not much of a bridge, but I still like it. Any bridge is good to me. I don't know how many times I've written about my love for all bridges. A bridge in the middle of the woods is my favorite.

This is all my way of trying to get my health and my pleasure of nature back. When I lived in the city nature parks were like a refuge in the middle of all of that concrete. Now they are more of the same of right where I live. I don't need the refuge as much, but I do need that wonderful feeling that walking through a nature park all alone always gives me.

I often find when I'm home I get into a routine of doing nothing. I need to be out with nature seeing the sights and hearing the wonderful sounds. And a good long hike is great for the muscles. The whole experience leaves me with the best all around feeling when I get back home.

I'll be visiting this park very often from now on. I'll do my best to show you different things with each post from there. Maybe I'll post a little more often again too. After a little while I should begin to learn a few more interesting things about the place. And besides, my dog really needs the exercise. I'll talk to you later.