low_delta

Saturday we got up, cooked breakfast and went for a hike. Okay, we didn't get out of camp until 11:30. I'm such a putz. Anyway, we set out on the nature trail. We saw all sorts of nature trail kinds of things. Trees, mostly. We found a thick vine hanging in a loop from a high branch. Cindy swung on it, doing her best Tarzana impression. We walked for a while in the hot, still, buggy woods. Then we found the sand. And went uphill. And almost collapsed at the top. But it was worth it. We came out at the top of the park. The view was spectacular. Sand dunes, beach grass and the lake. *Way* down there. The clouds were making dark patterns on the deep blue waves. We ran down the hill. Running down the dunes is great. You take these huge bounds, landing in the soft sand with each step.

When we got to the bottom, the storm clouds had moved in, and we heard thunder. We decided to risk the walk along the beach - the long way around, rather than go back.

The beach is great too. Long, wide, and at this time of year, empty. I think it is about three miles from end to end. Cyn and I frolicked in the water. The Michigan side of the lake is much nicer than the Wisconsin side. Aside from the amount of sand, it is much warmer, since the westerly wind blows the surface water to that side. The water was still cool, though, which was nice because the sun was so warm. Did I mention the rain was all inland? The clouds seemed to dissipate over the lake, We just caught a bit of sprinkles. So we wandered down the beach for a while, skipping stones, before heading into the trees for lunch.

I scrounged around a little while for some food, and we built a fire to purify some water from the lake in an old tin can. Yeah, right. I pulled my little folding pocket stove and a small pan from my backpack, and we cooked ramen noodles. While I was sitting there waiting for the noodles to cook, I felt a bug on me and *quickly* brushed it off. In that instant I saw that it was huge. Then I looked for it and found that it was a walking stick. That was very cool. I'm not sure I've ever seen one. It was at least five inches long, and looked very much like some twigs. From the shape of the joints in its legs to its color and texture. The shape of the tip of its abdomen looked exactly like the end of a twig. Very cool. We watched it watch us for a while. Then it climbed to the top of a weed. It disappeared after that, and we went on our way too.