Parks – Page 2 – Wandering Dawgs

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #160 – Your Inspiration

August 12, 2021January 22, 2024Posted in Birds, Butterflies, Flowers, National Parks, Nature, Photography, WildlifeTagged Favorite Quotes, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Your Inspiration29 Comments

Our host Patti has challenged us to show what our inspiration looks like. I find my inspiration in the natural world.

In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir

Starting the day by watching the sun rise adds inspiration to any day.

The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.
Claude Monet

The natural beauty found in America’s National Parks never ceases to inspire me.

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, California

If you truly love nature you will find beauty everywhere.
Vincent Van Gogh

The weekly challenges from the gifted lens-artists hosts Tina, Ann-Christine, Patti and Amy always inspire me to be a better photographer. I’m also inspired by all of the talented WordPress bloggers who respond to the challenge with their wonderful photographs.

Many thanks to Patti for this challenge. Be sure to visit her original post at Lens-Artists challenge #160: Your Inspiration.

Lens-Artists #119: Hideaway

October 24, 2020January 23, 2024Posted in National Parks, National Wildlife Refuge, PhotographyTagged Denali National Park, Everglades National Park, Favorite Quotes, hideaway, Lens-Artists, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Photo Challenge14 Comments

For this challenge Ann-Christine has asked us “where or what is our hideaway”. Her description of hideaway says “A Hideaway, is a place to which a person can retreat for safety, privacy, relaxation, to seek seclusion or refuge.”

When I am at home I can hideaway for a few moments by getting out in nature or by reading a book. But for me, a true hideaway is a wilderness area far away from civilization, somewhere with no robo calls, internet, or other interruptions.

Three of my favorite destinations immediately came to mind – the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in south Georgia, Denali National Park in Alaska, and Everglades National Park in Florida. Although these are three unique protected wilderness areas, what they have in common is that they are miles away from civilization and the wildlife is free to roam.

Of these three areas, the closest to my home is the Okefenokee Swamp. When we get to the end of the 17 mile road from the main highway and arrive at Stephen C. Foster State Park I feel like I am in another world. This image and the one at the top were both taken in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge near Fargo, Georgia.

Mount Denali in Denali National Park, Alaska

To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world.
John Muir

Sunrise in Everglades National Park in Flamingo, Florida

There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth; remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Thanks to Ann-Christine for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #119: Hideaway.

Lens-Artists #115: Inspiration

September 25, 2020January 23, 2024Posted in Butterflies, National Parks, Photography, SunsetTagged beach, Favorite Quotes, green lynx spider, inspiration, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, zebra longwing21 Comments

I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful – an endless prospect of magic and wonder.
Ansel Adams

Whether it’s a butterfly in my garden, a tiny spider on a colorful flower, a walk on the beach, visiting a National Park, or seeing a sunset, I find inspiration in the natural world.

Yosemite Valley in Yellowstone National Park

Thanks to Tina for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #115: Inspiration.

Lens-Artists #108: Sanctuary

August 5, 2020Posted in National Parks, National Wildlife Refuge, Nature, PhotographyTagged beach, Denali National Park, Everglades National Park, Lens-Artists, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Photo Challenge, ruby throated hummingbird, sanctuary35 Comments

This week, our guest host Xenia of Tranature has chosen Sanctuary for our challenge. She reminds us that “Sanctuary can be found and created in a garden, a park, a field of wild flowers and by the sea …… watching wildlife, listening to birdsong …… along the forest trails and in the mountains.” She has asked us to show where we find it or how we create our calm and healing.

America’s National Parks and Wildlife Refuges are national treasures and wonderful places to find sanctuary.

Pa-Hay-Otee Overlook in Everglades National Park

20180214Okefenokee-Boat-Tour-(78) — Cypress Trees in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Polychrome Overlook, Denali National Park, Alaska

Closer to home, I can find my sanctuary watching the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean on one of Georgia’s barrier islands (image at the top of the page), walking on the beach, or watching the birds and butterflies in my backyard butterfly garden.

20200803-Tropical-Storm-Isaias-(28)WP — Waiting for Tropical Storm Isaias

Xenia, thank you for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Sanctuary

Throwback Thursday #18 – January 30, 2012

January 30, 2020January 29, 2020Posted in Georgia, Nature, RVing, State ParksTagged Memories, Okefenokee Swamp, snowbirding, snowbirds, Throwback Thursday12 Comments

We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips. This January I am highlighting our January, 2012 snowbird trip to Florida.

Part 5 of our January, 2012 RV trip around Florida

After enjoying our stay in Alafia State Park, we spent a few days in Salt Springs in the Ocala National Forest before stopping at one of our all time favorite campgrounds on our way north. On this day eight years ago, January 30, 2012, we were camped at Stephen C. Foster State Park in Fargo, Georgia in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. It was our last stop before going home.

We had camped there several times before but this stay at the park was quite different from our other visits. In 2011, a wildfire burned for days in the area and a lot of the woods were badly burned.

As we the drove the last few miles to the park entrance we were saddened to see the devastation caused by the 2011 wildfire.

20120130 Stephen C Foster (3) — Stephen C Foster State Park after 2011 wildfire in the Okefenokee Swamp

The fire also destroyed part of the walkway through the nature trail.

20120130 Stephen C Foster (2) — Stephen C Foster State Park after 2011 wildfire in the Okefenokee Swamp

We returned to the park several times after the fire and the area is recovering nicely. There are pictures from our 2018 visit at The Land of Trembling Earth.

It was great fun wandering around Florida that year. Except for a few cold days in the early part of the trip, most of the days were warm and sunny. We even had a few days when we could wear shorts!

We were gone for 36 days and went a total of about 3000 miles and have lots of good memories.