More Adventure

This morning as I sipped my coffee on the porch I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with my day.
Considering my impending trip to WI, I decided it wouldn't make much sense to clean when in a few days I'd want to clean again. Thanks to my slacker mail person, I don't have any movies sitting around waiting to be watched. I picked up some of my Springfield pamphlets including the state park one (I forgot about that yesterday) and looked for something to do.

I landed on Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Park because it was the closest I had yet to visit. I got ready, packed my bag, took Peanut out for a walk, and then hit the road. It was an easy drive and I didn't even get lost once. I did however, realize I forgot my bottle of water in the fridge. That would turn out to be a bummer.

I arrived in the park, pulled in to a picnic area overlooking a lake, and parked. I really lucked out. I walked down the hillside to find a bridge. I figured I'd get some nice pictures, so I crossed...and then crossed another, and before I knew it I had taken a nice, mild hike. I had joked about getting eaten by a bear, but once I was out in that prairie I was way more concerned about snakes.

I hiked back to my car without incident to explore more of the park, but after an hour of exploring, I'd say I hit the jackpot right off the bat. On my drive I did see a snake cross the road as well as a herd of deer. That was all the wildlife I got to see.

On my way out of the park I swung back though that first place I went and ended up checking out a map. As it turns out that little hike was the first leg of the journey around the biggest lake in the park. Now I'm tempted to go back for the whole thing.

We'll see what the summer brings. The park was about 45 minutes from home, but it didn't feel that long. And the fresh wilderness air was amazing. I'm all tired out.

It has been a fabulous weekend!