Geocaching

Recently my wife and I tried geocaching.  (Geocaching is sort of a scavenger hunt using a GPS.)  It's fun.  Some caches are easy to find and others are more difficult.  We have tried a few times to find caches, but we were only able to locate 3.  Some of the caches are hidden very well and eluded us.  Sometimes they are hidden in a park or along a trail.  Sometimes they are in the woods.Hopefully we get better at finding the caches, but it's fun either way.

Matthiessen State Park

Waterfalls

What is it about waterfalls that makes them so fascinating?  Is it the sense of awe and wonder that they inspire?  Is it the mystical character of the setting?  Is it the crashing sound of the water over the rocks?  Or is it simply the inherent beauty of the landscape?

Whatever draws us to such places seems to fill a void whenever we visit one.  We feel connected to the landscape in a way that we cannot fully describe.  And when someone asks why it is so special, we tell them that they simply have to experience it for themselves, because words cannot do it justice and pictures cannot capture the life within the water.

Why do so few people visit waterfalls if they have such an impact on us?  I hear people say that they didn't know there were waterfalls so close to us.  Living in southern WI, we are only a two hour drive away from Matthiessen State Park between Oglesby and Utica, IL.



Lake Falls

General Information

Matthiessen State Park is one of my favorite places to hike. It's a two hour drive from home and there are two waterfalls. I love hiking through the canyons and picnicking at the waterfalls.
The bathroom is next to the parking lot (no bathrooms along the trail). There is a pavilion that resembles a fort next to the trailhead. Descend about 150 steps until you reach the rim of the canyon. You will find a bridge in front of you and trails on either side of the canyon rim. The trails on top are fairly gentle, while the trails down in the canyons are more challenging.

There is a lot of beautiful landscape above and in the canyons. The trails along the rim skirt the edge of the canyon and frame the edge of the forest. When the trail is closer to the rim, picturesque views abound.

Three bridges cross the canyons: one above Lake Falls, one above Cascade Falls, and one at the stairway leading down into the lower canyon. There are a few trails leading down into the upper canyon and one trail leading to the lower canyon. Both are great trails. I actually prefer hiking in the canyons to hiking up at the rim.

The trails in the canyons can be muddy and wet, especially the lower canyon. Plan to bring a change of clothes, a towel and a second pair of shoes (if you don't have hiking boots).




Cascade Falls

Character of the Trails

The trails up on the rim are gravel and not difficult at all, slightly more difficult than a walk in the park.  There is one place to watch the map:  a Y intersection in the trail between the bridges over the two waterfalls; one of these leads back down into the canyon.  There is a map posted nearby; please check it carefully to ensure you are on the trail you want to be on.

The stairs down to the canyon are wood.  There is a railing and benches are provided along the stair.

The trails down in the canyons meander back and forth across the river.  At some places there are stepping stones, other places have rocks, and some places have other items to help cross the river; but there may be places that you simply have to step into the shallow water and get your feet wet.

There are a few places down in the canyons where an intermediate step is lacking.  Please be careful.  Be safe and take it slow.  Hiking should be fun, not dangerous.

The water level rises and falls throughout the year and the amount of rainfall.  This changes where you walk in some places.  Near Lake Falls during high water you may need to walk along the very edge on the right side and get your feet wet to get near the falls.  PLEASE do not go into the spot where the water is a different color.  I do not know how deep it is.  I also do not know how deep the water is where the water crashes to the river.  Please use caution and enjoy the waterfall.

In the lower canyon on the left side near the sandy area by the falls is a small cave.  Also it is possible to get behind Cascade Falls, but be careful.  I change into water sandals to get behind the falls.  The canyon wall is steep and slippery.  If you don't have good balance, then please don't attempt to climb back there.

Me standing on a tree

Stepping stones

Stepping stones

Me picnicking

Lake Falls

Cascade Falls

Cascade Falls



Cave

Slideshows

Cascade Falls

Lake Falls

Conclusion

Please enjoy your visit to Matthiessen State Park.  Bring some supplies and make it a picnic with your date.  Have fun and tell others where to go.   :)

Supplies

Suggested-
Water (or gatorade or juice)
Snacks (trail mix, fruit, veggies, beef stick, cheese, anything besides chocolate)
Backpack (to carry everything)
Hiking boots (or a second pair of shoes to change into afterwards)
Change of clothes and a towel
Optional-
Picnic lunch
Camera
Water sandals
Friend/date

Status on Poetry Books

I just checked my account on www.smashwords.com and I was surprised.  They updated the sales figures and I had a few sales.  6 copies of Poetry have sold!
I haven't done much marketing, so it's very nice that readers are taking a chance on an unknown author like me.  The truly amazing part is that smashwords is working on some kind of tech thing with amazon to upload lots of files at once and until that is ready they are only distributing a few titles to amazon.  In other words: I have no presence on amazon and I have still sold a few copies of Poetry.  (Not bad for next to zero marketing and an unknown author.)

For anybody that does not know me:  I am Glen Brereton Jr.  I have 2 poetry books available on www.smashwords.com  Poetry www.smashwords.com/books/view/106400 and Kiss Me Tonight www.smashwords.com/books/view/104631
I don't really consider myself a poet. I wrote all of these poems over the course of about 18 years.  I really desire to be a novelist.  Currently I'm working on an outline for a fantasy novel.  Hopefully I can keep focused on my writing and begin a rough draft soon.

You can check out the waterfall pictures and some writing samples on my webpage.  www.hikerauthor.com

Cadiz Springs

Last month I took my wife hiking with me at Browntown-Cadiz Springs State Rec Area. It's located just a few miles west of Monroe, WI off of Highway 11.  I thought it might be interesting to share our different points of view on the trip.

Glen says-
I hike whenever the weather (or family obligations) do not prevent it.  I enjoy seeing the beauty in nature both the landscape and the wildlife that inhabits it.  I love to take day trips and bring a picnic lunch with me.  I also make my own trail mix.  I bring a backpack and camera.  I change into boots before starting on the trail.

Jordan says-
I like going hiking to be with my husband. I also enjoy seeing the wildlife and the waterfalls. I'm still pretty new at hiking, but Cadiz Springs was really easy. It would be a good place to go for beginners, or for anyone who likes easier trails.

Glen says-
Cadiz Springs has two lakes: Zander Lake and Beckman Lake.  The lakes are stocked with fish.  There is a boat launch and a beach area and a picnic area.  There are several hiking trails and plentiful wildlife to admire or capture on film.



Hooded Merganser

We began hiking on the nature trail that circles Zander Lake.  The trail begins between the two lakes and meets up with another trail at the far end of the lake.  Maybe five minutes into our hike we saw a turtle on the side of the trail.  I took a couple of pictures before he ran away at turtle speed.  We saw ducks and geese swimming in the lakes.

Snapping Turtle

Snapping Turtle



American Coot

As we walked along we read the nature signs that are posted along the trail.  They give information about the various wildlife and flora that can be found in the area.  After we rounded the corner we saw a pileated woodpecker working on a hollow in a tree.  I assume that it was building a nest.  We saw a cardinal, too.  We also saw a chickadee, red-winged blackbirds and a pheasant, but they were all camera shy.

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Cardinal

We changed to the trail circling Beckman Lake. We heard several birds that refused to come out of hiding.  We saw a few little flowers.  There were a couple birdhouses and several bat houses.

At the far end of Beckman Lake there is a nesting platform for ospreys.  There weren't any around yet, but I'm sure there will be soon.

Cadiz Springs is a nice quiet park for those who enjoy nature or fishing or picnicking.  It is on our list to visit again.

Beach area on Beckman Lake

trying to learn how to market myself

I'm amazed at what I've accomplished in 6 weeks.  I wanted to put my poetry into a book and upload it online.  I ended up creating 2 poetry ebooks and I did it all without any help.  I typed them up and did all of the formatting and even created covers with my scanner/printer.
Then I began to utilize my facebook to share the link with my friends.  I continued to add to my network of friends and got some interest in my ebooks right away.  3 copies and 38 samples between 2 books isn't bad when you consider that it's a small group and it's only been 2 weeks.
I even designed a webpage and got that up and running  (3 times actually).  And I set up this blog and a story blog to try writing a story a bit at a time online.
I'm still learning how to market myself, but I'm enthusiastic and learning more each day.

Glen

http://www.hikerauthor.com/  main webpage
http://www.hikerauthor78.com/
http://www.hikerauthor78.blogspot.com/  current blog
http://www.theoutcast78.blogspot.com/  story blog
www.facebook.com/glen.brereton1

waiting for spring

It's almost December.  It's too late in the year to hike.  I can't wait till Spring.  Hopefully I can catch the snowmelt at Starved Rock dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/I&M/EAST/STARVE/PARK.HTM  Jordan and I got to see the snowmelt spring of 2010.  It was gorgeous.  The waterfalls were halfway melted, so there were columns of ice with water rushing down the middle.  It's truly a sight to go see.  But timing is everything.  Maybe I can distract myself for the next 4 months by writing about hiking and working on my novel.  lol.

Blogisodes???

I'm considering doing a series of stories and the best analogy I can think of is tv episodes.  You know, how a sitcom or a drama continues with the same cast of characters every week in a different situation.  Well I think it might be something I could try with stories.  Not sure how long it will take me to get something going, but I thought it would give my readers something to read so they don't complain about me taking forever to write my novel :)
Let me know what you think.  I have several scenarios that I'm considering for the blogisodes.  I just need a little time to build one of these into a story.  Who knows?  Maybe other indie authors will try doing this too?  That would be great for the readers, which motivate writers to write.