{"id":66,"date":"2009-07-01T15:40:25","date_gmt":"2009-07-01T19:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.50.23\/wordpress\/blog\/?p=66"},"modified":"2018-04-07T16:47:49","modified_gmt":"2018-04-07T20:47:49","slug":"sevenbridges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forths.com\/index.php\/2009\/07\/01\/sevenbridges\/","title":{"rendered":"Relaxing at Seven Bridges Natural Area"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although I’ve made the trip dozens of times before, I always see something new at The Seven Bridges Natural Area in Kalkaska county.\u00a0 During a particularly overcast July 1, I thought I’d get out of the house and explore the trails that cut over and around the Rapid River and several of its tributaries.<\/p>\n

The ugly weather kept away the sane visitors, so of course I was alone.\u00a0 Upon my arrival, I was greeted by a nervous mink hopping toward me on a wooden bridge.\u00a0 My camera was powered on but was unfortunately set with a long shutter duration for taking pictures of the river’s rapids.<\/p>\n

I managed to take a blurry picture of the little beast before he scampered under a root along the river.\u00a0\u00a0 I wished I could have reset the exposure on my camera before taking the picture, but he was just too fast and I needed to snap the picture while I had the chance.<\/p>\n

The park is truly a treasure, with water bubbling up from every corner feeding absolutely ancient cedars and tamaracks.\u00a0 Cedars and river birch stand on tall gnarled roots along the river’s edge.\u00a0 A small waterfall cascades downward from a small stream to join the river.\u00a0 The sounds of rushing water come from all directions, providing a most relaxing environment.\u00a0 Professional photographers spend hours taking pictures of the wildflowers, mosses, and wildlife.<\/p>\n

The Seven Bridges Natural Area is just a few minutes from the Alden home, and worth every minute spent there.<\/p>\n