A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about how a lack of travel had inspired feelings of restlessness and boredom with my life. However, in the weeks that followed, I’ve definitely become much better at finding the time to get up, get out, and stay active.
Owing to car troubles, his college schedule, and a tight budget on both sides, we haven’t been out of state in a few months. Still, this hasn’t stopped us from discovering a few hidden gems we had never explored before.
This time, we visited Constitution Lakes, where we were met by lush forestry, beautiful walkways, vast areas of swampland, eerie artwork along the hiking trail, and a dragonfly with a lesson to share.
In the Beginning
The head of the trail didn’t seem very promising, but as we often do, we started the hike without checking any maps, and crossed our fingers.
Luckily, taking the risk did not go unrewarded this time. After about a mile or so of hiking, we came to a walkway and bridges overlooking the swampland, which was oddly beautiful in its own way.
The Unbeaten Path
After the walkways, a more rugged trail began that – truth be told – wasn’t very well kept. Nevertheless, its unkempt quality only made it that much more challenging and fun to wander through.
Eerie Artwork
As we continued along the path, we realised we were not alone, and that eerie little characters and plastic limbs were strung along the trail as artwork.
It was a curious addition, and one both Michael and I doubted were any good for the natural environment, but they were intriguing anyway.
Crossing Swamps
After passing the eclectic collection of artwork, we came across a narrower bridge that went directly across the swamps. All the others had only skirted the banks, and feeling up for a challenge, and the opportunity for great photos, we decided to cross it.
The walkway took us deep into the woods – so deep, that after a mile or so, there was nothing new to see.
The Lesson in Patience
As we walked back, I looked at the beautiful dragonflies all around me, and lamented that I would never get to photograph one.
“They’re the holy grail of photography,” I told Michael. “They’re so beautiful, but so fast. I don’t think I could ever catch one.”
“You just need to have patience,” Michael encouraged me, though he had never tried it before, himself.
I wasn’t so sure, so I decided to take shots of the model who willingly posed for me, instead.
When I showed no keen interest in trying very hard, Michael decided to give it a whirl.
He’s pretty handy with a camera, but if he wasn’t willing to spend ten minutes rolling around on the hot walkway, in the middle of the swamp, we wouldn’t have these blue beauties to share.
It’s amazing what you can achieve in life when you couple determination with patience. Remember this as you go through the rest of the week.
Don’t miss out on claiming your holy grail, like I did.
A lovely inspirational post & cool photos too! Waw!
Thank you!
Lovely post, Alexis – and I totally agree with you about the joys of travel.Constitution Lakes looks an amazing place. I’m no photographer, either, but my daughter has taken some beautiful photos of dragonflies in her time. I loved your phrase describing them as ‘the holy grail of photography’.
Thank you Millie! Constitution Lakes is pretty amazing. It’s probably one of the few trails I would return to. I never go more than once.
You should encourage your daughter to keep taking pictures. It’s amazing that she got some dragonflies as well! 🙂
nice! Dragonflies and damselflies have been my kayaking companions for years. While not super easy to catch with a camera, you can get great shots with patience and observation… and turning over a few rocks at the edge of the water looking for dragonfly nymphs. Sitting still on a beach or in your boat is a good way to find some.
Hey, haven’t seen you on this side of the blogging world in a bit. Thanks for dropping by!
Thanks for the advice as well. I think I just lacked the patience, which is not always like me. I would say catching a dragonfly on camera is about as tricky as bees, and that I’ve done. But that day, I was a little ill, truth be told.
Next time I’ll have the patience, and use your tips! 🙂
The pictures are beautiful. Especially the one of the dragonfly.Have you ever ran into a bear or an alligator on any of your hiking trips?
If I ran into any of those things I would stop hiking! Hahahaha. Probably not, but it would definitely freak me out.
Michael thinks he heard a bear when we went hiking at the Wolf Den Loop, but we didn’t see any.
And thank you. The trail was beautiful. What did you think of the artwork?
Lol.. I was just curious. The art work was weird, but interesting. I was trying to figure out if there were any hidden messages behind the artwork. I fish a lot with my husband, but we have to be careful where we choose to go fishing. There are a lot of alligators in this area where I live.
I haven’t been fishing in years. I never actually fished for anything though. I used to go as a teen so I could write in nature. It was therapeutic.
This was awesome. Thank you so much for sharing. We have been venturing out too and it definitely helps me with my mental health to just be out and away. I love the pictures!
Thank you. It’s always such an amazing experience to explore and see more of the world, even when nothing exciting happens.