Impromptu Monday adventure

A few Mondays ago husband decided to take the day off (much to my surprise) and asked if I wanted to go up to McConnells Mill and Moraine for a day of hiking and adventure.  And of course I said yes knowing that our sunny warm weather and hiking days were numbered.  Both are state parks located almost directly North of where we live.  We had both been to McConnells Mill before but it was our first time at Moraine.

The times we have been up to McConnells Mill were to swim and lay out on a huge rock that kids in our area have been visiting since high school but not to really explore.  It was a gorgeous day but a bit chilly since we were covered by all the trees.  Nothing a good hike can't cure though.

I love reflections of nature, buildings, lights, really anything in water.  It adds so much to a photo.

As we made our way along the trails we came across a waterfall (that unfortunately I wasn't able to capture as well as I had hoped - didn't have a tripod) that you could climb to the top of.  The climb was rather steep and with me being as clumsy as I am and with my camera I was hesitant because I knew getting back down would not be easy.  With a little nagging from the husband I made it to the top and what greeted me at the top completely took my breath away...

B&W adds that extra... something.  Don't you think? 

Beam me up, Scotty! 

I love the light breaking through the canopy of trees.  So peaceful and humbling.  

We started to get hungry so we decided to grab our packed lunches for a picnic before heading to Moraine.  What a lovely view on our way out.  I hope to make it up there in the next few weeks.  Can you imagine how beautiful this will be when the leaves start changing?

Like I said we had a gorgeous day for our hike.  These were on the road on our way to Moraine.  I had been looking for fields of sunflowers but unfortunately did not see any but had husband stop to let me capture just a few that were along the side of the road.  

Moraine is designed a little differently than McConnells Mill.  The park surrounds a surprisingly large lake where you can boat and even swim.  If you don't have a boat, no worries, you can rent your own for a few hours or the whole day.  Something we hope to do next summer.  Unless of course we happen upon a friend who has a boat.  Still interviewing... ;)

We decided to chill for a little before looking for some trails to hike so we parked our car and headed out to this dock for some sun and relaxation.

Same as the one above but I like how the LR edit adds a vintage feel to it.  I can kinda picture my mom jumping off the end in a polka dotted swimsuit with a friend.

We then headed out for our hour long hike.  We only touched a small section of the park but it was so nice to have a day of fresh air and adventure.  

Good-bye Summer.  Hello Fall...