The rolling hills of prairie grass at Maxwell Game Preserve seem like they must be far away from the farmland that surrounds our house, but in reality there are less than 20 miles that separate us. It's close by, but we rarely go there and take in the scenery and change of pace the preserve has to offer.
Sunday we decided to invite Grandma and Grandpa along for a trip out to Maxwell and the county fishing lake. The landscape colors were beautiful, very few bright fall reds, oranges or yellows, but lots of subtle changes - grasses turning from green, to yellow, to rusty red and whole patches of the prairie turning a plum color.
The buffalo were way off in the distance and we didn't spot any elk on this trip but that didn't take the fun out of climbing the tall lookout tower.
Just a bit further down the road was the fishing lake. We are rarely near a body of water (big or small), but when we are, I'm always keenly aware of it's power and mystery. The boys are drawn to it - running toward it, teetering on the edge of falling in.
The boys and grandpa skipped rocks and we tried to not to disturb the fishermen who were working hard to actually catch fish. We watched them go by in their boats and wondered if they were having any luck.
The whole thing made me wish we'd made time this summer to try camping as a family. Spending time outside, just being together with no other distractions is incredibly precious. Even food tastes better when eaten outside.
There's also a lovely nature trail near the fishing lake. The boys ran ahead, loving the adventure of the unknown places the trail would lead.
It really is unknown since there's no map posted nor any signs along the way to let you know where the path will lead you.
This is the work of a beaver, right? We wondered what it would look like the next time we visited the trail.
The cotton wood leaves were rustling high above our heads while down below on the path it was calm and quiet. We encouraged the boys to slow down and look around at all the interesting plants, leaves and animals along the path.
They did for a little while - then lost interest in the details and again focused on the greater challenge of the mysterious path.
We have walked the path twice now and never made it to the end. Each time we've ended up turning back from fear that the boys' energy wouldn't last to get us all the way back to the trail head. Maybe next time, when Ben can be with us, we'll finally complete exploring the trail.
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