Addison Oaks Trail Riders

October Adventures in Oakland County

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment
Fungi growing on tree

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

October has been a golden month; a time for hiking, cider making, leaf peeping, and endless adventure within Oakland County and beyond. I will miss those days that were punctuated by earlier sunsets, later sunrises, and clear, star-studded night skies. Mother Nature teased us a few times with snowflakes, hail pellets, and strong wind gusts, but sunny days and temperatures that climbed into the seventies in this final week dominated the month before rains came near the end. That rain fueled a final emergence of fantastic forest fungi, including shelf fungus that grows on trees.  

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October Gold: Adventures and Situational Awareness

Oakland County, MI Government 4 Comments
A view of tall trees in fall colors from across a body of water. Deep oranges, yellows, and green reflect brilliantly on top of the water.

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

October heralds the peak beauty of autumn’s colors; that alone makes this month special. We are in the season of crisp morning air, fast-moving clouds, clear night sky and the last blooms of meadow wildflowers. It’s a month of roaming raccoons, woolly bear caterpillar, owls hooting, coyotes yipping, hyper-active squirrels scurrying, restless bucks in rut and osprey departing. October means scarlet sky sunsets, first frost and sudden outbursts of short-lived snowflakes. October is truly the golden month for those that love nature’s way, and perhaps the very best time to hike and explore the wilder side of Oakland County. Continue reading →

Secrets of Cranberry Lake Park

Oakland County, MI Government Leave a comment
Cranberry Lake Park

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

On sultry summer days the beautiful wooded swamps and protected wetlands of Cranberry Lake Park occasionally transform into short term havens for blood-thirsty mosquitoes and squadrons of dive-bombing deer flies. That is nature’s way all across the Wilder Side of Oakland County. I still remember a hot and humid late summer day when I meandered into that Oakland Township Park on a hunt for a few blackberries. I raced back to my vehicle a few minutes later with my arms flailing after becoming an involuntarily blood donor for what felt like millions of mosquitoes.

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Saddle Up And Ride On The Wilder Side Of Oakland County

Oakland County, MI Government 1 Comment

 WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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Foggy and sometimes frosty October mornings, kaleidoscopes of autumn leaves, majestic trumpeting of Sandhill Cranes, and hot pink muck buckets: they all signal it’s time to saddle up and ride the multi-use equestrian trails managed by Oakland County Parks. Although I am not a rider, I answered the call of the equestrian wild. For the next few days, I’ll be camping with horses in the woods of Addison Oaks County Park as a boots-on-the-ground observer and guest of the Addison Oaks Trail Riders for their fourth annual Camp’ N Ride Event.

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Discovering Addison Oaks County Park – on Horseback!

Oakland County, MI Government 2 Comments

WILDER SIDE OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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Addison Oaks County Park is a beautiful 1,140 acre matrix of wildlife. It’s a landscape rich with woodlands, wetlands, meadows and miles and miles of trails, many of them equestrian friendly. Last weekend Addison Oaks hosted the second annual Equestrian Camp Out in partnership with the Addison Oaks Trail Riders: equestrians committed to the maintenance and expansion of bridle trails in and around Addison Oaks County Park. Continue reading →