Visiting Warren Woods - er, Dunes State Park

Hey everyone!

Being the weekend and I still the proud new owner of a Michigan State Parks Recreation Passport, I thought it would be fun to go spend a couple of hours in another state park. Today's forecast was to be all rainy and snowy, but just cloudy conditions resulted...and while not like great weather to watch a sunset in, it would be great to go hiking in. So, I decided to go to the last of Berrien County's three state parks that I had actually not yet visited: Warren Woods, which is actually just a couple miles east of Warren Dunes (see my last post).

You know the saying that goes "the best laid plans of mice and men"?? Well...today was a prime example of that. I spent a blissful half hour driving out in the middle of beautiful Michigan farm country, with wide open spaces, neatly cut corn fields on rolling hills, and red barns everywhere...only to discover, as I came at the park from the east, that the road it was on was closed, due to all the flooding this area has received lately. Every other single road I traversed today was open, though large puddles were on the roadsides, so I figured everything would be open. So then I drove around the figurative block, hoping that the park would be open access from the west. No such luck.

By this time, I had driven for 45 minutes and didn't like the idea of putting 30-40 miles on my car just for nothing. So I drove about another 15 min west and spent a while in Warren Dunes again. I only spent about 20 min or so, but it was quite interesting seeing the difference that just a week and a half makes. Now, no snow was to be seen anywhere (thanks to temps in the 40's and rain for the last several days), and the entire parking lot was clear. I parked right up near the beach, and joyously headed out to the lake unimpeded...it was so wonderful actually seeing where I was stepping!! ;)
I also enjoyed taking pictures of the lake and beach with a log or grasses in the foreground, made for some interesting compositions.

Anyway. I hope you enjoyed hearing of my adventures and will enjoy seeing my following pictures from the dunes! Maybe another time when there's been more sun I'll actually get out to Warren Woods... :D

 The waves were so cool to photograph!!

 Close-ups.

Put a cool filter on the tree photo!

 I feel like there could be a really cool composition with the fence in the foreground, but I didn't have the time or inspiration today. Consider this a work in progress. To be continued...

 I really liked the tree on the left here, and how just over the sand and fence the lake just looms.

...and back at the parking lot. Until next time! :)