October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 11:GREEN

I took these images on a photo shoot project with my daughter and her art teacher last year.

The variations of scenes and foliage are endless in this conservation nature center area, and the time of year with the extra fall colors just added to the easy compositions.

Devoting our entire hike to capturing nature in photos was a perfect way to spend an hour.  I would love to take the time to do this several times a week.

I am green with envy over those people that make a living out of taking pictures.

Lime Creek Conservation Area Bike Ride

With trail names like River Bluffs Trail, White-Tail Loop, Old Stage Run, Badlands Loop, and Quarry Lake Trail, the paths around the Lime Creek Nature Center provide a variety of habitats for visitors to enjoy.

Knowing that much of the trails are made up of rock, dirt, and crushed limestone, I decided the Catrike would not do very well in the rugged terrain and opted for the two-wheeled bike with the wider tires...wise choice.  An even wiser choice would've been a mountain bike, helmet, gloves, and knee and elbow pads!!

There were probably many more photo ops along the way, but I was too busy watching for tree roots, rocks, ruts, and sticks next to the river to take my eyes off the trail and enjoy the scenery.  And once we made it to the open prairie area, I was dodging grasshoppers and dragonflies at every turn.

When we got to Quarry Lake, we had to pause to take in the vista.  The area is a beautiful serene haven that we didn't want to leave.

All in all, we spent just under an hour on the trails but only went 4.48 miles.

Another gorgeous Iowa summer day!