This year for Mother’s Day we headed north to visit my mom in Coleman, Michigan. The weather was really dreary, raining on and off on our way up US 127.
One of the best bird watching spots on our way north has always been the Maple River State Game Area in Gratiot County. There is a small pull off parking lot and a path to a small overlook on the east side of the road. We stopped and started the walk back (about 1/4 of a mile) just as it started sprinkling.
Our shoes were soaked almost instantly from the rain on the tall grass and apparently a small alarm went off when we opened our car doors notifying all mosquitoes in the area of our available blood. I had downed a delicious coffee in the first part of our trip making it impossible to walk in a straight line and also gave the mosquitoes a unique opportunity at my backside.
We made it out to the lookout where we saw some of the most common birds in Michigan. The Canada Goose and Red Winged Black Bird. Pretty exciting…. So not exactly the beautiful serene bird watching trip I had imagined, but I am sure my kids will always remember this Mother’s Day. In our daughter’s words ‘Mom, this is the worst adventure ever.”
Nature with Family 