Photography

Story in Photos: A Visit to the Ice Caves

March 17, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs 12 Comments

Spectacular.

In a word, that was our experience at the ice caves.

We ventured up to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on the northern edge of Wisconsin with good friends the first weekend of March. They had gone last year and couldn’t ~~shut up about it~~ stop talking about how awesome of an experience it was to walk across a frozen Lake Superior and climb through dozens of caves full of icicles.

And it was pretty cool.

Photo evidence:

How to Visit the Ice Caves Next Year

First, go like the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Facebook page for the latest updates. Some years the caves are open, and some years they are not – it all depends on the weather. Once they start talking about the caves being open in early 2016 (it takes a while for the lake to freeze over), they post almost daily updates with what the conditions are and if the caves are open.

Plan ahead! It’s kind of a game of luck on whether or not the caves are open the weekend you have free to go up. This year hotels booked up with a hundred mile radius – if you want to go, book your hotel in Bayfield or Ashland early. And then hope the caves are open that weekend.

Arrive EARLY. We left Presque Isle for the 2 hour drive at 4:30 AM. We got to the park just before 7 AM and were able to park on the road right outside the parking lot – the lot was already full. When we left around 2 PM, cars were parked 3 or 4 miles down the road – and they still had a long way to walk just to get to the caves.

Bring the right gear. Wear warm, waterproof clothes. Make sure you have some Yaktrax or other studded boot covers. Scott and I had these Neos overshoes and they worked like a charm to keep us from slipping and sliding on the ice. We wore them over our snow boots. Make sure to bring your camera, snacks (its a long walk), and water.

Prepare to walk. I was not quipped for how far we would be going, and I am NOT in shape these days. Make sure you are ready to walk a lot wearing heavy gear – it’s completely different than a leisurely stroll in the park.

I think that’s about it!

Would you visit the ice caves next year? Have you ever experienced something like this anywhere else in the world?

Story in Photos: #Instameet at Wisconsin State Capitol

March 10, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs Leave a Comment

In January, I stumbled across an Instagram post by Josh Haroldson about an Instagram meetup at the Wisconsin State Capitol on a Monday evening, promising the chance for a tour around the state capitol for a photo adventure. I was luckily able to go, and while a snowstorm caused me to arrive late and out of breath, having run uphill to the capitol from where I parked (and let me tell you, it has been a while since I have ran anywhere), it was a great chance to get together with other photo-loving people in Madison and nerd out to our hearts’ content.

Here are a handful of the shots I captured, and I can’t wait to make the next event, too.

It really is a lovely building.

Have you ever been to an #Instameet anywhere? Where was it?

Story in Photos: A Winter Walk

February 24, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs Leave a Comment

It’s hard to believe that we sold our house almost nine months ago and have been living in an apartment since. We miss our little house: it was charming and old, filled with nicks that stand for the stories that only fill old homes.

In an absolute contrast, we now live in a shiny-new suburb, filled with homes that all look the same, at least on the outside. While I know that this is the dream for some people, and that we are lucky to live where we do, the neighborhood doesn’t quite fit on us: it’s a skin stretched too tight, scrubbed pink and obviously fresh out of the tub. The day we moved in, a friend remarked “This is not you guys at all.” It’s true, but we are telling ourselves “temporary.”

And it is.

A couple weeks ago we sat down with an architect to sketch our someday home.

We are excited and nervous and oh-so-happy that life is moving forward after many years of waiting. One of these days I’ll tell our story of trying and failing to sell our first home, of the holding pattern we lived in for four years as we waited for someone else to fall in love with our little yellow house. But for now, we are learning contentment in this transition, savoring the simplicity of apartment life, and focusing on other efforts as we wait for next spring to arrive.

How are you learning contentment these days?