Rock Point was a balmy 25°F today, but the beautiful sunset that I got to witness made up for the chilly weather. A lot has changed since my first visit to Rock Point, the temperature is significantly colder, the trees are bare, and ice covers some of the rocks and boulders close to the lake, and the sun now sets at 4:15pm.
The foliage has changed significantly from my first visit. The leaves that had painted the trees a beautiful array of orange, red and yellow my first trip, now they scatter the ground leaving the deciduous trees bare. While it is sad that the leaves no longer decorate the trees they have a greater purpose now as they decompose and put nutrients back into the soil for next year. Already this decomposition process can be seen as the leaves are now a dull brown, deteriorating back into the forest floor. The only persistent vegetation are the Northern White Cedars, which don’t loose their needles.
There isn’t much of a change in animal activity except there are not as many birds active in the area. At the beginning of the year there were many seagulls and other small finch-like birds. However, it is quieter now as it seems many of these birds might have started their migration. On the walk to the shoreline through the interior of the peninsula my friends and I heard a howl from the wooded area that could have been a coyote. It definitely didn’t sound like any dog I had ever heard, but that also could have been our imaginations running wild (the most probably case).
In my last trip to Rock Point this semester I was lucky enough to witness a beautiful sunset. The sun cast a golden glow over the Dolostone rocks, illuminating the cliff-line brilliantly. The sunset, in addition to the majestic lake and mountain range, made this my favorite visit yet. These were my favorite aspects of Rock Point, that no matter the weather, time of year, or time of day the view over the lake was so grand that it made me feel like I was part of something so much bigger then me. It took me away from any worries about school, personal life, or just stress in general and allowed me to just exist in a beautiful place. I also love the small hints of adventure I got from my outings there, like climbing my climbing bolder or even just the unpredictability of the weather. Rock Point was dependable and calming and yet provided a different adventure every visit.
