Monthly Archive: April 2023

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in the Fall – Indiana

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in the Fall - Seymour, Indiana

A dirt road passes through Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in the fall, near the town of Seymour, Indiana. 

At 7,802 acres, Muscatatuck is the state of Indiana’s oldest National Wildlife Refuge (founded in 1966). It was purchased with Duck Stamps and is largely converted farmland. Its name derives from the Muscatatuck River, which means “land of winding waters”.  In addition to the forest and marshlands that comprise much of the refuge, there remain a number of historical remnants, including an old cemetery, cabin, and barn from the people that once called the refuge home. Today the refuge is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and maintains many connections to the surrounding communities, including the Boy Scouts, local visitors bureaus, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Officers Quarters Fort Clatsop – Lewis and Clark – Oregon

Officers Quarters Fort Clatsop - Lewis and Clark - Oregon

A replica of the officers quarters of William Clark and Merriweather Lewis at Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, Oregon.

The fort, built over the course of three weeks in December 1805, was occupied until March of 1806. The fort is located on the Lewis and Clark River, not far from the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean, and close to the modern city of Astoria, Oregon. The first replica was built in 1955, from a set of drawings in William Clark’s journals. That fort burned down in 2005, and was replaced the following year by a crew of 700 volunteers, who replaced it with a replica truer to the character of the original structure.

Squaw Lake on Colorado River – Yuma, Arizona

Squaw Lake on Colorado River - Yuma, Arizona

Sunrise reflection on Squaw Lake with palm trees, an offshoot of the Colorado River south of the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, and north of Yuma, Arizona, near the border of California. This view is from the  T.K. Jones Campground, a popular destination for fisherman and kayakers.