Category: Karen Hilliard Art Blog

Canada, We Will Miss You!

NO SERVICE the message received while traveling. The phones did not work the entire time we were in Canada, but that is fine with us! We thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company and solitude from the rest of the world. It may have been nice for roadside assistance in case a moose jumped out in front of the car or something, but we lucked out! Getting home to the states was very important due to a family member’s birthday. We had to call them, especially to let them know we didn’t “die out there” like our deck of cards tried to prevent us from doing. The main thing I wanted in Canada was a stamp on our passports. We were unable to get this upon entry so I was determined to have it happen on the way out.

Near the border we stopped at Tim Hortons one last time for our pastry and coffee. We also got some poutine even though it was super early. Had to get the poutine. Gravy, cheese curds, and french fries, yum!! When we went through the border we did not get a stamp. What? That is right, I wrote, DID NOT. We made a U-turn and talked to the guy and he let us go to the main office by the border and wait for our stamp. Apparently the United States and Canada do not stamp one another due to the fact that neither country wants to limit the number of times one can travel in and out. Makes sense. Anyways, by the end of this whole experience, I am sure the Canadians thought “silly Americans.” We did not mind, we love being silly, just look at our photos in previous blogs. So, long story super shortened, we got our stamps. Mission Accomplished. Now, where to next?

The Mackinac Bridge and Lake Huron! We wished to swim in as many great lakes as possible and luckily Lake Michigan is right up next to Huron. We stopped at Castle Rock in St. Ignace, Michigan and hiked the long staircase to the top for the views. I carried the dog up the stairs and Chris carried him down. The dog was super happy to be a part of this journey. I think he enjoyed the view too. We were unable to access Lake Huron so we drove over the bridge and decided to camp overnight at Lake Michigan Campground which was only $18 a night. Holy Moly Mosquitos were out in force and thirsting for blood with a vengeance. The lake in the morning was well worth it and super beautiful. We did not go in at night due to riptide warnings, just dipped our feet in. I hope you have an amazing weekend and I look forward to writing more about this and eventually Lake Huron in the blogs next week. Also, my Newsletter went out this morning. You can sign up on my website to see new paintings and read the news every month. The sign up is at the bottom of my home page.

Thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags Border, Canada, Lake Michigan

Touring Canada

Circle Tour Part 8

The stay at the bay was the best part of our whole trip. We loved the remoteness of it and how tranquil it was. During our stay there, we traveled to a small town to try and pick up some souvenirs since we did not have the opportunity prior. This is where the interesting story happens. We ventured into a town called Batchawana Bay and our dog did not want to get out of the car. This dog had been living in the desert and hiking in some very high degrees of heat prior to the trip to Canada. The weather on that day was a nice 65 degrees when the dog was used to 100 to 120 on some days. Chris and I decided to leave him in the car with the windows half way down. He would not let anyone near the car so we were not worried about anything getting taken. We know the car can get 20 degrees hotter quickly during certain parts of the day but this was in the early morning, right when they opened, and we shop super fast. We also park in the shade every time.

We decided to go into The General Store which had a ton of amazing souvenirs where we got everything we needed. While we waited in line, a man rushed into the store stating that a dog was in a car gasping for air and he was going to break the windows if the owner did not come forward and relieve the dog. Well, Chris was obviously not happy about this man wanting to break our windows and I knew my dog was not gasping for air or he would have already broken our windows. I appreciate how much this person cared about animals but did not care for the way he expressed it in my face. Luckily, everything worked out and the store owner was very nice and realized the situation was escalating from the man’s point of view.

The shop owner told us to bring our dog inside the store. We brought him in and I was shaking with adrenaline because I was unhappy with the way the man followed me out to my car and I had to calm myself down. Anytime I was upset, my dog was super protective of me. Although our dog did not want to leave his bed and water dish behind, he ended up coming with me into the store. He had fun and tried to swipe a squirrel tail hat off the shelf and that was challenging. He found everything on the low shelves quite fascinating. We ended up finding some amazing Maple cookies and went back the next day for more before we left Canada. We drove back to Pancake Bay, sat on the beach, and relaxed. I just want to let you all know that my dog was my best mate, and I think of him everyday to this day. I would never have left him in a poor situation, or a hot car. He was my world!! (IMPORTANT NOTE: Cars are always 40-50 degrees hotter than the outside temperature on warm days.) This being noted…Please be kind to animals, please try to be open minded to others, and please try to be calm in challenging situations! Have a great Wednesday!

Thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Pancake Bay

Circle Tour Part 7

Pancake Bay is one of those places out of a dream, a really good dream, one I don’t want to wake from. The beach is so calming and the water so still. Lake Superior was clear for us both days we were there and we could see all the way to the bottom. Every pebble and secret the water held was visible to us. I loved that we could wade out extremely far and we were still in shallow water. It was very cool, yet the perfect temperature of cool. Not lukewarm and not hypothermic. The dog absolutely loved it and after 2 days in the water his limbs were sprightly. He acted like a young pup again. It may be true what they say about Lake Superior having healing powers because it washed away the arthritic pain and allowed our dog to have an amazing time. It also healed me just to gaze upon the beauty of the bay.

Running along the beach in the morning was tranquil. The sand was deep in sections which led for a great workout and mild in others to the point where I felt like I was flying along the coast, as if I was an albatross. I did love the solitude of the morning run as no one was up as early as I was and the beach was deserted. I love this camping spot because the campsite section for the tents are pushed back into the woods and then everyone has their own private beach front. However, there are no tents on the beach so the atmosphere stays very natural and untouched. Walking into the lake after a run and cooling every sore muscle was an amazing experience. As I got back to camp, Chris had breakfast waiting, and then he went for his run. What a guy!!

He had a similar experience as I did and just loved the silence. His favorite part was the dip in the lake at the end of the run. He came back and decided we would go dip into as many of the Great Lakes on the way back that we could find. Along the way we hit Lake Huron and Lake Michigan so he was very happy. We made this decision as we sat on the beach looking into the bay. The topography really did look like a pancake and we were amazed at how large of a space this bay truly was. The sunrises and sunsets were the best on the trip as well. I think I will write another post about this place because there is a cute town nearby where we found some amazing cookies and have an interesting story attached to the place. I will write about it in Wednesday’s blog. For now, Happy Monday, and thank you for reading!!

-Karen Hilliard

Morning Runs, Mosquitos, and Beautiful Places

Circle Tour Part 6

Pukaskwa National Park was beautiful!! The beach was gorgeous, the campsites were amazing, and there was a very nice gentleman working at the kiosk station. We decided not to stay the night at the campsite but highly recommend this place if you are ever traveling through Ontario, Canada. We ventured onward to White Lake where we enjoyed morning runs, and a lovely campsite. There was a bit of a mosquito problem here so be prepared for that. I use a mosquito bar repellent that I just rub on instead of using sprays. I can link it if anyone is interested, please ask in the comments. Chris and I played cards the entire evening and he beat me most of the time which is impressive since I usually win.

From White Lake campsite we ended up driving to White River. I find it interesting how close the names are. We wanted to see the Winnie the Pooh museum since my sister loves him and I wanted to get her something from there. It is a pretty small spot in White River but worth it if you like Winnie the Pooh. The backstory is very interesting about the bear. They had wonderful gifts for Christmas presents at the visitors center. We also were able to grab some breakfast sandwiches at A&W which were delicious! This may have been because we had not eaten a breakfast meal since Tim Hortons and we had been running every morning. Oftentimes food tastes the best I have ever had when I have waited a while.

We traveled further on to Rabbit Blanket Park. We filled our waters here and went up the road to Agawa to camp for the night. The night hike we went on was Awa Petroglyphs. This was a beautiful place to see and we recommend it! The trail had Maple and Birch trees along with a green mossy floor. The canopy of course was lovely, and you all know how much we love looking up! Agawa Bay is beautiful. We ran, stretched, refilled the waters again, and packed the car to leave. We ate strawberries that we were able to pick from a local farm and this was a delicious breakfast. The bay is located in Lake Superior Provincial Park. The Visitors Center was very cool and interesting. The beach is also dog friendly and ours loved playing in the water then running in the sand. We decided to get back in the car and head out of the park and on to Pancake Bay. Stay tuned…

Thank you for reading and have a great weekend!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog

Hello Canada!

Circle Tour Part 5

Crossing over into Canada at Grand Portage was an experience. I was so excited to get my passport stamped but this did not happen. We went and got our dog his rabies shot right before this trip because we heard we could not cross without it, untrue. The border patrol quickly looked at our passports and then we went through, that was it. NO other documentations necessary and no stamp. It was our goal to get a stamp on the way back, and we did, with much effort. I will write about that in a future blog. For now, we made it to Canada and it was beautiful!

Our first stop was to an entry point to pay for camping in Ontario. Every trip I go on becomes a search for a shirt or sweatshirt to remember the place by. I found an awesome hooded sweatshirt in the gift shop yet decided to wait in case we found a cool local shop on our travels. While in the port of entry store, we bought Crown Land passes for Conservation Reserves and Non-Operating Provincial Parks in order to camp throughout the trip. This was sort of a bust and we had to pay for camping in some places. We decided to get to places late, pop the tent, and pack up before dawn. The whole experience was interesting and well worth the journey.

Every morning Chris and I took turns going on separate morning runs since the dog could not take the intensity anymore. We spent time with him packing up the campsite each morning while the other person ran. Our first stop was at Sleeping Giant along the coastline of Lake Superior. This is a very beautiful spot to see. We thought there would be plenty of food and gift shops along the roadside in Canada, but there was not, it was in fact, very remote. Luckily, we found Tim Hortons for coffee and a morning treat. Chris’s uncle loves this coffee and said it was the best he ever had so we really wanted to try it. We apparently loved the Maple Strudel also according to my notes. The next waterfall we trekked out to find was Rainbow Falls. The beach was beautiful and the falls were five minutes up from the road. The waterfall was gorgeous!! I found the same Canada Hooded sweatshirt in the gift shop but still decided to wait in case I found another one. Stay tuned for the journey…

As always, thank you for reading and happy Wednesday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags New Blog

Lighthouses and Waterfalls

Circle Tour Part 4

Looking back at my notebook/sketchbook from our adventure I realize we also saw some lighthouses. We had the choice to journey to lighthouses or waterfalls and after much deliberation we chose the latter. We did see some amazing light houses before the decision was made. Split Rock Lighthouse in Minnesota, for example, was quite lovely. Set along the coastline, obviously. The rock face was wonderful with plants growing all around it. The walk was paved from the parking lot to the visitors center and there was a trail along the coastline with some nice forest area throughout. A LOT of Stairs to climb and beautiful scenery all around. Highly recommend this sight to see if you are in the area or traveling in Minnesota.

We stopped at a cute coffee shop in Lutsen, Minnesota next on our way to the falls. Fika Coffee had a delicious Green Tea with Mango, and I got a black tea as well as a Hazelnut Latte. It was a cool place with an awesome Gift Store next door. Lutsen is also where we found the Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen on Highway 61, the North Shore of Lake Superior. I need to mention this place again and link it because it is, not was, is, that good! From here we stayed on Highway 61 and went to Cascade River. This place had beautiful falls. Chris carried the dog up many staircases throughout the forest. He said it was well worth it for the view and their were almost no mosquitos was his sentiment. This forest had many amazing trees as well and many trails to walk around on.

Circle Tour Series 1 Number 3 | Original Watercolor | Karen Hilliard Art | Tiny Paintings | 4x6 — **CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR OF THE WATERFALL!!**

We stopped in a store in Two Harbors Minnesota called Northwoods Pioneer Gallery and Gifts. This place had handmade items from local artists. I would link them but the website said not secure, the store however was, and quite nice. The owner knew a lot of information about each artist and every item in the shop. From here we traveled onward to Voyager Brewing Company and then to Grand Portage State Park. The waterfalls here were called High Falls and this is the only picture I could find at the moment. All the pictures in this blog are from Grand Portage State Park. This place had the highest falls in Minnesota. Native Americans made a nine mile hiking trail to bypass the falls during the fur trading days. This story and more are in store for you on this hiking trail experience. For now, I will leave you with these thoughts and pictures.

Happy Monday, and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Breweries, Turtles, and Waterfalls

Circle Tour Part 3

After leaving Sandy Bay Recreational Area, we traveled on to Minnesota. We went through Duluth which is a nice city along the waterfront. We stopped at some cute shops and had some coffee along the way. Driving through Minnesota is very beautiful and anytime we stopped to stretch our legs the people were very nice. I think the people were my favorite part about the state. One of our favorite stops was at Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen. Click on the name of their store for more information about them. We chose the chocolate turtles and they sustained us the entire trip. Such a fortunate choice on our part because driving through Canada was more remote than we thought it would be and there were few places to stop for food. These turtles from Minnesota were enjoyed as a ration of one every morning. Super thankful for this Candy store and it’s kind people who helped us make the decision. They have so many good choices and we were grateful for the customer service.

Karen Hilliard Art Blog | Voyager Brewery | Minnesota

Speaking of great service, we also traveled onward to Voyager Brewery in Grand Marais, MN. They had wonderful beer on tap with awesome tap pulls with river rocks. The artwork on the walls were from local artists who created beautiful depictions of the lake. Voyager had outside seating so our dog could relax on their awesome deck with the other pups that decided to come that day. It was overall a very relaxing experience. The bathrooms were wonderful and the inside of the brewery was huge and the shop had some nice memorabilia. The people were wonderfully kind and helpful if anyone needs that while making decisions. I think we got a flight of beer as they were little and we were driving. This was a nice way for us to taste the choices too since we wanted to buy a growler of beer for our entire trip. It is really nice to have craft beer at the end of the day, at the campsite, especially by the lake.

Another natural wonder we were on the hunt for was waterfalls. There are 89 waterfalls on the Circle Tour around Lake Superior. We did not see them all and plan to go back as many times as it takes to witness their beauty. For now, I will leave the blog here and write about the waterfalls in the next one, as we saw a lot! We also got to view some amazing lighthouses. There is so much to share with all of you! Also, if any of you noticed the first sentence of this blog, I found my travel notebook!! The recreation area that started us off on our camping adventure was called Sandy Beach Recreational Area. The spiders may be Striped Fishing Spiders from what we looked up since the last blog.

Have a wonderful Friday and a safe happy weekend!

-Karen Hilliard

Night Camping

Circle Tour Part 2

We just needed a place to stop for the night, as we left the farmstead a little later than planned. This is us though, we don’t really plan, for this exact reason. As we drove through the forests of Wisconsin, we luckily came across a recreation area along the lakeshore. All I could think was, “Hello Mosquitos,” and what an introduction to humid summer nights this was. I got eaten alive and Chris was fine, of course. This was a wonderful little spot near a marina and had an awesome staircase down to a quiet beach. The dog, Chris, and I loved walking along the sand in the early morning light. My husband carried our dog down and back up the stairs since he was feeling a little tired. We also walked along the boat docks and happened upon some interesting looking spiders. If anyone knows the species, please leave it in the comments below.

**CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR!**

I just tried to find the location of where we camped but alas, I could not. I will continue to write about this trip in the next few weeks of blogs. Here is a link to camping along Lake Superior for the Circle Tour. Click here for campsite information. Chris and I just went with the flow of the day and did not really plan out where to sleep. Sometimes it was in a tent and others in the car. Here are some photographs of the spot we stopped at first since I cannot remember the name. The night we rolled into this recreation area there were no campgrounds. We popped our tent up in front of the car and slept about three to four hours, then we broke everything down at dawn and packed up the car before heading to the beach.

Watching Chris carry our pup down the stairs made me melt. I love how considerate he is for all creatures on this walk of life. He went barefoot all the way to the beach and I followed suit. The sand was nice and cool with tiny pebbles throughout. The water was still and calm which was perfect for skipping stones. Chris is very good at this! I love watching them and counting how many times they jump. Our dog was very curious as well since frisbee was his favorite sport, in his younger years. It was fun seeing his head bob up and down with the movement of the rocks. I skipped some as well and almost beat my husband in number of skips but not in distance. I hope you enjoyed this little walk down to Lake Superior which starts our journey of the next several blogs until we get to Canada! Have a wonderful Wednesday and thank you for reading!

-Karen Hilliard

Second stop on the tour!

Circle Tour

Let’s start this blog off with the first state on the journey, Wisconsin. We had the pleasure of visiting with wonderful people on their farm while in this lovely state. Our first stop on the tour was at Four Mile Farmstead in Washburn, WI. Since this trip, their farm has moved locations and their name has changed to Drifty Acres. (I added their Instagram link into this post, just click on the name of their current farm.) These two wonderful souls took Chris and I on a ferry ride to Madeline Island in Lake Superior. They traveled to this island to sell their wares and afterwards we all enjoyed having a good time by jumping in the lake and cooling off. Hanging out in the main town was quite charming as well. It was a nice relaxing visit to start our vacation.

Four Mile Farmstead Series #10|Karen Hilliard Art|Watercolor|4x6 — **CLICK HERE FOR THE LAST SET OF GREETING CARDS!!**

Four Mile Farmstead Number 11|Karen Hilliard Art|Watercolor|4x6 — **CLICK HERE FOR THE LAST SET OF GREETING CARDS!!**

After we all spent time on the island, we went back to Four Mile Farmstead. There were many chores to do, however, they did them all! They wanted us to just visit and used the opportunity to give themselves a quick break when their chores were through. The animals came first of course! They took us to a tranquil little spot along the river in Washburn where the dogs enjoyed some time in the water. Their two dogs were running around and bounding through the forest while ours was keeping a watchful eye on them. Our dog at the time was very old and in his last year of life. He mostly loved telling people and animals his thoughts on how we all should behave. This trip was very special for the three of us, my husband, myself, and our dog of 15 years. I am forever thankful he had the opportunity to be on this adventure with us.

After the river, we all walked back to the farm for an evening meal. These are two of the hardest working people I have ever met. At the time, they were working on their own microgreens business, starting a goat herd, and using compost to start their own garden so they could be self-sustainable while both having full time jobs. Their idea of a “break” was still a lot of work for them and very early mornings. She taught me how to milk the goats and the importance of keeping them calm at all times so they don’t step in, or kick the bucket. Disposing of the first couple of squirts of milk as well as it is not good for humans to drink this. Both of these people are very knowledgeable and love helping out anyone who is interested in farming. I highly recommend checking out their Instagram account or Facebook. I also created a series of Tiny Paintings of their farm Four Mile Farmstead and 10% of all profits goes back to the farm. Two more paintings are available for purchase if you would like to help them out with artwork, or you can go to their page directly as they are always having amazing things going on.

I will continue blogging about our trip around the lake. I know you all want to know about Pancake Bay, Canada, from my previous post “Summer.”

Thank you for reading and Happy Monday!

-Karen Hilliard

Tags farm paintings, farm series, goats, watercolor painting

Travel Buddies

Traveling can be the best time of someone’s life or have very different feelings entirely. Finding people on the same flow in life or with a similar frequency as oneself is very important. I have traveled the world with all types of people and have seen amazing places. Everywhere I go I try to keep a positive attitude and a flexible mindset because there is really no way of knowing what can happen out in the world. I once traveled throughout Europe with a person who had totally different expectations than myself and it was very challenging. All I wanted to do was find places to sit and paint while getting to know cultures and people. All the other person wanted to do was party and I suggested they go do that while I sit and paint. I understand having someone to party with is way more fun. This being said, it is very important to find similar minded souls to travel with.

I have been very fortunate in my lifetime to find a husband who is also a best friend. He is my ultimate travel companion. We are definitely on the same path, flow, frequency, etc. Whenever things don’t work out with maps, driving destinations, reservations, flights, etc. we just laugh and find a new way. Sometimes this is the best thing to happen to us because it leads us on a brand new adventure and we are super grateful for the new experiences. An example of this would be getting lost in Arizona and happening across highway 88. This lovely road, yes road, was a gravel and dirt road in, what felt like, the middle of nowhere. We found beautiful flowers, saguaro cactus, water sources, and a State Park to visit. What an experience it was with the dog though and so many laughing moments were shared. My other two travel companions are my brother and my cousin who are also best friends.

My cousin and I decided to take the travel vouchers for a flight to Barcelona, Spain, because we are never in a hurry and wanted to give someone else the opportunity to get where they needed to go faster. We got free coffees, sandwiches, and a gift card which was awesome. Our bags however did not make it to Barcelona with us. They had a lovely trip to Madrid. I have never been, but our rucksacks tell us it is a nice place. After a long day of waiting we luckily retrieved our bags. We both felt blessed because we know this is not always the case. Through all the adventures separately with these three people I have found one thing to be the most important; always, scheduling a day or two with nothing. These are the days when anything is possible and something amazing usually seems to happen. Rest days are my most important thing on my list for a wonderful vacation. Keeping a positive attitude about everything is my main thing but I know how hard this can be, so my advice is rest days!

Thank you for reading and have a safe happy weekend!

-Karen Hilliard