Monday, April 3rd, 2023, my camera and I headed west. We’ve, my camera and I, been on many journeys in all directions but this one was different. I wasn’t just heading off to explore more backroads for the day, I was on my way to my very first artist in residency in beautiful Waubonsie State Park in the Loess Hills. With the morning sun at my back, I headed out on Highway 92. I couldn’t help but feel excited and nervous and a little bit scared. My expectations for this trip were high. An entire week to focus on my photography. No overflowing laundry baskets, garden chores or sink full of dishes to distract me.

Located along the western border of Iowa, the Loess Hills are a unique land formation built up over thousands of years from wind-blown loess soil (a soil crushed to find powder by glaciers during the ice age). The only other place you can find larger deposits of this rich soil is in China.

While fall is probably the best time of year to experience this amazing place, my time here during the early spring was a perfect opportunity to witness the emerging of spring and explore and photograph unfettered by the bugs and snakes that tend to appear along with the warmer weather.

The three-hour drive flew by and soon I was unloading suitcases and gear into a quaint little one room cabin, fully furnished and equipped with heat, air, a nice sized bathroom and a kitchen. A large woodburning fireplace was the focal point but with uncharacteristically warm temperatures for the beginning of April I felt a bit relieved to not have to fuss with it. After unpacking and making a grocery run, I was excited to get in my first hike.

The Loess Hills (pronounced Luss) stretch along the western border of Iowa from Akron in the north, down to the Missouri Border. Designated as one of America’s Byways, the main paved route, or spine, is 220 miles long with additional loops/excursions measuring 185 miles. Waubonsie State Park is located at the southern end of the hills near Hamburg, Iowa and consists of 1,992 acres that include forest, small patches of prairie, a campground, cabins and over 9 miles of hiking and equestrian trails.

It was nearly four o’clock by the time I headed out and for some reason choose the longest trail in the park for my first venture. Probably not the best idea given I was wearing brand new hiking boots, but I was determined to not let a moment of this week slip by. Sunset Ridge Trail is a two-mile loop that takes you directly to arguably the best view in the park. Starting out near the park office it was a moderately easy hike, leading through pockets of timber and prairie restoration plots. About a mile in, the trail narrowed and just ahead a park bench came into view. Beyond the bench, I could see nothing but the gray sky.

Bordered on the west by flat farm fields and the Missouri River, the vista is both unsettling and stunning. Standing at the overlook with forest and prairie behind you it’s worth noting that just two feet in front of you the hills drop dramatically to the valley below. In the distance, just beyond the patchwork fields I see billows of smoke rising and floating North. To restore native prairie, large swaths are cleared each spring using the process of controlled burns. While the affect wasn’t exactly pretty in that moment, I fully appreciate the conservation efforts being made.

From the overlook the trail follows a thin spine with trees on the east and the ever-present drop to the west. I stop along this portion several times to enjoy the view of the valley, but I’m also intrigued by the small, thick forest just at the base of the hills below. Most of the trees are still bare but when I look a bit closer, I see color emerging in the buds. Understanding that my daylight is limited, and I still have at least another mile to go, I tear myself away and continue forward.

The trail begins to curve back into the trees then nearly disappears in front of me. Standing there looking down at a washed out, steep descent, I’m tempted to turn around and walk back the way I came. I know I may not be able to bounce down this trail like I use to, but taking slow cautious steps, one at a time, I finally reach the bottom and arrive at the forest floor. Looking back from where I just came, I give myself a small pat on the back and move on. It’s quiet and cool down here among the tree trunks and aside from an old Mormon root cellar, it’s also rather dull so I move through it quickly and I soon find a set of concrete steps and then another, climbing my way back up and up…and breathe…

A “Week in Waubonsie” is my latest series I created after spending my first artist in residency at Waubonsie State Park in the Loess Hills. I’m excited to be sharing this journey over the next several weeks as I also begin the process of developing my first official collection, also titled “A Week in Waubonsie”. I hope you return soon to see the latest release or you can sign up below to receive automatic email notifications.