This week John has chosen a thought provoking theme of Landmarks and Monuments. This isn’t something I photograph often, for monuments that is. Landmarks however, the best I have found are within nature.

John’s introduction for this weeks Lens-Artists Challenge Theme – Every week, our Lens‑Artists community brings a fresh opportunity to explore the world through photography—sometimes through grand vistas, sometimes through quiet corners that speak to us personally. This week, we focus on Landmarks and Monuments. In my examples, I’m sharing single photos of several places to highlight the variety of options available. But you certainly don’t need a passport to participate! Many communities have local parks, memorials, or buildings that hold as much meaning as global destinations. Whether your post features a tour of multiple subjects or a closer look at a single location from several angles, we invite you to share up to six photos of crafted or natural sites that inspire you to pause and capture a photo. I’m looking forward to seeing the places you choose to feature.

This theme can provide a variety in the blog posts, personally I prefer to photograph nature vs historic monuments. If I am in the area and its there, for examples on November 11th, Remembrance Day I now take photos of the ceremony now that my husband is a part of our local Legion. As I mentioned, within nature I love the natural landmarks.

Truthfully, I was exhausted on Saturday, after a very late night celebrating a big family birthday, I was running on less than 5 hours sleep and all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch. We had to pick up our meat order, so that got me out of the house and we stopped for lunch on the way. Getting back home my husband mentioned he should go out and check the trail to begin preliminary planning for the upcoming snowmobile season. I delayed, I wanted to just sleep on the couch. He persisted and I am grateful he did.

While driving down the snowmobile trail in the fall, it looks totally different, yet it also looks the same. The twists and turns, some of the prominent trees, or tree stands up in the tree’s. Perhaps its because I grew up in a small town, back in the day directions could have involved big trees or the big rock with the tree growing out of it, and then past the red barn ;) I do think, with my timing and the position of the sun, it was worth it to go when we did!

Sometimes the corn stays in throughout the winter and has been almost like a trail marker. Will have to wait and see if this crop comes out!

Into the woods

In the woods, still some signs of the snowmobile trail with an orange stake to the right and the stop sign behind that. Can you spot them in the image above? For anyone that knows this trail will know what road we just turned onto, Southgate 47 which is a part of the trail for a brief ride.

I loved seeing this on our drive, one of the stop signs deep in the weeds, believe it or not this is a farm road crossing deep in the bush, that nature takes over during the spring, summer and fall!

Natures bridge – so beautiful with water on each side.

Human landmarks within nature on the snowmobile trail. I spotted this up in the trees, very cool shot (I feel) with the corn crop still in the ground and the tree branches sparsely covered in leaves. We also live and snowmobile where many people also hunt, so their trail marking needs to be planned around hunting season for safety.

From another angle, there are so many spots like this that truly feel like landmarks within the trail when you see them. The sun was perfectly positioned!

I wanted a close up of the corn stalks, and captured the ladder to the tree stand.

As part of our tour, my husband also took us off the designated snowmobile trail and we went up to “The Rocky”, which is what this road is known as for the locals. It is a no winter maintenance road – Southgate Sideroad 55 that joins Southgate Road 8 and 10. Its meant for off roading and also has a little monument off the trail.

From Google – Pioneer Settlement/Homestead Markers: Many of these unmaintained, rugged trails follow original 19th-century concession lines. Local historical societies or descendants occasionally place small stone cairns or markers to commemorate the location of early pioneer homesteads, original log cabins, or early schoolhouses.

Throughout Southgate Township (formerly Proton Township), early Scottish, Irish, and English pioneer families settled these exact concession lots in the mid-to-late 1800s. When these properties were eventually abandoned, reforested, or bought back by the township, local historical societies, descendants, or property owners often left the original fieldstone foundation ruins or a built stone cairn monument right on the old fence lines or lane clearings to mark the original location of an early family homestead, schoolhouse, or early settlement clearing.

I hope you enjoyed my share of nature landmarks and monuments in my area of the world. If you are participating in the Lens-Artists challenge be sure to use the tag so we can find your post as well!