John Bryan State Park - September 2010

I had heard about John Bryan State Park not too far from Columbus but hadn't visited there until this summer.  Hiked the North Rim trail and John L. Rich trail (~3+ miles roundtrip from the Wingo Picnic area parking lot).  There were tons of people out on this sunny weekend afternoon.  I'd like return to hike the South Gorge Trail and mountain bike the 8.5 miles of mountain biking trail.  Just a few pictures below. 

View from ground level!

Typical uneven path along the North Rim Trail

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle

Little Miami River (I paddle this river but
further below where there is much more water!)

Hocking State Forest Rappelling - November 2010

Located off Big Pine Road near Conkles Hollow

What could be more fun than hanging from a rope about a 100 feet in the air with little more than a tiny but sturdy carabiner, belay device, and a harness?  Had I known rappelling would be sooo much fun I would have surely gone air assault while in the Army.   Thanks to Chris, our amazing instructor, for volunteering his own time on a gorgeous 70 degree November day to teach us "the ropes". 

Notice the people which puts the height
of the rock formation in perspective



Rappeller



Beautiful rock outcroppings of the rappelling area

More beautiful rock outcroppings

Bottom of the 100+ foot vertical descent



Buckeye Trail (blue blazes) goes right past rappelling area



The Buckeye Trail passes right by the rappelling area, which is less than 3 miles north of Old Man's Cave (part of Hocking Hills State Park).  Most people start at Old Man's Cave and hike south through Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls for a 6 mile loop (and sometimes on to Ash Cave to form a 10 mile loop).  But if you're looking to avoid the crowds you could hike North/West toward the rappelling area or even start from the rappelling area and hike towards Old Man's Cave for a more secluded hike.  Athough I have not hiked this other than a few hundred feet in from the rappelling area to snap a few photos, I'll be back to explore this portion of the blue blazes Buckeye Trail.

Amish Sawmill in operation - Wellington, Ohio

Yeah, this is not an outdoor activity that I partake in, but it was pretty interesting to see an Amish Sawmill in operation.  So I wanted to share.  My parent's neighbors hired the Amish to clear some trees on their property.  Dad and I rode the golf cart out back to the edge of the property line to view the setup.  They're up working around 6am, lunch at 10:30, quitting time at 2.  The work horses stay on the property for the 3 month duration of the project.   They kind of remind me of the Budweiser Clydesdale horses, but hauling logs instead of beer.

Per request, the pic of the horse (on left) sticking tongue out



Hiking Conkle's Hollow State Nature Preserve - October 2010

3.5 miles total
*2.5 mile rim trail loop
*1 mile out-and-back gorge trip
*Maximum Elevation:  970 feet
*Vertical Rise:  230 feet
Sunny, 80's

Conkle's Hollow State Nature Preserve is within the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio.  While the rim trail is a great hike, you really must also travel the easy 1/2 mile along the gorge trail to the end.  Continue on the non-paved portion of the trail towards the end to truly experience the beautiful gorge area.  There really were no waterfalls this time, but I'm sure I'll be back, though, to explore this area with the Spring rains.  I recommend starting your hike on the east rim trail as the steep climb up does not have nearly as many steps as the west rim trail.  Then end with the gorge trail as this part was truly a treat.  The entire 3.5 mile hike including stopping for a picnic lunch and picture taking took about 2 hours but I do hike fast even with a small pack and heavy camera.




Amazing views!

Directions from Columbus (although I came from a different way this time and Garmin didn't recognize Conkle's Hollow for some reason):  Take 33 southeast out of Columbus.  About 10 miles past Lancaster on Rt 33, turn right onto route 374.  After about 13 miles, turn left onto Big Pine Road (just after Cantwell Cliffs and Rock House).  Conkle's Hollow is 0.2 miles on the left with plenty of parking (on the grass if needed as about 20+ cars were overflowing the day I went).  Note that dogs are specifically prohibited on both the rim and gorge trail.  The gorge trail is paved most of the way (except for the very end) making it accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.  There are pit toilets and picnic tables at the entrance as well.  Enjoy the pictures!



Gorge Trail

Rim trail

Gorgeous area!

Once on top of the rim trail, the hike is fairly easy. 

Very end of gorge trail



Plenty of rock outcrops to park yourself and enjoy the view or have a picnic!
(Between about 1/2 mile to 3/4 miles  into the east rim trail there were plenty of these)



I love this picture!  It reminds me that winter is around the corner.



Biking Three Creeks Metro Park

My favorite place to bike in the central Ohio area is Three Creeks Metro Park.  For those of us not living in the boondocks and wanting to get somewhere quick just outside the city, Three Creeks is a great place.  Like any paved bike path, you have to watch out for the walkers, runners, rollerbladers, kiddies, puppies, and woolly bears.  Yep...woolly bears.  I almost ran over one today on my 10 mile ride.  I also had to slow down for a pack of kids.  If I was a teacher, I'd be taking my kiddies here too on a beautiful sunny and 70 degree day like today. 

My favorite part of the bike ride in Three Creeks is about a half  mile or so into the Blacklick Creek Greenway Trail where it curves around the open prairie land.  The sunlight bounces off the autumn colored prairie grasses this time of year for a beautiful sight. 

There are many entrances to the park.  For a short 10 mile ride, start at the Heron Pond entrance on the north side of Williams road leaving the parking lot and heading towards the bridge over Alum Creek.  This Alum Creek Greenway Trail will connect to the Blacklick Creek Greenway Trail about 2 miles away. Continuing to the end of Blacklick Creek Greenway Trail will create a 5 mile ride and so roundtrip is a fairly flat 10 miles.  There are no roads to cross and hence no stop signs slowing you down.  This trail is in the process of being extended with a projected open date of late 2010.  Can't wait.

If you're wondering, the three creeks include Alum, Blacklick, and Big Walnut.

Dryden Lake Golf Course - Dryden, New York (near Ithaca)

When I'm not on the water paddling, you might find me on a golf course with my buddies.  By far the most beautiful course I've ever played is Dryden Lake Golf Course  I'm sure I'll play one day in Myrtle Beach or Phoenix on other beautiful courses.  But for now I'm going to reminisce by sharing these pictures.

The golf course mascot hiding under a golf cart.  Snapper!

I'm not sure what the proper golf form is but I suspect it should not look like my softball swing as captured in this pic

I just started becoming a serious golfer this summer....new clubs have helped immensely!  Lynx Lady XMD clubs if you were wondering.

Paddling Big Walnut Creek - Hoover Dam downstream ~1.5+ miles.

Big Walnut Creek (upper section below Hoover Dam)
Columbus, Ohio
Temp:  50 degrees and cloudy (chilly)
Flow:  ~140 cfs
Depth:  2-3 feet
Put-in:  Below Hoover Dam off Central College Road
Take-out:  Same as Put-in
Mileage:  ~3 miles round trip
Time:  1800 - 1930
Boat:  Dagger Approach 9

I took my new boat out yesterday evening for the first time aside from the demo on the pond.  I scouted river levels using http://waterdata.usgs.gov/oh/nwis/rt.  Big Walnut Creek looked to be the only paddlable local river as everywhere else was just too low with the lack of significant rain.  It was around 2+ feet deep in most areas and had some good ripples and a nice 18 inch rock shelf with a runnable chute on river left.  I probably paddled 1.5+ miles down stream easily, but struggled paddling back up to the same place I put-in.  Twice I had to get out and pull my boat up stream.  I've never paddled back up stream and didn't realize how hard it really would be.

I did not take my nice camera with me, but did snap a few shots with my cell phone.  It was a great experience particularly as I practiced ferrying (or paddling laterally across a current).  It was a good workout too as my shoulder muscles are bulging out today.  The one exciting rapid (probably a class 1+/2) was about half mile from the put-in.  I pulled over and scouted it out.  Since I didn't have my life jacket on (shame on me again), I put it on and jumped back in my boat.  I shot right through the chute.  Just as the online reviews said, the Approach took in some water over the hull and into the cockpit.  Quite different than my other Dagger boat, but nonetheless I loved it.  I will surely invest in a spray skirt and was told there is a specially made skirt for the Approach by Harmony. Other skirts did not receive good reviews online.  I have a Harmony skirt for my Capehorn that has served me well (when I remember to put it on).  I did just purchase the Seals Cockpit cover for this boat and it worked wonderfully on the 500 mile trip back to Ohio over the weekend. Cut down the road noise and allowed me to store paddling gear in the boat instead of the car trunk.  This is particularly helpful when your paddling gear gets stinky from the river water. 

I passed a couple of old amazing homes....old farm homes on the western bank.  The eastern bank was very steep and moderately thick with trees.  Saw two Does on a dip in the eastern bank, running away from my vicious paddling splashes as I fought the current.  I saw an old cellar-like hide-a-way.  Unless you were on the river, you'd probably not notice it.

Close to the take out (also my put-in) I saw a Buck, 2-point I think, crossing the stream.  He didn't seem to care that I was intently watching him cross the moderately flowing current in this area.  He was very cautious and at times appeared like he was going to give up and turn back.  He was determined, though, and successfully jumped onto the other bank and was gone. 

Just shortly after the Buck crossed, 4 guys came down river in their 10-12 foot rec boats appearing to be embarking on an overnight trip perhaps paddling all the way to the Scioto River.  I would have loved to join them.  We exchanged greetings about getting some of our last paddles in for the year.  I think we all secretly knew we'd be out again in winter should the temps rise to above 40 and sunny.