And even more obvious if you are on the seasonal aisle of Kroger!
Signs of Spring /
So we start with the obvious - at least if you are looking in our front yard.
Sunday Scripture: Photo from somewhere in Alaska /
2 Hikes 2 Walks 1 Nice Day .4 /
Our last walk was at the Alvin York State Historic Site. Sergeant York was a reluctant WWI war hero and all the honors he obtained he well deserved. This small park in a remote Tennessee valley is still very rural and several of his descendants live in the area. The park consists of portions of his farm and house, which was a gift to him by the people of Tennessee, his store - now the Visitor Center, his mill and some reconstruction things like a replica of a WWI trench. There was more to see and a house tour which we did not have time for but we are planning a return visit someday. Jill and I also watched on YouTube the movie about him starring Gary Cooper, it held up pretty well and is a great story.
2 Hikes 2 Walks 1 Nice Day .3 /
Our second hike was not too long but very interesting. It too, like yesterday’s short walk around the lake, was at Pickett State Park in Tennessee but this time to a cave. You start down about 25 steps, familiar process with hikes here, and then walk about 1/3 mile to this vast arched open cave. It went in quite a distance and the effect was of an amphitheater where you might come to hear a concert. There was a small stream fed by water dripping down the walls of the cave and filled with rhododendron that must look beautiful in the summer.
2 Hikes 2 Walks 1 Nice Day .2 /
The first "walk” was brief. It was over a swimming bridge and across the top of this small lake at Picketts State Park in Tennessee. So, I have added a few more of the Twin Arches hike from yesterday. Picketts is adjacent to the Big South Fork area and besides the lake had very nice cabins. All this was built by the CCC in the 1930s and this particular park honors those workers.
2 Hikes 2 Walks 1 Nice Day .1 /
On Saturday Jill and two friends (Jim and Leann) drove north of Knoxville to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. It is immense park covering 125,000 acres on the Tennessee and Kentucky border. The drive took about 2 hours to our first stop the Twin Arches trail. These are two large arches and if they were out west at Arches National Park they would be among the stars of the show. Here, because they are remote and in the midst of a vast forest they are popular but the parking lot only holds about 20 cars and the dirt and gravel road - one lane for much of it - is nearly 5 miles long to get to the hike starting point. But what a treat for a big payoff with just over a 1.5 mile hike (and 100 stairs on each leg of the trail) on the loop trail.
I was able to squeeze, literally, through this opening - cool spot.
Sunday Scripture: Photo in Knoxville, Tennessee, August /
A River Runs Through It: Bow and Saskatchewan /
Linking both Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada along the Icefield Parkway are a series of lakes that link the Bow River in the south to the Saskatchewan near Jasper. Some of the most breathtaking scenery along the highway and well worth frequent stops to stand in awe of the created beauty. Here are photos from that section but I no longer know exactly which lake or what river I was when the shot was taken. So suffice to say the Bow and the Saskatchewan, enjoy.
A River Runs Through It: Origins of the Little River, Townsend, TN /
The Little River is a scenic wonderland in any season but I find it particularly beautiful in the fall. These shots are of one of the several small creeks feeding into the headlands of the river.
A River Runs Through It: Niobrara in Nebraska /
The Niobrara National Scenic River runs across the southern edge of most of the state of Nebraska - It may dip into Kansas at times because while we flollowed the course of the river for many miles it was often not close the the rural roads we were on. There were many bright spots along the way including an historic bridge and a new bird, a Lark Sparrow.
A River Runs Through It: Obed in Tennessee .1 /
From the NPS web site: “The Obed Wild and Scenic River looks much the same today as it did when the first white settlers strolled its banks in the late 1700s. While meagerly populated due to poor farming soil, the river was a hospitable fishing and hunting area for trappers and pioneers. Today, the Obed stretches along the Cumberland Plateau and offers visitors a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities.” I took these about six years ago now I live 90 minutes away.
Sunday Scripture: Photo from Louisville, KY /
Low Country Vignettes .4 /
Our last look - for now - from the South Carolina coast. All these shots are from the Magnolia Plantation near Charleston. Lovely day on their grounds. The gardens here have been a tourist destination since 1870! I shall ask Dennis what it was like back then. The gardens are also one of the countries best collection of camellias. The gator was an only about 5 feet but just a bit off the path.
Low Country Vignettes .3 /
Bridges of Magnolia Plantation outside of Charleston, SC.
Low Country Vignettes .2 /
On the pier for the ferry to Bull’s Island. The long pier and the attendant boat launch area also attracts fisherman and birds. This morning I was out with Dennis Mook of The Wandering Lensman blog. That is not Dennis in the photo but how your Costco gas attendant spends his day off!
Arrival
Departure
Low Country Vignettes /
The Low County is basically coastal South Carolina though it may include a part of Georgia. These are some shots from my week there a couple of weeks ago. First up is Fort Moultrie. It is a part of the Charleston defense system in place before the Civil War and while the National Historical Park is known as “Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie” the latter is not very well known even though it was an active fort well before the Civil War and was manned until the end of WWII. This fort was used in the bombardment of Fort Sumter that opened the drama we know as the American Civil War.
Fort Sumter is mostly hidden behind the tree in the center of the photo but the cannon is one that was used in the opening days of the Civil War. This is a more tranquil scene with kites, bikers, beach walkers and dogs along the beach.
Tugs ply these harbor waters all day. Fort Sumter is visible on the horizon in the right of the photo.
THis 35 star flag was an authorized flag for two years 1863 and 1864 the new star representing West Virginia. The tower is q WWII observation and communication addition.
Sunday Scripture: Photo is from northern Arizona /
Birds of the Week .4 /
I have four and one bonus shot to share today. Little Blue Heron with a shrimp, Great White stalking in the swamp at Magnolia Plantation, SC, Bonaparte Gulls at Isle of Palms SC (non-breeding plumage and a Rusty Blackbird at Caw Caw reserve. Plus a Brown Pelican cause they are such fun to photograph, this one was in Alabama along the Gulf of America.
Birds of the Week .3 /
I was delighted to find this beautiful White-eyed Vireo at the Caw Caw Reserve County Park near Charleston, SC. I have often heard this song bird and occasionally got a quick glimpse of one in the forest canopy but on this day the brightly colored male was searching for lunch on a short tree 15 yards from me. Jill and I watched him for 4 or five minutes. I thought at first it was a fly-catcher but eventually got a good view of his white eye ring. Anyway, enjoy this beautiful little usually shy bird.
Four more birds tomorrow and one of them is only the second time I ever saw one!
