Dead Armadillos

I got a new bike for my birthday! Hooray! My mom bought it for me for my birthday and I immediately took it out for a ride yesterday. Other than the front wheel needing a little tightening, everything about the bike is a million times better than my old one, which I have had since middle school.

My new bike

However, on my first ride through Arkansas I had some seriously interesting experiences. First of all, all of the roads are crap. I was so thankful 2 minutes into my ride that I have a mountain bike. About a quarter of a mile in, a dog started barking at me. Now, normally this wouldn't phase me. In my head I thought 'it will stop running at me at the property line'. Nope. It ran out onto the road, and it was a really really large pit bull. I just pedaled a bit faster. On the other side of the road. Then further on 2 more dogs ran out toward me. While these dogs were much smaller, they followed me a lot longer and got a lot closer to my bike. I may not take this route again. I'm not scared of dogs, mind you, but I'm just used to them stay on their owner's property.

The route wasn't a long one, but it is far more hilly here than in Northwest Ohio. I went a measly 6.3 miles but I've got some new routes in the works that should be really challenging.

Anyhow, here are a few sights I found along the way. I unfortunately didn't take pictures of the armadillo and coyote carcasses I also passed, but I'm hoping you will settle for these!

Pink abandoned house

PHill'S AUTO REPAIR

On bicycling:  The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets. - Christopher Morley

I Wanna Live Where The Green Grass Grows

Since today I am wishing I had a bike to take on a nice long ride, I am going to share a few pictures with you that I took on a ride to Oakwoods Nature Preserve before I Ohio. It's crazy how once you get in to a routine of working out how much you miss it! I definitely am right now.

My bike isn't anything special and I have had it for probably 10 or more years. The trip to Oakwoods takes me about 20 minutes and is about 4 miles. I park her in the shade, slip off my socks and shoes, and walk down to the boat ramp first.

Last time there were a bunch of minnow checking out my toes from a safe distance. 

Then I walk into the woods a way to my special patch of grass and sun!

Above is the path I take. Further up on the trail the park managers added gravel and stones which is obviously upsetting to someone who enjoys walking around barefoot. 

My beautiful patch of grass (above) is constantly dappled with light. I love laying around in the grass and listening to the birds around me and occasionally having false hope that a deer will spring forward on to the path at any moment. Last time I was there I counted 6 or 7 different bird calls, but only saw robins. How rude is that?

Lying around in the grass definitely leaves me covered in debris. I also normally leave the woods with giant red splotches over my abdomen, but for me, the 5 minutes spent there breathing in the woods and birdsong are worth the allergic reaction to the carpet-soft grass.

Further down the trail the path was completely covered by dogwood fluffs. It isn't done justice by this picture but the sight is somewhat magical and gives you the feeling of being transported somewhere else.

Thoughts on grass: I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars. - Walt Whitman

Hiking Around

Exercise is one of my best friends, but after 7 years of running Track on a high school and college level I hate running for the sake of running. I hurdled, ran sprints and even some middle distance, as well as jumps and throws. Yes. I was a heptathlete. It was gruesome and this past year when I ran in to more than my share of health problems I finally called it quits. Then I took months and months off from any physical exertion and they were some of the worst months of my life. Something amazing happened though: after those months, I started getting in to hiking and nature gawking. I always loved being out of doors and my parents were convinced by age 5 that I would be an Entomologist or Archaeologist. I am still considering getting a second degree in Ecology actually.

But anyhow, I began looking up good hikes nearby (if any of you know Findlay, Ohio you know how funny this is) and eventually accepted that any great hiking would be at least a 2 hour drive away. Since my interests began I have taken many walks at the local Hancock County Parks' Oakwoods, have hiked and climbed around Hocking Hills, Charleston Falls, Hot Springs and BaldMountain. This coming Fall I plan to hike part of the Appalachian Trail during Thanksgiving break and am going to spend most of this summer tromping around anywhere I can go. I love our National Parks and really hope to someday work for one. Here are some pictures from some of my excursions and there will be a lot more to come in the ensuing months!

Oakwoods

Oakwoods

Mt Ida in Hot Springs

Bald Mountain, MI

Hocking Hills

Hocking Hills

Evan at Hocking Hills

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” - John Muir