27 June 2011

Sycamore Falls

On Sunday, we left to go hiking and the sky looked like the picture above. We started on the trail, and turned back after getting drenched.
So today, we drove to one of my very favorite loops in Grundy Forest. We hiked 3.2 miles to Sycamore Falls-pictured above.
We saw rock art..

Tons of mushrooms..
The rain has made the forest moist and humid.


Several wildflowers...
Tick-seed sunflower..

Wild blackberries





Steep sides, roots, and rocks make for a moderate hike for kids.

Tree face
Carp








May-apple flower?
Spectacular swimming spot at Sycamore falls.
Well worth the hike.



Giant old Hawthorne

24 June 2011

The ghost of Belle Starr she hands down her wits..

We spent this week in Oklahoma visiting family. Amongst other activities, we visited a wildlife preserve and museum calles Woolaroc. It was a huge ranch with so much to see and do. It was, for us, the quentessentialOklahoma.


Exact replicas of tee-pees. These, I learned, did not blow over due to their ventilation system. As a camper, I was super impressed with the construction.

The beavers are still trapped and dried on the land.
New trees planted after the dust bowls...




Native American art and artifacts..


Outlaws and buffalo..


Petrified wood and man made waterfalls..