The Travelling Hedgehog

Day 4: Cuyahoga National Forest, Ohio

2011-10-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today was our last full day. Steve's morning started off badly with a spilled bowl of cereal in the hotel room and finding that all the locations he'd saved on our GPS program had mysteriously deleted themselves.

Then he left for early morning photography at Stumpy Basin. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, it's quite a hike but it's a spectacular view of the Cuyahoga River Valley. It's also a little-known spot. Our guide yesterday, Tom Jones (here's his website), discovered it and said he's only shown it to perhaps 2-3 people besides us. He graciously offered to show us after Steve emailed him before our trip to see how to get to the vantage point.

Imagine Steve's dismay when he arrived to park and there were over 25 cars parked along the road, with people holding cameras milling around. However, it seems that they did not know the way to the spot that Tom showed us and instead they were headed to another point that didn't have the amazing view Tom's secret spot did. But after making the strenuous trek up, Steve realized his tripod bracket wasn't on his tripod! No photos without that! So he had to pack it back down to the car, where he then remembered it had been in his camera backpack all along. Back up he went.

He was late getting back to the hotel, where Rosie and I were anxiously awaiting his return so we could go out for brunch. We found a nice place in the town of Hudson called 'Yours Truly', and I think it was the best meal we had so far.

After eating, we briefly drove through Hudson, a picturesque town with over 300 properties on the National Historic Register.

Our first stop was the path and viewing area for the via duct and Great Falls on Tinker's Creek, a nice park with lots of information about the construction of the viaduct and the mill that used to be there.

Then, we went to the Bedford Reservation and took a short hike to Bridal Veil Falls, a very picturesque spot. Rosie and I relaxed while Steve got some nice photos of the creek and falls. There's a bridle path there and 3 riders came through while we were there.

From Bridal Veil Falls we headed to Tinker's Creek Cemetery. Steve had read about this remote place, reputed to be haunted. It's a hike up an abandoned road and across a field and the cemetery is set right at the edge of a forest. It was a pretty spot for a graveyard but sadly, as is often the case with old cemeteries, it had suffered some vandalization. The graves were very old, with dates going back to 1838 and earlier. And no, I doubt it's haunted. As I told Rosie, people make up silly stories about such things; it's sad that the people buried there have no one living who still remembers them or cares for the graves.

After going back down to our car, we made a brief stop at Frazee House. Then, beginning to get thirsty and hungry, we went to Brecksville, which appears to be a rather affluent community. We had lunch at a Panera Bread restaurant and I went to the local grocery, Heinan's, which was very impressive. It was an upscale grocery and I found some things I cannot get in New Albany–like pear flavored Yoplait and whole wheat crumpets!

After a brief rest at the hotel, we decided to end the day with a hike around the loop trail at Ritchey Ledges. It was a really nice, approximately 2 mile hike through the forest and took us past the Icebox Caves, a natural rock formation more impressive than those we saw in Hocking Hills.

Then, back to the hotel. Rosie had been asking Steve to go swimming in the pool since we got here, but he had misgivings based on the overall experience we've had so far at this hotel. He explained to her that if the pool was not maintained well, and he suspected it might not be, they would not be swimming in it. Sure enough, when they got to the pool area, the filter was not running and there was dark debris in the bottom. I got on TripAdvisor when they came back and found several unsavory reviews of this Baymont, and I plan to add mine. I'll never understand why any business sacrifices its reputation just to save a few bucks.

We were all pretty tired after our long day and hikes, so we turned in about 10 pm. Tomorrow we return home, and Harvest Homecoming will be all over! I love vacations, but I love getting home, too, and have missed my dogs and cats. We have seen so many dogs here, walking on the trails with their owners. We saw a nice retriever last night on the Ledges trail with saddlebag-type backpacks on. If only Buddy wasn't so timid and Sam wasn't so old, I'd be enlisting them to haul my backpack for me!

Day 3: Cuyahoga National Forest, Ohio

2011-10-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

The main downside to our stay here at the Hudson Baymont Inn & Suites has been the very sad 'continental' breakfast that the hotel serves. Since our room was inexpensive, they have to cut corners somewhere, I guess. Every morning, there have been the same old tired apples and oranges, some white and wheat bread, bagels, cereal and hard boiled eggs. There are a few mini donuts and danish, but I don't eat many sweets anymore and never for breakfast. There's a waffle maker with thin batter, not too appetizing. However, the room's clean and it was only $52 per night with 2 queen beds, microwave and refrigerator.

The smartest thing we did was to bring along some Starbucks 'Via' instant coffee, sugar and half and half. I was dubious about an instant coffee, but our morning cuppa joe is an absolute necessity, and we've been happily surprised at how good the Via Breakfast Blend is.

We started the 3rd day like our previous two: Steve left in the dark to be at a location at sunrise, while Rosie and I stayed at the hotel and enjoyed a leisurely morning. Steve returned at 9, and we headed to the Ledges parking lot where we'd arranged to meet a photographer named Tom Jones that Steve had emailed prior to our trip and who had been kind enough to offer to lead us to Stumpy Basin, an overlook that's rather obscure with no marked path.

Tom and his wife Bertha met us about 9:45 am. He's an elderly gentleman and I was surprised to learn he's turning 80 shortly. He had to drop his wife off at work, then we followed him to the path up to Stumpy Basin. We had a few false starts as there were some road closures and we had to backtrack, but we finally got there. The rugged path runs along the Ohio Turnpike, which was odd, but it is the best view of the valley once you get to the top. I'm embarrassed to admit that Tom was a better hiker than me, even though he's about 30 years older!

Falls colors haven't peaked yet, but it was still a great view. Tom said there's a turtle that lives at the top of the overlook who comes out to see him when he's up there shooting. Rosie and I found a lot of unusual mushrooms and fungus, and Tom said the moss and lichen that covers the ground is very old. He related that his wife's father–a Truxell–said it had always been there and had looked the same now as when he was a boy, and he had been almost 90 then. Coincidentally, Tom was wearing an Orcas Island cap, and that is where we spent our honeymoon and 10th anniversary. Tom's son, retired from Amazon.com, lives in the Seattle area and takes his parents to Orcas when they visit him.

We spent a half hour here, then trekked back to our cars and bade Tom goodbye. We decided to head to Chagrin Falls and look around and eat lunch. On the way, we stopped at the North Chagrin Reservation, which is a Cleveland metro park and is very scenic and wooded, but we didn't stay very long.

Chagrin Falls is a very neat little town. There's a town square, but it's actually more of a triangle. We ate at Fresh Start, and Rosie ended up with 2 VERY LARGE pancakes, which practically overhung her plate (she was only able to eat one of them). Steve got French toast but was disappointed that it was made from challah, a rather dense bread. I had an open face turkey sandwich, very good.

We walked around town, visiting the various shops and viewing Chagrin Falls right in the center of town. Little towns like this put New Albany to shame. Each shop had window boxes planted with flowers, there were hanging baskets of flowers on lampposts, the upper windows of the stores weren't boarded up, and there were nice benches and amenities for visitors.

After Chagrin Falls, we went to the South Chagrin Reservation, known for the marshes that attract wood ducks. This kind of duck is usually very timid and elusive and Steve's never been able to photograph them successfully, but he'd read they were not as skittish at South Chagrin. That was definitely true, and he was able to get several good shots, although Rosie and I had to keep luring the ducks into a certain area where the colors from the trees were reflecting on the water. It's not easy to get wood ducks to do what you want them to do!

The nature center was nice there, and Rosie and I went inside to give Steve more time to shoot and to escape the mosquitoes! They had 4 owls in the nature center–a barred owl, who was very curious about us, a great horned owl, who looked all-knowing, and 2 cute little eastern screech owls, one red morph and one grey morph. They had all been injured and were unable to be returned to the wild, and lived at the nature center.

Time to head back to the Park. The traffic was terrible in one area, and we were a little unsure just how to get back, but the GPS program got us back to our hotel, where we freshened up. We thought about going back to the Ledges for sunset, but ended up driving to near the Hale Farm and Village to get an idea where the church is that Steve wants to shoot. We saw so many deer, some of them in the fields along with cattle. It was dark after that drive, and we were all getting pretty hungry, so back to the Winking Lizard for a late dinner. We had a 45 minute wait so we walked around town to kill time. After dinner, very tired, back to the hotel. We've changed our minds about going into Cleveland tomorrow based on today's traffic, and will instead go to the Park to hike the Ledges trail and another area called the Icebox.

Day 2: Cuyahoga National Forest, Ohio

2011-10-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Steve left while it was still dark to photograph the sunrise at Beaver Marsh. Rosie and I stayed behind at the hotel, and Steve returned about 9 am after a great morning at the Marsh.

Our first stop was the Everett covered bridge, then on to Blue Hen Falls, a nice little 15 foot falls only a short hike from the parking area. Steve went further down the creek and also photographed Buttermilk Falls. Rosie and I found some interesting seed pods along the trail from Jewel Weed, also known as Touch Me Not. She made a stone cairn in the creek right by a footbridge, and we saw a lot of little chipmunks along the trail.

After Blue Hen, we ate a late lunch at Fisher's Restaurant, where the service was really slow! Rosie and I had barbecue chicken sandwiches and Steve had a Greek wrap.

After lunch, we took a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, which was about a 2 hour trip that departed and returned to Peninsula. It was really fun–we got to see a lot of the area that one doesn't see from the road.

Then we headed to Beaver Marsh. This former junkyard restored to natural wetland is along the Ohio-Erie Canal towpath trail and there were many runners, bikers and walkers. We scared up a few deer and great blue herons, and Steve shot a few photos while I talked to the park ranger, who had just seen a mink right before we arrived.

After Beaver Marsh, we finished the day with wine and pizza at Sarah's Vineyard. It was packed, but had a lot of ambiance. We ate outdoors on the patio and shared a pepperoni, mushroom and cheese pizza, very good. Steve and I had a couple glasses of Red Zinfandel and brought the rest of the carafe back to the hotel for later.

Then back to the Baymont, tired and ready for bed. We watched a bit of our scary movie, Let Me In, and slept much better than our first night.

Day 1: Cuyahoga National Forest, Ohio

2011-10-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Got a good early start to our day by leaving at 7 am as scheduled, but in keeping also with the rule that there always has to be a last-minute emergency before any trip we take, there were two: the downstairs toilet got stopped up and had to be plunged, and I had a rush seed packet order for a funeral.

However, we had an easy drive to our destination and arrived about 2 pm with only a few stops for lunch and bathroom breaks. We're at the Baymont Inn in Hudson, OH. Our room is a bargain at $52 per night with a continental breakfast, which I'll be checking out soon.

After check-in at the hotel, we called a local photographer Steve had made contact with a few weeks ago, Tom Jones, to see if he could direct us to some of the more obscure locations we want to visit. Tom's wife gave us directions to Truxell Falls and shared that her maiden name was Truxell and that her father as a boy used to swim in the creek that feeds Truxell Falls (which has now been renamed Minnehaha Falls). The falls were rushing, but unfortunately spring and summer storms have washed a lot of tree debris over so it wasn't a good photography spot.

After that, we stopped at upper Brandywine Falls, a good size waterfall with a nice walkway down to near its base. However, there was a bit of a disappointment in that trail construction was going on and we couldn't follow the trail to the lower Brandywine Falls.

Note to self: I saw a small pull-behind camper in the Brandywine parking lot that would be perfect for us for camping called a Trillium 1300. One of the dilemmas for us when planning trips is that we would like to be in a more remote area, but we don't have a camper and don't want to have to buy a truck or SUV just to pull an Airstream-type one. Plus, Steve can't just take off on a whim to go photographing unless overnight arrangements have been made in advance. A small camper would alleviate many of the logistical problems we have in traveling, so I need to look into one of these little Trillium outfits.

After Brandywine Falls, we ate dinner at a cool local restaurant in Peninsula called the Winking Lizard. Steve and I had Western burgers and Rosie had barbecue riblets. Steve was happy to find they had Yeungling beer, just added to their impressive beer list the day before we arrived! They also had a large green iguana named Heisman in a large glass cage, but he didn't seem to wink at all.

Following dinner, we went to the Ledges overlook, where Steve did some photography and tested his new blue/gold camera filter while Rosie and I explored, hiked and talked. Then back to the hotel. Rosie knocked out about 9:30, but Steve and I couldn't sleep so we watched a movie on the iPad for awhile.

In other events of the day, Steve Jobs died (very sad) and Sarah Palin isn't running for President (very glad).

Smoky Mountains 2010, entry 2

2010-05-03T05:55:00.001-07:00

My very talented husband Steve is the one who 'works' on our vacations, taking photos of all the beautiful sights, creating a visual notebook of the trip. I'm the journaler.

I think I have an easier gig—hauling a heavy pack with lenses, filters, camera and tripod on some of the trails we hike isn't pleasant. This year, Rosie began to show evidence that she has the same artistic eye as her dad, by scouting locations for him to shoot—and for an 11-year-old she did a heckuva job.

Photos, top to bottom:

Porter's Creek
The snake Steve almost stepped on, if Rosie hadn't spotted it
The salamander Rosie found in Porter's Creek
Midnight Hole, along Big Creek on North Carolina side of Park
Wild Geranium
Ferns trailside
Purple Phacelia
Laurel Creek cascades
Rosie, modeling her wild woodland gyspy look
A carpet of phlox in White Oak Sinks

Smoky Mountains 2010, entry 1

2010-05-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and we go there each year during the Wildflower Pilgrimage. This year marks the 60th year for the event. No matter how many times we go, we always find something new. This year, we found our first Shooting Star and Yellow Lady's Slipper in the Park.

Photos top to bottom:
Fields of wild blue phlox in White Oak Sinks
Shooting Star
Wild blue phlox up close
Yellow Lady's Slipper
Baby bear
Mamma bear
Big Creek (North Carolina)

Seattle Sightseeing: Day 8

2007-07-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

This is our last, true vacation day, and we packed in a full day, that's for sure. We were up fairly early and had breakfast down the street from our hotel, at a place called The Mecca. I think we were the only people who weren't 'regulars'. The breakfast was great, and fortified us for the walk to the Pike Place Market.

What can you say about the Market? You can find anything in the world there . . . local art, imported crap, beautiful flowers, vegetables, fruit, low-flying fish, pirates. It's quite a slice of life. Rosie saw her first street people (she had a lot of questions about that), Steve got panhandled by a guy we later saw smoking crack on Pier 66, and a swarm of very realistic pirates came swaggering through the Market, tossing silver doubloons. We sampled fresh fruit, watched the guys at the fish market yell and throw fish, walked down to the pier and fed the gulls. Rosie bought a handmade Seattle pottery piggy bank, and we had a fun conversation with the guy who was selling them.

Lunch was at the Pike Street Brewery so Steve could get a Seattle microbrew. The food was pretty good, and we were able to look across at some apartments at two cats that were coming out onto the deck. Cats . . . we haven't seen many here. Washingtonians love their dogs, but cats are another story. I only saw 2 cats the entire time we were on Orcas Island. We're all needing a serious cat fix.

We walked back to the Mediterranean Inn about 3 pm, stopping along the way at Continental Furniture and at Cherry Street for iced coffee.

In the evening, we walked to the Olympic Sculpture Park and the Space Needle. On the way back, we saw the very bizarre architecture of the Experience Music Project building and the Science Fiction Museum . . . you won't see that in our neck of the woods! We figure we walked at least 10 miles today. I've seen more full-body tattoos and flesh ear tunnels in one day than in my entire previous lifespan!

We bought a bottle of 2004 Flying Fish Merlot at the Space Needle and went up to the 7th floor deck of our hotel to watch the sunset—not anything at all like the sunset on Orcas, but nice anyway. Tomorrow we head back to Indiana, and I think we're ready. Back to work, back to school soon for Rosie, but with lots of new experiences, new friends and happy memories.

Orcas Island Getaway: Our Last Morning

2007-07-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Posting from the Orcas Island Airport, on our way to Seattle.

Orcas Island Getaway: Day 7

2007-07-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

It looks like the gods may be smiling on us for our last day on Orcas. We are going to have a beautiful sunset, it appears. Steve and Rosie are on the dock, and I'm sitting on the rise over the beach here at the Beach House.

The pace here on Orcas is so different from ours at home. Is it better here? I don't know. I know sometimes our lives seem humdrum and hectic, filled with the demands of clients, the upkeep of a large house and grounds, the complications of living in a neighborhood of such varied lifestyles. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, and if we didn't have a sense of humor, we'd go crazy.

We've had a wonderful time, even though the weather hasn't met our ideal. We've had so many neat experiences, and Rosie has had the best time on the beach. I was watching her tonight on the dock while Steve photographed the sunset. She was chattering to the people who had gathered on the dock to watch the sunset. I was fearful that she was bothering people who'd come to enjoy the serenity of the sun setting over the ocean. What was she saying to them? I asked her later what her conversations had been.

She told me she'd told people about her hamsters and our cats. Blabber, blabber. Steve said he'd heard people laughing at the things she had told them. Sometimes she surprises me with the things she comes up with. She asked me today, "Is it illegal to impersonate a doctor?" Then later, we were talking about something and she said, "I beg to differ." I don't know where it comes from.

We didn't do much today, just took it easy. We tried to walk around Madrona Point but the Lummi tribe, which owns it, had posted that it was closed. I had to wash a load of jeans at the laundromat, then we ate lunch at a place called Vern's, which was pretty good. For dinner, we had Greek chicken sausages that the organic market in Eastsound was grilling.

Tomorrow, we're off to Seattle. It seems like we have been away so long. I haven't read a newspaper, don't know what's going on in the world. I did get a sad email from our friend, Elizabeth. Her old kitty, Oscar, passed away yesterday at age 17. He was a good old cat. Rest in peace, old fella.

Orcas Island Photos: Day 6

2007-07-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Orcas Island Getaway: Day 6

2007-07-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Another gray, rainy day. We seem to have bad luck with vacation weather. It was really windy last night, but at least it hasn't been cold. We went into Eastsound early, about 8 am, to eat breakfast again at the New Leaf Cafe.

When we came back, we walked along the beach and found 5 or 6 big jellyfish that had washed ashore. They are called Lion's Mane jellyfish, and they are the type that can sting.

Today was our whale watching cruise. The boat left at 1:30 pm from the ferry landing. The captain said whales had been seen on the last 55 trips, so we were bound to see them.

We didn't.

We did see a huge number of eagles, though, at least 20. It was pretty amazing seeing eagles perched on rocks, on trees and flying above us. We saw a number of them on Saturna Island, and on some of the smaller islands we passed, there were a great number of female harbor seals and pups.

The captain said no one knew where the whales had gone, so there was no success in spotting them, but it was still a fun cruise and Rosie had a good time.

After the cruise, we took a scenic drive to Westsound and Deer Harbor. Rosie fell asleep in the back seat. Back at the Beach House, we ate dinner, then did a little eagle-watching from the deck. Steve's pet eagle was back as usual. Later, we watched a movie. Tomorrow is our last full day on the Island.

Even More Orcas Island Sights

2007-07-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Orcas Island Getaway: Day 5

2007-07-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

This morning was drizzly, but we decided it would be a good hiking day. We chose a 4 mile loop around Mountain Lake in Moran State Park. First we stopped by the Island Market for picnic food.

Once we were on the trail under the trees, the rain didn't bother us. The lake water is a beautiful blue-green color and has a lot of salmon in it, although we didn't seem them or the opsrey and eagles that hunt the area. It was a pretty quiet hike, since we pretty much had the trail to ourselves.

We came upon a large patch of foxglove. It grows wild here and the flower spikes are so tall that some of them are taller than me. Part of the hike was through an old growth forest, and the size of some of the trees was rather daunting.

We stopped to eat our lunches at a vista above the lake, and then easily finished the last 1-1/2 miles. The only wildlife spotted on this hike were a few birds and a lot of large banana slugs, which Rosie was somewhat fascinated with. One of them was as long as my hand!

After the hike, we drove to Summit Lake, where we'd visited on our honeymoon 10 years ago. Since it was overcast, the large yellow lotuses weren't open, so we missed them again. 10 years ago, we were too late and they'd all died back.

We ended up at Mount Constitution, which gives a fantastic view of the surrounding islands. We all went to the top of the lookout tower (yes, even me!). It was built by the CCC in the 30s or 40s, modeled after lookout posts in the Caucausus Mountains in eastern Europe.

We were ready for some coffee, so we headed back to the Beach House. After we cleaned up, we went into Eastsound for dinner at Lu Lu's Pasta Rustica—yummy!

Orcas Island Getaway: Day 4

2007-07-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today we had a very lazy sort of day. Steve went out early to photograph—what else?—some waterfalls. Rosie and I stayed behind and went to the beach to see what we could find. We found a big jellyfish, and we examined it after we pulled it into shore with a stick. Then we shoved it back out to sea, and only after we did so did we remember we had the cell phone camera with us. But when we went back to find it, we had no luck.

We cancelled our whale watching tour and rescheduled for Sunday since it was rainy. We had lunch at a place called Mom's TLC Cafe, then drove to Olga, Obstruction Pass and Doe Bay. The weather started to clear so we shopped a bit at the Eastsound shops, picked up pizzas at the market, then came back to the Beach House. Rosie met a little boy at the beach named Aiden.

It got pretty cold later in the evening, so Rosie and I moved up to the shelter of Paula and Mal's front porch and read for awhile while the crows fought with each other over the chips and popcorn we left out for them.

Now we're cozy inside our loft and the rain has held off for the most part. Tomorrow I'm sure I'll be dragged down to the beach once again to search for crabs and starfish . . .

More Orcas Island Sights

2007-07-20T20:02:00.001-07:00

Orcas Island Sights

2007-07-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

If Once You Have Slept On An Island
by Rachel Field

If once you have slept on an island
You'll never be quite the same;
You may look as you looked the day before
And go by the same old name,

You may bustle about in street and shop
You may sit at home and ponder,
But you'll see blue water and wheeling gulls
Wherever your feet may wander.

You may chat with the neighbors of this and that
And close to your fire keep,
But you'll hear ship whistle and lighthouse bell
And tides beat through your sleep.

Oh! you won't know why and you can't say how
Such a change upon you came,
But once you have slept on an island,
You'll never be quite the same.

Orcas Island Getaway: Day 3

2007-07-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Ahhh . . . what a day was today! It rained during the night and we were lulled by the gentle sounds of the rain on the roof of our loft. Rosie slept soundly after the tiring day we had on Wednesday.

Steve and I got up about 6 am and made coffee. We sat on the deck even though it was still drizzling, and listened to the crows arguing with each other in a tall hemlock tree. Suddenly there was a commotion and we discovered that a bald eagle had flown in and perched in the top of the hemlock. As a matter of fact, I'm sitting here typing this by a campfire, in an Adirondack chair looking out over the Pacific as the sun sets, and Mr. Eagle has returned to sit atop the hemlock once again.

Rosie, Steve and I went into the village of Eastsound for breakfast at a neat little cafe called The New Leaf. We stopped by the grocery for a few items. The rain cleared off so we spent the morning beachcombing. This place has a lot of wildlife—herons, eagles, seals, gulls. And crabs—let's not forget the crabs. Rosie has been dying for me to find crabs under the rocks, and today was the day. She finally got over her aversion to handling crabs, but only the little ones. After the tide receded around noon, we found lots of purple starfish under the large rocks. I pried some of them off and we gave them a good close-up examination.

We heated up leftovers for lunch and ate at the picnic table here. We had a couple of visitors for lunch—Mittens and Tara, the dogs that belong to our hosts, Paula and Mal. They like nachos (the dogs, that is).

Late in the afternoon, we went to Moran State Park and took a short hike to Cascade Falls. On the way, Steve spotted a plant called Indian Pipe along the trail. We've never seen this plant before, although we've searched. We also saw several of the large banana slugs that inhabit the island.

We decided a wiener roast would be a good supper, so Paula and Mal set us up with firewood and we cooked out on the overlook above the beach. Later, Steve and Rosie went to the dock and I dug into the new Stephen King novel I bought. We're still here, lurking over the last of the coals, and the eagle just flew off. We'll see him again in the morning.

Orcas Island Getaway: Day 2

2007-07-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

As I write this, I’m on a ferryboat to Orcas Island. I wasn’t supposed to be on a ferryboat, but here’s what happened.

We got to the airport around 8 am Indianapolis time. The flight departed at 10 am, and by noon Pacific Time we’d arrived in Seattle.

We got lunch at a fairly decent eatery in the terminal. The weather here is typical for Seattle; rainy and overcast. At 2 pm we headed to the pickup area for our shuttle bus to Boeing Field, where our Kenmore Airlines flight was set to depart for Orcas at 3:00 pm.

The shuttle bus driver pulled up, and announced that the flight was cancelled. And so began our odyssey by bus to get to Anacortes to the ferry that goes to Orcas Island.

Rosie was a real trouper—she didn’t seem the least bit concerned about how we’d get to the island. I guess she figured Mom and Dad would work it out. It was a bit stressful, but everyone has been super nice, and it actually is rather pleasant chugging along on the ferry. The hardest part was finding the bus at the terminal, and it’s a lot cheaper going by boat, so we’ll end up saving money.

We’re almost there and it looks like the weather may be clearing up. Orcas Island, here we come!

Postscript: We reached Orcas at 8:15 pm, the rental company had our car waiting, we ate dinner at Bilbo's Festiva and then collapsed in bed at the Beach House after being up for 20 hours straight. We all slept like logs!

Orcas Island Getaway: Day 1

2007-07-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

It's always hell trying to get away for vacation. Yesterday we had 3 clients (all from California) with super-rush jobs they had to have immediately. It wouldn't be a vacation if we didn't have things like this happen the day before.

We left our house about 11 am to drive to Indianapolis, and dropped my pet mouse off at Mom's (yes, I have a pet mouse). Rosie's hamster was transported there the previous night. Mom is a good rodent sitter.

First stop: Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Seymour, IN. I found an eastern box turtle on the grounds of the old Robinson Nugent warehouse a couple of weeks ago and brought him home until we could relocate him. We named him Turd the Third. When Rosie was really little, I found a box turtle on our driveway and she dubbed him 'Turd'. We released him at Clark State Forest. Then I found another one, Turd II, who was released at Muscatatuck.

Turd the Third was about as excited as a turtle can get after having been penned up in a plastic tub for 2 weeks. I think he was beginning to show signs of clinical depression. We found a marshy little area with lots of algae and set him at the edge of the pond. He stuck his head as far out of the shell as it would go, listening to the birdsong and all those great sounds that turtles long for. He didn't give us a backward glance as he swam out, stopping only to take a drink of some yummy swamp water. Live long and prosper, Turd.

After that, we ate lunch at Cracker Barrel and stopped at a small antique mall. They didn't have much, but the owner directed us to the Exit 76 Antique Mall 25 miles north. Now, that's an antique mall. Steve found an old Zenith bakelite radio in great shape, I bought a 60s era Falls City beer ad and some salt & pepper shakers, and Rosie found an old My Little Pony from the 80s. We saw quite a bit of nice furniture, so we may come back to shop here again.

Then, on to our hotel for the night, the Country Inn & Suites off 465 west, about 3 miles from the Indianapolis airport. We ate a good meal at Damon's, then went back to settle in and print out our boarding passes for tomorrow.

Rosie's pretty excited and can't stop bouncing on the beds.

Colorado Adventure: September 17, 2006

2006-09-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

We'd planned to eat brunch at Cascades, the Stanley's restaurant, but wanted to go through the park one last time, so we cancelled the reservation and got a quick breakfast at McDonald's. As we were leaving the hotel, we spotted 2 or 3 male deer laying near the parking lot. We drove around the park for about an hour, and took just a short walk at Sprague Lake (it was very cold this morning and there was ice on the lake).

We made good time getting to Denver, got the car returned, and then ate lunch at the airport. We had some turbulence on the flight and it scared Rosie—and me—a little. We were in Indianapolis soon, got on the Tiger bus to the parking lot after retrieving our luggage (as Rosie amazingly remembered, Shelter #1, Parking Lot A6), stopped for a late supper at a Cracker Barrel near the Edinburgh outlet mall, and then finally, we were home!

Colorado Adventure: September 16, 2006

2006-09-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today was cold and rainy—the only bad weather of our entire trip. We spent much of the day at the hotel, taking it easy and packing. There was an art festival in Estes Park and we walked down to town in the evening after the rain stopped to shop a little and walk around.

We had dinner reservations at Sweet Basilico, an Italian restaurant. I think this was our best meal yet, very authentic. Rosie had pizza, Steve had manicotti and I fettucine alfredo. Yum!

Colorado Adventure: September 15, 2006

2006-09-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day yesterday. The weather was a bit cloudy, but we decided to go onto the other side of the Park and headed toward the Wild Basin area, through the Roosevelt National Park. Our intent was to go only to Calypso Cascades, a 1.8 mile hike, then stop for a picnic at the spot the map showed had a picnic area.

At the trailhead, a sign told us we were entering mountain lion and bear territory. Did we turn back? Heck no! The first stop on the trail was Copeland Falls, and the trail was fairly easy. However, we could see why mountain lions like this part of the forest, since there were so many rocky outcroppings on the hillsides, excellent places to pounce on unsuspecting hikers. We told Rosie that they'd go for her first because she was the weakest, but she said she'd use karate on them.

We didn't see any lions or bears—or tigers, oh my!—but we found scat from something carnivorous beside the trail. Rosie got a book on scats and tracks at a gift shop and has become our expert on animal poop. We looked at the book and thought it was most likely fox spoor—it was too small for bigger game.

After a fairly mild hike, albeit uphill, which is hard for me at this altitude, we arrived at the very picturesque Calypso Cascades. Apparently the map was outdated because there was no picnic area to be found. We asked a couple of hikers who were on their way back how much further we had to reach Ouzel Falls and they said it was only 10 minutes ahead, so we decided to continue on since it was just a little before noon.

25 minutes later, we were at Ouzel Falls. We passed through the Ouzel Forest on our way. There was a bad forest fire here in 1978 which destroyed a large swath, and the damage was still evident. We had a tad of rain on the way, but no downpour.

These falls are my favorite of all we have seen. They were truly magnificent and worth the hike. We picnicked on a large flat rock and then Steve took some photos while Rosie and I explored.

Then it was time to start back. The hike down was a lot quicker than the trip up. We got back to the trailhead at 3:15 pm and were surprised to learn that we'd hiked 5.5 miles round trip. This was our longest hike while we have been here.

Back at the Stanley, we showered and got ready for our history/ghost tour at 5 pm. It was interesting and very informative. F.O. Stanley, who built the hotel in 1909, was a multimillionaire. He and his twin brother invented the Stanley Steamer car and made $10 million in 4 years from a photographic process they invented. F.O. came to this area because he had tuberculosis and was seeking a cure in the mountains. His wife suggested that he build a hotel, and so he did.

I won't go into the entire history, but the Stanley has had many distinguished guests over the years—John Phillip Sousa once gave music lessons here.

I'm not too sure about the haunting stories. I'm no expert on psychic phenomenon, but I have done some reading, and what strikes me is that despite the stories of ghostly images and happenings, the hotel has not one photo to show. Plus, some of the stories involve the spirits of children who stayed on the 4th floor, supposedly the most haunted one. Did the children, none of whom died here, and who presumably grew up and moved on, suddenly change into child spirits and return here?

One story was particularly improbable: Room 217 is supposedly haunted by a long time occupant and employee of the hotel, Elizabeth Wilson. Our tour guide says that people who stay in the room regularly report that while they are out, someone unpacks their bags for them and neatly organizes their belongings in the closet and dresser. The guide said that guests call the desk to thank them for getting everything unpacked.

Okay, if I went out and when I came back to my room it appeared that someone had been in my room, going through my stuff, no matter how neatly, I wouldn't be calling to thank anybody. Who'd want somebody rooting through their luggage?

At the end of the tour, Emily, our guide, asked if anyone had questions. Well, being me, I want to know the dirt. I want to know about the crimes, the murders, the suicides and the scandals, and so I asked. Not surprisingly, no details were available. We were told that the ghosts are all happy, peaceful ones who haunt the place just because they had so darned much fun here while they were alive. Pishtosh!

We finished the evening with an excellent dinner at Cascades, the Stanley Hotel dining room, quite an elegant place. I even had a martini, something I never do. I had filet mignon, Steve had fresh trout and Rosie had rainbow pasta. After dinner, Rosie and I went up to the 4th floor again to hang out and look for ghosts, but no luck. The only disturbance was noisy employees outside our room at 1:30 am picking up room service trays and carrying on loud conversations. Steve had to open the door and tell them to be quiet.

Colorado Adventure: September 14, 2006

2006-09-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

This is a Stellar Jay we saw along the trail at Sprague Lake.

This was a take-it-easy day. Steve got up early to shoot a few photos at sunrise. Rosie and I stayed at the hotel. We got going about 7:30 am, and went to Steamers Cafe for coffee, hot chocolate, a cinnamon roll and a scone. Steve was back by then, and we went around the hotel to take photos and look around a bit.

We lounged around most of the day since the altitude change got to us so much yesterday and we still felt a bit "off". In the afternoon, we drove through the park again, then ate dinner at Ed's Cantina and made a stop at the grocery for cereal, fruit and water.

We went up to the 4th floor of the hotel when we got back and videotaped, but no spooks came out to see us.

Vacation Vistas Series Six

2006-09-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

We're staying at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, a historic, haunted hotel that inspired Stephen King's The Shining. Rosie and I have made several trips up to the 4th floor, supposedly the most haunted one, but so far, no ghosts. Friday we go on a tour which includes some ghost stories, but Billie, the hotel historian, has already shared a few with us.

Vacation Vistas Series Five

2006-09-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Click images to enlarge.

Vacation Vistas Series Four

2006-09-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Click images to enlarge.

Vacation Vistas Series Three

2006-09-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

Click images to enlarge.

Vacation Vistas Series Two

2006-09-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Click images to enlarge.

Vacation Vistas Series One

2006-09-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Click on images to enlarge.

Colorado Adventure: September 13, 2006

2006-09-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

We were up BEFORE the crack of dawn this morning. Steve wanted to get into the park before sunrise, and it was a good thing that we did because the elk put on quite a show for us. Rosie and I stayed in the van while Steve set up the tripod in an area where we had observed a large elk herd the previous day. Well, little did we know that all of us were about to get up close and personal with a big bull elk!

Two younger males kept trying to horn in—pardon the pun—on Mr. Bull’s harem. And this was right where we were parked. I filmed a lot of it, but there was bugling, charging, snorting and lots of aggressive elk behavior, right there beside us. Rosie got quite an education in elk behavior. At one point, the bull was about 15 yards from us, and kept watching me as I filmed him.

After that excitement, we stopped at the Beaver Meadow Visitor Center to ask about the best wildlife spotting areas. The ranger told us that today would be a good day to drive the Trail Ridge Road to Grand Lake, CO, over the highest part of the park—12,000 feet above sea level. He recommended we take the old dirt road up the mountain, a one-way road called Old Fall River Road.

Well, let me tell you, THAT was quite the experience. The old road is an original passage across the mountain, and it is rutted and rough packed dirt. Pretty hard going with many switchbacks and lots of scenic and somewhat scary views. No guardrails, of course.

Steve got a fleeting glimpse of a yellow-bellied marmot scurrying across the road, but I didn’t see it. We made a stop at a waterfall called Chasm Falls, with a steep and rugged path to the falls. A very old lady, at least 75 years old, was making her way up toward us as we went down, and she looked pretty unsteady. Steve was just about to ask her if she needed a hand up when down she went! If not for a small bush beside the trail, she would have rolled all the way down the hill. She refused any help from us, pulled herself up and went on her way. As Steve commented, she had no business out there alone.

Onward and upward! We finally reached the Alpine Visitor Center, at about 11,700 feet. Steve and I were both feeling decidedly sick from the altitude. It makes your legs and neck feel very odd and I felt distant and a little wobbly. They say that no one can live long at such a height, and I believe it.

After we visited the Center, we picked up Trail Ridge Road. The next stop along the way was the Continental Divide. We looked for bighorn sheep, which we were told were in this area, but didn’t spot any, nor did we see any pikas or marmots. I guess I was too uncomfortable to really look too hard! We still had not hit the highest point.

The road wound on for several more miles, with beautiful views. We were pretty far above the treeline at this point. Gradually we descended and made our way closer to Grand Lake.

We had been told that the Kawuneeche Valley would be an opportune place to spot moose, and lo and behold, I spotted a female and baby shortly after we entered the area. We stopped and photographed them for about 1 hour. They ate constantly and seemed unconcerned with our presence.

Shortly thereafter, we reached Grand Lake. This is a neat little town, touristy but nicely done. The shops’ storefronts look like an old western town, and the sidewalk is a boardwalk. We ate a late lunch at Fat Cats Café. The food was excellent. We walked around briefly, met a friendly English bulldog named Roscoe, then it was time for the return trip over the mountain.

We made a stop to walk to Adams Falls, just a half-mile hike. Rosie was a real trooper, but she was pretty exhausted at having been dragged out of bed at 5:30 am, so she lay down to take a little nap. It was a good thing she did, since we don’t like to let her see us when we are scared out of our wits!!!

Trail Ridge Road is scary. The vistas are magnificent, but it’s really unsettling to be so high on the side of a mountain with no guardrails. Since we were on the alpine tundra and above treeline, there were no trees to stop our van should we suddenly careen off the road! Steve and I were both feeling pretty uncomfortable from altitude sickness and just wanted to get down off that mountain!

We made it, and didn’t plunge off the side, but Steve told me later that he was really concerned because he was having some very bad symptoms. But he said it would have sickened him even more if I were driving! At least it was clear and we didn’t have to contend with rain or fog.

To end the evening, we took a leisurely stroll at dusk around Sprague Lake. Rosie found a grouse huddled in the woods, and a young male elk waded out into the lake to eat and drink. Tired out from the day, we got back to the Stanley after dark, ordered room service, showered, and finally got to bed about 10 pm.

Colorado Adventure: September 12, 2006

2006-09-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

We got up in time to watch the sunrise. We stopped in at Steamer's, a little cafe in the basement of the Stanley, where we got our coffee fix. We also got food for a picnic lunch as we planned to spend the day in the park.

We took the trail to Alberta Falls, then hiked to Nymph Lake, where we ate lunch, and then on to Dream Lake. On the Alberta Falls trail, we saw our first pine squirrel. At one point, on the hike back from Alberta Falls, I walked ahead of Steve and Rosie and heard rustling and then the sound of hooves—lots of hooves—coming toward me. What to do when you come across a herd of elk in the wilderness??!! Should I run? Stand my ground? What if they see me and stampede? I got off the trail, tried to make myself as small as possible, held my walking stick tightly in case I needed to whack an elk, and then there they were . . . 4 horses being led down the trail. Glad it wasn't a raging herd of elk in rut!

Ate dinner at an Italian restaurant, Mama Rose's. It was okay, but nothing to get excited about. We're very tired and not sleeping too well because of the altitude, but we sure are peeing a lot!

Colorado Adventure: September 11, 2006

2006-09-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

We left Bob and Judy's at about 9:30 am. We really hated to go, since we don't get to visit them often and had many things to talk about. Judy showed me the old Streckfus family Bible and my great-grandmother Mina's gold watch. I'm so glad many of the family heirlooms survived and are in good hands. I still am bothered by the disappearance of great-grandfather Peter's gold watch, and I don't know if I will ever find out what happened to it. Maybe one day it will turn up.

We stopped in Arvada to visit the friendly folks at Applewood Seed Company, our seed supplier for 13 years, when we first started Earthly Goods. Applewood was the only company willing to work with us back then, and they have always been so accomodating that we still use them exclusively for our bulk seed.

Jim Walther gave us the grand tour. The Applewood offices are neat, in a modern building in Arvada, just outside Denver. We stopped in the test lab, where Mary conducts the germination tests and other required testing for each of the seed varieties. This was very interesting, because I had often wondered just how the tests were done. One thing is for sure—the seed we purchase is stringently tested before it's shipped. That's one thing I like about Applewood—they only sell good stuff.

The Applewood warehouse is pretty impressive. Wow, what a lot of seed! Makes my little seed warehouse look pretty puny. The test gardens were beautiful. I think Steve could have stayed all day taking photos. Rosie took quite a few too.

After we left Applewood, we went to Boulder to look around and eat lunch enroute to our hotel, The Stanley, in Estes Park. Boulder is a cool town (and also the setting for the Jon Benet Ramsey murder). We went to the Pearl Street area, where there are many shops and eateries. We ate at the Lazy Dog Bar & Grill, then walked around and looked at the shops. One thing that strikes me about Colorado is how physically fit most of the people appear to be. There are few smokers, and even the street people have a sort of hip look. One panhandler had a sign that said, "Too young for Medicare, Too old for women to care. Anything is appreciated."

We arrived at the Stanley late in the day, tired out and ready to rest. Our room is 209.

Colorado Adventure: September 10, 2006

2006-09-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Bob made us a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast. The weather here was cool in the morning but warmed up pleasantly by the afternoon. Rosie and Judy took Molly, Bob and Judy's Maltese dog, for a walk in the park. Rosie was quite happy that she was able to hold Molly's leash.

We headed to Chris and April Pangburn's house nearby at noontime for a family get-together and cookout. Chris is Bob and Judy's son; he and April have 2 children, 4 year old Kate and 18 month old Tanner. Rosie had a great time with Kate—I'm not sure what they were up to all day, but it seemed to involve pretending to be dogs a lot of the time.

Chris grilled some fantastic salmon and chicken, and it was the maiden voyage of his new super-duper gas grill. We also had augratin potatoes, green beans and broccoli salad, all delicious. It was a great day and wonderful family get-together. We appreciate Chris, April, Bob and Judy for opening their homes to us. I just wish we lived closer to each other so we could do this more often.

Colorado Adventure: September 9, 2006

2006-09-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

Left New Albany around 10 am enroute to Indianapolis Airport. We made a stop at the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge and ate lunch at Max and Erma's restaurant in Seymour since we had a little time to spare. Then we proceeded on to Indianapolis, visited the Circle Center Mall to kill some time, and then went to the airport.

We departed Indianapolis around 6:30 pm and arrived at the Denver Airport about 8 pm Saturday, Sept. 9. The flight was uneventful and easy. It's a big airport, and we had to take a shuttle bus to the Thrifty car lot since the rental counter in the airport was closed. It took about 1/2 hour to retrieve our checked luggage since it was put on the wrong carousel.

The drive to Bob and Judy Pangburn's home in Centennial took about 1/2 hour and $6—we didn't know to avoid the toll roads so we had to stop at 3 toll booths. We got to their house at 10 pm or so, visited a bit and then turned in for the night.

2006-07-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

We took a long weekend to visit Steve’s family in Ohio. We were here about a week and an half ago for his grandmother’s funeral, but didn’t get to stay for much more than the services.

We got into Jackson Center late Thursday, July 6. On the way up, we made a stop near Dayton, in Bellbrook OH, to visit Steve’s college friend, Tim Frank—like Steve, a self-employed graphic designer. Tim and his wife Trisha have an old Federal style brick farmhouse they have renovated and a fantastic horse stable with indoor arena where they board about 16 horses. We got to watch the horses being let in for feeding time—talk about a stampede! Each one was let in individually, and rushed to its stall where a bucket of sweet feed was waiting. The largest horse was Chumley, a part Clydesdale and Paint, very pretty. Hawk is a white horse that is blind and needed some help to find the right stall. None of the horses wanted to have much to do with us until the feed was eaten, but then muzzles began appearing over stall doors and were duly petted.

We had dinner with Tim at a Mexican restaurant called El Toro. All enjoyed a good meal. We arrived in Jackson Center at Steve’s parents’ home about 9:30 pm.

Friday morning, July 7, Rosie was invited to go to the Columbus OH zoo with her Aunt Deanna. We didn’t know if she would go, but she hopped into the van without so much as a backward glance. Deanna stopped and met her daughter Devonne and granddaughter Isabelle on the way to the zoo. Isabelle is a few months older than Rosie, and they always have a good time when they get together.

What were Steve and I to do with an entire long, childless day stretching before us? Go sightseeing and antiquing, of course! We headed to Mt. Victory, a neat little town with a main trade of antique shops. Steve bought an old Agfa camera in great shape for $6, and I found several nice volumes of The Best in Children’s Books, with dustcovers intact. I also found several other odds and ends—squirrel figurines for Rosie’s collection, mice for mine.

Lunch was at The Plaza. Wow! What great food. I had a Turkey Manhattan followed by a slice of homemade pecan pie, and Steve had soup and sandwich and homemade peach pie. After lunch, we hit a few more antique shops and I found an excellent copy of Farm Ballads, which matches the City Ballads I already have. The last two shops we visited were the best in terms of quality. I am really surprised by the prices on antiques here. They are substantially lower than in the Louisville area.

Back to Jackson Center. We freshened up and took off for Wapakoneta, where we’d arranged to meet some of Steve’s high school friends for dinner and conversation. We allowed time to go to the Auglaize antique mall, the one I went to when we were here last. They have 3 floors of antiques and excellent prices. I bought several items, including a man’s valet like the one my brother has that came from Aunt Florence. I thought Steve could use it for his wallet, etc.

Steve’s friends Tammy, Miss, Robin and Carrie met us at the Cloud Nine Café. Miss’s brother Dave and his wife own the café, and their food and coffee is fantastic. We both had smoked pork enchiladas and a salad with Southwest dressing that was unbelievably good, as was the rice, pea and lentil side dish. We lingered and chatted until 9 pm or so, then had a call from home that Rosie had become weepy and wanted Mom and Dad. We got back to Jackson Center around 9:45 pm.

Saturday, July 8 was another busy day. Isabelle had spent the night here and she and Rosie woke us up at 7:45 am to tell us Aunt Deanna had promised to make them pancakes. We called her (she lives just down the street), and Rosie and Isabelle got dressed and walked down for their breakfast.

When they came back, we took a walk to the playground at Jackson Center School, and then took the girls to the Jackson Center pool for a quick dip after lunch. Steve’s parents returned from their packing and cleaning of his grandmother’s apartment, and we helped them unload.

We had arranged to meet Tod and Ronda Lament and their kids, Katie and Adam, for dinner. Tod is a life-long friend of Steve’s, from elementary school. He and his wife have a neat start-up business, Liberty Gifts and Awards, which does custom engraving and personalization of clocks, picture frames and other items. Tod showed us how the laser engraver works—it’s pretty amazing. They started their business from scratch, just like Earthly Goods, and are doing their best to grow it. We talked a lot about the difficulties in getting a business to take off; I think they’ve got great potential and it will be neat to see where they are in 5 years.

They took us to dinner at a great place in Urbana called Rothschild Farms. It’s sort of like a Huber’s, but smaller and in my opinion, classier. The food was good and the kids discovered two goats, which they spent the evening feeding green apples to, leaving moms and dads plenty of time for conversation. After dinner, we went back to their house briefly where the kids caught lightning bugs. Homeward bound and weary, we got back to Jackson Center around 11 pm.

Spring 2006 Mountain Adventure Day 5

2006-04-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today started out a bit rainy, but we were up and out of the cabin by 10 am. Our first stop was the Sugarlands Visitors Center, where Rosie found a cute chipmunk stuffed animal and I got a mouse finger puppet from the gift shop. They have a museum there also and we spent some time inside learning about the flora and fauna within the Park.

Then we set off to find a Yellow Lady Slipper we had been told about, but we never found it. I’ve been sent to a number of locations they are rumored to be at, but have yet to find one here.

Our first hike was on a trail called Roundtop, because we had been told there were a lot of Pink Lady Slipper there. It is a seldom used trail, very peaceful, and we were the only ones on it. We saw a Pileated Woodpecker flying through the forest as we hiked. Then we found the lady slipper mecca! There must have been 50-75 plants in the area, several in full bloom and color. What a delight to have found so many. There were no signs of anyone trying to dig them, either. Steve got so excited he forgot his tripod case again, but remembered it before we got all the way back to the car, so he went to retrieve it. While waiting for him, I found a lot of Wood Betony.

We ate our lunch by a stream, then set off for a trail to Spruce Flats Falls, another alleged yellow lady slipper site. Wow, this was a rough trail! Very narrow and hard on the side of the mountain, very little traveled, with slippery rocks and footways. Rosie did very well, and is turning into quite the hiker. This was only about a 1 mile trail but was so steep that it took us about 3 hours to the falls and back. These falls were spectacular, probably the best ones of the entire trip. On the way there and back we found many pretty colored millipedes, yellows and oranges, unlike any I have ever seen before. But no Yellow Lady Slippers.

We were wet, dirty and tired when we finished this hike, so it was back to the cabin for a shower and clean clothes, then to Gatlinburg for dinner. We ate at the Smoky Mountain Brewery (the waitress advised us "Don't order the green beans, they're awful", and came back to the cabin to turn in for tomorrow’s trip back home. Rosie and I were awakened in the night by some creature rummaging through the trash can, most likely a coon, but we couldn't get a glimpse of it.

Spring 2006 Mountain Adventure Day 4

2006-04-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Got up early and went to Applewood Restaurant for breakfast—yummy! Rosie likes the finches that they have in large glass display cases there. They have little nesting pouches and swings made from twigs that the birds like to sit on. Very entertaining.

After breakfast, we went to the new Gatlinburg Conference Center where the Wildflower Pilgrimage vendors were set up. We met a number of artists and craftspeople. Rosie got 4 new birds for her collection, and I got a T-shirt, a fern book and several flower prints. I met a couple of guys who were pretty knowledgeable about botany and they gave me leads on lady slipper locations. This year there were live plants on display and one of the men went through all of them with me and identified the ones I didn’t know. Very helpful.

Steve said he’d like to go back to Porter Creek Trail because he thought somebody might have found his tripod case at the falls and brought it back down to the trailhead. He said that the really nice older couple we met on the trail had gone up after him and he thought they might have found it. So we drove to the trail and lo and behold, there was his tripod case hanging on the gate! There are still honest people in the world, it seems, even total strangers. We regretted again not exchanging names with the man and his wife.

We proceeded on to Trillium Gap Trail, on the Roaring Fork Motor Route. It’s a 1.2 mile hike to Grotto Falls and was a pretty easy hike compared to the previous two days. Notable along the trail was Squirrel Corn, the first we’d seen this time, and two large salamanders lying in a creek we crossed. Rosie and I also met a cute little yellow bird on the path who was busy gathering nesting material, and we watched for several minutes, waiting for Steve to catch up and take a photo. However, Steve thought he’d growl like a bear as he approached, and the bird decided not to hang around. It looked like a type of warbler.

These falls were my favorite thus far. We could walk under them and we stuck our hands in the water—brrrrr! The walk back was pleasant, too.

We followed Roaring Fork Motor Route the rest of the way. Steve stopped to take photos and Rosie and I walked part of the road along the creek. We found another place where butterflies were gathering on the ground and several very healthy clumps of Showy Orchis.

Near the end of the Route, we were pleased to see our elderly friends from Porter Creek Trail along the road taking photos! We stopped and told him we’d found the tripod case. He said he and another man had found it and brought it down to the gate. This time we exchanged names and gave him our card. He is Bob Jones from Nashville, and said he lives on Cheek Road.

We came back to our cabin, cleaned up and rested, ate our leftover Applewood dinner, then went into Gatlinburg for a couple hours. We had coffee and picked up donuts for the morning at The Donut Friar. We’re going to impose a donut moratorium when we get back home!

Rosie has decided she wants to be a dog, and she wants to wake up in the morning and actually have turned into one. What an imagination this kid has.

Spring 2006 Mountain Adventure Day 3

2006-04-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Had yummy donuts for breakfast at the cabin, then picked up picnic supplies at Food City. We headed to Porter's Creek Trail for our hike; on the way, we had to stop at a parking area where there were literally thousands of butterflies—flying, basking, drinking from wet areas on the ground. I've never seen anything like it; it was like a paradise of butterflies.

Then onward to the trail. This is the same trail where we found pink lady's slipper last year. I found a trail going uphill off the main trail that we followed, because many times it will lead to something interesting, such as a patch of rare wildflowers. This trail led to a tiny graveyard on high ground, with very old graves that appeared to be mostly of children, one of them named Rosie. It was sad to think of people so many years ago carrying their babies up that hill to put them to rest in the earth, but I suppose that would be the perfect place to bury a loved one, in the middle of a forest surrounded by birds, flowers and trees. That was our first stop along this flower bordered trail.

A short time later, we were at the lady's slipper area. We met several other people at the site who knew how to make their way to the shrine of the Lady's Slipper, which is off trail but marked by a well-worn foot path. A lady there put me onto another area where we can find more of this my favorite wildflower.

We decided to follow the trail to Fern Falls and it was a bit of a hike but worth it for all the flowers we saw. We found an excellent clump of Painted Trillium. We also met a very sweet elderly couple that we chatted with a bit. Wish we had gotten their names.

The falls were beautiful, but I left ahead of Steve and Rosie as I needed a bit of a break from someone's incessant chatter. That Steve just never knows when to shut up ; )

On my way down, I overcame my fear of heights for the second time and walked the narrow bridge with a handrail on only one side, across a rushing stream. A couple coming toward me then advised that a large rattlesnake was a few yards ahead, lying across the trail. This is not exactly what I wanted to hear, but of course I was curious, so I tagged along with another couple in search of the beast. He had drawn a crowd of gawkers by the time I arrived. He was a big fellow, much darker than I thought he'd be, with quite a nice set of rattles, and he appeared to be in a pretty good mood. I called Steve and Rosie on the walkie-talkie telling them to hurry for this photo op.

The crowd dispersed and there I was, alone with the rattler, who paid me no mind. Then the troops arrived and Steve got some good photos.

On down the trail back to the car, Steve went off to the creek to take photos and fell in (only one leg) but Rosie and I had gone ahead so we didn't get to see this. He realized once he was back to the car that he had left his tripod case all the way back at the falls. Bummer.

We ate at Applewood Restaurant, then took a late evening drive through Cade's Cove. We saw tons of deer, turkey, and two highlights—Steve's first photo of an Eastern Bluebird, and a very handsome coyote. Then, back to the cabin for a good night's sleep.

Spring 2006 Mountain Adventure Day 2

2006-04-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here we are at our cabin in Gatlinburg. I'm rather disappointed with it. Almost all the furniture is broken, there's only ONE coffee mug, and the pillows are paper thin. Oh well, we won't be here too much.

We left Corbin about 8 am and went to Cumberland Falls. The river is way up and the falls were pretty wild. After we looked at the falls, Rosie and I walked downstream along the banks and found a nice sandy beach where we built a little house out of driftwood. While we were on the beach, we could look across the river and see a very pretty falls called Eagle Falls. On the way back up, we spotted a little chipmunk in the woods. Steve took photos up at the falls for awhile and couldn't figure out where we went so he went back to the car to wait for us.

We then drove across a bridge to the other side of the river and hiked Trail 9, which was supposed to lead to Eagle Falls (but didn't—we were never able to get a glimpse of it). What we did see were 2 large snakes, one of them crawling up a rock overhang right beside the trail. Rosie spotted it first and after Steve took photos, they went on further down the trail. I, being curious as to how the snake was going to crawl up a completely vertical surface, hung around to stare up at him. To my horror, he fell off the rock onto the trail and I went screaming off before I could see where he landed!!!

There were many wildflowers on this trail. We saw a new one called Little Brown Jug, and also saw Squaw Corn, Fire Pink, Violet Wood Sorrel, Long Spurred Violet, and many others.

We came upon many large millipedes in the lower, wetter parts of the trail and yet another snake, this one climbing a tree. Whatever happened to the good old days when snakes just crawled on the ground?

We took a different loop back and followed a nice little creek for quite awhile, then went to the Dupont Lodge for lunch. It was very good and the highlight was the large windows by our table and the bird feeders outside. Goldfinches were flocking in and a little chipmunk was busily filling his pouches with fallen seed.

Then we got onto the interstate, which we'd managed to avoid thus far, arrriving in Gatlinburg to pick up our keys about 4:30, then heading straight to the cabin. We hauled all our stuff in, then went back to town to eat at Jose's Cantina, a really good Mexican restaurant. We walked around a bit afterward and searched the shops for a stuffed chipmunk, but were only able to find a squirrel. We finished up with a stop at the Donut Friar to get donuts for morning, a drive through the park on the way home, then turned in to get ready for a day of hiking and exploration on Monday.

Spring 2006 Mountain Adventure Day 1

2006-04-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Left New Albany around noon. We grabbed lunch at Subway, made a stop at Border's Books for a Kentucky map, picked up 2 Krispie Kreem coffees, then onto the open road!

Our first stop was Bernheim Forest. I was amazed at how many improvements have been made there since my last visit. There is a Canopy Tree Walk, a platform that takes you up 75 feet into the tree canopy, and new signage and roads. Many cool sculptures too.

We hiked a trail along a creek and saw lots of Larkspur blooming. Rosie successfully skipped a rock for the first time too. We found a funny little caterpillar hitching a ride on Rosie's shirt. He was the exact size and color of a twig and when touched, would stiffen up straight out just like a twig. We also found a cute little brown toad sunning himself. He peed on me when I picked him up—hope I don't get warts! The neatest find was a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly that had just hatched out and whose wings were still all folded up and wet. I carried it back to where Steve was so he could photograph it.

Steve caught a glimpse of something black and white moving through the woods—a skunk or cat? We never found out.

We left Bernheim after our hike and proceeded on to Berea, stopping for dinner at a Lee's Famous Recipe. Rosie and I spotted wild dumpster cats who received our chicken scraps. One was missing half its tail.

Shortly outside Berea, we stopped to hike to Anglin Falls in the John B. Stephenson Memorial Forest, a very out of the way place with an unbelievable show of wildflowers. The hillsides were carpeted with Bellwort, Larkspur, Jacob's Ladder, Jack in the Pulpit, Spring Beauty, Trillium, Long Spurred Violet and others. Part way in on this rather rugged, muddy trail, a wild looking dog came down from the slopes. We soon learned he was a very good dog looking for a kid like Rosie to escort to the falls. Rosie named him Runner and he stayed with us for the hike to the waterfalls, which are absolutely beautiful, with Columbine growing in the rocks around the falls. Steve took many photos and we then headed back the trail, with night starting to fall. Runner was fed a package of chocolate chip cookies in payment for escort services rendered.

An owl swooped across the road in front of us as we left, and we heard all the night creatures calling, reconfirming our desire to have a place in the country to get away to. We pledged that we'll stop putting it off and try to find ourselves a little cabin in the sticks so Rosie can have the fun that Steve and I both had as kids, exploring the woods and fields.

We arrived at the Baymont Inn in Corbin around 10 pm, tired and muddy. Thank Heavens we made reservations as they are completely booked. Spotted another dumpster cat from our 4th floor window. Slept well. Sunday, on to the Smokies, with stops planned along the way for 3 waterfall hikes.

Downeast Vacation Photos

2005-10-14T17:00:00.001-07:00

View our vacation photos here:

Maine Picture Gallery

Downeast Digest: Day 6

2005-10-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, October 10

This was supposed to be the day we flew back home . . . but more on that later.

We got the car packed up (yes, it was still raining) and made a brief visit to the Stanwood Museum and Bird Sanctuary in Ellsworth. It was closed, but we could still walk through. The Sanctuary is 130 acres, with walking paths throughout. They had several cages of injured raptors, including a few sleepy owls who blinked at us. Rosie thought that one of them looked like Old Mr. Brown, from The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, so she told him some riddles.

Then we drove to the town of Blue Hill, which had lots of interesting shops and was a nice New England village. We visited a few of the shops, and ate lunch at a nice restaurant called The Pantry. We spent a little time at the dock in Blue Hill, feeding the gulls some of our leftover bread and crackers, and also stopped at an interesting cemetery with some very old graves in the town of East Blue Hill.

We saw the tiniest post office I've ever seen in East Blue Hill. This was a really cute little town.

Then, we headed to Bangor, cruised Stephen King's house for a final time (he still hasn't come out and invited us in for tea!) and stupidly turned in our rental car BEFORE we checked to see if our flight was on schedule. It wasn't, and had been cancelled. We were rebooked on a 2:30 pm flight the following day.

So off to the Holiday Inn we went. Fortunately, they had a shuttle service to pick us up, and to also take us to Seadog Brewery for dinner. So Rosie got one extra day of bouncing on parallel double beds, a treat she only gets to enjoy when we are on vacation.

Footnote: the next day's flight went as scheduled, and we're home and rested now.

Downeast Digest: Days 4 & 5

2005-10-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9

The last two days have been some pretty extreme weather–the most solid, nonstop downpour I've ever seen. But like Ulysses Everett McGill, we're adventurers, so out we go. We spent both days driving the park, seeing Southwest Harbor, Northeast Harbor, and the "quiet side" of Mt. Desert Island.

Saturday we stopped at an antique shop in a cute little town, Somesville, where I picked up a few books and Steve bought an antique printer's advertiser's block for a drugstore called Hays Drugstore. We ate lunch at a funny little restaurant called Downeast House of Dogs, which had like a blue million different types of hotdogs. I had an Italian dog, Steve had a Texas dog, and Rosie went for a plain old corndog. Then we headed into Bar Harbor to walk around a bit. We wound things up early because of the rain, and stayed in our motel and ordered a pizza.

Sunday we headed out to Bar Harbor again, and took a detour into the park on our way there. Steve wanted to eat at a place called 2 Cats for brunch, and we had a really long wait (over an hour) to get a seat. This was the day we were supposed to go on our puffin and whale watching trip, but the sea was too rough and the trip was cancelled. After fortifying ourselves with a hearty meal, we went back into the park.

We saw some deer and the rivers of water pouring over the hills were beautiful. There were a few flooded out areas that we couldn't pass through. But we decided that if there was ever a good time to see Thunder Hole, today was the day. We bundled up and the wind and rain whipped us, but the ocean did not disappoint. Boy, was it thundering and spewing today!

We drove on to Northeast Harbor, and the rain lessened a bit. There were lots of lobster boats out. On our way there, we stopped at Otter Point, and a seal popped up out of the water briefly. Rosie was the first to spot him, but he only made the one appearance.

We stopped for a few photos in various spots, then headed back to Ellsworth. It's dark here by 6 pm, so sightseeing ends early. On the way back, we detoured at a couple of antique shops so Rosie and I could browse. Then back to the motel to rest and freshen up. We ate a light dinner at The Mex in Ellsworth, then came back to the Twilite. Steve downloaded and edited photos, I read, and Rosie got to watch Monsters Inc on the Disney Channel. It was almost like being home.

Downeast Digest: Day 3

2005-10-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 7, 2005

Rosie and I slept like stones last night, but Steve was a little restless. We all got going about 8 am, had a light breakfast at the motel, and met a funny old guy who kept feeding hotdogs to the motel dog, Molly.

We headed north on Coastal 1, going north to the Schoodic Peninsula. It was another very foggy day. We first stopped at a little pullover, Long Cove. The tide was way out and we saw a man come walking in from pretty far out, carrying a bucket. It was full of the biggest worms I have ever seen, bloodworms. He said they come from out in the ocean and he sells them for bait.

Then we went on, entering Acadia Park for a while. We stopped off at Frazer Point and walked out onto a pier-not a soul around but us. Then, with the tide still out, we went down to the rocky shore and looked for seashells. We started turning over rocks and found a few crabs underneath, one fairly good sized. I picked him up so Steve could take a photo.

It was so foggy that we couldn't see the Mark Island Lighthouse, darn it. We did see a couple of cormorants spreading their wings shortly past the island though. We drove along the coast but the visibility was very poor.

Our nest stop was Bartlett Main Estate Winery, where we met a couple from Texas who were wine tasting too. The wines here were very good, many made from blueberries. We ordered 6 bottles that will be shipped to us. This winery is Maine's first, but it's not too old, having been established in 1983. The people from Texas recommended a restaurant in Millbridge called 44 degrees North, so we headed there on our way to the West Quoddy Head lighthouse.

Millbridge was a neat little town, with lots of lobster fishermen evidently. We saw many houses with lobster traps piled up outside. The old houses here are very well kept for the most part, but we noticed that they are usually painted only one or two colors, usually white, I suppose to make it easier to paint and touch up. The winters here and the moist air probably wreak havoc on paint jobs so they probably keep the colors simple.

The restaurant was great. Steve had a haddock burger and I had some very spicy chili and beer battered onion rings, perfect for a dampish, cool day.

We headed further north on Coastal 1 to get to West Quoddy Head. It gets dark here about 6 pm and it was 2 pm by the time we finished lunch. The drive was pretty nice but with all the fog the ocean views were limited. We did see several inlets where lobster boats were floating, dotting the water.

By the time we reached West Quoddy Head, the fog was as thick as pea soup. We had fun walking around the lighthouse and Steve disappeared for a while. Rosie and I thought he was trying to sneak into the lighthouse, but he turned up soon and showed us how he'd climbed out onto a rocky bluff to take pictures of the lighthouse. It's a good thing he didn't fall since he had the car keys! The lighthouse was really neat but I thought it would be taller. They don't let you go up in it, but it has a light in it and there's a foghorn that sounds too. I was glad to see it in the fog since that's sort of the whole point to a lighthouse anyway.

We made a quick stop at a little gift shop to pick up a few items and Rosie got a stuffed Puffin that sounds like a cow when you squeeze it. We figured that we'd better head back as we had 60 miles to go to get back to Ellsworth and it was getting later and foggier. On the way back we got a glimpse of another lighthouse called The Sparkplug.

We made good time and got back to Ellsworth at 6 pm, ate at a restaurant called Helen's, and stopped at an LL Bean outlet. We brought slices of pie back to have later at the motel, and battened down the hatches about 9 pm as a storm is predicted for tonight. Hopefully, we'll be able to go back to Acadia and to Bar Harbor tomorrow to see another lighthouse.

Downeast Digest: Day 2

2005-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday, October 6, 2005

Got up and going around 7:30 am. They have a continental breakfast here, with fresh bread and muffins. Yum! Rosie nibbled like a bird and picked up "magic pebbles" in the driveway while we ate. People from everywhere here–including a group of young Amish folks from Berne, Indiana. Caught a fleeting glimpse of Sadie, the resident Maine Coon cat.

Off to Acadia National Park! Shortly in, we stopped by a small marshy area where Steve took photos and we explored. I found an area that is one solid patch of lupines. Too bad we are here to late to see them in bloom. I'll bet they are gorgeous. We drove further in but the fog was too thick to see much of the coastline, although we did pull over a few times.

We stopped at the Gorham Mountain trail and got into hiking mode. This is about a 2-mile hike, not too rugged but mostly rock all the way. Rosie kept pretending to be a cat, and when we got to an area where we had to climb, she'd yell, "Paws and claws time!" The trail was marked by rock cairns and spots of blue paint. Since the fog was heavy, we didn't get to enjoy the normally 360-degree vista from the top, but we did see some other neat things. The squirrels here are tiny, about the size of a chipmunk. And the mountain is covered with wild blueberry bushes. If we'd been here in the summer we could have grazed all along the trail. At the top, a fellow hiker took a photo of all three of us.

Downward, downward! The stupid hiking boots I got are killing my feet! When we finally made it back down, the fog had cleared a bit and we walked across the road to look at the coastline. It's so wild and rocky. Huge chunk and bluffs of granite as far as you can see. We walked about 1/4 mile to an area called Thunder Hole, which is a hollow area in the rocks. When the tide goes out it empties and when the water rushes back in, the air is forced out and makes an explosive burping, spewing and belching out of water. There were lots of people there because everyone likes to see burping, spewing and belching, especially Rosie Brown.

We've worked up an appetite by now, so we decided to drive into Bar Harbor for lunch. Bar Harbor's a touristy town but with a decent selection of restaurants. We ate at the Parkside Restaurant. I had broccoli cheddar soup and a bacon cheeseburger. Steve had a buffalo wrap and Rosie had fish and chips. Afterwards we walked around to a few shops including one called "Bark Harbor" with lots of dog items. Naturally Rosie wanted to get something there and boohooed when I wouldn't let her buy yet another stuffed animal. Mean Mommy!

We headed back to the park, and decided to drive up to Cadillac Mountain. This was my kind of mountain! Once we reached the top, which was a short drive, it was fairly flat and had a nice paved trail all the way around, perfect for someone with acrophobia. It's very rocky, and Rosie insisted that we play Mommy and Baby Mountain Goat. I had to do some leaping from stone to stone and had to say "Mahhhh" in a loud voice occasionally, so I tried to do this when no one was around. We could see two big cruise ships docked offshore from the top of the mountain. The clouds were actually sweeping right past us, which was really neat. You could see them coming at you and then suddenly you’d be engulfed by them and wouldn’t be able to see around you for a few seconds. I’d grab Rosie, point and yell, “Cloud!” when we saw one coming, and we’d hang onto each other and giggle like idiots while it went around us.

After this, of course we’d worked up an appetite again, so we cruised back down toward Jordan Pond. We stopped and Jordan Pond House and took tea on the lawn at promptly 4 pm–jolly good! Rosie had a popover alamode, I had popovers with chocolate sauce and tea, and Steve had popovers with strawberry jam and coffee. Then we took a walk around the pond, which is a huge lake by Indiana standards. The path is gravel for a bit, and then becomes a slightly elevated boardwalk for a pretty long distance. The boardwalk is made of two and sometimes three roughly hewn pine logs. Of course, this was great fun for a 6-year-old to walk on and a challenge when an oncoming hiker needed to pass.

We headed back to our car, and our motel, about 5:30 pm, just as dark was falling. Rosie ate another of her beloved grilled cheese sandwiches at Jordan Pond House before we left.

In bed and asleep by 9 pm. The moutain air is pretty rejuvenating.

Downeast Digest: Day 1

2005-10-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

We were up and at 'em early and were on the road, driving (as Steve demanded) by 8:01 am–1 minute later than target time. However, the Kia decided to make some funny sounds and burps, so we had to turn back at the furniture corner of State and Main and go home. We quickly threw our luggage into the Mazda and off we went with no further hitches.

Arrived at Cincinnati Airport around 10 am, ate an early lunch at Mickey D's (those little pumpkin pies are GOOD!), and then before we knew it, we were the first to board our plane at 11:45 am. Rosie got the window seat, and the flight was quick and uneventful. We landed in Bangor at 1:55 pm and picked up our car, some type of Chevy.

We spent some time driving around downtown Bangor, whose streets are badly marked and have lots of missing street signs. But it's smaller than New Albany, so it wasn't difficult to navigate. The architecture of many of the houses is fantastic. We went through the historic residential district as well as the business section (and there weren't any boarded up windows!)

Our first stop was Betts Bookstore, which specializes in all things Stephen King. I bought a copy of Pet Sematary since I'd gotten rid of my original one and wanted to reread it. Rosie liked the bookstore dog, Sammy, and outside we saw our first Maine kitty cat, a gray and white one.

Next stop: Stephen King's house on West Broadway. Yes, we gawked and hung around the front gates taking pictures, but he didn't come out, darn it. It's an impressive house, but not overly so. His section of town is comparable to our Mansion Row in New Albany.

Then on to Mount Hope Cemetery, along the Penobscot River. This was where one of the scenes in Pet Sematary was filmed. We saw graves from as far back as the 1830s. We walked around the little lake and observed all kinds of neat mushrooms growing, not at all like any I've seen in Indiana. It's a hilly cemetery and was the 2nd "garden cemetery" in the US. It's also Maine's oldest cemetery. Rosie had fun running up and down the hills, pretending to be some kind of animal.

Then our final stop, Seadog Brewery, for dinner. Steve and I had the pot roast with potatoes and veggies. Rosie had grilled cheese and Parrot Punch. I had a delicious homemade rootbeer and Steve tried the Hazelnut Porter, which he said was excellent. We took an after-dinner walk along the Penobscot, with seagulls circling overhead.

The fog started rolling in as we made our way toward Ellsworth and the Twilite Motel. Our room is comfy, and they have cats here, a big plus in Rosie's eyes. We turned in early after checking email. I read a couple chapters of Pet Sematary and then drifted off to sleep.