Unbelievable and fantastic footage of kayaker with Blue Whales! Would be a wonderful opportunity to see these giants up-close like this...
Kayaker and Blue Whale
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Saturday, October 08, 2011
When Hiking Have a Plan B
Today may have been a lesson in having a "Plan B"... I had planned to hike the 4 or 7 mile trail at Swayback. Upon arrival at the trail head I found about 200 people ready to start on the trails! Today must have been "Attack on Swayback". Needless to say, I was not keen on sharing the trail with that many other people. One of the reasons I "get outdoors" is to seek peace and focus -- to be able to get away from the "noise" of the day and focus on what is important. It is a time for me to worship and fellowship with GOD. So I turned CHI-J around and headed back toward Wetumpka and Ft. Toulouse.
Hike: Ft. Toulouse State Historic Park, Wetumpka, AL 10/08/2011, 09:00-11:00
Distance: approx 4 miles Rating: 4/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Bright blue sky. Clear. Light to moderate breeze. Mild temps (70s). Trails dry. Some of vegetation showing signs of needing rain. Rivers a little below normal level. Tallapoosa River was a light brown rather than its normal aquamarine.
Thoughts/Observations:
Squirrels and passerines busy with Fall work. Spooked two whitetail deer in the lowland area. Encountered more people than usual on the trails here. Guess they were enjoying the beautiful Fall weather.
Particularly enjoyed the open areas beyond the Indian Mounds and toward the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers. Golden Rod and a tall purple wild flowers were in vivid display, accompanied in spots by sprays of small white daisy-type flowers. The air smelled and "felt" like Autumn - my time of year.
Spent a little time after hiking exploring Fort Toulouse and the re-created Indian homes. I try to imagine what it would have been like to live here in the 1700s. Challenging, pristine, and wild come to mind.
Hike: Ft. Toulouse State Historic Park, Wetumpka, AL 10/08/2011, 09:00-11:00
Distance: approx 4 miles Rating: 4/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Bright blue sky. Clear. Light to moderate breeze. Mild temps (70s). Trails dry. Some of vegetation showing signs of needing rain. Rivers a little below normal level. Tallapoosa River was a light brown rather than its normal aquamarine.
Thoughts/Observations:
Squirrels and passerines busy with Fall work. Spooked two whitetail deer in the lowland area. Encountered more people than usual on the trails here. Guess they were enjoying the beautiful Fall weather.
Particularly enjoyed the open areas beyond the Indian Mounds and toward the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers. Golden Rod and a tall purple wild flowers were in vivid display, accompanied in spots by sprays of small white daisy-type flowers. The air smelled and "felt" like Autumn - my time of year.
Spent a little time after hiking exploring Fort Toulouse and the re-created Indian homes. I try to imagine what it would have been like to live here in the 1700s. Challenging, pristine, and wild come to mind.
Friday, October 07, 2011
Spellbinding Photo of Canyonlands
Canyonlands National Park was one of the parks we "missed" on our Great Western Expedition. Even though we had almost a month, it was still not enough time to "take in" all of the wonderful sights. Here's a tiny morsel of what we missed. Guess we have something to include in the Great Western Expedition II...
Flickr user dbushue captured this breathtaking shot in Canyonlands National Park in Utah and shared it through The Nature Conservancy’s Flickr group. dbushue writes, “Seeing this iconic landmark during the middle of the day is one thing… but taking the time to be there when the sun rises is truly an awe inspiring.”
Flickr user dbushue captured this breathtaking shot in Canyonlands National Park in Utah and shared it through The Nature Conservancy’s Flickr group. dbushue writes, “Seeing this iconic landmark during the middle of the day is one thing… but taking the time to be there when the sun rises is truly an awe inspiring.”
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Fall Morning Hike @ Mountain Creek
Hike: Mountain Creek, Sat., 10/01/2011, 08:20-10:30
Distance: 4 miles Rating: 4.5/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Bright blue and clear sky. Moderate breeze. Low humidity. Low 60s. Trails in good shape and dry.
Thoughts/Observations:
Many passerines of all colors and sizes (I am continually astounded at the varied species of birds I observe in this park). Woodpeckers busy in the pine upland area and gray squirrels continued their stockpiling of winter food. American beauty berry and dogwoods were showing off their colorful fruit. Located a small "cherry-like" tree in the "feeding plot" that was heavy laden with bright red fruit.
Enjoyed the beautiful Fall morning. A great time of worship of and fellowship with GOD.
Distance: 4 miles Rating: 4.5/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Bright blue and clear sky. Moderate breeze. Low humidity. Low 60s. Trails in good shape and dry.
Thoughts/Observations:
Many passerines of all colors and sizes (I am continually astounded at the varied species of birds I observe in this park). Woodpeckers busy in the pine upland area and gray squirrels continued their stockpiling of winter food. American beauty berry and dogwoods were showing off their colorful fruit. Located a small "cherry-like" tree in the "feeding plot" that was heavy laden with bright red fruit.
Enjoyed the beautiful Fall morning. A great time of worship of and fellowship with GOD.
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