Category: Landscapes

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Hiking at the Caesar Creek Nature Preserve

Sometimes, I just have to combine two of my favorite pastimes—motorcycling and hiking. And so I found myself on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, motorcycling one my favorite roads to a favorite hiking spot, Caesar Creek Nature Preserve.

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I entered the trail and wound my way along the creek, observing how high the water is and how fast it was running. Clearly, the Army Corps of Engineers has increased the output at the dam, just a couple of miles up creek.

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There was only one other car in the parking lot, it’s occupants nowhere to be seen. It’s like I had all the trails to myself. How serene!

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See you on the highway.

Brent

 

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Gardens in the Spring

There must be farmer or gardener DNA in my genes. I am always calmed in the presence of Spring as new growth emerges from the ground.

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Take for example, the hardy hostas. They sprout up through the ground every year in dazzling greens and variations. Some are solid colored. Some have white edges with green in the middle of the leaf, and some are just the opposite, white with green edges. Such variety. They are just like people. We come in such a variety of colors and backgrounds, and when nurtured and allowed to grow, we flower for the benefit of others, for the community.

In the mornings, when the weather permits, I like to take my coffee outside to the edge of the garden. I listen to the birds, watch the sun rise, and revel in the growth of the garden. It is a peaceful place to start the day, and a reminder of the diversity of our world.

See you on the highway.

Brent

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Evolution of a river bank

The rains came frequently last year,
producing a record year of precipitation
nearly twice the annual average.

Flood warnings and watches were the norm
every time a storm rolled up the Ohio River Valley
flashing lightning and pouring rain into the watersheds.

Water ran off the fields into the streams and creeks
and eventually made its way to the tributaries and rivers
which themselves empty into the mighty Ohio.

As the rivers rise and fall, the precious banks
that define a river, come under forces that only
nature can deliver—real hydro power to cut and dig.

Earlier this winter, while crossing our local bridge over the Little Miami River,
I looked up river as I usually do and saw the most massive tree
laying on its side, stretching out nearly to the middle of the river.

The flood waters took its toll and undercut the tree from its foundation.
Where once it held the river bank in check, it is now an obstacle
for canoeists and kayakers, and shelter for the fish.

Brent