One sunny day this summer we decided to visit Balanced Rock (also known as “Table Top Rock“). I’d seen pictures of it many times, but had never been there.
Hocking State Forest: Balanced Rock
Back from vacation
Bob and I just got back yesterday from a hiking vacation in southern Ohio. We were gone for a little over a week, and we took a zillion photos. No doubt a few of them will end up here. But for now I want to share a little video that I filmed while Bob was driving between Fort Hill and the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. It’s just a look at the countryside in rural Ross County that seemed so pretty and peaceful.
Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/Z49GsrkwU-E
Morning at Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk
One of our favorite locales for bird watching is Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk. We’ve previously posted about it here. This locale is constantly changing with the season and the level of Hoover reservoir, but it rarely disappoints.
Partridge Pea
(Chamaecrista fasciculata).
Gahanna Woods
Gahanna Woods is part city park and part state nature preserve. Let’s start by looking at the city park.
Is West Nile Virus present in your county?
Outbreak of 2012
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as of August 21st, nearly 1118 people have become ill from the West Nile Virus this summer; 41 have died from the most severe form of this illness. This is biggest outbreak since 2004. Since the virus is transmitted by mosquito bites, the high incidence of the disease is attributed to an unusually large number of mosquitoes. More mosquitoes than usual survived over the winter due to the unseasonably mild weather. To make matters worse, this summer’s hot weather has speeded up the mosquito’s reproductive cycle.
Continue reading “Is West Nile Virus present in your county?”
Hocking State Forest: Airplane Rock
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. We stood on top of a rock outcropping shaped like an airplane overlooking Crane Hollow far below. From our vantage point, we had a magnificent view of the forest valley and hillsides miles away.
Thayer Ridge Park
Thayer Ridge Park features a picnic area (without restrooms), a frisbee disc golf course, and some multi-use, dirt trails going through woodland and meadows. The trails are open to horseback riders, mountain bikers and hikers. I have hiked there twice (in April and in August); in my opinion the trails are probably best suited for those on horseback.
Conkle’s Hollow: The Gorge Trail
Conkle’s Hollow is a narrow gorge with breathtaking cliffs rising on either side; the cliffs are made of Blackhand sandstone and are quite sheer in places, the taller ones reaching up to 200 feet in height. Seasonal waterfalls flow from the cliffs at many sites, their streams joining to form Pine Creek on the valley floor.
Wild Turtle with Shedding Shell
I was really surprised when I saw the turtle pictured above. First, this species of turtle, a Red-eared Slider, is not known to occur in the wild in Franklin County. Second, what on earth is wrong with its shell? 
Let’s look at it more closely.
