Tuesday, December 21, 2010

December at Cedar Falls

Cedar Falls in the Hocking Hills State
Parks is freezing now and it is looking
so beautiful. While Ash Cave’s falls is
not quite as pretty yet  but it should
look beautiful by the time the Winter
Hike rolls around the latter part of
January.

CeadarFalls_Frozen2
The water runs through a tunnel in this
ice formation and looks so pretty snaking
down through the frozen waterfalls.

 

CedarFalls_Frozen

With a five inch covering of snow and the cold
weather freezing the creek in the gorge everything
is sparkling and beautiful and so worth the walk
down into the gorge to view it all.

CedarFalls_CreekHollow

Every season at Cedar Falls  dresses the gorge in
beauty with the changes.

CedarFalls_SM_Falls

Sparkling ice formations now grace the
rock walls in the gorge.

CedarFalls_WCreek

CF_Creek_Hollow

CF_Icicles

CF_WinterCrrek

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Frozen Old Man’s Cave

 
A walk along the upper trail of Old Man’s
Cave last Friday was a pretty one.
All of the waterfalls and run off around
the cave and trails are freezing now
and the effect is beautiful.
I was glad to get these pictures when I
did since on our way back out there were four
teenage boys with big limbs clubbing and
Knocking down all of the icicles.
I told them they were ruining it for the other
visitors to the park who want to see the
formations and take pictures but brats will
be brats. You say all this fuss about some ice,
well hundreds of tourists come in the winter
to take pictures and enjoy the beauty of the
parks in the winter.
Please do not destroy what you came in the
first place to see and enjoy like those
big teenage boys did. Those after you
may want to see and enjoy it too.

 

OMC_UpperFalls2_Dec11

OMC2_Dec11

 

OMC_Dec11

 

OMC_AlongUpperFalls2_Dec11

 

OMC_FallsBowl_Dec11

 

OMC_UpperTrail2_Dec11

 

OMC_UpperTrail_Dec11

OMC_UpperCreek_Dec11

Monday, November 15, 2010

Hope Furnace


The Hope Furnace is near Zaleski, Ohio at Lake Hope.

H-Sign

  In the 1850’s the furnaces were used to
produce iron for the nation’s growing railroad system.
The railroads in turn provided transportation for iron
exports linking the southeast Ohio to distant markets
that could be reached by way of the Ohio River, or the
Great Lakes. During the Civil War the furnaces provided
iron for canons and other military equipment used by
the Union Army, including the iron plating that
sheathed the army’s famous iron-clad warship, the Monitor.
Hope Furnace closed in 1874 and the last of the furnaces
closed in 1916.
The forest’s around the furnaces provided  wood to
fire the furnaces and provided jobs for this area
of the state. Though it provided jobs for the area
and towns grew around the Furnaces the homes 
and stores built there  were owned by the
companies that paid the workers with company script.
The script was suppose to be used to purchase over priced
goods from the company owned stores but in fact the script
was worthless and could not be used in the stores.


Hope_Furnace  


Hope_Furnace2



Hope_Furnace3


Zaleski

Friday, November 5, 2010

Autumn Hike at Lake Hope

 

Lake_Hope2

Lake Hope is not a wide lake but it is a long lake.

Lake_Hope

This is from the beach area looking across to the highway
which leads to the entrance of the park.Furnace_Trail

The Furnace Trail was our hiking path that day but there
are several trails to hike at Lake Hope.

Furnace_Trail2

Some of the hiking trails are rugged and narrow
going around the lake area and some are wonderful
for a vigorous walk.

LH_CanadianGeese

Geese and other water fowl make the lake
their home.

 

LH_Crane


LH_BeaverDam

Evidence of Beaver at the lake were present but none were spotted.

LH_BarkScale

Beautiful textures and leaves were spotted
along the trail.

 

LH_Maple_Fall

Scarlet maples glowed in the sun.

LH_FallBerries

Berries were plentiful on shrubs and nuts of acorns
and hickory were falling all around us and laying
upon the ground.


LH_FallFluff

Once stems of blooming flowers were now
fuzzy with seeds heads.

Persimmons

Persimmon’s were hanging from limbs over the water
that had not yet been eaten by critters and birds.

 

LH_FallFern

Ferns in the shady areas on hillsides were starting
to back for the winter.

 

LH_FallGrass

Golden grasses swayed in the breeze.

LH_LilyPads_Fall

The lake is almost chocked in the upper ends from
water lily pads which were now turning yellow.
There were just paths through the lilies where
kayakers were paddling through.

IMG_0045

Blends of orange and yellows were all around the
lake mixed in with the pines.