Spring Hike at Chestnut Ridge Metro Park---#Ohio

OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO

How about a hike at Chestnut Ridge Metro Park near Lancaster,Ohio… (on the first day of spring)

Park includes  a couple of walking loops with nice diversity; old homestead and great views.

As spring progresses the diverse habitats will make the park  a great place to look for wildflowers and birds.

Well maintained walking paths

Chestnut Ridge Metro Park

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Ohio

I took a side trail to check out the old farmstead.

Steep trails = workout opportunity as cross country runners and backpack hikers know from their training sessions in this four season park. Look at the next photo closely. Do you see the cross country runners?

I didn’t have my camera ready when the three deer went through the woods just beyond the downed log.

Pond: Children 15 and younger and adults 60 and older can fish from the pond's two docks. An observation deck for viewing waterfowl and wildlife is also available.

There is one LONG HILL that makes for a good workout.. close to home..well maintained…and scenic…. Hope everyone had a great 1st day of spring..

 Sorry I couldn’t resist:: What is the moral of this story?

While hiking in the woods, Nate and Sam found this huge rock
which had an old iron lever attached to it. Etched into the
rock was the following inscription: "If this lever is
pulled, the world will come to an end!" Nate wanted to pull
the lever and see what would happen, but Sam, being a
paranoid pessimist, greatly feared this! He said to Nate
that if he tried to pull the lever, he'd shoot him! In a
daring attempt, Nate lunged for the lever, and sure enough,
Sam shot him! What is the moral of this story? Better Nate than lever!

 

Technorati Tags: OHIO,METRO PARK,CHESTNUT RIDGE METRO PARK,SPRING

OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO,OHIO

Shallenberger State Nature Preserve and the “Knobs” of Lancaster,Ohio

This post is about Knobs.. Allen Knob.. Ruble Knob.. Becks Knob..with a short hike to the top of Allen Knob at Shallenberger State Nature Preserve.

 

An OUR WORLD TUESDAY POST

Allen Knob, at Shallenberger State Nature Preserve Latitude: 39.6925641   Longitude: -82.6554434 County: Fairfield Area: Amanda
Elevation: 344 meters - 1129 feet MAP

“More than 300 million years ago this portion of Ohio lay under the waters of a vast inland ocean. Large sand deltas were deposited by streams flowing into the ancient seas. Over millions of years, compaction of these sand deltas fused the sand into rock, creating the Black Hand sandstone formation found in Ohio today.” READ MORE

Ready To Hike….

“At Shallenberger, the long process of weathering produced Allen Knob, a promontory of highly resistant sandstone, and the smaller adjacent Ruble Knob.”

Looking up at Allen Knob from the lower trail. The snow makes it look a little different. These  flat-topped knobs southwest of Lancaster,Ohio mark the edge of the Appalachian Plateau and are what biologists call islands in the sky.

Straight ahead and up to Allen Knob or the trail to the right will take you to Ruble knob. The snow made it a little slippery. I found it a little more difficult coming down than going up.

 My walking stick came in handy.. We are almost to the top of Allen Knob.

“At the top, the trees appear smaller, scraggly and poor because the soil is thin and dry. The dominant tree atop the knobs is the chestnut oak.” READ MORE 

Next a view of Becks Knob (private property) as seen from the top of Allen Knob.

Just on the other side of Crumley Road you have Becks Knob with the city of Lancaster,Ohio in the far distance.

Found this on the net. I wonder if it is true..

“Beck's Knob is haunted by a man known as "Hermit on the Knob." He was an old man who lived on the hill who read his Bible every day and did little else. Perhaps out of boredom, he decided to end it all. He dug his own grave, then shot himself in the heart while standing above the hole with a note pinned to his chest asking that he be buried there. His ghost walks, carrying a lantern, from 22 to Beck Road toward the Hunter's Run Bridge, where it disappears.”

What I do know; there is an unusual depression in the ground on top of Allen Knob.

Have a question… ask…  Rick Gardner, Chief Botanist Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas & Preserves 2045 Morse Road, Building C-3 Columbus, Ohio 43229 614-265-6419(O) 614-745-6781(C)… Rick says,

“The depression on top of Allen Knob was a small rock quarry that was in operation in the 1800s.”  Thank you Mr. Rick Gardner….

Mountain laurel also thrives atop the knobs, especially on their southern and western slopes. They are at their colorful best from late May to mid-July. (Another hike)

In the distance you have the U.S. 33 Bypass and U.S. Route 22….  Time to head back to Lancaster,Ohio and the Native American Pow Wow being held at the fairgrounds.

Joe Todd says, Learn to slow down, to be aware, to notice, and make every day an adventure.. Thanks for stopping by.

Technorati Tags: SHALLENBERGER,NATURE PRESERVE,ALLEN KNOB,RUBLE KNOB,BECKS KNOB,LANCASTER OHIO,FAIRFIELD COUNTY,HAUNTED

Thanks for Hob Knobbing at My Quality Time.

Ten Rules For Being Human

A Quality Time Book Review.. If Life is a Game These are the Rules

“The challenge of Rule One is to make peace with your body, so
that it can effectively serve its purpose and share its valuable lessons
of acceptance, self-esteem, respect, and pleasure. Everyone must
learn these basic principles before he is able to journey successfully
through life.” If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules

“Every person creates his or her own reality. Authorship of your life is one of your absolute rights; yet so often people deny that they
have the ability to script the life they desire. They often use the excuse that they cannot do what they want to do or get what they desire in life because they lack the resources to do it. They look past the fundamental truth that it is not our external resources that determine our success or failure, but rather our own belief in ourselves and our willingness to create a life according to our highest aspirations. You can either engage in the blame game, making frequent use of the statement, "I couldn't b e c a u s e . . . " or you can take control of your life and shape it as you would like.”

  An interesting book filled with insight and suggestions. “Life” is not necessarily a “walk in the park” and there is in my opinion no “magic button” to fix everything. I do feel there is a lesson behind everything that happens in our life as this book demonstrates so well…. Rating 8 out of 10…. I will now end the post with a Quality Time Photo taken at my favorite golf course.

Pleasant Valley Golf Lancaster,Ohio. I’m not going to tell you how many golf balls I’ve put in that pond LOL…..Have a great day

Technorati Tags: Ten Rules For Being Human,LIFE,GAME,RULES

Now on to Rule #10