Hannah and toilet paper...

 So I promised a strange story about Hannah and toilet paper. 

I feel restless in the Fall season. I used to feel that time was slipping away from me. Perhaps it is the loss of daylight that occurs.

Perhaps, it is the trees dropping their leaves and the landscape going through a dramatic change.

Perhaps it is an internal clock reminding me that life is finite. 

I started to check emails, blogs, and Flickr. When I felt something slipping away. I put my camera in a backpack and grabbed my keys. The dogs were not letting me get away with leaving them again. 

We loaded up and off we went. Me? To seek something. I didn't know quite what, but it would come to me.

The sun came up, a bright orange globe predicting an unusually warm October day. 

I forgot the beeper controls for the dog collars. I forgot breakfast. I did remember leashes and my camera. 

The drive was so amazing. On the ridge, the day was bright and warm.

Along the highway next to the river? 

Highway 131 is twisty and follows the Kickapoo River Valley. I think I once counted crossing the river 13 times just getting to a town 12 miles away.

I ended up stopping at Big Valley.  I parked and we piled out of the car in the early morning light.

I called my cohorts to follow me and they complied. Hannah was frantic with puppy energy and must have left her brain at home. My destination was the small bluffs overlooking Warner Creek. I thought the morning light and the view would be worth the little climb.

My goal was the pine tree in the center of the photo below.

We followed the designated equine trail and then went off trail towards the bluff. Charlie walked by my side and Hannah bounced ahead with springs in her legs.

These bluffs that have a stream running under them along with the pines, the soil, the moisture, and the little micro climate have made this an amazing place to find fungi. And we did!

The American Yellow Fly Agaric aka Amanita chrysoblema mushroom! There were hundreds of them!

The beautiful ones are always so poisonous!

There were so many of them on the bluff. 

I was horrified to see that someone had walked along part of the bluff and had been kicking over these beauties. What the He11 is wrong with people? 

I squatted down to start photographing them, when I noticed Hannah had something white in her mouth.

I do have to watch her carefully. She tends to try to 'taste' everything, though not as bad as she used to. I was afraid she'd picked up a piece of the Amanita.

I ran over to her and hollered 'Drop IT' 'Leave IT'. One of those commands should have worked but didn't. She pranced around me chewing. Finally I gave her the hand signal to sit and she obeyed.

One more stern look and a soft 'leave it' and Hannah dropped it. Ugh. Gross. Disgusting. Used toilet paper. I walked back to where I'd seen her pick it up and as I toured through the trees I found other places that sported TP. 

I was so angry that I wanted to spit. IF I have that urge while hiking or riding, I do carry bits of TP, but I also carry a plastic ziplock bag to put the used stuff in. Disgusting. First the offenders kick over beautiful fungi and then they do whatever and leave their TP.

I moved on to the bluff site where I wanted to get a photo of Warner Creek.

And as you can see, someone was as interested in it as I was.

I got the shots I sort of wanted. The first one is looking east and the other shot is looking west.

Some day, I'll do this creek justice in a photo.

As we walked a little further down the trail, gunfire erupted in a few areas. It sounded like shotguns so it could have been Turkey hunters, but I did a quick check and there was also gun hunt for deer for youth and disabled people.

I wasn't in a good hunting area, but the bellowing of the guns far off shook poor Charlie.

We headed back towards the car. Hannah was not fazed by the noise at all and wanted to play in the water.

We waved goodbye to the bluffs and headed home.

The Reserve allows hunting on its land and anyone can hunt there. I've met some really nice hunters [bow, pheasant, duck] while hiking in the fall. I always stay out of the area during the 9 day deer gun season. 

The dogs got their adventure time, I found cool fungi and played on the bluffs. Hannah learned to leave toilet paper alone [I think], and a good morning was had by all.

It was time to go home and get those list of to do's done. We did pretty well. We were back home before 10am.

I still had a 'date' with the Mississippi Valley Conservancy to go to Tunnelville Cliffs and do a star gazing walk.

Falling into Fall

September seems to be a great month of colors and moods that stretch through October. Fall is a fleeting time filled with shorter daylight hours and changing weather.

If you live in the Midwest I can safely say that most of us admire and 'chase' colors and light or at least do some Leaf Peeping.

When I was in the UP, the colors were already changing. I'd love to make more trips, but the drive is about 6 or more hours for me. 

I am happy with September here around our place. We have so many mornings that are fog filled.

Deep morning fog at the south pasture.

This was morning fog clearing from the east as the sun came over the ridge. I happened to point the camera towards the east and noticed I could get a shot of the leaves lit up by the sun. I moved slightly and got this instead.

The Orb Weavers are still at work in the large eastern meadow. The one small maple tree is there but turning bright colors.

What can I say, more meadow shots with ground fog. Some of the trees in the distance look like they are turning colors, some are and some are dying from the damage done by logging. Still, it is a pretty beautiful sight.

On Saturday before going hiking, I took Hannah to the Farmer's Market to work with her being calm around crowds. At first she was crazy- stupid -happy. Eventually, she sat next to me and watched people go by. On the way home to pick up Charlie, I took a detour down Tainter Hollow Road and was surprised at how different the colors of the trees are just a few miles away.
 

I normally don't go to the Reserve on a brilliant fall Saturday, that's generally when the place is full of people on the paved trail walking dogs and pushing strollers, and riding bicycles. 

In other areas, there is usually large groups of horseback riders so I just picked a trail that is not very popular.

It is rough, rocky, full of roots to trip on and steep.

Oh. And it is quite beautiful.

There are a couple of spots on the ridgetop that give you a view of the Kickapoo River Valley. The colors were simply beautiful.

Charlie was in great form. The temperature was under 70 F and he trotted right along as if he were in charge.

Our goal was Hanson's Rock Lookout. The log is set there for people to enjoy sitting and looking down on the valley. In an area not photographed, there is a highline for people with horses to tie up so they can take a breather and have a picnic or just enjoy the scenery.

The view:

We sat here, well, okay I sat on the log and the dogs explored scents. Below the outlook is a long and winding trail that is well used. We could hear a horse below us in the valley whinny and faintly hear someone saying something. 

It was 'treat' time. I had a granola bar and the dogs had treats and water from their collapsible bowl. Hannah was satisfied to hang out. Charlie started to whine. It is his way of saying, *Let's get moving!*

We explored and stopped often to look at things and they stopped often to sniff interesting scents. I only wish I could smell a portion of what they scent. It tells them so much about the world around them.

Oh yeah, Fall/Autumn is showing off her beauty. I do wish that it would stick around a bit longer than it really does.

Goofy Hannah

This pup. This dog.

I wanted a terrier or part terrier because I knew they could be rambunctious and idiotic. I knew that they loved to play and had endless energy.

Morris was a pure Jack Russell. This one? Her mom was a Rat Terrier, a best guess was that her daddy was a doxie because of her long body. But...

Morris [my very first terrier] was never quite this exuberant!

I just had to stop and video this crazy little dog. 

This rainy-ish day hike took a long time, but we were not in any hurry. I wanted to just get out and stretch my legs and the dogs were eager to enjoy hiking in the cooler temperatures.

Since we'd had over 6 inches of rain over the past weekend, we stuck to the paved bike/walk/ride trail. We went very early while it was still quite cool and enjoyed a peaceful hike only meeting one other person taking a short walk with her elderly dog.

The sky was overcast and we had a 12 mph ENE wind which kept things nice and cool. Even Charlie, who has lagged along all summer was setting the pace. 

That made me smile even more. He will be 9 when Hannah turns 1. I like that he still likes to go go go. Although, he is not silly like Hannah. He is all business and very stoic about everything. What a combination I have to enjoy.

The best decision I made was to walk to the far end of the trail 3 miles away. We were lucky enough to see a pair of swans and their ...swan-lets? I didn't have a long lens, but I got this anyway. 

That was Monday's hike at the Reserve.

I'm conserving my expenditures in gasoline so we decided to go local on Wednesday.

The land next to me is unoccupied and I've talked about how they have 'ruined' the land by aggressive logging.

Much of the beauty of the land has changed. However, the dogs and I picked another cool and wet morning to go and explore what the logging has done to the land.

Yep, the Family Trust may have gotten a lot of money from the logging, but the land has [in my head] been desecrated and devalued by the loggers. I really don't feel anyone cares about anything but a very simple thing.

Money.

Money.

Below is a shot of one of the 'logging' trails they made on a steep hillside. What you can't see is the the geology of this hillside. It is rock, sandstone, limestone, and clay with about a foot of topsoil that was scrapped away.

Just to the left of Charlie is a deep wash out from last week's rain.

I walked most of the parameter of the land that belongs to the Peterson Trust. I followed new trails and old trails.

To me there was absolutely no consideration for conservation of the land. The trails were made by bulldozers and skidders to remove logs. There are no roads other than the very old logging roads from years ago. 

So they created new ones without much thought as to what would happen with the run off of rain and snow.

However.

I can go hike the land as long as it isn't deer season and explore the trails. The old and the new rather poorly designed ones.

This trail is still there, see the bent over piece of tree?

The photo below is from 8 years ago when I used to hike and ride this trail a few times a week. They have taken and destroyed so many trees that it is almost impossible to recognize this same spot now.

I do know it. I've walked it and rode it for 30 years.

The guy in charge of the logging does understand the lay of the land. I've known him since 1996. However money is the driver. Profit is the thing.

I was amazed that a dozer cut through this area with the steep hillside. Of course they did. Lumber was just there waiting to be plucked. The shot below is how the trail held up. There are places where it is washed out to the depth of 10 feet or more. This hillside is ...

sandstone and lime.

With another few heavy rainfalls, this area will only be passable to deer or by foot. I know the owners of the 'trust' wanted ATV/UTV trails for the 9 day deer gun season. No vehicle will make it up or down this trail.

Ahhh. Here is an area that they didn't touch. It was logged in 1997. You can see the stumps left over in this heavily wooded area that is mainly Maple trees. I was pleased to see it still there with familiar old deer trails.

What can I say. I still love this land and appreciate it. I do not like what they have done to most of the other 400 acres. Thank goodness, they left this area alone. Perhaps because none of the trees were worth taking.

PeeWee Peterson controlled the logging with his nephew in the 1990's. The logging was careful. The logging was supervised. They only took what $$$ they needed to keep the farm going.

Now?

The Other Nephew in charge of the trust wants money [He is in his late 70's]. 

Simply that. 

Nothing more. 

He rents the farmland and leases the forest for hunting. 

Sometimes I wonder about greed.

I'll still find something to appreciate. They pretty much destroyed all the forest near where I live but at least it is on the other side of the fence.

Sadly, this was one of the most unique properties in the whole county. Over a square mile of pristine forest with two valleys and streams with unique properties.

I have been lucky to live next to this place for 30 years. 

After our exploration of today I do know I can still find extremely beautiful untouched areas that others haven't touched.

I still have this.

A beautiful spot to watch the moon arrive....

and a wonderful spot to sit with the dogs on a fall evening and have a little campfire.

I know I am lucky.