Valley Boy

 The temps finally came up Sunday but the winds were wicked. Charlie had been bugging me, so we got out for a walk along the neighbor's field. We could walk along the forest edge and get some protection from the wind.

Charlie stops to inspect the Log Skidder. There is a lot of waste with this logging operation. The wood they leave behind could warm thousands of homes. 
The Skidder was quiet and Charlie decided to go up and give the tire a bit of his doggy business. 

We dropped down into a very steep 'ravine' or what we call a dry run. It is like a narrow ravine shaped from years of run off. This particular one has a spring have way down its 1/2 mile length. In the winter the water seeps from the spring and freezes in layers over the boulders and mosses.

Charlie knows where I want to go and he keeps an eye out for anything and everything.

The ice from the tiny spring appears to be blue green. It could be from the 'gumbo clay' that it passes through.
I seriously don't know what gumbo clay is, but it is greyish green and can be molded when wet and falls apart when dried.

We explore, we take some cellphone shots and we head up the steep side of the hill. The climb out is 248 feet of elevation change. I do it each winter a few times because I find the blue/green ice so fascinating to see.

We did it once more. Into PeeWee's Valley to the blue/green ice and out. Below is a mini video looking back at what we climbed out of.

This is a shot from 10 years ago when Morris [my Jack Russell] and I explored it for the first time. Yes, the shot is terrible, it was from my old point and shoot camera and it is what it is.
However it shows how much this ravine fills with ice over the winter.

The ice is easily 4 feet deep.

Our tradition continues.

A few things...

I got through another winterizing chore by having 608 Plumbing [and heating] come out and check out my LP wall heater and Mini Split. 

Dan the Heating Man came out and immediately gave his condolences. He and Rich had great discussions while Dan had worked on our wall unit a couple of years ago and when he came back to install the Mini Split. Dan is very kind and personable. 

He isn't just a heating dude. He is a concerned and empathetic tech.

Everything checked out with the LP heater and he found no leaks in the pipes or anywhere there shouldn't be.

It was worth the price [not much] for him to put my mind at ease for this winter's heat.

Olive texted me that she made some homemade chili and bread if I'd come and have lunch with her and her little boy Orson.  

I felt restless when I got home so Charlie and I went for a color --> leaf peeping walk in the neighbor's forest. I could see colors but getting to those trees was a challenge because of the logging.

This was the view from our land.

The overcast sky and slight drizzle made the colors seem more brilliant. We crossed the meadow and eventually made some headway into the logged area.

Some of the brilliant trees were impossible to get to or photograph because of all the downed stuff on the ground and hang ups of tree tops.

I did manage to get some nice shots. 

These three were in the rain.

I did get to see one of the brilliant red trees and the sun poked out briefly when I shot this one.

I eventually found the old trail which used to be absolutely stunning in the fall. I took a photo.

I can't wait to take a shot of this spot again in the winter with a fresh snowfall. It will be interesting to see how it changes. You can see through this forest now to another section of the hillside about a quarter mile away that hasn't been logged yet.

However, here is a shot from 2 years ago in approximately the same spot. The forest was so thick, you cannot see past the trail bend.

The forest regrowth could take up to 30 to 50 years to replace some of the trees. With the onslaught of invasive species of trees and weeds, it may never attain this beauty again. 

Careful and considerate logging would have provided a better result for the future of the forest. Anyway, that is my opinion.

It was still a beautiful walk and I think winter will bring more adventures as long as the loggers have moved on to the next section. 

To give you an idea of how large this section of land is, one of my walks that takes me in a large circle and back to my land is a 3 mile hike through two valleys.

My last note for this Friday.

Charlie and I went on another adventure to the Subaru Dealership. We had an issue and noise with my Outback which needed to be checked out.

When I turned in my keys with Charlie on leash at the service desk, the service people recognized Charlie and hollered out....

CHARLIE!!!!

then asked my name so they could look up my reason for being there.

I don't want to brag, but dang it, this little dog is SO personable that no one forgets him!

Charlie received a gift from the manager. It is called a Suba-Chew Dog Toy. Charlie was so smitten with it! 

it is supposed to look like an Outback, but Charlie quickly made it look 

like a horrid wreck had occurred.

There is a funny story about my visit to the dealership. The issue was taken care of which was covered under the warranty we'd purchased in 2018.

I'd hate to say it, but Subaru has treated me like royalty for the past 10 years that I've dealt with them.

Falling into Autumn...

 This is just going to be a few shots and not much else. Fall is starting to show up and I am spending time just admiring the sun angle and the deep woods around our farm and on local trails.

Charlie sitting on a bluff.

Hiking...at the Reserve...

The forest that surrounds us... I got stuck on stuck leaves!

Much of the canopy is still green but slowly turning and in places the leaves are brightly colored on damaged limbs.

Many leaves were slowly drifting down from above in the forest making a noise almost like a rainfall.

....

And then I was stopped by this.

Light, dark, shadows, yellows and colorful.
Everything we look for in Fall Colors. 

Fresh air Hike & Junk

*I'm going for a walk. to the Big Spring. I'll use the field road, the snow mobile trail and the cropland to get down and back. I'll stop by the big dry run on the East side of PeeWee's.*  PeeWee was the nickname of the owner of this land.

I tell this to my husband as he goes for his morning two hour-ish nap. He knows these locations as he has ridden and explored the neighbor's land we still refer to as PeeWee's.

 

Here is a photo of the Big Spring

Photo of the Big Spring last winter when 
the water still ran quicker. The warm air and water
creates incredible frost on the rocks:

I went from the Big Spring over to the East Dry Run and walked up to where the little spring flows out of the 'step rocks'.

This spot in non drought years produces a small steady stream of water that works its way through all of these rocks.

In a normal cold and wet winter it looks like this:

A person can literally walk on two to three feet of ice or even more. It fills the dry run with incredible colors of ice that vary from blue to green and in places... an orange color.
These photos were taken in 2015.

Two years of drought has changed the flow of the tiny spring. It still runs, but the temperatures have not been cold enough to create the river of blue ice like it has in years past.

Charlie is standing next to some cool roots and there is a critter path that leads up the bank from where the animals come down to drink from the tiny spring.

In years past, the river of ice has been at least 4 to 5 feet thick right at this spot. 

From here back to the top where the snowmobile trail is a 100 foot climb up to the top. The grade is steeper than 25% so it is pretty intense.

The ground was frozen enough to climb up and out to the top. Yes, I climbed it. I do it each time I visit this spot. It is easier than back tracking into the valley.

Below is a map of my walk in the terrain mode of maps. The road viewed is called Tigen and it is a dead end road.

The yellow dots are places where someone lives. The start and stop is where we live. The black dot is where the where I was standing in near the little Spring.

I include this terrain map so you can see that the hikes are not on flat ground except when I cross cropland. You can see how steep our terrain really is.

View from the top 14 seconds.

My walk on the ridge was interesting also. I've decided to do another project on Farm Junk. Why not? Old farms have cool junk that farmers dumped in their dry runs to slow erosion and get rid of old machinery and things like tires. 

Here is the first of my Junk Files. 

The Viking.

Hey, it could be advertised as a great AirBnb! 

--- Unplug! Enjoy Nature in our Viking Hut! No internet, no electricity! Experience the outdoors like a Hobo!

The open air feeling of this AirBnb is wonderful. Hear all the forest noises all night long. The unobstructed window faces east where you can watch the sun rise over the Driftless Region!

That's it folks....

Charlie and I have a lot of junk to find this winter. Can I just call it Still Life??

To the Big Spring and Back

 

Friday's first order of business was to clear out some Iris plants and make sure the Mini Split that will be installed later is not crowded out by flowers and leaves.

These I'll take up to Olive's house. I think it will be the third time I've split up Iris plants and spread them out to other folks.

The morning was cold but there was sunshine. I jetted out the door with Charlie at 10AM to enjoy the morning sunlight. The winds were howling on the ridge so we headed down to the valley and followed the creek.

I wanted to see if any more Marshmarigolds had opened up. The only place I knew that they grew in all of the 600+ acres of woods was this one large warm spring.

I did find Virginia Beauties with their flowers still closed tight, but they had sprung back up after the heavy snow.

It is a 20 minute hike to the Big Springs if you hurry. There is no trail other than places where deer and other forest creatures have gone. Sometimes we just walk in the stream. I was pleased to see the bright yellow of the Cowslips when I came around to the spring.

There weren't as many of them as I was hoping for. I suppose that is due to the cold temps after the heat wave. Nights are near freezing and days have been chilly. Most of the time the moisture comes in a mix of sleet and rain.

But for the morning we had sunshine and we took advantage of it.

You know I had to bring something fun

along.
A Dinosaur !

This little character is Grogu

from the Mandalorian series.

We headed back towards home as I promised to make a nice lunch of some sort. I couldn't help but stop and take a shot of how the Skunk Cabbage had changed.

They were opening their large leaves.

Maypoles were appearing in inconspicuous places. Once the leaves open and spread out they are obvious.

By the time we got back to where I first spotted the Virginia Pinks, they had opened their petals to the sunlight.

Charlie was so patient with me. He has become such a great Photography Assistant. 

The photo that pleased me the most on our quest for Marshmarigolds? This one, with the sparkles coming off the spring's water. Everything worked out just right on this shot.

As soon as we got home, the clouds moved in and it alternated once again with sleety snowy rain and bone chilling temperatures.

I sure hope Spring eventually comes.

I spent all day Saturday fencing in more snow, sleet, and bursts of sunshine. But I have a new pen up for Lil' Richard to enjoy. 

Discovery and Explore

 

Hobby wanted a tripod, but she rummaged through the leftovers of Lego pieces and found a Chandelier top which she converted into a Quadpod.

She isn't sure how it will all work out, but for now, she is pleased. She thought she'd also try her hand at Infrared Photography, she was very surprised at how the Skunk Cabbage appeared white!

Skunk Cabbage Patch Below:

Below: Skunk Cabbage Spadix [center bumpy thing], the hooded Spathe is gone from being stepped on by wildlife.

The plants huge leaves will soon appear.

The Big Spring is located about a half mile or so from our house. The hike to get there isn't too bad, as long as you stick to the valley. The spring comes up from the ground and is probably the warmest spot in the valley. Most of the early plants can be found here.

I found the first Cowslip or Marsh Marigold yesterday. The spring is dotted with them, I imagine with the warm weather this weekend, more flowers will open.

Charlie in the Big Spring shot in IR.
The blue colored lumps

are moss covered rocks.

In contrast the rock wall has ice on it. The sun only shines on this section of the valley when their are no leaves on the trees. The rock holds onto the cold. This little pond is a great place to cool off on a hot summer day.

It is only about knee deep but the water stays at 45 degrees F most of the summer.

Just above the wall with ice on it...I found fern curls emerging from the detritus.

Charlie sits and waits for me to make through the tangle of dead trees. He knows exactly where we are going now that he has been hiking this route for 5 years.

Come mid June, we won't be able to hike much further than this spot as the plants and weeds will be waist high and we won't be able to see our footing unless the deer and other wildlife make a trail along here.

In another few weeks though, I can come down and dig up fresh wild parsnip to take home and eat.

Today we should get off to KVR to hike the Jug Creek Trail. I want to get up on the rock formations while I can still see through the trees.