Roswell Riverwalk (Fulton County, Georgia)

With more storms coming in this afternoon, I didn't want to venture too far from home, but I still wanted to get some exercise and trail miles in today. I decided to re-visit the Roswell Riverwalk, which is only about a thirty minute drive from my house. It's going to be a hot day, but this paved trail along the Chattahoochee River will offer some shade and it will give me a chance to continue listening to an audio book series I've been on. I wouldn't normally hike with headphones, but this is a paved urban trail with a few sections of boardwalk. So, I'm not really concerned with wildlife elements.

Parking my car at Don White Memorial Park, I used the nearby restroom, started my audio book, and headed west along the paved trail. I guess a lot of other people had similar ideas today as the parking lots are filling up and many walkers, runners, and bikers are using these urban trails today. It's still early and I turned my ball cap around to allow the bill to protect the back of my neck a bit as I start my walk. 

Reaching Riverside Park just a half-mile or so down the path, I stop to read a number of placards describing some of the atrocities visited upon the Cherokee when they were forcibly removed from their land and sent along the Trail of Tears to the Oklahoma territory. Further, I read another sign that describes the lynching of a black man in the 1930's for the offense of kissing a white woman's hand. Sadly, no one was ever charged with his murder. I know I'm not responsible for the acts of my ancestors and I can only try to ensure that I spread a different message of hope and equality. I try my best.

The trail continues onto a couple of sections of boardwalk through some swampy areas and I take some time to admire some wildlife, including a banded water snake swimming along at the Confluence of Vickery Creek and the river. Further along, I also see what I believe are catfish flopping about in the shallow muddy waters. It's great to see these creatures.

Finally reaching the very long boardwalk section that ends at Willeo Park, I turn around and head back. As I pass back through the muddy backwaters area where I had seen the catfish before, I spot a snapping turtle about he size of a hubcap raise his head from the mud for a breath of air before returning to his camouflaged resting place. 

The final couple of miles on the way back to the car were uneventful, but as the clouds start rolling in, I realize that it is time to head for home. When I finally get back to my car, I notice that my GPS tracker was showing over 9.5 miles on this trek, which I know is off. When I review the path, it seems something weird happened around mile 6 on my way back and it had me bouncing all over the place. I know from past experience that his walkway is about 7.6 miles and so, I'm going with that and using a track from a previous visit. While there is nothing special about this little riverwalk, it is a pleasant way to get some fresh air and exercise. I'm glad I was able to enjoy it today before the coming rains.

Dinosaur Caves Park (Santa Barbara County, California)

Driving back to the Santa Barbara Airport after attending a craft beer festival with some friends in Paso Robles, I decided to stop at the Dinosaur Caves Park just a few miles from my destination and stretch my legs a bit. The name is a bit misleading, but still an interesting landscape to explore. Apparently, local businessman had a large metal-framed dinosaur built here in the 1940's as an attraction. A staircase inside lead down into one of the large sea caves along this section of coast. The community never really liked the site of the dinosaur and the largest of the sea caves eventually collapsed, leaving the site in some distress. In early '90's, the city purchased the land and eventually turned it into a small park adopting the current name based on the history.

The park is small, but offers some amazing ocean views. After parking my rental car, I start walking around the paved and gravel trails taking it all in. It's a bit brisk this morning, but the interesting vantage points keep me warm enough. The park is built atop sea bluffs, into which the battering waves have created a number of caves and in addition, left tall jutting islands out just past the shoreline. The number of sea birds here is impressive. Pelicans, gulls, and many others seem to like to perch in mass atop the various rock formations. In addition, I see a number of small chipmunk like creatures in and around the flora atop the bluffs as I leisurely stroll along the path. There is just so much life here. It's truly amazing. 

Finally, I decide that it's time to move on and return to my car. I need to get some food and return the rental car before my flight takes off a couple of hours from now. This was a worthwhile stop though. Nothing spectacular, but certainly enough to make someone take a slight detour to see.

Nojoqui Falls (Santa Barbara County, California)

I'm driving up California's Highway 101 on my way to Paso Robles to meet some friends for a craft beer festival, but that doesn't mean I can't stop and enjoy some sites along the way. Nojoqui Falls is an 80-foot waterfall just north of Santa Barbara and only a short detour off of the highway. A small county park protects the waterfall and a well-worn gravel trail leads from the parking area to the falls.

After parking my rental car, I headed up the path noting the swarms of yellow jacket-like insects swarming and the massive amounts of poison oak on either side of the trail. Luckily, neither posed a threat as long as one watches where they are going. The trail follows a small creek all the way to the base of the waterfall. Nojoqui Falls itself is only a trickle at the moment, as it is dependent on rain water. Unlike most waterfalls that erode the cliff at the top, this one actually deposits minerals and sediment to build out from the cliff. This is similar to the way stalactites form in caves. It's pretty interesting. The walk back to my car is less than a half-a-mile and with another hour of driving to go, I should probably get moving. It was nice to stretch my legs a bit though.

Hamilton Indian Mounds (Marion County, Alabama)

After seeing the Dismalites last night and then getting a solid night's sleep, I'm headed home from a weekend in northwestern Alabama. Along the way though, I have one more stop and this is to see another Native American Site near Hamilton, AL. This is actually a series of three mounds along the Buttahatchee River, which are thought to have been built between 1250 and 1500 CE. 

Parking the car at the empty lot, I have to walk roughly a half-mile on a paved path towards the river. Eventually, I reach the first of the mounds, which is heavily overgrown. This largest of the three appears to be a terraced mound with a lower and upper section. It's difficult to tell though as there is a lot of trees and foliage taking it over. A short distance away, a second and then a third mound rise out of the ground just alongside the muddy river. These are smaller, but also heavily overgrown. After exploring the perimeter of the three mounds I return to my car and head for home.

Dismalites (Franklin County, Alabama)

*Note - Photo courtesy of Google

Returning for the evening guided tour, I'm back at Dismal Canyon after checking into my nearby hotel and getting some dinner. This should be the highlight of the weekend and is the reason I drove all this way. Much like the area around Anna Ruby Falls, close to my home, this area is home to a bioluminescent fly larvae that emits a faint bluish light to attract prey.

Once again checking in, our tour guide takes a count and gives us a short introduction as we wait for the daylight to fade away and the darkness to take hold of the canyon. This is when the small creatures will begin to put on their show. We carefully make our way along the dark path and as we reach the first of the rock passages, we begin to see dozens of bluish-white lights all over the surface of the rocks. I wish my camera was capable of capturing these brilliant creatures, but I'll have to settle for pictures taken by others.

We make our way across the bridge and back into the Witches Cavern as I suspected. Here, we shut off our lights, as the tour guide suggests we hold the hands of the person in front of and behind us as we carefully make our way through the tight passage in near total darkness. The only light is that provided by our tiny friends on on the moss rock face. This is one of just a couple of areas where this particular species thrives. It's quite a privilege to be able to take this all in. There are even more of them here than the area we started at, and far more than I've seen at Anna Ruby Falls in the past. I would estimate that there are twenty to thirty larva per square ten feet of rock surface. Truly amazing.

After having toured the planned area, we return the way we came with lights on this time to make it a little safer. The guide offers to answer any questions that remain and wishes us well on our journeys as he see us off and prepares for the next group. What a great experience.

Dismals Canyon Day Hike (Franklin County, Alabama)

 

Though I've stopped at a number of points of interest on my way, I've finally arrived at my primary destination for the weekend. Dismals Canyon is a National Natural Landmark that is privately owned and operated as a tourist destination. This sandstone gorge offers a hike through a very interesting landscape and is home to bioluminescent creatures known as Dismalites, which I will be returning tonight to see.

After paying the steep entry fee, I'm directed to the start of the self-guided tour and begin my walk along the fashioned path. It starts above Rainbow Falls and lead down crude steps to the canyon floor and along Dismals Creek. This entire canyon seems to be a collision of gigantic sandstone boulders tumbling from the walls and the creek pass through and shaping them over the eons.

It's been raining today and with the lush green foliage, the dark shadows and passages created by the boulders, and just the overall atmosphere, it's a little creepy walking through this area, but also incredibly interesting. My path continues through some areas named by the ownership to make them more interesting. Hand rails have been fashioned in some areas from fallen timber. Some areas require a little bit of rock scrambling to maneuver about and all the while the eerie grayish brown waters of the creek run right on by.

The trail map suggests a couple of creek crossings, but recent storms have washed away the stepping stones and as I'm not willing to submerge my feet in mud today, I cut my tour a little short and return part of the way I came. Just past another waterfall from a feeder creek, I walk across a wooden bridge to the far side and enter the Witches Cavern, which is a maze of the giant boulders I mentioned earlier. As I understand it, this area is home to the largest colony of Dismalites and I suspect I will be returning here later this evening.

The final stretch sees me walking across a small suspension bridge to return to where I started. This area is really interesting, though I'm a little disappointed in the upkeep of the trails given the entry fee. Ah well, I'm still grateful to have gotten a chance to visit.

Rosenbaum House (Lauderdale County, Alabama)

 Only a couple of miles from my last stop, sits the Rosenbaum House. An example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian house concept, it was built as a single family home in 1940 at a cost of $14,000 (twice the original budget). It is one of the only examples of Wright later designing an addition to the home, which the growing family requested and completed in 1948. 

I've always been a student of Wright's architecture and when I learned that this work was in such close proximity to my planned route for the weekend, I had to stop for the tour. After checking in, several of us were lead across the street and into the home. As we are informed the home was occupied by the family until 1999 when the last surviving member was relocated to a nursing home. By that time, the home was in very poor repair, suffering from water and termite damage. The city purchased and restored the home to its current state.

The tour takes us through the living room, study, original kitchen (which wasn't much larger than a modern shower), and bedrooms. As our guide informs, the addition added a much larger kitchen and an additional sleeping area for the family's sons. All throughout the home, Lloyd's trademarks can be seen. From the custom-designed furniture to the extensive use of natural lighting to the hidden storage areas, this work showcases his genius and I'm really glad to have had a chance to visit.