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March 22, 2009
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Today I traveled to a couple
of city parks. The sun was out
part of the afternoon, which
made springtime feel real.
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The first stop was a waterfall
I'd only recently read about.
I've been all over northeastern
Ohio observing these natural
wonders but did not know
Columbus had one of its own!
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-----Just west of the intersection of
Riverside Drive and Hayden Run
(also Bethel Road just a few
hundred feet to the east) lies
the Griggs Nature Preserve
and home of Hayden Falls.
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-----As you can see above, Hayden
Run (the creek's name) empties
into the Scioto River and what is
known as the Griggs Reservoir.
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-----I honestly didn't know Columbus
had any rock formations
whatsoever! This was a
fantastic little valley!
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-----I personally think this spot is
a bit of a wasted treasure.
Because of the four-laned
street on its northern side
and enormous homes to
the south, there is really
no way to make this into
the natural area it should be.
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-----Certainly not as clear as
Clear Fork was yesterday.
it's still an adorable stream.
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-----Ah...the waterfall!
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-----At 25 feet, it's a pretty
impressive cascade
for the middle of
Columbus, OH!
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-----You know me...always on the
lookout for signs of spring!
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-----This view is from an overlook
off Hayden Run Road.
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-----Even the streambed is impressive!
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-----Here's a little video I shot
while I was at the bottom
of the gorge. Enjoy!
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You might also enjoy this
little website:
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The second spot I sought
on my trip today was
Highbanks Metro Park.
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-----Highbanks is located just
north of Interstate 270 west
of Highway 23 in Delaware
County. (I live just west of
23 myself but 14.5 miles
south of the park entrance.)
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Here is a map of the
park's trails:
I only meandered the
western and southern trails.
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-----While the Scioto River is
"in my backyard," at this
location the state scenic
river Olentangy makes
its journey south.
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-----Okay, so I'm an architect-
lover, too! I thought this
little bridge was so cute!
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-----Below is the park's nature center.
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-----Although this kind of landscape
is prevalent in Northern MS,
it's not too common in
Central OH.
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-----Adena Mound is a tiny
Native American burial ground.
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-----At first I was totally impressed
with this little graveyard.
How did it get here? Especially
when the father, who died
the latest, was also on site!?!
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-----Upon reading the placard,
I realized the tombstones
were moved here at a later
date. Do notice the footstones
in the above shot though:
ponder how tiny the
smallest child was when
he died...
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-----Sally, the wife, died at
age 35 in 1818.
Her husband Joseph died
two years later at age 53!
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-----What I found interesting was
the fact that the couple's
six-year-old son Ebenezer
died just shortly before his father.
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-----I had to snap this placard
to remind me how LOUD
the woodpecker was at
the top of one of the
highest trees!
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-----It's hard to read this sign, but
it tells of an hill created by
Native Americans as a kind of
property boundary to their
village. It was excavated by
archaeologists in the early
1900s and found to contain
two type of clay that are not
part of the soils of this area.
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-----Why is Highbanks called
Highbanks? Well, because
of these high banks, of course!
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-----The Olentangy River wanders
southward below.
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-----This final shot shows
manmade structures
in the distance.
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-----Time to go home and rest!
Even at a leisurely pace,
four miles of hiking today
after three yesterday is
a bit much!
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