Bob's New Life in Columbus: April 18, 2009

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Actually, the name of this nature area

is the Stillwater Prairie Preserve,

as the sign proclaims.

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Now this is a redbud!

The redbuds back at Charleston

Falls either were past blooming or

were not fully bloomed out.

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The draw for this site was the fact that

crossing the river is part of the trail system.

You can imagine how shocked I

was when I first saw how wide and

deep this river is!

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It is a lovely shade of blue though...

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Here are a couple of run-offs

from the wetlands in another

part of the preserve.
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Wow! I certainly didn't see all of these
wildflowers! Must be summer blooms...
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The end of the trail...
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....unless I want to cross the river.
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I suppose I'm a chicken, but it just
seemed much deeper than I expected.
Also, I had over $200 worth of
electronic equipment in my pockets.
If I fell or stepped into a deep spot
in the river, no more camera or cell phone!
I'll just drive over to the other side.
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These rapids are nice.
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Here's a short video of the

"crossing spot."

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Can you read the sign above the door?

(Click on the photo for a larger version.)

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I'm not sure what this flower is,

but I think it's stunning.

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I've driven to the other side of the
preserve and am making my way down
the trail to the river again.
These eastern red cedars remind me
of an old wives' tale I heard growing
up in Mississippi:
we were told never to plant a cedar,
for when it outgrows the person
who placed it in the ground,
that person will die.
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(I'll learn later on today that these
cedars are actually not cedars at all,
but a type of juniper.)
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This would be some of the final shots
of the day with spotty sunshine.
The clouds have started rolling in
for the next several days...
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