Sunday, November 9, 2008

What In Blue Blazes!

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It was yet another gorgeous day--- and this one was a tad cooler than many. It was tailor-made for a hike after church. We had not been to the Leon Sinks Geological Area in quite some time, so we decided today would be the day. On our blue-blazed hike, we walked 3.6 miles in a loop and saw 17 sink holes, some dry, some full of water. Since it has not rained lately, the water was crystal clear.

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We walked across a natural bridge where  Fisher Creek goes down a drain ( a natural phenomenon in some sink holes) and comes back up on the other side, only to do that again a little further down stream.

Fall has really begun to show itself this week, encouraged by the cooler temperatures.

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I found that the distance shots did not at all do justice to the colors, but some of the close-ups were better.

Sumac:

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Hickory:

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The turkey oaks were showing off for Thanksgiving. The sun was shining through them, setting each little sapling ablaze.

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Look how big this turkey oak leaf was!

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Even the poison ivy and virginia creeper were getting into the season.

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The trail goes over a boardwalk and winds through a tupelo swamp. The trees were huge and only tupelos grew in there. The water was covered in large tupelo leaves. It was very beautiful, very peaceful.

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The walk was such a pleasant one. We met only 3 groups of hikers on the trail and no outside noises from civilization could be heard, so the peace was pervasive.

5 comments:

  1. What stunning pictures! The tupelo shots are beautiful!!

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  2. It does look peaceful. I really like the tupelo shots, too.

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  3. Beautiful! Nice when you can't hear any human stuff. I find airplanes to be a constant intrusion.

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  4. Nice! Did you take some of that sumac home and press it? :)

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  5. Thanks, guys, for your comments!
    David, I did not try to press any of those leaves; just took pictures.
    I collected some at Torreya that I took to school for the kids to see.

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