What In Blue Blazes!

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.

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.

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

Sumac:

Hickory:

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

Look how big this turkey oak leaf was!

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

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.

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.