Hikes with Dogs and Miscellany

We always take the dogs on our hikes.

Sitting on the steps of an old foundation deep in a "holler" on our property. Local legend has that the house burned down in a moonshine accident. Even if not true, it's a good story.

Lon and friends on the Fore Mountain Trail.

This looks like spray paint marking utility lines. I couldn't figure out what was going on -- there are no utility lines in this area of our yard, and we didn't ask "Miss Utility" to come out and mark them. Instead, it's a reflection off our truck's taillights. But even close up, it looks like paint.

An interesting set of clouds on Sunday afternoon. It's too bad the photo had to be taken through our windshield and is marred by power lines.

Covington Mill at Night

I really like the "Handheld Night Scene" setting on my camera:

The WestRock Covington paperboard mill is a large installation along the Jackson River.

Steam coming out of the power generation stacks. When David was young and asked what his Daddy did, he would say "My Daddy makes big steam."

Jackson River Scenic Trail - New Section

Yesterday we biked the existing section of the Jackson River Scenic Trail (Intervale to Smith Bridge). Today we walked the under-construction 3.5 mile extension from Smith Bridge up to Natural Well. There's a lot of work left to be done on this section; in particular, three bridges (one currently under construction) need to be replaced.

The trail and heavy equipment near the Smith Bridge parking lot.

After about a mile we came to a bridge under construction. Fortunately there was a scaffolding plank set across Falling Spring Creek.

Sue and Dakota crossing the creek.

A small bridge over Dry Run was easy to cross, but clearly needed repairs or rebuilding.

A ready-to-go section of the trail near railroad milepost12 (trail mileage about 9.25 from Intervale, 2.25 from Smith Bridge).

The bridge over Board Tree Run was more exciting. Most of the cross-ties were rotted out and very spongy when walked on. The spaces between the cross-ties were large enough to catch your foot. Even though it was clear that vehicles had crossed this bridge recently, it felt like it could collapse as we walked across.

Another view of the ready-to-go part of the trail.

The turn-around point of our walk today -- Natural Well and the intersection of Rts 687 and 638. Eventually, the trail will continue for a few more miles to the Bath County line.

Lon with Dakota and Sadie. The dogs will sleep well tonight after a 7 mile hike!

Fall Colors

While I prefer the delicate subtle colors of spring, most people prefer the bold colors of fall. Locally, fall is just about at peak color right now. Here are some highlights.

One of the roads on our property just as the trees are beginning their fall color.

Dogwood (Cornus florida) leaves.

Winged (or Shining) sumac (Rhus copallinum) turns a brilliant red.

Pignut hickory (Carya glabra) provides a golden glow.

Red maples (Acer rubrum) live up to their name in the fall.

White pines (Pinus strobus) contrast with black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) and pignut hickory.

A striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) in the process of turning red.

Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is one of the few woody plants that blooms in the fall after the leaves have dropped.

DC Bike Trails

We spent last weekend riding trails in the Washington, DC area. On Saturday we started at the beginning of the C&O Canal trail, and finished in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, on the Capitol Crescent Trail. Sorry, no pictures. But it was a very good ride (and paved).

Sunday we road the Mount Vernon trail from Alexandria to Mount Vernon. This is another paved trail. I had been expecting a relatively flat trail, since it follows the Potomac River. But the last 5 miles are full of short up-and-down hills, with a long 100-ft climb at the Mount Vernon end.

Both trails were quite crowded, as it was a beautiful, warm fall weekend.

The Mt Vernon Trail parallels the George Washington Memorial Parkway. This makes for a noisy ride.

A couple of boardwalks traverse marshes. There are also numerous small bridges crossing gullies and ravines.

Boardwalk over the Dyke Marsh.

Birds (herons?) sitting on the piles of a washed-out pier.

Mount Vernon is the end or beginning of the trail -- depending upon your perspective!

A panoramic view of the Potomac River.

Alexandria -- Cameron Run meets the Potomac.

Fall Food Fun - Part 2 - Sumac

I'm trying something new this year -- making sumac spice and sumac tea ("Indian lemonade", or my favorite, "Rhus Juice") from the great number of sumac on our property. The Middle-Eastern spice za'atar is made from Rhus coriaria, but I made mine from the local sumacs: Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) and Shining (or Winged) Sumac (Rhus copallina). As far as I can tell, any of the sumacs with red berries can be used. ("Sumacs" with white berries, are now placed in the Toxicodendron genus, and include Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac. Obviously they must be avoided -- the genus name says it all "Poison Tree"!)

Rhus Juice (Sumac Tea)

I made tea by covering about six berry clusters with cold water and then crushing the berries with my hands; they were mildly sticky. The brewing tea had a pleasant citrus-y aroma. I tasted the brew after about two hours, and decided that I would let it steep overnight.

After about 12 hours of steeping, I filtered the mixture through a coffee filter. The liquid had a slight yellow color and a refreshing taste. I think I made it too weak. Next time I'd add only about half the water I did this time.

Spice

First I had to let the berries dry. Here are two freshly-picked clusters.

The same clusters after several weeks of drying.

After removing the dried berries from the stems and leaves, I pulsed them in a small grinder.

I used a small sieve to separate the powder from the seeds. Two clusters made about 2 tsp of spice -- clearly I need to use more next year -- but at least I'll have enough to play with. A quick taste of the spice seemed to have very little flavor.

The Trees

Sumacs are pretty shrubs/trees, but can be difficult to control -- they form large colonies from their roots, and birds spread the seeds widely.

Shining Sumac (because of the glossy leaves) is also called Winged Sumac because of the "wings" along the leaf stalk.

A cluster of Shining Sumac berries.

Staghorn Sumac

Staghorn Sumac flower cluster.

Sumacs turn brilliant yellow-orange-red in the fall. This photo shows Staghorn Sumac.

And this is the deep red of Shining Sumac.

Another Trip to Pittsburgh

Our (only, so far) grandchild lives in Pittsburgh. So that's all the excuse we need. I spent last week there helping with child-care duties and enjoying some beautiful weather in Pittsburgh's famous (and fabulous) parks.

An entrance gate to Frick Park -- although the park is not fenced, and can be entered along much of the perimeter.

One of the trails in Frick Park.

Look carefully near the top of the photo and you can see Forbes Ave about 100 feet above the main ravine in Frick Park.

Armstrong Playground on the South Side.

Pittsburghers love their model trains. This one is set up in Phipps Conservatory to celebrate "200 Years of Pittsburgh". Many Pittsburgh landmarks are incorporated into the display including the Dusquene Incline, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, the Cathedral of Learning, and Phipps, itself.

Love that trolley!

Enjoying the "Stove Room" in the Phipps Conservatory, which has butterflies during the summer -- right now only a few remained.

The outdoor area at the Center for Sustainable Landscapes. The large glass structure in the background is the new Tropical Forest Conservatory. Both are part of the Phipps Conservatory.

Paying attention to details in the Discovery Garden, another outdoor area at Phipps.