Wednesday, October 14, 2015

It was hard to believe, but we actually got started before 9:00.  The view below, as we were leaving the coach, made the early start worthwhile. 

Below, I am on the trail to canyons 4 and 5 of Providence Canyon's 3-mile loop.  It looked muddy, but it was really hard packed sand with very little water running over the surface.  The further up the canyon we walked the dryer it became until it was just like walking on a beach. 

Unfortunately, the ranger's office was closed.  I wanted to ask what the shimmering substance was oozing from the ground and mixing with the water.

The canyons are very young - they were 4 foot deep gullies in 1850. Erosion has cut the canyons to as much as 150 feet deep today.  The colors are the result of different minerals leaching out of the soil and staining the layers.

Iron Oxide (red), Limonite (yellow), and Manganese (purple)...

are the palate that paints this landscape.

The ground was cluttered with these huge leaves (that is a normal leaf resting on top).  It is from a Bigleaf Magnolia.  The leaves can range from 12" to 30" and the flower is as big as your head.

Many years ago there was an old homestead nearby that left several old vehicles to rust.  I thought it was interesting that now a sign identifies the rusty wrecks as "a unique ecosystem" for various critters.

I believe the canyon is more picturesque from the rim than from the floor.  We missed the peak of fall colors by a week or two.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

For the past two years, I kept saying I would get my National Park Forever Pass on the day I turned 62.  As it happened, we were not near any National Park or Monument on my birthday and we took a break from traveling, so that particular purchase did not happen until today. The Ranger at the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge was happy to exchange my $10 for a snappy new America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass.

The last National Park Pass we will need to buy and 1/2 price camping at National Park and Corps of Engineers' campgrounds.  It's a good day!

The only downside was that I did not care much for the picture on the pass - a close-up of a cactus flower.  Maybe I will grow to like it since I will have it for a very long time.

Monday, October 12, 2015

It was cool, foggy morning perfect for a walk along the park's nature trail.  As the fog started to lift, we could finally see the far side of the lake. 

The trail will be decorated soon for Halloween, but we had the chance to see real webs as the morning dew made them stand out.  I don't think I will be walking this trail in the dark!

The tree below was in the middle of the lake with no visible dry land around it.  I think that means boaters need to really pay attention to the channel markers!

We saw these tiny little bright red berries along the trail for a while.  I finally found a tree with these flowers(?) that opened up to drop the berries.  It reminded me of something from the Little Shop of Horrors.

Along the trail, we saw such a variety of mushrooms.  We spent an extra half hour getting pictures of them all.  Sam was ready to just move on!

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Our site was reserved by someone else, so we had to move.  It was probably only 50 feet to the next site over, but I still had to unhook everything and set-up all over again.  I guess the practice never hurts. As we walked to the office to pay for a few more days in the park, we found a crane who liked the muck in a small lake inlet.  He kept a wary eye on us until I made enough noise to make him fly away.

There were several things to see in Columbus, GA, but most of them were not open on Sunday.  It was a good time, however, to drive around and become familiar with the area and the Riverwalk.  We probably walked less than a half mile of the 22.5 miles of walkway along the river, so we will definitely be back. 

As we rounded a corner, I said: "wow that's some stiff hair".  Joani said she didn't notice because she was trying to see what she was painting.  When I realized she wasn't kidding, I told her it was a statue. I don't think she believed me until our walk took us by the same "artist".

"When Now Becomes Then" by J. Seward Johnson, Jr.

The boat at the bottom of the picture, heading over the rapids,...

...didn't fare very well.  All part of the fun!

Saturday, October 10, 2015, Providence Canyon SP

It had been cloudy for the past couple of days, so we stayed in, taking care of a few little things.  Obviously, there was a lot of catching up on the blog. We installed a pair of wall racks for storing the laptops when not in use (which means not very often).  I made them using 1/4 inch oak and I have some reservations about how rugged they are.

Today there was still a chance for rain, but the sun was peeking through the clouds, so it was a good time for a visit to Providence Canyon State Park just 9 miles down the road.  It is a small park with just a single spur roadway, maybe two miles long, leading to the visitors center.  We were surprised by the number of visitors until we realized it was Saturday.  There were several hiking choices, but we opted for just a quick stroll along the canyon rim trail.  We could see folks hiking below in the canyon which will have to wait for another day.

While there was a lot of color in the canyon walls, it was easy to see the real beauty of this park was still a few weeks away when the leaves turn.  

We found several mushrooms that had popped up after the rain with color to rival the canyon walls.  I thought an extreme close-up was in order - Joani decided to include me for scale.  It really was pretty big. The top was the size of a large hamburger bun.

"Caesar's Mushroom* (Amanita Caesarea Greville Complex)  If you follow the link, you can see they look very different when they first pop up.

Joani found I could get my National Park Pass at the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge nearby.  We did not expect to find the place closed just after noon on a Saturday.  Oh well, onward into Eufaula, AL where we tried some local southern home cooking at Barb's Country Kitchen. It was nicely reviewed and it had potential, but we made the mistake of sitting down 10 minutes before the buffet closed, so the food was a bit sparse and a little past its prime.

After eating, we drove down one of the main streets and found ourselves in the middle of a street fair.  Many of the town's buildings were in need of some restoration.  It was clear, however, this quaint little town was full of southern charm. 

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

I'm not really sure what happened to September, but I blinked and it was gone!  I know we have done enough purging and downsizing that everything we intend to keep (that doesn't fit in the motorhome) will fit nicely in a 10 x 10 foot storage unit.  I guess that should make me feel pretty good about our efforts.  We were both more than ready to continue our travels and I'm pretty sure the newlyweds were ready to have the house to themselves again.

We had already taken a couple of full car loads to the coach already, so this morning one last carload was all we needed.  I don't know why I expected to get away by 10:00, but fortunately, it was not critical, so 12 noon was OK too.

Driving the coach was like riding a bicycle - after a few minutes, it was like I never took a break.  That was good because driving through the heavy Atlanta traffic is always a challenge for any level of expertise. Our first stop was a short 182.2 miles (75,257.1 miles total) away in Florence Marina State Park.  The park was a few miles south of Omaha, GA (who knew there was an Omaha, GA?) which was about 20 miles south of Columbus, GA.  Our route actually took us into Alabama for a while.

It was a beautiful day for traveling.  The park only had a few other campers, but it will be full over the weekend.  The park was only about 9 miles from Providence Canyon State Park and about 30 miles from Columbus, GA which has a lot to explore.  Florence Marina is on the Walter F. George Reservoir (Lake Eufaula for those across the border in Alabama) on the Chattahoochee River.  As you can see below, the park has plenty of beauty on its own.

Saturday, October 3, 2015 - Maker Faire

The annual Maker Faire is a venue for inventors and entrepreneurs with a focus on science and engineering.  We have never attended before, but this year it was different.  Hyrel, the company currently employing our son, Jon, was there to display their wares.

It rained most of the day, but that didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the many patrons who found a way to enjoy many of the hands-on exhibits.

The Hyrel 3D printer is unique in an ever-growing field by featuring "hot-swappable" printer heads.  We are thrilled that Jon has a job he enjoys so much!  We met some of his bosses and co-workers and can see why he is happy there.

The Hyrel 3D printer can print with 4 printer heads simultaneously.

It can also print using a variety of materials - Clay, Plas cine, Sugru, Silicone RTV, Porcelain, ABS, PLA, Nylon, T-glaze, PEEK, Polypropylene and more.

Another booth featured a company that does unique welding.  Below they transformed an ordinary armchair into the most comfortable, if impracticable, cycling machine.

Happy Birthday, Kate!  Hope you have as much fun as this kid!!!

Jon, an early Happy Birthday to you!!  Love you both so much!!