My Second Favorite Place in the Whole World!

Has got to be Turkey Run State Park. My most favorite is our own home. I've been going to visit and explore the park since I first got a driver's license, and took my kids there frequently from the time they were tiny. They first saw the trails from the carrier on my back, and graduated to walking them hand-in-hand with me and finally on their own, scrambling along ahead of me as we strode the hills and ravines of this beautiful place.

In recent years, I haven't been here much, busy with life and grandkids, and getting old and stiff with knee problems makes it tough to get anywhere in the park. Everywhere you go it's up down or across something that requires balance and agility and it was just too tough to do. I've had both knees replaced now, and the past few months of exercise has improved my strength and flexibility. This week we needed to get away, so packed up the motorhome and headed south for the park.And the rains came, and they settled in to stay. We ended up staying at the Inn, comfy and dry, and enjoyed a dinner in the dining room and a book by the fire. I walked down past sunset point and into Turkey Run Hollow for a slow stroll among those ancient rock walls. It's always so peaceful in that canyon, and I love to just stand, and soak it in. This trip the water was running so high that I couldn't get all the way into the end of the hollow, but skirted the mud and got as far as I could into it, for a marvelous evening walkabout. The Canada Geese provided a neat show of property guarding as they warned me away from their nesting sites on top of the cliff opposite Sunset Point, and geese up and down the creek echoed his cries, making the whole canyon echo with their calls.

The next morning it was a bit drier, so Jim headed out for a long hike to Camel's Back, while I took the back trail down into Turkey Run Hollow to see if I could find Kim's missing letterbox hidden there months ago. The trail starts past the guest cabins, on a boardwalk with handrails and steps.Past the boards, mud rules, and with the clay, it's slippery in that canyon, but as always, just beautiful, and I had the whole place to myself. I spent a lot of time walking the bank of the little stream, trying to find the best place to cross over without getting wet, because the letterbox site is on the other side. The water's not deep, but deeper than usual, and cold this time of year if you slip off the mossy stepping stones.I love this sign, that shows trail 6 just ending at the blank cliff wall.I finally got across, with only the front half of one hiking boot wet, and came to the entrance of the side canyon where the letterbox was supposed to be.Here's the rock where it was, and it was gone. Shame, it was such a good hiding place, right beside this little waterfall, but I suspect spring rains just swept it away.As always, I love the wonderful bright green ferns that grow out of the tiniest crack in the rock. Someday I'm going to get busy and make a painting of this fresh beauty, in the meantime, I have a LOT of pictures.
Can you believe how this tree grew? Right out of the rock and very little soil?
Back across the stream, and this time I got the other toe wet, and it's back up that big muddy hill and back to the comfort of the room to get warm and dry. I'll need to work harder on those exercises before we come back again, just wore my tired old knees to a frazzle. It was another great visit to Turkey Run to see the beauties of rock, wood and water.

If letterboxing is a new idea to any of you readers, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It's a fascinating semi-sport, hobby that stretches world wide and adds fun to exploring what's out there. Check out www.letterboxing.org for the history of the activity and what's near you. You never know where the next box might be hidden!