One of our goals this summer was to get out and about to explore the area where we are living. This has included biking to a few different towns, seeing attractions in other towns such as a drive-in movie, and some hiking. The past few weekends have taken us on two different hikes. The first weekend we went to a state fishing lake on a double date. We had a little trouble finding anything that looked like a trail but thanks to Alex's need to always have a map to look at we were able to get rerouted to the trail head. The trail wasn't highly maintained but that added more to the adventure of bushwhacking where we wanted to go (the lack of mowing and maintenance was probably also why Arthur's ankles got eaten alive by chiggers that resulted in him almost taking baths in hydrocortisone cream). The best part of this hike was a complete surprise-- we came across the top of a rock outcropping which dropped off to one side in a waterfall from water seeping out of the layers of limestone rock. This lead to further exploration. A few college students were actually at the outcropping doing field work for their senior projects in geology so they were able to give us some insight into what we were seeing. The waterfall was definitely something we had no idea was in our area.
On another weekend we headed to a state park to check out the trails. While we both like to hike, Alex is probably more of the instigator of hiking while Arthur generally is happy to comply with the hike. The trail skirted around several hay fields and meadows of prairie grasses. There were also some traverses through stands of cedar trees. We also ventured down to the waterfront on the lake and found a beach with really flat rocks that we could both actually skip. Neither of us have stellar rock skipping skills so this was a treat. Of course Alex selected a day for this hike when the temperature was nearing triple digits. Add that with the fact that at the sign that offered a short cut we ignored and hiked on by-- short cuts are for sissies-- give us the full 6 miles on a July afternoon. We survived with only mild dehydration and about a pound of dust and grime that washed off in the shower. (Alex: May I state here as person in charge of planning and preparation we were each carrying 2 liters of water. However Arthur decided he was going to conserve his water and only take a few sips when his tongue got dry enough to stick to the rough of his mouth-- you can give a husband water but you can't make him drink) (Arthur's rebuttal: we were both wearing Camelbak packs and could not tell how much water we had remaining. It seemed quite reasonable to be conservative with my water consumption, especially considering I had no idea how far Alex would go and I drink water like a camel.) Afterwards we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants for burritos and ice cold water which really hit the spot. Adventures are so much fun. Omnia Vincit Amor.
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