Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Ozarks

My post will not do justice to this area, so I apologize in advance. I know of only one way to see the best of this area, and that is to take a float trip down one of the National Scenic Rivers in this area such as the Current River or the Jacks Fork. You will be presented with limestone cliffs (Bluffs) rising sheer out of the water on one side, with wide gravel beaches on the other side as you float down clear, cool, spring-fed flowing rivers. Sorry, I am NOT about to bring my camera on a canoe trip! Still, I tried to capture a small sample of the essence of the area.

It is what geologists call Karst Topography. For the rest of us, that means caves and caverns in the limestone bedrock, with sinkholes and springs on the surface. The springs in the Ozarks are HUGE. I mentioned four of them in my November 2008 posting. I revisited two of them this week -
Alley Spring

and Blue Spring,


both flowing with between 80,000,000 and 90,000,000 gallons per day.

I added a new one to my list - Althea Spring.

A new place for me was Rocky Falls.

Me being such a lover of waterfalls, this was a special treat to see. Thanks, Kris and Danni.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Vermont, Ausable Chasm and the Adirondacks

I am coming to the end of a week at Lake Champlain on the border between Vermont and New York, about 30 miles from Canada. South of me is Ausable Chasm, a rift in the earth formed by the Ausable River. The river drops into a gorge with absolutely vertical sides. Three waterfalls carry the river into the chasm.


My campsite is on the Ausable River at the point where it flows into the Lake. Across from me is tree that is beginning to change, though most of the trees right here are still green.

Yesterday I drove to the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont, looking for fall colors and revisiting a place I stayed at many years ago.


The best fall foliage views, however, came from a day trip to the Lake Placid area of the Adirondacks.


The coolest thing was that I got snowed on while driving through the area. There was a remarkably sharp snow line on the mountain above the closer trees.

Tomorrow morning, I leave here, headed for St. Louis, MO. I will take my time, wandering through the Adirondacks on local roads.