2017 Adventures: Dixon Springs

We didn't go hiking near as much last year as we did in 2015 because we found out Bug had allergies and asthma and it took us a long time to get it under control.  Being an hour away from the nearest hospital and no cell reception was too scary for me so we just stopped hiking.

This year we have Bug on some new medicines that seem to be making her symptoms better and she feels a lot more like herself finally.  So I promised we would try it out and see how she feels.

January was abnormally warm for a couple of weeks and there was one day that was a perfect 70 degrees and sunny so we headed out to try a brand new hiking location in the Shawnee National Forest.

Dixon Springs is a beautiful little park with a swimming pool and some amazing scenery.  There are giant boulders you can climb on and the entire area is surrounded by bubbling creeks.

The best part of Dixon Springs are the waterfalls that are almost hidden in the back of the park.  When we first started our hiking adventures two years ago Goose wanted most to see a big waterfall and oddly enough this was our first one.

There's a bridge spanning across the falls and it took us a while to find where it started but it just meant traipsing through more of the pretty area.

On the top of the bounders there is a tiny road with three old churches side by side on it.  They were all identical in varying stages of disrepair.  This was the oldest one and our favorite.

After taking a break at the playground we went searching for another area to explore and found a hiking path called Ghost Dance Canyon.  This path was incredibly tiny and hard to maneuver and I'm not sure we even completed the entire trail but it got to where we were climbing over slippery moss-covered boulders and we thought it would be best to turn back.

We did get to see a lot more of the rushing creek on it though.

You also pass underneath the highway and the bridge looks so giant as you are underneath it.

Across the street from the park is a store called The Chocolate Factory and they are popular for making shaped chocolates.  There are chocolates that look like deviled eggs, bacon, flowers, and Goose's favorite, mice:

Our first hike of 2017 was so much fun and we are looking forward to a lot more adventures this year!

Glen O. Jones Lake

Bug and I recently went to Glen O. Jones lake and had a great day just the two of us (Goose was in school or she would have been our sidekick, of course).

Glen O. Jones Lake is a great place to go if you enjoy camping and fishing.  There's really not a lot else to do.  There's a jungle gym at the top but it's small and the lane to get to it is pretty steep.  We passed a couple of hiking trails but they didn't look very well taken care of and were completely deserted which is a no-no for us three girls.

I couldn't get a lot of pictures since it was packed with people but I got a couple of pretty shots.

The lake was beautiful and sparkling.

I wish the Tecumseh statue would have been in a better spot than the corner they have it in.  It's all the way at the top of the drive, far from the lake, and it's dark up there.

The lake is located in the Shawnee National Forest and is actually just minutes away from the area where my family is from.  I used to go to my great-grandparents home all the time and I remember it being so much fun to be in the 'mountains'.

Goose and Bug Adventures- Heron Pond part two

As soon as it started to get prettier outside Goose started asking when we were going to be hiking through Heron Pond again.  I really would have preferred to do some new places but she begged and begged so we decided to take their dad along since he'd never been there before.

This place is really easy to find but the directions online are very, very confusing.  I remembered going one way, but when I Google Mapped it, there was a completely different set of directions given and I was too worried to try my way so we went the route it told us to.  It took about 30 minutes longer than it should have.  Next time, trust my gut.

By the time we got there it was about one hour until sundown so we raced through which actually wasn't as bad as it would seem.  There's a lot of scenic paths to hike on but a lot of the path is just through trees so we ran through some parts and it was a lot of fun.  Bug and I raced each other to see who could get to each turn first.

Going in the winter wasn't as fun as in the full foliage of summer but the Cyprus trees are so beautiful that it really doesn't matter what season you go in.  While they may not be thick and lush and green they are still stately and beautiful and worth seeing.

The best part of Heron Pond is the beautiful walkway over the swamp.  It's not very long but it leads you around a corner so when you get to the end you feel like you're smack dab all alone in the middle of a swamp.

The girls are still really disappointed that the big tree isn't really that big.  One of Bug's biggest Bucket List items is to see a giant redwood so anything that isn't comparable she doesn't really care about.

 

I'm so glad it's now spring and that maybe we can go back to our weekly hiking trips!

Goose and Bug Adventures- First hike of 2016!

The weather has been so beautiful and even though it probably means big storms soon I'm just going to smile and enjoy this early spring.

This day was a gorgeous sunny afternoon with mid-seventies temps and I knew it would be a perfect day for getting out of the house and seeing some of the Shawnee National Forest sites we loved so much last summer and have been missing all winter.

Goose and Bug Adventures- Heron Pond

Heron Pond, located just west of Vienna, is one of the easiest hikes we've done this year.  The terrain is flat and the paths are large.  This would be a great walk for people who aren't use to hiking.
We convinced a couple of people to join us on this trip.  My mother and Goose's best friend both came along for the ride and I'm hoping we turned them into adventurers like we are!

When you first enter the trail you cross a large bridge and it's beautiful rippling water on either side of you.

As you travel along you stay right beside the river for a while, turning with the water until you come to a fork where you can choose to continue on the trail and hike for as long as you want or you can go out onto a floating bridge and go right into the middle of the swamp.

We chose to do both paths.  First we went down the regular hiking trail where you come to a State Champion tree.  The girls were disappointed that the tree is a champion because of its girth and not the height.

After we turned around to head back we did the swamp bridge and it cheered them up a lot.  They loved that you go directly into the middle of the swamp until you can no longer see land around you.  It really feels like you are in the middle of nature, more than if you were on a paved hiking trail.

This was the farthest we've traveled for a trail so far and overall they enjoyed it.  They're already asking when we can go back and try one of the longer trails.  I had fun, but I like the scenic trails a lot more.  I want big rocks and mountains and hills to climb rather than easy breezy trails.

Goose and Bug Adventures- Bell Smith Springs

We've gone to Bell Smith Springs before but it was very confusing with all of the trails branching off from the main one and after about a half hour the girls were finished and ready to head home.  After that they had zero desire to go back even though I tried to tell them that this time we would go slow and not leave until we felt we had adequately visited the trail.
After forcing them out of the car we set off and the first thing we came across that they really enjoyed was a staircase leading down below the cliffs.  It pointed us towards the creek where we traveled parallel to it, snug in between the water and the high rock walls.

Goose loved the Natural Arch section of the trail.  She thought the tree growing out of the middle was beautiful and informed me that this was her new favorite trail.

There's a really gorgeous staircase on the other side of the trail that we didn't get to visit this time around but we had already been there a while and our feet were wet from crossing the creek to get to the arch so we decided to go home.  Next time we'll visit the staircase!

Goose and Bug Adventures- Rim Rock

In my first Shawnee National Forest post I mentioned a couple of our favorite places to go hiking but there are so many more in our area.  Every time we find a new one we decide that it's our new favorite.

One of my top places to explore is Rim Rock.  Rim Rock is located just a few minutes down the road from Garden of the Gods so the last time we went we did both of them the same day.  It was a hot and sweaty afternoon but the girls loved it.

As you enter Rim Rock the first thing you notice are the lines of giant stones all over the hill.  This area was home to an ancient Indian wall that was built somewhere around 1,500 years ago. 

The highlight of Rim Rock is without a doubt Ox-Lot Cave.  The viewing area on the way to it is beautiful and my girls love running back and forth on the deck.  To get to the cave you have to do a bit of work.  There's steps leading down from the main trail and you have to squeeze through a very tight crevice between two rocks.  Then there's some rocks that are occasionally slippery you have to get past. 

The cave is so large that I can't even fit it into the frame of my camera. 

The last time we hiked at Rim Rock we bypassed the main trail and took a side trail back to the car.  It was a great decision because we saw so much more scenery and were under the cliff's instead of just walking through trees.

The only downside I've noticed at Rim Rock is that it's not near as popular as some of the other trails.  The first time we went this summer there were zero cars there and it wasn't until we were almost back to our car that we saw someone else out there.  That's a little scary when you're alone with two little girls.  But out of all the places we've visited this summer Rim Rock is my definite favorite.  I think it's the prettiest and the hiking is more strenuous on the lower trail which is something I like.  My kids loved going through the tight squeezes and climbing the steps. 

Goose and Bug Adventures- Garden of the Gods and Giant City State Park

My girls have recently discovered that they are hiking junkies.  They want to go every week and they argue over whose turn it is to pick where we go.  Luckily we live right smack dab in the middle of a huge protected forest so there are no limit to the places we can visit.
A couple of the beautiful places we've ventured lately include:

Garden of the Gods

This area is most known for Camel Rock but there are a ton of breathtaking views all along the main trail.  I think Garden of the Gods is the most well-known area in the Shawnee National Forest but it's honestly not my favorite.  It's gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but it's always packed to the gills with visitors and there are usually a handful of falls off the rocks each year by people who don't believe in staying away from the edges.

Giant City State Park

We've been here twice this summer and really enjoyed it both times.  The trails are wide and we managed them with no problem and if you are lucky enough to come in the Spring it's easier to go off-trail and into the hidden nooks and crannies.  Our second time back was during the heat of July and it was too green to get far off the main track.
The first time we went this year was for a school field trip and our guide was really great.  He told us a lot about the history of the area and that the reason it's called Giant City is because of the huge stones that are lined up like skyscrapers.  So when the first settlers wrote home about it they described it as a 'giant city'.  The more you know.
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of them without my children in view so I will make sure and take more next time we visit.