Wildflowers: June 04, 2010

Yesterday we managed to get out and about for awhile in the afternoon.  We headed for the big hill country.  Far Guy and his Dad used to hunt deer in that area.  In retrospect Far Guy says he wonders why in the world his Dad liked to hunt up one hill and down the other..I said "Perhaps he wished he was hunting in Montana."

It is beautiful back in those woods, they seem so different from our area that has so much brush.

The Columbine or Aquilegia canadensis is blooming all over, we saw one area just covered in blooms.

The Wild Phlox or Phlox divaricata  has popped out of it's hiding places. It is a native plant.  What a cheerful little bloom!  It accompanies the bright orange of the Hoary Puccoon in the local ditches.  Mother Nature has it's own color scheme.

Dame's Rocket or Hesperis matronalis is blooming too.  This plant is almost the same color as Wild Phlox, but it is much taller.  It is often found in old farmsteads, this one was at the neighbors. It is a non-native plant that escaped from early settlers gardens.   Dame's Rocket has four petals..where Wild Phlox has five.

The Purple Vetch or Vicia americana is a native plant that has some beautiful little blooms.

We saw lots of areas in the wetlands where the beavers had tried to clog up culverts, the mosquitoes are out in droves in the deep forest, but the Dragonfly's have hatched, and the ferns are almost completely unfurled. We met no other vehicles on our adventure..the whole drive takes about two hours and is about six miles long. Some gals like to go to the malls to shop..I am very happy with a relaxing ride into the woods:)

Big Hill Country Adventure

Yesterday, late in the afternoon we went on an adventure. Far Guy took me for a ride into "The Big Hill Country". I made the mistake of asking him where he thought the biggest hills were in our area, he used to deer hunt back in the big hills, and he knew where there used to be a pretty little lake. I have been north and south of the big hills but never through them. We took the pickup it has more clearance than the car, we might need it in the hills. ( For those of you familar with the area, we were south of Hwy #34, we went into the hills heading east off of the Pickerel Lake Road.)

I didn't pack a snack or anything to drink, and we didn't tell anyone where we were going.. I should have left a note on the table, next time I will. When I got into the truck I noticed a busted belt on my seat, I asked what does this belong too? Far Guy replied, "'To my truck, I think it is the air conditioning belt." You think? What if it is something more important? "Then we won't make it very far." Alrighty then.

We went further and further into the woods, the road got very narrow. I think we might have been on a snowmobile/four wheeler trail.

There were big mud holes. Many of them....we went up one hill and down the other side into a mud hole. Far Guy says "I don't remember the lake being this far back in here."

I said "I have no idea, but the road kinda resembles a footpath." Far Guy says "Oh well, we know where we are at and we are only two miles off the main road." There were huge rocks and roots in the road, it was becoming treacherous. I was getting nervous. We nearly got stuck in one mud hole, it was really deep. The road is getting rougher, I had unbuckled my seat belt so I could hang out the window and take some photographs. We are bouncing around so much, my head hits the roof of the truck..I should have worn a helmet. I started taking photographs..Far Guy said "What in the world are you taking photographs of? " I said, "I am establishing a record, when they find our bodies, they can look at the photographs, they will tell the story."

He finally said " I think we should turn around and go back." Really..ya think?? I helped to find a place without stumps, logs or rocks to turn around..not easy. Chance must have been listening, he is pretty smart. When we got turned around, we both breathed a sigh of relief..and Chance came out of the back seat, and into my lap, and then proceeded to wiggle himself down in between my legs and the dash, he wanted to hide on the floor where it was safe. We both started to giggle and couldn't stop..laughter is sometimes a great stress reliever.

We made it back to the main trail ..what an adventure! We did come across a lake eventually, a number of them. Then we came across some private lakes and some farms..a very pretty area. We were on a road that we knew existed, just one we had never explored before. We made it back home well before dark. The sun might actually shine today..so perhaps we will have another adventure to report on tomorrow:)