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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Sun and Clouds, and Lower Humidity

Today was a lovely day. We had thunderstorms at night, but the morning was clear, and there were clouds to provide some shade. Although the temperature was in the 80s, the humidity was much lower, so it all felt better.


blue sky with clouds

Today was all road walking. We went from Portage Lakes State Park to Hartville- all on roads, but parts of the Buckeye Trail are. We saw lots of beautiful homes, and it's fun to look at those sometimes too. I've now completed the Masillon section of the Buckeye Trail (and all the sections that are part of the North Country Trail). I'm trying to finish the Buckeye Trail so I can get that circuit patch too.

lunch by a pond

We ate lunch on the banks of this beautiful pond. I'm pretty sure it was private, but there was no one around, and we didn't stay long. It was very restful and cool.

fuzzy caterpillar

I have learned that this is an American dagger moth caterpillar, and it is very pretty. It hiked along with us for about 6 inches!

One very sad note. If you have heard about the shooting rampage near Akron where seven people were killed, one of them was a highly-involved volunteer for the Buckeye Trail. He will be truly missed. Other victims include his wife, grown son, and teenage granddaughter. Such a crazy situation. I expect it will put a bit of a damper on the conference that I'll be at for the rest of the weekend.

See you from there.

See Trail Work Day

10 comments:

wenn said...

nice close-up of the caterpillar.

spinninglovelydays said...

Looks like a very pretty day. That caterpillar, is it safe to touch? It's cute, but over here if it's hairy, it probably is also poisonous.

So sorry to hear about the tragic death of one of your volunteers and his family.

KaHolly said...

I am visiting today from Monarch's blog. I was smitten with your avatar and thought I'd pop over. I believe your caterpillar coulod be an American Dagger Moth. I was very disturbed by your news of the shooting. Such a tragedy and a great loss. I'm so sorry. ~karen

Secondary Roads said...

I like the shot by the water. Makes we want to be there taking a rest.

vanilla said...

Beautiful, restful spot for the lunch. The caterpiggle shot is wonderful.

The world is both a beautiful and an ugly place. Sorry for the loss of your acquaintance.

betchai said...

indeed, you have a very interesting up close picture of caterpillar.

john bain said...

The world is going mad lately. The caterpillar ignores the madness, he has things to be getting on with.

Ann said...

the pond looks like a nice spot for a picnic. I laughed at the caterpillars 6 inch hike :P

rainfield61 said...

You were not alone, there was, a least, a caterpillar around.

RNSANE said...

How tragic to hear this news of the death of your fellow hiker and his family. I am so sorry, Joan.

My gosh, that is an interesting caterpillar. Good grief. I am always wondering if they might sting or something!