savage gulf

i knew i forgot something when writing that recent 'catch up' post: our trip down to savage gulf. it's not KY, mind you [one state south, in TN - actually pretty near the GA border], but definitely was a significant part of our june adventures.

[to be honest, june was filled with a lot of out-of-state travel for work and other reasons, and not much local adventure until the end, which accounts for the gaping holes in KY adventure-land].

anyway, back to savage gulf: it was a 2-day tree-coring expedition for us and two others to get some eastern hemlock sample's for one of N's colleagues up north. and expedition it was: in addition to the 90+ degree heat, our ankles had to contend with steep slopes and lots of rocks. savage, no doubt. we spent the two days coring ~30 trees [one of these days i'll request a guest post on tree coring for those of you who keep asking about it], braving copperhead snakes, a torrential downpour, the aforementioned rocks, and lots and lots of rhododendron. here are a couple of pics [thanks to the resident photographer]:

i have to say, it was quite the introduction to this tree-coring field work thing. definitely a good workout [my puny little triceps really weren't much of a help, i don't think] and a lot of fun besides, although completely exhausting.

would i do it again? in a heartbeat. though i wouldn't mind a more level field to work in...literally.

drifting down the kentucky river...

...and other recent events.

i seem to be remiss in keeping this blog updated on my kentucky travels and adventures. so here's another catch-up post to keep you all informed on my whereabouts and the "what's about" those whereabouts. after all, this is the kentucky education blog, didn't you know? :)

this weekend was our second adventure out with the canoe. the first was last sunday: a brief paddle in the owsley fork reservoir, just a little ways south of us [sorry, no pictures]. we had the place pretty much to ourselves - well, except for the turtles, kingfishers, and the green heron we saw perched at the edge of the water as we paddled by...and still there when we paddled back. it was a short trip and a relaxing one - not bad for the first canoe adventure of the year!

yesterday we were slightly more adventurous and decided to paddle down part of the kentucky river - - in the palisades region. yes, that is the technical term for this part of the river, which reminds me of the palisades up in NY/NJ. to wit:












we did a nice 6-mile roundtrip, passing a couple of abandoned ships and plenty of folks hanging out in their pontoon boats. some nice houses along the river, too.

paddling requires energy, of course, which brings me to our other big activity of late: blueberry picking. anyone who knows N knows that a pint a day is just beginning to be enough, and since it's the season, we took full advantage of a friday afternoon off to head up to reed valley orchard, our favorite fruit spot, and acquire, oh, 10 lbs. or so...just enough to last the weekend!

other recent local discoveries: grass-fed, organic beef at the richmond farmer's market, and a free performance of "much ado about nothing" by the cincinnati shakespeare company - - at the park just up the street from us.

now who said there's nothing but bourbon and horses in kentucky?