The Great Outdoors

I just happened to run on to this website that informed me that this weekend was the Great Outdoor Weekend in the Cincinnati area. Tons of park districts and other outdoors type places are doing things for free all weekend. Yea, FREE. We chose Cincinnati Nature Center today. The place was packed and we had trouble finding a parking space. Next time we come Michael said that he would love to take the dog. We will see about that. The dog even has allergies this time of year. I can see it now, Michael and I sniffing and sneezing and the dog having to stop and scratch every whip stitch. Sounds like a blast to me. We are hoping to bring The Oakes crew here for a hike. And then go back again with Emmy for some Geocaching.

This is where the fun begins! Michael has this thing about being lost. He thinks we always are even if I know exactly where I am going. When he saw this sign his world was in perfect alignment.

A raptor is a bird of prey. They have sharp talons that are very sharp and curved. And they have hooked beaks. They are predators. They are very important to the ecological balance so they are protected by state and ferderal laws. RAPTORS Inc will come to about any event and educate people on birds of prey.

Peregrine falcon...Lucy, seven years old...we have several pairs that live in the tall building in downtown Cincinnati. Keeps the pigeon population down.
Isis, five years old...a white red tailed hawk...I kind you not, my children. This is not an albino because he has one patch of brown feathers behind his head. They are very rare.
I think this is a barred owl. Her name is Pricilla. I have always wanted to go on a night hike to find one. I think that made it to my Bucket List...and to find a hummingbird nest in the wild.

And you have to know that no hike with be would there be no pictures of the flowers and the beautiful surroundings. I know that I promised on this blog not to have any plant pics...but it was part of our family fun day...so it doesn't really count as just flowers.










We almost always get a map and Michael is the official map/trail reader. He likes to stop at all the overlooks to take a break/read the map. We did a lot of that today. He makes up stories of why the benches are here. This one was dedicated to a man..."that died on this spot because he was attacked by a bear...or was it maybe that this was his favorite spot to rest before the gigantic hill that was just around the bend in the path."









This had to be my favorite part of the day...the scavenger hunt. I learned today that they are also called a poor man's banana or a custard apple. Some of the chemical components of the fruit are used in making anti lice compounds...gross! Ohio's pawpaw trees are the only native tree...apple trees are not native to our area. The woolly mammoth helped move the tree population along by eating the fruit whole and then the seeds come out in a clump of fertilizer...get it?

We asked the little guy at the information desk where we could find some because they were on the Scavenger Hunt. He told us where to find some. All during the hike we kept looking in the trees and low and behold I found two. If the fruit had been on the ground I could have taken it. But I could no pick it from the tree. Michael suggested that we take a stick and knock it down...our hands would not touch the fruit while it was on the tree. I shook the limb but nothing fell. I want to go back tomorrow and shake that limb again. Really hard this time! We did find a partly eaten pawpaw on the ground covered with ants. I shook the ants off and got the last seed. If you click on the picture there is a number that you can call to hear more information...that is if you are a geek like us.

I be pickin up pawpaws and putting them in my pocket way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.