Armadillo Trails

Went on a fabulous hike today with my friend Mykel and her friend Thomas, who turned out to be a very funny guy and a pleasure to be around. We named the hike "Armadillo Trail", because we saw so many! They were out foraging and doing their cute little dillo thing. I was lucky to get some excellent shots of them and at one point was so close to one I could almost reach out and touch it. I didn't though, because I didn't want it to know I was there so I could continue to photograph it. I also saw a beautiful blue bird...maybe an Eastern Blue, not sure...will have to consult the field guide. A red headed woodpecker of some kind popped up on the scene but was too high for me to get a good shot of. Along the trail there was water and I photograhed a couple of basking turtles on rocks. There were also huge fish that could be seen swimming slowly in the water. The big ones were carp, the other fish were a variety of sun perch, black bass, and minnows. I enjoyed climbing giant boulders, and feeling the most incredible breeze on my skin. The wind made an amazing lush sound as it swooped over the hills and through the tallest of the trees. Yet below the canopy it was cool and calm and the most serene place I've been to in a very long time.

The trails were empty while we were there and very secluded. We treked up and down steep rocky hillsides, slid around on some of the steeper muddy inclines, went to the falls and marveled at the beautiful erosion all around us. I slipped once or twice and fell into the brook, getting all muddy but it was great fun. Click on all images to see them larger.
To try and give perspective, in the above shot I am up high on a steep hillside looking down at the rushing water below. It was exhilerating and slighty scary at first.
Large boulders jutting from hillside. I climbed these.
So beautiful! Look how incredibly blue the sky is.
The beginning falls.

Second falls, a few miles from first falls. This is water coming from the top of a loamy bluff. I fell here as I was moving up the hillside a bit to get a differnt shot of water coming from out of a hole near the ground. The ground was soft and prone to breaking off into the water. I had to be careful where I stepped.
Here is the water coming from hole near ground. This is to the left of the falls and I'm on the opposite bank hangin on!
Isn't this a stunning view of some grass? I loved how the sunlight lit it up.
More pretty golden grass.
My boots look surprisingly clean after having been in the water and in mud. Here I am standing on a large fallen log about to jump down on the other side.
Tree fungus. I thought it looked like big clams juttng from the trunks. This fungus was so beautiful and all over the place.
Nice place to rest and sun don't you think? The water was so clear you can see the base of the rock under the water line.
Thank you Mykel for the great hike! Honorable mention goes to Thomas, although I don't have a photo of him. Thanks to you too Thomas.