For this wonderful long walk we went back to the Piedmont Nature Trails and took two different trails this time, part of Oak Hickory Trail which led us to part of Elephant Rock Trail. Of course, we were very curious about Elephant Rock. Much to our delight, we found ourselves in a mixed hardwood forest, which had an abundance of fall color, even if much of it was still green.
Oak Hickory Trail started with a very long stairway
“The [mixed hardwood] forest in this area contains no pines but is made up primarily of oaks, hickories, and maples with understory trees such as dogwood and sourwood. This sloping area has not been cut over in 100 years or more, and it apparently has never been cultivated as the low, flatter areas were.”
“This leaning white oak was split in 1954 during Hurricane Hazel but continued growing.”
close up of the split oak
the oak from another angle
first squirrel encounter sometimes when they’re holding a nut they’ll stay still
so many trapped leaves
pretty hardwood forest
another squirrel
we’re learning to look up to see the brightest fall colors
Elephant Rock Trail had a few stairways, too
while I stopped to examine this little brown jug…
…Tim made it to the top of the stairs
rusty leaves
I found some red!!!
another squirrel
suspended
Elephant Rock on the banks of Morgan Creek — the color of the right edge of the rock kind of blends in with the color of the water
Tim stepped down in front of Elephant Rock to give some size perspective
some reindeer lichen and oak leaves hanging over Morgan Creek
Morgan Creek
little brown jug is also called heart-leaf ginger, Virginia ginger or wild ginger
we met elderly sisters Mabel & Molly and had a nice chat with their guardian, Tom
Back in May 2009 one of the first wildlife shots I got was with my first little digital pocket camera — a red squirrel on Beech Forest Trail at Cape Cod National Seashore in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It was the picture that got me started loving nature photography. I keep it at the top of my sidebar as a reminder of that wonderful feeling.
Over the years, while living by the sea, I grew fond of gulls and see that I have 90 blog posts featuring pictures of them! At the moment there are only 25 posts with squirrels but I have a feeling that number will be increasing quickly. One of these days “gull” will likely disappear from the tag cloud in my sidebar and “squirrel” might appear in place of it. We’ll see.
Gulls or squirrels, they’re both fun to photograph!
31 thoughts on “a splendid autumn hike”
It’s exciting to see all these new, great trails you’re exploring, plus finding fall color as well. And yes, squirrels, too!
I remember seeing that cute squirrel when I first followed your blog Barbara. That’s funny you mention squirrels may be filling your blog more because if I had a way of counting squirrel posts, they would certainly encompass way more of any other type of nature post photos I’ve taken … a ratio just like your gulls probably. When I got my compact digital camera in 2015, squirrels became the main focus of my photos at the Park going forward. How can we help ourselves – they are cute and perky and pose so nicely with a nut?! Those are amazing photos of the split oak – nature never ceases to astound us. I like this walk and the steps which seem to go on endlessly, with all the fallen leaves make this trail a real treat to follow along with you and Tim.
I’m pretty obsessive about my tagging my posts which makes it easy for me to keep track of such statistics. š Squirrels and gulls are indeed the best of photography subjects, I think because they are as curious about us as we are about them. I’m looking forward to the imaginative squirrel posts I know you will be coming up with for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those endless steps were hard to resist — we passed another trail that started with steps, too, and hope to do that one soon.
Barbara, I like how your blog and other blogs display tag subjects on the landing page. I never tagged my posts until a few years ago. Sometimes I think I should go back to maybe 2015 when I started taking lots of photos and tag those posts. I think the seagulls and squirrels are more approachable too. The Red-bellied Woodpecker tried several times to fly down to the pathway to swipe a peanut but I was in his way and I kept stepping back, but still he hesitated to get too close. He’s the only Red-bellied Woodpecker at the Park and he should know be by now, but … skittish. I hope you enjoy my holiday photos Barbara. I had fun making them. The angle of those wide steps with the leaves made them seem endless in the photo as well.
Sometimes I do a search for a word and create a new tag to add to old posts. The tag cloud in the sidebar always fascinated me but I don’t see many people making use of that widget. It’s fun to see certain tagged words get bigger or disappear completely because others get used more often. As Ally says, I make my own fun here. š We always had red-bellied woodpeckers at our suet feeder back in CT. The other birds waited until they were done and then gleaned the seeds that fell onto the balcony. I do miss them! I am definitely looking forward to your holiday critter photos!
I learned something … I didn’t know that was a widget and I wondered why some words were larger than others. I figured it was the theme you (or others) chose. I have a simple theme (2010) and have stuck with it all along. I will change it one day – I saw it when using the Windows 10 laptop and didn’t like how the sides were stretched out on the landing page. I am still using Windows 7 and a smaller screen so it looks more compact to me. I will have fun putting the holiday posts together … I’m bummed I didn’t get any cardinals for my 11/20 post. I had one female but it was too blurry to use.
I used to switch themes a lot but I’ve stuck with this one, 2015, since 2015. My son helped me modify the font and and a few other features to satisfy my pickiness. Every once in a while I still get the urge to change themes again but it goes away before I can act on it, thank goodness. Somewhere along the line I started focusing on content rather than design — lol. I know what you mean about how the themes look on different screens. I’m always a little shocked when I see my blog up on Tim’s huge desktop monitor and also when I see it on my little cell phone with no background showing up. Sigh…
Your theme is pleasing to the eye and works with your nature theme. Since mine is a 2010 theme (and the easiest one I could find when I set it up), I’m sure if I left it, there’s no going back. I’m surprised they haven’t discontinued it. That’s funny that we both thought the same thing viewing our blogs. The Windows 10 laptop which I will start using after I retire and have time to move things from this Windows 7 laptop (which I love) stretched it out with its bigger screen. It was a shock to see how everyone else sees it.
Thank you, Linda. That’s true, many of the older WordPress themes are unavailable now or not getting any updates. I’m not even sure what version of Windows I have on my laptop. It’s been a long time, though, since Tim made any major changes to it. Sometimes I am tempted to go with a new theme but I don’t want to deal with the steep learning curve I’m sure would be necessary for me to get familiar with it. Getting less adventuresome and more set in my ways, I suppose.
I use Windows 7 and really like it, but we use Windows 10 at work, so I remote in on my Windows 7 laptop. I have a Windows 10 laptop – when we got our new system my boss got one for each of us, but I find it has too many bells and whistles for my liking. I update it for Windows updates and virus protection, but will wait to use it when I have more time to get to explore it. I also am pretty set in my ways and less adventuresome as the years pass.
Tim informs me that I have Windows 10 on my laptop. I should try to remember that!
My Windows 10 is not able to upgrade to Windows 11, so will stay Windows 10 forever. I still have my first laptop which the battery is gone – I never untether them, but it went a long time ago. It is Windows 7, purchased in November 2009 and going strong.
I didn’t even know there was a Windows 11. I hope Tim isn’t thinking about updating my laptop!!!
Well, I know it is a free upgrade, but you have to meet the qualifications to do so. For example, I got my Windows 10 laptop for work in 2019. My boss paid the computer guy to install a new server, plus two Windows 10 desktops and Windows laptops for him/me. The computer ordered them in 2018 but never installed anything until Robb bugged him about it. Then he dropped my Windows 10 laptop off at the house in June 2019. It took me hours (like eight hours, if not more) to do all the Windows updates – they had never been done! So that laptop would be at least five years old and it is not eligible for the upgrade as it doesn’t have the right specifications. When I go to do Windows Updates, I get a little pop-up message that says that.
We have trapped or suspended leaves or branches in the trees around us. I find it fascinating to watch them over the days as the weather gets colder, bleaker, snowier, to see when they finally drop to the ground. I make my own fun here.
That must be fun to keep your eyes on individual leaves over time, Ally. And here I am, just breezing by them for brief moments as I walk through the woods, stealing a picture and never sticking around to see what becomes of them. š
What a grand walk!! I love the leaf-strewn stairs and reindeer lichen. I’m not familiar with little brown jug — thanks for introducing me to it. Those senior pups are just too sweet; I like how well they posed together for their picture.
Thank you, Debbie! The little brown jug was new to me, too, and now I seem to see it every time I go into the woods. It’s an evergreen. Apparently Molly & Mabel were a handful back in the day but they are as mellow as can be now in their dotage.
Enjoyed each of your photos, what a wonderful place to venture! Squirrels are too cute not to photograph š We’re guessing we have a dozen squirrels at least around our new place. I am always taking their photos. hehehe
Thank you, Donna! We had a little excitement here yesterday, two birds that might have been juncos came to the bushes outside our dining room window. But I wasn’t 100% sure. Perhaps phoebes. So the camera is sitting on the table now, hoping they will be back today…
Tim stepping down in front of Elephant Rock to give some size perspective is my favorite photo of this walk. I was reading along with so much anticipation!
The sister two dogs were so much fun to see them in the aging faces happy to be out on a trail.
I enjoyed seeing the squirrels watching you, Barbara! And the white oak still living after a hurricane struck it is so interesting to think of how it survived.
So happy to hear you enjoyed this walk, TD! We don’t see too many big rocks down here so having Tim stand in front of it sure did help with the perspective perception. Mabel & Molly were so friendly that they didn’t want to continue their walk unless we came, too. So we followed them for a little bit before they turned off on another trail. Yup, it looks like squirrels will be my “thing” down here — lol!
It’s exciting to see all these new, great trails you’re exploring, plus finding fall color as well. And yes, squirrels, too!
It seems like fall is finally in full swing now. Next year I’ll be more patient and wait for November to come around for the best photo ops!
i loved the elephant rocks! very cool.
I’m guessing the name Elephant had to do with the size, it certainly wasn’t the shape.
and maybe the color? brownish-grey?
Very plausible — that might be it!
Each time I view your photos, I am enchanted. You SO know to do this, Barbara – such a pleasure to watch, as always
Thank you, Leelah! It seems like I’m slowly discovering the enchantments to be enjoyed in my new home. The camera helps me to see.
I remember seeing that cute squirrel when I first followed your blog Barbara. That’s funny you mention squirrels may be filling your blog more because if I had a way of counting squirrel posts, they would certainly encompass way more of any other type of nature post photos I’ve taken … a ratio just like your gulls probably. When I got my compact digital camera in 2015, squirrels became the main focus of my photos at the Park going forward. How can we help ourselves – they are cute and perky and pose so nicely with a nut?! Those are amazing photos of the split oak – nature never ceases to astound us. I like this walk and the steps which seem to go on endlessly, with all the fallen leaves make this trail a real treat to follow along with you and Tim.
I’m pretty obsessive about my tagging my posts which makes it easy for me to keep track of such statistics. š Squirrels and gulls are indeed the best of photography subjects, I think because they are as curious about us as we are about them. I’m looking forward to the imaginative squirrel posts I know you will be coming up with for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those endless steps were hard to resist — we passed another trail that started with steps, too, and hope to do that one soon.
Barbara, I like how your blog and other blogs display tag subjects on the landing page. I never tagged my posts until a few years ago. Sometimes I think I should go back to maybe 2015 when I started taking lots of photos and tag those posts. I think the seagulls and squirrels are more approachable too. The Red-bellied Woodpecker tried several times to fly down to the pathway to swipe a peanut but I was in his way and I kept stepping back, but still he hesitated to get too close. He’s the only Red-bellied Woodpecker at the Park and he should know be by now, but … skittish. I hope you enjoy my holiday photos Barbara. I had fun making them. The angle of those wide steps with the leaves made them seem endless in the photo as well.
Sometimes I do a search for a word and create a new tag to add to old posts. The tag cloud in the sidebar always fascinated me but I don’t see many people making use of that widget. It’s fun to see certain tagged words get bigger or disappear completely because others get used more often. As Ally says, I make my own fun here. š We always had red-bellied woodpeckers at our suet feeder back in CT. The other birds waited until they were done and then gleaned the seeds that fell onto the balcony. I do miss them! I am definitely looking forward to your holiday critter photos!
I learned something … I didn’t know that was a widget and I wondered why some words were larger than others. I figured it was the theme you (or others) chose. I have a simple theme (2010) and have stuck with it all along. I will change it one day – I saw it when using the Windows 10 laptop and didn’t like how the sides were stretched out on the landing page. I am still using Windows 7 and a smaller screen so it looks more compact to me. I will have fun putting the holiday posts together … I’m bummed I didn’t get any cardinals for my 11/20 post. I had one female but it was too blurry to use.
I used to switch themes a lot but I’ve stuck with this one, 2015, since 2015. My son helped me modify the font and and a few other features to satisfy my pickiness. Every once in a while I still get the urge to change themes again but it goes away before I can act on it, thank goodness. Somewhere along the line I started focusing on content rather than design — lol. I know what you mean about how the themes look on different screens. I’m always a little shocked when I see my blog up on Tim’s huge desktop monitor and also when I see it on my little cell phone with no background showing up. Sigh…
Your theme is pleasing to the eye and works with your nature theme. Since mine is a 2010 theme (and the easiest one I could find when I set it up), I’m sure if I left it, there’s no going back. I’m surprised they haven’t discontinued it. That’s funny that we both thought the same thing viewing our blogs. The Windows 10 laptop which I will start using after I retire and have time to move things from this Windows 7 laptop (which I love) stretched it out with its bigger screen. It was a shock to see how everyone else sees it.
Thank you, Linda. That’s true, many of the older WordPress themes are unavailable now or not getting any updates. I’m not even sure what version of Windows I have on my laptop. It’s been a long time, though, since Tim made any major changes to it. Sometimes I am tempted to go with a new theme but I don’t want to deal with the steep learning curve I’m sure would be necessary for me to get familiar with it. Getting less adventuresome and more set in my ways, I suppose.
I use Windows 7 and really like it, but we use Windows 10 at work, so I remote in on my Windows 7 laptop. I have a Windows 10 laptop – when we got our new system my boss got one for each of us, but I find it has too many bells and whistles for my liking. I update it for Windows updates and virus protection, but will wait to use it when I have more time to get to explore it. I also am pretty set in my ways and less adventuresome as the years pass.
Tim informs me that I have Windows 10 on my laptop. I should try to remember that!
My Windows 10 is not able to upgrade to Windows 11, so will stay Windows 10 forever. I still have my first laptop which the battery is gone – I never untether them, but it went a long time ago. It is Windows 7, purchased in November 2009 and going strong.
I didn’t even know there was a Windows 11. I hope Tim isn’t thinking about updating my laptop!!!
Well, I know it is a free upgrade, but you have to meet the qualifications to do so. For example, I got my Windows 10 laptop for work in 2019. My boss paid the computer guy to install a new server, plus two Windows 10 desktops and Windows laptops for him/me. The computer ordered them in 2018 but never installed anything until Robb bugged him about it. Then he dropped my Windows 10 laptop off at the house in June 2019. It took me hours (like eight hours, if not more) to do all the Windows updates – they had never been done! So that laptop would be at least five years old and it is not eligible for the upgrade as it doesn’t have the right specifications. When I go to do Windows Updates, I get a little pop-up message that says that.
We have trapped or suspended leaves or branches in the trees around us. I find it fascinating to watch them over the days as the weather gets colder, bleaker, snowier, to see when they finally drop to the ground. I make my own fun here.
That must be fun to keep your eyes on individual leaves over time, Ally. And here I am, just breezing by them for brief moments as I walk through the woods, stealing a picture and never sticking around to see what becomes of them. š
Thanks for sharing your walk in the fall woods, and including the squirrels! Love it. Liz
You’re welcome, Liz! Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know!
What a grand walk!! I love the leaf-strewn stairs and reindeer lichen. I’m not familiar with little brown jug — thanks for introducing me to it. Those senior pups are just too sweet; I like how well they posed together for their picture.
Thank you, Debbie! The little brown jug was new to me, too, and now I seem to see it every time I go into the woods. It’s an evergreen. Apparently Molly & Mabel were a handful back in the day but they are as mellow as can be now in their dotage.
Enjoyed each of your photos, what a wonderful place to venture! Squirrels are too cute not to photograph š We’re guessing we have a dozen squirrels at least around our new place. I am always taking their photos. hehehe
Thank you, Donna! We had a little excitement here yesterday, two birds that might have been juncos came to the bushes outside our dining room window. But I wasn’t 100% sure. Perhaps phoebes. So the camera is sitting on the table now, hoping they will be back today…
Tim stepping down in front of Elephant Rock to give some size perspective is my favorite photo of this walk. I was reading along with so much anticipation!
The sister two dogs were so much fun to see them in the aging faces happy to be out on a trail.
I enjoyed seeing the squirrels watching you, Barbara! And the white oak still living after a hurricane struck it is so interesting to think of how it survived.
Nice walking with you!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this walk, TD! We don’t see too many big rocks down here so having Tim stand in front of it sure did help with the perspective perception. Mabel & Molly were so friendly that they didn’t want to continue their walk unless we came, too. So we followed them for a little bit before they turned off on another trail. Yup, it looks like squirrels will be my “thing” down here — lol!