Sunday, March 21, 2010

Pedestal Rock

We've been working on our trails around the gorge. We cleared the route from the waterfall on Ford Branch up to what we call "Pedestal Rock". This is from the west side as the trail approaches it.


This is looking back at it from the east. The pedestal holds up a massive rock that has cracked away from the sandstone cliff. I tell myself not to walk under it every time I go there but I always do.

This is standing under the tabletop looking up at the crack. It's a massive chunk of sandstone supported by a crumbling pillar of a sedimentary pile of rocks that looks like it could go at any time.


The micro habitat on the rock faces support an interesting group of plants that I don't see other places. The cliff just above this is the last pitch to the Plateau and has a wonderful colony round leaf catch fly, a carnivorous plant related to Fire Pink.  

This is an old shot of the pedestal and the cliff above it taken from the far ridge.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Fish Ark

From the new National Geographic Magazine:

"You keep the last fish in an ark because you never know when a river might come back," Shute went on. "If the Pigeon could, any river can. They'll have to drag me out kicking and screaming before I give up." 

I'm proud to be associated with CFI (Conservation Fisheries Inc) in the small way I am. They do work that is good for the world. We've had them out to Whites Creek Gorge for each of the last two years and are planning for this years WhitesCreekPalooza and as soon as we get a firm date we'll post it. In the mean time why don't we show them some love with a small monetary token of our appreciation?

Visit their site
 Pat Rakes photo taken at last year's WhitesCreekPalooza

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Blue Boy

Last summer I put up an old bluebird house I had in the garage and forgot about it. It is on the far side of the arboretum I put up on the deck so it isn't seen from the house. It suddenly dawned on me this morning as to why this guy and his mate are hanging around the deck after they've eaten all the farkleberries. They are setting up house. 

Thursday, March 04, 2010

"I Have Been to the Mountain--top Removal... And It's the Devil!"


I am a total fan of the Reverend Billy Talen and his Stop the Shop-Ocolypse movement. He's morphed from a one man performance artist into the envy of itinerant revival preachers everywhere, with his excellent choir, seven piece band, and hair reaching toward heaven so high that he has moved to reduced  its environmental impact by embracing green hair care.

Stunning my follicles into submission has been a consumer habit I’ve endured and my live-in wife has put up with the spray of effluent evil in our home as well. So this is time for a confession from the pastor who has these poisons in him, and who has cast-off the spraycans, famously unrecyclable. Suddenly I’m sitting here wondering how it was possible that I let this happen for so long? The sin is habituated, a programmed part of my inertia of desire. I’m maintaining my brand, and I beg for forgiveness – and I will change this immediately. I’ll never buy another White Rain or Aquanet as long as I live. Amen? ---Rev 


Now Rev. Billy turns toward something close to my heart and home and which promises to bring the aware among us to our feet shouting Hallelujah!


Have we been to the mountain-top? 
Did we do all we could do?
JP Morgan rains down rock
Exploding loans from the Devil came due...
 Well Reverend Billy shouts out to us, "I have BEEN to the mountain-top...And it is the Devil!"

Can I get an AMEN!

Amen!

I am thinking that Billy Talen is actually a genius crusader with schtick. For extra credit you should read this absolutely straight post by Reverend Billy.

Peace, Brothers and Sisters,

Steve

Bonus musical interlude...