Petrichor

I want to be able to use this word, petrichor, soon. It means "The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell." We haven't had any significant rain in weeks. My rivers are running low... too low to get out and kayak much, except for the mighty Ohio, and the kayaking season for this year is fast running out.

Besides, I like rain. As much as I like to get outside and run or hike or kayak, there's also something wonderful about being inside with the rain beating down and curling up with a good book.

Rain please. Soon. Now.

World Rivers Day

September 28th marks World Rivers Day, established in 2005 to promote a greater awareness of the role rivers play in our lives. Unfortunately I won't be out on a river tomorrow, since I've already made plans to attend the Ohio Renaissance Festival with friends, but I did paddle the mighty Muskingum River for sixteen miles last weekend with a good friend (pictured). The village of Dresden, Ohio held its first annual Melon Festival last Saturday along with the first annual Paddlefest.

The Muskingum River flows 111 miles through Ohio, joining the Ohio River at Marietta. The river begins at Coshocton, which is where we put in and paddled down to the historic suspension bridge at Dresden. In this section it is a broad, sleepy river, tree-lined and peaceful if one overlooks the power plant at Conesville. Bald eagles are known to nest along the river, though I didn't spot any on this trip, we were lucky enough to watch an osprey dive and catch a fish while we were having dinner later that night at Muddy Misers in Zanesville.

Biking and Kayaking the Little Miami

I managed to work out my bike/kayak personal biathlon on Sunday. I dropped the kayak at a little park (Rahe) near Foster, Ohio, and left it cabled and locked to a tree there. I really just had to hope no one would steal my lunch or my paddle, as there wasn't much I could do to protect them. It turns out Rahe is a good spot to do this though, as the Loveland Canoe/Kayak Livery also uses this park as a put-in point and on the weekends they have one or two people hanging out there to watch their own boats, which tends to discourage thieves. After leaving the kayak, I drove down to Lake Isabella and parked my car, then rode my bike the nine or so miles up the bike trail to where I'd left the kayak. Goodness, there was a lot of traffic in the Loveland area of the bike trail that day! Once I arrived back at Rahe park, I chained my bike and my helmet to a tree, then paddled eight miles back down to Lake Isabella. The bike ride took about an hour and the kayaking bit took about three, given that it was the last day of August and we've had little rain in the last few weeks. There were plenty of very shallow spots and I had to pick my way through a couple of rock gardens, but I only had to get out of my boat once. That was when I took the wrong way around an island and came across a strainer with only a little room to maneuver, so I decided discretion was the better part of valor and portaged around.

I had lunch with the green heron pictured; I was no more than twenty feet from the bird while it fished and I ate cheese and crackers. It's one of the many things I love about kayaking - you can get really close to wildlife at times. I also had an osprey fly right over my head (twice!) with a fish in its talons, a breathtaking sight! Ospreys have this way of holding a fish, once caught, so that the fish's head points in the direction the bird is traveling so as to reduce drag. It's always a treat to see an osprey, especially in Ohio as they aren't all that common here.

Once I got back to Lake Isabella, it was just a matter of loading the kayak onto the car and driving back to pick up my bike. It took a bit of planning but now that I know what I'm doing, I'll surely be doing it again.

Cyling on the cheap

As I was out for an early morning run on Saturday, I happened by some people setting up for a garage sale. I noticed a purple bike amidst their things so I asked how much they wanted for it - when the young man answered fifteen, I had to stop. I rode the bike around the street a couple of times and it seemed good to me, so I asked them to hold onto it for me while I ran home and got some money to pay them. I walked back to pick it up and the people were nice enough to throw in a used helmet so I could ride the bike back home.

Once I got the bicycle home, I realized there was no way to fit it into my car and I knew I'd be wanting to take it places. Ohio has a lovely bike trail running alongside the Little Miami River, but that's on the other side of town from me. That lead me on a quest to get a trunk mounted bike rack; I found one at Play it Again Sports for twenty bucks. Then I needed some chain lube, that set me back another nine. Of course I needed a bike lock - in my neighborhood I can't see an unchained bike, even a used off-brand like mine, lasting long. And I needed a new helmet, since the freebie one was just not cool enough. So with all the extras, my fifteen dollar bike ended up costing me around seventy-five bucks. It's still a bargain really and I've had it out on the Lunken Airport loop a couple of times already and it's been great so far. All I've had to do was put some air in the tires and oil the chain and other moving parts.

My ultimate goal is to figure out a couple of put-in and take-out places along the Little Miami so I can take bike/kayak trips. I'd leave the kayak at the put-in, drive out to the take-out, leave the car and pedal back to the boat, then leave the bike locked up while I float down the river, then come back for the bike after the kayaking, once I've put the kayak back onto the car. Biathlon!

Two boats!

Last night I paddled the Great Miami River for the first time. I went with the regular Thursday night group of the Cincy Paddlers and I had a blast! It was the biggest water I've ever tackled in my boat. There is a wave train near the end of the run that consists of a series of two foot waves - it was a little scary but awfully fun and I got thoroughly drenched in the process. I can't wait to go again! The people of the Cincy Paddlers group couldn't be better. I had lots of guidance and encouragement from the more experienced members.

I also purchased a second boat last night. It's just a cheap Pelican Burst sit-on-top, but it will be nice to have when I want to take another person with me out on the Little Miami or another easy run. I just have to buy another paddle and paste the Ohio registration numbers on the hull and I'm all set.

American Lotus at Cowan Lake

Last night I joined the local chapter of the Sierra Club for a paddle around Cowan Lake to see the American Lotus in bloom. There are acres of them located along the shores of the eastern portion of the lake! They are simply stunning; the leaves grow up to two feet across and some lie on the surface of the water while others rise as much as two feet above. The flowers are big and showy, creamy yellow and up to ten inches across and are supposed to be the largest American wildflower.

American lotus seeds can remain viable for up to four hundred years! The seeds and rhizomes were used by Native Americans as food and it is believed they deliberately spread the plant northward from its original range. In most parts of North America, they will begin to bloom in mid-June to mid-July and will continue to bloom on into autumn.

The 700 acre Cowan Lake is excellent for paddling, as it is restricted to a 10 hp limit. Canoe rentals are available and there is also a Lotus Cove boardwalk trail from which to view the lotuses without getting in the water.

There are lots more photos in my Cowan Lake Paddle set on Flickr

Weekend Roundup

After running 5K Saturday morning, I spent the afternoon walking along my little street gathering signatures in order to have the city look into putting speed bumps in to slow down the traffic. Every neighbor I've talked to has a story to tell - everyone who has had to park on the street has had their cars hit and several people have lost pets to speeding cars. Cincinnati received a grant this year to spend on street calming initiatives and hopefully ours will be one of those to benefit.

I went hiking around Caldwell Nature Preserve early Sunday morning and I was the only person on the trails the entire hour. I spent a good fifteen minutes with the trio pictured - the fawns were very curious about me and kept inching closer as I stayed as still as possible and kept snapping photos.

This preserve has scads of pawpaw trees and I spotted lots of unripe fruit in the canopy. I'm planning a return visit once the fruit starts to ripen later in the year.

I also joined up with the Cincy Paddlers group on Sunday for an easy five mile run down the Whitewater River in Indiana. I hadn't been on that river for many years and was pleased to find how clean it was (notwithstanding the case of beer cans I picked up from the banks) compared to how I remembered it. The highlight of the trip for me was spotting a lone osprey hunting along the river. I also picked up a good tip from another new member; the Elkhorn Creek down in Kentucky looks like a lot of fun.

Summer is here....

The Nighthawks, Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds and Chimney Swifts have all arrived on the scene and the seventeen-year cicadas are starting to emerge out on the east side of town, so as far as I'm concerned, summer has officially arrived.

One of the highlights of the long weekend was a fourteen mile kayak trip down the Little Miami. I arrived on the river at eight in the morning, well before the "cabrewers" showed up. There were simply scads of birds about, including Spotted Sandpipers, Cedar Waxwings, Waterthrush and Black Vultures. I floated past a Great Blue Heron rookery, in which I counted twenty nests, though I'm sure there were more that I couldn't see. In fact, I floated past it three times, since I kept paddling back upstream to take in the sight. I apologize for the poor picture quality, but I'm nervous about taking my good camera out on the river, so I had to settle for my cheap, water-resistant digital with a mere 4X zoom. There are some nice photos and descriptions of heron courtship, breeding and nesting behavior at the Great Blue Heron Rookery website.

Around town

I found trillium blooming for the first time this spring during my quick walk around the Caldwell Nature Preserve yesterday after work. Digital cameras are terrible at photographing white objects; the nuances tend to get lost. Trying to photograph a white flower is difficult for this reason and I was crawling (carefully, so as not to smush other wildflowers) all over the hillside trying to find a trillium in just the right amount of shade. I think I'll start carrying a sheet of paper with me for creating my own dappled sunlight in the future.

Early this morning I went down to Findlay Market and blew my grocery budget for the week. I brought home a few things I've not cooked with before, including rhubarb, ramps ($18 a pound!) and the spice Grains of Paradise. The afternoon was spent in the company of friends down at the Earth Day celebration at Sawyer Point. Somehow the rain held off and we managed to score a few good freebies, including CFL light bulbs. Here's a tiny handful of useful links I picked up today:

• Get a bin, find out what items can be recyled and find information on hazardous household waste drop-offs - Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services
• Soil fertility testing kits are available for a nominal fee from the Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District
• The Ohio River Sweep will be held this year on Saturday, June 21st
• Enright Ridge is an Urban Eco-Village is a community fostering a sustainable urban neighborhood, located on the west side of Cincinnati
• Although I didn't see them at the Sawyer Point Earth Day celebration I'm posting a link to Little Miami, Inc. - dedicated to preserving my favorite local river

There were many, many more and I certainly don't mean to exclude any worthy organizations. It's beyond the scope of my tired fingers to list them all.