The Daily Bucket is a place where we post and exchange our observations about what is happening in the natural world in our neighborhood. Each note about the bugs, buds, and birds around us is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns of nature that are quietly unwinding around us. |
Melanie and I went here Monday for some R&R. I want to thank her for helping me notice many of the things to photograph. I see more through her eyes and heart. As with most people, a lot of things are pulling us several directions. We said 'No' to the outside forces on Monday and made our escape.
Kepler-Palisades is one of the Iowa state parks near us. It is just off of U.S. 30, Lincoln Hwy, east of Cedar Rapids, IA. The Cedar river cuts through some coral beds as it makes its way south east toward a union with the Iowa river before joining the Mississippi.
We entered off of hwy 30 on Kepler Drive. At the 'T' near the river, we turned right, ending up near the left edge of the picture. We parked, ate some lunch we brought, and started hiking. The trail took us around the bend and up-river. You can see some shadows cast onto the water. The trail follows a high cliff face, or palisades, for quite a ways. Some adventurous people get permission to do some climbing at the headquarters. It is dangerous with loose rocks and dirt. Several years ago a child fell to his death after wandering off the trail. We noticed more railing and signs had been added pointing out the dangers.
At the bottom of the picture is a run down dam. You can go down to walk the area now with the very low levels due to the dry season we have had. Here is the stairway. The passage at the bottom is barely wide enough to fit an adult.
Come below the swirl for more of the park.
During the spring and early summer, the river often runs high and fast. Nearly every year, someone drowns trying to swim in the rapid waters. Boaters are cautioned with a big sign upstream. Today, you could wade across with little danger. We saw someone in the stream on the far side standing thigh high fishing. There were geese lazily killing time in other pools. A lot of swifts and swallows were swooping as they hunted for food. The winds were brisk blowing leaves around.
We have been here many times. It is a favorite spot for us. Not many people were around since it was a Monday.
There are many outcrops of rocks pitted with holes. This one is prominent along the path. A closer look show the thick blanket of dusty old spider webs probably left by a big wolf spider. They are large this time of year.
The rocks are filled with fossils of coral and crinoids. This area was part of the sea bed in the Devonian era. Here is a link to a diary about the exposure of the fossils by the 1993 and 2008 floods. The town south of here is called Coralville.
Across the river was this scenic view of cliffs, colors, and a home perched up high. Click the image for an enlarged view. Below it are closeups of the home and an interesting cliff face under it.
The trail and some of the structures and lodge were built in the 30s by the CCC. We liked this compass on the floor of a structure overlooking the river.
The trees are tall, just the right height. They fill the ravines leading to the river. Today, the sunlight and color with the blue sky background made for some beautiful sights.
As we turned around and headed back to the car, we remarked how the views would be different. Sure enough, they were. We saw things we didn't notice before. The direction of the light, the reflections off the water, etc, were new. Melanie exclaimed something about the burl on the tree up ahead. I looked to see what she meant. We had come to the park for some time together away from the busy schedules and stresses of daily life. We like how it helps us slow down and come together. It is one of the things that keeps us close. This feature on the tree made us feel good. Wednesday was our 31st anniversary. It seemed to be a sign for us along the trail.
It is your turn to share some observations about your environs. What's the weather? Where are you? Are your trees the right height? Any new birds to report? Toss your comments into the bucket. Give it a stir. And, one more thing, have a great and interesting day.