Tag Archives: nature

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Warning! Huntington Gorge….

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On one of our random scenic drives around Vermont we stopped at a diner for lunch. Wondering if there were any points of interest nearby, we asked the locals who promptly sent us to Huntington Gorge.

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At first glance it didn’t look promising.

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And to be honest, the second and third glances weren’t any better.

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Everywhere we looked there were warnings.

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And while I’m not normally obtuse, I was beginning to get the feeling we weren’t wanted.

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So of course… after all the Danger Will Robinson! signs?

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My mountain goat husband had to investigate.

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Right at the very edge they warned us about.

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Please note yours truly listened to robot and was well out of danger range.

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Yeah. That limb will hold you honey, no problem.

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Needless to say he survived. But it wasn’t for lack of trying.

😉

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Random Vermont

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Vermont really is a beautiful state and even after most of the leaves had fallen in late autumn we enjoyed our scenic drives.

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Since we live on the Maine coast, we always love to see the mountains.

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Lake Champlain has a bit of both.

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This is the Old Round Church in Richmond, Vermont.

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Built in 1812, it’s a rare, well-preserved sixteen-sided meeting house. Sadly it’s never open when we’re in the area, but maybe someday.

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Oh… the horror! As if the government isn’t squirrelly enough.

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I love barren, scraggly trees against a clear blue sky.

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This colorful moose was on a restaurant we tried called Piecasso. It was always packed when we drove by so I figured it would be great.

I was wrong. It wasn’t. Just an overpriced pizza joint.

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And while I’ve tipped kitchen staff in the past, I didn’t hear any cowbell this time around.

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Something tells me it’s time for a few repairs here.

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Cow!

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Creative wood stacking. You have to love that…

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The sky was too perfect here, I had to snap a picture.

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Yes.

Of course we took that road!

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News you can’t use.

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Because there’s an infinite supply of ridiculous headlines and I like to share the wealth.

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No good can come from arming squirrels. Trust me on this.

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Apparently your bladder is just like your cell phone battery. Drain it all the way down before you recharge… and don’t tinkle until you’re full.

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Gee, that sounds like fun.

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Unexplored avenues. Guess that’s one way to shrink the population.

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Yes, they really had to warn idiots to stop looking ( or licking, as the case may be) for a free high.

Hey there! Here is the “ribbiting” late night content no one asked for. Yet here we are. The Sonoran desert toad (Bufo alvarius), also known as the Colorado river toad, is one of the largest toads found in North America, measuring nearly 7 inches (18 cm).

These toads have prominent parotoid glands that secrete a potent toxin. It can make you sick if you handle the frog or get the poison in your mouth. As we say with most things you come across in a national park, whether it be a banana slug, unfamiliar mushroom, or a large toad with glowing eyes in the dead of night, please refrain from licking. Thank you.

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My sympathies are with the toad on this one.

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The awesome Ausable finale.

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Yes, there really was an end to our visit. Much as I didn’t want to, we had to leave eventually.

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And leaving meant walking the rim trail.

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Which follows the edge of the chasm but from a much higher level.

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The grand flume.

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Most of the trail was through the woods with a few peaks of the water like this.

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When a tree falls in the forest? Doesn’t matter if you hear it or not… let it be. The critters will thank you.

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One more scenic vista..

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One more cross walk…

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And you’re back on the main road bridge.

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Which affords one last beautiful view.

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If you’re ever in Keeseville, New York visit the Grand Canyon of the East at Ausable Chasm.

It really was awesome!

👍

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I forgot the moss!

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You thought you were done looking at rocks?

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Not quite.

I forgot one of the best parts of the Inner Sanctum trail at Ausable Chasm….

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The wall of moss.

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The husband went in for a close up… so you know it had to be good.

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A solid wall of perpetually wet moss. It was amazing.

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I loved it.

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Me.

Loving it.

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Thankfully it was a warm late October day and the bridge wasn’t iced.

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And though I didn’t want to leave, we’d reached the end of the trail and it’s giant knee pain inducing stairs.

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A final look at the trail from above.

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Still awesome…

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Are you tired of rock filled posts?

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Then you’ve come to the wrong blog.

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The Inner Sanctum trail at Ausable Chasm is well named as we were surrounded by cliffs and rushing water …. blissfully alone with the grandeur. A veritable rock sanctuary.

But all good things must end and this staircase was the beginning.

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One last look around before we climbed up.

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And I won’t lie, it was hard to leave this fabulous trail.

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Spending the day here made us feel small, in a good.. we’re just tiny specks in the universe… way.

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Mother Nature is a marvelous architect.

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And we enjoyed every minute.

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The awesomeness continues…

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I know it feels like I took picture every time I took a step, and okay… maybe I did. But I’m not posting all of them, I promise.

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The rock faces and cliffs were just too spectacular not to share.

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Thankfully we didn’t have to cross this bridge.

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Though my husband sure wanted to.

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I’ve often thought he was part mountain goat.

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The power of water and erosion is hard to miss at Ausable Chasm.

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It’s literally everywhere.

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As was I.

Shown here loving on some rocks… with the sun’s rays giving me a high five.

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A truly glorious place.

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Have I mentioned how awesome it was?

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Ausable Chasm is awesome, no doubt about it.

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And the Inner Sanctum trail is one of the most awesome I’ve ever taken.

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It literally hugs the edge of the rocks and affords some fabulous views.

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Bridges cut back and forth across the canyon..

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And even my non picture taking husband was happily snapping away.

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It was stunning.

Gorgeous.

Impressive.

Remarkable.

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And yeah, most definitely awesome.

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Me. Enjoying the rocks and awesomeness.

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Visiting off season was perfect. We almost had the whole place to ourselves.

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Rocks!

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There’s the husband, still upset he couldn’t do the rope bridges and rafting adventure part of the chasm.

😳

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More awesome Ausable…

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We were really enjoying this hike alongside the chasm.

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There was something stunning around every corner.

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Though at times my knee strongly disagreed.

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Here’s the husband.

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He might be a senior citizen, but he was still upset he couldn’t cross that rope bridge.

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The path that’s cut into the rock alongside the chasm is spectacular.

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And I was loving every minute of it.

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Surrounded by towering rocks. How could I not?

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This open metal bridge was a little hairy. And while I’m not afraid of heights, looking straight down through it was a tad stomach flipping.

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Onward…

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The Chasm… part two.

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Continuing on the marked path, we came to a fork. We could take the easier, stairless Rim Walk on the left…

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Or the harder, your bad knee will be screaming and make you pay, Inner Sanctum trail to the right.

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You knew there was only one right answer.

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Stairs? Oh yeah. Hundreds of them.

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But the views were totally worth it.

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The farther down you go, the louder the roar of the water.

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And once again I was glad the adventure trail was closed. I love to climb on rocks… but generally need a little more than string when it comes to a bridge.

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Me. Loving the rocks.

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The Inner Sanctum is the only way to see this chasm up close and personal.

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It was truly stunning.

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