Do The Tao Now

Despite professing that I’d be up at 6:30 preparing for my day, I didn’t wake until almost 8:30am. Yikes! And I might’ve slept even longer had dad not rang our doorbell. He was over for a home cooked breakfast. We invited him the night before. Bella let him in being the first one up. Right behind her were Mindy and I. We got the house moving quickly. Dad seemed comfortable and entertained.

I went about completing my exercise routine as always, albeit at a more casual pace. Mindy, who had prepped the morning’s coffee, was battling a coffee spill that was caused by not properly seating the coffee pot. After a quick cup of coffee I dressed for a run and headed out the door. Glenn remained asleep.

My run went well. I was back by 10am. Breakfast was not quite ready yet, but Mindy was busy getting it there. We were having French toast, bacon, sausage, and fruit. Mindy sent Bella up to wake Glennie. Mindy hollered outside to Jacob and my dad, who were out playing in the backyard. Soon we were all seated and enjoying some food together. Once again we invited dad to join us on our hike. He declined. All along we had assumed that Tommy would be joining us, but after checking my email Tommy cancelled. It looked like it would be just us.

We had originally stated goal of departing for Hocking Hills by 10am. Obviously that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, by the time everyone was showered and ready it was noon. We headed out just after noon. The drive was beautiful and went fairly quickly. I broke out my brand new CD book - Wayne Dyer's, Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life. I wasn't too sure how the others might react, but happily it was positive, at least Glenn & Mindy were. Jacob & Bella weren't too excited about it. Our first stop was Cantwell Cliffs off router 374. The winds were a little gusty and the sun was ducking behind clouds now & then making a jacket a good idea if not a necessity.

Bella was not a happy hiker at the outset. This was made evident by her gushing tears and loud screams. However, Mindy was patient and did a masterful job of managing Bella’s reluctance. In the meantime, Glenn, Jacob, and I forged on ahead. We stopped periodically to allow Mindy and Bella to catch up. At one point along the trail we heard what sounded like a large tree cracking and falling. As you might guess, we were spooked! Many around us were as well. We hiked the gorge trail for almost two hours. At the trails end we captured a small red salamander that would’ve otherwise been crushed by a hiker’s foot. Saw a big hairy spider clinging to cave wall too. I got a couple close up shots of him.

It was already 3:30pm by the time that we made it back to the car. We tossed arou8nd our options of heading on home or moving to another Hocking Hills feature. Against Bella’s will, we decided to visit one more trail – Rock House. We weren’t exactly sure how to get there from Cantwell Cliffs so we followed instincts. Those instincts proved valuable. Mindy pointed us in the proper direction. We arrived around 4pm. By now, the hiking thing was old hat for Bella. She was much more into this adventure. Jacob was a bit cranky, though.

After winding down a long trail and then some rustic stone steps we happened upon the area’s main feature – The Rock House itself. It might be the most spectacular cave in the area, and certainly the most impressive that I’ve seen. This stone cave is large and nestled into the hillside completely out of the elements. The kids and Mindy entered through ha very narrow crevice, one which I didn’t even try to put my body through. Glenn and I caught up with them further down the trial via a simpler entrance.

There were birds flying overhead hiding in the caves shelter making it all the more dramatic. Taking flash pictures would later reveal the colorful beauty of the surrounding sandstone, which is largely hidden from the naked eye even during the daylight hours. Our visit to The Rock House ended at 5:00pm as we made our way back to the car. Mindy called Jimaken to let him know that we most likely wouldn’t be home until 6pm or so. This was a Jimaken weekend for the kids. As usual, Jim was very accommodating.

By now, the sky was completely clouded over and the temperature noticeably cooler. What seemed like a warm, sunny fall day at the start now seemed to be fading into a gray and raw evening. We made it home within minutes of 6pm. At various times along our drive home the entire back row was asleep – Glenn, Bella, Jacob.

Mindy quickly readied the kids packs for the weekend although Bella would be returning tomorrow AM so that Jimaken could take Jacoby to the Buckeye game. While Mindy readied the kids packs, I walked Ykraps. Mindy hit the shower and Glenn headed off for a brief nap. I downloaded all of the day’s photos. I got some good ones. I also Googled on the red salamander and found that it is an endangered species. We later made arrangements to return it to the park – its natural habitat.

The time went quickly. It was Barley time before we knew it. We headed out the door near 7:30pm as planned. Rene phoned just before we left to cancel meeting up with us. We arrived to a moderate crowd in the bar area. Most of the gang was already present either eating their meal or sipping their favorite beverage. Without prompting, Lee served me up a Firkin’ – Kiss My Bitter Ass IPA. Glenn had one, too. I met Porter M. Jump for the first time. He was there, of course, with his proud parents, Jeremy & Courtney. He’s already a regular, I gathered.

Not long after we arrived, Brother Tommy showed up too. Mindy & I ordered food. Glenn & Tommy abstained. We stayed at Barley’s until what must have been 11pm. Just before leaving we made tentative plans to clubhouse with the Imber’s on Saturday evening, this being a double header of sorts – Buckeyes/Indians games. We arrived home around 11:30pm and headed to bed almost immediately. I took a couple Advil just before bedding down.