At Home in Yellow Springs

I didn’t sleep that well and found myself unable to get back to sleep around 8am even though I knew I needed a little more sleep. Too much jack the night before I guess. But after slowly progressing through my exercise routine and then getting some fresh air while outside with Frankie I felt a whole lot better. Before doing my run, I spent an hour or so writing in my blog while also enjoying a cup of coffee. I left for my run at 930am. Mindy still wasn’t awake, but then again that’s not unusual. In fact, I was back from my run for a good 30 minutes before I heard her stirring upstairs. While she enjoyed her first cup of coffee outside I addressed a number of small/quick chores like: refilling the bird feeder, topping off the hot tub, watering all the flower pots and hanging baskets, and re-filling the humming bird feeder. Once that was done I watered the indoor plants. I was busy. Sometime near 11am Mindy and I decided to spend our day in Yellow Springs. Our plan was to hike Glen Helen Nature Preserve, the park just down the road from Clifton’s Gorge that we skipped last visit, and then lunch in town. We both showered and then packed a cooler with waters and few snacks. I’m guessing we left the house just after noon. Before leaving I pulled up the directions again, and I’m glad we did. We learned that there are two exits one can take off I-70 west to get there. Last time we took route 72. This time we planned to take route 68, which is another mile or tow west. It would take us right by Young’s Dairy, the ice cream place everyone raves about, which is just before you get into town. I checked the odometer as we exited the subdivision – 18,300 on the nose. Turns out, it was exactly 50 miles to the parking lot in Glen Helen – a very easy drive (flat). We were a little surprised that it costs $5 to park in the preserve (free to hike). No biggie, except for the fact that I forgot my wallet. Mindy had to pay for parking and lunch.  There were two naturalists/park rangers manning the lot. They were friendly and helpful providing us with directions and a map. We headed off on our hike. Glen Helen has a lot to see in a relatively small area (1000 acres), although the ranger gushed about 25 miles worth of foot trails. We headed towards the waterfalls first, and then meandered our way towards the west where we found the town’s namesake, the yellow spring. Very cool! In close proximity to the infamous spring lies the remains of an old damn that has since burst. We took a number of photos, including a couple macros of some native butterflies. We hiked for about an hour before finding our way into town. We came out of the preserve and essentially right in the middle of town. Nice! We browsed a few shops, and Mindy even bought herself another purple shirt. We decided to lunch at the same tavern we ate at the last time – Ye Olde Trail Tavern. We requested seating on the same patio as before. Saw the Reds were up 3-1 top of the ninth as we passed by the bar. We had the same hostess as before and encountered the same black cat that Bella befriended on our last visit. I tried getting its picture but failed to get it to stop long enough for a good, clear picture. On the patio we enjoyed the lovely summer weather, a cold beer and lunch. I sipped a Great Lakes Pale Ale while Mindy enjoyed their Porter. I ordered a jerk burger while Mindy ordered their grilled cheese with pesto and a side of onion rings. We stuck with one beer each. I’m not big on drinking beer during the afternoon. The food was very satisfying. After lunch we visited another shop or two and debated buying what could best be described as a purple glass tile bowl. Maybe next visit. We found our way back to the preserve and hiked back pretty much the way we came once again going by the springs. This time, however, the sunlight was shining directly into the rock face of the spring giving off vibrant rusty hues caused by the iron laden water. Beautiful! We found a big granite rock with a plaque that hosted a poem written many years ago by a local (see pic). We were soon back at our vehicle. It was near 5pm. The same ranger guy was sitting under his blue canopy apparently bored. He talked to us about our Honda Pilot at length. He owns a 2002 CRV. We headed back towards the freeway north on route 68. The drive home went quick. Total round trip, 99 miles. It was 545pm. Mindy took Frankie out. I plopped down in the familyroom chair to do some reading and determined to nap. Not sure how long I spent reading versus sleeping but upped feeling rested and ready to go. As 7pm neared I shared my desire to visit Barley’s. Mindy wasn’t opposed to it, but wasn’t thrilled about it either. I agreed that we wouldn’t stay long. As usual, a Saturday crowd was almost nonexistent. We bellied up to the bar where I ordered a Centennial and Mindy a Russian stout. Beth was tending bar. After one beer I ordered some KC wings and a full order of sauerkraut balls. We haven’t eaten those for months (my stomach). We struck up conversation with the two fellows beside us, Mark and Mike – one bald while the other closely resembled Santa. Funny! Mindy talked with grandpa Tom some too. Noticed his shirt, “Pink Frued” from Yellow Springs. Mindy confirmed its origin. As we settled out tab, I noticed a $100 bill folded in half just below Mike’s barstool right next to me. Considering he just paid his tab in cash I assumed it his and pointed it out. He snatched it up. I felt good about the deed. But really, it was the only right thing to do. It definitely wasn’t mine. Back home, Mindy and I got in the hot tub after Frankie had some yard time. It was heavenly. I sipped a CBC IPA while doing so. It was 10pm by the time we climbed out of the hot tub. Inside we watched the “Underwater Universe” a program about the seven deadly seas. We both loved the program, but I was battling the sleepies fiercely. We headed to bed around 1130pm.