Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

Blackhand Gorge got its name from a Native American hand shaped petroglyph on the side of a cave found near the gorge.  That has since been destroyed, when in 1828 the cliff face was removed to make way for the Ohio-Erie canal.

The park is 956 acres with hiking paths and mountain bike trails.  The gorge was formed by the Licking River which carved its way through the sandstone.

Impression:

With other more well known attractions close by like Dawes Arboretum and Dillon State Park, it is understandable that a lot of people from outside the area might overlook this great treasure.

There are quite a few places to find trailheads, but one of our favorites is just off Toboso Road.  There is a main parking lot with a log cabin by it.  Just down is an overflow lot.  We parked there and found a trail head marked on the map as "L".  You'll see some fence posts and a bike rack at the start of it.

Follow the trail and eventually you'll find this cave as seen in the images below.  Along the way, there are flowers of all kinds and easy to follow trails.

Close to the beginning of the trailhead, you'll find a short spur trail that will take you by one of the old Ohio-Erie Canal locks.  Make sure to check that out, especially if you've never seen one before.

Continuing further down, you'll see a path that goes to the left and up the rocks.   Definitely take that path and you'll be gifted with the site of seeing the view from our opening image.

Even if you don't come out to this area specifically for Blackhand Gorge...take some time and visit this little gem.  The hiking trails are great, you can kayak, and there is access to the water.

Not only is the nature beautiful, but the people are very friendly.  You never know, you might find a new friend out here too!

Ohio State Fair 2018 - High School Rodeo

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

The 2018 Ohio State Fair has recently concluded with another successful year.  The standard events and fair type activities were present.  This year, we had the opportunity to cover the High School Rodeo competition.

Impression:

Within the dimly lit Taft Coliseum of the state fairgrounds, the 2018 Ohio State Fair hosted high school rodeo competition events.

Boys and girls competed in different age groups.  All competitors came out at the beginning of the event for an opening ceremony.  This rider, representing the United States Army carried this flag for a few laps around the arena.

One of the first events was cattle roping.  In this event, the rider follows after a calf and must use their lasso to rope the calf around the neck.  Riders are going for the quickest times.

Below, steer wrestling requires the contestant to use nothing but their arms to get the steer laying flat on the ground.

One of the most popular events, the barrel race, where there are 3 barrels in the arena and the riders must ride a complete circle around all three and then race back to their starting position.

While we have seen rodeo events in the past, I've never seen one with participants so young.  They did a fantastic job in all the events.  If you ever get to see these youngsters in action, you will not be disappointed!

Dillon State Park

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

East central Ohio state park with swimming, boating, fishing and hiking activities.

Impression:

We initially went here looking for American Bald Eagles, but we were too early in the season.  Talking with a park ranger, the eagles are more visible in the spring and fall months.  Never one to pass up an opportunity to be in the outdoors, we went searching for other exciting visual awesomeness!

It did not take us long to find around 30 Heron scattered about the lake area.

Here are just a few pictures we captured of these majestic birds!

This is also a popular fishing spot.  Here you can see some leftovers from recent fishing activity.

This is a great day trip area, with nice trails and water features.  It is also very close to Black Hand Gorge, which also has some great views of its own.

We plan on returning later in 2018 to see if we can find some of those American Bald Eagles in the wild!