Clifton-Yellow Springs (10/16/2018)

Tuesday, October 16, 2018
On our way out of Fairborn this morning, we took a short detour to find one of Kent's childhood homes.

447 Coronado Drive

447 Coronado Drive in 1964-1965

Brad drove us to Clifton, OH where we parked at the Bear's Den parking area of Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve. We headed towards the right side of the map we had, thinking we were going east. Later we were to see that the north on the map was to the left, which meant we went the "wrong" way.

In the lower gorge, we were able to hike along the
water's edge of the Little Miami River

The river flows in the middle of the wider lower gorge

Slump-Block Cave was created when the shale and limestone
below eroded to the point where the dolomite block above
fell, leaning against another block to form an opening

An overlook was built on the foundation of a 17C paper mill

The river below the former paper mill (KSS)

The neon green softballs were actually Osage oranges or hedge apples

Reflections (KSS)

Polyporus squamosus fungi

Slump-block passage (KSS)

The Little Miami River is almost glacial in color here (KSS)

These do not look quite like Amanita muscaria/Fly Agaric mushrooms,
which are poisonous; maybe old ones?

Armillaria sp/Honey Mushrooms

Trametes versicolor/Turkey Tail (KSS)

Looking downstream into John Bryan State Park

We turned around and took the upper rim trail, this time really heading east.

A stream falls into the Little Miami River

View at Cedar Garden

At Pool Overlook, where Kent remembers
jumping into the water in his younger days

The Narrows

The Narrows, perhaps at a point where Cornelius
Darnell, a member of Daniel Boone's group
that was captured by the Shawnee Indians,
escaped by leaping across the gorge

The Narrows

The row of holes on the right were cut to anchor
beams supporting a cotton and wool cloth mill;
the mill provided cloth for uniforms of soldiers
fighting in Ohio during the War of 1812

Apparently the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built this wall?

We reached the small town of Clifton, OH.

The sluice above the water wheel at Clifton Mill

The Little Miami River below the Clifton Mill

If you look closely, you might be able to tell that there are Christmas lights everywhere, even down the sides of the gorge. A legendary Christmas lights display is held annually.

Already they were covering the covered bridge with lights

Perhaps you can see the young man walking his dog down the trail,
despite the sign! (KSS)

We returned to the car and drove into Yellow Springs, OH, with its charming main street.

We had lunch at Ye Olde Trail Tavern in the first
home (1827) built in what was then Forest Village

I tried the Goetta sandwich, made with a meat and grain sausage originating in the Cincinnati area. It is similar to scrapple but uses any meat and usually pinhead oats, rather than pork products and flour.

Halloween display behind the tavern,
although the "knight" looked like a
permanent art installation (KSS)

We ended up walking probably a half mile to the Women's Park, then back.

Mosaic bench along Corry Street (KSS)

Mosaic bench

Women's Park was created in 1998 to honor women,
with a native plant garden...

...and tiles commemorating achievements of
women in Greene County (KSS)

Women's Park flowers sculpture (by Cherie Bayes)

Brad pointed out the parking lot with a 'No Parking' sign

Chimney of the Antioch power plant

Antioch Hall (1852, by Alpheus M Merrifield
in Romanesque style) at Antioch College

We were ready for dessert!

Young's Jersey Dairy had real ice cream in a bunch of flavors,
plus summer and seasonal activities

We drove around fields of dried cornstalks and dried sunflowers to Enon, OH.

Enon Adena Mound, the second highest mound in Ohio

Back in Fairborn, we made another short detour to find another of Kent's childhood homes.

1261 Oakhill Avenue

1261 Oakhill Avenue in the 1950s

Next: Miamisburg-Dayton.