Not quite the biggest hole on Earth.

If you're getting tired of all the southern Illinois pics, this will probably be my last posting from there for a while. I discovered the Little Grand Canyon near Murphysboro, IL last spring after a day on the Great River Road. I went back to do some exploring, but I, admittedly, was spooked by a cave in a canyon wall (pictured below).

Last Sunday, I was able convince one of my buddies to be cougar bait and go explore the canyon floor with me (you don't have to be faster than the mountain lion - only faster than the person you're with). It turned out to be a lot of fun, and I hope to return again soon to climb and see more. These pictures really do lack in capturing the park, so I highly suggest visiting if you take the opportunity.

Bridge Over Troubled Highway

It may not make much difference to anyone outside of Dogtown in St. Louis, but last Saturday the Tamm Bridge reopened. This is the most convenient and safest access to Forest Park from where I've been living. They blew up the last bridge at midnight while I was working in NYC this past spring. It seems like a nice bridge, as far as bridges go. One of my roommates and I went down to the festival for the reopening. As soon as we got there a middle school group started performing Grease songs, so we decided we needed to leave (plus, we were misled about there being free hot dogs).

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The snake head at Turtle Park mysteriously disappeared before the bridge demolition. The artist (who lives in Dogtown) created a new head that comes up to the bridge. Speculation has been that he stole it himself.

If you like my body..

You're probably not going to find this sexy. Bodyworlds 3 is opening today at the St. Louis Science Center. There has been quite a bit of controversy about these exhibits, but I may still find myself wandering around this exhibit in the next few weeks.

I went to a competing exhibit (Bodies: The Exhibition) while I was in New York City this past Spring, but it's run by a different exhibition company. While I was leery of going to something this lurid, I figured it could be really interesting and educational. I won't ever recommend for anyone to go to one of these shows, but I did find my experience to be very interesting. I won't say that I enjoyed it, but I am glad I went. There were definitely some disturbing parts of the show, but at the end of the exhibit I had the opportunity to hold a human heart and brain. The heart didn't bother me as much as holding the brain, for some reason. The preservation of the bodies and the various organs and body parts in different states of health was incredible to see.

Bodyworlds 3 appears to be much more sensationalist in its presentation of the bodies than the Bodies exhibit. I find that part to be disconcerting, but my curiosity ususally gets the best of me.





So, if you're interested, the opportunity to see this is now in St. Louis. I believe my sister, Jennifer, wants to come down and see it -- but being a nurse I suppose the macabre doesn't bother her (the same girl who wanted to practice her phlebotomy skills on me).

Still a rollin'

It was a beautiful Indian summer day, yesterday. So, I made a trip to the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, and I finally made my first visit to Garden of the Gods (any trip before I was 5 doesn't count, Dad). I passed through Harrisburg, which was my mom's hometown. I think it'd been 25 years since I had been over there, and I was surprised to find out that Harrisburg has a larger population than Litchfield. I'll have to look around more the next time I pass through.

Here are a few pictures from Garden of the Gods. It's the 10th most popular location in the U.S. to photograph sandstone cliffs (...way to narrow it down to get into the top 10). And yes, I made a few jumps across the rocks.

I finally fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting Simpson, IL. This is about it for the place and all 56 people who live there.

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As most of you know, I like taking the scenic routes, and the road between Karber's Ridge and Elizabethtown is a great place to get lost. I'm going to have to go back and take a drive along the Ohio National Scenic By-way. There's still a lot more to see down there.

URGENT NOTICE!

Please see the latest post on my sister's blog. The timetable to contact your senators and congressman has been moved up to: now. New legislation apparently has been passed in Guatemala, and the Joint Council on International Children’s Services is advising to contact as suggested by tomorrow, October 5. There is still need to add a grandfather clause for existing adoptive families. The U.S. State Department is considering getting involved. I think it would be a measure of good faith on the part of the Guatemalan government before final passage of the bill. Thank you for your help.

*****UPDATE*****

I placed calls this morning (10/5) to Sen. Barack Obama's Washington office (202-224-2854), Sen. Dick Durbin's Springfield office (217-492-4062), and Rep. John Shimkus' Washington office (202-225-5271). Blaire at Obama's office was somewhat helpful. She didn't seem too aware of the issue, and I may not have explained it that well. The lady at Durbin's office (I didn't get her name) was very helpful and understanding (the Washington line was busy and recording suggested to call back). She stated they have a staffer working on this issue. Scott at Shimkus' office was not familiar with the newest developments, and he offered for the congressman to return his thoughts in writing. I explained the pressing deadline, and he seemed disaffected of the urgency (I'll reserve my already held notions of Shimkus at this time -- actually, that applies to all three).
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I called UNICEF (212-326-7000) and was transferred to the voice mail for Kate(?) Donovan. She is in media relations, and she is out of the office until Wednesday. The recording stated if you are calling regarding Guatemalan adoptions to fax a letter to: 212-326-7518 or 212-326-7768 (different fax numbers than provided by JCICS).

MOBOT

I made a short trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden this afternoon. You can't beat free (the nice lady just let me go). I hadn't been here since I was a little kid. No sign of the giant goldfish that I remembered, but the water in the lagoon is really murky.

Killer Clydesdales

I took a ride along Grant's Trail today, which really has nothing to do with Ulysses S. Grant other than it goes past his old farmstead. Now, I think the Busch's live around there. The trail itself was okay (about 18 miles round trip), but there are too many intersections for a consistent ride. The trail goes past the Budweiser stables (you can't miss the sign) where the Budweiser Clydesdales are bred and raised.
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I can understand why they need to post this sign along the fenceline.

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Yes, the ponies are cute.

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Or are they? Did you know that Anheuser-Busch is developing a vicious breed of Clydesdales?

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Seriously? I've never considered a horse to be a dangerous animal. I don't even know of rodeo broncos biting, and they have the most legitimate excuse. I'll just assume they're trying to scare stupid people from getting near the horses.

Kentucky No-Fly Zone

Update: This is just a note to clarify that I took this photo on I-24 as I was passing through the stretches of Kentucky last Friday (9/28). I thought it was an interesting sight to share.

Radnor Lake

I spent a couple nights in Nashville on may way back from Jacksonville, last week. I always enjoy visiting my good friends Scott & Natalie, and their son, Ford. Although I haven't lived there in 9 years, Nashville has always been a second home to me, and they have always extended me an open invitation (which could be questionable on their part).

I did take the time on Thursday to visit one of my favorite places in Middle Tennessee, Radnor Lake State Natural Area. These aren't the best pics, but I really didn't have the opportunity to catch the best light.

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Have I ever mentioned my fear of deer ? (rhyme not intentional)

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They're big, dumb, and spook easily. Throw in this guy's antlers and it could make for a gorey situation. However, the deer at Radnor have always been fairly friendly. There was one time I walked by one on a trail, and I could have slapped him on the rump as I past.

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This next photo is the last time I saw the sun until the end of my hike.

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I hadn't made it half way across this dam when it started raining. It soon turned into a torrential downpour that I couldn't see more than 10 feet ahead of me. I had to walk over a mile back to my car, and needless to say I was soaked ALL the way through. Chafing was a potential concern by the time I got to the parking lot. Of course, the rain totally stopped once I got to the lot. Thankfully, I had a complete change of clothes in the car, and the visitor's center provided the paper towels to dry off. It did take 3 days for my shoes to dry.

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Radnor has a lot of great nature programs. I once took a moonlight canoe float around the lake, and apparently they have some cave programs, too. It's also a popular place for bird-watchers. They charged a user fee a few years ago, but they've gone back to being completely free. The park has various levels of difficulty for the trails, with the two most rigorous completing a 4.5 mile loop around the lake. Otter Creek Road and the Lake Trail are the easiest on the immediate edges of the lake.

Guatemala 5000

As many of you know, my sister, Kristi, is adopting two babies from Guatemala. I went down there with her the first week of August to visit them for the first time, and you can see the updates from her blog (link also posted in the upper left in Favorites). The government in Guatemala is halting all international adoptions from non-Hague countries beginning January 1, 2008. The U.S. apparently will not be Hague compliant until later in the Spring (I think it may have to do with issues with the International Criminal Court).

Kristi has posted instructions on how to help. Hopefully, she will be able to get both of the kids out of PGN before the end of the year, however if there are any delays she could potentially lose either of them. Even once the U.S. becomes compliant, Guatemala will no longer be approving adoptions from single parents.

This affects 5,000 Guatemalan children and their adoptive families. The Joint Council on International Children’s Services is organizing a concentrated effort on October 9, 10, & 11 as stated here.

I'll probably post a reminder on the 9th. Thank you to all who help.

Still flying high

Congratulations to my brother, Mike. After serving for a few years as a RIO in an F-14 Tomcat, he has received orders that he will begin training as a WSO in the F-18 Super Hornet (pictured above) beginning in November. He and Karen are happy they will be staying in Norfolk, and Mike gets to return to flying again.

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Mike used to say that no matter who he talks to he knows he has a cooler job than they do. Brother, I think you can probably make that claim again. I'd love to take a ride, and I'm looking forward to new videos.