If I Can't Then I'll Hike

As most of you know already I have been having some trouble with my health and as a result the doctor recommended that I take it easy until we get the test results back on Monday the 25th. Define take it easy. No major bike rides! But I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing. I had the week off work so we decided to do some hiking and go to the Wild Winds Buffalo Preserve.

The Buffalo Preserve was very cool. We loaded into the back of a pick up truck that had raised seating and drove out into the 400 acre preserve. I wondered why the seating was raised. I later learned that buffalo can jump flat footed 5 to 6 feet in the air. Some other interesting facts about buffalo are; They can swim as well or better then man, they can run 35 to 40 miles an hour and keep that pace up for hours without stopping, they accelerate to 35 MPH in three steps, and they can bend in half thus turning in a 24” circle. The animals were amazing and powerful.

We hiked three times over the last 5 days for a total of about 14 miles, two 4 mile hikes and one 6 mile hike. I had the Baby strapped to my back in the ergo, FGB strapped on a little day pack and Mrs. DM snapped the photos. We saw many different types of fungus and several species of caterpillar, butterfly, and moth. On two of the hikes we heard the hooting of an owl. Of course there were deer, chipmunks, squirrels, moles, rabbits, and more birds then I can name. With all of the biking I had forgoton how nice hiking can be. By the way all 14 miles were in Steuben County, the hilly county, and we climbed the second highest hill in the county for a breathtaking view of the forest below. The family and I have decided to try and hike all of the parks within a two-hour drive of our house, exploring every trail. I’m excited to hike with Mrs. DM but I am eager to get on the bike again. The weather is supposed to be nice starting Tuesday or Wednesday so I’ll probably do a little 15 Miler with FGB.