Camping

 We managed one camping trip this summer to the property. We went over Eric's birthday (also known as 4th of July weekend) and got to hear fireworks in the distance. We have rented a portable toilet to make the camping experience a little more enjoyable. Our new neighbor was also there camping for the weekend. He drove over his mower and mowed an area in the pasture area perfect for tent, camper and fire. This helped greatly with the ticks (!!) but they were still very prevalent. Cady chose to sleep in her hammock in the trees.

Besides the ticks, we had other wildlife encounters - found a box turtle (cute!), caught some fireflies and Maren got stung by a wasp (boo). 

We did a little exploring, found more crags to climb, got a little lost on the property and found blooming rhododendrons! 

I'm also making a mental note of all the different tree species on the property - I hope to make a geo-referenced map of some of them. Down by Laurel Creek I found an American Hornbean, Carpinus caroliniana, and some umbrella magnolias, Magnolia tripetala. The hornbean is going to be gorgeous this fall. 

We spent Saturday afternoon at Cave Run Lake - just swimming. We look forward to coming back with our boats or even renting a house boat on the Lake and exploring it more. 

All in all it was a beautiful weekend in Kentucky!