Cory: Even though Mom still has some posts she needs to do about places that we canines couldn’t go, she said that I could skip ahead of her and tell you about Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio.
Lark: Hey, whatcha doing?
Cory: Getting ready to write about Hocking Hills State Park.
Lark: Hocking, what? Is that like when you get something caught in your throat and think you are going to choke. So, you cough, and nasty stuff comes up?
Cory: Gross. No. It’s a state park. In Ohio.
Lark: Wait, we’re in Ohio now? I thought we were in Kentucky. Kentucky was lame, I tell you. Nothing for dogs to see once we left that great campground in Birdsville. All that horse stuff was for losers. Really big losers.
Cory: Where have you been? We’ve been in Ohio for almost two weeks now.
Lark: All I’ve seen is the inside of the trailer. Ohio is a snoozefest.
Cory: Ohio is really pretty. Haven’t you noticed all the leaves turning colors? And those rolling hills.
Lark: We must be on two different wavelengths. Come to think of it, all I’ve seen is the inside of my crate.
Cory: Well, there is that.
Lark: What do you mean-“that”.
Cory: Remember when you pulled Dad down into that ditch and he hurt his foot?
Lark: Which time?
Cory: The last time, you dope. Anyway. Dad’s foot hurts and he has trouble walking especially when you are pulling him. So… you are in time out.
Lark: Oh. I think it’s more like time in.
Cory: While you have been snoozing when you were supposed to be contemplating your behavior, I’ve been out seeing the sites with Mom and Dad.
Lark: What sights? Leaves falling from the trees? Rocks and more rocks?
Cory: As a matter of fact, that’s what we have been seeing. And since you don’t like rocks, maybe you should just butt out of this conversation and see if you can find a way to make it up to Dad. We’ve got another three weeks on the road and that crate is going to get awful small before it’s over.
Lark: Whatever. I don’t care about that hocking place anyway.
Cory: As I was saying, Hocking Hills is a beautiful state park in south central Ohio. It contains 2,356 acres of land of which 17 acres is water. The park was established in 1924 and contains seven separate hiking areas, Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, Cedar Falls, Conkle’s Hollow, Old Man’s Cave, Rock House, and the Hemlock Bridge Trail to Whispering Cave. As you can tell, a lot of the park is made of deep gorges and caves made when water eroded the Blackhand Sandstone. Even if you don’t like going in caves, there are a lot of things to do in Hocking Hills State Park including hiking, swimming, boating, rafting and rock climbing.
Lark: Rocks. What is it with the rocks?
Cory: Ignore her. Lots of people like to go there for bird watching and looking at the plants which include several rare plants that grow in places that you don’t normally find them like Canadian yew and bigleaf magnolias. Because the climate changes so much with the terrain, some places are really cold, and others are warm. And the water flow is different depending on the season. In the spring, the waterfalls are big and the lakes and ponds, particularly around the caves are full. When we were there, the water wasn’t flowing much and some of the ponds and streams were dry. Mom let me get my feet wet, but she was worried about algae so I couldn’t swim.
Lark: Poor baby.
Cory: Who’s the poor baby? I think I was hiking while you were locked in your crate! We hiked the Old Man’s Loop and the Ash Trail Cave Loop. There were so many things to see like rock bridges and tunnels and big huge caves where people used to live.
Lark: Sounds like I didn’t miss much.
Cory: Oh, but you did. It was so much fun being out with Mom and Dad. I like being the only dog.
Lark: Hmm. I could fix it, so you go live somewhere else where you are the only dog.
Cory: We had to climb up and around a lot of rocks. I helped Mom on the stairs and carried a backpack with all the water that we needed. I didn’t want her to get sick like that time in Arizona when she got dehydrated.
Lark: Brown Noser.
Cory: The caves weren’t the kind that you think of with tunnels and no access to light. Instead, they were like big rooms with one side open. The floors were sand and when people walked, they kicked up the sand and the light shined through it. It was interesting.
Lark: Yeah, right.
Cory: And in some places, water fell from the top of the cave which was way high up. The light made the water drops sparkle, too.
Lark: So poetic.
Cory: Everything had interesting names, like Devil’s Bathtub, a large pool carved into the rock by water, and the Sphinx which was a big rock in the shape of a head.
Lark: Who comes up with this stuff?
Cory: I guess you had to be there, but it was a really nice place to hike. And I was lucky to be there! There were a lot of other dogs there, too. Hocking Hills is very dog friendly. There is only one place where dogs can’t go-Conkle’s Hollow. I think that they have deer there.
Lark: Now, you’re talking.
Cory: We can go everywhere else, but inside the buildings.
Lark: Ho Hum.
Cory: In the afternoon, Mom and her friends went for a walk around Rose Lake. I decided to stay at the trailer with Dad and you.
Lark: Oh, yeah. That fun filled place where I had been all day.
Cory: Well, maybe if you would act a little nicer, you could go hiking, too. You need to learn some manners.
Lark: Hey, I am a graduate of puppy school. I even have a diploma.
Cory: Then, start using that brain of yours so you can come with us.
Lark: I thought you liked being an only dog.
Cory: I do. But I also enjoy hearing you get yelled at.
Lark: I’ll show you some yelling.
Cory: Lark get off me!
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