At 812 feet, Jerimoth Hill is the highest point in Rhode Island. It ranks #46 among all U.S. state high points and was my 9th on the journey to visit the high point of every state.
Located in Foster, Rhode Island, near the Connecticut border, Jerimoth Hill is about 30 minutes west of downtown Providence. Named after early settler Jerimoth Brown (1783–1830), it’s one of the most accessible high points in the country—and also one of the easiest to overlook if you’re not paying attention.
One of my favorite parks I have visited thus far is Natural Bridge State Park in Kentucky. I think alot had to do with it being the “perfect storm” of events – I stayed in the park at the Hemlock Lodge, there weren’t a ton of people there, I got up and went hiking early, and when I got to the Natural Bridge, I was the only person on the bridge! And seeing how popular this park is, I was lucky to have the solitude and serenity.
About the park: Tucked within the Daniel Boone National Forest, Natural Bridge State Park is a 2,300-acre park that features a magnificent, natural sandstone arch. The bridge spans an incredible 78 feet and reaches 65 feet high, towering over an area nicknamed, “Kentucky’s Land of Arches.” The park also highlights over 20 miles of hiking trails to famous Kentucky sights like Fat Man’s Squeeze, Balanced Rock, and Lover’s Leap.
My hike: My room overlooked the lake area, which intrigued me, so despite knowing that I was going to hike down hill and then back up to the lodge parking lot to the Original Trail – about a total of a 1/2 mile. I did it and I was happy as it gave me a chance to explore more of this beautiful park. At the parking lot, there were several signs about bears, and knowing I was hiking alone and that there were few people out hiking, I had a little trepidation, but went on. I have since better educated myself on bears and what to do and I also carry bear spray as a last resort.
From the parking lot, I continued up the Original Trail to the Natural Bridge. This is the steepest part of the trail with an elevation change of 420 ft. It is a beautiful hike through the forest surrounded by hemlock, tulip trees, white pines and thickets of rhododendron. And of course, I saw my favorite – mushrooms – and had to take a picture.
Pictures: Some of the rock formations on the Original Trail up to the Natural Bridge
Pictures: Mushrooms – the beauty of nature | The Original Trail
As you come to the top of the Original Trail, you come around a bend, and see the Natural Bridge for the first time. I was not prepared for how magnificent it was going to be and the closer I got to it, the more awe-inspiring it was. It always amazes me at the power of nature and what it can create. The trail continues up until you are right under the bridge. From under the bridge, there is a super – yes super – narrow walkway – next to the bridge – that takes you up to the top of the bridge.
Pictures: More of the underside of the Natural Bridge
Pictures: The super narrow stairway up to the top of the Natural Bridge
The second WOW – being on top of the bridge. I wasn’t prepared for the magnificent views and to be on such a daunting structure – it was super cool. And I’ll be honest – with my slight fear of heights, it was a bit scary on top, but well worth it! It should be noted, and as you can see from the pictures, there are no guardrails up there – just some warning signs to be careful near the edge. There are stories of people being careless and falling off, so be careful on top. From the top of the Natural Bridge, you can see Lookout Point in the distance – where I am headed to next.
Pictures: My first view of the top of the Natural Bridge | The massive beauty of the bridge
Pictures: The beautiful morning fog in the valley | Me on top of the world!
From the Natural Bridge I took the Laurel Ridge Trail (#9) – a hike along the rim of the cliffs, where you will eventually pass the Skylift – a chair lift taking people up to the top. The trail then winds out to Lookout Point – the sandstone cliff you could see from the Natural Bridge. From Lookout Point, you get more amazing views and you can look back at the Natural Bridge. There is quite a big drop off from the point, and again there are no guard rails, so be careful as you get near the edge. I took a moment and had breakfast on Lookout Point, taking in the beauty and enjoying the serenity nature has to offer.
The trail continues along the rim and it can be narrow at some points, with some step drop-offs. Next you will come to two, very steep, stairs – Devil’s Gulch and Needle’s Eye – both will take you down to Battleship Rock Trail (#3). However, I continued on the trail to Lover’s Leap – another overlook with breathtaking views of the canyon below.
Pictures: Views from Lover’s Leap
Lover’s Leap is a dead end, so after enjoying the views, I turnaround and headed back. I decided to go down Needle’s Eye – built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps – which is very steep – so I took my time going down. At the base of the stairs, you connect to Battleship Rock Trail (#3). I took the trail back towards the Natural Bridge and along the way you will pass Battleship Rock and other beautiful rock formations. And for the life of me, I am not sure why I don’t have a picture of Battleship Rock?
Pictures: Needle’s Eye
Pictures: The hike along Battleship Rock Trail
Back at the Natural Bridge, I connected to the Rock Garden Trail (#4) which winds around below the cliffs and eventually takes you back to the Hemlock Lodge. I am so happy I decided to take this trail as you pass by more spectacular rock formations.
Pictures: Rock formations along Rock Garden Trail
Pictures: More rock formations along Rock Garden Trail
I was glad that I started out my day early and that I did not check out as I was able to take a shower and change before check out time and before I hit the road again. The total distance for the hike was about 4 miles and took me about 2 hrs. as I stopped several times. I highly recommend a visit to Natural Bridge State Park in Kentucky!
Date of visit: 16 September 2022
Brown County State Park is by far the largest State Park in Indiana encompassing nearly 16,000 acres. It’s nicknamed the “Little Smokies” because of the area’s resemblance to the Great Smoky Mountains with rugged hills, ridges and fog-shrouded ravines. Sorry, I didn’t see the resemblance, but none-the-less it is a beautiful park. I also realized as I am writing this, that I should have done more research on the park and area as I missed out on a lot that both have to offer. The park is located near Nashville, Indiana – a picture postcard of a town and an artisan community with over 200 galleries. And from the park’s website – the top five things to do:
Oh well, I guess I need to make another visit to the park to experience the top 5 things to do. I also didn’t know there was a 7-vista challenge, which I would have been all over as many of you know how competitive I am. (Funny, I just noticed as I was looking at the pictures of the West Lookout Tower, there is a sign on the frame noting this is vista #1 in the challenge – missed that entirely!) With all that said, I did enlist the help of AllTrails to find the best trails to hike. I started out on the HHC TRAIL, a moderate 3.6 mile trail, with an elevation gain of 482 feet, that extends east from west lookout, continues to near Hesitation Point, and then southwest to parking area at Ogle Lake and Trail 7, where I started my hike.
I first took the trail up to Hesitation Point, one of the most popular vistas in the park with its picturesque views. The trail then goes parallel to the road, which I never understand why trails go so close to the road as it seems counterintuitive to being in the outdoors hiking. But enough of my rant. The next vista is West Lookout Tower Vista. There is a two-story tower overlooking the valley and apparently is the perfect stop for a glorious Brown County sunset. It was fashioned after structures built for surveyors who were working in the area. Map makers lived in the upper level while horses and livestock were stabled below.
Pictures: The entrance to Brown County State Park near Nashville, Indiana
Pictures: Trail #8 trailhead | The trail up to Hesitation Point
Pictures: The lower area for horses | View of the valley from the tower
From the West Lookout Tower it was back down to the parking lot. I enjoyed this portion of the trail – away from the road through a beautiful forest and along a ravine. Once back to the parking lot, I decided to go around the lake on Trail #7 – a 1.2 mile loop with a slight elevation gain of 36 feet. (the Indiana Department of Natural Resources marks this trail as moderate, not sure why because they also mark trail #8 as moderate?) Ogle Lake is a 17-acre lake for fishing and boating. It was a nice hike and gave me some additional miles for the day.
As I was hiking trail #8 and then trail #7, I noticed all these temporary markers and wondered what they were for. Well near the end of my hike, I ran into a volunteer and found out that they were setting up for a major trail race – Dances With Dirt | Gnaw Bone. They tout it as the world’s most difficult 10K and you should expect double your road time and triple your effort! Sounds like fun? (actually it does as I love trail running) They also have a 5K, 13.1M, 26.2M, 50K, and 50M – yes a 50-miler!
Pictures: Ogle Lake | The marshy area at the end of the lake
Pictures: The area around the lake can be wet and marshy, so there are bridges and stumps to navigate
Date of visit: 18 May 2023
And on my way up to Illinois and Starved Rock State Park, I rewarded myself with some soft serve ice cream from the Dairy Bar in Lizton, IN – just northwest of Indianapolis.
In the few years I lived in Ohio, I never made it to Hocking HIlls State Park despite my colleagues and friends raving about it and camping there. And after visiting the park, I can see why there was so much hype about it! It’s a gorgeous park with over 25-miles of hiking trails, spectacular rock formations, beautiful waterfalls and amazing recess caves. There is a ton to see and I would highly recommend you dedicate at least one full day to the park. The park is definitely very busy during peak times, but I found that the further into the park you hike, the less people you will come across. With that said, I would still recommend visiting during an off-peak time, so you can really enjoy the park’s beauty.
I took the Gorge Overlook Loop via the Buckeye Trail which is 6.3 miles with a modest elevation gain of 429 feet and it will take you at least 2 hrs. 15 minutes (more if you take your time at the different sights along the way). I also added an out-and-back to Whispering Cave which adds another 1.0 mile, has a pretty good elevation gain of 300 feet, and it was definitely worth the extra time (probably another 30-minutes). It should also be noted that many of the trails in the park are one way.
The first area to explore is the Old Man’s Cave area which is broken up into five principal sections – Upper Falls, Upper Gorge, Middle Falls, Lower Falls and Lower Gorge. Old Man’s Cave got its name from the hermit, Richard Rowe, who lived in the large recess cave of the gorge. His family moved to the Ohio River Valley around 1796 from the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee to establish a trading post. Interesting note – Richard is actually buried beneath the ledge of the main recess cave and his two brothers are also buried in the same area.
Being so close to the parking lot, the Upper Falls area is one of the busiest parts of the park you will encounter.
Next you’ll come across The Devil’s Bathtub – a unique, tiered waterfall between the Upper Falls and Old Man’s Cave. The tub is situated in a weak layer of Black Hand Sandstone and is constantly enlarged by the swirling action of Old Man’s Creek. Although the pool is rumored to extend deep into the depths of Hades, it’s only a few feet deep!
Pictures: A couple of the incredible rock formations
As you make your way through the gorge, you will crisscross Old Man’s Creek. I found the new concrete Step Bridge pretty cool and fun to walk over. These steps are below the A-Frame Bridge that you’ll cross near the end of your hike.
Pictures: The New Step Bridge | Rock Formation
The area around Old Man’s Cave can be a bit confusing with the one way trails, entrances and exits. But I was able to navigate it, although I think I went out the entrance to get back to the main trail. I found the tunnel to get their uber cool and the cave to be jaw droppijng at how expansive and beautiful it was. The Middle Falls are right by the cave. From here I resumed my trek south to the lower falls.
Pictures: Middle Falls and Old Man’s Cave | Tunnel to the Old Man’s Cave
Pictures: Old Man’s Cave
I found that once I got past the Lower Falls, the crowds thinned out a quite a bit. Not that it was super crowded the day I was there, but relative to the Old Man’s Cave area, the rest of the hike had minimal people. From the Lower Falls, you head south and you will continue to see amazing rock formations.
Pictures: More amazing rock formations
At the southern end of the park, you have a choice, you can head west on the Hemlock Bridge Trail to the Whispering Cave Trail or continue east on the Buckeye Trail. I decided to check out Whispering Cave and I am so happy I did. Out and back is a mile and there is a bit of an elevation gain on this trail. It should be noted that the Hemlock Bridge Trail is ONE WAY and takes you all the way back to the Visitor Center after Whispering Cave. So before you decide to do this side excursion, read my note below – it’s after the pictures of Whispering Cave. Once on the Hemlock Bridge Trail you will cross a small foot suspension bridge. I personally think elements like these really make hiking fun and unique.
As you climb up towards Whispering Cave Trail you’ll pass some incredible Honeycomb Weathered Sandstone. There are many theories on what causes the honeycombs and currently it is considered to be polygenetic in origin; being the result of complex interaction of physical and chemical weathering processes, which include salt weathering and cyclic wetting and drying.
Eventually you will come to the Whispering Cave Trail – a short out-and-back trail to Whispering Cave.
Pictures: Entrance to Whispering Cave | View looking out of Whispering Cave | Inside Whispering Cave
So here is my note regarding taking the Hemlock Bridge Trail: Now, I realize this is wrong and I hopefully won’t get any hate mail for this, but as it was not too busy at the park and I passed people going in the wrong direction on the Hemlock Bridge Trail, I went back down the Hemlock Bridge Trail to the Buckeye Trail. I.e. I too went in the wrong direction on this short section (0.3 mile) of the Hemlock Bridge Trail. I was respectful and gave everyone going in the right direction, the right of way.
Along the southern section of the park, you will come across some amazing trees and see the magnificent gorge walls. Eventually you will reach Whispering Falls. Whispering Falls doesn’t consistently flow (as was the case when I was there) and is a narrow plume of water that shoots off the towering rock face into Queer Creek gorge below.
Pictures: One of the many trees growing on the rocks | The steep walls of the gorge
Pictures: Natural Tunnel formed by a giant block leaning against the cliff | More of the magnificent walls of the gorge
The trail along the southern portion of the park is spectacular and well worth the hike. There are small waterfalls and more amazing rock formations. Eventually you will reach Cedar Falls – another very popular spot as there is a parking lot nearby. Cedar Falls itself is the greatest waterfall in terms of volume in the Hocking region. Queer Creek tumbles over the face of the Blackhand sandstone displaying the awesome force of water power.
Pictures: Rock Formation | Small Waterfall
Pictures: More Rock Formations
From the base of the gorge, you proceed up a long flight of stairs and will see signs for the Suspension Bridge. It’s a cool bridge adorned with a decorative piece at the top – a representation of one of the park’s geological features known as “The Sphinx.” From here you will continue along a ridge – overlooking the gorge below – then up to Rose Lake.
Pictures: Suspension Bridge | Rose Lake
Going to Rose Lake is a little bit of a detour, but you don’t have a choice due to the valley and stream that runs from the lake to the cliff above Queer Gorge. Once you cross the Rose Lake Dam, you head back south to the rim of the gorge and follow it west, then eventually north back towards the Visitor Center. This part of the trail is wooded and has a vibe than the gorge below. One of my many finds were some mushrooms, not edible, but I am always fascinated by the beauty of mushrooms.
You finish up your hike crossing the A-Frame bridge with views of the gorge below. And for the life of me, I am not sure why I don’t have a picture of the bridge? I only have a picture from the bridge, looking down on the gorge below. Perhaps my phone battery was dying as I was tracking my entire hike on an app.
Date of visit: 13 September 2022
Hoosier Hill stands at 1,257 feet above sea level and ranks #44 among U.S. state high points, just behind Campbell Hill in Ohio. This marked my eighth state high point, and thanks to their close proximity—and the lack of any real hiking—it’s easy to pair the two together in a single trip.
If you’re picturing a big hike or dramatic summit views, Campbell Hill will definitely surprise you. Ohio’s highest point—#7 on my state high-point journey—is tucked inside a career technical high school in Bellefontaine, about 50 miles northwest of Columbus. It’s low-key, easy to visit, and way more interesting than I expected.
At 1,549 feet above sea level, Campbell Hill ranks #43 among U.S. state high points, which explains why it feels more like a quick stop than a full-blown adventure. Park, walk a few steps, take a few photos, and you’re done.
Most of you know that I try to live a very healthy lifestyle – exercising – eating in moderation – and eating healthy. My workouts tend to be strenuous and I take pre and post workout nutritional supplements. But most of these products have fillers, artificial flavors, and ingredients our bodies just didn’t need. In doing my research I found these products by Natural Force, and it just made sense that I should use these products as most of the ingredients are ingredients I already use in my smoothies! I have just started using the Raw Tea and the Organic Recovery Nectar and I have to say, they definitely help! They are a little different, and not fruity and artificially sweetened like many supplements, so be aware. The Raw Tea, tastes like an intense unsweetened Raw Tea, and the Organic Recovery Nectar definitely has notes of Spirulina, a natural “algae”. BUT don’t let that sway you away from trying these amazing products! Your body deserves the best!
Yesterday, I made my version of the Green Goddess Bowl, a dish we made at Life Alive in Boston. It’s Brown Rice topped with Steamed Kale, Broccoli & Tofu, Fresh Avocado and a Ginger Nama Shoyu Sauce. A nutritious, filling and satisfying lunch!
I have a new favorite online market for Organic and Nutritious foods – it’s called Thrive Market. And if you use this link, you will get 25% off your first order! Thrive Market They have an amazing selection and you can’t beat the prices, plus free shipping on orders over $49!
This summer I became a home farmer and it has become so rewarding and fulfilling! We have three raised beds at our house and we are growing a variety of vegetables and herbs. I love being able to walk outside and harvest just what we need for the days meal. We are growing three types of heirloom tomatoes – Red Marglobe, Mr. Stripey, and Black Cherry Tomatoes. So as the tomatoes were ripe for the picking, I decided to make a Caprese salad – fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella balls, a drizzle of EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), a dash of Himalayan pink salt and some cracked black pepper. A simple, yet delicious meal!
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