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Hornings Hideout |
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I so need some free, personal time, but next week is all mine and a promise is a promise. The kids jumped when I told them where we were heading. Hornings Hideout is an interesting place with a little history and lots to do. A few of the things the area sports are weddings, mountain bike races, camping, fishing, hiking, disc golf, and wildlife. Without reading like a commercial, the joint is pretty neat, tucked away in the most odd of places, deep in a canyon in the surrounding hillside.
On our way up, I noticed my team riding up Pumpkin Ridge. I passed wave after wave before weaving through the last group. Slowly I approached as something did not seem right. A rider in front of me was in the middle, then the left, then the right sides of the road. I slowed to about eight miles per hour as I watched and waited. He was tired, and it was obvious, as his tire slipped off the edge of the pavement, sending him crashing to his side. I stopped as the ride leader professionally controlled the situation. I love my team. I emailed them later to find out, to my relief, the rider was AOK.
The day was stunning as we walked to the lake. The cool breeze was just right. The air was fresh as it could be. the only problem was we were notified that the fish were all gone. Bummed, we left our fishing gear in the truck while grabbing some nets and a boat to look for other creatures.
The kids scrounged around for salamanders, newts and crawdads while I hiked to the end of the lake and beyond, looking for some peace to have a short think. Fifteen minutes was all it took as my thoughts deepened and my senses reveled in the smell permeating throughout the damp woods. Campo was on my mind, along with a couple of other things I can't mention of yet as I do not understand the things myself. Thoughts of Campo filled my head with images, blocking out what my eyes saw within their scope.
I slowly returned to see Amber holding a mini lobster. She was giddy, as was lil' Johnny, at being able to catch so many creatures.
The salamanders she caught via boat were enormous. In fact, I have never seen any larger than these guys. Hard to tell by the pics, these things were nearly nine inches long.
Amber was obsessed, so I left her to her obsessions and walked with Johnny to one of the play structures.
We had fun chasing each other around before sliding down the slide together. After that, a tire swing entertained us for some time. Sometimes I just do not believe I am 40.
The kids were hungry and it was starting to get quite crowded, so we decided to head out, taking pictures of the local inhabitance along the way. I still have that promise to keep to them, but it still turned out to be an awesome day.
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