Nature Journal

Oct. 25



The trail rider hangs onto every last open golden day of autumn just like it might be the last.  Although all signs warn of the coming cold – the trees are becoming spinier and leafless, bugs non-existent  – the surge of warmth brings in enough bikers to fill the entire parking lot at Levis.  Out onto Yellow Jacket Trail, a couple of miles inland from the parking lot, out in the vast Clark County Forest, what used to be limited

Julia on Swamp Cut Trail, Levis Mound Trails

close-range viewing as you pass now opens to grander spaces.  Sounds of the forest become crisper as the leaves have coated the trails and every turn of the tire crunches, once in awhile skipping over hidden roots or timber placed to jump. The occasional wooden planks used to cover marshy patches are smooth sailing and fun to try to stay on.