Clifton Gorge

Laura came home this morning for the weekend. It was another beautiful day, so we packed a picnic and took it up to John Bryan State Park near Dayton. Unfortunately, on leaving the interstate we ran into heavy traffic - apparently, I've discovered since, there was a big festival going on in nearby Yellow Springs. Our Garmin came to the rescue and we found a back route avoiding the main road. We enjoyed our picnic, then went for a hike in Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, which lies adjacent to the State Park. This preserve protects a scenic stretch of the Little Miami River, where it cuts through a dolomite and limestone gorge. Geologically, it is an outstanding example of interglacial and post-glacial canyon cutting. At one point, the river funnels through a deep, very narrow channel, which was apparently formed by the enlarging and connecting of a series of potholes in the resistant Silurian dolomite bedrock. In other sections of the gorge, where we were walking, cliff overhangs have broken off forming massive slump blocks scattered along the valley floor. It would have been nice to walk for longer, but we had to get back home and fix a quick dinner, before Laura and I went out this evening to the Aronoff Center to see the musical Beauty and the Beast. This was Laura's early birthday present to me, as she will be in Belize at the time of my birthday, doing the second half of her student teaching. It was a great show.

One year ago: Glorious Fall