The weather has been beautiful but a little cool. I decided to go back over to Ha-Ha-Tonka on Mond
ay and hike some of the trail
s. I took the Boulder Ridge Trail first and went about a mile and a half on a loop trail. It was pretty rugged and rocky and I was surprised that they had a sign saying no bicycles on the trail...they would have to be carried over most of it. The Fall colors were in full display and the cool nights pretty much killed off most of 
the bugs that you would expect. The rocky outcrops were dolomite and they have weathered into very strange shapes. At one point I came across a small rock with two eye-sockets eroded into it and the way the sunlight hit it it looked like a small skull.....kind of creeped me out for a minute.
ay and hike some of the trail
s. I took the Boulder Ridge Trail first and went about a mile and a half on a loop trail. It was pretty rugged and rocky and I was surprised that they had a sign saying no bicycles on the trail...they would have to be carried over most of it. The Fall colors were in full display and the cool nights pretty much killed off most of 
the bugs that you would expect. The rocky outcrops were dolomite and they have weathered into very strange shapes. At one point I came across a small rock with two eye-sockets eroded into it and the way the sunlight hit it it looked like a small skull.....kind of creeped me out for a minute.
I took the Spring Trail which was also about a mile and a half. It went along the shore of the spring branch up past the island and into the gorge. There was once a mill there but all that is left is the mill dam. The trail hugs the rock wall on a
boardwalk. The spring flows out from under a rock wall at the head of the gorge. The trail then climbs 200 feet on an extensive boardwalk stairway to the top of the cliff and th
en finally winds its way back to the starting point. The climb is pretty exhausting and I was dressed too warmly so I was soaked by the time I got back to the car. It was a good day and I was a litle worried that my knee might give me trouble but it was fine.I got back to the condo and relaxed. I made a stromboli for supper...the first time I tried that -- and it was great. Watched the Phillies beat the Dodgers in the NLCS in the evening.
On Tuesday I made a trip back home to cut the front grass and take care of Watson. He is really lonely and couldn't get enough scratches and rubs. I feel sorry for him....I wish I could have brought him along. Jill gave him food on Sunday but his dish was empty and he was almost out of water. I got the grass cut and cleaned out Watson's litter box. The house looks good and it smell nice. The sunny weather makes it look even better. Watson and I had lunch together on the deck and he got some snacks when I left.
I got back down to the lake around 3 PM and went over to Lake of t
he Ozarks State Park to check out the trails they have there. I walked one that goes through an area that they are trying to reestablish the native savanah that was the prehistoric type of vegetation that was common throughout the Ozarks. Now the common vegetation is a scrub-oak jungle 
that is almost impenetrable but the savanah was wide open with trees spaced about twenty feet apart.The trail also goes therogh a prairie area with Big Bluestem grass that is nearly five feet tall. 
I spent some time at the lake picnic area and worked on a cedar walking stick that I want to use on my hikes. I got back to the condo around 5:30 and later made some chicken and vegetables for supper. There is supposed to be a meteor shower tonight and I ought to be able to see it from my balcony.
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