Hiking: Cave Spring Park

 

On the trail.

This weekend we once again hit the trail with a hike we found in our new Hiking Kansas City book, that at Cave Spring Park. The park is a small tract of forest along the former Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. Pioneers and traders would stop at the small spring on their first day on the trail, after departing from Independence, Missouri. The park history included a marker for the pioneer trail camps, a few old chimneys that are the mid-twentieth century remnants of a Free Mason Country Club, and a marker for Harry Truman's grandfather, who owned the land in the late nineteenth century.

 

 

Cave Springs in the cave state.

This small cave, for which the park is named, had a tiny spring flowing from it's interior. There was also a small spring-fed pond on the other side of the park.

 

 

Little dude, big trees.

  

The park is only 40 acres nestled in the city, but there were many paths winding through the forest, making it feel much larger. There were also a few small streams and bridges, and we even saw a deer at the start of our hike. There was a small waterfall near what seemed to be an old dam, but a tree had recently fallen over the tiny falls, making them hard to see. All of the remnants of human history combined with some cool natural features made this a really sweet afternoon adventure.

 

Hiking crew. 

Kansas City: Heart of America Shakespeare Festival

 

King Lear program and button.

Each summer, one of our favorite June activities is attending the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in Southmoreland Park. This year's production, King Lear, was dramatic and dark, but a great performance and a lovely time as usual.

 

 

Festival entrance.

The festival has a pre-show talk and many booths with concessions of wine, sandwiches, and popcorn, but we usually just bring our picnic basket and hang out on the lawn for a few minutes before the show. A fresh baguette, some cheese, dips, fruit, small chocolates, and wine are the perfect accompaniment to the drama.

 

 

We met The Bard himself!

 

 

Clouds in the distance.

The weather is often hot and humid during the festival, but this year it was a bit cooler and more comfortable than usual. There were beautiful clouds off to the north and east, which provided a bit of extra intrigue for the show- at the point when King Lear is leaving the castle the play includes a storm, which on the night we attended was supplemented with real lightning off in the distance. The performance starts at 8 pm, and the sun goes down throughout the first half of the play. It's quite magical to grow increasingly interested in the story and characters as the sun retreats, and the sunset truly heightens the drama of the performance. 

 

 

The view of the stage from our blanket.

The festival is free, but there are options for reserved seats or reserved blanket space. We just opt for the free grassy area and give a small donation.

 

 

Picnic basket.

  

Hiking: Jerry Smith Park

 

Storm clouds behind us on the trail. We narrowly avoided the rain.

 Recently, I purchased a book titled Hiking Kansas City. While there are many resources on the internet for finding natural areas, sometimes the wealth of information makes it hard to find spots nearby. Books like this one are oftentimes more helpful that the web, as they are concise and to the point. Plus, after spending hours in front of a screen for work, it is much more pleasant to page through paper than to spend time on my phone or computer. This past weekend, we took our first hike from the book, at Jerry Smith Park in south KC. We may have never learned about this great spot without the book.

The park was a little tough to find, but was really lovely once we arrived. We completed the 2.5 mile hiking loop through restored prairie, and walked around the small fishing lake. The park was full of wildflowers, and had many areas of stone where little dude could seek out fossils.  We also spied the seventeen-year cicada, and a variety of birds. I'm very much looking forward to hiking here again, and to seeing how the landscape changes with the seasons.

 

 

Wildflowers.

 

 

One of the forested parts of the trail.

 

 

More wildflowers.

 

 

Fossil hunting. We found a variety of coral fossils, and some worm-like fossils.

 

 

Cicada. 

Summer to-do

 

Summer always goes by too fast, and while we have some solid traditions, like Royals games, garden time, camping, Shakespeare in the Park, and frozen yogurt trips, there are a few things we've desired to try or do more frequently, but never seem to get around to. This year we made a list of things we want to do, with the hope that a written out list will motivate us. Some of these are things we have done, but it's been a few years, others are things we have yet to try. The list is:

- Go to the drive-in movie theater

- Go to a T-bones game (minor league baseball)

- Picnic in Loose Park and picnic at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

- Go to a Sporting KC game (soccer)

- Have a garden party

- Go to Powell Gardens

- Spend a day at one of the local lakes

- Go to an outdoor movie

Here's to the long days of summer!

 

Rockhaven camp trip

 

 Last weekend brought fantastic weather to the area, and so we decided to take an impromptu Saturday night camp trip out to Clinton Lake State Park in Kansas, specifically the Rockhaven area. So often, when we talk about camping with friends, they express how they find it difficult or unpleasant. I'm pretty convinced that this comes from not having the right gear, or not knowing how to camp with ease. When I observe other people's sagging tents or a layout of snacks on the picnic table, I see a damp tent interior (dew will soak the interior of your tent if the two layers aren't tight and separated, easily done with proper set up) and a bunch of racoons and mice (keep food sealed up and in a container). A few easy fixes- like putting away chairs beneath the picnic table at night to keep them dry, using a self-inflatable mattress to prevent sleeping on rocks, and ventilating your tent will make camping much more enjoyable. Learning how to build a proper fire (without the cardinal sin of lighter fluid) and bringing along proper dish-cleaning materials will also bring amazing rewards.

We really enjoyed our time in the woods, and even had a visit from friends who live in Lawrence and brought their kiddos out for a campfire dinner and smores. We took a short mile-long hike through the woods in the late afternoon, and had a lovely time relaxing with coffee and pancakes in the morning. There really is nothing like fresh air and time outdoors to recharge the soul.

 

七夕 Tanabata

 

Today is Tanabata, or the Star Festival. This summer festival, celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month, represents the one day a year when a mythical prince and princess- Orihime and Hikoboshi- represented by stars (Vega and Altair) meet across the Milky Way. The festival is often celebrated by writing a wish on a sheet of paper, and tying it to a bamboo frond. Little dude wrote his wish, for a giraffe and for happiness, on a yellow paper, which he tied to bamboo as part of a class project. The kids also made stars with Orihime and Hikoboshi on each side, crafted paper chains, and attached shiny decorations to big strands of bamboo, which they brought home from school last week. May your wishes come true this year!

Tokyo Disneyland! 東京ディズ二ランド

Tanabata festival decorations.

After all the stress of the past month, last week little dude and I took a random Thursday off from work and school and hopped the train out to Tokyo Disneyland. We spent the day riding rides, meeting characters, and eating popcorn. We made Tanabata wishes and watched parades. Little dude recently hit the 102 centimeter mark, so we were able to go on a few rides for the first time, including Star Tours (huge impression there!) and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The latter was my absolute favorite ride growing up. My Dad and I would go on it as many times as we could on our trips to Florida. Little dude has seen Big Thunder Mountain from the Western Railway ride on our past two visits to Tokyo Disneyland, and as Thunder Mountain is a train, he has expressed great interest in the ride. Well, our day finally came. It was so much fun that we went on it twice.

Little dude's Tanabata wish- to go on all the rides and to have fun. Mine was to finish my dissertation!

 Too bright to look into the camera...

 Woot! 

 Waiting in line, the excitement builds.

 Train coaster! 

 Meeting characters by Splash Mountain.

 Curry at the Hungry Bear Restaurant for lunch.

 Studying the map while waiting for a ride.

 Parade time.

 Waving to Toy Story friends.

 My favorite- Alice in Wonderland.

 More parade!

 They let the kid drive!

 The Electrical Parade, always a perfect end to the day.

Done.

The little guy fell asleep within minutes of the finish of the Electrical Parade, and we went home happy. Disney was a great way to celebrate the completion of my research presentation; taking a spontaneous day off to head to the park was something I have wanted to do since arriving in Tokyo, and it was really a great time. Little dude made many new friends, and a few high school girls even took photos together with him. I can't wait to go back.  

Hydrangeas アジサイ

Tsuyu, or rainy season, is approaching its end (I hope!). The humidity can be unbearable, and the consecutive days of heavy rain are arduous, especially when we walk everywhere, and depend on sunny days to dry our laundry. Hydrangeas are a symbol of tsuyu, and one of the things that helps to keep spirits up in the face of difficult weather. There are seemingly endless varieties of the flowers here, and in amazingly vibrant colors. A few weeks ago we walked through the hydrangeas at Asukayama Park, taking in their beauty while a light rain fell.