Dawes Arboretum

Sunday
Back this evening from a weekend camping in the Newark/Zanesville area - east central Ohio. It was another hot one with temperatures in the upper eighties. This morning we did a relatively short bike ride through Blackhand gorge, a narrow sandstone gorge cut by the Licking River. The name Blackhand, for which the preserve is named, originated from a dark, hand-shaped Indian petroglyph which was engraved on the face of a massive sandstone cliff along the north side of the river. Unfortunately the engraving was destroyed in 1828 when canal builders dynamited the cliff face, during construction of the Ohio-Erie Canal, which once ran through the gorge - remnants of it can be seen today. I was a bit disappointed from a photographers viewpoint as I couldn't get a decent shot of the gorge - too many trees in the way - I needed my "photographic axe"! Then we went on to Dawes Arboretum for a picnic and a quick explore, before returning to the campsite to take the camper down and return home. Dawes Arboretum was founded by Beman and Bertie Dawes in 1929 on their Licking County property. They were inspired by their love for trees and nature. Beman had worked in the family lumber industry as a young man, and as his passion for and knowledge of trees grew, so did his desire to share what he had learned with the public. As a self-taught naturalist and gardener, Bertie also was eager to educate others about the natural world. Their collaborative efforts inspired the creation of The Dawes Arboretum. We didn't really have enough time to do it justice, but at least we saw two of the highlights - the Japanese garden and this 2,040 feet long hedge lettering, spelling out Dawes Arboretum. I have visited the arboretum once before, with our daughter Jenny, when they were living in Columbus, but Roger wasn't with us that time.
Having got home, we had a quick dinner, then settled down to watch the final of the World Cup which I had recorded. Now its time for bed. I shall backblip the rest of the weekend and also last weekend, another camping weekend. I'm really struggling for inspiration however while I'm at home - for one thing, its been so hot, so I'm not spending much time outside. But I'm determined to do better this week, so wish me luck!

One year ago: Change of plans