Hocking Hills

Late October afternoons are short. We do not fancy driving home in the dark. We were travelling east from Circleville, and entering the Hocking Hills. After we left the State Park heading towards Route 33, i remarked to my nephew, "why are there so many rental cabins?".  He said, "Because we are so far from a city".  I responded, "It is a well known fact, that Athens Ohio is the center of the universe". No response.  Me, "what Columbus don't count?".  He, "too far".

We made our next stop at the John Glenn Observatory. It is designated a "dark site", suitable for viewing the night sky. Bring your telescopes. It has a modern circular stone plaza to catch the rays of the equinoxes, and solstices.

Beyond the standing sundial there is a basketball court.

The State Park has several entrances. The most visited is Old Man's Cave. The Blackhand Sandstone formations have eroded to create recess caves, and to form a micro-climate preserving plant species that grew here before the ice age.

Most of the walkways were built by Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps, this modernistic bridge was not one of them.  Bring a camera that does well in dark conditions. In tree shaded gorges the light is shady.

Would like to know this plant's name.