Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Spring Year-round...

Hope springs eternal along Cliff Drive in the winter as springs constantly flow from the hillsides. The three below are just west of the waterfall by the eastern most entrance to the drive. Since the water flows from underground it is always around 60 degrees and doesn't freeze. Once it contacts the Drive it does though and this area is pretty much a skating rink until spring. The proliferation of springs along the bluffs... there are at least 12 from this point east to Indian Mound... is why the area was home to several Indian villages. The Natives were also fond of the plentiful game and high land... bluffs that allowed them to see who was coming. Also close to the Missouri and Blue Rivers.

It is my uninformed opinion that this hillside is probably home to multiple caves as the waters have been carving the limestone for hundreds of years.
Sometime I will go cave hunting.... several reliable neighbors have seen flocks/herds/covens of bats flying up from the bluff face in the evening as they start out on their hunt for insects. That's a sure sign of some bat condo... also known as "cave."
Above the Carl DiCapo Fountain ( i.e. The Waterfall ) lies dry in wait for spring that has never seemed further off to me.

4 comments:

  1. A real live bat flew into a conference room on the 2nd floor at my work building, where the windows can't even be opened. How did it make there no one knows but it was freaky.
    Captcha on this comment read "peeings"

    ReplyDelete
  2. It was probably a vampire... you know they're tricky and can change shape.... Garlic is the answer....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Caves. So that is why that hole keeps opening up in my back yard!

    Jeanie V.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I remember as a child my parents would stop here to get a drink of water and sometimes you see people washing their cars there. Of Course this was back in the early 60s and 70s. Dad said that they would go there to park and neck before they got married. Yes I guess it use to be a romantic place but when I was old enough to dirve it was not a safe place to go because of all the murders and such that had happened there. But these pictures reminde me of a time when life was good, thanks I truly loved seeing the photos of this area.

    ReplyDelete