Drive Hike With A Side Of Trail/Museum

Every weekend Cliff Drive is closed to motorized traffic (except for the idiot on the motorcycle for whom closed gates aren't a hint). Bikers, hikers and walkers are out in force. Above the East Entrance.
I took a brief side trek on part of the Indian Mound Trail to see what wild flowers were in bloom.

Above and below.... photographing the greenery is particularly nice in Spring because nothing is yet nibbled.


Above more wild flowers... below an early part of the trail. The Boy Scouts have already been along the trail clearing it for this years hikers.

Above.... a couple of weeks ago one of my commenters talked about May Apples... they are in bloom now... unusual in that the single bloom is below the leaves at a junction of stems.... and yes the resulting fruit is edible... but I think careful preparation is in order.
Fresh leaves above and leaves and stickers below... on a locust tree.

Above two Sentinel Sycamores line the early part of the road. Below another shot of the waterfall.
Below.... the falls had uptop visitors... folks aren't supposed to be up there... but I won't tell if you won't.

Fresh and minty green.

Biker in transit for conditioning.
Above and below.... good old limestone.... our central region used to be under an inland sea... a few million years ago... thus critter remains in rocks.
Below.... skittish Cardinal... wouldn't pose to save his soul.


Hickory blooms above and the last of the redbuds below.

Above.... these two sinuous trunks were bent to the ground in our last ice storm... and, after the ice melted, they just decided to stay that way.... so all their branches grow up not out.



The light today was unusually diffuse for a partial sun day... and worked well for photographs.


Memorial bench along Goose Neck...

Stopped by the Museum to see the Wisteria... which is just gorgeous this year...
The blooms are so plentiful that you can smell them walking down Gladstone in front of the mansion.... these are trellised in the rear of the house.

Not a bad view to the west across the valley.
We could call this Wisteria Lane but I think that has contemporary connotations.
Coincident with my visit to the Wisteria was a Hard Hat Tour of the house.... I'll blog about that tomorrow (or so).