OldeBenOutdoors

This is a year when we get a cicada emergence here in North Alabama. Apparently we get the 13 year species. A really cool event, for a few days; then you realize they just Never shut up for about two months. Going outside is similar to Chinese water torture with the noise. There are actually two species coming out this year, but we only get one. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/05/18/how-long-will-cicadas-be-here/73731750007/

Summary of Hawaii via cruise ship: lots of fun, especially if you like traveling on a cruise ship. Kind of rushed and overly structured having to run back to the ship every 8 hours. To do Hawaii right, I would bite the bullet and fly here (12+ hours for us) stay in Oahu, Maui or the Big Island and check out the place for as long as your money lasts. Ensenada is a stop Carnival uses to satisfy the Jones Act (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920). Better than I expected. I would seriously look into deep sea fishing here if I could ship my catch home.

Drove all over the Hilo area in a tour bus, jumping out to see the Kilauea Volcano and a couple of Falls. Weather was not very cooperative as visibility at the volcano was minimal-the park ranger said it was like that all the time, with no way of knowing until you drove up there. Hawaii is a very beautiful place, but again I get the feeling that the best way to go there would be to pick an island, rent a car and take more time exploring.

Kona is a town on the West side of the Big Island. We hung around the port area in the center of town and went shopping for matching Hawaii flowered shirts/dresses. Ate a fantastic lunch with excellent (and strong) fruity drinks. This would be a good place to base yourself out of if you flew to the Hawaiian islands. Lots of civilization, good beaches close by and plenty to do.

Took the tour of Honolulu including Pearl Harbor, museums and the submarine museum. Drove through various places in the city, looks like any other American city but feels like Puerto Rico. Took a brief dip in the Pacific at Wakiki Beach, the Pacific is cold. Our stop the next day at the Island of Kauai was cancelled due to a weather disaster. This island highlighted the problems with touring Hawaii on a cruise ship, minimal stopping time at any one place and no flexibility if forced to change plans. Unless you really like traveling by cruise ship (we do), it would be better to fly to Hawaii and stay at Maui or the Big Island in my opinion.

Drove up to Haleakala Volcano, a trip that takes several hours. Hiked to the summit from there. Temps at the port were 82 degrees F, at the summit temperature was in the lower 40s-take a jacket. Very, very windy; maybe 40 miles per hour at the highest observation point. Strongly suggest if visiting from a cruise ship to schedule an excursion, whale watching, hiking, snorkeling etc. There is nothing at the port that looks like a good walk, not even a bar.

First part of our Hawaii cruise. If you enjoy traveling by ship, this is a great trip as four days at sea to the islands gives you lots of time to relax. If you have a stressful job, a few days with no phone contact is a great thing. It was cold the 1st couple of days, mid to upper 50s; kind of uncomfortable if most of your wardrobe is shorts. Very windy on deck- 25 knot ship speed plus headed into 20-30 knot winds. At times they closed the upper decks off to passengers and removed the chairs up there. Still great fun. Bring a book, have a few drinks and relax.

A Wilderness area on the Alabama/Tennessee border last visited about 15 years ago. Hike is 3.5 miles one way and hardly one step is flat ground. Jericho Canyon has several waterfalls that when drier you can walk next to on the creek bed. I brought the drone in hopes I could fly it here, but there was much more brush at creek side than I remembered. My videos do not do the place justice as we ran out of daylight and had to go. This year's cicadas evident at 1:58. https://alabamarecreationtrails.org/trail/walls-of-jericho-trail/

Hiked the Land Trust property Blevins Gap trail a couple of weeks ago. https://landtrustnal.org/ Best views Certain Trail to radio tower (2:00 view up radio tower makes me dizzy with no clouds in the sky). I suggest returning via the West Bluff trail instead of the Varnado trail for better views. This is the year of the Cicada, with 2 species emerging after 13 and 17 year hibernations. Turn the sound up at 2:56 for a sample. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/once-every-221-years-what-to-know-about-the-rare-2024-cicada-emergence/3336594/

As described in my last video, the temps got down to 0-2 degrees Fahrenheit here. Covered my plants and hoped for the best. What survived: garlic, onions, cabbage, spinach, rutabaga and some bok choy. USDA zone 7B.

Snowed/sleeted here on Sunday, temps down to 0 degrees. Went out to the backyard to check on my plants and surprised that everything didn't die. The double tarp system works great and the greenhouse keeps winter vegetables alive. Zone 7b.

Yearly birthday hike on Monte Sano Mountain Huntsville AL. Temps in the low 30s this year and overcast, not as nice as last year.

This is a local elevation over 350 feet tall, easy to access from about a 10 minute drive anyplace in town. The Rainbow loop trail is about 1.5 miles long. Part of the North Alabama Land Trust, check out their web page for more pictures: https://landtrustnal.org/explore-our-lands/preserves-north-alabama/rainbow-mountain-preserve/ I haven't been here in a few years, they have done a lot of work here as the parking lot was just gravel and there was no picnic area. Also there was only a couple of marked trails and a few other goat trails the local kids made. A great place to take small children hiking as there is some wildlife.

I bought a drone to take pictures of places I want to go from different angles. They aren't that expensive and lots of fun to just fly around the park. Still working out that "inexperienced operator" issue and trying not to wreck the drone. Video without sound here is where I sent the drone to two different heights. A cool little toy, I would highly recommend.

Planted winter vegetables and made row covers for them. This is Zone 7B and temps usually don't go below the mid 20's before January. The row cover keeps the frost (and birds, squirrels and bugs) off the plants and allows for a winter garden.

One of our stops on the Kentucky trip last week. Visited the Natural Arch Scenic area while staying in the Daniel Boone national forest lodge. Cool hike with impressive views.

Tour through the Historical section of Mammoth Cave last week. The cave is about 400 miles in length, so we only went through the touristy part. Very well ventilated for a cave and worth a look. Broke my GoPro tripod in "Fat Man's Misery" when I abruptly bent over to avoid banging my head on the roof, a very tight squeeze.

Another stop on our Kentucky trip last week. The Ark Encounter is in Williamstown Kentucky, just South of Cincinnati. However you feel about the Biblical interpretation it is an impressive engineering project and worth a visit.

October 2023 trip to Williamsburg Kentucky's Cumberland Falls. Very rustic lodge in a State Park. Hiked a couple of miles of trails and visited the Falls.

How to make your own natural mosquito repellent from the citronella plant. Visit from dachshunds during video.

After Mt. Leconte hike I ran into Gatlinburg for a few hours. Took the ski lift from Gatlinburg city to Ober Gatlinburg. Then jumped on the chair lift to the top of Mt. Harrison (elevation 3590). You can look across the valley and see Mt. Leconte from there.

My Brother's rental in the Smokies was empty last week so I drove up there to hike Mt. Leconte. Link to brother's farmhouse: https://www.vrbo.com/2855482?adultsCount=7&childrenCount=1&unitId=3427519 The lodges at the top are rentable, but if you cannot get one it is a round trip of nearly 12 miles, 3000 feet up and 3000 down. Hiking up took me 3 1/2 hours and down almost the same as my toe was stubbed. Video: :15 intro :59 Alum cave trailhead map 2:48 Arch Rock (1.8 miles from trailhead) 5:15 Alum Cave (2.3 miles from trailhead) 9:11 sign to summit (4.8 miles from trailhead) 9:29 Llamas resting in lodge area. Llamas on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a once a month helicopter resupply are the only way to get supplies to the summit/lodge area. The only way to the top is to hike it. 10:00 Lodge area 10:32 Summit pile of stones 10:34 Myrtle Point best viewing place on the mountain (5.7 miles from start) Tragically erased some video from Go Pro including Tarzan yell from summit and a really good view from the Point. Link to Mt. Leconte: https://www.pigeonforge.com/great-smoky-mountains-national-park/mount-leconte/

Trip to Dauphin Island Alabama. 00:00 Storm clouds over the beach. Weather is amplified here, clear weather in August allowed us to view the Perseid meteor shower at night. 0:52 Intro with map 1:32 Ft. Gaines, site of battle of Mobile bay of "damn the torpedoes" fame. 10:25 Ferry ride to Ft. Morgan/Gulf Shores on the other side of Mobile bay. 11:05 view of beach, another synonym for "nice" needed. 16:01 Walk to Eastern tip of island with State Park and another view of Mobile Bay where it meets the Gulf. Very mellow, quiet place to vacation. Would recommend.

Update on the mid summer garden this year. Some success and a couple of things that did not go well due to last January freeze and a rabbit.

A local couple has turned their back yard into a wildlife/bird sanctuary. See their weblink here: Creativebirding.com Mr. Lewis explained that the way to attract birds to your yard includes doing the following things: -work with nature -no spraying chemicals -use natural materials to attract insects (which birds eat) -focus on planting mostly local species of native plants -provide a water source with perches and cover plants to help birds avoid predators -it only takes a 10'x10' space to make your own nature preserve-this book shows you how: Nature's best hope by Douglas Tallamy 13:20 pictures from back deck of house when Go Pro battery failed. https://herbsbirds.smugmug.com/CreativeBirding (pictures of birds at this location)