April 2, 2026.

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We parked for the day at Englewood MetroPark, thinking it would be an easy walk over to Aullwood Garden to see the trolls and botanical garden and such. It was not easy, per se, but do-able, so I have notes for both places in this post.

Five Rivers MetroParks manages 18 urban parks in and around Dayton, Ohio. It’s a great system of preserved natural spaces that’s supported by regional tax revenue. I found them excellent places to spend the day (for free!) outside of the bustle of city life.

Low clouds clung to the surface of the murky Rock Pile Lake. It didn’t look like a prime day for a walk, but by the time I got mobilized, the sun came out. I walked along the road connecting the two parks, looking for early spring wildflowers along the way. Though my route looked intuitive on the map, it was not designed for pedestrians and I had to dodge a few cars on the way. Once I reached the Aullwood Audubon Visitor Center, I negotiated the hectic check in area to pay my fee, get a map and begin my walk. This park is NOT part of the MetroPark system, so it has separate fees and hours that you should note before your visit.

During the time of my trip, there were three Thomas Dambo trolls to find. I’m not sure if that’s why it was so busy or if this is just a really popular place. I looked at my map and strode steadily towards the first troll.

This one was my favorite of the three. Its giant, upright form was fitted with large wings. From its position at the top of a small hill, it looked like it was just about to go airborne. It’s hard to imagine how wood and scrap recycling can create such a sense of animation, but Dambo always makes it happen. I admired it from all sides and climbed up to the lookout platform to get a view from above. It was so peaceful away from the whirl of people and strollers at the entrance gate.

After visiting the other two trolls, which were swarming with people, I sought out some longer and more peaceful trails on the property. There was so much room to spread out. And, so many flowers! I delighted in the rolling hills covered in bluebells, with deciduous trees just starting to leaf out overhead. Little streams trickled across the property as well, collecting in ponds and pouring over small cascades. I looked for frogs, turtles and birds at each watery habitat.

As I strolled along the quieter trails of the park, I wished I’d brought a book to read. It was so peaceful and there were plenty of places where you could sit and enjoy just being in this beautiful setting. But alas, I still had to walk all the way back to the van. I strode confidently back down the road connecting the two parks, keeping my head on a swivel for both cars and native plants. I had to chuckle as I passed the entrance and saw a sign that said “Native wildflower area.” I scanned the ground, seeing not one single flower. I hoped that come summertime, this field would be overrun with goldenrod and milkweed and coneflower. But today, I had to look to other parts of the park for the violets, fawn lilies and other delicate reminders of spring.

In my travels across the country, I am especially excited when I see an urban area that has carefully considered preserving open space. Three cheers to the visionaries of the past who foresaw the need for trees and lakes, walking paths and playgrounds, gardens and wildflower patches. It is clear to me the further I travel east that these patches of land are few and far between. In the west, we take for granted how much public land still exists. We only need to look east to see where our future lies, if we let it. Protecting public lands from the inevitable creep of “progress” will likely continue to be a big fight for those of us who want it.

March 25, 2026.

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11.4 mi. | 1220′ ele. gain |6:10 hr

Indiana does not come to mind when I think “great state to go for a hike.” But, it does have 24 state parks one national park, a national historic trail and thousands of miles of hiking trails. I chose Turkey Run State Park for my first taste of hiking in Indiana.

I had just done two surprisingly cool hikes in nearby states at Starved Rock State Park (Illinois) and Ledges State Park (Iowa), so my expectations were high for this park. And still, the adventure was even better than expected.

The Ladders

In the morning, Aaron joined me for a hike on one of the most adventurous trail. Trail 3 is unofficially known as the Ladders Trail because of the ladders you must climb to scale the canyon walls on this hike. We set out in our Bedrocks sandals expecting some water, mud and scrambling.

The day began with partly cloudy skies and a brisk temperature. We crossed the bridge over Sugar Creek and turned left. A sneaky right turn about a quarter mile from there took us into our first interesting canyon. The moss covered rock walls narrowed and made it even cooler since the sun could barely reach down in there. We found ferns, liverworts and sedges growing in its damp, cold passageways. Footing ranged from slippery rock to deep, slippery mud with some logs and rocks to use to hop across.

We encountered the ladder and some stairs that helped us climb out of the canyon and back into the forest. After a short, mellow stretch, we dropped into one more canyon and parkoured our way through. It was fun to balance and maneuver on, over and around obstacles to get to the other side. I left Aaron at the van and went back out to link up several other trails in the park.

The Perimeter

From the parking area, I roughly made a counter-clockwise loop around the perimeter of the park like so: Trail 1 – Trail 2 – Trail 1 – Trail 4 – Trail 10 – Trail 3 – Trail 5 – Trail 3. Confused? Yeah, me too. I tried to find the biggest loop I could with no trail segment repeats while hitting the most named features, but that was impossible. A few surprise trail closures made me change my route on the fly as well. I highly recommend having a paper copy of the map as well as a map on your phone so you can navigate the many interconnecting paths in this park! Though I had to re-do some sections of the ladder canyon hike I’d done in the morning, I did them in the opposite direction, which was pretty fun.

At this time of year, the deciduous forest was brown and mostly barren. The very first flowers of spring were poking their heads through the dry, crinkly leaf litter. I observed trout lilies, violets, blodroot, toothwort and two species of Dicentra! Plus, I noticed several insects who were excitedly visiting these early bloomers.

Most of the trails I’d hiked that afternoon were much more casual and tame than the canyons I explored with Aaron. But they were peaceful, enjoyable, relaxing. After crossing the Narrows Covered Bridge, I walked to the edge of the picnic are and pulled out my lunch. I sat on the ground, put my backpack behind me and reclined into my bag full of unnecessary layers. By then, the temperature had risen and I was overjoyed to feel the sun’s warmth on my skin.

After that nice rest stop, I lollygagged on the outer trails. The map showed a Trail 12 that would take me around the area of the park I investigated earlier, but alas it was not accessible. That meant I had to repeat two sections of trail 3, one uphill and one downhill. I was not too sad about it. On the home stretch, I noticed a little path that led down to the river and a small beach area. I popped down there for another rest break by the water. I looked and listened for birds as I took a reclining position on the riverbank.

All in all, I spent a good chunk of the day poking around this park. It was beautiful, even before spring had really sprung. It was mostly quiet, especially in the morning. There was plenty of room to spread out on the numerous trails. And, there was something for everyone. My favorite parts of the park were in the narrow canyons because they were fun to explore and the plant life was totally different in there. I’d be interested to visit this park in the different seasons to see what else lives there.

I will not have enough time to visit too many places in Indiana, so I was grateful to see this really cool park in the first few days of our stay here.

March 19, 2026.

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9 mi. | 820′ ele. gain | 3:50 hr.

Having grown up on the East Coast and living most of my adult life on the West Coast, I had never made it a priority to explore the middle of the country. Since we were on the road full time and had the time to go wherever we wanted, I decided we should try and see what the middle was all about. Also, I was getting pretty close to hitting all 50 states, so it was time to visit the “I” states. After Iowa, we turned to Illinois.

My friend Matt had recommended a stop at Starved Rock State Park. With lots of trails to choose from, I stopped into the visitor center to get more information. After looking at the map, noting which trails were closed and speaking with a ranger, I decided to hike out to Hennepin Canyon, following the interior trails when I could. On the way back, I prioritized the river trail. I made one extra detour into LaSalle Canyon, only because the ranger said it was her favorite. I was in for quite a treat there.

Aaron joined me on his lunch break and we hiked up to Starved Rock, where we sat and ate our lunch. From there, he headed back to the van and I continued on the trails. I came into this hike with zero expectations and with having done very little research. Waterfalls in Illinois, huh? I assumed I would not be impressed, and resigned myself to just enjoying a leg stretcher on a lovely afternoon.

But soon, I realized there was much here to appreciate. From the sweet birdsong to the fascinating liverworts, delicate icicles and diverse fungi, I found a pleasant surprise around every corner. Though it was still only March, I was desperately searching for signs of spring, and the nascent green leaves sprouting up along some of the trails gave me hope for something in bloom. I pressed on.

Admittedly, I rolled my eyes at the thoughts of canyons and waterfalls in Illinois but that was my myopic Western US lens in action. I found so much beauty in each little crease and fold in the landscape, each drizzle and drip of water making its way towards the river. The last of the icicles clinging to the edges of north-facing canyons. The moments of quiet between families out enjoying the trails. The reason for intentionally spending time in the Midwest suddenly became very clear: I hated this place without ever setting foot here. Why?

Hiking alone on this day, I had plenty of time to process these thoughts on the trail.

As the day wore on, the sun rose higher and shone more brightly. I had to take layers off and take more breaks in the shade. Hot? In March? I really did show up here without having any idea what it was about. The whole experience felt very humbling.

I reached a so-so lookout above Hennepin Canyon and decided that would be my turn-around point. I wanted to make it back to the visitor center before it closed so I could run in and get some ice cream. But on my return route, I remembered the suggestion the ranger gave me: LaSalle Canyon. I still had time, so I turned up the (temporarily) one way trail.

Hiking up through the same leafless trees and gray rock I’d been seeing all day, something new caught my eye. Could it be? YES! The first blooming flowers of the season! In that moment, I decided: spring had arrived.

I squatted down, so excited to figure out what I’d found. They were tiny white flowers that seemed to sprout straight out of the earth. Not a leaf in sight. As I continued up the trail. I found more of these little flower clusters. Some of the petals were tinged with purple. A clue. The stems were covered in long, soft hairs. Another clue. Leaves! Oh wait, those belong to another plant. Not a clue. I kept searching. I sat down at the end of the trail, in view of the small waterfall, and used the wildflower app on my phone to create a list of possible identifications. Once I had some ideas of what leaves to look for, I found them. And there it was: sharp-lobed hepatica. Hooray!

Though most visitors appeared to be there for the waterfalls, fresh air and exercise, I found myself more excited than ever to be in the presence of the season’s first blooms. I stopped and photographed every one I could find, which wasn’t easy; most of them were growing on steep dirt slopes below the trail and above the creek.

The rest of the hike was a blur. I was so enamored with my flowery find that I breezed back to the parking lot, taking the most direct route. I stopped once to observe some big, white birds on the river. Pelicans! Another lovely surprise.

One last interesting thing to note: color coded posts marking whether you’re hiking towards or away from the Visitor Center. I’m not sure I’ve seen this kind of system before, but it absolutely makes sense. This park likely sees a lot of visitors who don’t hike a ton, and the only thing they need to know is which direction they’re headed related to the main parking area. Of course, this doesn’t help if you’ve parked elsewhere, but I thought it was a clever way to help people not get lost.

Back at the visitor center, I rushed inside to order two cups of ice cream, one for me and one for Aaron. I sat on a bench, took my shoes off and enjoyed the cold treat under the blazing March sun. What an incredible day! I learned not to underestimate the parks and natural spaces in the Midwest and to approach each new place with greater humility, curiosity and respect.