Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~Robert Frost




Friday, November 12, 2010

Trail Tale 2: Lindner Park, McCullough Estate Nature Preserve, November 2010

[This begins the second part of our hike at Lindner Park on the Cypress Trail.  Please see part one for a more detailed description of the park in general]. 

After a pit stop at the restroom, the boys were still full of energy, so we continued exploring the park, this time taking the same trail head, but turning right at the fork toward the Cypress Trail.  We were in for a treat!  This is where all the historical structures were awaiting our discovery.  

  Here we go again!

Again, we were greeted by a big, bold, beautiful tree:




Look how tiny my child looks in comparison.  Wow!    


Just ahead, we come upon this interesting structure:




This building is a bath house for the family and guests of the McCullough's who came to use the pool on the property.  Pool?  What pool?  



Well, this one, of course!  I found a nice photo of the way it used to be in the book Norwood by Christine Mersch (click on the book title to see the photo and others from Google Books).  Of course, it is no longer in use, but the boys found a way to enjoy the pool anyway.  


This is an interesting view from behind the bath house posts:


The structure is made of Cypress logs, brought from Florida, according to the park's brochure.  After the boys romped on, in, and around the pool for awhile, we ventured on, viewing more interesting trees:


and finally finding the ultimate leaf pile which Miles thoroughly enjoyed:


It is too bad we were not here just a couple weeks earlier when autumn's colors were on full display!  

Heading back the way we came, toward the pool, we continued our hike in search or more relics, like this old sign for the J.C. McCullough Seed Company:


We encountered another really cool tree that looks kind of like a pitch fork:


Next we came to an old spring house which is built with stone and cypress like the bath house.  In the park brochure, it is written, "The spring house was used as an ice house for storing food before the days of refrigeration...Observe that the spring comes through the floor of the house."


Soon after, we reached the end of our hike and, uh...the beginning of the trail.  Oops!


Although I don't think it is necessary to start at the beginning here at Lindner Park since all the trails begin and end near one another, it may be more enjoyable, especially if you can get a brochure to read as you encounter the different structures along the way.  For us, it worked out to end at the beginning where we could take a rest on a bench and relax in front of the Lily Pond (complete with fish).



I also happened to meet the park attendant who lives on site.  We chatted a bit and she gave me the lovely brochure for the park which is full of interesting info about the park and it's history.  With all the big, beautiful trees at this park, autumn is a great time for a visit.  But, I look forward to visiting again in spring and summer when the formal gardens on site will really be blooming.  Look for a future post to highlight the gardens.  This is definitely one of my go-to spots for when the boys and I need some outdoor fun.  It's close to home, but still feels so remote.  I just hope the boys don't think we can actually swim in the old pool, but we can always pretend!  

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