Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Friday, March 14, 2014

An ICY Waterfall Birthday Trip

George in front of some of the massive ICICLES at OLD MAN'S CAVE at Hocking Hills, 3/10/14
As most of you know,  my Sweetheart  (GEORGE ADAMS) had a birthday on Sunday, March 9.  In order to celebrate that birthday,  we took a trip north to one of our favorite state parks,  Hocking Hills near Logan, Ohio.  WELL---we knew we might see some snow in that area since we all have had such a wickedly cold winter.  What we didn't anticipate was seeing ALL ICE (almost no snow --but tons of ICE)...  Unbelievable---but gorgeous (even though trying to walk on it was dangerous)....

BUT--my goal was for George to get to see water coming over the 8 waterfalls in that area which we saw... (We had been to Hocking Hills twice before and loved the area --but when we were there,  there was VERY little water coming over the falls.)  We did accomplish that goal --plus much more!!!!

Today and Monday,  I will share with you some birthday photos of my Cutie Pie,  and also a few of the many photos we took while there this week.  Be sure to click on the photos to see enlargements.


George standing in front of the huge ice mound at the bottom of ASH CAVE FALLS, 3/10/14
The Ash Cave area of Hocking Hills State Park was our favorite place to visit this time.  The water coming over that 90 feet high waterfall was fantastic!!!!!



The trails were TOTAL ICE at Old Man's Cave (looks like snow --but it was all-ice) --and dangerous! (Snow would have been alot prettier --and not nearly as dangerous... Oh Well!)
Here is a photo of the Birthday Boy trying to walk on the ice in order to get photos.  We both FELL once --and I was the unlucky one,  twisting my right knee!!!!!  Fun Fun...  However,  I didn't allow that pain to get me down--but was MUCH more careful the rest of the trip!

Our weather when we were there this week was AWESOME --and quite warm, despite all of the ice still down in the gorges and shady areas at the state park.


The next day (3/11/14) --when we visited CONKLES HOLLOW
This is another of our favorite areas of that state park.   This year though,  George got some fantastic photos of 3 different waterfalls there... We had never ever seen ONE DROP of water coming over  2 or the 3 falls before ---so this time,  it was GREAT seeing those waterfalls...



One of George's awesome waterfall photos at CONKLES HOLLOW
This is one of 3 beautiful waterfalls at CONKLES HOLLOW (3/11/14).  This one is named Lost Falls and is inside a small cave at the end of the Conkles Hollow trail.



George inside the cave at ROCK HOUSE,  Hocking Hills State Park, 3/11/14
Another area of this state park which we enjoyed was the Rock House area.  We love being inside that cave since the colors are so gorgeous.  However,  we couldn't even get away from the ICE even inside the cave ---since there was ice inside also!!!! ha



George's birthday cake this year was a Strawberry Cream Cheese Cake  (YUM)
You will have to pretend that there were 72 candles on this cake!!!!!   (I didn't want to burn the room down!!!! ha)



A happy man getting ready to make a WISH!!!!



And he HUFFED and he PUFFED ---and managed to blow out all 72 candles!!!!  (What a Guy!)



Cards are always special on birthdays.  This one was from his sister!



And this one was from his 'bride'..... 


Us at Lower Falls at OLD MAN'S CAVE (3/10/14)
I'll close with one of my favorite places at Old Man's Cave,  LOWER FALLS.  We were thrilled to see so much water coming over this waterfalls this time.  BUT--you wouldn't believe how hard it was for us to find a way to get down here to see this waterfall.... We had to go through a tunnel --and down some ICY steps in order to get here... BUT--we made it!!!!!! (Pictures of that climb down that area later)....

All in all,  it was a fabulous trip --and one we will be talking about FOREVER.   I wanted it to be a great 'waterfall' trip for George for his birthday --and that definitely happened...

Hope you had a wonderful week.  I'll share more photos from his adventure on Monday.  Have a fantastic weekend.

Hugs,

55 comments:

Fun60 said...

What a special birthday trip. Those ice falls look incredible but as you say quite a dangerous place to be walking around. Hope you haven't done any permanent damage to your knee.x

Ms. A said...

You both took a fall and neither of you broke a hip! You must be in great shape!!!

The photos are amazing!

eileeninmd said...

George had agreat birthday trip. Hiking to the icy waterfalls is wonderful. Love the photos. Have a happy weekend!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Wow Betsy ~ What a birthday celebration. Those photos are fantastic.

Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Sorry you twisted your knee, but glad to hear you had fun. That one shot is like an ice castle!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

oh, you guys take care. sorry to hear you fell ... i hope you will heal quickly. looks like a cold & icy birthday!! wow, hope George had a great day. keep celebrating. ( :

linda m said...

The ice is so fantastic to look at. So happy neither of you were seriously hurt when you fell. Glad you finally got to see water coming over some of the falls. Lucky George to have you give him such a memorable birthday. Have a great weekend.

Unknown said...

"Joyful Reflections" has been included in the Sites To See for this week. Be assured that I hope this helps to point many new visitors in your direction.

http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2014/03/sites-to-see_14.html

MadSnapper said...

i like the ice mound shot and the red rock with G in it... frozen water falls are beautiful. happy belated birthday

Peaches McGinty said...

Hi Betsy!
What a wonderful birthday! your trip looks magical, the frozen waterfall's are incredibly beautiful, the 2nd pic looks like a massive quartz crystal behind George, the ice is beautiful and treacherous! I hope you both are fine after falling, but you are both so fit I bet you are both as good as new! have a lovely weekend x x x

Tabor said...

That one knife shaped water fall is very intriguing. Yes, ice is very dangerous and you both were lucky.

LV said...

What a glorious occasion and trip. Enjoyed seeing all the icy sights. That frozen falls is breathtaking. Sorry I missed the party, but wishing George many more happy trails.

Sylvia K said...

What a terrific birthday trip to an incredible place!! Never seen frozen waterfalls before and your pics are fantastic!! Thanks, as always, for sharing the fun and the love! A great way to start my day! Hope you both have a wonderful weekend!!

David said...

Betsy, Other than your ankle injury, it looks like George had a great birthday. Great photos...and thanks for the travel tip! We now have a new destination when we head up to Ohio. We'll wait for warm weather though... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Small City Scenes said...

Slipping and sliding----Oh what fun. Love seeing all the icy Falls. What a difference. Conkles was amazing. Please don't fall anymore!!! Looks like the Birthday Boy has a great time. MBis an order.

Jim and Sandie said...

Happy Birthday George (just a few days late). It sure looks like you had a great time. After falling and breaking my ankle, there will be no ice walking for me. But the pictures you got are just incredible. I love waterfalls and ice ones really are beautiful.

Jo said...

OMW Betsy, I have never seen ice like this. Those iced waterfalls and mounds are amazing. I was just thinking about slipping on that ice, when you said you said you'd twisted your knee. I am sorry and hope it's not a bad twist. Happy Birthday again, to George. Have a great weekend. Love and hugs, Jo

George said...

It was a wonderful trip, but you have way too many pictures of the old man!

Betty Manousos said...

dear betsy,

what a spectacular! i've never ever seen ice like this. frozen waterfalls/waterfalls are dreamy. what an amazing birthday trip to an amazing place! other than your ankle injury, it looks like you both had a fabulous time. love the photos.

happy weekend,
love and big hugs!

Terry and Linda said...

To freeze roaring water that hard it must have been VERY cold!

I'm glad you had a need trip and George had a great birthday!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://handcraftedbyus.wordpress.com
♬♬♬ Happy Saint Patrick’s Day ♬♬♬

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Those ice falls are spectacular. But I wouldn't be too keen about the ice underfoot. Sometimes I think you two have more courage than sense! :)

Anonymous said...

It is always fun to see the ice. Sounds like a fab birthday.

camp and cottage living said...

Yeah, you finally got to see a Falls with water flowing!
It looks like the B'Day boy had a wonderful time. The area must be gorgeous in the summer time.

Nellie said...

Brr! It looks very cold, Betsy! Sorry you twisted your knee. George surely does look like a very happy man!

Hugs,
Nellie

Serenity Cove said...

What an adventurous way to celebrate a birthday!! Looks like you had a great trip. You should come on up to Amish country sometime.

Arkansas Patti said...

Ice is beautiful but so darn treacherous. So glad you weren't seriously hurt from your fall. Might want to invest in some cleats. I plan to get some.
Looks like George had a great birthday.

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

Happy belated birthday to George! And I'm so glad you had such a memorable adventure (despite a twisted knee -- ouch!). Those pictures are simply amazing!

Beatriz said...

Great trip BetsY!
Congratulations to George! It still looks very cold there yet...brbrbr.
All the photos are amazing, look postcard! Unfortunately I don't know any of these places......but when I go to the U.S.,certainly the parks are on my wish list.
I loved the photo of "Conkles Hollow", looks like the stalagmites I just met in a cave here in Brazil, fantastic!

Hugs

Bia

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Those frozen waterfalls are amazing. So neat to see them that way too.
Happy Birthday George!

The Furry Gnome said...

Sounds like a wonderful trip Betsy. You certainly know the places to go to see waterfalls!

Shug said...

I don't think I've ever seen as much ice. You two still amaze me with all of your determination and your spirited love for life. Hope your knee is ok and doesn't cause you any problems. Waiting to see the adventure photos of getting to the fall.
hugs Betsy
Shug

Ruth Hiebert said...

The ice at the falls is pretty,but not along the trails. I dislike walking on ice,scared to take a fall.

Chatty Crone said...

Happy Birthday again George.

Oh how I love those ice falls. There is something so awesome and powerful in them.
sandie

Miss Debbie said...

Oh Betsy, those frozen falls pics are amazing! Glad your honey had a nice bday! My guy's bday is Sunday. We went shopping for his gift tonight...it's easier that way...he gets what he wants! ha! ha!

carolina nana said...

Wow, that is a lot of ice !!! I hope you get over your knee injury.
Glad you all had a wonderful trip.
We are getting blown away over here by strong winds and after a nice tomorrow we are supposed to get cold rain,yuck. I am very ready for spring this year !!!
Blessings
Marilyn

Connie said...

Looks like George had a great birthday! All that ice is pretty, but yes, so dangerous. I hate trying to walk on ice. I'm sorry to hear about your knee. I hope it is feeling better by now.

Big Dude said...

Great shots and glad you had such a great trip for Georges BD.

troutbirder said...

Spectacular ice falls indeed. What a fun birthday outing and that cake looked yummy too!....:)

Sally Wessely said...

You really did have a wonderful trip. I thought the ice mound was quite interesting. George's photo of the ice waterfall at Conkles Hollow is great.

I love that you two make these special days all the more special. I hope the next year brings even more memory making days.

Buttercup said...

Fabulous pictures! Wishing George a wonderful year and many more happy and healthy birthdays.

chicchina said...

Happy birthday to George.All photos are fantastic!

Janice K said...

Those waterfalls did have some sharp edges to them--They sure made some beautiful and interesting pictures, and it looks like George had a great birthday.

Ann said...

what a nice way to celebrate a birthday. The photos are all beautiful. Sorry to hear you fell and hurt your knee. Glad it wasn't too bad though.

Chris said...

Hi Betsy, what a delightful birthday celebration. I'm just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/

CJ STITCHING AND BLOOMS said...

Hello Betsy, The waterfalls ice up are very unique and grand photos.. Thanks for sharing.. George is certainly a very lucky happy man on his birthday.. Wonderful to be surrounded by love. Hugs judy

Grandma Bonnie said...

What a wonderful Birthday trip! I love all the amazing ice formations. We should make a trip to the falls its about 3 hrs from our home. My husband is off of work for 4 more weeks after his accident the Dr. wont release him until his bones heal. We have been trying to keep him busy but all the bad weather has interfered with traveling.

Unknown said...

Hi Betsy,

Thank you for stopping by at my blog, the wedding is at the end of August :)

Looks like you had a fabulous day and George looks very happy on his day. I love the water falls.

happyone said...

Wow those ice falls are really something. They are beautiful.
What a great birthday trip for George and you too. : )

Joy said...

What a wonderful birthday trip both of you had. Amazing ice pictures.
Hugs from me:)

Linda P said...

Glad you had such a wonderful time on your trip. The icy waterfalls are amazing and so is the cave. Hope you didn't do any damage to your knee when you fell. You and George are intrepid travellers and you see some fantastic sights as a consequence.

Lynda said...

EXCELLENT pictures!!! I am sure when you all look at them, you are experiencing those icy trails. Glad you all didn't get hurt worse when you fell and pray your knee heals completely without medical intervention! Praising God you got to celebrate another birthday with each other!

Angela said...

Those are some fabulous pictures! It is so neat to get to see the waterfalls with ice instead of water! It just changes the entire look don't it! I'm glad you didn't burn down the hotel with all of those candles! lol Looks like George had a wonderful time on his birthday trip! Here's to many more adventures for the both of you! I love how you two enjoy each others company and life together and having fun while doing it!

Linda G. said...

Wow! Look at those ice falls! Spectacular!

Pat Tillett said...

Now that was a nice birthday trip for you two. It looks like you guys pretty much had the place to yourselves. Great photos!

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

How sweet that this time there was some water and ICE. Looks like you two had a super time. The photos are gorgeous of course.