Anchorage Trail Compass Mosaic

The Anchorage Trail, a beautiful park donated by John and Annette Schnatter, is one of my very favorite places to go on my early-morning coffee walks each day. I'm perpetually fascinated by this giant mosaic compass that can be found in the midst of it.




I don't know why it's here - I mean, there's really no danger of getting lost on the trail (there are even permanently mounted maps on posts at regular intervals), but hey, who needs a reason? It's simply interesting for its own sake and doubly so when you're listening to R.E.M.'s "Stand" on your mp3 player. (And if you're of the Muslim faith, I suppose it could make a very handy makeshift Qibla in a pinch.)

Axe Lake Swamp

Axe Lake Swamp is a 458-acre State Nature Preserve located in Ballard County, near the city of Barlow. In addition to the swamp proper, an additional 3000 acres of protected wetlands are adjacent.


Not only is it a very remote and spooky secret place (you have to fill out an application just to be allowed to visit), it's environmentally significant as Kentucky's only nesting-home for the Great White Egret (pictured above). If you've ever thought to yourself, "hey, did I just see some kind of tropical-looking bird in Kentucky?", you may well have. And another endangered species that calls Kentucky home via the Axe Lake Swamp is the peculiar Wood Duck (pictured below).

Floracliff

The Floracliff Nature Preserve, located in southern Fayette County, is an amazing 287-acre haven for wildlife, especially known for its varied collection of wildflower species. But what interests me most about it is an enormous weird mineral tufa.

According to naturepreservesky.gov:

"Floracliff also harbors a significant geological feature. Below Elk Lick Falls is a tufa formation, which resembles a frozen waterfall. It is considered one of the best tufa formations in the eastern United States. Similar to stalagmites in caves, tufas are formed when minerals within dripping water are deposited on a surface. Travertine is the primary mineral composing this tufa. The formation is 61 feet high and 8-12 feet in diameter. The rich flora, ravines, cliffs and waterfalls of Floracliff make it one of the more scenic areas in central Kentucky."

Upcoming events at Floracliff include:

March 7: Volunteer Day - in which volunteers from the public are invited to assist in removing exotic and invasive plant species from the preserve.

March 28: Pollinators with Blake Newton - Kentucky Entomologist Blake Newton hosts an educational program about pollinators and their relationships with the spring wildflowers.

April 4: Medicinal Wildflowers with Ciara Lockstadt - Experience the spring wildflowers in bloom and learn about their historical and present day medicinal uses.

Raven Run

The Raven Run nature preserve is way off the beaten path, and not well known. For this reason, it's one of my favorite places to visit in Kentucky for a nature hike. It's over 10 miles of wooded hiking trails containing over 600 species of plants and 200 species of birds. Among the preserve's ultra-rare endangered species are Soft-hair Marbleseed (Onosmodium molle), Downy Arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesquianum), Hispid Falsemallow (Malvastrum hispidum) and Nodding Rattlesnake-root (Prenanthes crepidinea).

Since Raven Run is a serious nature sanctuary and not merely a park, you have to sign in at the front desk and strictly observe their rules, such as no bikes, no pets, no alcohol, no weapons, no fires, no camping, no picnicking, and for that matter, no touching anything if you can possibly help it.

Because of its remote location, the sanctuary is popular with local astronomers, and stargazing events are often held there with the Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy Club. I've heard claims that the land upon which Raven Run rests has had more than a few ghostly and paranormal happenings, but my attempts to pin anybody down on useful details has so far turned up zippo. Every Halloween, they host a "mysteries of the night" hayride, but I have yet to check that out.


To visit Raven Run, get on U.S. 25 between Richmond and Lexington, and turn at Jacks Creek Pike by Judy Ray's Food Mart. Follow it about 6 miles and watch for signs on your left.