One day Chuang Tzu sat fishing by the river when he was approached by two vice chancellors from the Prince of Chu who brought with them a formal document. "We hereby appoint you Prime Minister." They told him.

Chuang Tzu never looked away from his fishing line as he spoke to the two politicians, "I hear that in the temple, there is a turtle that was canonized and dressed in fine silks over three thousand years ago encased in a shrine . Do you think it is better to give up one's life leaving only a sacred shell, or better to live as a plain turtle dragging it's tail in the mud?"

"For the turtle," said the vice-chancellor, "better to drag its tail in the mud."

"Go home," said Chuang Tzu, "Leave me here to drag my tail in the mud!"

peace, wayf

Spring

I stand on a high cliff looking toward the green valley below me
Hawks and other birds fly over head as I finally get an idea of
What a “bird’s eye view” really is
The treetops look like a lush green lawn spread out before me as if I could walk across Them to the hill there in the distance.
I feel my spirit returning home as I stand here looking out at my beautiful Mother Earth. This is where I call home.



Summer

A quiet lake in the summer breeze;
fish pop up to the surface and return
under the cover of the greenish blue water.
Children play on the opposite shore and
you can hear their laughter faintly as you sit
looking at this majestic scene.
The hills beyond the lake arch their backs as if
waking from a long slumber to stand and touch the blue sky above them.
The serenity of this moment all decked out in shades of blue, green, and brown
is like coming home after a long trip.
This is life before your eyes.



Autumn

The leaves change colors and begin to fall from the trees,
littering the ground below them with the most beautiful artwork imaginable.
How easily the leaves paint these intricate mosaics of such great complexity.
I stop and study one of these paintings of red, gold, and brown and marvel at how each leaf seems to know just exactly the right place to land, so as not to make the mural seem too contrived.



Winter

A white blanket is laid out carefully by the icy hand of winter
for the slumbering earth to sleep under.
The splendor of the hues
shades of silver, white and gray
that play blissfully in the fleeting sunlight makes my heart race with
awe at the beauty of it all.
How gorgeous this Mother of ours is in all her many costumes,
but most especially in her winter garments with the sparkle and shine of a queen.



Peace, wayf

“Rock House” is a unique feature within the Hocking Hills State Park, because it is the only actual cave to be found. It is a tunnel carved midway up a 150 foot cliff face by years of wind and erosion. The huge gorge and cliff faces that surround the area of “Rock House” give it a very secluded feeling. When you are there, you feel like you have stepped back in time. The steep climbs and rugged hills make this trail one of the roughest I’ve encountered, but the view is worth it!

 

Peace, wayf

Walking down the hill toward the gorge of Rock House.



A view under the bridge looking down the gorge.



That hole in the cliff face is "Rock House"



Let's go have a look!



Standing on a narrow cliff right outside of "Rock House". That first step is a doozy!



A view from inside the cave. There are tons of these windows carved into the rock looking out at the gorge.



This is taken from the hole in the cliff face we saw earlier. That's the trail I came down below.



A view of the cliff face from inside the cave.

peace, wayf

Cantwell Cliffs is located in the northern part of the Hocking Hills region and is the most remote and least visited site in the whole area. It is arguably one of the most picturesque areas in the entire Hocking Hills region. The entire upper and lower trails could easily be hiked in a day’s time and would certainly offer some of the most splendid nature viewing your eyes have ever beheld. Peace, wayf