Yesterday we visited the Dawes Arboretum, located on the outskirts of Newark, Ohio, about 30 miles east of Columbus. It was an overcast morning, but we hoped the weather would cooperate in allowing us to get in some good hiking, including tackling the Timber Run and Gorge Overlook trails. Alas, Mother Nature had a different idea.
The Dawes Arboretum occupies a big plot of land that covers familiar Ohio landscapes, from deep woods to rolling meadows and ponds–with some rarer territory, like a cypress swamp, thrown in. The grounds feature an extensive variety of plant life, all of which was blooming on a damp spring day. After paying our senior discount fee ($8.00, rather than the standard $10.00), we took the advice of the Arboretum employee at the entrance gate and did a drive around the grounds on the north and south loop roadways. Our first stop was the hedge letters, shown above, which spell out “Dawes Arboretum.” We climbed a viewing tower to get a better look and check for misspellings, but the hedge designers aced the test.
Our next stop was Dawes Lake, located next to the hedge letters. It’s really more of a big pond, with a mowed trail around the circumference. We took a nice stroll around the edge of the lake, encountering some geese and a bullfrog in full throat, when the sprinkles began. With the perversity that you often encounter with Ohio spring weather, the rain began to fall in earnest when we were precisely halfway around the lake, at the maximum distance from our car. By the time we got back to the Lincoln the rain was pelting down at a heavy rate and we were pretty well soaked.
The rain didn’t stop us from completing our auto tour, of course, and we saw some pretty scenes with some of the blooming plants and wildflowers that were drinking in the rainfall. Regrettably, however, the intensity of the rain increased, and it was obvious that the Timber Run and Gorge Overlook trails, which run for several miles to the east of the main arboretum grounds, would have to wait until another day. The employee at the entrance gate had cautioned us that they would be muddy from prior rains, and the new downpour wouldn’t make the hike any easier.
Before we left, however, I did get a chance to take in the Bald-Cypress Swamp, shown below, which has an interesting, otherworldly appearance. I half expected to see Yoda hobbling out from behind one of the trees. Swamps and wetlands are not common in the modern Buckeye State, but Ohio originally had extensive wetlands, located primarily in the northwestern part of the state. The Bald-Cypress Swamp at the Dawes Arboretum gives you a glimpse of an Ohio scene that undoubtedly was very familiar to the indigenous people who once roamed the Ohio forests.
After taking in the swamp, with no break in the rain in the offing, we decided the better course was to head back to Columbus, dry out in the car, and stop in Granville for lunch. We’ll have to return to Dawes for the trails when conditions are drier and Mother Nature is in a better mood.
Webner House 