Taylor Creek State Forest, Selleck Road Trail

One morning I decided to take the dogs to yet another local forest we hadn't been to yet, the Taylor Creek State Forest. It had only two trails according to the map, and they were short. We began on the Selleck Road Trail:

There were the usual flowers in sunny places, but this time I also saw Viper's Bugloss in bloom. Surprisingly, it is a member of the Forget-Me-Not family:

The trail was actually a short service road, so well graded that I could have driven it to the end - but we were there to walk, so that's what we did:

The dogs were happy and the scenery along the trail was alternating forest and field:

We were having a spell of perfect weather - cool, sunny and spectacular - just right for a walk in a state forest:

There were deep woods just off the trail, though we stayed where the walking was easy:

As pleasant as it was, I was a bit disappointed that the trail didn't take us into the forest. The dogs, however, were ecstatic to be running wildly and exploring:

They found something putrid and I had to holler at them to keep them from eating it or rolling in it:

Yet it was a pleasant walk:

The map had shown a small lake but we never found it. Then, on our way back to the car, I decided that this tiny marsh was what the map showed as a pond:

Seamus climbed down the slope to get a drink of water and then couldn't get back up the hill. I was able to pull him back up, but he has been limping ever since. He is a giant dog and ten years old, so it is not surprising that he is beginning to have problems. I will have to keep a closer eye on him from now on:

It was a short hike, and uneventful except for Seamus' problem. But there was another trail to explore, so we headed for it. I'll post about the next trail tomorrow: