Rock Carvings — J Korns
February 1, 2009
Our extended family celebrates two birthdays at the end of January in a gathering we call the End of January Celebration. This year we gathered at my brother’s Max’s home, situated on property he purchased from our dad. My wife and I decided to walk in the woods out there after the celebration. I hadn’t been in those woods for many years and I wanted to check out some of my old stomping grounds. She and I had seen and photographed Comet West from a spot very near there in 1976.
One of the things I wanted to look for was a name carved in a rock outcrop north of the property that some friends and I had found many years ago. Back then it was a beautiful old woods, full of big trees and with a relatively open understory. There was one old tree that was hollow at the base that was so big that a person or two could stand inside. I saw my first red fox in the wild running through those woods.
Today it was much different. The woods had been timbered. The broken tops of trees were scattered across the woods floor now. With the canopy gone the understory growth had gone wild. There were always a lot of wild grapevines there but they were now joined by multifloral roses, greenbriars, blackberries, wild raspberries, hawthorns, and all manner of tough, tangled, and prickly vegetation. The further we went the thicker it got.
I had a little trouble telling exactly where we were. Finally we found a rock outcrop in the right area but there was no name carved in it. I looked around and suddenly started to remember these rocks. There were two outcrops next to each other. We were at the northernmost one, the carving was in the southern one. So I made my way through the brush to the other side and there it was…the name J Korns carved in the rock.
My dad always told me that J Korns was on the run from the law back in the 1930s and probably hid there. I was glad to see the carving was still there and unmolested.
The destination was about in the center of the picture.
April 27, 2009 at 9:21 am
Mic,
Max and I went for a walk the other day with Mazie and little Gracie. We visited the old cabin and eventually ended up at the carving.
As we approached the carving site, I saw a large bird fly up into the tree tops from the area where the carving is located. I honestly thought it was a turkey hen flying up to roost, but soon discovered it was turkey vulture as it flew up and out of the woods and started to circle above us. I was disappointed it was not a turkey. Then Max said… “Hey there are eggs up here”. I anxiously crawled up the rocky, overgrown hill side with Gracie in my arms and saw two purple speckled eggs within inches of the J Korns carving.
Turkey Vulture eggs was not what I expected to see on our little adventure, but it sure was worth the trip.
April 27, 2009 at 10:33 am
Joan,
That is neat. You know they have to nest somewhere, but I never really thought about where they actually do.
Rough going to get up to that outcrop…Gracie would never have made it without you.
Mic