SP Pine Lake

 

Eldora, 6-23-2012, 5/105

 

I considered heading home, but decided that I would hit one more since it was kind of on the way. I stopped for lunch and had a bacon cheese-steak sandwich. Bad choice, me being dehydrated and all but so worth it.

This is a huge park. A golf course, camping, miles of trails, tubing. The whole park spread out from both sides of a highway with entrances for miles. I don't even know all of what was here, but I have a reason for that.

I went a decent ways back and picked an entrance that turned out to be a just a loop to look at the river from. Another entrance had what looked to be decent trails so I took it. But I learned from my experience at Union Grove. After parking, I made the GPS remember the current location and called it “car”. The GPS then was shut off an put in my pocket.

I walked down a hill, across a bridge, and along a river. After a couple of miles of this, I realized it wasn't going to got any more exciting and decided to go back. But I couldn't just go back; that would have made too much sense. There was a hill to the right that followed the same general direction back just from a different elevation; why not see something something different? In hindsight, I was probably just nearing the end of my limits; but that hill seemed so steep. I regretted it immediately but did not turn around. Unmarked private property waited atop that hill; maybe some sort of church camp. 

Here's where it gets brilliant. I decided that I was not climbing back down super-steep hill and instead would cut across the lesser grade hill going both down and to my car at the same time; no GPS needed I really knew the direction of my car this time. Partway down the lesser hill and my legs start itching. It keeps getting worse. Oak, Ivy, Sumac, I have no idea but it was not supposed to be on my skin. After the hill is completed, the next step is walking in the direction of the bridge; okay, there's a path. The path ends into a field of poison-whatever-it was all around me. I want to turn back, but I see the river it's on the other side of this poison patch maybe 100 feet away. I am not going to reverse all of that so I hurriedly stomp my way through it and start running.

I haven't been running in a while, but I must have been motivated because I ran miles back and felt no desire to stop. Funny what an allergic reaction that appeared to be getting worse in a secluded area that no body knows you're in can do to your endurance. 

I know where I am but want the shortest route back to my car (I was seriously considering getting medical attention so rule 4 was officially invoked) and on goes the GPS. Off-road, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. This straight line also just so happens to include a steep hill covered in the very plant I had run from, and happens to not include the bridge that I need. For once, I turn around and take the responsible path to my bridge. My legs are feeling better so I get there eventually.

Leaving the park I have two concerns: water and anti-plant cream. One of the park entrances has a pump and I drink an uncomfortable amount of water. I also fill every container it my car. The water seemed good, but any liquid would have been good at that point so I'm not the best judge.

Into town for concern 2. Pharmacy A: all streets closed off, Pharmacy B: closed two hours ago, Grocery store: one type of topical itch-cream. In the past, this type has caused a reaction far worse than the poison; so I'm going to go ahead and go home now.

 entrance to trail

 trail

 river

 tree of new life

house with amazing view

SP Union Grove

Gladbrook, 6-23-2012, 4/105

Construction made me concerned that I wasn't going to be able to access this one. It took some driving on “minimum maintenance” roads that are to be used “at your own risk”; which normally would scare me into turning around, but the ground was dry so I took a chance and quasi off-road-ed it. 

I was relieved to see the familiar Brown and Yellow signs saying the park opened at 4am, knowing that made it official. 

At the first entrance I saw there was a shaky bridge over a small creek. It turns out that this creek winds its way through the park being fed by a lake/river (couldn't tell which). I found a way to cross the creek only to decide that I didn't want to go bouldering and turn around.

Going around the lake I came across trails. They were a nice hike. With the right type of bike, I would love to take them on. The trails loop into each other and lead to private property, a campground, and this really cool tree growing horizontally over the water.

Then there was a problem; ready to leave and unsure of how many times I had turned. So, I guessed. I went left at the water and after walking a bit, I saw 2 trees and definitely had deja-vu. I was certain that I had seen those trees from that angle before which would have meant that I was walking the same way and not heading back to my car. I had not taken a picture of the trees the first time so my uncertainty won out and I continued on until I found a familiar purple flower. This however I did have a picture of; there was no doubt right at the river was the way back to my car, because I had taken this exact path to get lost in the first place. However across the water, I saw a car and decided that it was mine; in the direction I had just realized was wrong. Luckily for me the path kept curving left and didn't look like it was ever going to go right to meet with my car (at least not in the amount of time I had been walking). I turned around to now pass my flower and trees from the other direction and eventually found my first path. 

During this trip, I completely forgot water and it was beginning to get to me. There was a ground-water pump on my way back. It had a sweet taste which was a bit weird, but who cared at that point. After hydrating, I got my bearings and realized that the car I had seen couldn't have been mine because it was on another side of the water. Good thing those plants made an impression on me. I confirmed my mistake by driving by “my” car about 4 miles away on my way to the next park.

 Shallow, crossible creek fed by lake.

 Same creek

 Crossing point

 Lake

 Bouldering possibility

 Lonely flower

 Lake meets creek

 rebellious leafs

 The really cool tree growing out across the lake.

 same tree

 purple landmark flower

Future mountain biking?

SP T. F. Clark

Buckingham Township, 6-23-2012, 3/105

After deciding that I had a day to waste I started looking for clusters of dots. T.F. Clark was pretty close so it was my first stop. It was a bit of a disappointing start to the day. This park has a playground, restrooms, 12ish camping spots, and a small wooded area that is encircled by a short road. Since I am not interested in camping this park did not have a lot to keep my attention. I had to purposefully get out of my car to follow rule #2 and there was no curiosity left to satisfy.

 A bridge over barbed wire to private property.

Tree w/stringy thing

SP Heery Woods

Clarksville, 6-21-2012, 2/105

This is one  that may or may not formally qualify as a state park, but oh well. The drive there involves a very windy gravel road.
There is lodge and a nice but short trail along the Shell-Rock River. It had rained that morning. I couldn't tell if it was continuing to rain in spurts or if leftover water was falling from trees; but it was pretty cool regardless. With more outdoorsy clothes I would have continued upon my muddy path, but it wouldn't have gone too much farther anyway.  There were particular bugs everywhere.

A spider with super long legs.

A dragonfly who let me get close.

Some weird bubble plant

Spider web in light

SP George Wyth

 Waterloo, 6-20-12, 1/105


I feel like this one is cheating a bit. I pass this park on my way to and from work. In fact it is so close that I could throw something out my window from the highway and hit the park. I go here regularly; sometimes just to read.
Regardless, here it is. There is camping, a beach, fishing, lodges, playgrounds, prairie, trails that lead to both Cedar Falls and Waterloo, I'm probably missing some other stuff. All of it is accessible via a main road that connects to Highway 218.
I love the trails here because I can go to or from nearly anywhere in Cedarloo from the park; it serves as a nice middle point hub to refill your water or use the restroom during a long ride. Along the edges, there are blackberry bushes that have a short but delicious season.  There are old-fashioned pull water from the ground pumps located in this park. There is no denying that I love this water; although I'm not sure exactly why. Sometimes instead of recycling; I will keep containers just to fill them with water from these pumps and drink amazing ground water for the next week.
Really, I am being unfair to this park. I go to it all the time. There really was no exploring for me left to do when I returned for this project because I have coming here and exploring for the last 5 years. So there are no 'Wow this is amazing' moments because it is familiar. So I suppose my curiosity has been pre-satisfied; but I still find cool stuff nearly every time I go.

Maple leaves with dew

Lilly pads unwrapping

 A quasi-fallen tree makes climbing easy. There are normally standing trees in the background for comparison.

 Deer hiding

Some fuzzy water plant

SP Introduction

I have decided to visit all of the state parks in Iowa. To my best count there are 105; but honestly every reputable source defines “state park” differently. Some include only those with “state park” in the name, some include state forests, state land managed by counties, and various other small differences. So after some revising (for instance either my 2011 Iowa DOT map or Google maps must recognize it), I have come up with a list of 105 and feel satisfied with that number.

So I keep my IA DOT map speckled with green in my car and cross off the dots as I visit them. There are some (arbitrary, self-imposed) rules as to what qualifies as a visit.

1. I must enter the park after having started this project. Those that I have already seen must be re-seen.

2. I must actually enter the park and not simply pass it. I am required to walk at least 10 feet away from my vehicle within the park.

3. A minimum of two pictures must be taken of each park. One must be of an official sign indicating that the area is in fact the park I am calling it. One must be of something cool I found in the park. It is expected that most parks will have multiple pictures, but two are required.

4. I must explore the park to the point of satisfying my curiosity unless extenuating circumstances exist. Examples of extenuating circumstances include: physical danger,injury that puts significant limitations on the ability to explore, time limitations, and institutional barriers (such as the park being reserved for a private party).

After visiting a park in accordance with the above rules a post will be added about the park. I will do my best to describe the experience. Pictures that state the name of the park and show something interesting will be posted. Some attempts will be made to reasonably limit the number of pictures posted but I make no guarantees. Since I have previously visited some of them, I might include pictures taken beforehand of the interesting stuff.

On a final note, I have decided to write about the experiences after starting the project; so the first couple of posts will be in retrospect. I am excited to see what Iowa has to offer.

exceptional-abilism

It is a long and ongoing process, but I am learning to be okay with my epilepsy. This acceptance has lead me to want to come out of the closet so to speak and talk about it with people. My motivation is that I have antedotially found that by letting people know they know someone who is/has______; it increases their acceptance of it.

Lately though, I have found myself conflicted about this as an approach. It is the issue I have with the way that disabilities portrayed in the media. It can be summed up like this: Are those affected the least by a problem the best ones to represent it? (The seed for this rant was planted thanks to Caroline Narby's guest blog on Bitch Magazine especially this one http://bitchmagazine.org/post/double-rainbow-the-savant-autism-feminism .)

In my experience, shows and movies featuring characters with disabilities tend to follow the open-window syndrome (OWS). That is a term I made up for the trend that disabilities are shown as opportunities. Yes, xe has to deal with _____ but look how good it makes heir at ______. Some of these are blatently discussed issues within the show, others are potential as suggested by people talking about the show. Here are some that I have seen in no particular order.

Character	Show/Movie	Disability	Acknowledged in show
Gregory House	House MD	Physical	Yes
Adrain Monk	Monk	OCD	Yes
Lisbeth Salander	Girl w/ Dragon Tattoo	Autism	No
Jake Bohm	Touch	Autism	Yes
Sheldon Cooper	Big Bang Theory	Asperger's	No
Auggie Anderson	Covert Affairs	Blind	Yes
Brick Heck	The Middle	Autism	No
Forrest Gump	Forrest Gump	Low IQ/Physical	Yes
Charlie Babbit	Rainman	Autism	Yes

Whether or not some of these are acknowledged by the show is debatable. In that they could just be seen as quirks/ reactions to trauma. Jake is never called autistic, but is institutionalized because of the way he acts; so it is a significant trait for him. With Lisbeth, Brick, and Sheldon; their potential disabilities could be intentional representations or just quirks that were not intended to represent Autism. These are the three suggested by fans discussing the show.

While admittedly, this list is based on the media I have seen, I cannot help but to notice a pattern (well a couple of patterns). Something I thought of after looking at the list is that they are all white (mostly) males. Of the 7 adults, 4 are professionals and another has the skills to be if she so choose. This images over time, present a pattern that under-represents diversity. My main point, is that all of their disabilities are offset by their incredible lives.

Greg is such a diagnostician that he does thing multiple times an episode that would get any other doctor fired. Occasionally, he gets in trouble; but he is so good at what he does that the hospital covers his ass. Adrian's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder got him fired from the police force, but it allows him to solve unsolvable crimes and become invaluable as a consultant. Lisbeth's math skills, attention to detail, and unemotional presentation allows her to overcome many formal barriers by hacking into any and every computer. Jake is a child with an uncanny ability to see the mathematical patterns behind human interaction despite the fact that he avoids most interactions himself. With the help of his father, this alleviates suffering of many others. Sheldon is an astrophysicist with a lack of ability to relate to others when the topic is not science. Auggie is a soldier turned spy. His computer skills are so strong that the CIA made a lot of accommodations to hire him (they show rigorous training and recruitment that he could not have passed with reasonable accommodations being blind). Brick is a quiet genius child in a Midwestern family; like Sheldon, he has trouble interacting with others unless the topic interests him. The mental and physical challenges faced by Forrest do not prevent him from playing a significant role in most major historical events faced by the Untied States in the mid 20^th century and becoming rich for it. Charlie's autism allows him to assist his brother in beating the house by counting cards.

The theme amongst all of these characters is that they all have almost magical abilities despite their set backs. Don't get me wrong; I'd rather see successful characters with disabilities than ones who are to be pitied. My concern however is that it may set an unrealistic standard. “What's that your child has autism? That's too bad, but he will be a math genius.” While sometimes one disability can be accompanied by other advantages such as heightened hearing in blind people; there are many others who live without the severance package; and these people are invisible. To me the invisibility of the average person who is/has _________ makes it even harder to accept the average person because we are in love with OWS and have difficulty accepting disability without a justification. I think have difficulty accepting disabilities as legitimate variances among humans. Instead of getting rid of others who make us uncomfortable http://my.epilepsy.com/EPILEPSY/HISTORY we have to live with them. Once we stopped seeing it as a sign of being possessed/evil, we needed something else to blame as a cause. OWS serves as such a justification because it implies that these super powers could not have happened without the condition.

I have no delusions of grandeur, here. I am by no means claiming to be as smart as Sheldon, or as skilled as Lisbeth. But I cannot help but to wonder if I am also an exception rather than a standard representation of epilepsy. It is mild enough that if I take my medication properly, it is rarely an issue. I was able to graduate from college, buy a house, and get a job that I love not only because my epilepsy is mild but also because of significant class (and race) privilege.

Hypothetically (not anywhere near ethically) if you took identical twins with the same disability and gave them to families matched in every plausible way except for socioeconomic status; one would likely do better than the other because they could access more resources with less of a (relative) financial strain. I do not know how my life would have turned out otherwise; but I think it is unrealistic and harmful to deny that I was able to get better care than would otherwise be available.

So is it really doing anything positive to make myself into a poster-child for epilepsy when my experiences are rare? Would this be a positive counter example to a stereotype, or a perpetuation of one?