The green balls are also known as hedge apples. The tree is made out of a fairly dense wood and had a fairly wide branch spread. Pioneer farmers in the plains used to plant them to create barriers to keep animals out of their fields. I have a hiking stick made of a branch and it is quite sturdy.
My son has many, many hedge trees on his property and has tried to cut down some dead ones. They are very dense and will test the best chain saw! The branches of those dead hedge trees are large and gnarly, making me think of the Washington Irving tale of the Headless Horseman. Hedge balls have been painted gold and people from cities actually buy them at fall festivals where we live in west central Illinois. Gotta wonder about those city folks😂. You 2 don’t seem to like the Midwest much, the people are our greatest resource, and all those soybeans and corn help feed the world.
We call them horse apples in Texas. I have a tree behind my house. There's also a theory that they evolved to be food for Columbian Mammoths that once roamed North America and that the mammoths spread them since they shared similar range. Nothing else native really eats them, so it makes sense. Every time I see them, it makes me think of mammoths.
That is an Osage Orange - The fruits are not typically consumed and have an astringent, bitter, green flavor with mild notes of cucumber. Most consumers deem the flavor unpleasant, and there are some records of indigestion and ill feelings after fruit consumption.
Osage oranges, sticky. We had one in our yard. Never eaten one myself but they are said to taste like cucumbers. During the Civil War Battle of Franklin (Tennessee), readily available thorny osage orange trees were used as abatis, a barrier to advancing troops.
I believe that Rails to Trails is who recently acquired (paid for) the other portions of the Rock Island trail you referenced (East of Windsor, MO) & then donated that old railroad right of way to the state, who will continue to expand the existing trail network that the state now maintains as park land. Enjoyed the video!
Yea, but from what we were told / read it’s being held up by some of the landowners along the corridor. The Katy apparently benefited from going forward assuming they could make the trail and then settling things later.
@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes Oh, that's unfortunate. I believe that rail corridor banking does typically involve fair reimbursement to the adjacent land owners. I'm in favor of preserving the corridors for possible later use, with the bonus of recreational use in the meantime, but clearly not everyone else is thinking beyond their own personal, short-term interests, & would prefer that abandoned right of ways revert to the adjacent landowners. Likely some landowners are playing hardball w/ lawsuits, hoping to derail (sorry) the expansion of the KATY system. Safe travels!
Great catch on the B2 , flying wing! You will be seeing more and more Osage Orange (known as "hedge tree" here in this location) They are fantastic for making a very good hot fire. The actual hedge apples are used by old-timers as great air fresheners and insect repellant. My hubby's aunt used to gather hedge apples in the late summer and put them on plates around her house to keep bugs away. Cows will sometimes eat the hedge apples but it can be a choking hazard. We look forward to meeting you come central Kansas. I am concerned about water for you central and western Kansas and eastern Colorado!
We are pretty well adapted at this point to knocking on doors of random houses to get water. So as long as there are houses along the route every 10+ miles we should be ok
Ironically the old Rock Island Line from Limon to Colorado Springs is within walking distance of my place. Portions were converted to a trail several years ago, but like you mentioned, landowner issues preclude a continuous trail. Probably why the ADT doesn’t use it out in Colorado.
How have i made it through 68 years of life without coffee? It can be done! Seriously, i just hate coffee. I like the smell of it, but i can stand the taste. Dont like it in anything, either, like mocha.
Hedge Trees. Green balls are Hedge Apple ( or Orange ) Trees. A college professor said Mastodon would eat them, thus distributing the seed. We'll, who knows, but they are poisonous to people I've been told. Not to willing to find out. 😊
It’s basically the same kit as I’ve been using the last few years. If you check out my CDT videos I went through everything in depth in a video early on
Lucked into a pretty decent campsite at the end of a long, but good, day. Stealth hiking seems really problematical, but you guys can make it work! Hike on! Tortoise
