Walk in the Woods. [Archive] - SOUTHERN ILLINOIS OUTDOORS - Hunting Fishing - SILOutDoors.com



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FunGusAmonGus
02-27-2009, 19:33
Today me and RNRH met G. for a walk in the woods around Pyramid. We found this spot in the woods where water was welling up forming a wide wet area that made its own little stream. It was not like any spring I have ever seen. This whole area had been strip mined and I think this was an old well. The whole area around this spot is perfectly flat and water and some type of bubbles where issuing forth from a hole in the ground. We could not get near enough to try and stick something down into it for fear of falling in. Sometimes when they began strip mining they would drill wells and continuously pump water till the water table dropped thus allowing them to begin mining. This may have been one of those wells or it may have been a water well that was there before mining in the area began. There was no apparent well casing to be seen.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t309/fabfive2001/newer%20stuff/th_002-53.jpg (http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t309/fabfive2001/newer%20stuff/?action=view&current=002-53.flv)

We also found this cool old bridge that was part of a old road which went through the area before the mining commenced.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t309/fabfive2001/newer%20stuff/005-42.jpg



http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t309/fabfive2001/newer%20stuff/003-49.jpg

RoninSI
02-27-2009, 19:38
I just got down there for the first time, a week or so ago.

That place is really interesting, I thought it would be a good place to go camping when it warms up. Don't know how crowded it gets, but it sure looked like a neat place!

FunGusAmonGus
02-27-2009, 19:40
We found some little out of the way pits that look like they are going to be some nice fishin..! Did you go to the new part Ron?

RoninSI
02-27-2009, 19:43
I have no Idea, I pulled in the entrance, turned to the left, and went all through that area.

I didn't have time to go through the road that went straight. And then it looked like there were more ponds and such down the main road???

I hope to make it back down there sometime soon.

huntrz
02-27-2009, 19:46
thats water bubbling up is cool, cant say i've ever seen anything like that

gretchensteele
02-27-2009, 19:51
I had a super day out and about with Fun and RNRH.. Thanks os much for inviting me along..
what Fun didn't tell you about this.. I kept kreeping closer and closer ..nosy soul that I am, until I realized that if kept sinking in the mud , it'd be bad.. cause I'd be up to my neck soon.. and Fun would just say, " hang in there.. we have to wait on RNRH to get over here so she can film me pulling you out" ROFL

It was great day out and about.. no sheds, but some nice turtle shells, and few dead things that of course I had to poke with a stick and examine LOL

Ron - it's great camping down there.. there several different campgrounds to pick rom.. a couple get a little full and couple are usually pretty vacant... I think it doesn't get loads of campers because it's all primitive camping, and so many folks want all the goodies...
Good shroomin at Pyramid too :) Lots of little walk in lakes and potholes to fish it's really a marvelous place and HUGE!!! nifty nifty trails..
Hope you can make it down there.. I'll hop over and visit and give you the 50cent tour :) I spend waaaay too much time over there !

gretchensteele
02-27-2009, 19:53
Ron it sounds like you were in what we call the "old part" - the road that goes straight ahead goes to the "north end"
and then there's the new part that's off to the west and goes on forever...

RoninSI
02-27-2009, 19:59
Yeah, the whole time I was down there, I was thinking----SHROOMS----bwahahaha

That is where I found that beaver skull also... wish I had taken a pic of it now, I ended up giving it to the M-I-L to put in her flower garden.....lol

FunGusAmonGus
02-27-2009, 20:07
There is a way to tell about then a area had been strip mined in the past. There are different periods that can be seen when looking at old strip mined areas. When strip mining first began the equipment was small compared to the equipment used today also they mainly mined coal which was relatively near the surface. There was also no regulations concerning reclamation. All these factors resulted in mined areas consisting of many small pits with steep hills in between and large rocks interspersed on top of the soil. With the improvement of mining technology the pits got bigger with less in between the hills. Reclamation regulations also began to be implemented. Some of these regulations where basically tokens to appease the folks who where not happy with the way things where being done. One of the "reclamation practices" implemented was the flattening of the very top of the filled in areas. They took a big bulldozer and flattened the peaks of the hills. This resulted in a mined area that had fewer pits but the pits where larger and all the hill top peaks are flattened off. There is and area on County Line Road where you cans see where this technique was used.In this area all the pointy hills have flat tops. As the mining equipment got even larger and the reclamation regulations got sticker the pits got even larger and fewer and the hills where more evened out to resemble a rolling country side. Also the large rocks on top where removed with heavy equipment and rock rakes so only a small percent of the mine land was very rocky. All this aided in the ability for the land to have an increased ability to be use in the future. Pyramid is a great place to see how mining techniques and regulations have changed over the years.

FunGusAmonGus
02-27-2009, 20:19
We forgot to mention we seen DDave!!!!!:D:eek::cool:

gretchensteele
02-28-2009, 07:44
We forgot to mention we seen DDave!!!!!:D:eek::cool:

Had a nice visit with DDave and one his Hunt Club/Revlon friends :)

Also - we found a group of swans on the way home through the bottoms.. no possible way to get close enough to them to photo..although RDRH had a gleam in her eye, and I think was tempted to make a little drive down the through mud to get closer :)

I counted seven adults in the group ...

lofjas
02-28-2009, 08:34
Sounds like a neat place to wander around in. If ya don't fall in a water hole. That was pretty neat looking.