Tufts of puffy white clouds tinged with yellow are followed gray clouds over a canvas of blue. A narrow branch of a river reflects the sky between banks of browned grasses and weeds, and the small yellowed leaves of a bush rise at the bottom of the photo. Trees with leaves still attached, stand tall on either side of the water further down.

Broken sky before dark. The sun disappeared behind a layer of broken clouds just as the golden hour began. It never reappeared before dark. Along the Slippery Elm Trail, near Rudolph, OH. it looked and felt like a November evening. #sunset #slipperyelmtrail #hiking #nature #clouds #ohio

A very mature tree is silhouetted against a sky that begins in yellow at the top, which fades to orange, then met with a band of purple, a thin strip of red, and more purple at the horizon in this sunset photo.

Sunset with an old friend. Colors you can swim in, as both the summer and day depart. Taken last week on the Slippery Elm Trail in Wood County, OH. #sunset #nature #hiking #trees #summer #ohio #woodcounty #slipperyelmtrail

A bright orange sky lights up a seed head along the edge of green field after sunset.

Last of the Summer sun. Maturing crops and weeds going to see signals Fall is not far behind. #sunset #woodcounty #hiking #slipperyelmtrail #ohio

A drainage ditch curves to the right with green grass along the ribbon of water and bushes of brown and green at the top. Corn stands tall beyond with the sky glowing orange behind clouds of gray and purple at the horizon in this sunset photo.

Ditching the day. Sunset on a ditch that runs through flat farm fields. Captured earlier this month. #sunset #farming #hiking #nature #ohio #slipperyelmtrail

A black white and gray semi domesticated beast ponders the strange runes on an unexpected sign planted along the side of the hiking path.

A close-up of the sign showing the name of the presumed deceased. White flowers are laying on the ground below the sign, in the grass. According to Google, this person was 36 years old and actually died in 2021- if it’s the same person. Seems like they kept his ashes for three years and decided to spread him in a farmer‘s field? He may have once regularly used the trail to jog or bike on. I assume the local park service just removes the signs and throws them away whenever they find them abandoned in their parks or along trails? This probably happens more than most people realize.

Sometimes when Malik and I go for long hikes out in distant rural areas, we see indications that people are throwing their dead relative’s remains (ashes) out along the trail, into the surrounding farmland.

#randomfuneral #hike #malamute #dog #dogsofbluesky #slipperyelmtrail #ashes