Stalled at 15000 words...

[neotoma]

I'm going to take an early night and hopefully I'll have some more writing oomph tomorrow or Thursday...

Otoh, anyone know Lawrence, Kansas well enough to tell me which state park would be a good place to hold a three-way running battle among the trees, possibly including being chased by a crazy Anthropomorphic Personification in a chariot?

Comments

[twistedchick]

Um. Trees? Even in the Flint Hills, you're not going to find a whole lot of trees big enough to stand behind. Some rocky bluffs, not many. This is rolling grassland. Think Dances With Wolves.

darn, I wish I could hlep

[molly_o]

I lived there for a while, and while I was there we went camping in a nearby park (which did have trees, I remember we were in the woods) -- but now I can't remember which one it was. (I probably didn't even know at the time.)

Maybe try using G**gle maps, in the satellite view? That might give you some idea of the terrain.

[neotoma]

According to the satellite view on GoogleMaps, there are three state parks in the area, all of which have wooded areas (along their various lakeshores, at least).

Re: darn, I wish I could hlep

[neotoma]

I did look at Google Maps -- there seem to be a few state parks in the area that are partially wooded, mostly by their lakeshores. I suppose I could pick Perry Lake on the basis that it's far enough outside of Lawrence to limit the interference from local police?

Re: darn, I wish I could hlep

[molly_o]

Whoops, I see you already thought of that ...

Re: darn, I wish I could hlep

[molly_o]

That was my first thought -- but (again according to Google) Perry Lake is 40 mins. or so from Lawrence and only 30 mins. from Topeka -- would you want something big going down that close to Topeka?

Re: darn, I wish I could hlep

[neotoma]

The problem is that the satellite view only gives a flat view, though the pictures people have uploaded make me think that Perry Lake has equestrian trails that are wooded -- which might be enough for my purposes, since I want to separate my characters so that Armageddon is more like a series of confusing encounters in the woods interspersed with the sheer terror of open-ground battle.

[twistedchick]

Satellite view can show you greenery; it's not going to tell you how tall it is. Check with Molly; I think she went to college there.

[twistedchick]

Also, on the several times I was through there, the only mature trees I saw within the state were cottonwoods along the water. That's all.

Re: darn, I wish I could hlep

[neotoma]

Mostly I want something close enough to Lawrence. The Clinton State Park is slightly closer, but it doesn't seem to be nearly as wooded.

I definitely want something near a body of water, because when Michael and Gabriel unVessel and try to tear the crap out of each other, I want them to hit the water.

[neotoma]

Yeah, cottonwoods are weedy -- I'll make sure to add that to my description. But it's going to be a set of confusing encounters at night, because Supernatural apparently doesn't happen during the day, if you go by the show's color and light palette.

[twistedchick]

Mature cottonwoods can be several feet across in the trunk; some have been recorded as living 1000 years. So, not all that weedy, but it's fairly rare to see them more than two or three feet across.

Re: darn, I wish I could hlep

[molly_o]

I think between Perry and Clinton, it's probably six of one/a half-dozen of the other. But the Kansas state parks site says of Perry, "the equestrian trails wind through upland forest habitat," which makes me think you should go with Perry.

(I wish I could remember where we camped. But I didn't have a car, I just went along with the folks who organized these things and didn't pay too much attention.)