In both my visits to Johnson’s Woods and Brown’s Bog I was struck by how abruptly the forest broke out of the farmland. It seemed as if there were carefully plowed fields as far as the eye could see until suddenly there was a small pocket of forest. At home, I am surrounded by forest. In fact, homes and small developments break through the forest of my home town in much the same way that small bundles of forest seem to break through the rural areas surrounding Wooster. It is because these forests seem to pop out of nowhere that I am reminded of the sense of novelty that roadside attractions provide.
In a way, Brown’s Bog does operate like a roadside attraction–and not just because the abundance of ferns remind you of that one generic roadside attraction you most likely have driven past with all the giant plastic dinosaurs. This place is a place to escape every day life and to get away from the miles of cornfields that, for those who farm them, dictate everyday life. Here you can see plants that are not for profit and animals that are meant to be wild. Much like plastic dinosaurs on the side of a highway, Brown’s Bog is a little bit unusual when compared to its surroundings, but that only makes it all the more enjoyable.
Brown’s Bog offers an immersive escape from the norm. It is lush, it is beautiful, and it is certainly more natural than the plowed and maintained farmland that encircles it. Sure you might hear the occasional tractor drive by even when your far along the boardwalk (it isn’t deep in the remote wilderness), but you will also hear the chirp of cicadas, the rustle of scampering chipmunks, and maybe even the croak of a frog at the edge of the bog. Whether it be titled nature preserve or roadside attraction, Brown’s Bog is well worth a pull off the main drag.
I love your response that the sudden clump of forest is as if out of nowhere alongside the plowed farmland, and that at home for you it is the opposite where developments are as if out of nowhere alongside the forests. I think that’s a really great comparison to make. I agree with your statement, too, that Johnson’s Woods and Brown’s Bog operate like roadside attractions. If one were to be driving down random Ohio roads such as the ones leading to these places they would be able to spot the sign from their route and stop to take a small detour. Unlike larger roadside attractions, however, Johnson’s Woods and Brown’s Bog are not heavily promoted outside of their small entryways. Other roadside attractions will have billboards on the main highways to attract more people to the sites. This makes me wonder, then, if places such as Johnson’s Woods or Brown’s Bog should be promoted more to encourage the general public to experience nature, or if they should be left as they are with no advertisement so that those who wish to seek nature out will find them on their own?