Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Green River Walk on a Gray Afternoon

Monday was the first day in a while where I could just do as I pleased and make it up as I went along.  

I did not get out of bed until 8:15, even though I had been awake for a while. Then I planted myself in my computer chair and caught up with the world through email, Facebook, and bloggers.

It must have been close to 10:00 before I was dressed and got some breakfast. I put the dining room back to its non-company form, did some laundry, and consolidated the rest of the Christmas cookies into one large container and put them back in the freezer. 

We knew we needed to go for a walk. We both have pounds to lose after all that eating. So, in the afternoon, after a long lunch with the newspaper, Tom and I drove down into the valley, parked in a lot along the Green River near the Southcenter Mall, and instead of walking south on the Green River Trail, as we usually do, we decided to see where it took us going north and how it would take us safely through the maze of freeway intersections and get us to Fort Dent, a place we knew. 

The Green River looked pretty brown to my eyes, but in the camera it does actually look sort of green, muddy green. 
 It was raining ever so slightly, and eventually quit all together.
 We went under lots of overpasses, as the trail stayed down along the river and the rest of the busy world was up there somewhere. 
 We arrived at Fort Dent without once leaving the river.
 The Black River is all but gone now, and the Green is kept within its diked banks, but at one time this area was more water than land, and boat navigation was the means for transporting people and goods. 

 The trail crossed over the river for a second time in our two mile stretch of the trail. 
 Here is where the remnants of the Black River drain out into the Green. 
 There was not much wildlife to see on our walk today, so we appreciated spotting this Hooded Merganser. 
 Mrs. Merganser was there too, but she seemed to wish to stay out of the picture. 
 "Train whistle blowing" added to the feel of the place, urban yet wild, industrial yet natural. 
 Two guys on bikes shouted "Hey, it's not raining!" as they pedaled by.  Yay!
 After about two miles, we turned around.

 Around the bends, along the banks, and under the freeways we did go. 
 Back at the car I took a few minutes to just gaze at the river.  My little Canon zoom lens found these friends - Common Mergansers, I think. 
We walked for over an hour, covered 3.85 miles, and enjoyed the fresh air and exercise. 

11 comments:

  1. Nice urban walk. It's interesting to see all the great walking/hiking/biking trails and the wildlife that has found a place even in the city.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It looks like a very nice walk. It doesn't take us much to be happy, just when it's not raining we get a little giddy these days. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a nice walk you had. I haven't been able to walk for a few days but hopefully tomorrow I'll be right back on track again. Thanks for all the lovely pics.

    ReplyDelete
  4. i love that those kinds of walks are tucked away in urban setting. Your leisurely morning sounds like the typical start to the day for me. Being able to get out of bed without the prompting of an alarm clock is, to me, the greatest luxury in the world.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gosh, I feel refreshed just reading about your walk. It really is pretty there. Must be nice to live where you can take nice long walks and be safe.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely photos, Linda. I should get out and walk, too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You needed a good break. I know you're ready to do it all over again next year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Glad you were able to get out.... It has been gray and rainy here too.... Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have been totally lazy since Christmas. Doing nothing but eating and taking pictures and working on my computer and watching TV. A total lazy blowout. I hate myself for this and know that it is partly due to no sunshine, while mostly due to me being an ass.

    ReplyDelete
  10. you are lucky to have so many beautiful paths to walk on even it it rains lots...lol!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I agree with Lin. You really are lucky that you have so many beautiful places to walk. Ah well... that's my excuse for not getting out there and walking myself, I guess. I really admire your getting out all the time and doing your exercise and enjoying of nature. Sigh... I need to do the same.

    ReplyDelete

I would love to read your comments. Since I link most posts to Facebook, you may comment there if you do not have an account. I have eliminated Anonymous comments due to spammers.