This morning I decided to expand my horizons a little and try a different venue.
I know the nature lovers out there are saying “well, this doesn’t look like Linda’s usual shtick” … but don’t let the appearance of this wall festooned with graffiti fool you.
A fellow blogger who lives fairly close to me offered a few suggestions for nature locales around our area. So, when my new cyber pal/fellow blogger, Pril, asked me if I’d ever been to the Southgate Nature Center, I was mystified that it even existed – a nature area the next city over? So, my fingers flew over the keyboard to Google where I discovered this little nature nook a mere 5 ½ miles from my house, tucked next to Southgate Anderson High School. Why have I never heard of it and does Ann Marie, my friend and fellow walker who lives in Southgate know about it?
So, I made this my first pit stop on this morning’s meander then topped that trek off with a trip to Heritage Park.
I arrived there around 9:30, and almost missed it, as it is set back from the high school a bit. Luckily the sign for the nature center was big enough, because I have the worst sense of direction, and despite glancing at the map again before I left, I figured I’d just remember the cross streets without a hitch.
I set out on a paved path …
… which soon became a little more rustic as it incorporated a small trail that led directly into a field of bulrushes, burrs and phragmites, the latter which were waving back and forth in the stiff breeze. The walk was reminiscent of my trip to Pointe Mouillee last week. My foray into these tall reeds reminded me of those huge corn mazes you can go through at harvest time, i.e. you can’t see where you are going ahead and just hope for the best.
It was nippy for picture-taking, and my fingers were feeling frosty, even with the flip-top mitts. That’s because the wind-chill made it feel like 23 degrees F (-5 Celsius) and the gray and gloomy sky did not yield any sun rays today, so I felt an occasional shiver as I walked along. But, despite that cold, I was thinking warm thoughts when I saw the many milkweed plants and their pods full of fluff and seeds.
Milkweed is the host plant for monarch butterflies, and there were many of these plants around, so I’ll bet this place is a haven for monarch butterflies once the warmer months arrive.
This old rotting wooden stump looked kind of interesting and I am sure it has been the subject of many photos as people pass it on the pathway.
I continued on my way, sometimes treading on a wooden pathway and other times walking along a paved path.
There was much ice in the sunken areas of grass and gullies, evidence of our recent rains which all looked to be frozen solid.
The monotones of a gray sky and pale-colored reeds made it very desolate in this marshy area. At a glance the phragmites looked a little like wheat.
I was careful not to brush up against the teasel which was growing everywhere; these were several feet taller than me and silhouetted against the gray sky.
I arrived at a long wooden footbridge which spanned across a creek.
I had not seen a sign of any wildlife thus far on my trek, but soon heard the unmistakable call of a blue jay and also a cardinal. I was unable to locate the blue jay, but I watched a male cardinal flitting from tree to tree. I dug in my pocket for peanuts (like the pedometer, they are a staple whenever I leave the house) and I held it between two fingers, trying to entice that beautiful red bird to come down to the wooden bridge. He flew away, so perhaps I had spooked him, so I decided to leave my calling card on the top railing, then I moseyed along.
Halfway across the bridge, I turned around to see if the cardinal had swooped down to land on the railing to retrieve his peanut and noticed the graffiti which I featured at the top of this post. Whoa! Here I was in the middle of a blah-colored marshland and these colorful images took up an entire wall which was as wide as the creek. You can see a wire grate at the bottom of the wall, so I guess this is how the wall was decorated. Amazingly, without a hint of sun, the colorful images made a stunning reflection on the surface of the creek. There were a few ducks paddling around as well.
I crossed to the other side of the footbridge and found this mini-waterfall. The water was gurgling and spilling over and reminded me of a brook as it gushed over the man-made stones.
I kept on the pathway, and along the way, I had to dodge icy areas where the pathway was sunken down and it had filled with ice and leaves.
I stayed on the pathway until the very end where I found busy Pennsylvania Road. Cars were whizzing by and there was a huge church there, so it looked like the end of the road for me and time to retrace my steps and head back.
I finally saw a few people so I didn’t feel so alone, because, I have to admit for a time, once again, I wondered about wandering around amongst the tall reeds, although this was hardly the middle of nowhere like last week, but there were a few places that were off the beaten path.
As I crossed the wooden footbridge, I noticed that my peanut was gone … see, I did have eyes watching my every move, just as I suspected. I should have left a few more for the cardinal for an afternoon snack.
There was a whole lot of honking going on as approximately 25 Canada geese announced their arrival. They flew overhead in almost-perfect V formation, though that perfect form quickly fell apart as you’ll see below.
I passed the marshy area and took one last look before heading to the car.
Just like Council Point Park, which is embedded inside a residential area and in the middle of a city, you step away from a natural area to a residential neighborhood in minutes.
I am glad that I stopped by the Southgate Nature Center. My second destination on my morning agenda was Heritage Park, which was three miles away. The ducks were huddled together in groups on one side of Coan Lake and I felt badly for them. I will write about that visit in a separate post. I walked six miles today and made it a point to walk that amount, as I wanted to mark 50 miles (80 kilometers) walked to date in 2019 as of today … onward and upward!
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Thanks Linda for sharing this post- I got to read it almost immediately I saw your note. I read today that Ann Marie the blogger you often write to in your blog comments, is actually your fellow blogger. I have never visited her site. I am glad you have company on your walks. Today you took a lonely walk, on a road not often trod upon, it seems. It is good you took a diversion from the usual paths. Unusual roads give unusual benefits. I am glad you stepped into that corn field of grasses even though you didn’t know who or what lay ahead. I am also glad there were no wild creatures inside.
How come there is ice without snow? I will never understand the distinction between ice and snow, it seems. It seems a very dreary day like a day out of “Wuthering Heights”. But the graffiti color seemed to lighten the scenery. I am not sure if nature would have looked better left alone, though.
No squirrels on this walk ?
Glad someone ate the little peanut. Will you walk there again ?
Susie
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Hi Susie – I just came back from answering Ann Marie’s comment … she lives not too far from there. I will go back again Susie, however, I did notice when I Googled for finding this little nature nook, that several people mentioned getting ticks when they were there. I knew it was okay as it was Winter but I don’t know if I would stray off the path in the Summer. I would not mind to go back and see if there are monarch butterflies from all that milkweed that I saw there. Unbelievably, except for a couple of ducks and the blue jay and cardinal, there was no other critters there, not even a squirrel. When I was at Heritage Park, there are rarely any squirrels – I saw one today and offered it some peanuts (rattled my plastic bag) and took one out to show it … squirrel ran up a tree and I got a picture of it, but it ran away. The squirrels in other parks don’t have the personality that the squirrels in Council Point Park have because they are larger parks and they don’t get the same interaction with walkers as you have in Council Point Park. We are likely having some snow tonight but just in the southern tier of counties here in Southeast Michigan. More times it is in the northern suburbs as it is colder there – this time it has something to do with the snowstorm that is wreaking havoc to Ohio, the next state over from us, and most of the Midwest. There are some wicked snowstorms this weekend … 9 inches of snow in Missouri. So, we may have a dusting to one inch of snow tomorrow morning – I won’t drive, but I will walk down to Council Point Park – it should not be slippery going there. I was in a desolate area last Sunday – Pointe Mouillee. I was several miles from the main highway and it made me a little nervous … all the high reeds and marsh grasses, you could not see what is going on and I didn’t stay long … same here today – until I saw some people walking around, I had been the only one there so I was a little wary. I’m not a fan of graffiti as a general rule, especially in a natural setting, and this kind of surprised me since it was so desolate looking and all the bare trees, dead marsh grasses … this burst of color – kind of out of the ordinary. I think it had to be the cardinal that ate the peanut – I was sure that cardinal was eyeing me from the tree … I wish I had left him more.
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I love your long replies, Linda. They give me so much more information and I am glad I asked.
I should go back and read the Pointe Mouillee post again.
It seems from the pictures that the sky is so full of snow but I don’t know much about a heavy laden sky, so I shouldn’t comment.
Would you be wary of human or animal predators on your walks?
Susie
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Ask away Susie – anything you want to know and if I know I’ll answer or tell you I don’t know. The snow depends on the weather – we did not get too high of temps today and I thought we wouldn’t get any snow … but they still say a dusting and now maybe an inch. We have different types of snow too – sometimes it is the fat flakes, that is heavy and wet snow and that is the snow that weatherman and doctors warn you not to shovel if you have a heart condition. I can’t tell you how many people have heart attacks or die trying to shovel heavy and wet snow. My neighbor across the street had a heart attack using his snow blower at the end of the driveway – the City plow comes down the street, then turns around and comes up the street. They push all the snow to the end of your driveway – sometimes it is heavy and wet and sometimes you get freezing rain on top of the snow pile and then you can’t hardly move the snow. He was trying to get rid of the snow at the end of his driveway with the snowblower and the exertion caused him to have a heart attack – he was the skinniest man … he/his wife were on a very healthy diet … no sugar, fat, rarely had dessert, small portions … he had a heart attack. Sometimes the snow comes down as hail, like little pellets and sometimes it is just these soft flakes that often melt on contact. The snow is not as deadly as the ice … especially the black or glare ice. It forms on the roads and you can’t see it. I hate Winter diving and go out as little as possible and that’s why I’ve been going out a lot in good weather as I know there may be days/weekends that I only go to Council Point Park. I am careful and aware of both two-legged and four-legged predators. We have many dogs in the neighborhoods as we have become full of crime in our City, plus the coyotes (although they’ve not been around in a month or so) plus anyone who might cause any harm. I like dogs, but am scared of pit bulls.
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Dear Miss “Onward and upward”…………………………..thanks for going over to Southgate’s walking trail………………………..I’ll have to try it…………………………..nice winter adventure
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Was this news to you Ann Marie? I had never heard of it before and not that far from you.
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I enjoyed your new venue, especially the story of the cardinal. I hope he was the one that took the peanut.
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Thanks Anne – glad you enjoyed my tale and pictures. I hope that cardinal snagged that peanut too – I watched him flitting from tree to tree and watching me … he probably saw me cross the bridge and went after it. I don’t imagine they have too many people going there right now to help out in the food department.
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I enjoyed reading about the new venue but it is much too desolate looking for me…..and Parker will think you have deserted him!
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Yes, I don’t like that it is so desolate – I think that is it and I’ll stick to more open areas like the bigger parks. I will be back to see Parker tomorrow and see if I can get some up-close shots of him. I don’t tell him about the “porch squirrels” as he might get jealous!
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Wonderful wintry pics – I enjoyed the muted colour palette
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Thank you Alison – I think the marsh grasses and reeds are actually just as nice in this muted palette as in the Summer. Chilly out there as well, but I am enjoying no snow (for the time being anyway). I fished your comment out of SPAM – sure don’t know why it went there?
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That’s great you found a new place to walk so close to home:) You are making amazing mileage so far this year! Just counting running, I’ve only gone 28km
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I was happy to discover it AJ … close to home is a boon. When I looked for the map I saw a few people left Google reviews saying there were ticks in Summer, but I’d stay off the areas inside the marsh and go just on the paved path, or maybe stay away come Summer. Michigan had a bad mosquito and tick problem last year, mosquitoes especially after we had a really soggy Spring. But this was in many parks in our state, not just this one. We dodged a bullet with the snow they had predicted overnight … we didn’t even get the dusting, so happy for that. Now the weather folks have predicted snow for next Saturday … that can go away as well and would make me happy. It is very cold this morning … 23 degrees, real feel of 11 degrees which is -11 Celsius. You will soon catch up with me AJ … you were busy after getting back into the work groove. You will run rain or shine. 🙂
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I was really nervous of ticks when I was back east two summers ago as it’s not something we have to worry about out West here. I stayed out of all grass🤣
I hope the snow leaves the forecast for you!
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We had a beautiful day today AJ – we never got the snow, not even a dusting, so I did 6 miles, but it was very cold. But better than slip-slidin’ away!
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Oh that’s awesome you had no snow and got more miles in! I’ll keep my fingers crossed that that continues for the rest of winter!
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Thanks AJ – I am hoping so too … unfortunately they are talking about snow Friday into Saturday … hope they are wrong like last weekend. Now we are spoiled, especially when I hear what is going on around the country.
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No I’m spoiled- we had 11 degrees and sunshine today🤣
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Oh wow – I converted it – I could enjoy 51 degrees. Our Winter ugliness is beginning tonight with freezing rain and through tomorrow morning, so there goes tomorrow’s walk. They are saying measurable snow this weekend – ugh! Now my steps will start decreasing, but I had a good run so far this year, so that’s good. I’ve had Winters that were so bad that I almost had to start at square one with just a mile once Spring was here and gradually work my way up to 5+ miles.
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Oh that is horrible! I hope the bad weather doesn’t last too long
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Me too – I should be “accepting” and figure we had a crummy somewhat icy with some snow in November, but December and the first half of January has been wonderful that it’s hard to get back into Winter mode now.
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Yes we don’t seem to really have had winter yet, but I’m just fine with that😀
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That’s how I felt too – I knew I was living a dream though.
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There seems to be a great place to stroll and photograph on.😊 Will be interesting to see photos from the place during spring and summer when nature strikes out in bloom.
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Yes, I was happy to discover it John … I think it will be nice once everything is green again and maybe some monarch butterflies given all that milkweed.
Hard to image warmth right now, … just 23 degrees with a real feel of 11 degrees … but we dodged the snow that a big portion of the U.S. is dealing with right now, so happy for that.
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Hidden gems for Winter’s blahs. 🙂 Nice find, Linda. Happy trails!
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Yes, I thought it would give you a smile Uncle Tree … it was a new follower and I went to her site and saw it. She is Portuguese. Brrr for this morning’s walk … just 23 degrees with a real feel of 11 degrees … but no snow, so happy for that.
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It’s great that you are discovering new adventures so close to home – If you ever decide to give your car a real workout (maybe this summer) we would love for you to visit us at the farm. I would also take you to our beautiful Columbus Park that is only a couple miles from us. It’s over 300 acres – they have trails for walking, biking and horseback riding. The Belle River runs through it and they have added canoe launch also a sledding hill. My sisters and I walked the trails there on Friday and I am planning to return this week to pick rose hips. Maybe I’ll get some photos and blog about it. : Have a great day, Linda. 🙂
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Thank you Ruth for the suggestion – that sounds like a wonderful idea. I was a little concerned at the place yesterday and last Sunday as it was so deserted and desolate there and happy to see a few people come along. I will look forward to seeing your pictures and post. I went to my old standby today and it was absolutely gorgeous there today – it was cold, as you know, and the Creek was frozen over and it looked like glass. I took some pictures of it, but will have to use them another time as the post from today, which I am about to write, is just filled with squirrels. It was a beautiful and sunshiney day and I bundled up and walked six miles. I am so happy that snow missed us – guessing it missed you too since it was only predicted around Monroe.
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I enjoyed reading your enthusiasm for the new venue – as chilly as it appeared. Great photos, and so fun that you’ve made a new peanut loving friend, too!
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Thanks Shelley – it was cold, but you know cold even better than me. Today was really cold as well and I put on an extra layer of clothes and wore two pair of gloves – not so good to manipulate the camera with the buttons and my fingers were still cold. But the sun was out and I forgot about the 11 degree windchill! I wish I could have seen that cardinal come to grab that peanut. They do it and are off in a matter of seconds.
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Congratulations on your first 50! That’s a lot of miles only 12 days into the new year! It sounds like you had fun exploring a new nature center. The pictures of the teasels, Phragmites, and milkweed are so pretty. Just as pretty, in their own way, as summer flowers. I bet if you keep going back to this new place, you will have that cardinal eating out of your hand in no time! 🙂
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Thanks Laurie and I added another six miles today. We didn’t get that snow they had forecast … first it was a couple of inches, then one inch, then a dusting – nothing. My kind of Winter. As to the cold, just bundle up – it was 23 degrees with a real feel of 11 when I left this morning. I had thought to go to some of the Detroit River venues and decided on just going to my regular Park instead. The Creek was frozen over – looked very pretty and as usual, took so many pictures and will put some in a separate post. I think those teasels, Phragmites and milkweeds are very pretty in their dormant state – I’ve never seen the milkweed in its fluffy state, just the pods with seeds which a friend of mine sent to plant in the yard when I had the butterfly garden. They were quite unique looking. I think you are right because that cardinal was close and watching me intently from above.
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Linda – sometimes you really scare me with your walks, something else I have to worry about. I don’t want you to get snatched away by some creepy weirdo. Then I see your lovely photos, and I forget that I worry and I just feel happy that you shared a new place with us. Apparently, what-ever critter took the peanut felt the same way. kim
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Thanks Kim for your concern – it is appreciated. I felt a little uneasy yesterday even though the entire paved pathway was maybe a mile long each way and I went into the area which was off the beaten path, and thought better of it, not only because they were tall and it reminded me of a maze, but also I remembered people saying there had been ticks in the Summertime. I’m sure the ticks have frozen to death, but no use tempting fate as a week ago we had nearly 60 degree weather – do they unfreeze and come back to life? And last Sunday I was really not at ease at all – in the Summer, there are more people out and about. I tend to forget that most “normal” people do not want to be outside walking around when it is 23 degrees with a real feel of 11 degrees like it was this morning. But you are right … even in my own City, crime is rampant now … I never go out in the dark, whether it is morning or evening, just a sad fact, but not safe anymore. Today we had a sunny day – lots of pictures … a total squirrel-filled post today! (Can there be too many squirrels doing crazy things – one today, trying to climb up and reach the bag of peanuts?)
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Parker is going to be jealous! Hahaha I have noticed when I walk area’s like this there is never a lot of wildlife. I don’t know if it is the lack of water or what but I am always disappointed not seeing more. However, as in your beautiful pictures, there is so much plant and tree life that is fascinating. I loved the milkweed pictures!
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Parker will be jealous – especially if he knew about the porch squirrels. I saw him today and a bunch of other squrirels – even though it was really cold, the sun was out and they were out. I walked there and took pictures for hours. Now I have to write the post to go with all those pictures. I am disappointed if I don’t see any wildlife either – guess they are in the trees keeping warm this time of years. I thought the milkweed pods and fluff were very cool. When I had a butterfly garden years ago, my friend sent me some milkweed seeds she had growing in her yard. She had quite a few monarch butterflies in her yard. So here was not only the seeds, but the fluffy stuff the seeds attach to – like a science lesson!
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What a wonderful post, Linda, like always. I have so much fun reading your posts. The way you write makes my mind fly to thore enchanting paths in your neck of the woods. I gotta tell you that as a cyclist I do yield to peds, definitely. It is safer for everybody and also courteous.
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Thanks Martha – glad you enjoy them. I find even the marsh reeds and weeds look interesting in the Winter, despite being dormant and kind of a blah color. I like how they are feathery looking t the top. At the larger parks where there are paved paths, most of the paths are divided into two “lanes”, one for bicyclists and one for walkers and that works out really well. When there are two walkers and a bicyclists come, they just move over and it works well. I went to my regular park this morning and going to write about it – I was there walking and taking photos for hours, uploaded the pics and just need to write the post now. I’ll sleep good with all that fresh air and walked another six miles. We have had a run of good and snow-free weather. I don’t mind the cold as I just dress for it. They originally predicted an El Nino Winter for us, then we had some ice, snow and very cold weather in November and they retracted their prediction – it can stay like this til April. 🙂
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Beautiful park and walk Linda! I’m sure it will look completely different come spring. I hope you get to see some monarchs next summer! I spotted two monarchs in California last summer. I grow milkweed in my garden, but have never seen a monarch here in Portland during our 13 years here. Just lots of swallowtails.
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It was nice to stroll at a different venue and I was happy to discover it Sabine. I think that it will be a nice stop to see monarchs once the warm weather arrives. I go to a butterfly walk at a home in a residential neighborhood … this woman has a large backyard and she has many perennials, annuals and most of all, milkweed. She is considered a monarch way station for her abundance of milkweed and all the monarchs, though she gets all types of butterflies. I like the swallowtails and see them or the red admirals more than the monarchs, but one day last Fall, I saw a flurry of orange and black and these monarchs must have been passing through the park on their migration route. It was a very warm day and they were flitting about – the next day was about 20 degrees colder, so I hope they made it to a warmer state than Michigan.
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What a sight that must have been! Monarchs are so beautiful! We used to see them in California but I’ve never seen one in Portland. I’ve brought back milkweed plants from my California trips in hopes one will visit my garden one day!
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It was beautiful and fleeting Sabine and I thought at first I was seeing things … first I saw one, then another one and so on. They were hovering around a bush and we had a very cold September (we had a hard freeze the end of September which is unusual for us) and the trees turned long before that. I thought at first, they were some orange leaves then could see them moving. My neighbor went to a nearby art fair about 10 years ago and they were selling “monarch kits” … it was milkweed, planted in a tall pot, with a stick in the dirt and mosquito netting all around the pot, supported by the stick. The milkweed had about 10-12 monarch worms. The idea was that you watched the worms get larger, form the pupa/chrysallis and then you released them in your yard after they burst the chrysallis. We each got the set-up and the worms grew so big very quickly and all they did was eat and we ran out of milkweed – we had to ask around to find someone to get more leaves (just leaves – no plant) and they ate through those leaves quickly. There was a local woman featured in the newspaper and she has turned her entire backyard into a huge monarch way station by planting only milkweed … she harvests the worms and brings them into terrariums in her home to nurture them on the milkweed, then releases them. She is also a very good photographer, specializing in photos of the butterflies. I remembered the write-up and found her in the White Pages and asked if we could get leaves or turn my caterpillars over to her, so she just took them for me – my neighbors all died, but she got a few releases from mine. I did get monarchs on my butterfly bush and had the butterfly houses to shelter them, but can’t say that they uses them to protect themselves from strong winds.
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Wonderful experience Linda! When my kids were young we always raised silk worms. They ate mulberry leaves and we often scrambled to keep them fed. A few times I ordered painted lady kits. They look a little bit like monarchs. Good to hear of your dedicated neighbor lady in helping the monarchs. 😊
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I did not know you could raise silk worms – how interesting Sabine. We called the name of the person at the street fair who sold the “monarch kits” to ask where to get more leaves when we were running low and she told us to go to an expressway and pick some where they were growing by the service drive – so that worked, but others who purchased those kits must have had the same dilemma as my neighbor went back, but there were no more leaves. So we had to resort to Plan “B”!
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You were lucky (and resourceful) to have located a back-up leaf supply! Silkworms are interesting too. One batch we had in a box in our bedroom after they spun their cocoons and the kids opened it one morning. It took a while to capture all the moths! 😂
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Yikes! They’d be glad for their freedom. I dreamed of “release day” and even got a butterfly net in case the release went awry somehow. I was walking at the Park one morning and saw a woman bending over plucking leaves from a bush. Because I am nosy, I chitchatted and asked what she was picking them for – she said she was raising monarch caterpillars and they needed milkweed leaves. I told her about Karen Hoffman and told her to look her up in the White Pages and she could help her out as she only had milkweed, maybe some perennials, that drew monarchs in her yard.
I didn’t recognize that plant as milkweed as it had no flowers. And I told her the story I just told you and that Karen Hoffman came to the rescue- now, if I see her again, I can tell her to go to that nature preserve and grab a few leaves.
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Who would have thought of the Motor City as a haven for monarch butterflies! 😊
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That’s for sure Sabine – we are known for our cars, not our beautiful monarchs. Years ago there was a Mercury Monarch car and my parents had one when I was a baby.
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This spot looks super similar to a place I used to love to run in Ohio (the Towpath in the Cuyahoga Valley parks). Thanks for sharing- I always feel relaxed reading your posts, Linda! Needed this before jumping into the books for the day!
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Glad you liked it and it gave you some nice memories Mackenzie – a little sorbet between catching up on blog posts and the task of hitting the books.
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Exactly!
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Yeah im so glad you went and checked that little spot out it’s one of my favorite spots due to the low impact and really i’ts not that known. the Monarchs are nice out there in the summer. Ticks are bad but thats everywhere in southeast michigan. The trail tends to get over grown in the summer. and there are other foot paths in the woods that go along that frank and poet creek/drain. I plan on going threw and maintaining some of them and spring time this place is a muddy slippery mess. So it’s best to go with the frozen areas or wait until it dries up.
also i found out that you can still get ticks in the winter not common tho but still possible. So please be mindful and don’t forget to still do tick checks.
so funny i was here on friday and tried to walk on the ice by the dock. (not sure if you went to the dock) but i pounded on the ice with my foot and made a small round circle from pounding on it. I didn’t feel safe walking on it. There is a coopers hawk that hangs out there you know when he is around when you don’t here the sparrows chirping around. or moving. With the low bird life i’m putting a bet on the hawk was around.
As for people i haven’t seen many people on these trails mainly teenagers trying to hide from their homes. As a solo hiker myself it can be off putting when there are people there as it’s scary for me. I feel much safer when no one is around. I trust wild life over other humans but most people out there seem nice and more people in warmer times. I ran into someone last fall who did metal detecting and found some jade.
But i’ll extend the offer any place close to home i’m game with being a walking partner. it’s best to not hike alone. And i have been getting braver by going out in semi darker times just due to the timing of me getting home from work. I also go here in the mornings to do forest therapy. (aka meditation in the woods) the coyote’s i think i know where they are at. hidden in some most likely not a legal trail over by the old steel plant near Trenton. seen him after Christmas just as happy as could be.
one can never be too safe. so if you need a buddy just say the word!!
Wow 50 miles already you got me beat i’m at 28.3 Miles. Way to go!!!
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Hi Pril – wow – I thought I did not have to have any worries about ticks and I know they were everywhere last year and they prohibited me going to several places – that and the mosquitoes after all the rain in the Spring.
I started to go down that one trail that was not paved or wooden slats, and went down about 50 steps and turned around – figured it was a little deserted and the phragmites were high and dense, although the dirt was frozen and not muddy at all.
I did not see a dock so I may have not explored as much as I thought. I walked all the way to Pennsylvania Road and back – near there at Pennsylvania, the trail was all ice-covered leaves. Was the dock by the building? I saw the couple with the dog turn right and disappeared while I was walking back from Pennsylvania Road.
That graffiti mural was pretty incredible in the middle of the wooded area … I guess they created it by climbing on the grid on the bottom? I saw in the comments that people got a parking ticket – I’m guessing they tried to park in the staff parking lot and it was a weekday?
I would like to get together with you when the weather is better … I know we are getting some snow this weekend and if that happens I won’t be driving in it. I took the bus for years when I worked downtown and just walked to the bus stop, so never had to deal with the snow. My car is 9 years old but only has 5,600 miles on it so you know I walk a lot more than I drive. I won’t forget your offer though … we’ll pick some nice locales in nice weather. I’m good on my miles now, but they’ll diminish in Winter with those icy days and for snow days as well. I walk at Council Point Park in the Winter, but they don’t clear the pathway off, so I just walk next to the pathway if it is icy or snow-covered.
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