Sigh … will I ever learn?
Once again I fell under the spell of the weather forecasters, taking their respective forecasts as gospel, and planning my weekend activities around the snow and slush predictions. But, in my defense, it was not just one weatherman, but several, as well as the National Weather Service for Detroit – they ALL predicted an inch or two of slushy snow for this morning and melting around noon. Why wouldn’t I think that would occur? After all, the Tigers/White Sox baseball game was cancelled yesterday due to heavy snow in Chicago.
So, I decided to live dangerously and forego setting my alarm, figuring I would opt for an afternoon walk instead. I awoke at 8:00 a.m., put the radio news on and climbed back into bed, listening out of one ear to hear just how many inches of snow we got. Neither the newscast, traffic report nor the weather report mentioned snow, so I assumed correctly that it never arrived. I shot out of bed, ran to the front window and it was a bright-and-sunny, snow-free morn! I had breakfast and figured I’d best get on the road soon to get a long walk in and this blog post written.
My first stop was at Council Point Park.
I was later than usual and my furry friends usually don’t let me forget my tardiness. I was halfway around the first loop before the first squirrel ventured out – c’mon guys, cut me some slack already! Even Parker wasn’t his usual cheerful self.
I only went around one loop (one mile) as I wanted to try out a park in Dearborn and it is a five-mile-long trail. I was indeed mindful of all the rain we got the past few days and last night it was pouring hard when I went to bed. I’ve been reluctant to try any new parks with this incessant rain as I’m not a big fan of walking on muddy trails, but I decided to give it a go anyway.
Next up was Ford Field Park in Dearborn, Michigan.
I’d never visited this park before, despite the fact that I thought I was familiar with the Dearborn area, having attended Henry Ford Community College in the 70s, but, after consulting a map before I left, I discovered it was just two miles away from that school.
Here was my initial look at Ford Field Park when stepping out of the car. I was treated to a view of the willow trees that grace the banks of the Rouge River.
I decided to start my trek across this wooden footbridge …
… that crosses the Rouge River, where the water was gurgling and churning fast and furiously.
I crossed that footbridge and there was a fork in the road – hmm, do I go left or right?
To the right I saw two young guys walking toward me, so I called out and asked if it was muddy on the trail? “Yes, very” was the answer, so the left was the way to go in my opinion.
Quickly I realized this route wasn’t much better, judging from the soggy and waterlogged trail.
I hopped, stepped and jumped around the muddy grass and gravel, but ahead looked much more promising, so I slogged away toward a drier, gravel path.
I always enjoy crossing and taking photos of covered bridges. I knew there were two in Ford Field Park – this is the first one.
I heard cheeps and chirps from the bridge’s high ceiling and looked for swallows or nests, but saw none, so these birds were likely hiding in the rafters.
I am sure I bypassed the best portion of this five-mile trail by choosing the path to the left, but I went on anyway.
There was a little pond and the sun was shining down on a pair of mallards that snoozed away, seemingly not mindful of the twigs that crunched beneath my heavy walking shoes as I approached them.
Nearby, a Pekin duck and a pair of Hybrid Mallards also napped, although the Pekin duck peeked at me to ensure I was keeping my distance and did not pose a threat to the trio’s morning snooze. (Just wondering … would this be a peekin’ Pekin?)
Obviously their radar was up, because, as I approached them, they awoke and swam away, with the Mallard Hybrid casting a sideways glance my way for interrupting their nap.
There was another covered bridge which you see pictured up top, and I trekked across it, then meandered around a little more. The water was moving quickly here too as you can see in this photo.
I saw this male robin and it was singing such a beautiful birdsong. He stopped to catch his breath, so I whistled at him. He looked around, perhaps eager for a friend, or a mate, then discovered it was just me; he looked disgruntled and lost interest in singing and flew away.
All too soon I was back at the wooden footbridge, so I decided to just head back to the car. I knew I had not gone too many miles and glanced at the pedometer, and I had only walked about four miles. I am lagging behind in my miles due to our soggy Spring, so I just walked around the length of the dry and boring, paved parking lot to get a few more miles under my belt.
You’ll notice that very few trees were out in this park – the willows were not totally leafed out yet either, however, driving home from Dearborn, it was a beautiful sight. There are many trees in this city, and a canopy of green welcomed me as I traveled down Outer Drive. The magnolias and flowering trees are now all in bloom and a blue sky made it a picture-perfect day. I will return to this park when it is not soggy and check out the trail.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Miss Linda……………………..I was never to Ford Field Park in Dearborn before ………………I’ll keep that in mind…………………………………I enjoyed: “peekin’ Pekin”…………..
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I will send you directions Ann Marie – even I could find it and, as you know, I am not the best at directions. I will return when the grounds are drier and hopefully go on that five-mile trail they advertised when I looked for directions. Glad you liked the “peekin’ Pekin” … he eyed me warily!
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I bet it will be prettier later on when it’s greener. Loved the very tall birch tree.
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I think so too Joni. I will return when it is greener and not sopping wet so I can try out the trail I saw advertised when I Googled to get directions, etc. I saw no critters except the ducks and the robin. I had peanuts on me from the first stop at Council Point Park –
didn’t see anybody to dole them out to. I liked the tall birch tree too.
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Linda,
I am surprised with the walking you do that there are still parks and trails you haven’t treaded yet- how can it be ?
Glad the creepy crawlies are keeping away and the robins on the coach light.
The weeping willow trees look beautiful. You are an adventurer to walk through those water logged paths, I would have been scared to meet a snake or a crocodile in those running waters.
The covered bridges are beautiful. I love bridges too.
The male robin and the resting ducks are beautiful. They must be resting after battling a long winter.
Susie
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Actually there many trails and parks I’ve not visited yet Susie. In fact, last year I bought two park passes: one for the Metropark system (I think there are 12 or 13 of them) and the other was a fee on my driver’s license renewal for state parks. I didn’t visit any state parks last year and only one Metropark (I did Lake Erie Metropark quite a few times).
This was because they are not all near me and have to do them on a weekend or holiday (long weekend) so we had weekend after weekend of rain last year and this year is turning out the same (rain in the week – creates a soggy mess and not all parks have paved pathways … this yesterday was a disappointment in that I knew there was more to see, but it was too wet and muddy … in my opinion and those two guys’ opinions as they said they turned around and came back). Still lingering in my mind is the issue last year after we had all the rainy weather, that the parks could not always cut the lawns or groom hiking trails and there are threats of mosquitoes plus ticks. Very worrisome for bites due to West Nile Virus (we’ve had some who have died from it) and the Epstein Barr virus from a tick bite.
I still had peanuts in my pocket and saw not one squirrel there and only the few ducks I pictured in the post … I don’t know if more critters were on the longer trail or not. I will return again when it is nicer weather and drier. The ducks looked very peaceful – I love those white Pekin ducks and that robin was annoyed when he found out it was just me whistling. 🙂
We have a week of rain this week (if they are to be believed) and rain will be present every day this week, three of the days with thunderstorms. This is NOT normal weather for us Susie – I know they speak of climate change, but this has been just the past few years with wintry-type weather beginning earlier and lasting longer and all the rainy Spring and wicked hot (as in high humidity and exceptionally high temps). More rain = more creepy crawlies – I am beside myself.
The Summer heat spikes are bringing more storms, even tornadic activity. It is scary and I fear it will only get worse. The spider in the house has surfaced again – it was on the ceiling this morning (in my room) … it is now at large and I have all the lights in the back of the house on so I can see/monitor it.
I like the covered bridges and this is why I love going to Heritage Park so much … that quaint covered bridge. These two covered bridges and the one at Heritage Park are for foot travel only, not cars, but they are still beautiful. That water was racing pretty fast and I was fascinated by that and took more pictures, but only included those two.
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Gorgeous place and look how green its getting!
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Yes it is Michael and I’ll have to return when it is not so soggy. I heard there was a five-mile trail and I was eager to try it out, but we’ve had so much rain, it was a sopping wet mess. I have to stick to my tried-and-true trails for now I guess. It greened up like that in the last few days and the dandelions and trees are out – little pops of color (finally)..
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It looks you had a great day Linda. Beautiful place!
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Thanks – finally we are “greening up” here … we should, nearly every day last week it rained and will do so this week as well!
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I am so happy the weather reports were wrong this time. I think we did have some snow fall over night but it was to warm for it to stay on the ground. Ford Field Park looks like a beautiful place. I hope we will see more pictures of it this summer.
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I am glad they were wrong too and I was going to get up early just in case, then figured I’d use the opportunity to catch up on some sleep instead – wrong, wrong, wrong on my part. I’ll return again when it is dry (whenever that is … a week of rain coming in) … maybe mid-Summer and do another post then..
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Thanks for sharing your spring walk with us, Linda. Those weather forecasters often miss the mark. I am hoping they are wrong about our forecast for tomorrow here in Colorado – snow. We have a 3+ hour drive over some treacherous mountain passes to get back to Denver so we can board a plane for home. It’s exciting trying out new places. I love new trails. Will you go back to this one when it’s a little drier?
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I will be going back for sure Laurie. I was eager to try out the five-mile trail and it had to have been part of the fork to the right as there was not much on the side I chose. There were deep pools of water everywhere! It was a risk I took as most of the parks are flooded right now due to all the rain. In Ohio and parts of Michigan, weather forecasters are saying Lake Erie is going to flood streets and into neighborhoods. It happened a few weeks ago, helped by strong winds and wreaked a lot of havoc near Lake Erie Metropark where I often go. We need to get rid of this rain that continues to plague us. I got caught in the rain (just light rain) coming back from walking and it just stopped recently after raining all day and we have rain each day this week. But rain is not as bad as a snowstorm where you are – can you switch your flight home due to inclement weather or is it not considered that bad for Colorado air travel standards? I will keep my fingers crossed for a safe and uneventful trip through the mountain passes tomorrow for you and Bill.
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I can definitely believe Lake Erie would flood neighborhood paths in Ontario. I ran a marathon there a few years ago, and the wind was whipping waves from the lake up onto the bike path where we ran. I was soaked by the end of the race – and cold!
Our trip back to the airport in Denver was white-knuckle, but we are home safe and sound in PA right now!
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Glad to hear that. Yes, Lake Erie is problematic and they had some real issues a few weeks ago, but also the flooding near downtown Detroit as the Detroit River was rising. All the residents in the area (Indian Village, an historical subdivision) had their sandbags in place early this morning already because we had a rain yesterday of at least seven hours’ duration.
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Looks like you made fun out of the challenges of the day. I love how you’re able to get so close to the animals. They trust you. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the spring will finally lead to the weather you’re hoping for. Thank you for sharing your walk with us, I appreciate seeing all the pops of spring you find!
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Glad you liked this Shelley – finally, most of the trees are out, but still not at Council Point Park because this morning I saw more bare trees than leafed-out ones, but the dandelions are are biggest pop of Spring. color!
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Yes, I did! Ah, yes, the dandelions. We’ll soon have them. They bring the bees that help the rest of the flowers bloom.
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Yes, I saw a thousand or more of them yesterday and I used to dig each one out, but no one else does in the neighborhood, nor do they use anything to thwart their growth, so I leave them alone now. The bees and I are happy. I don’t mind bees … just crawly things and I woke up with a bite on my forearm and am all aflutter now.
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Dandelions are cheery, but they can take over a yard quickly too. OH NO! That’s horrible – I hope you have some Neosporin to put on the bite. Keep an eye on it, spider bites can be nasty.
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Yes they can the entire neighborhood! So far it is just a hard bump at the top – I think it was just an ant, and one of those tiny black ones. I have found five in my room today – not happy about it and with rain in the forecast through Thursday and maybe Friday, there will likely be even more. I am going to watch it several years ago I was bitten by a beetle in two places, near the inside of my ankles and got a blister for each the size of a saucer. I went to the doctor only because I was worried it might get infected. I was fine but it took a long time before I could go without bandages or bandaids in that area. You know when you’re walking, it is easy to sometimes kick yourself or hit your ankles with your shoes (not every day, but occasionally) so I spent a small fortune on dressings and ensuring that I padded both ankles well. I think this bite is okay – a fire ant would not be okay as they have a poisonous venom, not requiring a doctor’s visit, but the danger of infection. (*&^ bugs!
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Yikes – we have had problems at our rentals when the weather has been extra wet. The ants seem to multiply and move inside when it is wet. I hope your bite heals quickly!
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I never had the ant issue until about 4 years ago … now ants. Before it was the kitchen only. I’ve found very few in the kitchen, a few in the bathroom – all in the bedroom. I have to watch the second bite … it is red and bigger (hopefully not a spider bite – ew).
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Nice to see the weather changing even if it occasionally stalls.
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At least we have some color now. Our Spring seems to have spurts and the weatherman said “I think we’ve had a pretty good April don’t you?” I did not think so but maybe I am biased due to walking. We have a week of rain this week. I thought of you this morning – heard that Starbucks and Dunkin wants to charge $0.25 per paper cup for coffee to cut down on paper waste. I was a little surprised to hear that. They didn’t say if $0.25 was for all sizes. Hmm.
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We had a warmer than usual April but it wasn’t a good one. Rain, rain, rain. Haven’t heard about SB. Right now I’m annoyed at them. Staffing as been off. There is no such thing as a quick coffee anymore. It’s a good 15 to 20 minute ordeal.
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Beautiful park, Linda! I’m glad you were spared the snow and got to go walk in sunshine. It’s been gloriously sunny here for days. 😊
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We were lucky to get a couple of days of sunshine, mixed in with the rain but it is dismal ahead for this week. It rained most of today but I got a walk in first. I also hope we get some of the weather similar to your neck of the woods – it sounds wonderful Sabine!
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I’m positive we’re not out of the woods with miserable weather, Linda! It’s sunny, but then we get this cold wind blowing through from the Columbia River Gorge. Summer here in the Pacific Northwest doesn’t really start until the 4th of July. At least you were able to get out this morning for a walk! 🙋
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That’s too bad Sabine – I thought you might have turned a corner on the rainy Spring. I was grateful for the walk this morning – it was a light rain and I was on my way home, so it worked out well (this time).
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Lovely walk… and isn’t it wonderful to see bits and pieces of spring? We have had some rain today, which I love. Although I enjoy the summer, I will miss the rain and how happy my garden looks after a shower.
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It is – even the dandelions are welcome after so many months of blah landscape! We’ve had a lot of rain Janis and it’s quite chilly here just 40 degrees with a “real feel” below zero when I left the house on my walk this morning. I like seeing the garden after a good rain in the Summer. It looks drenched with goodness and you will never get that with the sprinkler or a garden hose.
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Awwww, I always love seeing Parker. 🙂 xxx
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He’s still roly-poly but cute Heather and he’s not shedding his Winter fat anytime soon!
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Beautiful pictures and covered bridge! I can’t believe there were lights on the path! Glad you were able to get out. No snow here either.
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Yes, I like that little touch with the lights too Diane. I’ve seen the lights along the boardwalk at other parks where I’ve walked, but never on a gravel path, so I’m guessing they must have walks/events at night. I will get back there for sure when it is drier and take in the 5-mile trail. I was happy for no snow Diane – but they went on and on about it. It is supposed to be beautiful next weekend, but I’ll hold off going anywhere new and Lake Erie Metropark may not be an option either with all the flooding in Monroe and around the Lake Erie shoreline and will get worse with this week’s predicted rain.
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wear rubber boots Linda,Its all I wear year round.
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Well I just bought some waterproof walking shoes Wayne, but I had hoped this park would have had more paved paths and hoped the path I chose was the better one, water and mud wise, but still kind of dicey for getting around. Maybe rubber boots are an option – didn’t figure they would be a lot of support for a lot of walking, so stuck with shoes advertised as good for rain and wet conditions. You can see how the water was rushing under the two bridges. This particular river, the Rouge River, is famous for flooding its banks and shutting down roadways that go through and near the park but it is not near Ford Field Park. I think it is all low-lying areas and the gravel pathways didn’t help – the water sat on top of the gravel, didn’t sink in … that surprised me. I will go back when the weather is dry and we’ve had no rain – we have rain every day this week, maybe spared Friday and hopefully a dry weekend. At Lake Erie Metropark and nearby they are figuring the shoreline houses will get flooded like last week when they had similar conditions … lots of rain, high winds and they already have the sandbags out.
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Everyone back there must of had a good snowpack. The rain melted it quicker than normal and has created this Spring time flooding. Perfect time for rubber boots! Put inserts in and you can walk a good distance but because your feet are not use to them,they most likely will feel it.
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I looked at them online before deciding on the shoes, but if we continue to get rain all the time, I’ll have to invest in rain boots. I had a pair like the first ones pictures in this link and wore them for years when I took the bus. They laced up, feet were dry and I left several pair of shoes at work so I didn’t have to carry them back and forth. So I went to try them out a few years ago and all the rubber had rotted and they fell apart in my hands. I got the Sorel waterproof shoes – they have a high sole and are mesh and waterproof, but this trail was soggy and water was everywhere – I don’t want to try any trails in parks where I’ve never been before because of this. Surely, the rain will stop soon.
I had looked at these and I think all are available on Amazon, though I’d do as you say and just put an insole in if too big.
Or use heavier socks. I had worried about getting blisters, that was my main issue if they did not fit properly.
http://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-rain-boots-for-women.html
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those boots wouldn’t cut mustard here in Tofino Linda. We get around 16 feet per year….one of the reasons why I wear tall rubber boots….that and because I need them for putting my boat in the water.
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I don’t think we’d have that much rain – I’m guessing I should try them on personally for the fit too. It is pouring out there – a torrential rain, and the people with flooding issues at the shoreline are going to have some real issues tonight.
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better start building a Ark.
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This cold front brings a 24-hour “heat wave” tomorrow … the heat wave will bring a heavy thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon and then it gets chilly again. Mother Nature is conflicted.
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btw,shoes can handle a few inches of water,not a foot or so. I like rubber boots that are tall,maybe 15 inches.
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They did have some of those – I hope I never get in water that high! Snow was bad enough. The water in the sewer drain at the Park is up to the top. They are expecting some rivers to crest. It was not all snowpack (except for up North), it was all that ice that formed when we had the Polar Vortex with the 45 windchill and all the ice formed on the rivers and the water level rose. The weather has been unusual. Trees are still leafing out and my backyard is not looking good lilacs still dormant, firebushes not leafed out and rose bushes are very brown.
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weather is constantly changing,we will adapt.
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This is true – why did we not see it coming Wayne? It seems it is just the last three or so years – if it was gradual, I sure missed it.
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no rhyme or reason with Nature sometimes. If we knew more …maybe?
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Yes, I think to myself sometimes … when was the turning point for all this erratic weather. You grew up in a four-season climate … there is no distinction anymore. Yesterday morning I went out- 40 degrees and a “real feel” below freezing. It makes no sense.
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The animal shots are great! Really like that covered bridge! That is a sweet piece of art in itself. Beautiful! 🙂
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Thanks Tom – glad you liked them. I like covered bridges myself. This was a nice park and I’m looking forward to returning when it is drier and tackling that 5-mile trail.
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You’re like the postman, Linda. Neither wind nor rain nor snow can keep you from your appointed rounds. 👏😂
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Well thank you Pam and wait until you read today’s post about Michael Posner. He is a 31-year-old guy who is walking from New Jersey to California this year (almost 3,000 miles). Pretty rigorous but exciting too!
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Oh my, what a trip! How do people fund such excursions?! 🚶♀️
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That is amazing isn’t it Pam? Mike is originally from Michigan so the Fox 2 station here did a Facetime interview with him the beginning of his walk. He drove from California to New Jersey to start the walk, has supplies for the entire walk, but said some people are offering homes for overnight or food along the way. Pretty rigorous!
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Holy cow!🐄
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I’m glad you decided to live on the edge a little despite the uncertainty with the weather!! Little Parker seems to be confused about it all too. I am just loving the willow trees!! So gorgeous.
I also am swooning over the photo of the robin too. So picturesque. Thanks for sharing, Linda!
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Yes, the weather is wonky Mackenzie. We had all that rain in April (almost 4 inches) and another 3.2 inches Tuesday evening and this morning.
Schools are closed and flooding everywhere – not good as we have more rain today and tomorrow, and heavy rain today. I love the willow trees there and at Elizabeth Park by the picturesque bridges – they are gorgeous and very old. Glad you liked the robin – he was fairly close to me and posed nicely until he realized I was “the whistler” … 🙂
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Holy smokes I didn’t realize it was that bad with the rain !! Stay safe ❤
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Thanks Mackenzie … yes a flood watch in effect today as well … heavy rain late afternoon/early evening with storms. They said dry tomorrow and Saturday but have changed that forecast now to include rain. There is a major intersection about three miles from me and it is blocked off as the flooding is so bad, some expressways are still blocked off and the pumps cannot get rid of the water fast enough for it to go down. Do you know that in the Upper Peninsula they had 4 inches of snow yesterday? Yikes – Mother Nature has a real bee in her bonnet … unfortunately it is all likely part of climate change – sigh. I’m headed out – no rain but foggy.
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Oh my gosh!! That is wild!!! My aunt and grandma are coming to OH this weekend for my sister’s bridal shower so I hope the weather is okay for them to get to the airport okay. stay safe in that fog!!
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Supposed to be another murky one tomorrow morning here – are they coming in Thursday or Friday? The rain and flooding are becoming a pain and the fog was just an added ugly touch to an already dismal morn. Safe travels to everyone – surely when you plan an early May shower, you could expect warmer weather and no threats of snow for guests who must travel from one Midwestern state to another – sigh.
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They arrived on Friday! They are back in MI safe and sound now though and said they had no troubles thankfully! Thank you for the travel wishes- they worked 🙏🏻
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Good deal – you are welcome Mackenzie. The weatherman is often wrong, and this time it was better than expected – always a good thing!
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Ducks and Squirrels oh my!! LOVE your photos Linda.
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Thanks Sarah – glad you liked them … I know ducks are a favorite of yours. 🙂
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So nice for you to try out a new park. Fair play on your dedication to keep walking, I really admire you ❤
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Thanks Zena – I’m going to try to reach that 2,000 k goal this year – hopefully I make it despite all the weather woes.
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I bet you will do it. You have such determination that I admire so much ❤
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Thanks for saying that Zena – I’ll remind myself you said that when I ask myself why I tacked on the extra miles (80) to make it an even 2,000 kilometers. 🙂
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😁
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That covered bridge is so cool looking, the squirrel is looking pretty pudgy in this post. I had some time and doing some reading.
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