Woodland discovery
The other day I discovered a series of woodland trails not five minutes away from our house. I'd always wondered what the "Recreational Area" sign behind the skeevy and oft-deserted gas station was all about, and on Monday, while Rachel was at her knitting group, I decided to drive down there and see.
The well-kept dirt road past the sign wound through the woods for longer than I expected, and ended in a little grassy parking lot. A couple of trails headed off into the trees - pine, oak, birch, and aspen - beyond which was a glinting pond. There was a sign that told of a picnic area 0.2 miles away, and rest benches every 0.2 miles until the 1 mile mark at the other side of the pond, in a different town.
It was a glorious evening, mid-seventies and all slanting sun-rays, and so I headed down the path toward the pond. First, I came across this mysterious structure:
I have no idea what it is, with its half-turret shape and iron railings around the top, but a curiously symmetrical hole in the wall led away into the hillside.
Beyond the structure, the path split, and the way I took came out presently at the water's edge.
There were paths all over the place, leading up into the woods, but I followed one by the shore, where birds and dragonflies flew and crickets sang.
The land rose sharply on the other side of the path, and there were root-woven staircases that would take travelers up to the forest, where I could see the backs of wooden signs. I climbed up after a ways and circled around to find myself in the reported picnic area. This was one of the signs:
The others described the kinds of trees in the area, with leaf-identification charts, and the kinds of fish that could be found in the pond.
While the other paths had been narrow and winding, the main path up here was wide, clear, and level. It would probably be well suited for bike-riding.
There were some AMAZING trees - towering pitch pines, wider around than my arms could reach, with furrows in their bark two inches deep. Some were blasted and white, but still standing strong on either side of the path.
I turned back as the sun got lower and walked through a shadowy section where rare beams of sunlight shot through like spotlights. I tried to get pictures of them, but they didn't come out well.
I can't wait to go back and take Rachel :)
The well-kept dirt road past the sign wound through the woods for longer than I expected, and ended in a little grassy parking lot. A couple of trails headed off into the trees - pine, oak, birch, and aspen - beyond which was a glinting pond. There was a sign that told of a picnic area 0.2 miles away, and rest benches every 0.2 miles until the 1 mile mark at the other side of the pond, in a different town.
It was a glorious evening, mid-seventies and all slanting sun-rays, and so I headed down the path toward the pond. First, I came across this mysterious structure:
I have no idea what it is, with its half-turret shape and iron railings around the top, but a curiously symmetrical hole in the wall led away into the hillside.
Beyond the structure, the path split, and the way I took came out presently at the water's edge.
There were paths all over the place, leading up into the woods, but I followed one by the shore, where birds and dragonflies flew and crickets sang.
The land rose sharply on the other side of the path, and there were root-woven staircases that would take travelers up to the forest, where I could see the backs of wooden signs. I climbed up after a ways and circled around to find myself in the reported picnic area. This was one of the signs:
The others described the kinds of trees in the area, with leaf-identification charts, and the kinds of fish that could be found in the pond.
While the other paths had been narrow and winding, the main path up here was wide, clear, and level. It would probably be well suited for bike-riding.
There were some AMAZING trees - towering pitch pines, wider around than my arms could reach, with furrows in their bark two inches deep. Some were blasted and white, but still standing strong on either side of the path.
I turned back as the sun got lower and walked through a shadowy section where rare beams of sunlight shot through like spotlights. I tried to get pictures of them, but they didn't come out well.
I can't wait to go back and take Rachel :)