Louise McStonehenge Park

I seem to be out of sorts today so my walk home was more of a wander. An aimless wander through downtown and eventually, the river valley. While I was still downtown in the vicinity of the Hotel MacDonald, I passed a very happy guy who had a large, wooden skeleton in full grimace dangling off his shirt (which was open to his belt.) He also had a Canadian Flag stuck in his chest pocket. A patriot, and three days early!

Minutes later, I found myself in Louise McKinney Park facing what looked like the remnants of an ancient Druid stone structure, or perhaps a veiled message to the aliens. The symmetry of the formation does suggest a code of some ilk, although I have to assume that if aliens are capable of space travel, their communication skills would have evolved beyond that of cleverly piled rocks. So, I don’t know. Well, actually I do know. Now. It’s part of The Works festival, and it’s called The Turtle Rock Effigy, by Leah Dorian. A Turtle Rock Effigy must be code for something, but I’m too tired to look it up.

Michael looks for a place to amuse himself

Further along, I spotted several large trucks parked near the stairs. One of the trucks had Michael’s Amusements written on the side in a jolly sort of font, and above that, a not so jolly face of a clown. Another truck had a dismantled midway ride strapped to the side. There were several shirtless guys standing near the trucks, looking a bit sad, like the clown. As mentioned, Louise McKinney Park is beautiful, but small, and unlikely to attract a crowd large enough to justify Michael or his amusements, even in combination with the Turtle Rock Effigy. I’m sure there is a reason, but again, I am too tired to investigate. Suffice to say, my sortlessness was not helped by these encounters. Not at all.

6:10 PM/25C

bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Over two hours in the sun and shade of a ridiculously lush river valley. Went from one end of Mill Creek to the other, and then a bit beyond. By the time I got home, I was very hot, and in need of immediate hydration. I suppose I could bring some water with me, but I try to be as unencumbered as possible when I’m walking. Should desperation hit, I know where the water fountains are located…or if sunstroke hits first, the river. Seems to work for the dogs. Some people are really tricked out for their walks (or runs, or rides…), but the more crap I have hanging off me, the more distracted I am by the sloshing and jiggling of my gear. Keys, and sometimes my camera are more than enough. On the weekdays, my walk inevitably involves lugging a backpack with my work clothes, empty lunch containers, books, shoes, and whatever else deemed necessary for that particular day. I’m used to it now, but less is definitely more on the trails.

The ubiquitous wild rose is in full pink bloom all over the city, but especially in the river valley. Aside from their beauty, this emblem of our province (no, it’s not a dead duck), can also carry a tune. Wild rose bushes hum. They are always, always full of bees, which used to scare the shite out of me, but now just makes me happy. In the last few years, bees have become troubled little creatures, facing all sorts of pathogenic challenges, so a humming bush full of voracious bees is a very good thing indeed. And by the vigour of the hum, wild rose pollen must be a tasty treat for a bee. Like a pink milkshake…or a Cosmopolitan.

Last night, my sister and I watched a fat bee methodically, and yet somehow languorously suck the pollen out of poppy flower. The weight of the bee made the flower bob gently up and down, as if caught in a breeze, bending the stem almost to the ground. It was quite lovely. A single bee interacting with a single flower. Coulda watched that for hours…

1:20PM/24C

The kids have left the nest, sort of...

Didn’t go for a walk today…stuff to do, jeans to buy, dogs to see…the usual.

BUT, I did see wildlife in the feathered form of GIANT RAVEN BABIES near the pond by the old Arts building on campus. By the size and sheen of them, I thought they were adults, until their jaws went slack and the mum did a worm fly-by. Brilliant!

open wide

The kids stayed near the water for about an hour, alternating between sleep and gaping their maws for the next slimy delivery.

big, black and beautiful

We’ve been watching these new lives unfold since the Raven parents built…yes…a giant nest on top of a pillar on the Arts building. For the last three months, the mum and dad have continually circled the area, and their booming CAWS can be heard several buildings away. And now, the babies are no longer babies, but oily teenagers still relying on their parents for room, board, and a daily serving of worms. Typical.

12:30PM/22C

A Klimt shade of green

The ice has finally melted along the trail at Emily Murphy Park. Well, it probably melted some time ago, but I haven’t been to the park since April 3rd, so there’s really no way to know. It’s certainly damp along the path, but that’s not unusual. As mentioned, it’s a mini-ecosystem, closer to a tropical rainforest than the temperate zone above. I love that trail, even though it only takes ten or fifteen minutes to walk the length of it. On the one side, the river flows by just a foot or two away, and on the other, giant trees lean in from the side of the hill. At the east end (just before Kinsmen), it turns into a gravel road. In the heat of mid-summer, this part of the trail is home to those really large blue dragonflies. They dart above my head like tiny bi-planes, trolling for mosquitoes. Didn’t see any today. No mosquitoes either.

Continued along the LRT bridge and then over to River Road. Glad I wasn’t driving. As I sped westward, the traffic headed east was almost at a standstill. Have to say, I feel a little smug about my commute. I live close enough to work to make walking a possibility, and far enough away to make it a real walk, especially if I take one of the longer routes in the river valley. Today, it took about 90 minutes: across a park, rainforest, several bridges, a couple of hills, multiple trails, a grassy knoll, and one exhaustively long, wooden staircase. I would say, that qualifies as a real walk. (A opposed to all the unreal walks I’ve taken.)

5:40PM/23C

Upper McKinney

Wow. That was a hot walk home. The rain this morning combined with the heat this afternoon made for one sweaty walker. It’s only 20C, but it felt warmer. Took the LRT over to Central Station and then walked up Grierson Hill to McKinney. Half way up, I saw a Magpie standing near a bush with its beak half open. It appeared to be in some sort of distress, and it let me get quite close. The Magpie finally moved (jumped really) when I said, ‘everything OK?’  Why I did that, I have no idea; it just came out of me. I should save my queries for my cat.

On the upper path, a Robin was sitting in a dead spruce tree, its head thrown back in song. It was…kind of inspirational, although I can say with some authority that the sudden appearance of fresh worms have never inspired me to the point where I would be thrown into a state of ecstasy. Frenzy, maybe. Still, I appreciated the Robins’ passion. A hot beam of sunlight followed me until Mill Creek, and then finally some shade.

Just a quick shout out to my friend, Barb. This is not really river valley related, but it does concern a tiny life, and tiny lives are something I’ve grown to appreciate in my years of walking in the woods. On Saturday, Barb was painting her deck. The next day, she noticed  a bump on the rail. When she ran her fingernail across the bump, a ladybug popped out, covered in paint. Improbably, the ladybug’s legs were moving, and rather frantically. My friend carefully peeled the paint off the ladies’ back, which thankfully came off in one piece, and away she flew, no doubt discombugulated after a long night encased in latex. I’m glad I have such a kind friend, even if she did originally paint the ladybug into the rail of her deck.

5:45PM/20C

....stormy weather

OK, so I chickened out…

The dimming light and loud cracks of thunder during the last half hour of work made me revise my walking plans down a notch, to the shortest route possible: straight down Saskatchewan Drive. However, though my walk was short, I was treated to great visuals and even better audio. And not a drop of rain. I love moody skies and thunder storms. The louder the better.  It’s almost an hour later, and still waiting for the rain. I hope it comes…now that my hair is safely inside.

5:01 PM/26C

Sunrise~5:06 AM/Sunset~10:06 PM (first day of summer!)

think I'll take a swim...

I highly recommend a walk in the woods the morning after an evening of rain. It’s so deliciously smelly (in a good way), and all the leaves sparkle with droplets of water. Also, it’s cool. I started at nine-ish this morning but I think the temperature was already about 18 or 19. Visually, it’s much nicer on the trails when the sun isn’t directly overhead. The colours get washed out, and it’s just too hot to really enjoy the walk. This morning, it was perfect.

I took the same route as yesterday because there were spots along the trail that were completely dolloped with poplar fuzz, and I didn’t have my camera with me. Today, I did have my camera but the rain dampened the puff. Too bad, it was quite spectacular. Hopefully the fuzz will stop flying soon. It’s pretty, but the air is so thick with the stuff it obscures any worms that might be hanging from the trees.

On the way back, took the lower north Mill Creek trail for a change. The creek ends here, oozing into some sort of cement reservoir thing (tastefully decorated with graffiti.) There is also a giant beaver dam, or maybe it’s just a whole bunch of logs, but it looks arranged. I’m betting on the beavers. I like to think some thought went into the construction of the log pile, and the only other life I’ve seen around that area is a couple of ducks. They seem to lack the initiative. And the teeth.

11:10 AM/25C

Sunrise~5:06 AM/Sunset~10:06 PM

I've got my spine, I've got my lime crush

…with sweat and sunburn.  Or maybe just suntoasted…it sounds less carcinogenic. It’s an extremely nice day out there, but I should have left a bit sooner, or a bit later. Walking at 1:00 PM on a sunny Saturday afternoon is just asking for it. Still, lots of shady spots on the paths taken, which include the upper paved trail to south Mill Creek. Goes right through the parking lot to the pool, but at least I don’t have to walk above ground anymore. As everyone knows, all the action is subterranean.

This particular path is a loop, with bonus extensions should you be so inclined. I was not inclined today, so it only took about 45 minutes starting at 89th Ave (or the equivalent in trees and trails), up to 76th (or the equivalent in trees and trails) and back. And then I just walked for another 45 minutes through Mill Creek north. As one would expect on such a summery day, lots of people, bikes, dogs and squirrels out enjoying the sunshine. The creek is down a quart or two…and the speed has been dialed down to sluggish, more typical of this time of year. It was unusual to get that much rain in spring. I think. Hard to say what’s normal anymore.

(more…)

bridges over muddy water

Short walks this week…only about 35 minutes per, from the LRT bridge area straight through to ‘skunk hollow’. Better than not walking at all, but mostly function, not a lot of form.

The LRT bridge is also a study in function over form. It’s OK, but not spectacular, not like the Cloverdale Pedestrian Bridge. Everytime I walk across this bridge, I think of what might be erected at Louise McKinney in the near future. The city flunkies have assured us that the new Southeast LRT bridge will be a ‘vast improvement’ over this current LRT bridge. “It was a different council who built that bridge, and we have more money.”  Oh. OK. I feel better now.

5:10 PM/19C

9:00 o'clock bridge

Rolled out of bed and into the river valley this morning. It’s the best way, really. No worries about hair, and there’s the smug factor; I got up early and I DID something! As opposed to, I got up late and stared into a bowl of Nut ‘n Honey for an hour.

Even though it was only 14C when I left, I managed to work up a sweat on the various hills and staircases along the trails. Took the monkey path behind Skunk Hollow, and then Low Level Bridge, etc., Saw a few more worms hanging from the trees near the bridge, so Rossdale is definitely out until July. Took a picture of a worm but a photo just doesn’t capture the tiny horror of the thing.

Passed by a woman who was walking her basset hound. She had earphones on and the music was so loud I could hear it clearly from a distance. I don’t get it. The woods, especially in the morning, are a symphony. The creeks are babbling, the leaves are rustling, the robins and warblers are singing their hearts out, and she’s choosing oblivion? I even felt sorry for her dog, who probably would have appreciated a more engaged walking companion. (Unlike cats, dogs enjoy that ‘shared experience’ thing.) I blast my iPod too when I’m walking, but only when I’m next to traffic, and never in the woods. It’s unsafe, and there’s no music that can compete with water burbling over rocks.

In my opinion.

9:55 AM/14C (supposed to be 26C today)