…or so says David Staples from the Edmonton Journal. I say this too, and I agree with most of what he has written in the article, especially with regard to building footbridges in Terwilligar Park at the expense of developing a river valley walk in downtown Edmonton. The idea of a promenade from Louise McKinney (or Riverdale, for that matter) to Rossdale would be fantastic. I also like the idea of a previously proposed canal system. Any of those pedestrian-friendly plans are worth pondering. I am totally down with that. However…

Some of the things wistfully imagined for the river valley are aleady here, like a walkway along the river. “How fine it would be to take such a walk , to feel the breeze coming off the water, to get right up to the flowing river and look up over sparkling waters at the best views of the city.” Done and done. At Louise McKinney Park  you can get right up to the water on the lower path, and walk out on to a pier, if you choose. Granted, some of it is closed at the moment for development, and it’s not close enough to touch the water, but given our latest river levels, that might not be advisable, unless you have webbed toes. Also, it’s river water, not a mountain stream. I love getting up close and personal with the mighty North Saskatchewan, but I don’t need to get microbially close.

“In fact, we’ve allowed all kinds of inappropriate and/or ugly development along the river, while creating a fine trail system that does a good job of serving local joggers, cyclists and hikers but not the vast majority of ordinary folk.”

I realize I’m not one of the ‘ordinary folk’ referred to in the article. I prefer the non-paved paths and monkey trails of the river valley, and I’d rather pick up a scone at Wild Earth Bakery after my hike, not while I’m trying to burn off the calories from the previous day’s gnosh. I’ve been writing about the pleasures of Louise McKinney Park and the river valley trail system for years, and I embrace the idea of more people seeing what I see on a daily basis. It’s incredible, and it’s incredible because it’s unusual to have so much green space spanning the entire length of the city. I don’t wish for the things it’s not, I love it for what it is. Green, and free (in part) of the amenities I can find anywhere in the city. Even today, the mayor was imagining a new, revitalized Rossdale, with shops, cafe’s and pubs. Pubs? Surely you jest! Living near Whyte Avenue, I can tell you that drunks are no fun at all, and that’s with permanent port-o-potties and patrolling police officers. What I hear on a Saturday night I do not wish on the fine folks of Rossdale. But a new bridge, and a walkway? Cool.

Every couple of years, parts of Louise McKinney Park become inaccessible for further redevelopment projects. It’s a small park, really just a parkette, but in the last 15 years it has had to endure more than it’s fair share of ‘re-envisioning’…sort of like Nicole Kidman’s face. The main path down the centre of the park has been out of bounds for months, as well as an unpaved path that runs along the water. Although I’m not entirely sure what’s happening this time around, I believe it has something to do with extending the promenade that was built about three years ago. Also built three years ago? An inexplicably huge public washroom, which I believe falls into that category of “inappropriate and/or ugly development.” To be fair, the giant, cement crapper has a roof-top sitting area and pots of flowers at regular intervals, but I’ve yet to see someone sitting up there, or using the bathroom for that matter. People just ignore it.

The ugliest development has yet to be built: the southeast LRT, which as proposed will be cutting through the east end Louise McKinney Park in the very near future. So, while pondering a peaceful river walk, you’ll have to figure in the not so pleasant screech of a train slicing through the calm every ten minutes, not to mention the years of construction preceding it. Saddest of all, the wooden and steel Cloverdale footbridge crossing from McKinney to the other side of the river will be sacrificed for a newer LRT bridge. The current footbridge is open to the sky and offers a spectacular view of the river valley, with downtown Edmonton rising in the background. Visitors to our city take pictures of themselves on this bridge. A certain Blues guitar player in a sparkly jacket plays his music on this bridge. People meet on this bridge, and write their names in the wood. I often use our city’s only LRT bridge over by the University, and I have yet to see a Blues guitar player in a sparkly jacket playing his music on that bridge. It has no vibe. It does, however, vibrate.

I agree that the river valley needs to be more accessible, and that it could be a better version of itself. Couldn’t we all? I just wish some other city was planning it.

Here’s another post about McKinney...

And another…

And now, the Blues player…

Your beauty and especially, your appetite are appreciated. Commence feasting.

Who’s not welcome back? Worms. Green Ash Leaf-roller Caterpillars, or whatever the hell they’re calling themselves these days. Rossdale is already out, not to be visited again until July. But enough about the green menace, the dragonflies are back, and we can all rejoice. All of us except the mosquitoes.

5:14PM/18C

Holy humidity batman. About half way through my walk home I transformed into a wet, whole wheat noodle, making walking, especially uphill, rather difficult. When I got home, I ate myself for dinner with a bit of parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

6:00PM/25C

I thought they were kidding. The news people. The river really is high…gobsmackingly high. I’ve been watching the Big Muddy for many years, and let me tell ya, this is spectacular. A canal near the south end of the Cloverdale Footbridge acts as a kind of off-ramp for the water when it overruns the bank. It’s dry most of the year, and some years it never sees river water. As of this afternoon, you can’t even see the canal; the entire area is flooded. And the river is running so fast, it’s extremely loud (and incredibly close) as it slices by the cement pillars of the bridge. Even the riverboat is moored just slightly east of the boat dock because, well, I’m not quite sure. I’m guessing because the current would knock the boat against the dock, which is almost underwater anyway. I don’t mean to be insensitive to anyone whose basement has been flooded, but extreme weather is exciting, and in the end all this rain is of great benefit to our drought-stressed trees. Also, rain is nice.

On the other hand, when you’re leaving work and you’ve spent the entire day thinking about an afternoon walk, rain is not nice. Someone offering you a ride home is nice. Going for a walk a half hour after you’ve arrived home, had some waffles, and watched the clouds give way to sun is very, very nice.

Being housebound for almost a week, a walk takes on a singular purpose: exercise. Hoofing it is all well and good, not to mention necessary, but being out in the woods when millions of water droplets are shimmering in the sun, and worm-stuffed robins are singing so joyfully in the treetops, it’s tough to hold on to that single-minded purpose. Slowing down is inevitable. A racing heart calms. Shoulders relax. I had to remind myself to pick up the pace. A bit.

Surprisingly, Mill Creek was full but not as full, or as fast as I’ve seen it, especially during spring run-off. However, I missed the cresting, which was probably yesterday. There was flattened, wet grass high up on the banks, almost two feet higher. That would have been something to see.

Another day.

Oh, and Happy Summer! Longest day of the year. Wheee….

Sunrise-5:05AM/Sunset-10:07PM

A reprieve…of a few minutes, or hours, hard to say with the bruised skies on the horizon. I didn’t bring my gear today so I stole a quick walk home in my work clothes. Brutal. I missed my shorts, but then I always miss my shorts, especially when I’m at work, in my work clothes. It appears now that I could have taken a longer route, but as is typical with June, every ten minutes of sunshine is followed by 50 minutes of rain. Wanted to go puddle-hunting in fact, and talk about shooting fish in a rain barrel….there are giant puddles everywhere. I’ve heard talk of spectacular lake formations near the Low Level Bridge and over by 98th Ave. Intriguing, but I’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Supposed to be sunny and warm. Can’t wait. And I’ll bring my shorts.

5:00PM/16C

Poor bedraggled magpie. Yeah, I said it, and I’ll say it again. I felt sorry for him, and all the birds (except the dirty, dirty pigeons) on this wet saturday. It’s pissing rain, as the Queen would say, and my overfilled bird feeder has been the hot spot of the neighbourhood. I awoke to the sight (and ear-piercing sound) of a thoroughly soaked magpie, a young one I think, standing on the rail in a little puddle of it’s own making, waiting impatiently for breakfast. I obliged, and even shelled the nuts because his dripping, messed-up feathers really got to me. Even now, a bluejay is picking through the seed, it’s crown askew, looking altogether miserable. Love to invite them in for a towel-off and a warm beverage, but the C.A.T. might be problematic. Hard to say, she hasn’t budged from couch all day. I know the feeling. No walks in the foreseeable future. S’posed to rain like this for the rest of the weekend. Guess I’ll stay inside and shell a few more peanuts.

1:37/14C