Walked in the mudflats of Whitemud today with the dog and my niece. Managed to hit the one hour (so far) where the sun was able to shine unobscured by the ever present cumulonimbus. Not complaining, we needed the rain, and the skies have been truly spectacular, but a little warmth and sunshine are most welcome. Aside from the muck on the trails, it was beautiful and humid in the woods. Saw my first mosquito of the season, and not surprisingly, first dragonfly, as well as some tadpole-like fish in the water. Or maybe they were just tadpoles.

On the way home, Maggie got stung by a bee. She was pawing at something in the grass, and then yelped. A fat bumblebee (with a spot on his head) tried to crawl away, but I think they are goners once they sting something. Maggie kept shaking her paw, but when I stopped to feel for a stinger, I couldn’t find one. She was fine after a few minutes. I’m guessing the bee was not.

It’s been a big day for wildlife. On the way over to the Strathcona Farmer’s Market, we saw two big turtles strolling down the street by Artifacts, with no accompaniment. And then, near the new Hole’s Enjoy Centre, a pelican on a pole sticking out of a wetland, a few sheep farther down the street, tadpoles, and finally, the angry bee. Also, a wet dog, but that’s normal. She can’t stay out of the creek.

5:00PM/20C

Well, I lied. I was in Mill Creek again today. Started near the University, and wasn’t in the woods more than five minutes when a coyote jumped out from the trees about five feet in front of me. Pretty impressive specimen. Very furry. As per usual, I had just put my camera away, but the whole thing happened too fast to capture on film, or whatever passes for film inside my digital camera. Have to say, this has never happened before. I always hear the coyote first, and that’s often as far as it gets. A very lucky chance encounter.

It was a gorgeous afternoon in the woods. Humid, green, and warm. The air in Mill Creek was a blizzard of poplar fuzz, pelting me like soft hail. Kind of suffocating, but the sight of all that sparkling seed wafting through the incredibly lush ravine was magnificent. Like the coyote, the fuzz-filled air proved impossible to capture on film. It barely registers, like snow. Saw one caterpillar hanging from a tree near the Cloverdale Bridge, but I avoided the usual infested areas. I also saw the dog-walker, with five dogs.

Brilliant.

6:35 PM (about an hour and 45 minutes)/24C

On this, my last day of holidays (until July), I took the train downtown and then walked into Louise McKinney to view the rising North Saskatchewan River. It is high, and moving fast, but I’ve seen higher. Lots of debris in the water, and once again, the seagulls have been usurped from their island home until the waters recede. Nice to do these periodic check-ins while I’m temporarily relocated to the southeast. In this area of the river valley different things happen depending on the time of year, and this is when the river floods the shore. This is also the time when the trees in Rossdale start swingin’ with the worms. I don’t have to see one to know the green devil has returned, so no Rossdale until July.

The day started out sunny, and the walk to the train was sunny, but by the time I exited the Winspear, it was completely overcast. Not a bad day to walk, especially since I burned the hell out of my back yesterday, but I was worried it was going to rain. My luck held, and Mill Creek Ravine was serene, beautiful and dry. Not another soul about, other than the birds. Seems to be more Robins this year. Maybe my absence from the neighbourhood has made the magpie population drop. No one’s feeding them peanuts anymore. Stupid people.

12:38PM/17C

A corker of a day, as the Brits would say. Sunny and warm after a couple of days of gloom and rain. Rain is great, but a blue sky is instantly cheering.

Maggie and I went up to the wetlands. It’s smallish, and was probably built to assuage the inevitable depression arising out of living in the suburban nightmare that is the neighbourhood west of Whitemud Ravine. Well, I think it’s a nightmare. Some people might enjoy those three-story mcmansions situated next to a power plant (and about one foot on either side of each other) but it’s not my cup of skinny mocha latte. Nevertheless, the water feature is gorgeous, and it does the trick by attracting all kinds of unlikely birds to the area. It’s the only place in the city (that I know of) with resident red-wing black birds, who have a very distinctive voice. There were also many other bird songs that I couldn’t distinguish, and a couple of ptarmigans (I think) that we inadvertently scared out of the bush. Sorry guys. We tried to step lightly.

This tiny wetland is a birder’s dream, and a dog’s frustration. I wouldn’t let Maggie take a dive into the reed and vegetation-filled water. Didn’t want to disturb the birds, or have to peel green slime from her fur, which would have been even more disturbing. She seemed content to smell the grass while I snapped shots of the water and listened to the beautiful, lilting bird song.

Another perfect walk.

2:30PM/19C

A 90 minute afternoon walk with the dog, under the clouds and sun in Whitemud. Had the place to myself, which is always cheering. Not that I mind people, per se, it just makes it easier for Maggie. I was downtown this morning, but opted to stay above ground rather than end my errands with a stroll through Louise McKinney and Mill Creek. I’ll be in the area on Wednesday, and I wanted to make time for the dog. So, after lunch we wandered around Whitemud for about an hour, and then back through the power line. I think if Maggie could have taken a cab, she would have done so, rather than walk the last fifteen minutes down the street to home. It’s a boring stretch, especially after all the peemail has been read. Age is definitely catching up with that dog.

My trip to Mill Creek last week really drove home the fact that as much as I like Whitemud Ravine, it’s just not as pretty as Mill Creek Ravine. Whitemud is bigger and wider, as is the creek, and it’s more isolated from traffic, but Mill Creek has way more variation, and many more little bridges. It’s compact and gorgeous, like a Mars Bar.

3:30PM/20C

It fills me with rage, but there is nothing I can do about it. As Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) says-it’s happening people. The beautiful Cloverdale pedestrian bridge over the North Saskatchewan River is going to be destroyed to make way for a newer bridge which will accommodate the southeast line of the LRT. After many information sessions, I am still not convinced that cutting through the river valley is the most expedient and least expensive route for the train. I have written about this at length in OTHER POSTS, so I’ll refrain from further kicks to this dying horse, but I refuse to get on board with the project, or the City’s disingenuous efforts to ‘include’ the public in their decision-making process.

In the Edmonton Journal article on June 1, Elise Stolte presented the Transportation Department’s design ideas for the new bridge, under the heading ‘What Do You Think?’ I think it doesn’t matter what I think, or anyone thinks, especially the people who use that bridge, and the river valley trail system (the so-called ‘gem’ of the city) every day.

“The transportation department released images of six possible bridge structures prepared by consultants. They are not holding a competition. They will pick one option as a final recommendation to city council. That decision will be made by balancing the capital costs, expected ongoing maintenance costs and public opinion.”

When I say ‘beautiful’, it’s not that the existing bridge itself is beautiful, although it is designed in such a way to allow the maximum appreciation of the beauty that surrounds it. It’s a pedestrian bridge, so depending on the time of day, and season, it’s wooden boards squeak with a continual procession of walkers, runners, bikers, Sunday strollers, musicians, geese, and very often, visitors taking photos of themselves and the gorgeous Edmonton vistas this bridge affords. The bridge is part of a trail system that inconspicuously and rather serenely connects the lovely Louise McKinney Park to the southern side of the river. The LRT expansion in to the river valley will exact a terrible toll on this area, and the adjoining Henrietta Muir Park, the Muttart Conservatory grounds, the Edmonton Ski club, and Connor’s Hill-which runs parallel to the bucolic Mill Creek Ravine.

Who cares what the bridge looks like? Based on past history, it will be functional but ugly, and even more intrusive than the current LRT bridge extending from just below the High Level Bridge to the University. Maybe it’s not anger I feel. Maybe it’s sadness. Something near and dear is about to be harmed. Irreversibly.