Hello everyone on this cloudy and cool morning.  Only 61F or 16C this morning.  That is much too cool for July.  Feels more like May.  But this has been an odd year.  However, the last couple of days have been nice, more normal weather for us, so I was able to get out and walk around a bit and enjoy the beauty of nature.  I still think that spending time outdoors is beneficial to a person’s health.  Both mentally and physically.  Staying inside all the time is never a good idea.  You might disagree.  That’s fine.

So I decided to finally follow that path across the street and see if it really did go all the way down to the river.  And I made sure that I brought an extra battery for my camera this time.  Glad that I did too.  The first part of the trail you already know, so we will skip that and start where I left off last time.  Here the trail climbs a bit until it comes into a cleared area.  Then we walk across solid granite until entering the trees once more on the opposite side of this clearing.

Now the trail is very easy walking, mostly level or going downhill just slightly.  It is really a very pleasant walk through the forest and there are many large white pine trees along this trail.  So nice to see that there are some large trees around still.  Finally we get to a point where the trail splits. One goes to the left, one to the right. Which way now?  Hmm, the left trail goes downhill, so that’s the one I choose.  It would be necessary to go downhill to reach the river from here.

In a short time I could see some shimmering water through the trees.  Then the trail gets steep, downhill.Finally, more water showing and sparkling in the sunlight.  And I could here the roar of water as it comes through the dam just a little ways upriver from where I am.  There is a nice calm bay to my left as I get close to the river now.  And a very large pine tree.  The base of the tree is about 6 feet thick (nearly 2 meters).

The current in the river here is strong.  Definitely not a place for swimming.  Even a very strong swimmer would be pulled under very quickly and drown.  It has happened.  Just last year some people drowned trying to swim in the river.  Just not a smart idea.  The current is so strong that the water never freezes here, no matter how cold it gets.

But right here as I first arrive at the river it looked so beautiful, so peaceful.  I sat down just to drink in some of that beauty for a while.  The water looked so inviting.  Down in that bay the water was quite shallow for several feet before ending deep and dark.  The water was quite warm though.  The sun shining on the water gave it quite a golden color along the shore.  Such beauty that still has that untouched look about it.  Which is not always the case around here.

As I was sitting there dreaming amidst this beautiful scene an eagle came flying past.  At first he was being chased half-heartedly by a herring gull.  Then a broad-winged hawk joined in so the gull left.  That hawk, about the size of our crows, was a bit more enthusiastic in chasing the eagle.  However, that eagle didn’t seem to pay any attention.  And considering the size difference, it’s easy to see why the eagle was not concerned.  That was a big eagle.  Knowing the size of the gull and the hawk, that eagle had a wingspan of between 7 and 8 feet.  That was one big bird.

Like most things with me however, it never stays just a calm walk.  Things happen, and so it was this time also.  However, I will save that for part 2 of the river walk.  Don’t want this to get too long.  I hope you all enjoy your day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

© 2019 Steve McLeod.