I am thankful for new discoveries.
You have probably figured out by now that I like to take hikes. Yesterday, Ward and I discovered another place close by to do this. It was at a park that we had driven by many times but never noticed until a friend told us about it.
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| We found a restored caboose at the end of the trail. |
In the morning when there was a break in the rain, Ward and I took off to explore the park. It was an all purpose park with paved walking paths, a dog park, sports fields, and tennis courts. But the best part of it for us was the Rail to Trail trail that ran through it. In case you haven't heard of them, rail trails are old, unused railroad tracks that have been converted into trails for walking, biking, and sometimes horseback riding.
The trail ran through steep, rocky hills with lush vegetation and was very peaceful. We didn't have a map, so we just hiked along wondering where the trail was going to go. And guess what? It ended at an old railroad depot. If either of us had been thinking, we might have figured that out. But I'm glad we didn't because our Ah-ha moment was fun even though we felt a little silly.
Not surprisingly, the old depot was in the middle of the historic part of town and presented all kinds of future possibilities. Walking into town to get spots for the town's parades and fireworks. Taking a walk into town for browsing old shops or having lunch. A pleasant hike, then exploring the town's historic buildings.
So for this new discovery and all of the possibilities it holds, I am thankful.
Below are a few pictures for our walk.
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| Some places you could see the old rails still in place. |
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| There were benches along the way, as well as, plenty of outcroppings of rock. |
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| With ferns growing out of some of them. |
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| There were several kinds of wildflowers blooming. |
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| And a rabbit who was not very afraid of us. |
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| At the end of the trail was this railroad depot and caboose. Today the depot houses several shops. |
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| And there were historic signs where we learned a little more about our new community. |
I haven't heard about "rail to trail" before - what a cool idea! Everything just looks so lush and green! Things are getting decidedly crunchy out here - though our monsoon has finally arrived so I'm hoping we'll bit a bit of moisture soon.
ReplyDeleteWe had record amounts of rainfall last week, so some of our crunchy stuff is greening up. But since much of this vegetation is in the shade, I pretty sure is was lush even during the dry spells.
DeleteSomeone was telling me that in Arizona they had raining mud during one of their monsoon rains. The winds stirred up dust which combined with the moisture and rained mud. Is is dry enough there that that could happen?
Eee Gads! Raining mud sounds vaguely biblical! Things aren't nearly so dry here - in fact, up in the mountains there's been a lot of rain, so that's keeping all of our reservoirs nice and full. Here in town it's been much more hit & miss - some folks getting soaked, others not so much. We did get about 15 minutes of rain today so I was rejoicing!
DeleteI haven't heard of "rail to trail" before, either! But definitely a nice trail and a bit of an adventure, too, since you didn't know where it led or what was at the end of the trail! And now that you do know, it will be a fun hike with the promise of new things to explore in the future.
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying exploring our new area. We didn't live that far from here before but we had only been on the main roads. Now we're finding neighborhood treasures off the beaten path. I hope we'll have more time for exploring in the future.
DeleteLaughing because I would have also been surprised at the end of the trail to find a depot and caboose, and I would have laughed at myself, too. :) This is exactly my kind of fun, but I think you already know that.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely a silly moment that made us smile.
DeleteInteresting that they have parking for persons with disabilities. Was any of the rest of it accessible? Beautiful photos. It looks very serene, too.
ReplyDeleteThe handicap parking at the depot was for the shops in it, but you could access the trail from the parking lot. The trail was not official for wheelchairs, but I think they would do okay on it. Because it's an old railroad bed, it is pretty flat and level. The other end would be a bit more difficult for a wheelchair, but possible.
DeleteI read an article that said it is called a nature trail not a walking path so it wouldn't have to be ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliant. The trail was done by volunteers and donations and they didn't have enough of either to do all of the requirements needed for a walking path.
That's interesting and a nice find. Beautiful trail.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to visiting the trail again. It was a nice find.
DeleteVery cool discovery! I don't think you're silly :) Part of the trail I'm hiking in Scotland is an old railway line - I'm thinking it will be quite easy to follow!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to your pictures from Scotland.
DeleteYou find the most amazing places! I would love to walk along that path it looks so peaceful as if it is completely disconnected from the hustle and bustle.
ReplyDeleteIt was a very nice walk. It had been raining, so some how the wet glistening vegetation added to the peacefulness. We were disconnected from the hustle and bustle as we were alone on the trail until the very end. Then we met up with a large group of cub scouts and their families. That was fun to see and it took us down memory lane of when our boys were in cub scouts.
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