The photo I didn’t get.
Nope. There is not a great blue heron in this rather fuzzy photo of fog on the river at Barton Dam. We stumbled out of the house and into the Dogha just after seven this morning. And I mean stumbled. The driver (I won’t say who it was but it wasn’t me) was all ready to go with the engine running but apparently figgered he could just lift the Dogha up into the air and drive *over* Mouse’s vee-hickle (formerly known as the CLBHCWTYFITB) behind it in the driveway. Not. So. MUCH fumbling around with various keys and doors and locks ensued and then ANOTHER trip back in for my camera. Because how the heck could I forget my camera? And we were [finally] off.
We parked at the Bird Hills Park trailhead and picked our way along the trails in the dark. It was just getting light when we got down to Barton Dam. I stopped to pull out my camera (the one I went back inside to get) so I could catch the fog on the river and *there*, 10 feet in front of me was a great blue heron. Alas, it flew off a split-second before I could get my camera up and focused. So you get this fuzzy photo instead. You can click on it for more, but you won’t see any herons. Sorry.
Anyway, we crossed the river on Barton Dam, then walked the tracks to Bandemer Park, crossing the river again. Walked the woods trail to Argo Park, then over to the Northside Grill for breakfast. After breakfast the fog had dissipated and the sun shone out of a cloudless sky. We crossed back over the river on Argo Dam and returned via the cement trail on the other side back to Bandemer, then back across Barton Dam and up through Bird Hills back to the trailhead. About three and a half hours to do the whole thing, including breakfast. And there will be a quiz on all this at the end, so I hope y’all were paying attention.
Note to self: explore Bird Hills in more detail instead of just bashing through it at top speed. It used to be grazing land and that’s a bit hard to imagine given that it is totally filled with tall trees today.
Quiz? What quiz? You guys, I was just kidding. I’m not even totally exactly sure where the heck I walked today. I mean, I know where I walked but I couldn’t tell you when one park turned into the next one. I am glad our waterfront is being turned into parkland and that there is (are? Mouse?) a variety of trails, some more rustic than others. Sunday evening. Folk music on the radio. Work tomorrow. Another day.
Updating in response to comments: Bird Hills was logged in the late 1800s, then served as grazing land until the 1920s. So, by the time The Marquis moved into the adjacent neighborhood in the 1970s, there were definitely tall trees. There’s more but I hesitate to post it until I have done some decent research.
October 19th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
photos #20 and #21 are pokeweed. I didn’t recognize the leaves, but the purple berries and fuschia stem are my landmarks. Mark took a picture of some pokeweed along our trail today. Maybe he’ll post it later this week.
October 19th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
If Bird Hills was once grazing land, it was long before I moved to near there in 1970, some 38 years ago. It was wooded even then as I remember.
October 19th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Birdhills was logged over in the late 1800s and was grazing land until the 1920s. Rather similar in some ways to our land on Fin Family Moominbeach except that I don’t think there was ever any grazing. So, yes, in the 70s, it would definitely have been wooded.
October 19th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
…I thought Fin Family Moominbeach had [also] been burned over at about the time of the Great Chicago Fire caused by Elsie the Cow kicking over some lantern….
October 19th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
…which then raises the question…. was any part of lower Michigan affected by the Great Chicago Fire? I think the UP fire – while more-or-less concurrent with the Chi-town fire – was probably a separate occurrence….if I have my facts/memories straight.
October 19th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Thanks for the pictorial. I got to tour the wood even though I never got out of bed!
October 19th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous photos. You’ve outdone yourself! Thanks for the vicarious walk!
October 20th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I love that happy accident of the dewy spiderweb!!!