Letting the Horse Run Free
I wouldn't quite put it at desperation, but there has certainly been angst in the air hereabouts that we have not been able to eke out a day-time high of 70F for quite some time. I took the favorable forecast yesterday as a sign that greenery and wildness, to the extent I could find them starting from downtown with a deadline, should be my imperatives. No errands!
I caught the first bus headed in the general direction of east Queen Anne Hill, with the greenbelt there my goal. As it happened, this bus did not take Aurora Avenue as my predisposition had it, instead using Dexter to the east. Running free, I realized this gave me a chance to extend my walking route and revisit the new Wales park-in-a-quarry, an unexpected bonus.
I lingered at Wales a bit, marveling at how the vegetation has grown and savoring the amazing variety of bird-music and chatter and great views of the Cascades and portions of Lake Union including Gasworks. Waterbugs but no amphibians observed in standing water. One monarch butterfly, moths and bees numerous. I had the place to myself. Well sort of. There are multi-resident units looming on two sides, so it isn't as if there is privacy. But it's an astounding place for where it is.
I was amused to find that a blogger whose admirable goal is to walk all the streets of Seattle happened to have included Wales park in her agenda yesterday. I couldn't resist commenting on her blog, noting our near-meeting..
From the quarry-park I backtracked down Dexter to the Aurora underpass that gives access to a slightly-dicey sidehill trail ascending NE Queen Anne. I have walked and in an earlier incarnation run this trail several dozen times with no ill effect, but it is a bit groaty at the lower end, featuring wrecked cars and various debris that a wild imagination might take for sordid.
But it's a great workout, popping you out with gasping lungs amongst swell upper-middle-class mansions. The views must be pretty fantastic from these brick edifices.
A block or two to the south we drop down into a developing trail system through an excellent swath of greenbelt. Despite signage, it does at times feature evidence of camping and homeless habitation depending on where you wander. As a veteran I am able to route around those aspects and contour above a terrific little bird-infested delightfully skunk-cabbage-laden wetland that I have used for years as a Spring-metric and noted here before.
With proper trail junction choices we end up at a great Pea Patch at the location of a historical streetcar station or turnaround or something. I forget what the historical connection is. I'm keen on the current PP myself. I have run across I believe the same walkers-of-small-dogs the last two times through this garden. Flowers and vegetables abound.
From there I just coasted down Taylor Avenue North, savoring the leg work which was a good part of why I was there while knowing I could catch one of the several buses that passed me by. I did eventually snag one at the bottom of the hill. Back to work.
I caught the first bus headed in the general direction of east Queen Anne Hill, with the greenbelt there my goal. As it happened, this bus did not take Aurora Avenue as my predisposition had it, instead using Dexter to the east. Running free, I realized this gave me a chance to extend my walking route and revisit the new Wales park-in-a-quarry, an unexpected bonus.
I lingered at Wales a bit, marveling at how the vegetation has grown and savoring the amazing variety of bird-music and chatter and great views of the Cascades and portions of Lake Union including Gasworks. Waterbugs but no amphibians observed in standing water. One monarch butterfly, moths and bees numerous. I had the place to myself. Well sort of. There are multi-resident units looming on two sides, so it isn't as if there is privacy. But it's an astounding place for where it is.
I was amused to find that a blogger whose admirable goal is to walk all the streets of Seattle happened to have included Wales park in her agenda yesterday. I couldn't resist commenting on her blog, noting our near-meeting..
From the quarry-park I backtracked down Dexter to the Aurora underpass that gives access to a slightly-dicey sidehill trail ascending NE Queen Anne. I have walked and in an earlier incarnation run this trail several dozen times with no ill effect, but it is a bit groaty at the lower end, featuring wrecked cars and various debris that a wild imagination might take for sordid.
But it's a great workout, popping you out with gasping lungs amongst swell upper-middle-class mansions. The views must be pretty fantastic from these brick edifices.
A block or two to the south we drop down into a developing trail system through an excellent swath of greenbelt. Despite signage, it does at times feature evidence of camping and homeless habitation depending on where you wander. As a veteran I am able to route around those aspects and contour above a terrific little bird-infested delightfully skunk-cabbage-laden wetland that I have used for years as a Spring-metric and noted here before.
With proper trail junction choices we end up at a great Pea Patch at the location of a historical streetcar station or turnaround or something. I forget what the historical connection is. I'm keen on the current PP myself. I have run across I believe the same walkers-of-small-dogs the last two times through this garden. Flowers and vegetables abound.
From there I just coasted down Taylor Avenue North, savoring the leg work which was a good part of why I was there while knowing I could catch one of the several buses that passed me by. I did eventually snag one at the bottom of the hill. Back to work.
posted by Sir Gumbo at 11:01 PM
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