Al Foster and Cedar Bluffs Trail, March 22, 2016

 At the Sherman Beach Trailhead.

 Along the Stinging Nettle Trail

Debris in the trees. I guess this is underwater sometimes.

 Houses along the bottom land range from comfortable (above) to ramshackle and junk-filled.

 A small country church right before Easter Sunday.

 Again, lots of trash. Dumped? Brought in by the river?

 The Cedar Bluffs Trail in Castlewood State Park.

 I sat on this bench and journaled for awhile.

 An interesting glade just off the trail that overlooks the railroad tracks.

 You have to walk through this tunnel to get to the Cedar Bluffs Trail.  I had to stoop to get all the way through.

 Just as I was ready to go through the tunnel, I heard a train whistle.  Made it through the tunnel with time to spare before it thundered by.

 A roofing company run out of a house along the Al Foster Trail.  Lots of pallets.. . .

So close to the river. Here's a shell. . . .

Interesting if slightly creepy and depressing trail.  I learned about it from 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles--St. Louis, borrowed from my brother.  The Sherman Beach Trailhead in Wildwood is where I started at 11:00 am.  Not many people--one walker with an i-pod finishing up. A father and his looked to be about 9 year old daughter on bikes. The terrain goes from sandy path along the river to gravel to a trail that climbs bluffs in Castlewood State Park.  There are other connectors and offshoots, but I didn't visit them today. Hiked about 5 miles--although most of the terrain was flat.