Downtown Walk, Laclede's Landing and the Graffiti Wall--May 12, 2013

 Paul and I got up relatively early and ventured downtown for a walk.  Although we'd driven by the graffiti wall before, we'd never hopped out and walked along it--taking pictures.I found it fascinating.

 Me at the Graffiti Wall. Chilly this morning; I was wearing a fleece cap and gloves, but then the weather warmed up.

 Some great graffiti on a train, across from the wall.

 From 2000?

 Laclede's Landing--a little more deserted than it used to be. . . .

Who is the man in white? He's been doing this for a couple of years now, consistently.

The river has been high. Sand gets up to an overlook. . . 

 Not sure why  the flags are at half mast. Perhaps because of the Boston Marathon bombing?

All the driftwood that traveled down the river during the past month's rains.

The head of the Clark statue, waving from the muddy depths, showing how high the river got this month.

Rockwood Reservation: Saturday, May 11, 2013

 The bridge at the beginning of the Rock Quarry Trail (2 and one fourth  miles)

 Chunks of street concrete belie the fact that you are not far from civilization.

Sycamore Bark

The Rock Quarry

Shadows of leaves that reminded me of Asian tapestries.

The sight of a sunny path lifts spirits.

Above and below: an overlook on the Trail Among the Trees

Didn't leave until 12:15 or so, on a sunny, 70 degree Saturday.  Dinner obligations stipulated a short hike, but I enjoyed myself.  Hike the Rock Quarry Trail and the Trail Among the Trees. On the trails, only saw a couple of couples and a young father with a friendly, talkative little boy wearing a Spider man cap.  He showed me leaves as I walked by, and wanted to sit on the bench where I was writing in my journal.  It was breezy, and after awhile, my eyes began to itch and nose to get a bit watery, but all in all, a lovely day for a hike. Stopped and took my heart rate a couple of times after climbing hills, but wasn't very out of breath.

St. Louis Heart Walk: Downtown, May 4, 2013

Dad asked Paul and I to do the heart walk with him at Busch Stadium. We walked for Boeing donations.It was a cold and rainy morning, but once we got walking, we were warm. We ended our morning with a little brunch at Tigin Pub downtown.

7:15 a.m., before the Heart Walk--Paul and Dad

 Don begins the walk in his overalls--forging ahead of us.

Cute family.

 Redbud blooms are one of the few signs it's Spring. It's misting and 42 degrees for the entire walk.

 Pretty big turnout, considering how cold and damp it was that morning.

Riding in Style at the end of three miles.

 Walkers did their last lap around the field at the new Busch Stadium.

 Me and Dad.

Last look at the field. . . .

Lewis Trail: May 1, 2013

There were some firsts today on this trail that I have hiked so often, but this was only the second time in 2013. I saw a beaver come barreling out of the woods and cross the path behind me, disappearing under a fallen tree.I also caught foliage blooming in stages I'd never noticed before.  For such a warm day (86 degrees), there weren't many people on the trail. A couple of  young, muscle-bound runners, and a young couple walking off just as I was starting.  My favorite first of today was the field covered in yellow flowers.  I took at least ten pictures, trying to capture the hopeful feeling it gave me.  Heard what I thought were owls calling to one another-- noticed a newly downed tree on the trail--and found the remains of a fire (illegal!) at the first vista.  I guess someone was out there on a cold night?  Usually, this trail is so crowded, I can't imagine someone getting away with a fire in such an obvious place.

The hike:  started hiking at 3:20. Finished around 5:30.  I think I do about a 24 minute mile, with stops to photograph and gawk at nature. This time I also monitored my pulse. After climbing steep hills, it was 140 and 160, respectively. Then it went back down to between 80 and 90 while I was hiking on flat ground.

It was so good to hike today.  Last year at this time, I had hiked many more times, but weather and life have not been conducive to hiking so far in 2013.

            The little stone cairn grows! Did I first see it in the Fall or last year this time?

Here's the amazing field. The photograph doesn't do it justice.

Ubiquitous dogwoods!  The red buds are just about finished blooming.

             Daffodils and ornamental bushes (below) tell me that this was the site of a homestead at one time, something I wouldn't have considered until last year while exploring the Lost Valley Trail.

                                 

  On a hike after school on the Lewis Trail, you've just about reached the 3 mile marker when you get to this stream.  You have the decision to go on to the Clark Trail for an extra 3 miles or enjoy knowing you'll be finished in two more miles.

 So this was the downed tree I saw on the trail, after the 3 mile marker, just before the giant hill.  It looked newly fallen. It probably fell during one of the recent storms.  I like to think about the night it fell. Was anyone around?  Was there wind, rain, lightning, thunder?

           One more picture of the gorgeous yellow field under blue skies and billowy white clouds.

 This is a video of buzzards or hawks circling above the Katy Trail. I noticed them at the second overlook, right before the second mile marker.  Standing on the rock outcropping--one I've stood on so many times--looking down at the river or up into the sky--is so peaceful.  But today I couldn't help but to think about death, with the buzzards and with Mom being definitively gone. For a while, while I was hiking, I almost imagined she wasn't dead. It seemed plausible--maybe because the memory of last year's hike, when I spoke to her on the cell phone while I was hiking, was so clear and present.  I could almost even entertain the idea of her looking down and watching me hike, although I usually find such notions childish.

I guess this blog has turned entirely personal now. . . since I'm writing thoughts like the ones in the last paragraph.