21:36 - 12.10.08
Hiking
A+ and I spent a good part of yesterday hiking, dear diary. Hence no entry last night - too tired.
The temperature was just above 0 C/32 F and there was a bit of a blustery wind when we set out on our adventure. The sky was a clear, cloudless blue and the sun was shining though. We chose to dress in layers rather than cart around heavy winter gear. More flexibility in managing body temperature as one works up a sweat walking up hill or starts to feel chilly in a shady valley. Jumped on a train that runs through our part of the city to downtown. Being it was the weekend the inevitable "service disruption" was part of the process. However winterising the service now is much smarter than waiting until it's -30 something C. Right?
As we disembarked at the "Silly Hall" platform, the shuttle buses replacing the downtown train service pulled up. A convention of zombies and other assorted ghouls swarmed off that chariot, heading for the train. Actually, this fall, there seems to be something with a Hallowe'en theme occurring most weekends. A couple of weekends ago, when A+ and I were wandering through a Chinatown mall, there was a gaggle of samurai and space cadets cruising through the shops as we passed. They seemed to be having a great time with the store proprietors. Last week when we were at that City Hall meeting, a group of elves hopped off a bus near the theatre complex on Stephen Avenue Mall. They appeared to be on a treasure hunt of some description given the comments being passed back and forth between them. The astrological planet Uranus - the bolt from the blue/the unexpected - is actively engaged in dancing with a number of the less adventurous planets all this month, so I expect we'll see many variations on that Hallowe'en theme. Given federal elections both Canadian and US, it might mean strange events arising on a more global stage too. Hopefully it will be as harmless as the vignettes we witnessed, but Uranian forces are also those of the rebel. The last time some of these astrological energies were let out to play was during the 1960's. Social transformation on a massive scale. Not all of it was was tidy or orderly either, as I recall, seeing it through the eyes of a small child. Of course being that I was small, I had no expectations of normal. I thought what I witnessed was both exciting and, sometimes, entertaining. Somehow not all the adults in my world thought so.
Anyway, A+ and I continued our journey by boarding the train headed to the south side of the city. Eight stops later we detrained at what used to be a train station that was part of the railroad network located well outside the city limits. Now there are several more stops south of this one, all located within the city's current boundaries. We walked east across the lengthy pedestrian bridge that took us to an old graveyard flanked by two tiny churches that each must have been built well over 100 years ago for congregations of not more than a dozen families. The ghostly theme continued.
Through one set of traffic lights and down a couple of blocks past a funeral parlor and through groves of trees planted as memorials for the deceased passing through that particular parlor, led us to one of our city's most cherished features. Two rivers run at right angles to each other through our city. Through long stretches of their courses they are flanked on one or both sides by escarpments either formed of glacial till or of the foothills that are part of the Rocky Mountain chain that lies about 60 miles to the west. This river valley is a major wildlife corridor that has been maintained in as pristine a condition as is possible located as it is in the heart of the city. Once you step onto the pathway that runs through it the traffic and noise fade. Mother Nature and peace take over. It is common consensus that those who visit the river valley remain on the path so as to preserve the beauty all around them. Cyclists share that pathway with pedestrians too. Once through the memorial groves we headed south. On the flanking escarpments one could see residential development discreetly peeking down into the valley. Maps showed special features as well as distances for those who cared to plan their journey.
The first feature we came upon was the nesting grounds for the Great Blue Herons. The site was preserved around 1975. Lately those birds have not nested there, but they have been seen hunting and fishing along the river banks. Hawks and kestrels, as well as mule and white tailed deer also share that ecosystem.
A mile or so away down the path we came upon one of the original rancher's homes. Burns Ranche and an interpretive center as well. Gas lamps lined the walkway giving an ambiance of earlier days. Even though it was a chilly afternoon an outdoor wedding was about to begin. A lot of laughter emanating from the guests as they greeted each other and shared in the ceremony just outside the ranch. We stopped briefly at the interpretive center for a break. On the bulletin board was a notice about a pre-Hallowe'en presentation by one of the park wardens about ghosts that haunt the valley. Uh huh. Across a second bridge and down a southerly path we spied a beaver dam. Not certain if a lodge was present or not, but evidence of recent activity was visible in the form of felled saplings and tree branches. South of that we came to Sikome lake. It had been drained for the winter but still seemed to be a favorite place to visit for those who wanted to walk their dogs. Doubled back to the ranch then walked up the one escarpment. It was a steep but mercifully short climb. At the top of that hill civilization appeared immediately in the form of a bus stop. Trip back to another C-train station.
That's my story for tonight dear diary. Good night.
�
�
