More partial days available for hiking lately, where we only had a few hours but were longing to get away from everything.
Who knew that right near our nation's capital this would be so easy? First, off to Bladensburg Waterfront Park.
Right in the middle of an industrial area characterized by auto parts dealers, scrap metal yards, and a few old factories,
There's this network of trails along the Anacostia River. The Anacostia is known for its pollution and its occasional dead body.
Not many people know that it is also features open space,
lovely boardwalks through wetlands,
nifty hidden-away piers,
and the occasional dancing Swiss guy.
Their loss is our gain, because as you know our favorite dog walks are the undiscovered ones.
Our next close-in getaway was to the Patuxent Research Refuge.
We hadn't been there in a while and I don't think we'd ever discovered the long trail that goes all the way around the lake
There are also some grassy areas
and a few piers where you can get a good look over the water.
Remind me to bring our binoculars next time.After our hike, we put the pups in the car and went inside the really nice visitors center. It's set up with some great educational exhibits on the wildlife of the area, as well as some on broader conservation concerns such as the fact that our planet is being choked by rapidly propagating humans who are filling the oceans with trash and wiping out entire species and transforming rich bioscapes into desolate wastelands and pumping out babies and building and developing and manufacturing crap in pursuit of more more more more MORE.
But they said it a bit more eloquently, and in a way that may change minds and hearts rather than just alienate people.
Never been my strong suit.
It's funny when you go places like that so close to the city, you really do feel like you are on a vacation
ReplyDeleteLily & Edward
That picture of Dahlia scritching her back is priceless!!
ReplyDeleteKind of reminds me of one of our local parks, liberty park
ReplyDeleteretro rover
Very nice little escape. It looks like it's getting cooler. It's already cool and rainy up here.
ReplyDeleteWetlands near industrial areas can be very interesting places to walk. Despite how hard we humans work to devastate the planet, nature shows she won't go down without a fight. And when we wipe ourselves off the earth, nature will come back and thrive.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely area to explore. Your description reminded me of a book I loved, John Zeaman's Dog Walks Man. In it he describes walking his dog in the Meadowlands of North Jersey.
If you're looking for a nice dog walking book (and it's short), you might want to see if your library has it.
It's great when you can walk away from things and see something nice and peaceful, huh? Good work! That's a great shot of Dahlia - I guess she is doing well!
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought the way you put it was rather effective - for me at least. But I too need to choose words wisely sometimes ;)