The 7th outing for the Summer Challenge walks took us to Klineline Pond. Fortunately we could do our gps check-in from the parking lot because – after paying the parking fee – we discovered that my fur buddy Chules was not welcome at the pond.
So we took a photo from afar. The pond area appears to be very lush and green.
See that dried brown area in the forefront of the pic? Yeah, that’s where Chules and I were delegated to be. Nonetheless, there is a path that parallels Salmon Creek, the stream that feeds into Klineline Pond, so we took that and got in a nice little scenic walk.
I think Chules took this next pic. I did my best to straighten it. He thinks it looks great.
The next photo is straight. It’s the tree that’s crooked.
The next two checkpoints on my Summer Challenge site visits were Vancouver Lake Park and Frenchman’s Bar Park.
I went to Vancouver Lake first. I have to admit I wasn’t super impressed with the park. It’s got picnic tables and volleyball nets set up on the sandy beaches, and I saw folks headed to the water with kayaks and picnic baskets. But unless I missed something, there’s really not much in the way of “communing with nature” potential.
Chules and I walked down the beach a ways and found a gaggle of geese and a murder of crows. (The murder scene is in the photo at top.) Beyond that, we didn’t see much to crow about. But we were able to check off another location for the challenge!
Frenchman’s Bar Park is a mile to the west of Vancouver Lake (as the proverbial crow flies), on the shore of the Columbia River. We went early in the morning to avoid the +100F degree heat expected later that day, but the place was already busy with paragliders trying to launch from the beach, a wedding (we assumed based on the white-gowned woman and the nervous looking man at her side), and a multi-generational family wandering around at the behest of a photographer conducting a frenzied photoshoot.
Chules and I tried to bypass all of that, and ended up following a gravel/dirt trail north to the river bank. We passed through a sizeable section of woods that had been burned recently, likely the result of an uncontrolled (and illegal) campfire.
Then we circled back where the photographer was encouraging a couple of reluctant kids to snuggle in next to grandma, the wedding party was making its way to tables laden with food, and the deflated paragliders were packing up their deflated gliders. We never saw any of them successfully launch. (Paragliders, that is… hopefully the wedding couple’s launch into married life will fare better.)
We will likely go back to Frenchman’s Bar, but unless Chules develops a penchant for beach volleyball, we won’t be rushing back to Vancouver Lake.
As stated in my last post, I am participating in a local summer “challenge” that aims to get folks out and about to nearby parks, nature trails and other fun outdoor locations. I described my first outing of the challenge here.
My second walking adventure took me to:
Evergreen Trail at Columbia Springs
The Evergreen Trail starts at the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center in Vancouver, WA. The center is a nonprofit that teaches folks about stewardship and environmental science. There is also an active fish hatchery on site that raises steelhead, rainbow trout and chum salmon.
Chules and I made our way along trails flanked by native and nonnative flora. It all smelled wonderful to Chules.
There are a number of paths to choose from, all of them relatively short and easy to walk.
We met some very friendly ducks who apparently thought we’d be easy marks for snagging a snack. They lost interest and swam away as soon as they realized we were snackless.
All in all, Columbia Springs made for a nice morning adventure, and I got another location checked off my list.
I came across a local “summer challenge” run through an app that is designed to encourage participants to get outdoors and explore the area. There are 20 sites listed, and if I verify (through the app’s gps) that I have visited 15 of the 20 locations by August 31st, I get entered into a drawing for prizes.
My walking companion Chules and I have visited and “checked in” at five of the locations so far. I’m going to share with you some of the beauty of my area through a series of posts and photos of our outings. My first destination, in Ridgefield, Washington:
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Oh, I forgot… Chules didn’t get to come on this walk. No dogs allowed in the refuge. But I had the good company of one daughter and three grandkids.
The Oaks-to-Wetland trail winds through large native Oregon white oak trees and other lush foliage (including some carefully marked poison oak), and along a lake with excellent opportunities for bird spotting.
Photo: poison oak
Then the trail opens up into tall grass and climbs away from the wetlands.
We didn’t make it all the way around the loop. Hot weather and a two-year-old who was due for a nap prevailed. Maybe next time.
With July’s record-breaking high temperatures here, it’s been frustrating and – truth be told – rather depressing to watch flowers in my native plant garden wilt before reaching full bloom and then turn end-of-summer brown without setting seeds.
What happens, I wonder, if annuals can’t reseed themselves? What happens if birds and other critters have no seeds to tide them through the coming winter? What happens when spring pollinators show up and find but a few flowers to feed upon?
I do what I can for my small domain. I water the roots of my plants; can’t do much for the sunburned leaves. This fall I will plant more natives. In the winter I will feed the birds. Next spring, I will build a fountain of some sort to provide reliable water for thirsty creatures passing through my yard.
Sometimes my efforts feel quite satisfying, like I’m giving back to the planet. Lately, it just feels like someone trying to extinguish a forest fire with spit.
What Rhymes with Stanza? 