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Frustration to Exhilaration

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A frustrating morning led to loading up my bike rack and bike and heading south to the rail trails. I absolutely love the rail trails, the ecological changes one rides through and all the interesting sights along the way.




After stopping at the post office, I headed first down Chuckanut Dr to check out the wildlife preserve. Being the middle of the day, not much was afoot (or aflight) other than a Kestrel sitting on a wire. I did manage to capture him landing on one of the hydro poles, but other than that, birds were scarce at this hour, not surprisingly.



Heading over the Sedro Woolley and having been on the rail trail numerous times, I knew exactly where to park. By this time, it was about 4:00pm and I knew I wouldn't make it to Cement (20 miles) and back before dark. Deciding to stop at 15km and turn around, I headed down the heavily treed trail.




Coming out of the trees, an old mansion has always captured my attention and imagination as open fields and farms stretch in all directions. I'm going to have to book a tour for tea in it, as I would love to see the inside. While the outside is visible, there's too much 'stuff' around the lawn between the trail and mansion for a photo for it to be appealing.


Horses munch with gusto at the lush grass, studiously ignoring me as I peddle by. Further on, the occasional cow glances at me while chewing, but mostly completely disinterested. Before entering the trees again, an old barn with two old silos lean precariously towards each other.


Crunching down the gravel pathway, not one other person is on the trail, allowing me to fully enjoy my surroundings. A strong scent of freshly cut cedar wafts on the warm breeze. A break in the trees reveals an old lumber mill, still in use, and definitely off the beaten path. I wonder how long it's been there and did they used to load the lumber onto the trains that would obviously chug right by their facility back in the day?




At 15km, I turned around to head back over the many bridges crossing numerous creeks, sloughs and wetlands. As I suspected, the sun was sinking rapidly and unfortunately was right in my eyes as I headed back. It was difficult to discern what was in the shadows as I headed back. Stopping near the Skagit River on a bench, a sandwich quelled the stomach rumblings and a mango iced tea quenched my thirst. The blue of the river as it flowed around some island sandbars, turned a beautiful aqua green directly in front of me and to the west.


Back on the bike, the after dinner working people started to dot the trail, dog walking, running and the occasional bike rider. Near the mansion, two young deer, a doe and buck with growing antlers, watched me warily as I lifted the long lens. They were very cooperative, although on high alert, as they munched the long grass in between long gazes.








Back at the car, I headed back over to the wildlife preserve. I kind of wish I'd headed there earlier as I'd planned, but my bike ride took longer than anticipated. I did manage to get a few images, but definitely want to head back there to be a bit earlier than sundown.





Overall, a fun and relaxing day, just what I needed after the frustration of the morning, turning frustration into exhilaration.


Enjoy the moments of the day!

Andrea





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