Exploring the Estuary

Yesterday we packed up the kids and headed off to one of my favorite local trails but when we got there we found that the bridge heading into the estuary had been fenced off.

It's hard to believe that this weathered foot bridge used to be a single lane bridge that I drove my car across four times a day, three times a week to reach an elderly woman I did home nursing for. Over the years the decking started to deteriorate so they built a foot bridge over the old bridge but it is getting soft in spots and sometime this summer the whole thing is going to be removed. Hopefully they will replace it but that is still not a sure thing.

Of course us local yokals don't get scared off by a few signs with bold red lettering and we skirted around the edge of the fence and headed on into the forest *grin*.

To be on the safe side we did go single file except for the little guy who went along with his daddy :)

As we wandered through the forest we were surrounded by amazing old growth trees. They are true giants!

This one was actually completely hollow inside and was big enough for all three of my kids to fit in and my dad for a photo. So much fun!

Where the old cottage used to stand there is now the above sign with all sorts of information on the different plants and animals that can be found along the trail. When the elderly lady that lived here passed away the property was donated to Ducks Unlimited and all of the old buildings were removed so that the grounds could return to their uninhabited state. I used to stand in this very spot when it was her kitchen and stare out the windows watching the river, swans and deer pass by. So many fond memories.... now only stories to tell to my children.

Just past the old homestead site is the estuary :)

The kids had fun exploring the grassy banks of the river. It wasn't long before the rain started though so we had to head back into the forest to take cover *grin*.

As we wound our way back around the loop to the main trail we took our time checking out all of the different mosses, poking and petting each one and talking about how they were all unique.

This tree always draws a lot of interest when we visit to as we try to guess what sort of animals may have been gnawing away at its pulpy insides :)

So many things to investigate along the way. The poor little guy got all tuckered out towards the end though and Hubby was more than happy to carry him like a good old sack of potatoes *grin*. What a turkey!

Hugs,
Rosina

Nature Walk ~ Northeast Woods

Mother nature provided another wonderful day for an outing with our Neighborwoodie friends this week as we ventured into the Northeast Woods :)

There were mountain bike jumps to be climbed, sticks to be collected, overly friendly dogs to be dodged and a lot of 'I'm the king of the castle and your the dirty rascal' songs to be sung.

Of course there were the usual trail hazards to be navigated like this very tempting mud hole that begged for boots to be wiggled in....

and an oversized mud puddle covered in a sheet of ice just perfect for some splish splashing *grin*.

My oldest managed to salvage a large chunk of ice from the water before it was stomped on and broken into small bits...

and another girl found a tree branch with squares of ice frozen to different parts of the needles that clanged together as it was shaken about.

Mother nature's wind chime :)

So much fun to be had in the forest :)

Hugs,
Rosina

Nature Walk ~ Seal Bay Swamp Loop

Earlier this week we met up with our neighborwoodie buddies and headed out into one of the nearby trails again for some more good outdoor exploring :)

We were heading to the Seal Bay Swamp so rubber boots were a must. Knowing my crew, boots are probably the best bet any time they are outdoors *grin*.

The trail led us through towering trees, salal, fallen logs and stumps....

and along the winding bends of the stream leading to the swamp.

Once we made it to the swamp the kids had fun looking out on the observation deck as the water rushed beneath it and out the other side. Of course there was a shallow portion of the stream that they could jump and puddle away in and each one had their turn splunking and splashing through it :)

All along the trail were these great wooden signs with arrows and trail names tucked in amongst the mossy tree trunks to show you which direction to go in order to get back out. It was just like Alice in Wonderland as some of them like the very first photo pointed in both directions which the children found quite amusing!

This was one of my favorite finds along the trail. The entire center of this log was rotten leaving behind a hollow full of spiky knots. They looked like monster teeth or nails that had be driven through the outside of the log but it was actually the knots in the wood that hadn't decomposed just yet. Very cool!!

There were loads of fungi all along the trail to. Despite it being a bit of a damp and dark day it was so nice to get outside again and enjoy exploring the forest with friends :)

Hugs.
Rosina