Saturday, November 10, 2012

Westerville; A City Within A Park

I've been in my new home for a month now.  I thought it was time I checked out the bike/ walking trail that passes right by my home.  One of the things I've missed since leaving Middleville, was the beautiful walk along the West Canada Creek.  Walking there was not a chore, but an enjoyable experience in nature! 

So, I decided to see what this trail across the street was about.  I was thinking that I'd walk for about 30 minutes, then head back home, making it an hour round trip.  Within minutes I found myself feeling very HAPPY!  The trail runs along Alum Creek and is surrounded by trees and nature!  Even now, with most of the leaves gone and the colors muted by the oncoming Winter, it was beautiful.  There were many varieties of birds to see and I noticed wren houses placed throughout the trail.

Another fun thing is all the choices!!  I won't have to take the same path every time I walk.  There are many directions to choose from and even some "pedestrian only" paths which I did check out today.  It seemed that each time I came around a bend, I wanted to walk just a bit further to see what was up ahead!  The trail went under overpasses, over water, through woods and fields and led to various parks, streets and even gardens.  I just wanted to keep going!  Of course, I realized that the further I went, the more walking it would take to get home.  I forced myself to turn around and go back.  About a mile from home, my hips began to complain... when I arrived, they were screaming at me!  It's funny how a little pain is worth it when you're having so much fun!

With 26 miles of trails in Westerville alone, I may need to get a bike!
Black walnuts that I don't have to clean up!


My entrance to the path.

Stone "benches" if I need to rest.


Paths go under and over bridges!
There are a lot of white birch trees.