| 805 | Wet Warner Parks | 2013-05-06 |
We had another wet weekend in Nashville. On Saturday, Amy and I had a few plans that we canceled because of the rain, but decided we would walk in Warner Park on Sunday, whether it rained or not. We just needed to get out.
After suffering through a computer glitch in the morning, we were ready for a walk. The fresh cool air would help clear my head. The forecast was for rain, but the weather really wasn't bad. It was not sunny, but it was not rainy either and the temperature was almost perfect for walking.
Because of the recent rains we chose to walk the road in the Park, the Five-Eight. We do not mind getting our shoes muddy on the trails, but some of the wet areas of the trails see a lot of damage from hikers, walking in the mud. The roadway is not as nice to walk as the trail, but it is not a bad option. We did walk a small section (a quarter of a mile) of the Warner Woods Trail to check conditions, and then returned to the road for the rest of the route.
A few notes from the Five-Eight ...
From the Belle Meade Boulevard entrance, we walked the Five-Eight clockwise, as in - facing the traffic. Jake, the dog, walks on our left. It is easier to walk facing traffic in order to keep him out of the road. Most folks walk the roadway with the traffic.
There was a good representation of walkers, dog walkers, runners, bicyclist, and cars on the roadway.
One oddity - in the two hairpin curves of the route, some walkers shortcut the route at the curves. It is hard to figure out, why.
After climbing the long hill from the start, Amy spotted a barred owl sitting on a branch next to the road. We stopped and took a few pictures with a phone. He was not bothered by our presence, but we did not make noise or encroach on his space. Jake did not acknowledge his existence.
About a mile further, we saw another barred owl! This one was being swooped by a protective jay. We were not able to get a picture of the action.
As we were descending Three Mile Hill, we saw a previously unnoticed road sign. The sign reminded bicyclist to yield to pedestrians, and I am assuming, everyone of the speed limit - 20 mph. The sign was near the top of the hill, I don't think speeding would be an issue for many bicyclist there!
There were many vehicles on the roadway zooming along much faster than 20 mph though. Once again, it is hard to figure out, why.
The Park was in full bloom. Many flowering plants and vines seemed to be thriving in the rainy season. We spotted a platter sized polypore (mushroom) growing from a log near the road. It was huge.
Almost everyone we saw seemed to be having a good time. A few runners, who were pushing their limits, had a scowl on their faces, but they were still probably having fun, just wishing they were in better shape.
We really enjoyed our walk. Of course the barred owls, made our walk very special. Greenways and roadways make for good walking adventures even in rainy weather. Just get out there!
Happy Wet Warner Park trails