We had perfect weather today. Sunny and warm, not warm really, that perfect temperature that is neither warm or cold, but simply unnoticable and wonderfully comfortable, but warm for a day in February. We just had to get out, but the kids had other plans and my wife was helping put together a slide show for our upcoming Blue and Gold Banquet, so it was just me and the dog taking on Castlewood State Park. So I brought the digital camera with me to show the others what they missed and a hiking we awent.

First we walked around near Kiefer Creek while Trooper got the marking and the sniffing out of his system. Here is a view of the creek:

Then it was up the steep trail to the bluffs overlooking the Meramec River where I didn’t mind Trooper stopping to sniff and lift the leg. The view from the bluffs is gorgeous and it’s hard to believe that you are still in the midst of civilization:

We hiked along the top of the bluffs for a short way with me stopping regularly to take pictures:

Then it was back down and back to the car. I drove down to the field the cub scout troop camps in by the river and then we set off on the trail along the river. The scenery was great here, but there were some spots with a lot of trash – I wished I had a bag with me to clean some of it up. I would have gone farther but I would have had to drug Trooper along, so it was back to the car so he could get some well deserved rest.

Tags: hiking

I keep expecting my life to slow down, but it only speeds up. I know, we’re all busy people, and the downside of ever expanding opportunities, goods, and services is that we are stretched thinner and thinner, like butter scraped over too much bread to borrow a phrase from Tolkien. Today we recuperated from Erin’s birthday sleepover and so the rest of us went to the park with the pooch while Erin rested. The weather was quite pleasant for February in St. Louis but the scenery hasn’t caught up:

I do have color right outside my front door in the guise of snow crocus which opened their blooms for the first time today in the warmth and sunshine (although it was overcast by the time I got out and took this picture):

Trooper especially loves going for walks — all that territory to mark and all those other dogs to sniff for. Beauty is clearly in the eye of the beholder.

Tags: hiking