January 1 Grand Rogue Park

Friday:  Happy New Year 2021! I had one main goal for the day today--put away ALL Christmas decorations. It's not that I have that much--but I like to pack it up nicely for the next year, which takes awhile ... but mission accomplished!

I looked outside at about 3:15 this afternoon and saw that a light snow was falling.  I grabbed my camera, hopped into the car and drove down W. River in the direction of the Ball Park. I have wanted to explore the area next to the Rogue River right in the area of a little (extremely so) historical museum (the Hyser Rivers Museum to be exact) that sits on the side of the south side of the road. It's only a 5-minute drive from my house. I parked my car in the parking lot next to the museum and forged on into the woods. My goal was to get as close to the Rogue as I could and follow it along until it emptied out into the Grand River. In my head, I was thinking it would be perhaps a 10-minute walk.

I was SO wrong ... I never imagined all of this land and "woodsiness" to be right here ... how could I live in Grand Rapids for 49+ years, and just a few miles from this place for the last 20 or so, and not even know it was there? 

Ah! I just googled the park's name and come to find out, it was officially opened on October 20 of this year! It has been fifteen years in the making and future plans include a pedestrian bridge across the Rogue River to further trails, some lookouts, picnic areas, etc. How wonderful! As I walked into the woods this afternoon, I felt deeply that it NEEDED a pedestrian bridge! Just for beauty's sake ... I love bridges that cross little rivers and streams ... this first photo is a side view of the museum.

I didn't really SEE a path from the museum parking lot, and as yet I was completely ignorant of there being actual trails or an "official park", so I just plodded through brush, thorns, fallen trees, etc. until I reached the river.

It's a very pretty spot! It significantly floods at least every other year ... so I would NOT want to live in a house this close to the edge ... but perhaps this one is high enough up the bank ...

It had stopped snowing soon after I began walking. The SUN was nowhere to be found today, so the pictures are rather ... bland ... almost black and white ... but this is what was out there today, so I took it!

I walked for perhaps an hour, not having any idea that the trail wound around and that there was such interesting stuff back here!

Aren't the reflections of the trees so pretty? I'm rather partial to reflections in general ...

I am sure to return on a sunny day ... and I bet it was super beautiful in October too. Something to look forward to ...