The Big Walk

Today, Scrappy and I decided that we were going to see if the greenway under Parnell Street was finally open.  It was; and here is our story.  Forty minutes from home to the path under Coliseum Blvd. Another ten into Johnny Appleseed park.




 

Dadddy takes break #1 at the overlook at the dam.  Scrappy wants to go!

I couldn't believe how low the river was.  This is just down from the dam.

Proof?  Here's the wall at the river's edge, from the river side.  Walked about 20 yards along the bank this way.

Remember this spring, when there was water 50 feet past this pole?  This is from the current river's edge.

One of the places we usually couldn't go was this idyllic stretch behind the boat house.  Last time? This was water.  Now?  Just watch for the mole tunnels.

This path took us quite a ways along the road out of Appleseed.  Along the way we found a bright yellow softball, a HR from Turner Field.  We climbed back up to the road soon after and threw it back in.

        As you can see, the way was open- if a little creepy.  The boardwalk here really creaks!

This path was so cool, though!  Dark, peaceful, quiet- and we still ran into more people than anywhere else on the walk.

We emerged, I didn't know where, except that it was along a road and right under an electrical tower.

But guess what?  We found the marker to Stevie's Island at long last!  Couldn't see the island, though- the bank was wide, steep, and overgrown.

Soon later, we learned that we were following Spy Run Ave.  After another break soon after, we continued down the trail until we found ourselves where the trail splits at Tom Steele Tires...

Oh, but I forgot! Just before the wooded trail opened up into this more city-like scene..

We found this painting, just sitting here at the side of the trail!  Weird, wild stuff.

Next thing we knew, trail became sidewalk, and we were going down State Street!

From there, we made our way past the Tom Kelly North Side Empire to Northside Park.

Scrappy was still rip-raring to go!  But I needed a break, so we went into the park to a) find a restroom, b)call Laurie and alert her that we might soon need a pickup (the walk now well into the second hour), and c) figure out where it is that, as a sign told us, the greenway picked back up.

The first two were easy; the third we were having a time with.  We finally decided to try the trail that wrapped around the park's three ball diamonds.  However, when we rounded the corner at the last diamond (after break #3 in the dugout)...

...yup, the trail ended.

So we cut cross-country back towards State Street.  We ended up going BEHIND the Acme Pizza and Package Store..

And would you believe, there was one of those IPFW Mastadons back there!

Moments later (after stopping Scrappy from going into the Pizza place's back door), we made the corner of State and Crescent.  We were now at 2:20 into this thing, Scrappy still going strong, but it was starting to get warmer.  Time to call Laurie to have her come fetch us while we proceeded north.

Scrappy actually finally showed signs of tuckering out at Crescent and Kenwood, and when we took break #4 there, he actually sat down insteadof whining to go on- for about 1 minute.

Soon Later, Laurie caught up to us at Crescent and Anthony.  This was our previous farthest south we'd walked.  By Google earth, total walk, 5.06 miles.  Time at pickup, 2 1/2 hours.