One Year Ago~

We start across the Haller Trestle

One year ago the 28th of March - Farah & I were the first to ride the length of the Centennial Trail from Snohomish to the Nakashima Barn, 30-miles.  Today, we left from Haller Park...  a very different view from a year ago.   The park was full of the news rigs - still here & reporting on the latest developments from the Oso slide field.

Satellite dishes prevail~

As we went across the bridge - the first thing I noticed was the yellow ribbons fluttering in the breeze & small bouquet of yellow flowers...

A sad view~

The North Fork of the Stillaquamish was full of gray silt.  Watching it churning below, I couldn't help but think of the terrible loss of life upriver.  Always such a beautiful place - it has been forevermore changed...

River full of silt~

But - the sun was shining - many people were out enjoying the trail.  The kids are on Spring Break - so youngsters were bike riding with their parents.  Farah did a beautiful job of being the trail equine ambassador.  No antics at all today - smooth, focused - even on the sloppy trail - we made good time.

After crossing Pilchuck Creek

My goal today - besides checking to see how Farah did on her own, was to go all the way to the north end of the trail - past the Nakashima Barn to Hwy 9.

The last mile, unimproved & beautiful!

It was a gorgeous stretch of trail - reminding me of what sections of the trail looked like before we worked so hard to get it improved!  Even though wet & a little muddy in places - it was nice to have that perfect footing!

Sign at the North End~

We turned back, got to the barn & took a short break before heading back to Haller.  One of those days that we should clone to enjoy on the rainy ones!

The park from the bridge

When we returned to the park, it was a busy place with the reporters & camera men setting up for their nightly broadcast.  If you look closely you can see the Bronco & trailer, now with news crews partly blocking my exit.  One of crew came over to say "Hi" & pet Farah - then asked if I'd like to park behind the reporter so that we'd be in the filming of the segment they were doing on Summer's horses.  I declined...  Instead - they guided me past two camera set-ups -  which we cleared!

Very bittersweet going over that bridge - I'd worried that flooding would take it out when the trail & bridge were closed during the disaster.   Now - I just hope the flooding above the slide zone is relieved before people have that to deal with...   Our round-trip was 18-miles.