To the Creek~

Through the big woods~

I'd been wanting to ride down to the creek for a while - it's about a 12-mile round-trip - the shortest way I know to get there.  At the trail-head, I was surprised to find several rigs already there.  The day was overcast & muggy.  Going through what's left of the big woods - is always so pretty.

Coyote Ridge Trail~

We ended up on the Coyote Ridge Trail - overgrown but passable.  All the blow-down had either been cut, or had ended up on the ground - easy to step over.

Candy Flower~

The little tiny Candy Flower was in bloom all along the sides of one of the trails we were on.  The southern trails don't see the use the the one's higher on the mountain do, since the trail-head was moved years ago.

On the trail~

 During last years trail-clearing party - we'd worked on several of these trails & they've stayed in good condition.  Not that there isn't plenty of work that needs doing this year!  Winter weather was harsh, lots of wind & plenty of clearing to be done at the upcoming work party on Sat.  So far, only eleven people have RSVP'd - the usual group of hard-core dedicated riders who continue year after year to make giving back part of their schedule.

Through the young Cedar Trees~

I love the section through the Cedars - it's amazing how much they've grown just since last year.  From what I've been told, the tree farms are planting more Western Red Cedar - they see it as the next big cash crop.  It takes so much longer to grow to any size - that it will be interesting to see how many years these trees stand.  (If I'm around to see it! :-)

At the creek~

We were both glad to get to the creek for our lunch break.  Farah loves standing in the water & yawning :-)  On the rocky shore, I took off my boots & waded in, while Farah again attacked the reed canary grass growing along the shore.  I wonder if I could count her hours?  :-)

Low flow~

The creek is down, no surprise there, amazing how quickly the snow on the Cascades has melted away this year.  The Glaciers were melting off last season, so anything that accumulated this winter, didn't have the usual base.

Our route~

We headed back & only took one wrong turn to find the trail we wanted.  We had to make some time, since we had a Traildusters meeting in Everett.  As we galloped up the hill, a little bunny came out right in front of us!  Farah slowed & put her head down as he hopped as fast as he could for almost 100ft. before turning off on his bunny trail :-)   Back at the bio-fuel field - a large, nice, healthy looking Coyote was standing off in the trees.

Once home, I had just enough time to give Farah an overdue bath!  We were both soaked by the time Butch pulled in the drive!