We enjoyed a few days of sunny weather last week and decided our family needed to get out-of-doors on Saturday before the rainy weather returned. Yesterday Anna packed up fixin's for a picnic lunch while I mapped out an open space about a mile from home to explore.
We walked past the shaded playground area with picnic tables and were drawn to a small prairie with leafless oak trees. We threw out our blanket and made lunch as the kids ran through the grasses and hid among the trees. Lunch was tastier than usual as we lounged between the tall grasses and hazily sunny skies.
Refueled, we started down the hill along a damp trail into thick trees. We were amazed by the thick, thorny berry bushes running along the mostly-dry stream bed. Most of the fruit remained - dried on the vine. We soon found many splinter trails but no signs. I chose routes that led us in the general direction of the river. After a couple of steep climbs, we found ourselves on a ridge overlooking the river where a couple of kayaks calmly paddled in our direction.
All along our hike, Anna found bottles and cans and encouraged the children to collect them as well. Many of them were stashed in my backpack. This litter was carried out both to clean the area as well as for cash redemption. The kids each earned money for a treat when the bottles and cans were turned in after our hike.
