Life's an Adventure

I know I haven't posted as often here, not because anything is drastically wrong but rather because life is different, still rather busy and emotionally exhausting. So I aim for at least a weekly post.

This week we had three days of solid rain, which was quite the damper (literally) after gorgeous weather last weekend. Teddy and I had a day to ourselves while AJ and Dave planted trees, so we explored a local trail and then a nature preserve. Our goal is to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible while minimizing contact with people. So, unfortunately, sometimes we head out for a walk to turn back at the trailhead because it's too people-y. (That's now a word for me. I feel like the pandemic justifies it, even though I used it before.)

The trail we ran in the morning was fantastic, mostly flat and just beautiful. We also enjoyed at least a mile or two without running into anyone and were off the trail before it was too busy. But the treasure we found was the nature preserve, which on a beautiful day, only had a handful of cars in the parking lot. We took the chair we borrowed from myTEAM Triumph and headed off to explore. Less than a quarter mile into the preserve, it became obvious that we had an interesting choice to make in terms of which steep hill we wanted to go down. The path was wide enough to accommodate the chair, so off we went with me hoping I didn't have to push Teddy back up that hill.

Let's just say that we had so much fun exploring these trails, not only because it was a walk in the woods with so few people that we encountered ... I think only once did we step aside for others ... but also because it was an adventure. The trail got so narrow the chair didn't fit. That wasn't the biggest problem in the woods, but when the one side of the trail was the river, let's just say that Teddy thought it was hilarious. Anything dangerous is clearly more fun for Teddy.

We went back as a family later this week when the rain cleared up, and the trails were covered in mud. This time we brought the backpack carrier, so we were able to explore a bit further than our previous stopping point. Teddy still thought it was quite fun, even with a free ride.

I'm so grateful we found this place, which feels like a sliver of paradise for us close to home. Right now I'm not able to get to our land, so finding nature and solace nearby is a blessing.