So it will be a short blog today as I spent the morning
catching up on work (seeing Peter at work reminded me that I too had to pay for
this trip somehow).
Approaching midday the sun was started to break through the
clouds so I elected I’d head out to Lake Coralville. I had heard that it had fossils and numerous
trails from a waitress we had encountered (and let the record show that, unlike Peter, despite
her attractiveness I tipped her not a penny more than appropriate).
It was a short drive through some gorgeous country
back-roads and I stopped first to follow the fossil trail. According to the literature, when they dammed
one of the rivers coming off the lake it exposed a huge number of fossils so
they made it a local attraction. It was quite
interesting to view in an “If only I was a palaeontologist I’d know what the
heck I was looking at” kind of way. I
won’t bore you with the photos because they were of a size that science folk
refer to as “eency weency”.
I then took to the trails and with the sun filtering through
the tree canopy it really was quite beautiful.
The trails were quite unlike the typical bush walks in New Zealand. Firstly It was mainly just trees with little
ground cover save for grass and fallen leaves.
Secondly it was so elaborately and cleverly sign posted that I was never
once under the illusion that DOC had been involved in its upkeep.
If I were to make one complaint (and let’s face it you would
be as disinterested in reading this as I am in writing it if I do not) it was
that the lake itself was a trifle unattractive.
It was quite murky and I got the distinct feeling that it had been
forged less by time and more by heavy machinery.
I had been walking the “Woodpecker Trail” for nearly two
hours and was mentally penning a strongly worded letter to the US Parks Service
vis-à-vis false advertising when I was suddenly struck by a repetitive thumping
which I initially assumed to be a symptom of the previous night’s revelry. Quickly I realised it was actually a woodpecker
hacking away at a tree not more than five feet away. As soon as he saw me he dashed
off (I have a similar effect with women) and so I managed only one quick photo.
Much more prolific of course were the squirrels which are as
common and cunning as the magpies are in New Zealand. I also kept venturing off
the track desperately hoping that I might see a snake, but knowing that if I did
I would invariably squeal like a 12 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert.
As with Backbone I essentially had the park to myself, which
was probably just as well at it had grown so muggy that I needed to strip off
my shirt and it has been a good while since these puppies have seen the sun.
I was running late to pick up Peter so as lunch I grabbed a
muesli bar only to discover it was one of those salty sweet things that
Americans seem to love, of course I regarded this with the quiet composure for
which I am known, causing nearby parents to usher their children away to safety. It occurred to me then that if I could sell
bacon strips double dipped in melted cheese and chocolate I would be a
gazillionaire.
No comments:
Post a Comment