Scenes from the Rail Trail: October 12, 2014
Oh, it was a glorious day for a bike ride!I suited up and hit the rail trail a few days ago. It's turning to fall now, and that means...well, of course it means that the leaves on the trees are turning spectacular shades of gold and red and orange. But it also means other plants are changing. Drying up, or exploding into fuzzies. Pulling out one last gasp of color. And in the meanwhile, all these plants are busy adding a deep, rich sense of texture to the trail. Call it nature's Halloween decor, if you will.Whether the colors are vibrant or subdued, they're all a visual treat.It can look surprisingly like an oil painting.And there's berries far out into the sky and the leafless trees. Kind of like looking at the Hubble Deep Field images. Only different.I never noticed how well black walnut pods match their nubbly leaves, but there you have it.And then there's a poof!And a pow!And a...uh...The trees were in a full-spectrum onslaught of pretty.And there were a few spokey-looking...I have no idea what these things are. But I sure do dig their style.Even your basic, standard-issue corn is getting into the groovy-texture act (with a little help from a neighboring plant).And a vast army of wilting sunflowers still manages to look stunning (though perhaps slightly dejected) in the afternoon sun.The thing is, pretty much no matter where you look on the rail trail you'll see something that will catch your eye. It's not hard to find something of interest, when you're surrounded by this.If you want to find out some more information about the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail, you can visit them on the web here, find them on Facebook, or Twitter away. The BVRT is owned and operated by the Buffalo Valley Recreation Authority and may be contacted via email bvrailtrail@bvrec.org or telephone 570-524-4774.And to play you out, here's local singer/songwriter KJ Reimensnyder-Wagner's ode to the BVRT, appropriately titled:"Meet Me On The Rail Trail".See you there!