13 November 2011 Unexpected Crossing

It was just supposed to be a stroll in the woods. I’m still sick (I think I’m battling a sinus infection) but it was another gorgeous fall day and I figured some fresh air would do me good.

RIght behind our house is a lovely paved trail that follows the western side of the Rivanna river. We’ve often seen people walking along a trail on the eastern side, but we’d never explored it. So off we went, following the familiar trail till we crossed to the other side of the river at the Free Bridge. Then we headed more or less back in the direction we’d come, but on the other side of the river. The trail there was lovely and secluded and we dallied a lot. We knew we’d have to turn around at some point, though, because there’s nothing that crosses the river down near our neighborhood.

But we kept going and going–just a little farther, just a little farther. Can you see where this is going to end?

It ends where the Rivanna meets Moore’s Creek, where there used to be a dam. It was getting late. We’d have a good hour or more to walk all the way back around the way we’d traveled. But it was so frustrating because all that separated us from a quick walk home was a measly river.

So we crossed it. Lucky Sam got to ride on AC’s shoulders. And then they got to laugh at me while I waded through the river (up to my thighs!) and wondered quite loudly why we’d waited until November to walk in the Rivanna when we would have enjoyed it much more in July when the temperatures neared 100.

That water was cold!

The worst of it, though, was navigating the network of slippery rocks in slippery shoes. And then we didn’t come onto dry land so much as sludgy mud.

But from there it WAS a quick and easy walk home. Or a squelch rather, as our shoes were pretty soggy, our legs muddy, and our toes frozen. We had a good laugh about that. Laughter is supposed to bolster the immune system, right? Perhaps our river frolic today was just the medicine I needed.

Or maybe I’ll end up with pneumonia.