Wildwood is sandwiched between a busy four-lane road and a freeway. The noise of trafffic is always present, but the forests and meadows are inviting nonetheless. There are some large homes in the park, once the residences of the Stranahan family--in case any of you Michiganders are wondering, yes, they are the same Stranahans who donated one of the undeveloped access points along the Au Sable river. Lots of walkers and joggers were out to enjoy the first summerlike day of the year, as were those who simply sat on a bench to gaze at the river and smoke.
The woods are still mostly gray and brown, though large plantings of daffodils spread througout the park broke up the monotony.
A bit later, I saw my first blooming wildflower of the year.
Unfortunately, it didn't resemble anything in my field guide. Anyone know what this is?
Most of the park (like 98% of northwest Ohio) is flat, except where streams have carved out deep ravines. I followed some of these, thinking about bigger and wilder waters where I hope to be soon.
The largest stream in the park is the Ottawa river.
Most of the Ottawa, like this, is slack and gray-green in color. Not the most inviting stream in the world. In fact, it is one of the most polluted in northern Ohio. It runs through my university, channelized and hidden behind belts of trees. It is visible on campus only when crossing footbridges, which feature yellow signs warning people not to wade, fish, or otherwise come in contact with the water.
Amazingly enough, a few steelhead still run it every spring. Maybe they can still hear the call of riffles like these:
I finished my walk happy, sweating, and late for a meeting. I didn't have many ideas about what I would do there with my class next fall, because I had forgotten about it entirely.
Tags: Nature ; Spring ; Toledo
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