A Welcome Sound

The sound of rushing water, the babbling of a brook: these are sounds I have not heard since last October when they (Western Irigation District) closed the canal off. Once more the lake begins to fill. Ducks and geese are everywhere as are the songbirds. It sounds like spring and the land has patches of green here and there.


Even this busy beaver took time out to sit on a rock and pose for me. I've caught sight of this little rodent several times both last fall and this spring but I was never quite sure if he was a beaver or a muskrat. He is indeed a beaver. The geese are beginning to get territorial with a couple of them challenging me when I got too close while others simply swam away.

Everywhere life is beginning again as the cycle (and my cycling) continues. Even though I go up and down the same pathways (more or less) every time, there always seems to be new and interesting things to photograph. I lead a somewhat charmed life though for there were storm clouds all around me yesterday but not a drop of rain hit me. Five minutes after I got back to the car the storm hit--rain, wind, sleet--it was ugly. Timing is indeed everything.

Exploration

Spring Ride number five--has a nice ring to it doesn't it? Here it is only April and I'm already up to a 60 kilometer ride. This was the first time that I've gone beyond the Glenmore Inn, exploring a previously untravelled portion of the canal pathway. According to the signs, I was 22 Km from the lake when I turned around--with the trip down to my railway bridge and back around the lake it was close to my limit. The car was a very welcome sight.

There were traces of green to be found here and there and the songbirds were once again singing in the trees with a backup chorus of honking and quacking from the canal.



Everywhere I looked there were the unmistakable signs of spring. Oddly enough, it felt more like late August than early April. Everything was bone dry and the sun had an intensity to it I don't normally associate with April. The trees were all beginning to bud though, as the wheels continue to turn and the cycle of life starts over.

The snow we had on Thursday has all but disappeared, soaking into the parched soil as quickly as it melted. Next time I get out riding things should be even greener.

Sadly, not everyone seems to appreciate what a beautiful planet we live on. Someone had dumped something into a storm drain which had then drained into the canal.

Whatever this crap is, it left stains on the concrete and has discoloured the water downstream. Thanks a whole lot whoever you are--you can be proud for you have indeed left your mark.