Walking

Yesterday my friend and I took advantage of the beautiful day and took a walk down McCormick Ave, from Bridge Street to Dempster.

I've always wondered what kind of people actually walked those paths, that extend from Greeen Bay Road all the way down to Devon Avenue.

Well, turns out that I'm that kind of people! We walked for almost 3 miles, round trip. It was just the perfect length for someone like me who doesn't get much exercise.

The walkway has beautiful gardens, lovely green spaces, lots of picnic tables and benches to stop and read, have a lunch, play a game of chess, talk with friends, or just sit and enjoy the beautiful views.

Most of the time we were walking, we were at least a little aware of the traffic noise along McCormick.

But along a good part of the walk, you really feel like you're in a kind of hideaway, separated from the business of the city for a little while.

This sense was increased when we were somewhat startled to see a deer running along the line of trees (take a close look at the picture, or click to enlarge it - the deer is there!).

The deer past us, then stopped and hesitated for a bit, barely hidden in the shadows, flipping its tail as it watched bikers and runners pass by it, all oblivious of its presence.

Finally, he ran on again. We kept looking for him near the river as we walked, but saw no more sign of him, although we did see and hear some beautiful birds, including this red winged blackbird.

While we didn't get as far south as the Sculpture Park this time around, we did stop at the sculpture of Ghandi, who appears frozen in mid-stride atop a plinth inscribed with some of his quotations.

All in all, it was an afternoon well-spent. I don't know when we'll decide to go walking there again, but we have decided that next time, we'll park at the next lot south, and continue our walk from there.