Back on the Wabash~

 Another beautiful sunshine day in November.  Believe it or not, I'm still mowing the front yard!  At least with all the rain, I'm able to pull weeds & have spent a lot of time pulling & digging them up.  It's unreal how quickly they took over with my getting hurt & then our trip to WA in Aug. 

Soy crop is harvested!

Today, since the wind wasn't too bad & there had been a couple days for the trail surface to dry out, I decided to return to the Wabash at Silver City.  It seemed strange to have most of the leaves on the ground & golds of fall almost totally gone.

Still some color!

At least through the middle of the month, there are still spots of color & it's usually more of the oranges rather than gold.  The air was so fresh & the surface of the trail perfect!  Just a couple spots in the shade where it was soft.  I could also see the track of one rider, who'd ridden when it was too soft & gouged furrows.

The Beavers have been busy!

This year's beaver dam is the most symmetrical & beautiful they've built in the years I've been watching.  I'd still like to see Mr. or Mrs. beaver but no luck today.

Upstream, Silver Creek - Train cars on the eastern bank~

This week, I learned the true story of the train cars along the bank.  When I'd asked locally, originally, I'd been told it was to reduce erosion along the shore.  (This happened in 1941.)  This week, a Facebook post promoting a Glow Ride, to celebrate the renovation of the trestle this past summer drew my attention.  I was concerned that now the rustic beauty of the trestle would be marred by all the lights hanging from the structure.  It was a pleasant surprise to find they were almost unnoticeable.  The visit to the Wabash Trace Facebook page led me to another page: Train Wreck Bridge.  

Historic Photo~

There, I found the true story of a horrible train wreck from February 13, 1872.  The train had derailed on the trestle, carrying dozens of orphaned children on their way to a nearby orphanage.  Reading this - gave me pause.  From my first visit years ago now, I felt it was a special place.  On certain days, especially late in the afternoon, the quiet is palatable.   

This visit, I stopped to say a prayer for so many young lives lost so tragically...  I will never cross again without thinking of them.  The addition of a memorial informational marker & photo would be in keeping with the historic significance of the trestle & act as a reminder of a sad time in its history ~  

Brilliant Color!

Before the underpass at Hwy 34 I saw this absolutely gorgeous small tree or shrub.  I'm on a mission now to find out what it is & find one for the woods.  

Boehner Pond~

I hadn't ridden this section of trail since September 24th, a long while since it's usually my go to ride.  This season though, I did my best to avoid both the awful dust & bugs by riding elsewhere.  I stayed to enjoy the perfect day, before turning back toward Silver City.

Wide-open views~

Our views have opened up again, the fields have been harvested & it's amazing to see how green things still are.

Shadow, heading back~

The local weather forecasters tell us that we've gone from breaking all-time records for lack of rain & heat for both September & October, to the rainiest November in history!  Personally - I'll take the rain, fresh air & mowing!

(I'm going to research my idea for a commemorative/memorial marker.)