Kingfisher Trail Today

We both toted coffee with us as we crossed the Charles Graves bridge toward the Kingfisher Trail.

Sheila is a member of Rome's League of Women Voters. I have so admired her dedication in being an observer of the elections process here in our hometown. She attends almost every meeting of the Elections Board, takes careful notes, and shares that info with the LWV.

Sheila is also rarely wrong. She isa careful person. As a high school newspaper editor, college newspaper editor, daily news reporter at the Rome News, and one of the editors of Broadside newspaper she checks nd double checks facts. Whenever I start ranting about the latest Trump or MTG outrage she always asks where I got my info. 

During our 53 years together, I am the one who has most often had to apologize for jumping to conclusion, for forgetting or overlooking some detail, or just being a dummy.

So on those rare occasions when my beloved bride goofs, I notice.

She had mentioned to me a couple of times a guided walk that the LWV would take during their sate meeting here in Rome this weekend. She was not involved in the meeting but wanted to take the walk along downtown Rome's interesting Kingfisher Trail. I was game.

BUT I of course found an opportunity to goof up. When we arrived at a parking space on Broad and exited Sheila's car to make our way to the Hawthorn Suites meeting place for the walk, I realized I'd left my walking stick at home. Sheila, my ever patient companion, encouraged me to drive the few blocks home to get it while she signed us in to the walk. As I arrived at our driveway a few minutes later I got a call from Sheila. She had made a mistake! The walk was yesterday! We were 24 hours late!

Well, we quickly decided we'd just go ahead and have our own walk. 

Here's some photographic evidence.

The trail begins under the South Broad (Charles Graves) bridge. The several elevated sewer stacks have been decorated with paintings about some of the critters in and around our rivers. This one notes the Lake Sturgeon, once extirpated from the Coosa Basin, but with help from a restoration project by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is making a comeback.

Another stack celebrates the endangered Interrupted Rocksnail.

Still another stack features the Eastern Box Turtle.

Soon we reach the mouth of Silver Creek and an old railroad bridge over the Etowah River that is now a pedestrian bridge and part of Rome trail system.

Silver Creek and Butterweed

A connecting trail leads up to Lookout Circle and the South Rome neighborhood.

I have been fascinated with this large outcropping of geology along the bank of Silver Creek... 

... where ancient layers of rock have been upended by geologic forces.

Eastern Gray Beardtongue [Penstemon canescens] near ... 

...the the old railroad bridge

Just next to the existing bridge are the remaining supports of an older bridge. See the Canada goose atop one?

Looking upstream from the bridge... 

...and downstream.

At this point on a Saturday morning we'd only met three other walkers, but just as we left the bridge that was to change.

Turns out there was a walk today, not the LWV walk, but a regularly scheduled walk of Rome's wonderful TRED group. So we reversed direction and joined them.

Whenever I walk the section between the river and the Health Department we pass this giant pyramid of a building. I wonder how it was used, who owns it, and it there is any potential for an events venue there. It's gigantic.

Ugh! I despise this invasive plant that crowds out native species wherever it grows: Chinese privet [Ligustrum sineense].

Multiflora Rose [Rosa multiflora]

Several of the folks in the group, especially the kids, were interested in tasting the not-quite-ripe fruit of the Red Mulberry trees. They produce copious amounts of edible fruit that is beloved by many birds. 

The leaders for this walk were from a physical therapy group Shift Therapy & Wellness

. Here we were given instruction on gauging our susceptibility to falls.

Julie Smith the executive director of TRED was the leader of the walk.

Photo from TRED Facebook page