I expected Trout Creek Parkway to be a small, more urbanized park along the lines of Keck Park on the east side. I was entirely wrong and completely surprised by what I found down along Mack Boulevard.
First off, there was actual signage on Mack Boulevard letting you know where the park was! There is no signage whatsoever letting you know where many of our other parks are located.
Parking at this section of TCP was a little difficult. There was no apparent parking lot. I ended up pulling alongside a guardrail near the picnic benches and playground.
Across the way, there was a well manicured baseball diamond and a basketball court.
There is a clearly visible macadam paved trail very close to where I parked.
The trail crosses Trout creek and curves around into a glen of tall trees; buffeted by sections of fully developed marshland.
Walking further along, and despite the noise of nearby trains, TCP begins to develop a sense of the surreal. On this warm June afternoon, between the thick shade and bright light, the air was so sweet with the smell of blooming flowers, it was nearly intoxicating.
As the path begins to curve back towards the road, the marshland comes fully into view. There is a significant amount and variety of plant life here:
The path itself at this point becomes part of the park:
Beyond the macadam path, there were large areas of manicured grass walkways:
To the right, TCP held another surprise. There is a tiny pond barely two feet across and almost perfectly square. I caught sight of it behind some very tall Yarrow:
Walking around the edges of the shallow pond I was startled by a loud noise in the water. I could see a few mallards in the distance but I assumed the sound was created by a frog. I was wrong, it was made by this guy:
(Forgive the picture quality but the turtle was rather camera shy. He is just above the stick at left center.)
As I headed back towards my car, I remembered seeing a trail in the woods just across the initial bridge where I had begun my walk.
As it turns out, this trail isn’t much of a trail at all.
Walking down it, the vegetation grows thicker with each step until the trail disappears altogether.
At this point in my exploration of Trout Creek Parkway I felt like I had stepped into the legendary other world of old British verse. I half expected a winged dryad to come busting through the broad round leaves to say hello to me. As far removed as this felt, the rustle of noise in the underbrush seemed more likely to be the result of gnomes rather than a chipmunk scurrying for food; in the unbelievably sweet and moist air, it seemed possible.
Alas, down along Mack Boulevard, in Trout Creek Parkway there are no gnomes or dryads. There is however a beautiful half hidden park that I myself will explore further. As I drove down the road I was actually disappointed that the park was not larger. That is, until I saw the macadam trail continue across the way.
And, that is for Part Two.
