Trails in great condition, some freshly graveled. we saw tons of a ladybugs and some other "frisky" red bugs on the plethora of Queen Anne's lace blossoms which thrilled my kid. Blackberries are just starting to ripen. Unfortunately, the large art piece on the lower trail has been removed.

Our family is hiking the month of August to raise funds for WTA's Hike-A-Thon so that the trails can continue to be enjoyed by future generations. Please consider contributing, every $ helps! https://give.wta.org/Jenchilada2022

#hikeathon #teamtacosformiles

The trail walk was beautiful today. There are no muddy trails. We walked all the trails, some several times. We did about 4 miles over 2 hours with our dog Dusty. WTA notes 3 miles, which is accurate if you only do each trail loop once. It’s very easy to do very short loop walks with good, detailed maps and signs on the trails. Lots of parking, not many people walking the trails. Most everyone we met had a dog(s) leashed with them. This is a very easy trail system. It is mostly flat with nice, graveled wide trails. The only part with a little elevation gain is the “Meadow Hill” walk at the East end of Brightwater. But even that is not too difficult.

Finally out and about today. After reading Lukin 66's trip report a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that I should get out and walk this nice little spot. Lots going on today, merganser duck pairs, a few buffleheads, mallards, redwing blackbirds in full show off for the ladies mode, wrens, song sparrows and a killdeer. The killdeer was trying to lead us off with the old 'broken wing' trick, the nest must have been in some of the gravel.  Lots of flowers blooming too, Oregon grape, Indian plum, daffs, and the first of the wild bleeding hearts. The Center itself is still closed, and the artwork featured in the trip write up has been taken down, probably for cleaning. The trail up the big hill was muddy and slick so we decided to give it a pass, don't 'kneed' any more knee issues. There is plenty of parking and a portapotty by the raised bed gardens. The trail is mostly gravel but is wide and would be fine for wheelchairs on the flat parts. 

I decided to take a quick stroll at Brightwater to capture some of this lovely March sunshine. I usually make a large loop, heading north through the forested area and then backtracking south through the wetlands to the big hill and back. All the paths were in great shape, minimal mud and well-graded the entire time.

At the tail-end of winter, I spotted some tentative signs of spring. One small patch of daffodils, indian plum, oregon grape, willow and salal are all starting to spring up with glossy, new growth. Lots of red-winged blackbirds signing along the paths, as well. This is my backyard park, and I can always spot something new when walking it.

Lovely small and easy walk with clear areas as well as large trees, paved with gravel. But when we were walking back, we saw that a car had been broken into in the parking lot (newly shattered glass), so best to be cautious.