I went to Ethan Allen Park today for a little hike and picture taking. I realize this park is just over a mile from my house and can't truly be called "TRAVELLING" for me, but lots and lots of people come to Burlington for its awesomeness and sometimes they want to get out of downtown and into some wilderness without venturing too far depending on their schedules. Ethan Allen Park is a good choice - among many. So for other peoples travels I'm adding my notes of the day to my travel blog. I recorded thoughts as I went along. The following is a transcript of that recording. It's weird, but inventive, I think.
Oh, before I get started....could you please, please leave me a comment? Anything - tell me how great I am or how much I suck...something...I want to know I'm not wasting my awesome skills here. Thanks much.
The path runs up against some neighborhoods so it's obvious we should show some respect and not venture into back yards, but someone must have been ass enough to warrant the signs.
“Ok February, shit..14, 15, 16…19th, February 19th, Sunday around noon at Ethan Allen Park. I’m hiking a little bit. I, um, just came from the tower, it’s still locked so I couldn’t go in but took some pictures.
Looking up to Ethan Allen Tower.
Note to self: I need some hiking boots with some tread because it’s a little muddy. I haven’t fallen yet, but, yeah, it’ll happen. Just walking. I’m gonna try to get to the gazebo that Quintyn showed me the last time I was up here before I have my roast beef sandwich and chips. It’s nice today. There’s no snow on the ground. A little wet, probably from the last snow or the last rain. Who knows when that happened, but, um, it’s nice. It’s a little chilly but I don’t have my mittens on; I didn’t grab my scarf; I just have a light hoodie. It’s all good.
Ah, the mud is from melting snow. Cuz the elevation is a little higher here. Ooh, squirrels! Anyway, let’s see if I can get a picture.
Top of picture, just to the right of center. That little guy posed for me. So nice.
The good thing about squirrels, I was on a trail, off the paved trail, I didn’t know where it was gonna go, but it looked liked it was gonna go to the other side onto another paved trail that meets; there’s two paved trails and they kind of start either side of the park and they meet up so I was off trail but I was headed back toward that or toward that second paved trail and SQUIRRELS, you know, I ended up on another off trail which is kinda cool. It goes right between those two paved ones and, um, the end of it meets where those two paved ones go together so it’s cool. The squirrels are the same color as the damn trees so it’s hard to get pictures where the squirrels are gonna show but I tried. I took a couple. We’ll see what happens. Now back on the paved trail let’s see if I can find another non-paved. They’re so much more fun.
Remind me to put the brush slash mirror thing in my bag for hiking, yeah, well thanks to contacts I’m pulling buggers out of my eyes. I just realized I didn’t have a mirror with me, but I need to keep the brush and mirror set in here anyway for a mirror, you know in case I get lost. K, thanks.
It’s really nice today. There were a lot of people down at the park with their kids and their dogs, but, um, even on that trail I could see the, um, paved roads and no people on this trail trying to get up the Pinnacle or, you know, walking so, I don’t know, maybe they’re just thinking about a nice day but not venturing any further in case it gets chilly. Seems like the higher I go, though, a little bit more chilly, maybe I should’ve brought that scarf. But that’s ok. It’s nice. A good day.
I almost fell down the hill trying to get a picture of a birch tree. The picture better come out. My left butt hurts now.
That's the birch tree left of center (love that song!). Anyway, that's the tree and the sloping hill.
There’s a nice little trail just after where I almost fell down the, down the hill, thinking I’ll go up there, see if there’s a good picture, but really the trees just got more dense coming higher, so not good picture, but the Pinnacle, the Gazebo, are right here so I got a good picture of the Gazebo through the woods. It’s nice. Oh, a person and their dog, nice. I’m staying off trail. Well, off paved trail. I’m on a dirt trail.
Steps to the Gazebo. A nice place to rest.
Trying to get a picture of myself in the Gazebo but my cheeks are all red and rosy from the cool walk. Took a good picture, though. Finally, using the timer thing. I don’t know why I didn’t do it in Paris. Well, I know why. Too many people around; I thought I’d look like an idiot. So, I need to, like, get over that. Um, yeah, I’m gonna have my lunch now and try to get my cheeks to warm up and take a little bit of a non-rosy picture, but, um, yeah, the rosy wasn’t too bad of a picture. I’ll use it if it’s the only one that comes out well. Okey dokey. Havin’ lunch.
Interior Gazebo shot. I was trying to not get the graffiti in the shot. Crap. The whole place has been tagged and it sucks...maybe they'll clean it up for spring...we can hope.
My camera doesn't like the cold so I put it under my armpit to warm it, forgot it was there, dropped it, now the lens is fucked up. Um, hope I don’t have to get another one, but I’m gonna want one before the Van Halen concert so I guess I’ll see what happens. Um, try to take it in and get somebody to look at it or something. Anyway. So I left the Gazebo. A couple people had come up. A couple so I was letting them have the Gazebo alone. I’m off trail again. I’m not sure if I’m gonna end up at the river or back at the parking lot. Huh. Time will tell.
It almost looks like a parking lot, but cars don't come up here. Maybe once upon a time ago they could? Anyway, another picnic table and lots of space to park the baby strollers and your bike.
To verify, I’m on a dirt trail. I’m just not on the paved trail. I don’t go off trail too much so when I’m saying off trail I mean still on a dirt trail but not the paved one. K. Oh, listening to Adele too. (music is in the background of the recording). K, bye.
I've come to a paved trail. This was parallel with it, so I’m gonna kind of back track and go on the paved cuz the paved is definitely gonna go back to the parking lot so I will go back north. Oh, now I’m off trail, but I’m headed toward the paved trail. I’ll go north. See what happens.
The cool thing about walking today, the people I have passed on this paved trail, look at them, you smile, you say ‘hi’, they’re all saying ‘hi’ back. Sometimes in the summer, people are out here with the kids or their bikes like they HAVE to be, or, I don’t know, they’re not just hanging out, relaxing and pleasure; they’re assholes. Today’s awesome all the way around; except for my camera, but, you know, whatever.
The paved path turned to a dirt path up behind a neighborhood and then from there forked left or right. I think a right probably would have taken me around the neighborhood a little bit more, maybe brought me back up to Ethan Allen, but could have brought me over to Ethan Allen Homestead. There’s one path that does that. You know it takes the bridge over, but I took a left, ended up on a little bit smaller of a dirt path. Now I just climbed up the hill, turned left thinking it might take me back to the park one way or the other but realized I’m right at the, um, that spot where I tried to take a picture of that birch tree and almost fell down the hill, so if I’d fallen down the hill I’d of been bruised and battered, but I would have fallen down onto a path so that would have been cool. Anyway, turned back around, headed back toward the, um, parking lot but, you know who knows whatever path I might find out there.
I figured it out…the path I would have headed toward, before the squirrels caught me off guard was that path a little bit down the hill. One big maze of paths. It’s great”.
That's it...my great day at the park. Oh yeah, special shout out to the dad with the son and dog…yeah, I was checking you out. That beard and your daddyness were yummy.
Folks, the next time you're looking for a place to relax go on over to Ethan Allen Park, sit on the swings, take a walk, people watch and say 'hi' to me if you happen to see me. I'll give you my famous smile and say 'hi' right back atcha.
PS: sorry about the UM's. I truly didn't know I UM so much.
No comments:
Post a Comment