Saturday we went to Carkeek Park in the NW part of the city. It was a wonderful place for the boys to use their no pedal bikes as the main trail did not say "No Bikes" and was a gentle grade for a good long distance from the beach all the way to the orchard. T loved how the trail followed Piper's Creek. He was hoping to find where the water began, but he was content to see how it travelled as well as tributaries that joined it.
Learning about rivers in the city is a different experience than in the wild. Day-lit channels go into pipes under sidewalks and roads; so the boys observations were about both the natural aspects of the water as well as the human-made pipes and measuring posts.
Carkeek on a beautiful sunny Labor Day weekend was full of families enjoying picnics and play. People of all cultures and speaking a myriad of languages were in attendance. It truly is inspirational to see so many people out enjoying nature. It is also wonderful to reflect on what forward thinking it was to develop these parks. How do we make sure they are maintained in perpetuity? How do we engage families to explore the parks in new ways- especially as we realize that the people of our nation and nations around the world are facing the health issue of obesity? Is the key to health in these natural spaces?
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