Quick (?) and a Lil' Dirty

Today was a gorgeous day, and after sleeping in and relaxing a bit I was determined to go out and enjoy the sunshine. Woke up, made my coffee and smoothie, and munched on some nectarines, cherries, and blueberries. After last night's Fourth of July festivities it was nice to be laid-back, puttering around the house and playing with my cats Boo and Tigre. Sometimes I think they both like it when I have the day off, other times I think they just want to nap all day.


I left my house later in the afternoon, around 3:30. My destination was Ardmore Park , located in Bellevue. Even though I've lived in the Bellevue area for awhile, I had never heard of the park until I read Rachel's posting in Huckleberries and Rain and I thought it would be a fun, quick trail hike.

The park is located in a really quiet, peaceful neighborhood, and while people were in the playground area and on the grass, I didn't meet many on the trail. I'm assuming a lot of people were back at work after the holiday. It was hard to believe that this park with it's beautiful little trails has been here this whole time and I had never checked it out. It is really nestled in a quiet neighborhood so I'm guessing not many people pass by it. I'm glad I had a chance to experience it on such a beautiful day. It's such a surprising juxtaposition to have a forested trail with such lush vegetation right along with an urban setting, I almost forgot where I was for a moment.


After enjoying the short trail, I had planned to stop by my local Trader Joe's for dinner ingredients. I had a craving for something comforting and homey, so I decided I'd make meatloaf along with veggies and a sweet potato mash. After my shopping trip I took the longer way home to avoid traffic, and couldn't help stopping to check out another area in Bellevue I've always meant to check out.

I passed by the Lake Hills Greenbelt all the time when I was working at the restaurant with my Mom. but I never stopped to walk around. I was happy I did today because I got to see the gorgeous view at Phantom Lake. I think you can walk further down along other trails, but since I had groceries in the car I just stopped for a moment a the lake. 

Lovely lily pads 

The reflection of the trees on the water was breathtaking

A really pretty spot to have a picnic or read a book. It was fairly quiet, but a few people were walking around with their dogs or just sitting and soaking up the sun.

You'd think my outdoor adventures for the day would be winding down, huh? I thought so too as I headed home, but something came over me as I drove towards my home and passed the Coal Creek Trail-head. I've driven past it so many times, always meaning to check it out, but parking is usually full or there's some other excuse. I was so enjoying being outdoors and exploring new places that I decided I was going for it. I went home, dropped off my groceries, and turned right back around. 

When I got to the Coal Creek Trail-head marker, I saw that it was only 1.4 miles to Sandstone Falls. I thought, why not? It seemed like a short trek and I'd get home to make a late dinner. It was about 6:30 in the evening when I started out, and the sun was still shining high in the sky. 

The weather was still balmy, and the trail was nice and relaxing. The one big thing about this trail is that I wish it was more clearly marked at key points. I was walking for a good while and thought to myself that it sure felt longer than 1.4 miles. I kept hiking and climbing, and took what I thought would be a trail towards the waterfall. I kept walking until I reached...the YMCA?!? Apparently this was not the trail I had meant to be on. I backtracked and went left instead of right, in search of this elusive waterfall. I asked a woman I passed how to get to the waterfall and she said to go right once I reached a gravel road, and then left further up. I kept hiking up this new trail and followed her directions to...the Red Town Trail-head?!? What.the.frick. Albeit a lovely day, I was starting to get pissed at this waterfall. Why was it messing with me?  I turned around and backtracked some more. As I passed an area I had been by earlier, I noticed a sign I hadn't seen earlier. It pointed in the direction of my white whale, the Sandstone Falls! Oh did I mention this was about two hours into my "short" hike? Oh and what was below this sign? A "Trail Closed" sign. Cue dramatic climax music, ending with a Hitchcockian scream. Oh the sound and the fury that I wanted to bellow at the trail gods. I calmed myself, thinking back to the baby bunny I saw hippity hoppiting down a trail early. Cute, fluffy bunny thoughts Tina.Don't do anything stupid Tina. Well, to put it in a nutshell, I did something I probably shouldn't have and it involved stinging nettles, water hazards, and an ominous rustling of leaves that had me screaming like a little girl back to civilization. Trails are closed for a reason people, and I don't advise ANYONE to blaze a trail because you never know what you could be getting yourself into. You bested me, waterfall!!!

I stumbled back towards my car, a little bit pissy but still thankful for such a beautiful day. I got to see so many new sights that had been long overdue on my part to experience. I perused a pretty park, I languidly lounged at the lake, and I manically meandered through my local trails. Overall today I walked more than six miles! I got some exercise and soaked in some sun in my beautiful Pacific Northwest 'hood, not a bad day off at all.