Short Pony Pasture Walk

Friday being a day off for me, I had hoped to go for a nice hike, but stuff around the house interfered.  I did, however, take the time to go for a nice winter walk around the Pony Pasture, a few miles upriver from downtown.  One would never know that there is a large city just a few miles away.  Here are some photos from my walk.

This is a great spot to see buffleheads.  If I could have gotten a better close up, this duck would have been the subject of a "What am I?"

Here is a panoramic view of the James River at the Pony Pasture Rapids.

The trails here are flat and civilized.  It was a typical winter day here, kind of bleak and in the mid-40's F.

I liked this tree.  The bark reminded me of military camouflage.

This is a view of a little backwater leading out to the river.

I loved the shape of this big red cedar!

We have had a lot of rain lately, and there were many sections of the trail that were muddy and wet.

Other than the buffleheads at the start of the walk in the river, I saw very little wildlife on my hour of walking - a couple of gray squirrels, a cardinal or two, a pair of mallards, and a sparrow.  But it was good to get out and stretch my legs on a winter's day, and think about grander hikes to come!