Day 108 - Bottom Road

Tall and small friends

Today I was totally uninspired about where to walk.  I am sore from yesterday's fall, but otherwise uninjured, and nothing to impede my walking.  I just wanted to avoid hazardous sidewalks, so I drove around out in the country until I found a location to take a walk.  That location ended up being Bottom Road.

How now, brown cow?

I have learned that roads with names containing "bottom" or "mill" generally will have water in the form of a creek or a stream.  Bottom Road follows a creek/stream (wider, then narrower) that is clearly in an old river bottom.  It is narrow, with little to no shoulder, but it is paved.  Most of it follows wooded acreage.

Along the road I found two young women walking near some cows.  When I saw their parked car, I parked, too.  They told me that one of the cows was in labor, and they were hanging out hoping to see the cow give birth. The hilly area where the cows were contained also had at least one horse and a cute little burrow.  They were munching on fresh hay.

Cameras flatten the depth.
I was up high for this,
but you can see the creek
cutting through the woods.

Getting a good neck scratch!

I walked away from the cows, following the road until I came to several other homes with long driveways.  It was very quiet, save for a few chickadees and one woodpecker who was working one of the trees.   I found some snaky, hairy looking vines growing around the trunks of trees, and I took a photo.  Once home, I looked up "poison ivy vines in winter," and sure enough, that is what they are.  Don't touch them if you are allergic, because those hairy, aerial roots contain the oil that make you react.  After a while, I turned around and came back to the area with the cows, and walked past them and a little farther down the other end of the road.

Poison Ivy

Andrea and Jess
The cow in labor is
lying down. Beneath
the black cow is
a calf.

When I returned to the cows, I talked to the women a little more.  They are Andrea and Jess.  Andrea pointed out where she lived and said that I would be welcome to come and walk her 30 acres any time.  We exchanged cards and phone numbers.

No drama today -- except for in a few hours, there might be a new calf along Bottom Road.














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Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so