Peek-a-boo sunshine, teasing like a giggling child, turns the prairie trail into silty mush. Birds call and rustle in the brush, but dart away before they can hardly be seen. A woodpecker taunts us from the top of a wooden electric pole, hiding within the wires and posts.
Beautiful WPA structures, including the stunning grand staircase, overlook the Missouri River. Ice still lingers on the shaded stone of the spiraled steps as I creep down each level. I think a few times, I should stop; just get some river pictures from where I am and move back into the sunshine.
I’m so glad when I reach the base, that I did it. The rush of the river and the call of the seagulls are practically all that breaks the stillness.
Even the voices of other hikers and the occasional drone of a far away airplane seem muted.
The gulls dart and swoop over the water, then dive to skim the surface. Two robins peck at a pile of damp leaves, so intent they barely seem to notice I’m there.
The trail whispers the stories of its decades of history, then pauses to allow me to sketch my own line.
Rambling ... 