It’s the first week of December, the skies are brilliant blue, and the temperature is edging into the 70s.
I loaded up my bike and drove to South County to explore the Chesterfield Levee section of the Missouri River Greenway.
It’s a great fitness trail, with a wide, smooth, asphalt surface, though not particularly scenic on the eastern end.
Past the Daniel Boone bridge, it skirts some pretty farmland, and then ends with a beautiful view of the hills at the LeCave Trailhead.
The strength of the trail to me though, was all the interesting access paths.
First, a complete separate bike lane bridge crosses the Missouri River and leads to a path down to the Katy Trail. It drops in about half way between the Greens Bottom and Weldon Spring trailheads.
Then, back toward the eastern trailhead, across from the athletic complex, is a bumpy gravel trail down to the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge is limited to hiking only, so I had to put up my bike and return. Even though the greenway was packed by the time I got back, the refuge was completely deserted.
A narrow trail leads quickly into the woods, immediately hushing the roar of the nearby traffic.
It forms a loop through the bottom land thickets, then along an inlet stream
Splashes of wintery colors highlight the stark bare trees,
inviting a rest on the bench, that overlooks a tiny pond.
Rambling ... 