The first hike of April was a paved trail half an hour away from my rental. Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail was not on top of my list, but after a few days of rain I wanted to avoid mud. Located in Ashland City, the trail is technically around 13 miles, although in reality it was closer to 10, in and out. I headed out nice and early and got there to see only two cars in the parking lot. The trail itself was terrific going along the what appeared to be a beaver dam in the forest followed by a river. I found a lot of pretty mini- waterfalls.
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| Small streams flowed along the paved trail |
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| Water formed into small waterfalls in several spots along the trail |
The wildflowers were all over the sides of the trail. It was great to see some color after what appeared to be a long winter season.
The bridge over the river had nice views, but the water was really muddy after a long streak of rainy days.
Another hike I did was about an hour away from "home" in Montgomery Bell State Park. Wildcat to Montgomery Trail (it has a longer name, but who cares) was a really interesting trail, a bit isolated, but picturesque nevertheless.
Multiple fallen trees showed how brutal the winter season has been with rain and winds pulling the tree right out of the ground. In one spot there were at least 5 trees all uprooted blocking the trail.
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| Corridor of trees |
Some spots were fully alive and blooming, but there were not as many wildflowers as I saw just a week earlier in another park half an hour away.
The weather was initially gloomy but no rain in the forecast. About 3 miles from the parking lot on my way back the sprinkle started, and then turned into a misty rain soaking my jacked and drenching my hair. Having a shower in the morning was a waste of time.
The rain did bring a different atmosphere to the views that I passed by. Everything appeared even more peaceful than before.
I was glad to be back in my car after 8 miles of walking.
Hiking was not the only activity I engaged in during this timeframe. I made delicious food.
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| First successful pizza with super thin crust |
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| My staple egg/avocado toast that I have for breakfast |
I also ordered delicious food, although this was the first time I went to a restaurant in a while.
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| Egg Bowl at Café Roze |
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| Avocado hummus toast |
I took pictures of ordinary settings, objects and cats that appeared to be memorable.
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| Sunset from the deck of my rental |
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| Fake fireplace on Roku and a real cat |
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| Real cat with a real tongue |
And I even started to take part in the clinical study for insomnia using Sleepio.
