TimeOut

Today I thought we should start at Kimball Park where the creek emerges from underground passages (starting who knows where?), then follow it down to the bay. 

It was a Good Idea but didn’t quite pan out as we expected! After last week’s storm, the creek apparently carried as much water as Dove Creek which we walked last week. Everything was blown over, knocked down, mostly flooded, but now drying.





The bird seemed to be saying “You people & your littering created this mess, when are you going to clean it up?"



Huh?  The best we could do was alert a city worker who was taking paper cups out of one trash can and putting them into a recycling can. We told him there was work for 5 guys for a week upstream; he said “Not my territory, but I’ll tell the guy who has that job.” 



A hummingbird overhead angrily chirped at us “That’s not good enough” (or so it seemed). We did a little dance for about 3-4 minutes, as I shot wildly into the air with the camera and caught him a few times.

It was definitely playing with us, 



as we began to walk he came along for awhile,





 til the ducks (watching basketball) caught our attention.



A few more waddled past us.



One took flight when I pulled out the camera ( maybe his missus wasn’t the duckette he was standing with)



I managed to get his landing as well!



We continued downstream, crossing a couple streets and parking lots where the creek was underground. It must have been an incredible flow of water to do this damage to the reeds.

We spotted a true National City Low Rider ON the Mile of Cars (dealership row). In the good old days I would take my Citroen DS wagon down here and pump it up and down (it was slow though, nothing like this baby)



and I’m not talking about the half-American/half-German Chrysler Crossfire in the front here.



These are such ludicrous machines; I desperately want one. Years ago I hired Pat to work for me; he was a former auto shop teacher who specialized in hydraulics, man.



And now back to the Creek. A bit of almost tasteful grafitti here.



And then we arrived at the Educational Park, where kids are supposed to learn about the history and ecology of the Creek.

I was distracted — Lookit the size of those tires on that short Ford pickup!



A hummingbird chirped and I walked right up to him and took 6 pictures. He never budged nor looked away. This was the best.



But in the creek was something even rarer, a bird caught a fish, held it up for display, then swallowed in a gulp.



This one was hunched on the rail taking notes, or keeping score, but looking sore.



We walked further and the park disappeared behind us and the foliage covered the creek’s banks.



Most of it, but this one apparently lost the battle of roots vs flood. It was shoved into the opening where the water flows under another road.



We crossed the road (yes, just like a chicken … more on that later) and came to the Interstate 5 underpass.

My wife said NO more, we are not walking under the highway or on the ramp. Sigh… we left it to Pigeon Man in his wheelchair.

Please come on to Part 2 where things will change dramatically!

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