Our local trails and a secret path

I've been taking Bellis for lots of walks lately, but she's started to express her opinions about where and how she'll go with me. Trying to drag her across a creek bed or onto a bridge she doesn't like is impossible. So I've left her home lately as I go out adventuring.

I'm trying to become more familiar with our local trails. I've learned to use the Garmin and gone out onto the different watershed loops, marked by the city, around our home. It's kind of fun to research a loop, and follow the stickers along the way. J has even joined me for a few, since it's fall break.  Here is a link to a brochure for one of the trails marked by the city. I've been going through these brochures one by one, trying to find new trails. That particular one is over 40km, it was always my dream to encircle the watershed completely, but then we fell through a bridge and didn't try again.

There are very few trails here that do not show up on Open Street Maps.com, or do not show up on our Garmin itself as a dotted line.

My goal was to find a way to Alternberger Dom without going through a single town, or along a single paved road. Is it possible?

I'll spend the next months finding this out, and trying to become an expert of local trails, even the unmarked ones.

***Photo intermission***

I got a few shots of Bellis looking comfortable the other day under the walnut tree:










It took forever before our slacker hay guy came and got his haylage off our field.



It would be nice if the pasture could recover before Winter.



It has been so wet for so long (2 years now), the tractors dug into our pasture leaving tire tracks everywhere.



We've been visited by 3 deer - one mother and two babies, regularly under our apple trees.

***End Intermission***



One day I decided to check out the Vorsperre loop. The Vorsperre is a little version of the watershed -  an arm that stretches out where the old towns have been absorbed by the water. There are signs along the path telling me of the farms and waterwheel factories that were sacrificed when the decision was made to dam it up and flood the valleys, as one sign said: "400 years of history met its watery grave." Here, I look down into the water, our drinking water, and I try to imagine the homes and memories below the depths. Is there anything remaining?



I started out my hike saying to myself, "Oh boy, pretty blue water on my left, pretty tall trees on my right." That got old quick.









When I reached the little dam, I'd never seen the water so low. What's up with that, we've had mud all year due to the constant drizzle. I guess it was enough to make nonstop mud at our home, but not enough to fill this thing? Or are we sharing water with less watery cities? *shrug*











This was the inlet from the high water to the low. The sound of it was lovely, and I needed a break from the monotony.



Swans were squawking along with other waterfowl, making it less boring. Here is a swan feather, I think.



When I brought J to walk a loop nearby on another day, we found this house with some sort of ..



What is that - is it decor, or are they actually waiting on a guest..who would bring plates? I 'm so confused. Where is the silverware?



I probably won't come here again. The entire 12 km was flat alongside the water, and there was nothing else to see besides water on my left, and the same old trees on my right. There were some no horses allowed signs, but I saw more horse poop than I saw signs. Nevertheless, I would never ride here. It was 100% gravel road.

On another day I took J to see a gorgeous new-to-me loop very close to our house, that circles a hilltop with views of nothing but tree-covered hills as far as you can see. It was silent. I felt like I was very far from home, because I could see no buildings or roads. I was sad to learn later how close I was, but also glad. I'm insisting we hide a geocache there. It's my kind of trail - hilly and singletrack for the most part. As we made our way back, J wanted to take a different way down, and on the other side of the creek valley we discovered a little path winding its way up the other side, curving between trees, another secretive, unmarked single track. I got very excited when J used his Garmin and said it seems to go to Lindscheid (the Icelandic farm). If that little path goes there, I know how to get to my original goal, the Altenberger Dom trails - completely without roads or villages. The next day I did it, saying hi to a herd of adorable Icelandics and feeding them handfuls of grass. YES. I found the back-way.

Here is a link to a map that shows the Vorsperre on the right, Altenberg in the lower left, and an orange dot directly to the right of the prettiest little loop. I've already ridden Baasha all the way to Altenberg and beyond (cuz I could ride him anywhere), but now I know a way with only trails. I excitedly told S about it an she said she doesn't ride singletrack, only roads. OK then, I guess I'll be alone.

Now to get a horse....