Lithia Park

Salutations my friends. Hope all is well. My human and I have gone on another adventure and I would like to share it with you. We went on a hike in the woods of Lithia Park.

Usually, if you want to take a hike in the woods, you have to get out of the city and drive to the wilderness. At least a little bit of a drive. A city park is usually well manicured with paved walkways. Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon goes against both these notions. It is a walk through the woods on a dirt path right in downtown Ashland! 

Ashland, Oregon is a town of just over 21,000 people 16 miles north of the California boarder. It is the home of Southern Oregon University, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, multiple wineries, and Lithia Park. The park is 100 acres of wooded trails. It also has a band shell, a playground, tennis courts, a sand volleyball court, a Japanese garden, and a couple of duck ponds. But it's most used feature is the trail that weaves through the woods as it follows the Ashland Creek. 

Ashland Creek is a small creek that falls over stones and boulders as it flows through town, creating a beautiful babbling brook.

 

There are also beautiful trees with interesting bark.

 

There was a burned out tree trunk that had the most interesting wood grains. Check it out.

                                 Cool, isn't it.

                                This tree looks like a pregnant woman. 

Do you see it? Here is a closer shot.  

As you can see, there were some side trails, but they were much too steep for my human. The main 

trail stays close to the creek with a number of lovely bridges along the way.

Here are some more pictures from the park.

 Lovely!

The park has a number of different types of wildlife, but most of them are nocturnal (foxes, raccoons, etc.) We did see some however. We saw bushy tailed grey squirrels. These little guys climb trees even better than I do. Crafty little things. They avoided us and I never even got close to them. We also saw a number of birds, but they stayed high up in the trees. Again I was out maneuvered. Then there was a pair of mallard ducks swimming down the creek. They stayed in the water just out of reach. Foiled again. (You know my opinion on water. Not even a duck meal could make me venture into that water. Especially since I have salmon waiting for me in the car!) I guess I will have to get my first kill on a later date. But I will get it. 

I. 

Will. 

Get. 

It.

My human and I enjoyed our walk in the woods. I liked walking on the rails of the bridges and watching those crazy squirrels. Lithia Park is a very nice city park. I highly recommend it.

Till next time, always remember to forget the things that make you sad. But never forget to remember the things that make you glad. And, of course, keep wandering!