McKinnon Flats

Okay, I managed to get all the editing done last night, so all I had to do was post today. I got up bright and early yesterday morning to get to McKinnon Flats while the light was still good. It was cloudy when I woke up, and as soon as I got out of the city limits it was foggy. I figure I'm already awake, I might as go and check things out.



So I'm on my way when I realize that I forgot my directions at home. I am reasonably sure I can figure out how to get there without them. I head out in the general direction on one of the busiest, most dangerous roads in the city. In the fog. It is a divided highway, divided only by the line painted on the middle of the road. Some jackass that was late for work was passing, in the fog. He is headed straight for me, and thankfully the car he was passing pulled onto the shoulder so the jackass could get over and not hit me. After the near miss, I decide to take the back roads.



The back roads are okay, I hate driving on gravel though. Plus, I have the absolute worst sense of direction, and that combined with the thick fog made finding McKinnon Flats pretty difficult. But, the back roads were scenic, and the fog made things interesting to photograph. First, I found this American Avocet:


Then I saw this spiderweb straining under the weight of the dewy fog:


Then I saw this bird again, it's called a Common Snipe.

When I was trying to figure out what they are called, I found out that the female usually lays four eggs. Once the first two of the eggs hatch, the male takes and raises them. The female raises the remaining two separately from the male and the first two hatch lings. Interesting.

Then I saw the smoke from a fertilizer plant pouring into the air. The fog and humidity in the air really makes it look terrible. It just sickened me that I am see all these little marvels of nature, and then in the same breath I see the things humanity is doing to disintegrate the earth. Of course, the guilt and irony of me driving around contributing to the pollution isn't lost on me either. At least my car isn't a hummer.


I am still not at McKinnon Flats, and it is getting to be time for me to head home. I head back to the scary highway to try and find the sign to direct me the right way. I finally find it, and am following a truck down the right road. A flock of gulls fly up, and one of them gets smoked by the truck. It makes me so sad, I know the truck driver probably didn't think twice about it, but I just feel so sorry for that bird. I've always had a soft spot for animals, and hate to see them hurt.

I finally come over the ridge to McKinnon Flats.


I don't have much time for pictures, since it is further from home then I thought. I have time to snap a few pictures of the scenery and the shorebirds wading in the river.




Then it is past time to head home. As I was driving back over the ridge, I see a herd of deer grazing on the hills. I snap a few shots of them, but nothing turned out quite right. Taking pictures in the fog was a lot tougher than I thought, but I like the way some of the pictures turned out. And now that I know how to get there, I should be able to do better next time.