Afternoon Sun Down Along the Little Juniata River

We arrived at Friday and all of the week's major episodes had been handled. On Monday and Tuesday, we'd gone on our first backpack of the year, and made it safely home. Wednesday, I'd gone to the dentist appointment for part 1 of my latest crown and we walked the lovely Bog Trail at Black Moshannon. We'd done laundry on Thursday and hung out with LGK and handled some things around the house. So Friday was free for a new adventure.

We decided to drive down to Tyrone and use a Burger King coupon: buy one get one free double cheeseburger. I am trying to be careful with my new temporary crown. In a few weeks, the real one will be on, but for now I need to exercise some caution. So I cut my burger into quarters. It was absolutely delightful, delicious and tender and tasty. Quite possibly one of the best burgers I've ever had in my life, to be honest.

Then we went to Mac's and my husband got two Italian hoagies (big sandwiches full of meat and cheese and veggies) for the cooler, to enjoy later at home. Mac's is famous for the amount of onions they put on a hoagie, and in fact, they have a sign that says something to the effect of: "Responsible for bad breath in Tyrone for 35 years." 

We laughed when I opened up my "no onions" hoagie later, only to find a huge layer of sliced onions on top. I've ordered my hoagie with the regular amount of onions, I've tried it with light onions, and on this day, I asked for NO onions. Each time, my hoagie arrived the very same: slathered in about an inch of sliced onions!

Anyway, back to the story! :-) So, with burgers in our bellies and hoagies in the cooler for later, we drove down the Birmingham Pike, which is to say route 453 southeast out of Tyrone, to a parking area we know that provides access to the Little Juniata River watershed. 

The land along the river is owned by New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., and for several years a while back, it was marked: "no trespassing," which was heart-breaking for those of us who loved to go there. There's a sign there now saying that public fishing and boating is permitted; the lease ($5000 per year) has been paid through April 1, 2025, by the Little Juniata River Association, a local nonprofit.

So we grabbed our daysacks and our chairs and headed down along the river, on a beautiful little paved road that I bet dates from the 1950s. Remarking that there was not a single pothole or buckle on the road, my husband suggested that perhaps whoever paved THAT road could come do some of OUR local roads which have not fared so well during recent paving efforts.

My left knee was feeling particularly stiff and uncooperative after the week's exertions, and so we didn't walk far. I'm very glad the knee showed up when I needed it earlier in the week; this was NOT a day when I would have been able to do what I actually had to do on Tuesday!

We found a sunny spot along the stream, next to a huge fallen sycamore tree, set up our chairs, grabbed our books, and propped our feet up on the tree. My husband, trying to keep himself from dozing in the sun later, could be heard gently crooning, "Sitting on the dock of the bay, wasting time. . . ."

The view was very fine and relaxing from there. Do you love to watch water? I sure do! The river was really ripping along, with actual whitecaps and waves; it tossed water droplets high into the air. It danced and sang, as all rivers do in springtime. The water was blue-green. A kingfisher cackled as it flew up and down the river; a sign of a healthy stream. We spotted our first dark butterfly rise up along the stream and take flight: most likely a mourning cloak.

So we enjoyed our time there, and then we agreed that we'd like to go back and explore the area close to the river under some of the railroad bridges near our walk's starting point. Railroad tracks run everywhere through this area, and trains are frequent. 

There are some fine colorful stone arches under the railroad bridges, and so here is one of my favorite views of a golden arch kissed by the afternoon sun, with the river almost shiningly green in the background. 

You can't see this detail from here very well, but from the tree closest to me under the arch hangs a rope for jumping into the river. The water was probably still a bit chilly for swimming (though perhaps not so much so for cold-water-swimmers such as myself), but someday I must try that!

The arches when they are really well lit always remind me of cathedrals somehow, and I am so glad that we managed to arrive at this spot just as the perfect light arrived there too. Good timing. Or luck. Fortuosity, maybe? In any case, it was all beautiful and we are grateful to have such a gorgeous spot that is both nearby and legally accessible.

I love rivers and river songs, so of course, I couldn't pick just one. So here are three:
Neil Young and Crazy Horse, with Down By the River, live at Farm Aid (1994),
Garth Brooks, The River,
and one I dedicate to my parents, one of their very favorite tunes, Don Williams, with Till the Rivers All Run Dry. I send this song out to all lovers, everywhere.