Happy Labor Day! I hope you’ve been able to get outside and appreciate nature this weekend.

It’s been over a month since we last took a real hike, in the woods (because of injured knee, and awaiting the MRI report and any follow-up). Since I was feeling a bit better, and DH had a day off, he hoped I would be able to do part of the boarded Riverwalk in Marshall, Michigan. This stretch is familiar to us. It’s along the Kalamazoo River, and also part of the Scenic North Country Trail. To be cautious–I really didn’t know how far I could walk–I took my dad’s walker, which comes in handy when you can’t walk well.

Usually I would take about 100 photos in a 90 minute hike, but I was concentrating on working that walker. Where we parked was an in area where there are about two dozen feral cats. We’ve seen a woman feeding them there before. Past the cats and onto the walk along the river.

One of the hydroelectric dams along the Kalamazoo River.

We did see a great blue heron and a great big spider.

DH, who grew up in Wisconsin where there are many deer, first spotted the deer across the river. We’re guess it was a doe and two nearly grown fawn (without spots, so…yearlings?).

And there was our normal sighting of soft-backed turtles on their regular log.

All in all, a successful trial hike in the great outdoors.

Now to see what the MRI shows…