The Wild and Scenic River

Janet Misc. Musings November 11, 2013November 21, 2015 1 Minute

November 9, 2013

I'll come back in spring to see if the river becomes wild. — I’ll come back in spring to see if the river becomes wild.

Wild and scenic is what the sign said. This autumn, the Merced River is better described as calm, even lazy.

Chris and I drove along the gravel road above the river until we came to a spot where we could easily access the water. We carefully walked down the steep slope and spent a breezy Saturday afternoon along the banks of the wild and scenic river.

Autumn colors surrounded us.

Orange — Golden brown leaves hung loosely from branches and littered the ground.

Growing in the river. — Red plants grew in the water near the sandy shore.

Green in the river. — Underwater, green moss covered everything.

Orange on the rocks. — Orange lichen spread over many of the granite boulders.

Whispy clouds in the blue sky. — Wispy white clouds changed shape quickly in the blue sky.

We shared cheese and crackers, a bottle of wine, along with a few other spicy morsels at the river’s edge.

At the end of the afternoon, we hiked uphill and back to the car leaving the wild and scenic Merced River behind, filled with memories of an intimate afternoon.

Published by Janet

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Published November 11, 2013November 21, 2015

4 thoughts on “The Wild and Scenic River”

Dad says:

November 11, 2013 at 9:06 AM

At least the sign was half right…the river was very scenic. Sounds like you had a nice time. Missed seeing you and Chris in the photos, though.

Dad

PS: Nice advertisement for the Butterfly Creek Winery. 🙂

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Chris says:

November 11, 2013 at 11:00 AM

I look forwards to more days like that when I retire.

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linhartb says:

November 12, 2013 at 5:55 AM

Beautiful colors!

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1. Janet says:
  
  November 12, 2013 at 1:13 PM
  
  🙂 Fall colors in this area are limited to mostly gold, brown, yellow and orange. It’s rare to find the pretty red leaves that are prominant in other parts of the US.
  
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