A Walk In The Park

Winter brings with it the fog, and here in the Central Valley, the fog can settle in for days enervating the sun and leaving the air chilled. It seemed like a good day for a walk, so I headed down to Oak Grove Park. Oak Grove is one of Ripon's true jewels. It is 55 acres of pristine riparian habitat along the Stanislaus River. I don't actually know how long the land has belonged to the city, but when I first moved here fifteen years ago, the area was pretty much untouched. There was of course the obligatory and inexplicable dirt path of two wheel ruts between walls of weeds that entered the area and dead ended in a weedy area where there were fewer trees. In the brush in that area was rusted remains of a pickup truck. Just the cab remained, and it was a style that pointed to the late 30's or early 40's, so it was easy to imagine that it had been abandoned there for as long as fifty years.

When the city decided what to do with area, someone with great wisdom convinced everyone that the best thing to do with the area was to do very little. There is no paving, no swing sets, no picnic tables. Instead, there is simply a maze of paths cut through the undergrowth that wind down along the river. Aside from keeping the paths cleared from fallen tree limbs, things remain pretty much untouched. Even the fallen trees are not cleared -- only the parts that cross a path are cut away. If the tree is too big, the path might be re-routed around it.

In a twenty-five mile radius of  the park there are at least a half a million people buzzing about doing things. But the beauty of this park is that when you're on the path down by the river you could swear you are all alone deep in the Mirkwood Forest, although it feels more benevolent, like in the time before Sauron when it was referred to as Greenwood the Great.

Of course, I'm not the only one who likes it there. The dogs think it is just about the best thing they have ever experienced.

Good job Ripon Parks Department.