One place I haven’t visited in a long while is Salmon Creek Greenway, part of Salmon Crteek Regional Park in Vancouver, WA. (Near that area is popular Klineline Pond for swimming and softball fields.) It is only an hour from my home and I’ve missed it. Until I enjoy it once more, these wintry pictures help bring it closer. The paved trail is only 3 miles, but the greenway is comprised of 368 acres of varied landscape: wetlands, bottomlands, forest, and its namesake, Salmon Creek. Surpsingly, it is within an urban area, yett many mammals and birds (including migrating waterfowl) utilize this diverse environment. These include deer, coyotes, beavers and rabbits, racoons and opossums. And, of course, frogs, harmless snakes and assorted others.

I enjoy being outdoors in frosty weather. The chilly season’s mostly monochrome views are peaceful–more so when not raining. And as sunlight brightened then shifted, it was water that caught my eye again and again.