Rambling Around

The time changed from Daylight back to Standard overnight. It was already bright when I got up, which automatically put me in a good mood. Today was forecast to be sunny but brisk, with a high about 50° F. Hubby Tony suggested we take a drive to see the last of the fall leaf colors. I countered with a suggestion that we drive to the Historic Main Street area of St. Charles, where we could shop for a present we needed and walk on the Katy Trail. Tony decided that was a great idea. 

Our area had a dry summer, which made for mostly subdued leaf color, but the trees that were close to sprinkler systems and got sufficient water put on quite a display. The 20-minute drive went quickly. We got to Main Street right after most of the stores opened and easily found a parking space. Our first stop was our friends Dave and Sally's store Baubles, Bites, and Boots where we found the present we were looking for...and a couple of extra things.

We put the bag in the car, then started walking. The Katy Trail parallels the Missouri River. About a quarter mile down, there was a cross street that led to a riverside park. A parade of cars with large red-and-white striped flags sticking out their front windows drove from the park past us. We learned that they were in parading in solidarity with the protests in Belarus, which started after the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko, (widely believed to be rigged).

Flag of Republic of Belarus 1991-1995

We continued down the trail. Shortly after we crossed under the highway we came to a nature area and decided it would be fun to explore. The trail was covered with a thick layer of leaves in some places and hard to follow. After a while we figured out it was better to just follow the pieces of pink marking tape tied to the trees. The trail eventually looped around and we made it back to the trailhead.

Instead of taking the Katy Trail back we walked on street. At this point it was about 90 minutes later, and the sidewalk was crowded. I was glad when we arrived back at Tony's car.