First River Reflection

First River Reflection

For my first river reflection I chose a spot across the street form the botanical gardens.  I figured that this would be a good place to start because the city keeps this area relatively clean.  As I drive up I see the train filled with kids go by as some joggers run by my car.  As I park I remember all the times I’ve been down to this part of the trinity.  I think the first couple times I was apart of a group called LEAPS and I helped volunteer to clean up the trash around the river.  Because of groups such as LEAPS this part of the river is especially clean.  I remember walking down the side of the river and seeing joggers and bikers wiz by as yoga classes were going on to our left.  I remember being surprised at how much activity was going on.  I often heard jokes back at school saying that the trinity was extremely dirty and no one would ever go there to hang out.  This, however, was obviously not true (at least in this part of the river).  As I choose a spot to sit down and write this reflection I happen to walk by a familiar area.  I am having a tough time remembering why exactly this place was familiar but then it hit me.  I had come down here with one of the organizations I belong to and had a relay race sort of event in this clearing.  That day was fun.  We each were split up into teams and tried to finish a list of tasks and puzzles.  The day eventually ended in an egg fight as we got our hands on the egg cartons that were supposed to be used for the egg toss.  

I find my spot to sit and begin to enjoy the weather.  It is a nice Friday morning and the weather is perfect.  It is sunny but not to hot with a slight breeze.  There are some joggers running by and a few bikers.  The river looks especially clean and I can only think about the parts that we canoed through only a couple weeks ago.  The contrast between the two areas is extremely great.  Its hard to believe that one area can look clean while another part of the river can have trash floating on either side of your canoe.  

As I sit I hear the train go by again and wonder if adults can go on it.  Every time I drive by this area of the trinity I always think that it would be fun to hop on the train and go for the little ride.  I wonder what kind of looks I would get from the other parents on the ride that got dragged by their children.  Not wanting to go on the train at all they sit counting the seconds until its over as I hop up with a smile on my face and prepare for the short adventure.  I think the idea seems so fun because I can still remember a time when I was younger, at disney I think, where my family and I all hopped on one of their trains for a ride through a simulated rain forest.  This was such a cool ride and is such a great memory I think thats probably what I imagine this train ride being like, even though its about a 5 minute ride in an open field.  Either way I have enjoyed my time at the river and have seen a lot of interesting people and touched on some fond memories both from the trinity and other places.  I think for my second reflection I will venture to a different part of the Trinity and explore a lesser traveled path.