Watauga trestle with a tricycle

I got out of the house this morning with my two year old son and headed for the trail. I threw his tricycle in the trunk and we were at the Watauga trailhead in less than fifteen minutes, headed west.

I knew his attention span and physical endurance was limited so instead of trying to cover much ground, we went slowly and just tried to enjoy a short section of the trail. Arriving in the parking lot, a man on a bike who had just come off the trail told us to look for the rooster. As we approached the trestle entrance, there he was, right in the middle of the trail. This was a great delight to my son who got to try out his best "cockadoodledoo" as the rooster went off the side of the trail into the underbrush.

The leaves still haven't changed that much. Driving down Watauga Road, I was noticing a bit more red and when we were on the trail, it seemed that yellow was the predominant color. However, things are still mostly green or have already died due to the lack of rain the past couple of months. I'm concerned about the potential for fires this fall as dry as it is.

Crossing the trestle, we came upon two ladies, sitting on camp stools that they had brought with them. We stopped to talk and learned that they had come up from Bristol with the Parks and Rec folks who organized outings for senior citizens. Most of their group had walked on further down the trail but they were just enoying their spot by sitting and talking. The group was headed to Cracker Barrel in Abingdon for lunch afterward. Just another reminder of how the trail is a resource for locals, folks from nearby in the region, and those who come from far away (I always check out the license plates in the parking lot at the trailhead).