“So what park are you and Ross visiting this weekend?” is the question I’m often asked. That’s what I get when I focus my columns on our Saturday adventures in the park du jour. We’ve hit a majority of the county, regional, and state parks in a 100+ mile radius, but I’m sure there’s several we’re missing out on. And hey, I’m open to suggestions. If there’s a park or a scenic spot we should explore, let me know. We spend our weekdays indoors for hours at a time, so the weekend is our time to visit the great outdoors.

Even though it’s about 15 miles from Marshall, we only get out to Garvin Park a couple or so times a year. A couple of Saturdays ago, we found ourselves heading there. It wasn’t raining, and the temps were in the 70s, so it seemed like a good afternoon for a hike.

Since it had been a few weeks since the last time we graced a park with our presence, I wasn’t sure how bad the mosquitoes and gnats would be. Ross did have a can of bug spray in the truck, which fortunately had some left.

Time to hit the trail. We began heading to Merton’s Lookout tower right away. A family was happily swimming despite the coolish temperatures. We seemed to be the only ones out for a walk. Maybe people were on different trails or out on their horses somewhere. We slogged along the trail to the tower. The lush greenery was in full force. Though my slight fear of heights took over that afternoon, I was determined to go up the tower, even if it was for a few minutes. I clambered up the steps, holding on for dear life to the structure. I let out a sigh of relief as I joined Ross at the top, looking out at the green trees. We took a photo, headed down the tower and continued on our way.

We were walking along an open area on the path when Ross said “what would we ever do if we found something unexpected on this walk?” We haven’t come across anything out of the ordinary on our hikes, except for maybe the computer monitors and some other random cast-offs. But I always wonder if the day will come when we do find something “unexpected.”

Lately I’ve been taking photos of myself as we’re walking along in the parks. In Garvin Park, I was trying to do an experiment of sorts with my “selfie.” I was trying to do a profile shot as I slowly walked along. I wanted to get it in focus, with trees in the background, and hopefully get myself in the photo. It took about six attempts until I got one that I deemed decent for Facebook. Maybe I should do a book like Kim Kardashian West (with a better title, of course).

There were times when I think Ross led us off-trail as we were whiffling through the tall grass with what I think are hidden thistles. I was wearing shorts that Saturday, so my legs and ankles were vulnerable to scratchy thistles and branches. I came out of the tall grass and looked at my legs. I had managed to get smears of dirt and mud on both legs, along with lines of light pink scratches near my ankles. It’s not summer unless my legs have some form of injury on them.

After Saturday’s excursion at Garvin, I noticed that there’s a Friends of Garvin Park Facebook page. It’s relatively new and has info on events and the park itself, photos of things going on at the park, etc. So go check it out and give it a “like.”