My friend and I have been wanting to check out the High Trestle Trail and thought today seemed perfect since I would be going by there on my way home from Ames. According to the weather guru's, we would be clear of rain until at least noon. So we chose an early meeting time of 8:30. We figured it would take about 90 minutes to complete the 5 mile walk.
It took us 60 minutes to get to the bridge from Madrid...we had to stop a couple times for the kids and to help a biker who fell, or it wouldn't have taken us so long to walk the 2.5 miles. It was a beautiful walk! The sun was shining and it was hot! The trail route is very scenic. There were lots of other walkers and bikers out...perfect day for this activity!! Or, so we thought....
As soon as we got to the other side of the half mile bridge we noticed the sky getting darker and thunder appearing to get closer and louder. We took a little break at the covered picnic tables to grab a snack and rest our legs. We debated whether to stay there until the rain passed or just head back and hope we beat the rain. I thought if we could just get back across the bridge we could at least have trees to shelter us from the rain a little bit. So, we walked as fast as we could across the bridge...we weren't so sure we were going to make it as the wind picked up and air felt cooler. We debated turning back to the shelter (which really isn't very big). Just as we crossed the bridge it started to sprinkle. At this point we ran into some good family friends and stopped to visit with them for a minute...and then it really started to rain! We pushed the strollers over to the trees, but they really weren't good shelter...we were getting WET!! We decided we might as well just get back on the trail and walk, because we certainly weren't staying dry where we were at.
It rained for the entire 2.5 miles back to our cars...and it wasn't what I would call a "light" rain either. We were SOAKED!!! Walking in wet shorts, socks and shoes was not exactly ideal, but at least it was keeping my mind off of the pain I was having from a blister on my heel that formed somewhere along the trail. Luckily, I had worn a hat to keep the sun off my face...it helped shield my eyes from the rain as well.
When we got back to where we parked about an hour later and Rylee got out of the stroller, I saw that her clothes were just as wet as mine, even though I thought I had her mostly shielded from the rain. I checked Wyatt next....same story! I had no idea they were getting so wet during those 2.5 miles...Wyatt was even sleeping through being wet! Neither of them ever complained...such troopers!! As luck would have it, we had just come from a couple of days at Grandma's house, so we had dry clothes to change into in the van! I also had a couple of beach towels since we had gone swimming. We were all so happy to get into dry clothes!!
What an adventure! It was fun, but not something I want to do again anytime soon (walking in the rain, I mean). Rylee did ask if we could do it again sometime :) The trail however, I would do again when there is a 0% change of rain for the entire day!!! :) If you haven't been, it's beautiful! I want to go again in the fall, as well as at night time when it is all lit up.
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