The not-so-mighty river

The colors here are gorgeous. I'm not entirely sure when the leaves began to change. A week ago they were green or brown and my friends and I were wondering if it would ever get warm enough to allow the trees to burst into the full spectrum. Then, Saturday, I was walking back from the dinning hall and suddenly I noticed them: yellows, oranges, reds, browns. It's absolutely stunning. I'll take a picture tomorrow and post it.

I spent most of the day inside today, but finally my stomach (and the lack of snack food I have in my room) drove me to the dinning hall. The place was basically deserted. Since I got here, my friends have complained about the food, but until this weekend I thought it was fine. This weekend I think the cooks were trying to scare the stayers away. Definitely leaving campus for all future long breaks--or having better snack food that will last me.

Anyway, after I ate I didn't really feel like going back to my room. It was a beautiful day and there was still at least an hour before sundown. So, I just let myself wander. My feet took me to the 24/7 computer lab where I figured I would be able to go in and print out my dressage test for this weekend. I want to practice it as much as I can this week. However, the vending machine distracted me and when I reached the lab, it was very dark and uninviting. So, I took my Sierra Mist and hit the trails again.

My feet took me across the train tracks and into the frontage road beside the athletic complex. Now I knew where I was heading: Whitehouse Nature Center. The 144-acre nature center was one of the reasons I chose this college, but until now I hadn't actually been there. I tried to get there the second weekend I was here, but I ended up going the complete opposite direction. It was nice to finally go there. The Kalamazoo River isn't nearly as impressive as the Mississippi or even Minnehaha Creek, but I could be bias. It was nice being near the water again. I've been so filled with city smells, college smells, people smells. It was nice to be out in nature, hearing squirrels, birds, the water. I forgot how quickly the air temperature can change when you're walking over a marsh. It would be hot to the point of stuffy, then I would pass over a trickle of water and suddenly the air would be downright cold. It was tantalizingly refreshing. I'm going back with my camera as soon as possible. The whole place reminds me of Minnehaha Park and the river.

I finished my walk by sitting at the river's edge and just watching the leaves float by. Then darkness began to creep across the grass. So, I returned to my dorm, not missing home quite as much as I had.