Since there was a strong likelihood of rain today, I took off fairly early on my daily bike ride. My plan was to ride through the park, and out the east exit at Clayton Ave. and to La Dolce Via coffee house at Arco and Taylor to read.
I first rode up and around the Jewel Box, finding no golf balls today, over around the Muny back parking lot (looking so beautiful this year; flowers and trees in full bloom, this time last year the “new” back part was just being built), and back to the Jewel Box.
All the early spring flowers are gone, but little by little the major flower beds have been tended and very neat, well groomed dark earth awaits new plantings.
I rode down the center of the baseball diamonds, up past the mounted police station, visiting the horses, and was headed out of the park. However, I changed my mind. I try to ride 15 miles a day. Were I to go to La Dolce Via this early and sit and read for a couple of hours over coffee, I’d both run the risk of the rain catching me, and risk getting lazy and not finishing my 15 miles. I decided to ride a number more miles first and then work my way over to La Dolce Via later on.
I took off to the wet lands and there I saw something new for me – right along side Jefferson Lake (just to the west of the bottom of the hill of the Planetarium) was a chicken chasing a butterfly. Ineptly chasing a butterfly I might add. Well, this was a first. I sighted many things, but never a chicken out in the “wild” of Forest Park.
I had a good idea where it came from. Jefferson Lake borders Clayton Ave. on the south, and right up Clayton Ave., which runs between the baseball diamonds and Triple A, is the circle which takes one out to Hampton Ave. At that corner is the park’s maintenance buildings and they keep pet chickens there, about a dozen or more. Maybe they keep them for the eggs and even to eat, I don’t know. But, in the early mornings when the workers are coming in (6:30-7 AM) they have the gate near the building open, and often ½ dozen of the chickens come out onto the outer lawn to peck and hunt. My strong guess is one of these chicken lit out for freedom and has now ended up down at Jefferson Lake.
I don’t think things bode well for the chicken. First of all there is fierce competition for food there with HUNDREDS of ducks and geese. Secondly there are definitely predators since this is the most active area I see daily for the red-tailed hawks. At least every third day I see one or more of the hawks being driven off by the red-wing black birds which just swarm the hawks (and the occasional owl) and drive them off. On the other hand, I often see a successful hawk with a plump duck feasting on its meal in the grass as well. I fear the chicken will not be long for the world in that environment.
I continued my ride on past the Steinberg Rink and around the back side of the wet lands, across those two marvelous long wooden bridges. Again today I noticed more and more goslings and ducklings, tagging alone with their mothers. They are just popping out like the flowers do, more and more everyday. There, too, I noticed something boding in nature. The ducklings and goslings must be being born daily these days. The numbers of them are staggering and each day there are more. Each mother duck or goose tends to have 10-15 wee ones tagging along behind her in the water, and the tinier ones swimming so very close to the mother that she looks like one animal with a very strange long slivering tail, as though it is some strange water snake with a head high out of the water.
Yet, within 2 weeks I notice something else inevitably follows. The mother ducks and geese continue to swim round with their young, but much larger little ducklings and goslings tagging along behind, but the NUMBERS of young have dramatically decreased, seldom more than ½ dozen of the slightly larger young, a decrease of about 50%.
I began to wonder: what happens to all those young? There are CLEARLY too young to have taken off on their own. I really doubt that very many of them died natural deaths; if they once are born and make it to the water behind their mothers they have all the appearance of health tiny things (the ducklings are so small they wouldn’t cover half the palm of my hand, as small as baby robins). So, I begin to contemplate who the predators might be. Several things flash to mind:
By the time I had thought about all this I was already circling the Grand Basin and had logged 9 miles. About time to head to the coffee shop. I rode over toward Lindell and then it dawned on me: Why not go to Forest Perk Café in the Visitor’s Center (the old pro shop for the golf course). This is one of my very favorite coffee shops.
I rode back by the handball courts. There are new racks there for locking one’s bike and I locked my up. It was just about 10 AM, and I was surprised to discover that the café was just opening. Last year it opened at 7 AM. Now it is not opening until 10. But that was fine for me. I got my coffee (they have glass cups if you ask for them, I simply can’t stand to drink coffee out of cardboard or paper).
I really love Forest Perk Café for sitting and reading. The seating is very comfortable. They have mainly large and comfortable wrought iron chairs and tables, but inside there are some over-stuffed lounge chairs too. There have FIVE seating areas. There are some tables inside the café itself. Out in the main visitor’s center are more tables and the lounge chairs. Off to the side is another room with four more tables. But the best seating for me are the two porches, one in front (looks out on the Muny and Davis tennis courts), and the back porch, which looks out at the handball courts. The outdoor tables have lovely large umbrellas, so one can sit in the shade or sun.
I chose the front porch, a corner in the shade. It was so lovely. Cool, a light breeze blowing and absolutely quiet save the birds chirping. I had a muffin and no sooned had I begun to eat than a few small sparrows came calling. I dropped them some crumbs and then I had masses of them. Fun. When I needed a fresh cup of coffee (the coffee there comes with unlimited refills) I had to cover up my muffin with my napkin and put my open book over all that to keep the birds out. I got my second cup of coffee.
Well over an hour later, having had three cups of delicious coffee, I decided to head on. I had made a wise choice earlier. I was now tired, and if I had lots of miles to go I might have been tempted to cut back on my exercise. But I was already up to 9.6 miles, and it was three miles home. So, I rode back into the wetlands (the wrong way for home) for just 1 ½ miles, and came back, arriving at the Missouri Historical Society building just at 12. 4 miles, exactly where I needed to be. By riding down Lindell to Skinker, up Skinker to Hi-Pointe and down Clayton Ave. to Tamm and down Tamm, I then ride up my lawn just as my odometer is clicking 15 miles.
I arrived home, tired but feeling good, a bit wet with sweat and ready for a long soak in a very very hot bath.
I simply love my morning ride in Forest Park.
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