The storminess of the day held off long enough to give us a picturesque walk along the Bow River and into the Inglewood district.
We met at Pearce Estate Park and immediately headed down to the Bow River. The delightful smell and sound of crunched leaves us through the wooded part of the path. The clear blue river was calm enough to act as a mirror for the trees and high rises in the distance. Bridges were geometric exclamations: Nose Creek (CPR) bridge, the Zoo bridge, the George C King bridge, and the memorial to the St Georges Island bridge.
We paused at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers, talking about the First Nations that had camped there for centuries, the that came with European settlers, and the founders of Calgary; all recognized the value of the waterways. Crossing onto St Georges Island, we lifted our eyes to a large magpie nest high in the trees and to the ospreys nest on the high point of Bloom, the public art piece made of recycled
the Bow on the Zoo bridge, we walked into Inglewood, where for a few blocks historic houses attracted our curiosity. Turning back to the river,
we were astonished to see a juvenile Bald Eagle, camouflaged high in a tree; only the head twisted, revealing that it was alive. After lots of photos, we moved on to Harvie Passage. This marvellous canoeing challenge was built to make recreation safer, replacing a dangerous weir. We lingered on the plaza, happy to be looking, rather than doing.
