Fog-Laden Swamp at Shady Grove, Gardendale

Fog-Laden Swamp at Shady Grove on Newfound Creek in Gardendale, Alabama

Muted Colors in the Mist at Shady Grove

Muted Colors in the Mist on the Swamp at Shady Grove in Gardendale, Alabama
This and other photos can be found in the Galleries, here.

Heavy Morning Mist at the Swamp at Shady Grove

Heavy Morning Mist at the Swamp at Shady Grove

on Newfound Creek in Gardendale, Alabama

Foggy Morning at Shady Grove, Gardendale

Heavy Fog Blankets the Swamp at Shady Grove on Newfound Creek in Gardendale

Black Creek Park's Rails to Trails Now Complete

If you're familiar with this blog, then over the last couple of weeks, you've likely become familiar a new trail system in the North Jefferson County area. The City of Fultondale has undertaken a Rails-to-Trails project, whereby a former railroad line was been converted into a trail for walkers, runners, and bicyclers (motorized vehicles are prohibited).

The trail begins at Black Creek Park in Fultondale and runs about 3.5 miles to Shady Grove Road. There are markers every half mile and will be benches placed at those markers as well. Over the last several weeks, I've been on the trail either walking, running, or hiking, about a half-dozen times, and I couldn't be more excited about this development, so close to home. Darby's pretty excited too.

Shady Grove on Newfound Creek in Gardendale

Shady Grove on Newfound Creek in Gardendale, Alabama, was a place that immediately struck me as a place that I liked, upon my first seeing it several years ago. It wasn't until two years ago that I first actually photographed it, and have since returned a couple of times. The problem with this little tract of rugged marshy beauty is that unless you have a kayak with you or are sporting waders and willing to brave what can only be snake-infested waters, you're pretty much relegated to the view offered by the road, which isn't all bad.

I hadn't thought about photographing Shady Grove on the occasion presented here; I was really only out for a bike ride (I have begun supplementing my running with biking, though as it turns out, the biking has supplanted the running a bit because I like it so well), when I road past the swamp, decorated as it was with tall grasses and yellow flowers. I was compelled to stop and photograph with the only camera I had on me at the time, my iPhone 4, which isn't all bad.