Not the smartest thing I ever did!

First of all, I need to give p.s. to "Lost".  A few weeks ago I realized that I hadn't seen any mail with a forwarding sticker on it.  Yes, we had some mail, but it was all addressed to our new post office box.  So I started a search.  I spoke with the local post office, a national office (somewhere), and the post office in our former city.  Well, let me say that the local office and the national office are "manned" by extremely kind and helpful people.  Long story short, our lost mail was found.  It was gathering in Richland IOWA.  ;)  Well, it has been forwarded to us and we are connected once again.  

On to today's blog.  On Saturday I decided to take some time for me.  I ran an errand and then went to the park/boat launch area that is just a block from where we will be living. Our new home had all the things checked on my wish list except the view of either the river or Badger Mountain.  Well, I discovered all I have to do is walk one block and I have it.

I wanted to get a feel for the area and thought I would check out Bateman Island.  This piece of land has intrigued me ever since I first saw a sign of it.  There is history here of Lewis and Clark finding it, seeing Native Americans living and farming there, etc.  I started a short walk on the Columbia River Trail and soon found myself at the beginning of a trail onto Bateman Island.
The walk began beautifully.

I heard birds singing, the sun was shining through the trees and I was loving it.  After a short hike, I was soon out of the shaded tree area and walking on what acted like sand.

It is gray and fine like sand.  Many here call it dirt.  Coming from NW Iowa, this is not what I would classify as dirt.  I continued my walk.  I came to a "Y" and chose the path on the right.  

Much of what I would pass was either short squatty trees or "bushes" in bloom that turn into what we know as tumble weed.  After about 40 minutes, I began to wander if I should have done this.  I was alone, literally, alone.  I wasn't sure where or how the path went.  I could hear movement in the nearby tall grass or under a tree and my imagination went crazy.  I saw animal foot prints in the dirt.  This is when I prayed, "Lord, I know you created many great things and creatures in this world.  But I really don't want to meet one up close and personal right now.  

I continued down what looked like the path.  I stumbled on a clump of grass.  It felt like when you would try to walk across a combined field of corn and your foot would stumble on a corn plant firmly rooted in the ground.  I had a slight twinge in the ankle that I broke a little over a year ago and thought, "Oh, no.  What if I get hurt?  How will I get back?  How will anyone find me?"  Of course I would then remember that I had my phone in hand, fully charged and gps engaged.  :)

But then I also let my pioneering skills kick in and kept track of how far I had walked on my handy pedometer installed on my phone.  I would listen for sounds and kept track of where the sun was shining so I knew when I was turning back towards the direction of which I had come.  So ______________________ of me.  (You fill in the blank)

I did find myself with the sun on the opposite side of me that I began.  And no, its not because I was out there that long.  But I kept walking, noticing the beauty in the different flora and fauna of Eastern Washington.  After 2 3/4 miles I was back at the entry to the island.  There I passed some other people beginning their hike.  I smiled and greeted them like I had just had the best time ever.  Truth be told, I probably shouldn't have done this without letting someone know I was going.  Or made sure I had water with me, etc.  But walking back towards where I had parked, this is what I saw:

Yes, I do have my view and it's beautiful.