Springfield Greenway

Hope everyone is having a great start to 2012.

Saturday, we had planned to help my folks take down their Christmas decorations.  They got out there and got it done on Friday.  When I called on Saturday morning, everything was already taken down and in the basement waiting to be put back in boxes.  I was happy to take it down and carry it to the basement, but I draw the line when it comes to putting it in a box.  I lived in my parents’ home for way too many years and learned that I could never master the box puzzle.  I’m just not going there.

Information panels provided the history of the area.

So, suddenly, we had a free day and a beautiful day it was with sunshine all round and beautiful blue skies.  I guess the weatherman got the clouds and wind thing confused with another day.  Naturally, a hike popped up as we were thinking of things to do with our free day.  But, we were still weary with driving so we wanted something close.  Gene got on the internet and discovered Springfield has a greenway and Springfield is only 9 miles away.

The old water plant

Greenways are not usually our first choice.  We’d much rather be on a dirt trail in the woods, but they are often convenient and sometimes that’s just what we need.  Plus, they have the added advantage of usually being paved which means a faster walk--a longer distance in less time.

Sulfur Fork Creek

The Springfield Greenway is 3 miles in length with Price Park on one end and the Courthouse on the other.  Parking might be a problem at the Courthouse, but there is plenty of parking at Price Park.  Additionally, there are three other parking areas along this 3-mile stretch.  There are two parks--Garner Street Park which is 0.8 miles from the Courthouse and the American Legion Park which is 1.25 miles from the courthouse.  Both of these parks have plenty of parking as well as restrooms.  There is also a small parking lot just off E. Main Street at the bridge over Sulfur Creek.  It will only accommodate about 6 cars and there’s no restroom, but it is only about a tenth of a mile from the American Legion Park.  This small parking lot is the one we used.

We started our walk by heading out of town toward Price Park, 1.5 miles away.  The greenway follows Sulfur Fork Creek past the old Woolen Mill and the old water plant.  Past the water plant we had a corn field on one side and Sulfur Fork Creek on the other.  It was a pleasant walk because it hasn’t rained in several days.  However, after a heavy rain, this trail floods in the low lying areas.  We saw several places that were still covered in dirt and leaves from the creek following the last heavy rains.

At Price Park, there is a small lake which was host to lots of geese, ducks, and a few gulls.  There was also a playground and several picnic tables.  A great place for a family outing.  Moved to this location was one of the oldest structures in Robertson County.  The outside of this log home was decorated for the holiday, but it was not open so we couldn’t go inside.

We backtracked from Price Park to the car then continued toward town another 0.6 miles to Garner Street Park.  There we turned around and went back to the car without going the other 0.8 miles to the courthouse.

One of the oldest structures in Robertson County, built about 1796.

We enjoyed our walk and I’ll bet we have plenty more opportunities to visit the Springfield Greenway in the future.

Several of our readers have expressed their condolences over the passing of my uncle.  We really appreciate your concern, thoughts, and prayers.  John was elderly and had spent his last few months in a Hospice Center in Spartanburg, SC.  He lived a full, rich life and I have many, many fond memories of times spent with him and his wife, who passed last year.  He is in a better place now and we are grateful for that.  Thank you for your concern.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.