Fossil Creek Reservoir

I'm a big believer in serendipity.  I like to listen to new music, try new restaurants and drink new beers.  The way I see it, my favorite something could be just one experience away.

That includes visiting new places.  A wrong turn could be the trip of a lifetime.  An obscure speck on the map could be a hidden gem.

This post is not about one of those trips.  And Fossil Creek Reservoir Regional Open Space is not one of those places.

Let me start by saying I admire how the area is managed.  The no-boats, no-bikes, no-pets approach to not disturb wildlife is admirable.  And our walk there started out promisingly enough, with good old American Robins sitting on trees right by the main pavilion.

Unfortunately the only winged creatures we got anywhere near the rest of our time there were gnats.  Lots of gnats.  You know how you can hear the high-pitched wing beat of a gnat or mosquito when it flies near your ear?  Imagine that times a hundred, coming from all around your head.

Zak splashed himself with water, thinking that would drive them away.  And it did, for the split second of the actual splash.  But once damp he became somehow more appealing.

The few trails don't go especially close to the water, where the most interesting vegetation and wildlife are likely to be found.  That was good news for avoiding gnats, but bad news for seeing anything memorable.  At least the kids came kind of close to holding hands at one point, nearly five years after I first admired them doing it at St. Mary's Glacier.

Dormant rabbitbrush and a singly puffy cloud was as good as the scenery got.  And getting down on my belly to take the picture dropped me below gnat level temporarily.

Canada Goose don't care about gnats.  Just stands there as if to ask, "What, you were actually expecting to see a heron on the Heron Loop Trail?"

If you live near the reservoir, I suppose it's a nice place for a stroll.  But it is definitely not a destination.

I guess that's the flip side of serendipity.  Sometimes, all you get are gnats.  And that makes you appreciate the good moments that much more.