3-26-17  looking for the NW passage!----

Except that I'm really looking for a SW passage from the Ivy Creek Greenway to the Suwanee Greenway.   They are suppose to get connected someday and apparently people have made their way from one to the other, but I haven't been able to make that connection yet.  Figure if I can, it'll make my biking a lot more interesting.  So today I took a stroll in the preserve to see if I could finally find it.  Someone told me a couple days ago that after crossing the bridge, you go off trail and follow the river---so off I went.
Just below our apartment complex is this concrete drainage ditch.  On one of my strolls past here awhile ago, I saw another ingenious use for it---a skate board park.

 This is part of the extensive twisting bridge at the base of our complex that ends up going over Ivy Creek.

 There are about 3 or 4 miles of nicely paved trails in the preserve.

 There are even more miles of dirt trails throughout the preserve.  This one is at the end of the above paved path.

 I had read that about a mile into this trail there's a trail that leads to the Suwanee Greenway, but I missed it.

 At least I had foliage to look at and the weather was beautiful.  Maybe if I hadn't been looking at the foliage I would have found the path to the Suwanee Greenway!

 In a few areas you can get down to the creek.

This is back by the end of the paved path.

 Note the big metal bridge in the distance.  That's the one I call the million dollar bridge to nowhere!  As soon as you cross it, the trail ends.

 I'm lik'en some lichen.

 some views of the river from higher up.

 This is looking forward from the end of the paved trail.  So after not finding the trail from the dirt path, I thought maybe this will link up to the Suwanee trail eventually---and it follows the river.

 Probably went about a mile, then the trail abruptly ended.  No way was I going to be able to get a bike any farther!

 So I turned around and headed back---defeated. 

 Almost back to the bridge to nowhere.

 on the million dollar bridge to nowhere.

 looking back at it from the other side.

 Nice big patio halfway up the hill.  I've had to stop here many times when I was biking---not liking biking all the hills in Georgia!

 continuing to the next "hill".

 and a little bridge.

 Looking forward to the trees getting their leaves again.

 Wonder if these are the same trees that we saw in Florida that they call the "tourist" tree---because they look like they got sun burnt, then peel.

 colorful baby whirlly birds.

 Back to the winding bridge at the base of our complex---building 5 in view here.

 some of the dried flowers that have lasted through the winter.

 baby pine cones????

 And the ramp up to our gated complex---minus the gate.

Didn't find the passage I was looking for, but did get about 8000 steps in!  Maybe I'll have better luck next time.