After fielding a number of requests to check out the poor condition of part of the Times Beach nature trail, members of the Buffalo Bike Club decided to take a ride to the Outer Harbor this weekend. If you have never had the pleasure of walking this nature trail, the trip should go to the top of your list of things to do. It is difficult to describe exactly how peaceful and surreal it is to have such an incredible natural asset as this directly within city limits (along with Tifft).
We navigated the trail for quite a distance before we came to where the trouble spot began. At this point of the hike, it looked as if King Kong had just come through and played ‘monkey bars’ with the wooden walkway. BRO readers are concerned that if the problem is not fixed soon, the investment that went into this part of the nature trail will be lost. If the boardwalk is left in this state to freeze and then thaw, there is no telling what will happen. As we examined the damage, it was hard to tell what had happened to this part of the trail… was it wind damage, water damage, a sinking bog, poor craftsmanship? We were not sure, as the rest of the path appeared to be in excellent shape. This artery happened to lead to a one of the bird blinds near the Coast Guard Station. It was there that we noticed that one of the information plaques had also been pealed off. Whatever happened to this one section of the nature trail, bikers and hikers are concerned that a ‘DANGER – DO NOT ENTER’ sign might be a long-term fix if there are not moneys available to maintain these Outer Harbor amenities.
If you do head out to Times Beach any time soon, these are just a couple of the sights that await you…
Support for Buffalo Rising comes from:
Support for Buffalo Rising comes from: