{"id":134,"date":"2011-01-13T16:50:37","date_gmt":"2011-01-14T00:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/?p=134"},"modified":"2011-01-13T16:50:37","modified_gmt":"2011-01-14T00:50:37","slug":"mercer-slough-nature-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/?p=134","title":{"rendered":"Mercer Slough Nature Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Monday woke to clear, cold weather and I decided to shift my workout plans for the week to accommodate.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead of the two mile exercise video in my living room, I opted for the two mile hike through <a title=\"City of Bellevue: Mercer Slough Nature Park\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cityofbellevue.org\/mercer_slough.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Mercer Slough<\/a> and Bellefields Nature Parks.\u00c2\u00a0 This is a gentle walk through a wetlands circling an historic blueberry farm that is now maintained by the city.*\u00c2\u00a0 Mercer Slough divides the two nature parks and provides a natural habitat for various aquatic birds and salmon.\u00c2\u00a0 The area was also home to a rhododendron nursery at one time and a portion of the trail passes through the now-wild shrubs left over from this period.<\/p>\n<p>I really enjoyed the winter beauty of this nature park!\u00c2\u00a0 The dormant grasses, leafless trees with beautiful peeling bark, and vibrant red branches of the blueberry bushes were all pleasing to the eye.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0053_sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-135\" title=\"CIMG0053_sm\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0053_sm-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0053_sm-224x300.jpg 224w, http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0053_sm.jpg 748w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0056_sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-136\" title=\"CIMG0056_sm\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0056_sm-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0056_sm-224x300.jpg 224w, http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0056_sm.jpg 748w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0058_sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-137\" title=\"CIMG0058_sm\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0058_sm-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0058_sm-224x300.jpg 224w, http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0058_sm.jpg 748w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><\/a>I would have lingered longer to watch the waterfowl at the bridge, but it was too cold and damp to pause for long.\u00c2\u00a0 It is a wetlands, after all, and a bitter cold front was moving in to threaten the snow that fell Tuesday night.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0066_sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-138\" title=\"CIMG0066_sm\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0066_sm-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0066_sm-300x224.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0066_sm.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0068_sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-139\" title=\"CIMG0068_sm\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0068_sm-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0068_sm-300x224.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0068_sm.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0071_sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-140\" title=\"CIMG0071_sm\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0071_sm-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0071_sm-300x224.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0071_sm.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>That&#8217;s downtown Bellevue in the background.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0072_sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-141\" title=\"CIMG0072_sm\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0072_sm-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0072_sm-300x224.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0072_sm.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0076_sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-142\" title=\"CIMG0076_sm\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0076_sm-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0076_sm-300x224.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CIMG0076_sm.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>I thought the light would be all wrong for the camera in my cell phone, but apparently not.\u00c2\u00a0 Every now and then I accidentally take some good pics.<\/p>\n<p>The only drawback was the noise level of the surrounding area.\u00c2\u00a0 It is what it is &#8211; an oasis in the midst of a city.\u00c2\u00a0 I could hear the droning of I-405 and I-90 nearby, and actually see the vehicles traveling on I-405 from some points.\u00c2\u00a0 However, I think that hassle is worth enduring in this case.<\/p>\n<p>I can&#8217;t wait to see this nature park in the spring and summer!<\/p>\n<p>* Mental Note: Make plans to return in the late summer for u-pick blueberries!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Monday woke to clear, cold weather and I decided to shift my workout plans for the week to accommodate.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead of the two mile exercise video in my living room, I opted for the two mile hike through Mercer Slough &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/?p=134\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[23,22,30,18],"class_list":["post-134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventuring","tag-hiking","tag-outdoor","tag-seattle","tag-winter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}