Too chilly for most means more space at park for me!

Nearby Bellevue State Park is a nice place to walk, especially if it is not crowded. The last time I was there on a sunny, warm day, the parking lot was almost full and one had to dodge walkers on the paths in order to stay a safe distance away. But today was different. With the temps hovering just below 50 degrees and a stiff breeze blowing at times, it was only about 1/5 as crowded as it was the last time I wandered around the park.

What was different today? For one, horses in the field around the horse training facility were wearing blankets. So I was not the only one noticing the chill. And although some of the trees were in bloom, the petals were being blown about by the wind.

Hiking around the round barn, I passed the old turnstile, still standing guard,  the gate was still frozen in place, as it has been for the last 30 years or so that I have been wandering the grounds.  I am not sure if the gate has been there since the original 1855  Robinson house stood nearby, but later  owners including William duPont, probably wanted to maintain their privacy with stone walls and at least 2 turnstiles that I know of which still remain in place.

The old estate still overlooks the Delaware River, although later construction mostly blocks the river view. And streams and lowlands criscross the woods, with the bogs at this time of year sporting healthy crops of skunk cabbages. At one point along the creek, there is still the remnant of an old Deming steam pump (a company founded in 1850) which may have pumped water up from the river or kept an area pumped free of water.