For Easter, Rainbow got a Melissa and Doug bingo set and she was dying to try it out! All three girls also got backpacks to hike with and new water bottles. When Tuesday dawned warm and sunny, it gave us a chance to take the new gear for a test run. After we dropped Stormy at school, Rainbow, Pebble and I headed to Governor Bridge Natural Area. We hadn’t visited here in a while, and the girls were looking forward to exploring.
Governor Bridge Natural Area is easy to reach. It is off of Governor Bridge Road in Bowie. There are no bathrooms here, no facilities at all, but we didn’t have a long hike in mind. My plan was follow the blue trail around the lake, and then follow the red trail down to the river. Rainbow had her bingo set out shortly after we got out of the car, and we started working on her hiking bingo page. She wanted Pebble to play with her, but Pebble was too busy filling her new backpack with rocks, and then tossing her rocks in the stream and pond.
The highlight of our little hike was the red trail down to the river. It was here that we found spring flowers blooming.
The red trail is much narrower than the other trails here, but we didn’t see any other people.
When we reached the end of the red trail, it was time for a snack of goldfish and Easter candy. Then we turned around and made our way back toward the lake. Rainbow was our trail leader now, and, at one point, she stopped suddenly causing Pebble to run into her. Why did she stop? Rainbow said the biggest insect she’d ever seen was on the trail in front of her. I took a look myself, and was startled at the size of the bug. Rainbow said she thought it was a beetle, and we took a picture to look up later. This ugly critter is an American Oil Beetle. If you ever see one out hiking, don’t touch it! Apparently, it secretes a black oily substance if bothered, and that substance will give you blisters. These beetles are also called Blister Beetles.
After giving the beetle a wide berth, we continued on to the lake where we stopped to watch the fish darting through the shallows. Both Pebble and Rainbow realized they could see the fish better with my tinted sunglasses, and were begging to wear them! We also saw dozens of turtles out sunning themselves.
It was a beautiful morning, and a fun hike! We only ran into two giant mud puddles that I had to airlift the girls over, and I think we saw a total of four people. If you are looking for an easy hike with kids, this is definitely it! Happy trails!