Creek Constitutional

I tried to find a synonym for walk or hike that started with a 'c' so I could alliterate. Constitutional is apparently a daily walk taken to maintain health. I think I knew this. I think I usually associated it with going to the bathroom, though...

Anyway - here follows some of the photographs I took when my coworker Brad and I hiked down Mill Creek itself last week Tuesday.

Beginning of the creek (or at least where we started).

Along the way.

Creek scene.

Freshwater mussel shell - they're a pretty rose/mauve color inside.

Human evidence... That's Brad in the background.

Howland Hill overpass...

Slug love.

Frog.

A nice river bar.

This tree grows downstream.

Vine Maple 

Live freshwater mussels! 

Chunk of redwood bark - really richly colored.

Fallen giant.

Dark-veined leaf.

Growing on top of history.

This looked to me like a redwood had gone swimming and left its bark hanging on the line... whoops!

The end of the creek! This is where it comes out to join the Smith River. I'm holding a car antenna that I found in the creek. I also found an iPhone in the creek...

Clintonia (?) berry-looking things. I hadn't seen these before.