I noticed the other day as I walked through by the TPU site that there's a sign up stating that if you're interested in what happens to this site go to www.nenc.org So I did that and if you can manage to find it on the front page there is a link for an email sign up. It looks like this: THOSE INTERESTED IN THE ONGOING PARKS AND OPEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT CAN SIGN UP FOR A LIST USING THIS LINK
I'm not sure what this is all about to be completely honest. I will email a council member and see what I can find out. Perhaps they are simply gauging what the interest is? If that is the case than please go to the link and sign up for email updates.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Friday, November 27, 2009
Tacoma Open Space Plan?
http://cms.cityoftacoma.org/planning/OSHP/OSHRP_Maps/OSHRP%20System%20Map%20draft%208-6-08.pdf
On this map there's a proposed trail but I don't know anything else about it!
Any one?
On this map there's a proposed trail but I don't know anything else about it!
Any one?
This is about where we should have turned around and headed back but for some reason, I always want to go just a little bit further...
You can see that when the gulch gets deep and wide, it's really some wonderful unused park space! Imagine a trail with some benches. It's hard to believe that it hasn't been tapped into yet... 
Down into Buckley Gulch!
The other day I was over by the gulch with my six year old and noticed that the blackberries were cleared away and although still a little steep, it was actually accessible to get down into the gulch.
We ventured down for a bit and then came back-up, promising that we would soon try to get all the way through.
Today we almost made it! I went back down in the gulch with my six year old and friend's five year old, a backpack with snacks and water, walkie-talkies, my cell phone and camera.... over two hours later we finally scaled the side of the gulch with lots of ivy vines to hold onto and ended up in a very understanding man's backyard by East and North Streets.
It is necessary to come up at the end of "Buckley Gulch" and cross over a street and get back down at the start of another gulch... not sure what this one is called? It's the one that goes under 21st street and under the other smaller bridge that is closed to cars. In theory it comes out by the Tully's park in Old Town, although we didn't quite make it!
We did discover that underneath the 21st bridge there's a lot of graffiti art and it looks like it's probably a teenage hang-out. We continued on to the next bridge, the trail gets very wet at this point and this is probably where we should have turned back... but didn't. The gulch narrows quite a bit and is very shallow and then widens out and gets much deeper. This is the fun part of the gulch, where you forget that you're in a city! We ran into one deer, who pretty much ignored me while I stood a little over arms length away watching him munch on some vegetation.
The creek here gets undefined and pretty much turns the bottom of the gulch into mud. We tried our best to take the high road and stay out of the mud but ended up very muddy. Then we had no other option but to walk in the creek and our shoes gave out and our feet got wet. I could see the end of the gulch at this point and just make out some grass and picnic table... I think. Unfortunately it was so over grown and wet and the kids were already so wet and muddy I opted to scale the side of the cliff and get us out of the gulch. It was disappointing to give up after getting this far! The man who's yard we climbed up into came out of his kitchen to see what we were up to. He was surprised where we started out!
Well, what have I concluded from this adventure? Wait until summer before venturing out again! Even then we may want to wear our rain boots! I realize now the work that's ahead, if this is going to be turned into an accessible trail! I think it will be necessary to have some boardwalks over some of the wetter areas and lots of little bridges!
What is the story with the federal money to develop a trail system through the gulches, does any one know?
It would be such an awesome place to take my kids to explore there was an actual trail to walk on!
What a cool resource this is though, like I said before you forget you're in the middle of a city until you hear a siren or look up and see houses on the hillside.
We ventured down for a bit and then came back-up, promising that we would soon try to get all the way through.
Today we almost made it! I went back down in the gulch with my six year old and friend's five year old, a backpack with snacks and water, walkie-talkies, my cell phone and camera.... over two hours later we finally scaled the side of the gulch with lots of ivy vines to hold onto and ended up in a very understanding man's backyard by East and North Streets.
It is necessary to come up at the end of "Buckley Gulch" and cross over a street and get back down at the start of another gulch... not sure what this one is called? It's the one that goes under 21st street and under the other smaller bridge that is closed to cars. In theory it comes out by the Tully's park in Old Town, although we didn't quite make it!
We did discover that underneath the 21st bridge there's a lot of graffiti art and it looks like it's probably a teenage hang-out. We continued on to the next bridge, the trail gets very wet at this point and this is probably where we should have turned back... but didn't. The gulch narrows quite a bit and is very shallow and then widens out and gets much deeper. This is the fun part of the gulch, where you forget that you're in a city! We ran into one deer, who pretty much ignored me while I stood a little over arms length away watching him munch on some vegetation.
The creek here gets undefined and pretty much turns the bottom of the gulch into mud. We tried our best to take the high road and stay out of the mud but ended up very muddy. Then we had no other option but to walk in the creek and our shoes gave out and our feet got wet. I could see the end of the gulch at this point and just make out some grass and picnic table... I think. Unfortunately it was so over grown and wet and the kids were already so wet and muddy I opted to scale the side of the cliff and get us out of the gulch. It was disappointing to give up after getting this far! The man who's yard we climbed up into came out of his kitchen to see what we were up to. He was surprised where we started out!
Well, what have I concluded from this adventure? Wait until summer before venturing out again! Even then we may want to wear our rain boots! I realize now the work that's ahead, if this is going to be turned into an accessible trail! I think it will be necessary to have some boardwalks over some of the wetter areas and lots of little bridges!
What is the story with the federal money to develop a trail system through the gulches, does any one know?
It would be such an awesome place to take my kids to explore there was an actual trail to walk on!
What a cool resource this is though, like I said before you forget you're in the middle of a city until you hear a siren or look up and see houses on the hillside.
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