When I visited Anderson Marsh State Historic Park (links to PDF) on a Wednesday afternoon last week, I pretty much had the place all to myself, at least when it came to humans. Even though the temperature was pretty warm, I couldn’t resist checking out at least one of the many hiking trails; so I chose the trail that led to Cache Creek. Part of the path consisted of a wooden boardwalk that crossed one of the creek’s oxbows.

It may look like a quiet pond, but it’s actually one of the oxbows along Cache Creek

The large oaks along the trail offered a welcome break from the sun

Red-eared slider sunbathing on a log

Viewing deck overlooking the main channel of Cache Creek

Western grebe

The water below the boardwalk was full of 2- to 3-inch crawdads