Sometime as a child, I spent a great deal of time in the proximity of a poster of giant trees (probably oaks) lined in rows through a grassy expanse, their lowest limbs perhaps thirty feet from the ground, and people strolling on the grass. This may have been in my room at home or it may have been in a classroom.
I would dearly like to know where this was photographed, that I might visit it. When I meet people who’ve traveled to likely candidates — West Virginia, upstate New York, the deep south — I ask whether they have any ideas where such a thing might be. Recently a friend, sharing my curiosity, did a fantastic Google image search and came up with many gorgeous tree-lined paths, none of which were “it” but all of which were beautiful.
Today I visited one.
Most of the pictures of Colorado State University’s Oval show the view down the tree-lined sidewalk in the center. Although this view looks very like rows of trees through which one may walk (though mine had no paved path), it belies the true nature of the Oval — which I’d already determined from Google Maps, and which I shall attempt to show photographically by touring enough of the perimeter to convey its overall appearance.
Approaching from the north on S. Howes Street, you look directly south down the central tree-lined walk.
Turning the corner to the east, you begin to see the grassy expanse east of the central walk.
Crossing Oval Drive, you can see how vast the grassy area is,
but it takes a few steps further east to get a sense of how vast the elm trees are.
Moving back to the west gives the much-photographed view down the walkway and shows young elms planted to replace original elms that have died.
Continuing counterclockwise takes you around to the western grassy expanse, more shaded in the morning, with groups of children learning to play Frisbee football.
Further counterclockwise and looking back to the southeast again gives a sense of the age and size of the elms and the sheer vastness of the Oval.
The south end of the walk looks across the street to the Administration Building,
which is quite grand itself.
The Administration Building yields an enviable view of the Oval,
and the Administration Building steps a yet more enviable view of the path.
The entire Oval is surrounded by historic buildings, as seen looking north across the eastern grassy area.
A few students were on the east edge in the shade — a large group for many other gathering areas and completely dwarfed by the Oval.
Every institution that serves the public should have a space large enough that it stretches the eye, and thereby the imagination.