The Snow Is Melting & Me & My Fellow Texans Are Out Driving Around Breaking Rules & Being Scofflaws

You are looking east on Randol Mill Road in east Fort Worth, Friday afternoon around 3. As you can see we have had some snow melting.

I'd been outside enjoying the Winter Wonderland in walk mode, but, when I realized the roads were easily doable, I quickly went and did them in fully mechanized mode.

When I got the wheels turning, first, I needed to go to the Post Office. There I found a mysterious, thick envelope from the Queen of Wink. I've not opened it yet. I'm saving it for a special moment. I also found something else that once more sent me to the Chase Bank on Beach Street.

I did not even consider the possibility of having me one of my regular walkabouts on the way to the bank, which would be my regular pattern.

I left the bank and saw that the Trinity River is flooding over Trinity Falls at the infamous location of the Express Energy Services Trinity River Water Withdrawals. It looked so different, all white, with the rutted up, muddied levee, looking all pristine and clean.

I then went to Town Talk. Fewest cars I've ever seen there. Got some good stuff, cheese, hummus and apple cider. Really good apple cider.

It was when I left Town Talk I encountered the Road Closed sign on Randol Mill Road.

I think being all cooped up due to being snowbound had the scofflaw side of my makeup all revved up. I wanted to see what was closing Randol Mill Road. Something dire, I assumed. Maybe the old bridge, that crosses the Trinity River, had finally given up. It's had trucks banned on it for years, which I've also seen ignored, having had encounters, mid-bridge with both big UPS and Fed-Ex trucks.

I suspected if the bridge was the reason for the closure, the Road Closed sign would have been more dire sounding, as in, "Danger Ahead Bridge Out."

I was not long past the Road Closed sign when I encountered an incoming car. I thought maybe they were coming out of the north entrance to Gateway Park.

And then more incoming cars. I got to the infamous Randol Mill Trinity Bridge and encountered the oncoming car you see in the picture.

Prior to this incoming car I saw what I think had the road closed. Some snow damaged tree material was leaning over the road. I hit some when I could not swerve around it, due to one of those incoming cars I mentioned.

I met so many incoming vehicles I assumed only the eastbound lane of Randol Mill was closed. I was wrong. The westbound lanes were more seriously blocked than the eastbound, as you can see in the picture.

Why were so many Texans scofflawing today? Usually we are such a docile people, living in fear of an encounter with the taser wielding Fort Worth Gestapo Stormtroopers and never, ever breaking any rules.