Giant Tires & Bobcats Invade The Parched Tandy Hills

Lately it seems hardly a day goes by without yet one more Tandy Hills mystery.

White snails, bamboo teepees, frozen water, flooding creeks, giant tires, just to name a few of the Tandy Hills mysteries.

The Giant Tire is today's new Tandy Hills mystery. Actually it was two tires. One giant, the other not giant.

The Giant Tire is the Big Mystery. The Giant Tire arrived within the past 24 hours. It sits in the middle of Tandy Highway, near the creek crossing which recently flooded.

I thought maybe some kids had fun rolling the tire to this location. However, I saw no tire tracks.

I tried to lift the tire to its rolling position. It was too heavy, way too heavy. I could not budge it.

How did this Giant Tire get to this location?

Far away from the Giant Tire I found another tire that had arrived since yesterday. This one was located near the end of the trail that leads on to the Tandy Hills from the park on View Street.

As you can see, this is a little tire. With a view of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

A short time after discovering the second tire I came across something I've not seen on the Tandy Hills before.

A Bobcat.

I have had multiple Bobcat encounters at River Legacy Park in Arlington, and once at Quanah Parker Park near my abode.

I was about 50 feet from the Tandy Bobcat when I spotted it looking intensely at something, I assume lunch. As I reached for my camera the Bobcat spotted me and leaped into running mode before I could aim the camera at him.

This was the biggest Bobcat I've seen. It seemed a little skinny. I imagine times are tough on the Tandy Hills, food-wise, and definitely water-wise. Maybe the Tandy Bobcat has discovered the Tandy Roadrunner's water barrel.

Years ago, when I had my first Bobcat encounter, was during a period of time when there had been cougar sightings along the Trinity River.

I was on the River Legacy Park mountain bike trail when I saw a cat ahead of me. My imagination said cougar, at first, then I realized it was way smaller than a cougar. Still, I was certain its intent was to murder me and drag me to its lair.

I sort of over-reacted and turned around on the one-way trail and hurried out of there, going the wrong way til I made it back to civilization. I pedaled fast to find a park ranger to warn of the danger. If I remember right the park ranger giggled at me.

After that first Bobcat encounter I had many more, some documented on my River Legacy Park webpage. Years after that first Bobcat encounter I was pedaling on to the bike/hike bridge across the Trinity and saw a Bobcat walking on to the bridge from the other side. I continued on, as did he. We passed each other, sort of warily, at the middle of the bridge. I think I said something like "Howdy Kitty."

If I go to the Tandy Hills tomorrow for my regular Saturday hike, followed by a Town Talk visit, I wonder what new mystery I will find to mystify me? I hope it isn't anything that bites.