Saturday, December 15, 2012

A Tandy Hills Walk Over A New Bridge While Being Detoured In Town Talk By A Fun Run

New Bridge Over Tandy River
Today I was back on the Tandy Hills for the first time since Thursday. During those couple days, between then and now, the recent freezing has delivered a death blow to the majority of the leaves on the trees.

Colorful Fall foliage is no more. Not to return until some point in time in 2013.

On Thursday on the Tandy Hills I came upon a Fort Worth Water Department crew digging up the culvert pipe that was not big enough to handle the Tandy River when it goes into flood mode.

Or when a sewer or water pipe breaks.

Today the new bridge appeared to be totally installed, which you can see above. The new culvert pipe is multiple times bigger than the old culvert pipe, which, inexplicably lies to the side of the Tandy Highway, between the orange posts that you see in the picture, and crime scene tape.

The temperature was near perfect, today, for a perfect Tandy Hills hike. I saw only one other human out enjoying this perfection. Currently, after 3 in the afternoon, this 3rd Saturday of December, it is 71 degrees. The temperature has been above 50 for a couple days. I think I may try to see if swimming works, later today.

Whilst hiking today, when I came to the location on the View Street Trail, aka, I think, the Jackrabbit Trail, that overlooks I-30, I saw two pickups parked precariously at the side of the freeway. Within the hour I figured out why the pickups were parked precariously.

Today is Fun Run Day in North Texas, that being the day, each year, when thousands of motorcycles and their drivers drive east, to Dallas (or is it Arlington?) on I-30, delivering Christmas toys to those in need of such things.

On my way to Town Talk, driving Oakland Boulevard over I-30, I saw dozens of vehicles parked on the side of the freeway, waiting for the Fun Run. This seems sort of unsafe to me, but, what do I know about what's safe?

Driving by the north entry to Gateway Park, almost to Town Talk, I saw what looked like thousands of motorbikes, assembling in Gateway Park.

Fun Run From Town Talk Parking Lot
When I have witnessed the Fun Run in years previous I saw the motorbikes coming in from the west. I remember being on the Beach Street overpass, watching the incoming motorbikes coming from the west. Was this huge throng in Gateway Park joining those already on the freeway? I have no idea.

Whilst pushing my cart amongst the Town Talk throngs I began hearing the roar of motorbikes. I walked outside to see Fort Worth police blocking traffic from Beach Street, so the phalanx of motorbikes could make it to the freeway, unimpeded by pesky motorists.

The blocked road  meant I needed to take the scenic route back to my abode, through a very interesting industrial zone of Haltom City, where I saw a herd of tiny horses, dozens of kids on dirtbikes and a lot of other vehicles forced to take this detour over a very bumpy road.

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