Sunday, December 16, 2012

Biking Gateway Park Experiencing Boardwalk Perplexations

In the picture that is my bike at the top of the stairs, under what looks like a big branch of a hangman's tree.

Those stairs and that branch of a hangman's tree are in Gateway Park in the town of Fort Worth in the state of Texas.

It has been many years since I've been able to walk down these particular stairs in Gateway Park, prevented from doing so due to the stairs being blocked by a big board with a sign that said "Close to Public."

Several "Close to Public" signs, with "Close" missing a "d" still remain in Gateway Park. And the other access points to this particular Gateway Park Boardwalk remain boarded up with "Close  to Public" signs.

I don't know why the Fort Worth Parks people don't either fix the two Gateway Park boarded up Boardwalks, or douse them with gasoline and have a big bonfire.

A big Gateway Park Boardwalk Bonfire could be a big event on the Trinity River, something that has not been done before, like the now popular Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats on the formerly polluted Trinity River.

Due to there being no barrier preventing me access to the formerly "Close to Public" Boardwalk, I was able to walk almost all the way to the Trinity River.


As you can see, in the picture above, this particular Gateway Park Boardwalk is in bad shape, really bad shape. The other Gateway Park Boardwalk, further downstream, is in better shape.

When the Gateway Park Boardwalks were built did no one remember that the Trinity River floods every once in awhile, with a tremendous amount of water flowing in what most of the time is a very sedate  river?

Did no one suggest that spending money on the Boardwalks was a waste because a flood would come along and seriously damage the Boardwalks?

After inevitable floods did do damage to the Boardwalks why was no attempt made to clean up the mess and repair the damage?

I see these Boardwalks as some sort of metaphor for the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

On a happier note, Gateway Park sure is seeming popular these days.

Is Gateway Park the most visited park in Fort Worth? I suspect it may be. Yesterday I saw thousands of motorbikes in Gateway Park. Today it appeared there was some sort of Disc Golfer Convention. Balls were flying in soccer games. I saw dozens of people on bikes, others walking and dozens of dogs in Fort Woof.

Changing the subject to my favorite one. The weather.

It is currently 72 at my location, according to my computer based temperature monitoring device. I have my windows open. There are some things I like about Global Warming. Windows open in December is one.

I tried to go swimming this morning. That did not go too well. I rather quickly ended up in the hot tub, and then back in the pool, and then back in the hot tub again.

I am not a fan of hot tubs.

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