Rolling Circle Trail To Lucy Park Past Wichita Falls Giant Mushrooms

With the return of blue sky and dry ground today I activated yesterday's aborted, due to a soaking rain, plan to roll my wheels on the Circle Trail, north to where the Circle Trail leaves Holliday Creek to enter Williams Park, before continuing on along the Wichita River.

I figured the Circle Trail would be under water, as in flooded, due to its proximity to the Wichita River, which has been in the local news of late for bad behavior, such as flooding Lucy Park.

Well, I got to Williams Park, which clearly had seen some flooding, and then I arrived at the Wichita River, which clearly had also been doing some flooding, including covering the now dry Circle Trail, leaving only a thin layer of Utah-type redrock-like dust behind.

I forgot to mention, at multiple locations along the way I came upon giant mushrooms. On the third instance of seeing such I stopped to photo document the giant fungi, which is what you see above. I am fairly certain these are not some variant of Psilocybin Mushrooms, also known as Magic Mushrooms.

In my old home zone of Western Washington, Magic Mushrooms are a popular, free to harvest, natural organic item of vegetation, like blackberries, only more medicinal and difficult to harvest.

I did not know Magic Mushrooms grew in Texas until several years ago when I attended a protest event in Fort Worth hosted by Elsie Hotpepper at a newly opened restaurant which had a nefarious association with what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle. The protest that day, near as I could tell, entailed ordering food and drink from the restaurant's menu and then complaining about it.

Anyway, at that protest, for reasons I no longer remember, one of the protesters told me about how she grew her own tobacco to make homemade cigarettes, one of which she smoked as she told me about her healthy organic farm. Where she also grew Magic Mushrooms.

Enough with the Magic Mushroom digression. Continuing on with today's bike ride.

What with the Circle Trail not being flooded I opted to continue on, thinking there was no way the trail would be clear of water and mud all the way to Lucy Park. When I got to the Wichita Falls waterfall which is becoming known as Frequently Dry Falls, I was not too shocked to once again find Wichita Falls' signature waterfall turned off. The last time I saw the artificial falls, up close, it was sort of dribbling, not really in waterfall mode. Today it was totally dry, falling water-wise.

In the view above I climbed up on rocks one is probably not supposed to climb on to take a picture looking back at the Wichita River, the new bridge across the falls, and my bike.

As you can see the Wichita River is currently running strong with that Utah-like redrock color I am fond of.

Soon after leaving Frequently Dry Falls I entered Lucy Park, pleased to see the recent flood has completely left the park. And the suspension bridge across Wichita River no longer being flooded. The suspension bridge appears to have suffered zero damage from its recent bout of being hit with too much water and flotsam.

I rolled the Circle Trail loop around Lucy Park and then began my long roll back home. Stopping, eventually, at the location of the original Wichita Falls on the Wichita River. The original falls was destroyed by a flood way back in the late 1800s.

The grand total of miles rolled today was over 20. The longest bike ride I have ridden in quite some time. I think I had myself a mighty fine time, but I'm not quite sure. We shall see how I feel in the morning...