Chilly Windy Wichita Falls Return To Lucy Park Reminder Of Columbus Day Storm & Great Depression

Today, for the first time this third month of 2025, day 5, also known as Wednesday, it was back to Lucy Park I ventured for some semi-chilly, windy nature communing.

As you can see, via the view looking at the Lucy Park suspension bridge over the Wichita River, there is nary a cloud clouding the clear blue sky.

Yesterday was one of the windiest days I have ever experienced.

My memory may have to go back many decades, to remember stronger wind, to what is known as the Columbus Day Storm, a storm which pummeled the Pacific Northwest with hurricane strength wind. Hurricane strength of the Category 5 level of strong.

My mom let my little brother and me go outside and play in the Columbus Day storm. I remember pushing our bikes west on Washington Avenue, several blocks, to Anacortes Avenue.

And then getting on our bikes, letting the wind push us back home. That did not go well. By the time we reached our block, we were being pushed so fast, braking did not slow us. We both ended our windy ride by crashing into Maiben Park.

Yesterday's Wichita Falls wind blew all day long. I drove to Walmart around five in the afternoon. It was not easy walking into the store, dodging projectiles, holding onto my hat.

Apparently, the wind was worse in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone, with a dust storm coloring the sky red.

A dust storm, a cratering stock market, idiotic tariffs. Almost like history repeating itself replicating 1929/1930, when the Great Depression was getting increasingly depressing, with the Dust Bowl destroying farming, the Smoot-Hartley Tariff Act disrupting international commerce, the Stock Market crashing, with a Republican president, thought to be a successful businessman, who turning out to be inept at being President.

Big difference, though, way back then Herbert Hoover was not a stooge for Joesph Stalin...

Stormy Windy Rain Result With Wichita Falls Sikes Lake Waterfall

Last night a storm arrived, around 3 in the morning, dropping copious amounts of water, along with some of that water in the frozen form of hail. 

The D/FW Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex zone got hit with hurricane level wind gusts last night, knocking out power to many.

Such was not the case at my location about 130 miles northwest of D/FW.

By morning my abode was almost surrounded by a moat, but I was able to successfully make my way to my motorized means of motion, to drive to Sikes Lake for some nature communing, which is an activity I have not indulged in for a couple days, due to distractions distracting me from such.

The forecast for today forecast winds gusting near 50 mph. As I walked around Sikes Lake the persistent gusting made walking a bit unstable at times. And felt to be in excess of 50 mph.

As you can see, via the photo documentation, the wind was making some whitecapping waves on the lake. 

The overnight rain rendered Sikes Lake a muddy brown, instead of its usual blue hue. The threatening sky may have exacerbated that brown muddy lake color scheme.

It has been a while since I've seen a waterfall falling water in Wichita Falls. A month ago, when I walked to the main manmade Wichita Falls waterfall it was in dry falls mode.

Other than that main manmade Wichita Falls waterfall, the other manmade Wichita Falls waterfall which falls water somewhat regularly, when precipitation is at a normal level, is the waterfall falling over the Sikes Lake dam.

Today, as I got closer, the roar of falling water indicated to me that the Sikes Lake dam's spillway was in waterfall mode, as you can see, but not hear, via the photo documentation.

Due to the wind and low humidity, we are under what is known as a Red Flag warning, indicating wildfire conditions. What with that rain, last night, I don't see how it can be that humidity is low, or that conditions are still dry enough to easily start a fire.

Currently, looking out my computer room window, the outer world looks stormy, gray and menacing, a local visual metaphor for America's current status in the world...

Lamb-Like First Day Of March Hiking With Wichita Bluff Nature Area Roadrunner

On this first day of the third month of 2025, it was to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area I ventured to join the throngs enjoying March not roaring in like a lion, but instead bellowing in like a windy lamb, under a blue sky, with the temperature feeling balmy, in the 70s, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

I suspect the reason there were so many nature lovers out loving nature is the fact that last weekend, and the weekend before that, the outer world was rather cold, at times feeling as if the temperature was below zero.

It was not just humans (and their dogs) I saw enjoying the enjoyable weather conditions.

I had barely entered the Wichita Bluff Nature Area zone when I saw a bird I have seen a time or two, whilst hiking the bluffs.

A roadrunner.

My previous encounters with roadrunners have had the bird acting like I was a coyote, taking off at high speed to get away from me, thus rendering photo documentation impossible.

But, today's roadrunner seemed fearless, and almost vain, the way it was so cooperative posing for photos, of which I took around a dozen, choosing the one you see above as the best.

What with Spring-like pleasant weather having arrived, methinks I shall amp up my outdoor activity level, attempting to get in good enough shape to enjoy being more adventurous...