Pine Coning, Horse Riding, Mountain Biking & Hiking By Lake Grapevine From Bob Jones Park in Southlake

Above you are looking at a lone pine tree, loaded with big pine cones, sitting on a bluff above Lake Grapevine, in Southlake, with the tree shadowing Army Corps of Engineer's trails that you access from Bob Jones Park.

The Army Corps of Engineer's trails that you access from Bob Jones Park are the site of my second worst (and funnest) case of getting lost in Texas, with the best (and not fun) case of getting lost happening on Christmas day of 2002 at Dinosaur Valley State Park.

Yesterday it was in the 80s when I went hiking the Tandy Hills, thus requiring no additional warmth producing clothing beyond the minimum needed. Less than 24 hours later I needed two layers of long sleeved shirts, a windbreaker with a hoodie and a wool cap. And long pants.

Pine trees grow in Texas, naturally, mainly in the Piney Woods Region of East Texas. This solo pine tree seems a bit out of place, all alone with no relatives. I don't recollect ever seeing a pine tree so overloaded with pine cones.

If I had something along with me to carry them I would have picked some pine cones. They smell good. Sort of like getting the aromatic benefit of a Christmas tree without all those nasty needles drying out and falling to the floor.

Above you are looking at an inlet on the vast inland sea known as Lake Grapevine. I don't remember if I have been on these trails in winter before. I do remember I have never been on these trails when it is cold. My first experience on these trails occurred approximately a decade ago, in summer. It was a combo mountain bike/horse ride exploration.

I suppose you are thinking that is me, back in the saddle, using 4 horseshoed hooves to explore the Lake Grapevine trails.

You would be wrong.

The kid on the horse stopped to tell me of late he'd been seeing a lot of people on the trails. He wondered where I was from and how I knew about this place. This was an interesting question for him to ask, due to the fact that I'd come upon 4 separate groups of humans hiking today. And was wondering the same thing. I don't recollect ever seeing any humans, besides the ones I was with, in this location, previously.

Tomorrow is going to be cold, too. No pool for me. That is for sure.

Cowboy Durango Riding His Horse In Texas

A few days ago the Queen of Wink asked if there were any pictures with both me and her new Facebook friend, Big Ed, in it. I couldn't think of any. If I'm doing something picture worthy with Big Ed, it is I taking a picture, so I'm not in it.

If Big Ed and I are doing something with a group of people, that is picture worthy and someone else takes a picture, I usually do not get a copy.

I do remember a picture that had me in it, with both the Goober Twins, Big Ed and his even bigger twin, Wally. It was in Death Valley. I had a flat tire. Much drama erupted as the spare was installed by the Goober Twins. At the height of that drama a picture was taken. I was laughing, while the Goober Twins were in full Goober mode.

At the Queen's bidding I found another picture. Big Ed and me being cowboys. I was a reluctant cowboy. I do not see the attraction in sitting on one of those hot beasts. I've had incidents. The one you see me sitting on, in the picture, tried to kill me a few months later on the 4th of July.

The picture was taken by Bob Jones Park on Lake Grapevine. I don't mean the picture was taken by someone named Bob Jones Park. Bob Jones is the name of the park adjacent to Army Corps of Engineers land, which has a lot of hiking and horse trails, which is where we were riding.

What I was actually doing on these trails was riding my mountain bike, not a horse. The picture taker talked me into getting off my bike and on to her dangerous horse so she could take a picture.

The horse's name was Caution. Well-named. I should have taken it as a warning and never gotten on that beast again.

A Hot Sunny Saturday Morning In Texas With Magnolia Fumes

Early to bed, early to rise. Again. Still not feeling any wealthier, healthier or wiser. Just feeling monotonous, like my weather forecast.

The sun has been up for awhile. The birds are chirping. Magnolia fumes are wafting in through the open windows. I hear the fountain splashing down by the pool, reminding me that it's about time to go swimming.

I've got a long list of things to get done today. Of which, most likely, not much will get done. Yesterday I went to San Antonio. Today I think I'll go to Tyler. And then when I'm done with Tyler I think I'll go up to Bob Jones Park in Southlake to do me some beach hiking on Lake Grapevine.

Roller Blading At Bob Jones Park

Bob Jones Park was fresh on my mind due to having driven Mom & Dad there on Wednesday. The paved trails at Bob Jones Park make for some good rollerblading. So, that's where I went.

I also wanted to go to Sprouts Farmers Market, so I had 2 reasons to be in the south Lake Grapevine zone.

The picture of me blading, with a castle in the background, does not do justice to the castle. I'm not as tall as the castle. It's really big, even though it looks like a dollhouse in the picture.

In the second picture, as I roller blade into the distance, I shrink and the castle gets way bigger.

I was slightly overdressed for blading. It was around 60 with no wind. It is 65 now at 4 in the afternoon.

No one has heard a report from my Mom & Dad today. I just talked to my sister in Phoenix and she's not heard from them since yesterday. I hope they didn't wander too close to the border and end up lost in Mexico.

Mom & Dad Won't Take Off Their Cowboy Hats

I had me another day with Mom and Dad today. I picked them up, this morning, before 11. We drove up 360 to the town of Grapevine, then by the Great Wolf Lodge, en route to the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center. The Christmas decorations were still up at the Gaylord, so Mom and Dad got to see Santa on his power boat pulling his reindeer on skis.

Leaving the Gaylord we drove across Grapevine Dam to Rockledge Park for the first photo-op of the day. Mom and Dad have really taken to wearing their cowboy hats. I think it helps them feel like they are fitting in with the natives.

After Rockledge we drove to see Austin Ranch in daylight. That's where I'd gone to a Christmas party in early December. I had never seen it in daylight and did not realize it actually is a ranch, of sorts.

After Austin Ranch it was on to Costco for a light free sample lunch. Then to check out Southlake Town Center. Then it was time for a QT stop for liquids, like coffee.

Then up to Bob Jones Park, looking at overly large houses along the way, including a perplexing castle. After driving around the Bob Jones Park zone we headed south down White Chapel Road to a REALLY BIG HOUSE zone. Then on to the Grapevine Highway, heading to Penneys at the Northeast Mall.

After way too much shopping, it was then on to the Airport Freeway, heading to the Stockyards, to Riscky's BBQ for All You Can Eat BBQ Ribs.

I dropped Mom and Dad off in front of Riscky's,
parked and ran back to them. They thought it too cold to sit outside, so inside we went. Our waitress was Brittney. She forgot our BBQ sauce. Mom didn't like her ribs til I asked Brittney if we could have some Riscky's Sauce. I like the ribs without sauce.

I ate several jalapenos, which led to my Mom biting in to one. That did not go well. Apparently she felt they were quite hot. I just thought they were tasty.

We went several rounds of getting more ribs and then it was over. Riscky's has added bone buckets since my last visit. The bone bucket quickly filled up, as you can see on the left.

Leaving the Stockyards zone, I could see I-35 was gridlock, so I drove backroads to this weird part of Haltom City that has all these wrecking yards and junky looking stuff. Very Third Worldly. Entering that zone there was a big anti-union protest group. Mom thought it looked dangerous and that we shouldn't proceed. I laughed and told her it was harmless.

Eventually we exited the Third World and re-entered civilization at Gateway Park. I showed Mom and Dad Fort Woof. There were a lot of dogs running around.

We left Gateway Park and drove Randoll Mill across a very old, narrow bridge. Mom kept being appalled by how many times we crossed the Trinity River. She was concerned as to how these people could afford to build so many bridges to cross one river.

It was then time to get on the freeway and drive Mom and Dad back to their current home in Arlington.

Tomorrow we are going to Dallas, to the Farmers Market. And then to McDonald's. They remembered and liked going to the Dallas Farmers Market on their last visit, but neither remembers going to one of the world's most unique McDonald's, so annointed by both me and the Travel Channel. I'll probably throw in a few other things to see in Dallas too. Maybe we'll drive by George and Laura's new house.

At Riscky's today my Dad announced they will be returning in 2015. Their last visit was in October, 2001, then this visit in January 2009. So, I guess the next logical date, in the sequence, is 2015. I don't know what month, though. I'm getting older. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with them.

Getting Lost Again At Bob Jones Park

I didn't get a chance to blog about yesterday's adventure yesterday because when I got back here I got an emergency call from Miss Puerto Rico that had me embroiled in Latina Psycho-Drama til bedtime.

Yesterday I went up to Bob Jones Park. That's near Lake Grapevine. The route to Bob Jones Park, from here, takes me by Sprouts Farmers Market, my favorite grocery store, so I went there after getting lost and after having Costco free samples for lunch.

I don't actually get lost at Bob Jones Park. Bob Jones Park is the access point to where it's easy to get lost. Trails lead out of the park to a maze of other trails that are so confusing there are directional signs. Eventually if you go in the right direction you'll come to Lake Grapevine. The lake is the lowest I've ever seen it at this location. The last time I was there many of the trails were flooded.

Yesterday I found myself on trails I'd not been on before. There were several intersecting trails with no directional signage. After about an hour and a half I had to admit I was lost. I like being lost. As long as it doesn't get dark. That happened to me one Christmas at Dinosaur Valley State Park. That time, just as I started to sort of panic, I recognized where I was and was able to escape before it got too dark.

Yesterday, I came upon the clump of cactus in the photo during the period when I was lost. The lost trail went through some interesting territory. I think long ago a house was at this location judging from piles of wood from a long collapsed building.

The reason I think this may have been the location of a house was due to something very very bizarre. As in there were hundreds of Mason canning jars on the ground, the likes of which I saw my mom and dad fill with raspberry jam when I was in Tacoma last summer. What seemed really strange was all the jars were intact. No one had had themselves a good time throwing rocks at them. I found all those intact Mason canning jars unsettling. They continue to haunt me this morning. I'll probably get over it by this afternoon.

Getting Lost at Bob Jones Park

Today I wanted to go to Sprouts Farmers Market to get oranges and since it is only a few miles further to Bob Jones Park I decided that'd be a good place to go on a hike.

Bob Jones Park is in a remote part of the town of Southlake on Lake Grapevine in the state of Texas. The Park is named for John Dolford "Bob" Jones. Bob Jones was the son of Alvis Jones and Alvis' slave, Elizabeth. The would make Bob Jones the slave of his father. After the Civil War Bob and his mom were freed. They bought a 60 acre farm. Bob got married to Meady Chisum, eventually having 10 kids and expanding their farm to nearly 2,000 acres.

When Grapevine dam was finished and Lake Grapevine began to grow behind it, most of Bob Jones' land ended up being under water. Of course, Bob Jones was long gone by then, his land had been split among his kids and grandkids. In the 1990s Southlake bought the land that became Bob Jones Park.

Which is where I went hiking today. And got lost. The developed part of Bob Jones Park leads to what amounts to being a nature preserve with it being a prime piece of the Cross Timbers ecosytem. There is some signage to help hikers find their way, like you see in the above photo.

But there are so many trails, most without signage, it becomes a fun confusing maze that is easy to get lost in. It did not help that today Lake Grapevine is in flood stage so many of the trails were under water. My worst time of getting lost at Bob Jones Park ended up turning an hour hike into a 3 hours with sore feet and serious hunger pangs.

Today's lost experience did not last too long. But I was happy to find my van and drive to Sprouts for those oranges. And some real nice red peppers.