Semi Chilly Bike Ride By Kid-Free Doctor's Splash Pad

Those are the handlebars of my backup bike you see above, aimed at the Hamilton Park Splash Pad, which was brought to Hamilton Park by the good folks at the Wichita County Medical Alliance.

My non-backup bike is still at the bike doctor awaiting treatment.

Methinks this town could use another bike store to compete with Bike Stop. When I brought the bike to the doctor, two Thursdays ago, I was told it could take a week to get treated, but probably it would be fixed before that.

So, last Thursday I called the doctor's office to ask about my bike's condition. I was told it would be treated that day, or by tomorrow. Thursday and Friday came and went, with no call from the bike doctor.

Last Saturday I dropped in at the bike doctor's to take the bike bag off the sick bike so I could use it on the backup bike. At that point I was told the bike would be operated on by Tuesday or Wednesday. The bike doctor's office is closed Sunday, and Monday was Labor Day, hence the no possible surgery til Tuesday.

Well. Tuesday and Wednesday came and went with no word from the bike doctor. And now it is Thursday again.

See why I think this town needs another bike store?

Today was the first time since it opened that I biked by Hamilton Park's Doctor's Splash Pad and saw no one getting wet. Hence why my handlebars are so close to the Splash Pad. I have seen kids getting splashed since school started up again. So, I think being in school is not the reason I saw no splashing today.

I think the reason I saw no splashing is because the outer world is being too cold for it to sound fun to get wet in a splashing fountain. 
 When I began rolling my bike wheels today the air was barely 70 degrees.

Brrrr...

WCMA Doctor's Splash Pad Up & Running Water In Wichita Falls Hamilton Park

Early yester evening my bike took me north on the Circle Trail, eventually reaching Hamilton Park where I saw the cooling scene you see above.

The Doctor's Splash Pad seems to be a rousing success, judging by the number of people I have seen since it opened enjoying getting splashed on.

The Doctor's Splash Pad and its adjacent climbing playground were brought about by the good people of the Wichita County Medical Alliance. 

Below is a screen cap from the WCMA website.

Okay, the actual Doctor's Splash Pad, in its completed state, looks a little different than the artist's conceptual rendering on the WCMA website, but the conceptual rendering is fairly close to the eventual reality.

Methinks this is a mighty fine thing the WCMA doctors have done. A literally cool place to take the kids, with no admission fee, and with a big parking lot. Along with modern restroom facilities. 

I can think of another Texas town, or two, I have lived in which might do itself a favor by emulating the good example of Wichita Falls, including building modern restroom facilities and getting rid of outhouses.

Fort Worth. Are you listening?

Driving Elderly Senior Citizen By Hamilton Park Doctor's Splash Pad

 

This morning I was chauffeuring the elderly senior citizen who I regularly chauffer to doctor appointments and drug dealing pharmacies, to get some drugs from the far side of town from my home zone location.

After successfully getting the drugs from that far side location I drove to the west side of town to get something I needed. Completing that task, ready to take the elderly senior citizen back from whence he came, he remembered he needed to get another prescription from another pharmacy. So, I headed back in the direction of the far side of town, stopping at the pharmacy about midway between the far side and west side of town.

The pharmacy is on Brook Avenue. Which intersects with Speedway Avenue, which intersects with Hamilton Boulevard. Hamilton Boulevard runs west of Hamilton Park, which is the location of the Doctor's Splash Pad, which is having its grand opening today.

So, one of the routes to take the elderly senior citizen back home goes right by Hamilton Park. So, I drove into the park to check out the new Doctor's Splash Pad. There were a lot of kids getting splashed.

I think the Splash Pad has some sorta sensor which only splashes when weight is detected. I thought that, because after taking the old man home I decided it was early enough for a bike ride. So I rolled the Circle Trail north to Hamilton Park and took the picture you see above of the Doctor's Splash Pad.

Without any kids getting splashed.

Or any water splashing. Hence my conclusion that the splasher detects weight and then turns on the splashing.

I think this Doctor's Splash Pad is going to be quite popular. I wished I would have thought to roll my bike over it to see if that caused splashing to erupt. Maybe next time if I find it unoccupied...