On The First Sunday Of May Fort Worth's Gateway Park Has Lost Its Brush Pile Mess With New Directional Trail Signs

The past month, or two, after rolling my wheels on the Gateway Park mountain bike trails I have mentioned two things bugging me.

One thing bugging me was big piles of brush blocking the trail.

The other thing bugging me was the lack of directional signage, the lack of which had caused two near head-on collisions since the Saturday before yesterday's Saturday.

I was last on the Gateway Park mountain bike trails on Tuesday. On that day more brush was being cut, more piles were being piled up, and I had the second of the aforementioned near head-on collisions.

So, imagine how pleased I was today to find the piles of brush gone, except for one small pile which was still causing a little trail blockage.

And pleasing me even more than the missing piles of brush was finding direction signage has been stuck in the ground at most of the locations where there are trail junctions and confusion potentials. The signs clearly indicate the correct direction, and where needed, the back of the sign clearly indicates the biker is going the wrong direction.

A lot of trail work had been done since Tuesday, in addition to the adding of directional signage. Much of the trail has had some weed whacking done to the foliage that was starting to encroach on the trail in places.

And the fallen tree roadblock, which had screeched my wheel rolling to a halt on Tuesday, has been totally removed. I could not even tell for sure where the fallen tree obstruction had been.

Good job, Fort Worth Mountain Bike Association....

Rolling My Wheels On Gateway Park's Trails With Fallen Trees, Brush Blockages, Snakes & A Bobcat

Those are my handlebars back in Gateway Park today, looking at the ever growing piles of brush that is blocking much of that which was not blocked before the brush was cut and piled.

The brush cutters were back cutting and piling brush today.

I think I may have figured out the purpose of all the brush cutting. I think the Fort Worth Park Department may have decided it was a good idea to open up this section of the park, giving open access to the cliff from which one looks down on the Trinity River. This part of the park did have a bit of a claustrophobic feel to it, prior to the brush being cut.

The brush was an issue even before I started to roll my wheels today. As I was unloading my bike from its motorized vehicular transport, to load it with that which I take with me, as in wallet, camera, phone and water, a guy rolled up, stopped and asked me if I was riding the single track.

When I indicated I was pedaling the single track he advised me to not pedal past the two cones I'll come to at the point where the trail has its first steep down and up section. I indicated I knew whence he was referring. He said he pedaled past the cones, zipped down the hill and then had to slam the brakes when he saw the trail was blocked by brush and brush cutters.

The guy also warned me about a downed tree further down the trail that he slammed in to due to it being on part of the trail that zips up and down with sharp turns. He said he went through the jungle to get to the paved trail and around the downed tree. When I got to the obstruction I decided just to turn around and go the wrong way, back to an easy exit to the paved trail.

All the trail problems had me wondering if the Fort Worth Mountain Bike Association is still actively maintaining the Gateway Park trails.

A few weeks ago, on the informational sign at the trailhead, I read about a problem the FWMBA was a having over losing its insurance and thus not being able to keep up their part of the trail bargain they'd made with the city.

I re-read that information today which directed me to the FWMBA website for updated trail info.

I don't think I'd been to the FWMBA website before. That is a screencap of the Gateway Park part of the website you are looking at here. It is a well done website.

The FWMBA website gave me no indication that this organization is no longer actively involved with the Gateway Park trails.

On Sunday as I rolled over the Gateway Park trails I suddenly found myself faced with an incoming couple pedaling the wrong direction. Today it happened again, with a solo guy. Both were confused by the maze of trails. It is easy to get going the wrong direction, or take a wrong turn on to a disc golf trail.

 I have only seen two directional arrows anywhere on the Gateway Park mountain bike trails. And both of those are a bit confusing.

I don't know if the FWMBA people realize how popular their Gateway Park trails have become. Popular for a good reason. They are fun trails, as long as no brush blocks your way before almost getting hit by someone rolling the wrong direction.

Other than blocked trails and other aggravations I had myself a mighty fine time rolling my wheels today, with that mighty fine time including having my first bobcat encounter ever at Gateway Park and almost rolling over a snake for the first time this year...

Daylight Savings Time Had Me Finding A Yellow White Wildflower Blooming In Gateway Park

Today I decided to repeat last Sunday's venture in the outer world by returning to Gateway Park to roll my wheels over that location's mountain bike trails.

A surprise surprised me at the entry to the mountain bike trail.

That surprise would be the big yellow and white wildflower you see in front on the FWMBA TRAIL sign.

FWMBA is the Fort Worth Mountain Bike Association.

The big yellow and while wildflower surprised me due to the fact that it has been well below freezing of late where these flowers are sprouting.

Back in my old home zone of the Skagit Valley, in the state called Washington, there is a flower that is commercially grown called a daffodil, which resembles this yellow and white wildflower blooming in Gateway Park.

In March and April many acres of the Skagit Valley flatlands are covered with daffodils. And other flowers. Like tulips. At the flower sprouting time of the year one will also see daffodils and tulips blooming in all sorts of landscaped locations in addition to the commercial bulb farmer fields.

Changing the subject from daffodils to something else.

I really do not like Daylight Savings Time. I think Texas and the rest of America should follow the lead of the part of Arizona which is south of the Grand Canyon and stay on Standard Time all year long.

Lost In Thought Today On The Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail Almost Sent Me Cliff Diving

FWMBA (Fort Worth Mountain Bike Association) really needs to add a "CAUTION" sign a few feet before the location you see on the left on the Gateway Park mountain bike trail.

Right before one reaches this location one pedals up a steep, short incline. At the top of the incline one sees what one sees in the picture, that being a cliff dropping down to the Trinity River.

I was lost in thought today when I reached this location.

Even though I was lost I hit the brakes quick enough to avoid an unwanted swim with the fishes and turtles.

The outer world was heated to around 95 when I left my abode to drive to Gateway Park. The humidity had the heat index having it feel like the outer world was over 100 degrees.

And so it did. Feel over 100 degrees.

I had my wished for sauna steam  bath today. Followed by the rapid chilling provided by the Town Talk cooler.

I got myself a shopping cart full of stuff at Town Talk today. A big bag of Russet spuds from Twin Falls, Idaho. A 5 pound bag of broccoli crowns. Another 5 pound jar of pickled ginger. Cabbage, lettuce, yogurt, cheese, tortillas, ham and I forget what else.

I'd tell you what I was lost in thought about that had me almost doing some cliff diving, but it's a distressing tale of sadly perverse verbal abuse that may be too weird to share....

Meandering Around Gateway Park Looking Forward To My First Mountain Bike Trail Workday

On my way to Town Talk today I stopped at Gateway Park to meander through the seldom visited backwoods  zone of this very big, largely undeveloped, city park.

I came upon a plaque today whilst doing my meandering that informed me that Gateway Park opened in 1991. I first visited Gateway Park soon after I arrived in Texas, which would be 7 or 8 years after Gateway Park opened.

I can never remember what year, for sure, my exile in Texas began. Was it December of 1998, or was it December of 1999? One would think I would know this.

At the top of this blog it says I've been exiled in Texas since 1999. I think maybe my thinking that made me think that was I got to Texas about a week before Christmas, I think in the year of 1998, with the new year of 1999 beginning in just 2 weeks, I think that is why I say my exile began in 1999 because that marked the start of my first full year in exile.

Anyway, the first time I visited Gateway Park I entered the park from Beach Street, saw the boardwalk connected to the Trinity River, parked and walked the boardwalk. The Trinity River was running a lot of water at that point in time and in my newbie naivete I figured this was the river's regular state of water flow, with rapids.

The Gateway Park boardwalk was in fine shape the first time I saw it. At that point in time I did not know there was another, even more elaborate boardwalk, further down stream.

Part of the FWMBA Trail Workday Notice

And now, a relatively short time later, both boardwalks are boarded up eyesores with "CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC" signs.

The Gateway Park boardwalks may be rotting eyesores, but other parts of Gateway Park have been worked on, such as the miles of mountain bike trails that now meander through the Gateway Park jungle.

Today I saw a notice on the reader board that provides info about the mountain bike trail, with the notice informing me that there have been 2 Mountain Bike Trail Workdays that I have missed, with another one coming up on the first day of December.

The Trail Workdays are a FWMBA (Fort Worth Mountain Biker's Association) operation. According to the notice, apparently Phase 2 is off to a great start with over 1 mile of pure single track and a completely new 5 mile rideable loop. Lunch and drinks are provided to the workers on the workdays.

I need more specificity as to the exact nature of the food and drinks to properly motivate me to work on a mountain bike trail.

I have no idea if I have biked the mile of pure single track or the new 5 mile loop. I have biked, twice, what I thought was all the mountain bikeable trails that are in Gateway Park. Some of it is a little difficult for my diminished skill level. I easily could have missed a loop or a trail junction.

Town Talk was not its usual busy Saturday self today. I suspect shopper fatigue is the explanation.