My Regular Saturday Gateway Park Cliff Avoidance Wondering What Chai Is

It being Saturday, today my handlebars were rolled to their regular Saturday location atop a cliff high above the green Trinity River.

Construction on the road that takes me to my usual route to Gateway Park and Town Talk forced me to turn off Randol Mill Road to Oakland Boulevard to take the I-30 Freeway to Beach Street to get to the Gateway Park mountain bike trails via the west entrance.

This had me parking by Fort Woof.

Fort Woof is Fort Worth's #1 dog park, thought by some to be the #1 dog park in America. And possibly the #1 dog park in the world. Fort Woof does appear to be a nice dog park with a lot of happy dogs running around.

I think the cooler temperature accounts for the increase in the usual number of bikers I saw today. It was only 80 degrees when I left my abode today to head to Gateway Park.

Next Saturday will be the day before the Autumnal Equinox, also known as the first day of Fall.

A lot of fallen leaves on the trails today seemed to be a harbinger of the coming Fall.

After having myself a really fine time rolling my wheels I rolled my motorized wheels to Town Talk where I had better treasure hunting than I had last Saturday.

Today at Town Talk I got a case of Dark Cherry Chai Yogurt. I have no idea what Chai is. But, I like dark cherries. I also got 2 big bags of broccoli crowns, plus extra sharp white cheddar cheese, whole wheat matzo crackers, chorizo and other stuff I'm not remembering right now.

Speaking of food. It is time for lunch now.

A Saturday With Dogs, Pomegranates, No Armadillos & Possible Incoming Snow

Fort Woof Dog Crossing

I did not see any armadillos whilst biking through Gateway Park, today, on my way to Town Talk, where I got the biggest pomegranates I have ever seen, giant grapefruit sized, for only 50 cent each.

The only critters I saw in Gateway Park, besides the usual humans, were squirrels and a lot of dogs having themselves a really fine time in Gateway Park's Fort Woof. 

I read  somewhere reliable that Fort Woof is one of the best, if not the best, dog park in the world.

Fort Woof does appear to be a well made facility.

Except there are no restroom facilities for either canines or humans. But, there are water dog faucets, which seems a very considerate touch.

Also very considerate is the fact that the small dogs are segregated from the big dogs. I assume this segregation is necessary due to the tendency of small dogs to suffer from small dog syndrome and thus bully their easier to get along with big dog counterparts.

Changing the subject from the dogs to the weather.

As you can see, at the time I went biking, this 2nd Saturday of the last month of 2012, clouds blocked direct access to warming solar  radiation.

The clouds have now been removed, for the most part, with the solar radiation currently heating my location to a relatively warm 66 degrees.

I have been going swimming after the sun goes down the past several days. That has been working out quite well. But, I think the swimming will temporarily come to an end in the next 48 hours, what with freezing temperatures and possible snow in the forecast.

Fort Woof Mayor Tsunami The Nominator Has Invited First Dog Bo Obama to Fort Woof

There were not many dogs running around America's #1 dog park, Fort Woof, in Gateway Park, in Fort Worth, today.

I'm sure the weather had something to do with the small number of barkers. That and a large section of the Large Dog area of Fort Woof had turned into Fort Woof Lake, thanks to a lot of melted snow. And bad drainage.

It appeared that with the Large Dog area now a lake some Large Dogs had turned scofflaw and had invaded the Small Dog area. There were so few dogs this did not seem to be a problem, with all dogs playing peacefully and none of the big guys bullying the little guys.

I learned from a sign outside the entry to the Large Dog area that the First Dog, Bo Obama, has been invited to Fort Woof, where Dogs rule, invited by the Mayor of Fort Woof, Tsunami the Nominator.

I assume Tsunami the Nominator is a dog. What a name. How did Tsunami get elected mayor? I wonder if it was with a 70% landslide of the 6% of eligible dog voters who bothered to vote? I hope Mayor Tsunami isn't doing any back door deal shenanigans to let gas drillers poke holes in Fort Woof.

The Outhouses Of The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex

I've decided I need to expand my documenting of Outhouses to urban zones of Texas beyond Arlington.

So, my popular series of bloggings of "The Outhouses of Arlington" is now "The Outhouses of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex."

My working hypothesis is that the Dallas/Fort Worth Metropolitan Area has the highest per capita number of Outhouses of any metropolitan area in the developed nations of the world.

The Outhouses you see in today's picture are located by Fort Woof in Gateway Park in Fort Worth. There is an even longer line of Outhouses in Gateway Park by the new soccer fields. I will photo document those at a later date. Is getting rid of the Outhouses part of the vision in the Trinity River Vision's upgrade of Gateway Park?

I have been to parks in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that have modern facilities. Cedar Hills State Park, for instance. No Outhouses. All the parks I've been in around Lake Joe Pool have modern facilities. So, I know it's not impossible to build a park with modern facilities here.

I am early in my Dallas/Fort Worth Outhouse research. So far it seems Arlington is Outhouse Central. Veterans Park in Arlington has one restroom with plumbing and no Outhouses. So far, near as I can tell, Veterans Park is the exception in Arlington.

Not having modern facilities is sort of unfriendly to visitors. Arlington seems to sort of be chronically unfriendly to visitors. Arlington is home to an illegal towing racketeering operation that targets visitors.

Ooops. I got off subject there. Back to Outhouses. Now, I have not been to all that many professional sports arenas. I'm curious to know, are there other NFL football stadiums that are surrounded by 100s of Outhouses like the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium in Arlington is?

Do the other NFL teams have custom made Outhouses with the team logo and name embossed on them, sprucing up their parking lots?

How much did all those specially made Dallas Cowboy Outhouses cost? How much does it cost to maintain them? How much would it cost to build permanent modern facilities? Am I the only one who finds it goofy to stick 100s of Outhouses around a $1.1 billion stadium on parking lots where you charge people $40 to park?

Fort Worth Propaganda Comments From Hillybilly Billy Hill

I got a great comment this morning regarding Saturday's blogging about gas driller's pipeline mess and propaganda signs I found while walking around Gateway Park.

The comment came from Billy Hill, who claims to be a Hillbilly. What Billy has to say about the signs I took pictures of on Saturday matched what I was thinking, but did not verbalize.

I'll copy Billy Hill's comment below for your reading enjoyment....

Did you notice if they included locations of all them gas wells poking holes all over the park? All that fraccing need a lot of freaking water, the cheaper (or free)the more profit.

Would people want their families to roam around that landmine and breath the air contaminated by all those wells?

I sure hope our beloved city (all those banners reminds me of Hitler's Germany and North Korea, which is in contrast to the hand made signs by citizens during the 9-12 and other rallies/parades) will take great care when doing the work to expand the park cuz there are big ole pipelines carrying gas (and maybe the toxic waste water to the "injection well" just a couple miles away at the former ARC park on E. 1st and Oakland, right west of Quanah Parker Park) crisscrossing that whole park.

Can you imagine another big firework show in that park with all those wells and their "escaping" gas? I hope they don't have a firetorch parade and rally to hear speeches by our dear leaders like those b%w film footage from the 1930's. Maybe our dear leaders will mark off a little fenced in area for people and their kids to run and play that has no pipelines right under their feet a-la Ft. Woof park for our precious four-legged pets/"kids", but I doubt there's enough such space available now.

Isn't there a big ol' former sewage/water treatment plant there (big humps near the softball fields)?

Keep taking pictures and reporting because no one will believe the danger and mess in that park after the million$$ are spent to "decorate" the park that I betcha will be declared "the envy" of the world (as hinted by the beautiful propaganda mini billboards in your picture.

General Eisenhower is reported to have made the painful decision to order as much filming of the holocaust camps and the victims because he wisely reasoned that "people are not going to believe this" without pictures and film (even then some geniuses still deny the crime today).

This hillbilly thanks you for telling it like you see it.

Billy Hill

Fort Worth's Gateway Park Master Plan, Abandoned Boardwalks & Dogs

The above big billboard caught my attention as I walked across a Gateway Park soccer field today. There seemed to be a lot going on on the billboard. And other signs by it. I was curious. It was right next to Fort Woof.

There was a lot of activity at Gateway Park today. A big rugby tournament with loud music and really good smelling Texas BBQ. Texas BBQ is my favorite type of Texas air pollution. Fort Woof was having a lot of barking going on. Including a pair of barking abandoned pit bulls.

But, before the dogs, back to the sign. On it I learned there is something called "Gateway Fanatics." And "Go Gateway Activity Sponsors."

I was quickly getting the feeling that this had to be some Trinity River Vision thing. That feeling was confirmed when I saw that the Trinity River Vision is one of the Gateway Activity Sponsors. The ubiquitous Chesapeake Energy is also a sponsor.

A nice trail has been installed and along the trail were well done propaganda signs. But before I get to that I'm going to go to the dogs.

Over by the now defunct Trinity River boardwalks there were a pair of very lonely, tail-wagging pit bulls that appeared to have been abandoned. There were 2 large piles of dog food for them under a tree. The pair acted as if I was there to rescue them. I guess with so many dog lovers in Gateway Park this is a good place to abandon a dog. Eventually I'm sure the pair will hear the barkers in Fort Woof and head over there, hoping to be adopted by a dog lover.

Here you see the nice new trail and some of the propaganda signs for the "Gateway Park Master Plan" touting the planting of over 80,000 trees, an Equestrian trail, outdoor covered basketball courts, kayaking, preserving nature. That type stuff. It was very impressive. The big billboard at the top shows the layout of the new Gateway Park. It will expand west across Beach Street, to the area of the water pipeline I showed you in the previous blogging. Fort Woof will be greatly expanded.

Meanwhile, in Gateway Park, the elaborate wooden boardwalks that used to take you down to the Trinity River are still boarded up eyesores. Now, I'm thinking, if Fort Worth can't manage to maintain what they've already built in this park, what hope does this Gateway Park Master Plan really have? Which also reminded me of what the powers that be have allowed to happen to downtown Fort Worth's Heritage Park.

Here you see part of the complex of rugby fields. I could not get a picture showing how big the crowd was. But it was. Big and loud. This is a very nice complex of sports facilities. There are also very well done baseball fields in this park. However. One thing really bugs me. And it's not just a Fort Worth thing. I've been bugged about the same thing in an Arlington park, that being River Legacy.

Okay, like I said, Gateway Park's rugby/soccer fields are very well done. Except for one thing. The restroom facilities are a row of outhouses. Now, I know that indoor plumbing came later to the South than the rest of the country, but really, it is 2009, not 1909.

Food was being cooked and served at this event. Where were the handwashing facilities? At River Legacy they have a big pavilion which is rented out for events like weddings. I've seen a lot of weddings take place there over the years. With food. With the restroom facilities being 2 outhouses. A word stronger than tacky needs to be invented.

Walking The Dog At The Gateway Park Sauna In Fort Worth

Well, there seems to be a lot of concern regarding my failing health as evidenced by my headache epidemic. As in someone emailed me inquiring as to my current status.

I am happy to report I am currently headache free.

Going swimming this morning did nothing to help my head pain. But going walking sometime after noon did have a salubrious effect. Possibly this salubrious effect was due, in part, to the natural sauna we've got going on here today in Tropical Texas. It is 94 with the high humidity making a Heat Index of 104. It felt like 114 to me.

To do my walking today my only choices were Oakland Lake Park, Quanah Parker Park or Gateway Park. Village Creek Natural Historical Area is still closed due to flooding. I don't like walking at River Legacy Park, and I'd just been to Veterans Park 2 days ago and Oakland Lake yesterday. It'll take a few days for the Tandy Hills to dry out.

So, the walking choice was Gateway Park. I had an ulterior motive. I wanted to take a picture of the long abandoned sewage treatment plant that Fort Worth wants to turn into an amphitheater. About a year ago I discovered the old treatment plant. I did not know, then, what it was. It looked liked an old fort with guard towers. It reminded me of Fort Casey in my old home state of Washington. Fort Casey is a Spanish-American War era fort.

While I thought the treatment plant looked like a fort, I could not imagine why a fort would be in such a location. Then I decided it must be an abandoned jail. Sewage treatment plant did not cross my mind as a possibility.

Today I was unable to get through the cyclone fence that guards the perimeter of the jail/fort/treatment plant. Previously there were several breaks along the fence. It has now been made impenetrable again.

I was hoping that the Trinity River would be running a lot of water due to the deluge two days ago. But it was only slightly higher than the norm. We are looking at the Trinity in that picture at the top, when the water is running high that area turns into rapids.

Gateway Park was very busy today. Several girl softball games were being played. At noon. With a heat index of 104. It looked miserable. Spectators watched from the shade of trees. No one sat in the uncovered stands.

Fort Woof had a lot of dogs running around. Have I mentioned before that Dog Fancy magazine, whatever that is, has picked Fort Woof as the #1 Dog Park in America? We are very proud of that here in Fort Worth. Having the #1 Dog Park in America is the first time in history Fort Worth has been #1 in anything. There was talk of having a city wide celebration, but none materialized.

Gateway Park's Failing Boardwalks & Fort Woof

As you can in the picture of the jogger running up the wooden stairs, after last night's rainy thunderstorm, we have had a return to blue sky and pleasant temperatures.

The jogger is running up stairs that are part of an elaborate boardwalk that brings you down to the Trinity River from a bluff in Fort Worth's Gateway Park.

I decided to do something radically different today. Hence hiking at Gateway Park rather than one of my regular locations. I was hoping to find the Trinity in making rapids mode. But all the heavy rain did was make the river muddy.

Gateway Park is just a couple miles from my abode, closer than Tandy Hills Park. The I-30 Freeway separates Tandy Hills Park and Gateway Park, with Tandy on the south side, which makes Gateway on the north side of both the freeway and the river.

Gateway Park is the location of one of Fort Worth's proudest achievements, that being Fort Woof, home to what something called Dog Fancy magazine ranked as the #1 Dog Park in America. I don't remember if we had a city-wide celebration for being #1 or not.

In Gateway Park there are two elaborate boardwalks, one of which you see in the pictures. Both have been allowed to fall on hard times. Floods have wreaked havoc, burying the last few switchbacks in sand and dirt, now overgrown with foliage. It's sad, after going to the bother and expense of building the things, that they have been left so neglected. Eventually deterioration will likely necessitate the total removal of these boardwalks. That would be a shame.

But. Fort Worth is not really all that big on preserving things. Look at poor Heritage Park. Fort Worth hasn't managed to un-eyesore that sad monument to civic neglect, even with it representing where Fort Worth began. And its heritage.

Fort Worth also does not do a very good job with keeping the Fort Worth Stockyards looking good. Even though the Stockyards are on the National Historical Area Registry. And yet many buildings in that location have sat, ever since I moved to Texas, as boarded up eyesores.

When I saw the Gateway Park Boardwalks, for the first time, the boards must have been fairly new. There was no deterioration at that time. I saw them after a heavy rain had the Trinity running high. It made the boardwalk look like it ran right into the water. Which made it a scary looking boardwalk.

Gateway Park has added a Disc Golf Course since I was last there. A mountain bike trail has supposedly been built, but the one mountain bike trail like spot I've seen does not look promising. With no one riding it. I think the Gateway Park bike trail may have been abandoned. There are miles of paved hiking trails through the park with wooden bridges across shallow ravines.

Gateway Park is worth a visit if you've never been there. Fort Woof on weekends can be amusing. Very busy. There are entries to the park easily found by exiting I-30 at Beach Street. Or from Randoll Mill Road.