Microsoft OneDrive Memory Takes Me Back To Mountain Biking In Texas

Arriving in my email this morning is another Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day that I actually remember.

Though, not on this day, it being a January day. January is not a warm month. 

I appear to be sweating in this selfie photo taken with my antique, long gone, Casio digital camera.

I don't think I have done any sweating in Texas in January, especially at the location of this photo.

With that location being the mountain bike trail that begins in Rockledge Park on Lake Grapevine, in the town of Grapevine.

I have not been on a mountain bike trail since moving to my current Wichita Falls location.

When I moved to Texas I thought my mountain biking days were behind me, what with Texas being a bit scarce in the mountain department.

I soon learned I was once again erroneous.

A couple months after moving to Texas I took a long drive to far east Texas, known as the Piney Woods Region. I was quite surprised to see that the Piney Woods Region looked a lot like the forested zones of Western Washington.

I drove in a park called Tyler State Park. This is a big park. I soon was seeing people on mountain bikes.

And then I came to a big parking lot, located where there were multiple trailheads for multiple mountain bike trails.

I was looking at a big sign with a map of the trails. A couple other guys were also looking at the map. I remarked to them that I was surprised to find mountain bike trails of this quality in Texas, that I thought I was not going to be mountain biking in Texas due to the lack of mountains.

One of the guys asked where I was from. I told him. He then asked where I was located in Texas. Haslet, said I, a tiny suburb of Fort Worth.

Fort Worth? Says the guy. So, you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Well, there are many real good mountain bike trails right in the Metroplex, some of the best you can find anywhere. The guy told me to go to a Bicycle Inc. store where I could get a map showing where all the trails are in D/FW.

I did so, the following week, and was amazed to see the number of mountain bike trails in D/FW. Over the years I think I biked each of them, at least once. And some dozens upon dozens of times, like the Rockledge and Horseshoe Trails on Lake Grapevine.

Another favorite was what are known as the DORBA trails in Cedar Hills State Park. Great biking and hiking trails are in that huge park.

Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association is where that DORBA name comes from. There are three loops to the DORBA trail in Cedar Hills State Park, with the third loop labeled as EXTREME.

Because it was not easy. I only biked the EXTREME trail once. On that EXTREME trail I had my one and only in the wild rattlesnake encounter in Texas. A big rattler, off the side of the trail. I heard it shaking its rattle before I saw the snake curled up, ready to strike.

The week previous to that rattlesnake encounter I'd been to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, so the rattle noise was fresh in my memory. I think I almost overdosed on adrenalin when I passed that snake, and soon thereafter the trail entered a sort of marsh-like, tall grass section, which greatly heightened my snake anxiety.

But, I saw no additional reptiles that day.

Fort Worth has a couple mountain bike trails. The Gateway Park mountain bike trail was close to my abode, so I biked that one frequently. The Gateway Park trail is a fun one. It has a sort of roller coaster feel to it, in places.

Arlington's River Legacy Park has miles upon miles of mountain bike trails, some marked difficult, which were too difficult for me to master.

In River Legacy Park I had multiple snake encounters, but never with a rattlesnake. Several copperheads, though. And bobcats. Lots of bobcats. And armadillos. Including baby armadillos, If memory serves me accurately I think I put at least one photo of baby armadillos on the River Legacy Park webpage I made years ago.

All this mountain bike talk and remembering how much fun I had in those various D/FW parks, it is making me a bit nostalgic. 

There is a mountain bike trail here in Wichita Falls. I have hiked part of it, accessed by crossing the suspension bridge in Lucy Park. Soon after crossing that suspension bridge one comes to a section of the mountain bike trail called Alligator Alley.

When one Googles Wee-Chi-Tah Mountain Bike Trail in Wichita Falls one finds a lot of websites with information about this trail, including a Facebook page.

A short description of the Wee-Chi-Tah Trail from one of those aforementioned webpages...

"Explore this 12-mile loop in Wichita Falls along the Wichita River. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. This is a popular trail for mountain biking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime".

I think when Spring arrives I may take up bike riding again, maybe even braving Alligator Alley and the rest of the Wee-Chi-Tah Mountain Bike Trail...

Before Possible Elsie Hotpepper Lunch Look At Fort Worth's Gateway Park & Trinity River

Today was that last Wednesday of the month, that being the day when I usually return to the Dallas/Fort Worth zone for a variety of reasons, including a perpetual lunch date with Elsie Hotpepper.

On this particular Wednesday I had a couple hours in need of killing, and since I had my bike along I decided to go rolling around Fort Worth's Gateway Park.

We will take a look at what I saw today, sort of in reverse order. I parked near the western Gateway Park boardwalk overlook looking over the Trinity River. We will get to the Gateway Park boardwalk overlook later.

But first, near the end of today's Gateway Park area exploration I found myself atop the last dam which impedes the Trinity River as it flows through Fort Worth. After this dam the river returns to its more natural state as it flow east through Gateway Park on its way to Arlington and then Dallas where the river gets sort of returned to being un-natural again.

As you can see, via the above DANGER sign, it is advised that one not wade, swim or boat in the current state of the Trinity River. Yeah, I'm sure without that sign there would be a lot of people wanting to get wet or float at this location.

On the way down the trail to the dam and that WARNING sign the above additional warning has been added since I last rolled at this location.

"WHEN FLOODED TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN".

Yeah, I imagine before this sign was added a lot of people ventured past this location when the river was in flood mode and met a sad drowning fate. Actually when the river is in flood mode this location is a bit scary and I can not imagine anyone being dumb enough to get near enough to be in danger.

Above, another look at the dam and the Trinity River's current dried up status at this location. This photo was taken part way down the Trinity Trail leading across the dam. You can see that DANGER sign you saw in the first photo in the middle of the dam in the above photo.

Above my handlebars are under the Beach Street Bridge, looking east at that dam we are heading towards, crossing the dried up Trinity River.

The above is new paved trail, accessed via rolling under that aforementioned Beach Street Bridge. This used to be a primitive gravel trail, with the paved Trinity Trail on the other side of the river. Now there are paved trails on both sides of the river. This new paved trail terminates with a return to gravel at the location of the long abandoned original Coyote Drive-In. Or whatever that long ago movie viewing venue was called.

This new paved trail ventures into the zone which I believe the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, more commonly known as America's Biggest Boondoggle, has excavated a lot of dirt, moving that dirt to the east side of the Trinity River, and Gateway Park, where it has been piled into a sort of mountain. I believe this excavated area is intended to store water when the Trinity River floods and that flood water is diverted at high speed through The Boondoggle's flood diversion ditch which may one day be dug under the three simple little bridges currently being built in extreme slow motion on dry land, hoping one day to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

I also believe this area I biked through today is the location where J.D. Granger has said his Boondoggle would plant thousands upon thousands of flood impeding magic trees.

I saw no new trees which I could identify as such today.

Speaking of bridges. Today I saw evidence that Fort Worth does know how to build a new bridge.

A new section of the paved trail in Gateway Park took me to the Trinity Trail which is now using the old bridge over the Trinity River as a bike and pedestrian bridge. Above you see my bike stopped in the middle of the old bridge, looking at the new bridge.

That new bridge was built in about a year's time. Built over the actual water of the Trinity River. Water which went into extreme flood mode during the building process. Twice. With one of those times seeing the flood water rise so quickly that heavy equipment had to be abandoned, unable to be moved to dry land before being flooded.

Meanwhile in another area of Fort Worth, under a corrupt Fort Worth congresswoman's son's inept management, three simple little bridges have teetered on ineptly designed V-piers, for years, over dry land.

Early on in today's Gateway Park bike ride I came upon the overlook boardwalk on the east side of the park.

What an improvement over what used to be at this location. Well done.

And look how scenic the Trinity River is at this location. So peaceful. The river almost looks inviting enough to go inner tube floating in it...

Gateway Park Visit With Beautiful New Fort Worth Outhouses & Boondoggle Signage

Yesterday, for the first time in years, not since 2015, I visited Fort Worth's Gateway Park to see if there has been any progress with the progress in motion we have been told is in motion for years now, with that progress in motion information on signage in the park installed years ago by what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

Actually, now that you are causing me to think about it, it was via construction signs at Gateway Park where I first saw the Boondoggle referred to with Central City and Uptown added to the usual Trinity River Vision name. Panther Island District was added to the name years later.

I had previously seen the new overlooks which look over the Trinity River, which replaced boarded up boardwalks which had been a hazardous eyesore for years.

What you see above is near the entry to one of those new overlooks. The green/blue plastic signage is pointing to the "North Observation Deck" which I guess makes this one the "South Observation Deck".

Also at the entry to the South Overlook, I mean Observation Deck, is a Fort Worth staple, that being a classy outhouse.

Recently the nation, well, a few people in Fort Worth, were shocked to learn Fort Worth mayor, Betsy Price, is "fantastic friends" with Donald Trump. We all talked about this in Betsy Price Fantastic Friend Trump Fort Worth Sewer Flood Fix.

One can not help wonder if an Outhouse Factory is one of Trump's many business enterprises, one of those he operates via a shell corporation so as to avoid being identified as Trump's. That and even Trump probably wouldn't like his name slapped on something like TRUMP TOILETS.

Obviously I am always looking for some explanation as to why Fort Worth is the Outhouse Capital of America. This Trump Betsy BFF explanation is probably a long shot.

Below is a look at part of the South Observation Deck. That blue sign we see stuck on the deck has been added since I was last at this location.

Oh, turns out it is a sign informing us of something the whole world already knows, that being that "RECREATION ABOUNDS ALONG THE TRINITY RIVER".

On this sign we see multiple photo documentation examples of all the recreation abounding on the Trinity River. Starting with the upper left and going clockwise we shall try to identity the various recreation which is abounding. A kid holds a big fish, a group of skullers skulling, a pair of bikers stopped to do some canoodling (not sure on that one), a trio of paddleboarders doing some litter dodging, the instruction to download the TRWD Trails app, dozens of foolish people floating on inner tubes rockin' the river, kayakers with the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth behind them, and finally, a pair of cowgirls riding their horses on one of the Trinity Trails.

Years ago a hurricane, I think it was Hermine, or maybe an earlier one, caused the Trinity to flood. That flood destroyed sections of the paved trails in Gateway Park, leaving the trail in sections hanging over the edge of the river, and closed off by cyclone fence. The most recent time I eye witnessed this was in May of 2015. You can go to the Finding Imaginative Sign Progress By America's Biggest Boondoggle On Saturday Gateway Park Bike Ride blog post and see photos of the sad state of the Gateway Park paved trails at that point in time.

Well, yesterday I was pleased to see, all that was damaged has been fixed, totally removed, with new paved trail installed further away from the river. HUGE improvement. That is a section of the new paved trail you see above.

On that last visit to Gateway Park, when I saw signage identifying the project as part of the Trinity River Central City Uptown development, I saw bulldozers and other heavy equipment busy churning up the earth where a long abandoned sewage treatment used to hide mysteriously behind easily crossed cyclone fence and decades of foliage growth.

That long abandoned sewage treatment plant is all gone now, and what you now see is a big hole, and a lot of earth scraped clear of vegetation. No further activity was noted.

And then I came to something which appalled me, years ago, when I first saw it. A HUGE installation of signage touting the wonders of what America's Biggest Boondoggle was going to do to Gateway Park.

I was freshly appalled to see this signage yesterday, when I saw it and realized it had all been upgraded. With the new signs touting even more things no one currently living on the planet will probably live long enough to see. You can see the new signs have added the important detail of including those green/blue signs you see giving directions all over the zone of occupation of what originally was called the Trinity River Vision.

Searching the blog the earliest I could find where I blogged about this signage was October 10 2010, eight years ago. That blog post is titled The Trinity River Vision's Gateway Park Vision.

The details showing all the wonders to come have grown much more elaborate, showing many of those equally imaginary "community requested recreational amenities" on a large map of Gateway Park. On this big sign there is also mention made of what have become known as J.D. Granger's Magic Trees. The billboard refers to the Magic Trees as "a key initiative, including the planting of over 80,000 native oak and pecan trees."

This billboard includes a "KEY TO GATEWAY PARK AMENITIES" such as "new parking, new entry towers, new pedestrian bridge, new splash park (where is the old one?), new boat launch, existing boat launch, new rock weir (again, where is the old one?), new playground, new picnic area, new ecosystem restoration (again, where is the old one?), existing dog park, new mountain bike course, new equestrian trails, new primitive hiking trails, new soft paved trails, existing trails, existing disc golf course, new scenic river overlooks (I knew I called them such for some reason, before they became observation decks), new concession areas, new restrooms (again, where is the old one?), new skate park (again, where is the old one?), new baseball/softball fields, new soccer fields, existing baseball/softball fields, existing soccer fields.

Now.

How much has America's Biggest Boondoggle spent over the decades on its incredibly prolific sign posting fetish? I think I have asked this question previously. It seems, if I remember right, former TRWD Board Director, Mary Kelleher, tried to find out, but ran into yet one more brickwall block on that information which would seem to be something the public should have access to, the Boondoggle being a public works project, after all.

Supposedly...

I suspect I will be checking in on Gateway Park more frequently. It will be interesting to see if I can detect anything happening...

TRV Boondoggle Transforms Imaginary Bypass Channel Into A True Promenade

A few minutes ago I heard from Elsie Hotpepper, via text message.

Part of that message made mention of the fact that the TRV was propagandizing about something which had someone usually not prone to such being profanely poetic.

For those who do not know what TRV is, those initials stand for Trinity River Vision, also known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

The full name of TRV has grown over the decades to TRCCUPIDV.

Or Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

Elsie Hotpepper's text message eventually lead me to something I did not know existed, or maybe I did not remember it existed.

A TRV Facebook page.

Click the link and you can experience the propaganda yourself.

Such as that which you see above, which was at the top of today's TRV Facebook page. A congratulations to some entity which had won an award for their work on the London Olympic Park.

The propaganda shows up in the line "They are also the team responsible for transforming our bypass into a true promenade".

What?

Where is this promenade? Prior to the transformation to being a true promenade was this imaginary promenade a false promenade?

Our bypass?

What bypass? All there is is one bridge stalled under construction where a ditch, I mean, bypass, may be dug at some point in the distant future.

And then there was this. A guy appearing to be welding during one of The Boondoggle's construction stalled V Piers. I thought this post on the TRV Facebook page was going to be about the stalled bridge construction. I thought wrong.

The post with the V Piers appearing in the background has nothing to do with The Boondoggle's bridges. It has to do with how to prepare a bid packet with a bang for The Boondoggle's projects. Here I was thinking the Panther Island Bid Opportunities would have something to do with soliciting bids to get those bridge design errors fixed and construction back underway.

And then there was the following doozy. I have blogged multiple times over the decades about The Boondoggle's signage at Gateway Park touting the wonders that would one day appear.

Next time I am in Fort Worth, which is currently scheduled to be in less than two weeks, maybe I will swing by Gateway Park to check on The Boondoggle's upgrade of its propaganda signage. For years this has been a bizarre spectacle to behold.....

America & Fort Worth's Biggest Boondoggle's Berserk Signage

I am almost 100% certain I am not the only person who has noticed the proliferation of signage, such as what you see here, and wondered what fresh tacky hell is this?

The Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision, also known as America's Biggest Boondoggle, has long loved spreading propaganda signage all over the area where The Boondoggle does its boondoggling.

Some of the signage has been of the "Trinity River Vision Underway" sort. I first saw those over a half decade ago, near where the now defunct Cowtown Wakepark sits.

Speaking of Cowtown Wakepark, way back when that easily predicted to fail operation opened, an earlier version of The Boondoggle's signage showed up along the Trinity Trail, informing trail users of the direction and distance to various features one might find along the trail.

Such as the Cowtown Wakepark.

I remember taking a picture of one of those signs and asking what happens with the signage after the easily predicted failure of the Cowtown Wakepark?

As in, does The Boondoggle come along with whiteout and strike out that Cowtown Wakepark element on the sign?

And then there was the follow-up iteration of The Boondoggle's signage, as in the thing you see above.

These signs, to me, look like someone's 1960s idea of something looking futuristic, like one might have seen at a World's Fair, way back then.

The signs are made of thick plastic. Is the design supposed to be some sort of abstraction of a flower opening?

Below is a new Boondoggle sign installation, not yet completed, which I saw yesterday in Gateway Park, near the new Observation Deck on the west side of the park.

How much has America's Biggest Boondoggle spent on all this ridiculous, tacky, cheap looking signage? Should not that information be available to the public? These signs may look cheap, but I suspect they are quite costly to produce.

What with each one needing to be a one of a kind type deal with the special info which that one sign needs to convey, such as we see on the sign at the top, pointing us to two parking lots, a dog park, soccer fields and that aforementioned observation deck.

I do not know how anyone could manage to find the parking lots, dog park, soccer fields or observation deck without this useful sign......

Taking A Fort Worth Walk On Another New Gateway Park Boardwalk Overlook

This morning I had a need to be in the area near Gateway Park.

So, I took the opportunity, since I was in the neighborhood, to check out progress on the east side of the park. Specifically to see if the boardwalk replacement was finished at that location.

A week or so ago I visited the new replacement boardwalk on the west side of the park.

I am not 100% certain, but I believe these new boardwalks are a product of America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Well, I was pleased to see the new boardwalk is finished on the east side of the park. This is a HUGE improvement. I took a few photos, which you see here, and after the photos I inserted a YouTube video I made back on September 29, 2014 of the old boarded up boardwalk.

The above photo of the new boardwalk is taken from the paved trail that meanders along the Trinity River in Gateway Park.

In the above photo we have stepped onto the boardwalk and are looking at some informational signage describing the various flora one sees from this location.

I did not know what to make of the below feature.

The round thing looked like it was made to spin. So, I gave it a spin to find it making a noise. I think the sound was supposed to be the noise made by water rushing over rocks. Maybe.

The furthest reach of the boardwalk posed another mystery.

When I first saw that green little Martian like thing stuck to the railing I thought it must be a spotlight aimed at the river. On closer examination I discovered that round, white area at the center is a view finder one looks through. The Martian rotates, directing the view finder to different views. The mystery is there is no magnification, like one usually experiences with such things. So, I have no clue as to the purpose. A second Martian was attached to another section of railing at another section of the boardwalk.

Below is the view from the aforementioned mentioned Martian looking west, back towards the paved trail from whence we came.

And below is the aforementioned YouTube video in which you will walk on the now gone boarded up boardwalk, giving you an appreciation of what a HUGE improvement this new boardwalk is to Gateway Park.

A Visit With A Lonesome Square Before A New Gateway Park Overlook

I had to venture to downtown Fort Worth this morning to do a title transfer thing at the tax office.

After that taxing matter was taken care of I decided to enjoy the sun in Sundance Square Plaza to have myself a mighty fine time doing some people watching at the bustling plaza.

Well, that was the plan, but people did not cooperate, as in there was very little bustling going on.

Leaving the downtown zone I decided to exit at Beach Street to check out the current status of the Gateway Park Trinity River Overlooks.

Above is the completed Overlook at the west side of the park. I assume the Overlook at the east side of the park is also completed. This Overlook is a vast improvement over the old boarded up boardwalk that had been an embarrassing eyesore for many years.

I believe the Overlook upgrades are a product of the Trinity River Vision Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision.

Speaking of America's Biggest Boondoggle. And who isn't? Continuing on with my trek eastward I headed north on Beach Street, turning right onto 1st Avenue East/Randol Mill Road.

I was curious to see how the road and bridge construction was going.

Well, unlike the aforementioned Boondoggle, the three bridges for the new road appear to be completed, built in about a year's time, with one of the bridges actually built over water known as the Trinity River, which can flow fast and wild at this location.

Looking Over New Gateway Park Overlook Before Town Talk Dud

For a long long time Saturday's were my day to go mountain biking the Gateway Park Fort Worth Mountain Bike Association trail prior to going treasure hunting at Town Talk.

For many a month now Gateway Park and Town Talk have not been my Saturday norm.

Til today.

First off let's get Town Talk out of the way. TT was a dud today. Crowded. All I could find to put in my cart were giant tortillas. With that being all I could find, I bailed, and vowed not to return unless I happened to be in the area. Town Talk has gone downhill under its new owner, I've concluded, after having such suggested by Mr. Stenotrophomonas.

The Gateway Park part of today turned out to be interesting. That and I had myself a mighty fine walk. The photo above is looking at the currently closed entry to the FWMBA trail. Closed due to work being done in Gateway Park by, I think, the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision.

Some of what is being done to Gateway Park I could understand, some of what I saw perplexed me, such as that which you see below.

Every where I walked I saw orange mesh, such as you see above, acting like a flimsy fence around trees. To what purpose I could not figure out.

I have no idea when the Gateway Park mountain bike trail will be fully doable once more, with part of the problem clearly visible below.

When the Trinity River went into flood mode it flooded all the low lying areas where the mountain bike trail trailed. And then when the river receded lakes of water were left behind. I assume the only way this water will drain is via the slow evaporation method.

I will need to explain what you are looking at below.

On the left that big chunk of gray is a dangling chunk of the old Gateway Park paved trail that succumbed to a long ago flood. The blue on the right is a slice of the Trinity River, well below being in flood mode. In the center of the photo you see splashes of white. The camera did not quite capture the astonishing array of litter left behind, stuck in tree limbs, when the river receded.

Today's Gateway Park inspection did not take me to the location of the new Trinity River Overlook on the west side of the park.  Today's inspection did take me to the location of the new Trinity River Overlook on the east side of the park.

When I last saw this location, late last year, I saw that the decayed, water damaged boarded up boardwalk overlook had been removed. I was sort of surprised to see the new west side overlook looking good and nearly completed. Above we are looking west at the south part of the new overlook. That would make that slice of blue on the left the Trinity River.

The mud you see in the foreground was frozen solid, so I walked over it to walk over the new overlook.

Above we are standing on the new overlook, looking northwest, with the Trinity River behind us. This new overlook looks to be much more solidly built and better designed than its ill-fated predecessor. Wood is not a construction element. And the entire structure appears to be above what a flooding Trinity River can reach.

Today's walk around Gateway Park had me thinking that the improvements being made may bring this park a lot more visitors. I've long thought Gateway Park was under appreciated by the locals, due to seeing so few people making use of the park's many miles of shaded  paved trails.

Saturday Walk Through Gateway Park Checking The Boondoggle's Progress

I think til today it had been over a month since I'd done any treasure hunting at Town Talk.

Gateway Park is between my abode and Town Talk. So, I decided to walk around Gateway Park on the way to Town Talk, figuring I would check in on the progress of America's Biggest Boondoggle's construction in the park.

With the construction in Gateway Park being yet one more "product" of The Boondoggle I did not expect to see much progress, unlike the road and bridge building project taking place on the north side of Gateway Park, the upgrade to 1st Avenue East, which is making rapid progress, with the bridge piers for the bridge across the Trinity taking shape, but with no propaganda touting such as a major accomplishment.

Like I said the upgrade to 1st Avenue East is not a product of The Boondoggle. It appears to be a well engineered, well designed project, quickly getting built.

I digress. Back to Gateway Park.

The photo you see at the top. That is a sign near the trailhead for the Gateway Park mountain bike trail. If I remember right I have made mention of this sign previously. Today, looking at that sign, something struck me as noteworthy. Under the heading of things "Coming in 2015 to Gateway Park East" among the items on the list is "ADDITIONAL RESTROOMS".

Additional restrooms? How do you have additional restrooms when you currently have no public restrooms? A 100 feet north of the above sign you see that which you see below.

Yes, what you see above is what passes for a "restroom" in Gateway Park, just as it does in most of Fort Worth's city parks.

Outhouses.

As you can see this installation of outhouses has been prettified with a concrete enclosure. The plus-sized outhouse at the end is plus-sized so as to accommodate wheel chairs. Isn't that thoughtful? But there is no place to wash ones hands after using these outhouses. Isn't that disgusting? How does a town get away with having public parks with no running water? Isn't that some sort of health code violation?

The above outhouse installation is not the only one located on this parking lot. There are a few other outhouses sitting at other locations on this parking lot, but without the prettifying concrete enclosures. All the Gateway Park parking lots have outhouse installations.

More on the Gateway Park outhouses later as we take a walk to the west side of Gateway Park to check out the current state of the new overlook being built to replace the old boarded up eyesore that had been making eyes sore for a decade, give or take a year.

Well, there has been some progress since I looked at this a month or so ago. The overlook is taking shape. Looks like there is a lot to get done though if this is going to be open for overlooking by the end of 2015.

From the overlook I decided to head east on the paved trail to see the current status of one of the new trail bridges I saw in the making the last time I was at this location.

Well, the paved trail does not yet connect to the new footbridge, a wood plank currently makes that connection.

The Gateway Park paved trails are rather messed up by this project. Could it not be done in a more cohesive, less sloppy manner? The mountain bike trail has been messed with in several locations. A lot of work had gone into the mountain bike trails. A lot of work will be required to restore the mountain bike trails to their pre-Boondoggle glory.

I think I have mentioned previously that I find it bizarre how much America's Biggest Boondoggle likes its signage. Sign propaganda is about the only thing The Boondoggle does well.

The massive sign installation by the Fort Woof Dog Park in Gateway Park is the most astonishing bit of propaganda signage I have seen produced by The Boondoggle. I've made note of this a number of times, if my memory is serving me correctly.

The Boondoggle's Fort Woof signs have had an update. See the big sign above, in front of all the other signs? Notice another sign stuck under the big sign? Let's get a close up look at what that update is telling us.

Oh my, America's Biggest Boondoggle paid someone to make a new sign announcing "CONSTRUCTION NOW UNDERWAY". With  two scenic river overlooks, paved trail upgrades, children's learning center, pedestrian bridges, bench, water fountains and...

A NEW TRAILHEAD WITH UPGRADED RESTROOMS.

Upgraded restrooms? Are these different than the "Additional Restrooms" we read about on the first sign we saw today? There will be upgraded restrooms at a new trailhead? Where is this new trailhead? How do you upgrade restrooms in a park which has no restrooms?

Is The Boondoggle upgrading the outhouses? Maybe painting the concrete enclosures? Or putting concrete enclosures around the outhouses which are currently not so adorned?

I was recently told that the genius behind America's Biggest Boondoggle's propaganda of the signage sort you see in Gateway Park and those embarrassing slick quarterly updates The Boondoggle mails to voters who have never been allowed to voted on this project, telling those voters all the progress that has been made since the last quarterly update. You know, like the Fall of 2014 quarterly update breathlessly told about the TNT explosion that mark the start of construction of three simple little bridges being built over dry land to connect Fort Worth's mainland and an imaginary island.

Was it in the Spring quarterly update that we got told about the amazing feat of engineering achieved with the construction of the wooden forms for the little bridge's V-piers?

That paragraph that started with me saying I was recently told who the genius was behind The Boondoggle's propaganda turned into a run-on sentence that got away from me.  Anyway, I was told it was the notorious propaganda artist, Bryan Eppstein who is behind The Boondoggle's public relations. Apparently Eppstein was hired to help repair The Boondoggle's bad public image. I recollect mentioning something in relation to that, which had me offering advice for free regarding The Boondoggle's bad public image, with that advice being you can repair your bad public image by "Getting something done you clueless boobs" or something like that.

Did those running The Boondoggle really think that no one would notice that they have been Boondoggling along for well over a decade, with little to show for the effort?

Did The Boondoggle really think that no one would point out the fact that taking four years to build three simple bridges is just embarrassing? Taking longer to build than it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge, built over deep, fast moving water.

Did The Boondoggle really think no one would point out that their propaganda about building the bridges over dry land as a planned construction method, cheaper and easier than building over water, was an obvious lie? When the obvious fact of the matter is there will be no water under those bridges until the Trinity River is diverted in the ditch not currently being dug because The Boondoggle is not a fully funded project.

I was told Bryan Eppstein's propaganda firm has been paid a substantial amount of money to spew out The Boondoggle's propaganda, well over a million bucks. How does that work? The Boondoggle is not a private business. The Trinity River Vision in all its various names is some sort of quasi-public agency. The funds The Boondoggle spends are not private funds, the money spent is taxpayer money. So, The Boondoggle takes your money to build a project you have not voted to build, then takes more of your money to produce propaganda to convince you that they are doing a good job with that money you have given them.

I tell you, the Fort Worth Way of getting things done is very unusual....

A Wet Tandy Hills Leads To America's Biggest Boondoggle In Gateway Park

From looking at this picture the one regular reader of this blog might guess I went hill hiking on the Tandy Hills on this next to last Saturday of September.

Well.

No hill hiking happened.

In this view we are hiking on to the Tandy Hills from View Street, looking north. The summit of Mount Tandy is to the right.

Soon upon arrival the rain that was already dripping at my home location had begun to arrive at the Tandy Hills. So, I decided to abort and continue on to Gateway Park, and then Town Talk.

I entered Gateway Park via the Beach Street entrance. This brought me to that which you see below.

The last time I visited the above location I saw that the boarded up boardwalk overlook eyesore had been mostly removed. Now it appears construction of the new overlook is underway.

I walked down the closed paved trail to see if the new trail bridges were yet built. Well, some sort of cement foundation has been laid. And further along I came to new paved trail, replacing the paved trail  that had been damaged for years by a flooding Trinity River.

All this Gateway Park construction is part of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision, also known as America's Biggest  Boondoggle.

Near where I parked there were two signs. The  first of which had information on it I'd never seen associated with anything to do with America's Biggest Boondoggle.

A project completion date. As you can see above the sign says SCHEDULE COMPLETION DATE DECEMBER 2015. Seems that they'd need to get real busy if this is to be finished in December.

Below is a close up look at the sign you see in the upper right of the above picture.

Some people who are not from around here think I make up that long name for America's Biggest Boondoggle. As you can see above that sign pretty much covers it all, Trinity River Vision-Central City Uptown. The only part missing is the newest name for The Boondoggle, Panther Island.

Town Talk was a bit of a bust, again. Cheese, buns and tortillas. That's about it.

Trying To Roll My Wheels In Gateway Park With Dead Fish Before Town Talk

It has been well over a month since I've rolled my mechanized wheels to Gateway Park to roll my non-mechanized wheels on Gateway Park's trails.

The last time I did so I saw work had begun on new trail bridges and the removal of the long time boarded up boardwalk eyesores which looked out over the Trinity River.

Well,  as you can see here, at least one of the boarded up boardwalks has now been almost completely removed.

I was unable to make it to the other boarded up boardwalk, that being the one at the east end of the park.

Why was I unable to make it to the other boarded up boardwalk, you ask? Good question.

Well, the Gateway Park paved trails have been rendered unusable due to the ongoing supposed trail "improvements". Such as that which you see below.

I was looking at the messed up trail near the now gone boardwalk when a fellow biker stopped, saw the messed up trail, looked at me and said "that sucks" before continuing on, over the mess. I followed him. After about a minute I saw him heading back towards me. As he passed he said it is totally blocked ahead. Soon I came upon the blockage, which you see above, where a bridge is being replaced.

Before I continue on with the trail tale I need to show you what I found floating in the Trinity River when I zipped across the Beach Street crossing.

A BIG fish, dead in the water. Is the Trinity River killing fish like the rivers in my old home zone of Washington is, up north, due low water levels and consequent high water temperatures, too high for fish used to cold water. I have no clue what brand of fish it is we are looking at above. But I am fairly certain it is not a salmon, sturgeon, trout, cod, halibut or blowfish.

So, leaving the dead fish behind I eventually made my way to the entry to the Gateway Park mountain bike trail. Closed. I continued on past the closed sign, not on the mountain bike trail, but on the paved trail.

The paved trail has a huge amount of what looks like beauty bark spread over and beside it. Why? I could not figure it out. Again I came upon trail bridges removed, with the replacements  underway. I was able to get past these instances, unlike the first encounter. Soon I came upon a section where the mountain bike trail has been obliterated, along with some paved trail removed.

What is going on here? Why isn't this trail improvement project being engineered in a way which keeps the trails open while the improvements take place? How long are the Gateway Park trails going to be unusable? Who is behind this seemingly ineptly run project?

One would think America's Biggest Boondoggle  might be ramrodding these Gateway Park improvements, due to the inept way the project seems to be being mishandled.

Anyway, after a frustrating bike ride in Gateway Park I was off to an increasingly rare visit to Town Talk, where I had not visited in well over a month.

The Town Talk treasure hunting did not yield anything too wonderful today. A lot of corn tortillas, carrots, kielbasa and a couple other things I am not remembering right now.

Getting Past Gateway Park's Closed Trails I Found America's Biggest Boondoggle Being Busy

Before my regularly scheduled Saturday Town Talk treasure hunt my handlebars took me to Gateway Park for some trail inspecting.

As you can see the Trinity River is still roaring over Gateway Falls, making passage impossible across the river to continue on to beautiful downtown Fort Worth, or the Fort Worth Stockyards.

It has been a few years since I have pedaled from Gateway to the Stockyards, or downtown. That makes for a long bike ride.

After seeing my way west blocked by the still flooding Trinity, I turned around and headed to the Gateway Park mountain bike trail.

Above you are looking at the entry to the FWMBA (Fort Worth Mountain Bike Association) Gateway Park mountain bike trail. The sign says "SIDEWALK CLOSED", which it is, but it does not say the mountain bike trail, to the left, is also closed.

I did not attempt to roll my wheels on the mountain bike trail. Instead I chose to find out why the paved trail is closed.

Well, below is one reason for the closed paved trail.

Not only has a tree bent over to block the way, the wooden bridge across the ravine has been removed.

I later figured out why the wooden bridge is gone. The paved trails and wooden bridges seem to be in the midst of the upgrade promised by signage near the mountain bike trail entry where the Fort Worth Trinity River Central City Panther Island Vision Boondoggle informs us that trail upgrades, including new bridges, would soon be underway.

At the time I first read that I said I'd believe it when I see it. I guess that now makes me a believer.

Continuing on I discovered large sections of the paved trail have been removed, including sections which have long been an eyesore, that being fenced off sections of trail left dangling over the edge of the Trinity by the ravages of Hurricane Hermine, years ago. At the location you see above the paved trail previously continued til it hit a cyclone fence with signage informing that the trail was closed for maintenance. The trail continued past the cyclone fence, broken off, in places, dangling, waiting to fall into the river in other places.

The dangling trail and cyclone fence are gone. It appears new trail has been bulldozed, away from the river. All the wooden bridges have been removed. You can still cross those locations via dirt path, sort of like mountain biking.

Well, this will be a good thing, having the Gateway Park trails fixed. Gateway Park has the potential to be an extremely nice park. But, I don't quite understand how America's Biggest Boondoggle came to be in the trail fixing business.

I hope The Boondoggle  is able to build these new bridges in Gateway Park faster than the four years they plan to take to build their three little bridges from the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

Continuing, after Gateway Park I ventured a short distance west, to the aforementioned Town Talk where I got myself some big green peppers, black beans, garbanzos, Swiss Cheese, rye crackers, carrots, yogurt, two giant pumpkin pies, jalapeno kielbasa and other stuff I'm not remembering right now.

And now it is time for lunch....