Stormy Monday Morning In Wichita Falls

Stormy view from my computer room window, this second Monday of the new year. Rain began downpouring in the middle of the night. 

Flooding blocks my usual route to my motorized means of motion.

The rain seems to be abating. No longer in downpour mode.

Don't know if enough rain poured down in quantities sufficient to help mitigate the current drought condition. 

It has been many a month since I have seen water flowing in my next-door neighbor known as Holliday Creek.

No, I did not spell Holliday wrong, with an extra l. Holliday Creek is named after early explorer, Captain John Holliday, who carved his name on a tree by the creek. The town of Holliday, Texas, was named after the creek, as was Holliday Street, a major street in Wichita Falls.

I was a couple years at my current location when I ceased thinking the locals did not know how to spell Holiday...

Holliday Rapids With Sunday Wind Blown Arizona Anniversary Disaster & Elsie Hotpepper

Yesterday, which was Sunday, the same series of storms which caused a wind disaster in Dallas, due to a blown over construction crane, caused me my most, or one of my most, dramatic weather events.

I was riding my bike, all was calm.

Rolling around Sikes Lake the air was so calm the lake was like a mirror.

But, I could see to the north an ominous wall of dark clouds moving in my direction, which seemed odd, what with there being no wind.

I left Sikes Lake and headed north across Midwestern Boulevard to the MSU campus. At the north end of the campus I stopped to check out progress on a construction project. I then headed east towards the Circle Trail. I got to the area where MSU has its annual gigantic installation of Christmas displays when suddenly the temperature dropped, the sky darkened, and a strong wind struck seemingly instantly.

I was trying to ride perpendicular to the incoming wind, which did not work, as in the wind would have knocked me over if I kept heading that direction. I did not know what to do. Big trees with big limbs were flapping like bird wings. I tried to see any close by shelter. There was none. Sunday the campus is deserted. Dirt and dust was blowing in my mouth, nose and eyes, along with other stuff hitting me.

Definitely scary.

And then it let up. A little. I decided to make like a high speed rabbit to the Circle Trail, which is open with few trees, about a quarter mile distant. I made it there, keeping an eye out for any flying branches.

On the Circle Trail the wind was behind me, making for a high speed wind assisted return to the safety of my abode.

And now today has been a calm blue sky North Texas spring day.

Something caused me to realize that it was about exactly two years ago that I drove to Arizona to see my dad for the last time. I did not remember the exact date. I went on a walk along the Circle Trail, took the photo you see above of Holliday Creek's current high water rapid status and then remembered in my vehicle there was paperwork which would give me the precise dates of the 2017 drive to Arizona.

So, I walked to that vehicle and found the warranty for the fuel pump that got installed when disaster struck me on I-40 about ten miles east of Flagstaff. The date on that receipt was June 9, 2017, which meant I left Texas the day before, and arrived at my brother's, post repair, in Scottsdale June 9, staying overnight til June 10, two years ago today, when I made it to Sun Lakes and my mom and dad's house, to drive my mom to where my dad was, with me seeing my dad for the first time since 2012.

The next couple weeks were among the most stressful I've ever made it through. I made it back to Texas on June 25, and got the sad news about dad five days later.

Hard to believe this is already two years ago, and that I have been back to Arizona so many times since.

Including a return next month, flying out July 10, returning July 27. I am traveling solo. I asked Elsie Hotpepper if she wanted to come along, thinking it would be good for her to experience modern America after what Texas has put her through of late. The Hotpepper, of course, is giving this some consideration, but she already has July plans to visit another area of modern America, as in Colorado.

Methinks Elsie would like the Valley of the Sun more, it's less elevated...

Again Finding Serious Holliday Spelling Error On Lake Wichita Dam

A few days ago the local Wichita Falls news was reporting an historical marker dedication about an installation historically marking Lake Wichita.

I saw that news, and photo documentation of the "ceremony", and wondered if this was a new Lake Wichita Historical Marker, or was it the one I had made note of being added atop Lake Wichita dam months ago.

I thought maybe this dedication was to a new and improved Lake Wichita Historical Marker, because the one I saw previously had a serious spelling error.

And it seemed to me a serious spelling error is not something one wants to have on an historical marker.

I blogged about that previous instance of seeing that spelling error last December in a blogging titled Saturday Pre-Christmas Lake Wichita Spell Checking Coffin Inspection.

So, today I rolled my bike wheels to Lake Wichita to see if there was a new Lake Wichita Historical Marker, or if the one in the recent news was the one I had seen before,

With the serious spelling error.

Well, above is the photo I took a few minutes ago of the Lake Wichita Historical Marker, and it is the same one I first saw way back last year.

And it still has the same serious spelling error.

The creek which flows into and out of Lake Wichita is named Holliday Creek.

Holliday with two "l's".

As I noted in the previous blogging about this serious spelling subject, "The creek was named after early explorer, Captain John Holliday, who carved his name on a tree by the creek. The town of Holliday, Texas, was named after the creek, as was Holliday Street, a major street in Wichita Falls".

Does whiteout work on something like this Lake Wichita Historical Marker? Can someone maybe see if that would work to blot out that wrongful "l" and thus render this historical marker historically accurate?

Santa Checking Holliday Creek Flood Before New Year's Eve Smoked Salmon

On this icy cold Sunday before the last day of 2018 I stepped outside for a minute to see if Holliday Creek was still running excess water due to last Wednesday's extreme downpours.

Yes, as you can see to the right of the extremely rare selfie of me, Holliday Creek is still running excess water.

Regarding that selfie.

As you can clearly see, I am still sporting part of my Santa Claus disguise.

Back to Wednesday's storm's aftermath.

Wichita County was declared a disaster area, following the storm, due to flood, wind, and loss of power, damage.

Near as I can tell this disaster area declaration has been a local county declaration, not the state of Texas declaring Wichita County a disaster area, or the federal government doing such.

I may be wrong about this, but I do know I've seen nothing of FEMA anywhere I have been.

In a few minutes I will exit my abode again, and this time use my mechanized motion device to drive to Lucy Park to see how high the Wichita River is, and if Lucy Park is flooded.

If Lucy Park is flooded I will continue on to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area where the Circle Trail from the western entry is high above the river, and thus no possibility of being flooded. If Lucy Park is flooded, the east entry to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area is likely also flooded.

Tomorrow my New Year's Eve Party begins promptly at 6 pm.

Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Anacortes will be the main protein on the buffet table. If you are planning on bringing anything to contribute to the buffet table please make sure it does not conflict, taste-wise, with Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Anacortes.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of this serious taste conflict issue...

Saturday Pre-Christmas Lake Wichita Spell Checking Coffin Inspection

On this Saturday before Christmas the weather outside was not even remotely frightful. I felt the need of some outdoor exposure, but was in no mood to roll my bike wheels anywhere. And so I used my mechanized conveyance to convey me to the base of Lake Wichita Dam so as to do some walking seafaring on the shore of Lake Wichita.

Above you are looking at a photo I took today of part of the information signage atop the dam. In this photo you are looking at the pavilion which sat atop the lake for many years, and then burned to oblivion sometime during the 1950s, with all which remains the pilings on which the pavilion sat.

Nowdays some of those remaining pavilion pilings provide a bird perch. I was told these birds are cormorants. I have no way of knowing if this is true, what with not being any sort of aviophile, to coin a word.

Since my last visit to the top of Lake Wichita Dam a new historical marker has been added, telling a brief history of how Lake Wichita came to be.

I read the history on the above historical marker and quickly noted some of the history, well, spelling was erroneous. A fact which I just confirmed via Google when I Googled "Holliday Creek", which the above sign twice spelled as "Holiday Creek", to learn, via the Wikipedia Holliday Creek article "The creek was named after early explorer, Captain John Holliday, who carved his name on a tree by the creek. The town of Holliday, Texas, was named after the creek, as was Holliday Street, a major street in Wichita Falls".

I remember way back when I first read that the creek which runs near my abode was called Holliday I thought a mistake had been made with the adding of an extra "l". I probably Googled way back then, also, to confirm the spelling. A misspelling on such a sign, as in a historical marker sign, is a bit ironic, but quite understandable how such a mistake could be made.

Continuing past the sign.

I was surprised to see water spilling over the Lake Wichita Dam Spillway, what with it having been several days since any rain has fallen, and even then the amount falling was not too copious. Sometimes it seems even after a heavy rain not enough falls to cause water to fall over this particular spillway.

Continuing past the spillway I looked to the edge of the shore and saw what looked like a wooden coffin bobbing up and down. I made my way to the water's edge to see if anything unseemly was in the "coffin" and was sort of relieved to only see that one littered fast food bag was all which was in the coffin awaiting burial.

Looking past the coffin you can see a dock floating on the lake. Let's head there.

Getting closer to the gangplank which leads to the floating dock we can see Mount Wichita on the west end of the lake, sticking up like a little pimple on the horizon.

Boarding the gangplank which leads to the floating dock. A sign warns that only four people, weighing in total, no more than 800 pounds, can safely cross the gangplank at the same time. Today there was no danger of overloading the gangplank.

Now we are on the floating dock, looking south at the aforementioned pier remains of the long gone Lake Wichita Pavilion.

And turning around, still on the floating dock, a look back at the gangplank, and the top of the dam.

A beautiful Saturday. I saw only a couple others enjoying the outdoors where I was located. I suppose most people are engaged in last minute Christmas business of the sort I mostly opt out of participating in.

Monday is the last day for the arrival of Christmas cards arriving before Christmas. Today's mail brought a couple cards. Aunt Alice had asked if hers had arrived. I can now inform Aunt Alice that her card has arrived. As did a cute one from Joey, Monique and my new little nephew, Henry...

A Balmy Circle Trail Walk Seeking Wichita Falls Bluebonnets

The spring version of summer-like heat has returned to my location in the zone of Texas known as Texoma.

I was in downtown Wichita Falls this morning, along with masses of other Texoma-ites, happy that this thing called air-conditioning had been invented.

Upon my return to my domicile I decided to enjoy the balmy blue sky via a walk on the Circle Trail which circles by my abode, seeking seeing my first bluebonnet of this blooming season.

In the above view you are looking north, with that aforementioned Circle Trail barely visible among the trees on the left. A dirt path used for horse travel parallels the Circle Trail and Holliday Creek at this location

As you can see, Holliday Creek is not in rampaging rapids mode, currently, as it ambles down Holliday Gorge on its way to its intersection with the muddy red waters of the Wichita River.

So far spring at my location in Tornado Alley has been mild, weather-wise. The closest lightning has struck has been several miles from my location. I have only heard the tornado sirens when they are in test mode, which happened yesterday. It is startling when those sirens go off without warning.

In Fort Worth the tornado sirens are tested every Wednesday at noon, if I remember right. The noise may have come an hour later. In Wichita Falls there seems to be no set schedule for testing the tornado sirens.

According to the current forecast the upcoming Sunday and Monday are the next points in time where lightning may be striking, hail pelting, wind blowing, and a tornado possible.

I always wait til I hear a nearby boom before I go to the bother of battening down my hatches...

Bogusity On The Circle Trail With Elsie Hotpepper's Laundry

On this last Saturday with the time still Standard, before time springs forward an hour, so as to supposedly save a Daylight hour, I opted to take myself on a noontime walk north on the Circle Trail, eventually entering my Caribbean neighborhood via the town in Spain called Granada, before making my way to Barbados and Haiti.

Whilst on the Circle Trail I saw that which you see here. What appears to be a paternal parental unit watching his boys wade in the pristine waters of Holliday Creek as it rampages through Holliday Gorge on its way to the Wichita River.

Recently I discovered my phone has "scene" settings. The above photo was taken in "spring scene" mode. This mode renders a photo which looks like a hyper reality version of what my eyes actually saw.

In Fort Worth rendering a hyper reality photo version of a scene is known as Luenserizing. It has been awhile since I have seen a  Luenserized photo of some Fort Worth scene. Did the locals wise up to the bogusity of that type photo propaganda and put an end to that nonsense?

I have no idea. But I sure like that word I made up.

Bogusity.

The act of doing something bogus. Or fake.

Even though the sun is currently blocked by a thick layer of clouds the outer world was heated into the 60s whilst I was out in it today. Quite pleasant.

As I walked along the Circle Trail I got a text message from Elsie Hotpepper. I would then sit on a Circle Trail bench to reply and then by the time I had walked a few hundred feet to the next Circle Trail bench a new Hotpepper message would arrive. Very convenient.

Mostly this series of Hotpepper text messages had to do with Elsie's new relationship with Laundry. Due to the cryptic nature of the Hotpepper replies I was unable to glean many details about this Laundry relationship....

No Wichita Falls Whitewater Rapids Running On Holliday Creek For Me Today

Last night's predicted thunderstorms and heavy downpours arrived as scheduled.

But, without the damaging winds which were also part of the forecast for my location.

Maybe wind did some damage at other locations, but managed not to blow hard where I am situated.

This Monday morning, an hour before noon, with the outer world heated to a non-chilly 60, I opted to take a walk on the Circle Trail to my Caribbean neighborhood as far north as the Spanish town of Granada.

In the view above you are on the Circle Trail looking north at Holliday Creek. As you can see last night's rain put Holliday Creek into white rapids mode. One can easily see how this type violent erosive action carved out Holliday Canyon over the eons of time.

I wonder why I have seen no daredevil type doing some kayak based rapids running on raging Holliday Creek when it is in whitewater mode? I have seen no warning signs forbidding such activity.

Come to think about it, I have also seen no boat activity on the Wichita River, which is the river the water running in Holliday Creek eventually joins.

Perhaps there is a danger of which I am not aware. That happens a lot to me...

Return Of Cold Jogging Along Holliday Creek With No Threat From Lake Oroville Dam Failure

With the outer world temperature one degree short of being 20 degrees above freezing I decided to layer on the outer wear as best I could manage so as to have myself some endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation acquired via moving fast on the Circle Trail.

A steady breeze from the north today brought about that much dreaded wind chill factor. That factor somewhat abated when I switched my movement direction from heading north to heading south.

As you can see via the photo documentation dark clouds make rain appear likely.

I suspect Holliday Creek and its gorge, which you see part of above, would like to see some rain, as not much water is currently moving in Holliday Creek.

Last night an incoming  news alert informed me that the catastrophic failure of the Oroville Lake Dam was imminent within an hour. And that a large  swatch of California was ordered to evacuate ahead of the expected catastrophic wall of water.

I'd been watching the drama on that particular California dam since early last week. When I went to the live YouTube feed  of last night's ongoing dam situation that situation  quickly became muddled.

As in was the danger due to the erosion  in the main spillway which early in the week had been deemed not a serious problem? Or was the danger due to erosion on the emergency spillway? The news reporters seemed to be confused as to what the precise danger source was.

I watched the drama for about an hour, and then opted to cease with the watching. By morning the dam had not failed, the water level  was down, no catastrophic failure had occurred. But more rain is on the way.

I suspect today there are a lot  of Californians feeling a bit cranky that they were given a few minutes to evacuate due to failure being expected within the hour.

But it is always better to be safe than sorry.

And the Oroville Lake Dam has not  had its dam problem fixed, so a catastrophic failure could still happen.

Let's hope  not. In Washington I eye witnessed the destruction  resulting from a dike failure when a flooding Skagit River broke through the dike downstream from my home zone in Mount Vernon, causing Fir Island to be flooded.

A breech in the dike of a flooding river is a minor thing compared to the failure of a dam.

Currently I am living downstream a mile from a dam, the Lake Wichita Dam, which holds back the water of Holliday Creek. It would take one HUGE flood to breach the top of Lake Wichita Dam and cause a catastrophic failure. Or so it seems to me. But what do I know about dam engineering? Not much...

Happy Holliday Creek Walk Along The Circle Trail

Hope y'all are having yourselves a mighty fine merry day after Christmas.

Warm air and blue sky has returned to my location on the planet.

A week ago today I super fast walked in sub-freezing air to Lake Wichita Dam.

I have had a hitch in my get-a-long, to varying degrees, ever since last Monday's super fast frigid walk.

Today I decided to take my aching self on a walk along the Circle Trail. That would be a view of that walk you are looking at here, looking north. That stream of water surrounded by freeze burned grass is Holliday Creek.

I do not know why Holliday Creek is spelled with two l's, unlike the Happy Holiday version of the word. I assume the creek is named after some guy whose last name was Holliday, with two l's.

On the east, or right side of Holliday Creek, in this view, is the Weeks Golf Course. I saw multiple golfers tooling about in their golf carts, enjoying the return of reasonable weather.

Going on a slow leisurely walk seems to have had an abating effect on my get-a-long's hitch. I suppose I should, or could, take myself some ibuprofen. But, I do not like taking potent painkillers....

Litter Free Wichita Falls Walk With Rapid Mystery

This morning due to the natural air conditioning occurring in the outer world I opened my windows, causing fresh air to flood my interior space, along with noises I don't hear with the windows closed.

Such as the sound of what sounded to be the sound of roaring rapids.

A usually sedate creek flows through a green canyon in my backyard, on the east side of the Circle Trail which circles around Wichita Falls.

An hour before noon I left my abode, initially intending to find the source of the roaring rapids sound. It did not take much walking to discover the rapids, a photo of which you see above.

This usually sedate creek is named Holliday Creek. Holliday Creek is the primary source of the water which makes up Lake Wichita, a short distance upstream from this rapids.

Last Sunday morning, after heavy rain had caused flooding all over Wichita Falls, I checked in on Holliday Creek expecting it to be running high and wild.

At that point in time the creek pretty much looked its usual sedate self. This perplexed me.

But I was even more  perplexed today when I saw way more water moving in Holliday Creek than I saw last Sunday. I thought maybe there is another water source between my location and the Lake Wichita Dam spillway that I did not know about.

Yesterday when I saw Lake Wichita from high atop Mount Wichita the lake did not look any fuller than it usually looks.

So, I decided to walk the Circle Trail upstream, towards Lake Wichita, to see if I could find where all this water was coming from.

This turned into an interesting walk.

Eventually a bridge came into view, which I figured had to be  Kemp Street, which is due east of the Lake Wichita Dam.

Soon I found myself under the Kemp Street bridge over Holliday Creek. That would be part of the aforementioned Circle Trail, with rail, you see on the right. That slice of white you see in the distance is the Wichita Dam spillway, spilling water, which is something I'd not seen before.

Let's get a closer look.

So, that explains the roaring rapids in my backyard. But the source of this excess water flowing out of Lake Wichita remains a mystery.

Another thing I made note of today was the fact that I saw absolutely no litter today. Not a single piece. Such is a claim I could never make any time I was out and about in my former Texas location.