Perplexed By Caution In Fort Worth's Gateway Park Before Town Talking

With the temperature nearing 100 it was HOT enough today for me to return to Gateway Park to roll my wheels on the mountain bike trails for the first time since we got rained on and muddied here in usually quite dry North Texas.

On Thursday when I drove past Riscky's BBQ in the Fort Worth Stockyards I saw that misters had been added to the outdoor eating zone.

I don't think I've been to Riscky's BBQ in the Stockyards since way back in January of 2009, with my mom and dad. My parental units thought it too cold at that point in time to eat our ribs in Riscky's outdoor eating zone.

Today I was thinking a mister or two along the Gateway Park mountain bike trail would be a good  thing.

In the photo my handlebars are at my favorite Saturday pre-Town Talk photo op location, perched perilously at the edge of a cliff above the beautiful green Trinity River. At this location the trail takes a right, away from the cliff. But there is no directional signage pointing the way. Today I saw a lot of tire tracks not taking the right, instead rolling their wheels along the edge of the cliff. I imagine this has resulted in a temporarily terrorized biker or two.

I found a spot to stick my bike off that trail and got out my camera to take a video walk along the cliff's edge. You can watch that below if you don't suffer from acrophobia.

I saw something else today which puzzled me. That which puzzled me you can see below.

In the area pictured above in the past couple months the brush along the cliff's edge was removed, for the most part, and the mountain bike trail was moved away from the cliff about 30 feet. At this location the mountain bike trail was not at the cliff's edge, like the location of my favorite photo op.

The yellow caution tape cautioning people to be cautious extended a much longer distance than what you see in the picture. So, why the caution tape at this location?  Did someone walk off the edge of the cliff?

It's a bit perplexing.

After having myself a mighty fine time in Mother Nature's natural sauna I was off to Town Talk where I found big packs of all natural chicken legs, pineapples, romaine lettuce, pomegranate ginseng soda, brown rice, flour tortillas, extra sharp white cheddar cheese, cherries from my old home state, Wenatchee Washington, to be precise, and other stuff I am not remembering right now.

Sunday Wheel Rolling River Legacy Park With Fun Town Slow Pokes & Turtle Traffic Jams

I biked Arlington's River Legacy Park's mountain bike trails today, along with a lot of other wheel rollers.

In the picture on the left I have stopped for a hydration break at a trail junction. Usually at this location I opt to go left on the North Loop. Today I opted to take the bypass to the right.

Rather than riding all the loops today I decided to bypass the loops that are not all that much fun and re-loop the loops that are fun.

In the open zone of the Prairie Loop, where the trail is not very treacherous, I steered single-handed for a short distance whilst my other hand held the camera. In the video I mention having spent some time stuck behind a slow poke. At the point where the video ends a trio of new slow pokes passed me as I put the camera back in its protective cover.

The lack of rain has large sections of the trails cracking into pieces.  Those pieces make for an increased chance of suddenly losing control. It has been awhile since I've had a bike wreck. I'm due for one.

I had no problems today with a speed demon coming up behind me. Today I had multiple incidents where I found myself behind a slow poke, or a group of slow pokes, like the aforementioned trio consisting of two guys and a girl. I was an unnoticed 4th for quite some time,  listening to them chatter. Then one of them noticed me, apologized for holding me up and let me by.

About a mile later I was at the entry to Fun Town, contemplating the fact that I have yet to find the courage to enter  Fun Town, even after I was told by a pair of reliable sources that Fun Town really is a fun town, and without expert level difficulty, for the most part. It is the red arrow, meaning experts only, entry option to Fun Town which causes me hesitation. It is virtually vertical.

So, I'm standing there, hydrating and thinking about my Fun Town cowardice when suddenly the aforementioned trio of slow pokes showed up, rolling fast, with the two guys zipping down that vertical Fun Town entry, whilst the girl opted for the more sedate blue arrow entry.

Even with a demonstration of Fun Town's doability, I still opted out and continued on my way.

A couple miles later I was zipping along at high speed, made a tight corner, than had to slam the brakes. A dad with three kids were blocking the trail. The dad apologized for blocking the trail. I asked what they were looking at, which had one of the kids  moving out of the way of a BIG turtle, so I could see it.

Soon additional bikers showed up and halted. What's going on one asked. I said we have a wildlife in danger situation with a HUGE reptile blocking the trail. And none of us is brave enough to lift the turtle off the trail and send it on its way back towards the river.

So, this very muscular, heavily tattooed lady in colorful mountain bike regalia said something like clear the way, I'll take care of the problem. She proceeded to pick up the turtle and not too gently send it on its way.

All in all I had myself a mighty fine time rolling my wheels today....

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...

Today Marked My First Successful Biking Of The Entire Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail

That squiggly line you see on the drawing on the left represents Gateway Park's mountain bike trail.

Til today only one time previous did I roll my wheels over the entire trail. That one time previous did not go well. As in I had a lot of trouble with a lot of what seemed to be, at that point in time, steep climbs and trick curves.

After that first bad experience when I biked the Gateway Park trails that biking would entail about a third of what you see on the map.

My initial pedaling of the Gateway Park trails was soon after I got a new bike, which I got after about a two year biking hiatus followed my previous bike being stolen.

On Friday I was very surprised to discover that the more difficult parts of the River Legacy Park mountain bike trails, that I have avoided ever since the Gateway Park initial experience on the new bike, were now a piece of cake.

By piece of cake, I mean easy. Easy and fun.

So, today I decided to take my new helmet and roll my wheels over all the Gateway Park trails that you see on the map.

And once again I was very surprised. That which vexed me previously was another of those piece of cake experiences today.

Above my handlebars are pointing towards a section of the trail which you see represented in the middle part of the map above.

Gateway Park is only about four miles from my abode, slightly further than the Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington and half the distance to River Legacy Park.

Methinks I will now be having myself a mighty fine time frequently getting aerobicized on the entire Gateway Park mountain bike trail.

Endorphins are addictive. They really should be regulated by the FDA.....

Having Myself A Mighty Fine Time In Arlington Biking The River Legacy Park Mountain Bike Trails

Today I returned to River Legacy Park in Arlington for the first time since I got my bike's wheels rolling again.

Today also was the first time I've rolled my wheels on all the trails I used to roll my old bike on.

The couple times on the River Legacy Park mountain bike trails with my new bike I have avoided a long section of trail due to the fact that I had trouble on a couple of the climbs  with my old bike, as in trouble with the thing that holds the gear mechanism in tension going slack at the worst possible time, pretty much throwing me off the bike.

I'd been feeling very mountain bike worthy of late at Gateway Park, so today I decided to once again roll over the climbs that vexed me at River Legacy Park.

This was a good decision. I was surprised at how well the new bike handled that which the old bike balked at. At one point I made a mistake and took the wrong option at a junction, going the red arrow way, with the red arrow indicating the trails had an extreme challenge or two. It was at the bottom of an extremely steep drop I realized I was on an extreme trail. And then I was further surprised to find I was easily able to pedal up the next extremely steep climb.

This had me wondering if I am now able to handle the EKG and Fun Town sections. I tried EKG when it first opened, years ago, and quickly had to bail. Later I walked the EKG section and about had a heart attack due to the steep climbs and getting confused by the maze of trails.

When River Legacy Park first allowed the building of a mountain bike trail  the initial trail was a bit boring, few climbs and drops. It was one convoluted four mile loop. I would pedal the loop three times to get in 12 miles. It was sort of boring, twisting and turning and having to pay close attention to avoid hitting trees.

And now, years later I don't know how many loops have been added. Five? Six? Seven? There are loops off of loops. Loop bypasses. Loop connections where you can take a shortcut from one loop to another.

Several sections of new trails have been added since I last pedaled River Legacy. I have no idea how many miles of trail there now are. It would not surprise me if the miles totaled 20 or more.

And then there was the new signage, which you see in the photo at the top, where my handlebars are indicating, by pointing to the left, that that is the direction they wanted to go.  That would be the Prairie Loop to the left, with the Prairie Loop Bypass to the right.

Every few hundred feet there are the 911 signs you see in front of my handlebars. Each 911 sign had its own location identifier, as in the one above is PL 5, which I assume means Prairie Loop 5.

I have been on the River Legacy Park trails when an emergency medical team has been in the process of rescuing someone. Most notoriously a few years back in the aforementioned EKG section where a woman was injured due to wrecking on those treacherous trails.

These 911 signs seem to be a real good idea to me. The River Legacy Park mountain bike trail  system has grown so big, with so many junctions and trail options that I can see where it would be very difficult to explain to the 911 rescue people from whence you need rescuing.

More than once I have helped a confused hiker who found him or herself disoriented a few miles into the trails. Methinks it would be a mighty fine idea to add directional arrows pointing the direction back to the starting point parking lot. Useful both to bikers and hikers.

I suspect I shall be returning to River Legacy Park again soon. I have never seen the trails in such good shape. And the weather currently is being wheel rolling perfect. That will likely change in the near future...

Mountain Biking Gateway Park With 5 Pounds Of Blue Cheese

Handlebars Over The Trinity River in Gateway Park

By the time I was riding my two wheel chain driven locomotive device on the mountain bike trail at Gateway Park the ground was dry, totally dry.

This morning, when I made another swimming attempt, by the time I retreated to the hot tub, large drops of precipitation was precipitating. The drops dripping did not last long.

Currently, at the halfway point of this 1st Wednesday afternoon of the 2nd month of 2013, my computer based weather monitoring device is indicating the outer world at my location is being heated to a relatively balmy, for this time of the year, 74 degrees.

So, I have now opened my computer room window. This seems to have quickly raised the temperature in my computer room. Must I resort to having the ceiling fan spin to get some relief from this relentless warmth?

I refuse to turn on the air conditioning.

Unless we go over 80 in the outer world.

Because I was at Gateway Park I went to Town Talk, due to those two locations being neighbors. At Town Talk I got a giant 5 pound bag of blue cheese crumbles. What I am going to do with this much blue cheese I am sitting here, typing and wondering?

I guess I could make several gallons of blue cheese dressing. But then what would I do with several gallons of blue cheese dressing?

Gateway Park Red Flags Keep Me From Cliff Diving While Thinking About Not Seeing David, Theo & Ruby In Phoenix Tomorrow

In the picture my mountain bike's handlebars are on a Gateway Park mountain bike trail, aiming at the Trinity River, facing a lot of little red flags.

Right above the right side of my handlebar the Trail direction sign has been turned to point the wrong direction.

Why?

I don't know.

I turned the Trail direction sign to point the correct direction, thus a correction of the erroneous misdirection.

And what's with all the little red flags blocking the trail spur that quickly leads to a flying leap off a cliff into the Trinity River?

Has there been an uptick in the number of mountain bikers who have made a wrong turn and ended up swimming with the turtles? Seems like a lot of bother to stick a lot of little red flags in the ground, unless one had a really good reason to do so. Like stopping accidental cliff diving.

Mountain biking around noon was my first aerobic activity of the day. I did not go swimming this morning. However, I did go swimming last night.

I can be quite dense. Really it's true. A couple days ago the obvious reality that the pool is way warmer at the end of a warm day than it is after the end of a cool night, occurred to me. The day this reality occurred to me happened to be one of the 80 degree plus days we've had of late. Testing my new theory, that night, quickly proved the theory to be true, so I had myself a really long, really pleasant swim, in the dark.

Changing the subject to something else.

Up til a month or so ago I thought it to be a sure thing that I'd be heading to Phoenix this week, to meet my nephews, David and Theo and niece, Ruby, for the first time. However, a series of relative aggravations of varying degrees caused me to decide to stay in Texas until some time in 2013.

Back To Gateway Park With Wind Damage & Disappearing Green Scum Covered Ponds

I was up early and in the pool shortly after the arrival of the sun this Sunday morning, staying in the water well over an hour.

By around noon the temperature had warmed up the outer world to 90 degrees and thus was sufficiently warm to enjoy some aerobic stimulation.

My choice for aerobic stimulation was to return to Gateway Park's mountain bike trails once again. And once again I found some new trails.

Yesterday I mentioned the green scum covered pond that had a disc golf hole next to it. Today that green scum covered pond was totally dried up. I know it got to a record breaking 108 yesterday, but that much heat really does not explain the disappearing green scum covered pond.

In the above picture you are looking at my handlebars pointing to one of the disc golf holes. This disc golf hole is not the one by the former green pond covered pond. This one showed up on one of the new trails I found today, right next to the Trinity River, which flows about 30 below the level of the trail and the disc hole.

Gateway Park Trail Blocked By Windfall

I can't imagine there are many disc golfers that make it to this hole, willing to risk their disc ending up in the Trinity.

At some point in the time between Saturday's Gateway Park pedaling and today's Gateway Park pedaling a heavy wind must have blown through the park, leaving behind large pieces of trees laying across the trails in various locations.

I detected no wind at my location of sufficient strength to do this type damage in the last 24 hours. My abode is about 4 miles east of Gateway Park.

I was later told that there were reports of several micro-burst windstorms in the D/FW zone in the past 24 hours. One of those micro-bursts must have burst through Gateway Park.

I have only experienced a couple micro-bursts since I've been in the D/FW zone. One tore apart a balloon festival in Midlothian. I only saw the aftermath of that one. I've experienced, first hand, a micro-burst bursting at my current location. It was very loud and a bit unsettling.

It is almost 3:30 this Sunday afternoon and we have yet to hit 100 today. Currently it is only 98. With that vexing omnipresent humidity making it really feel like 105.

Pedaling The Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail Buzzed By A Copter Before Finding Strawberries

Since it was not quite yet 100 degrees, I decided it'd be cooling to ride my bike on the Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail on my way to Town Talk.

That being the part of the trail before one gets to the roller coaster twisting and turning part. And then pedaling on the paved trail.

I discovered a new area of mountain bike trail that shares trail with the disc golfers. This trail, with two disc golf holes, runs beside a pond covered with green scum for part of the distance,

I can not imagine many disc golfers willing to try to hit the holes that are by the pond covered with green scum, lest they lose their disc in the pond. I had some concerns for myself pedaling beside a green scum covered pond, what with the recent warnings to avoid stagnant ponds that are potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes and the West Nile Virus.

But, the only mosquito like critter I saw today was the thing you see in the picture that looks as if it is trying to push over a Gateway Park light pole.

For some reason a helicopter was buzzing all over the Tandy Hills and Gateway Park and points further to the west. Maybe the helicopter was looking for the latest Gateway Park snake bite victim.

The last time I was at Town Talk I got a case of the best peaches I've had in years. Today I got a case of strawberries. I've not tasted them yet. They are Driscoll's Strawberries from California. I have occasionally had  a semi-good Driscoll's Strawberry.

Now if these had been Ole & Sven's Strawberries, from the Skagit Valley, well, I would know they'd be real good even before my first taste.

Walking The Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail Finding Tasty California Peaches

For my mid-day doctor prescribed daily constitutional today I went to Gateway Park to walk, not bike, the Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail.

When you walk a trail that you've previously biked, it looks way different on two feet than two wheels, because when you are on two wheels you have to pay very close attention to the trail, lest you end up having a painful accident.

So, I was a bit surprised, whilst walking the trail, to see how close the trail is, at times, to the paved trail. I had no idea, except for locations where the MTB trail crosses the paved trail, that there were so many escape routes from the Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail Roller Coaster.

Another thing I had not noticed, whilst quickly zipping by on two wheels, is the sign at the start of the trail which has a map which shows the convoluted twisting and turning, roller coaster maze nature of this trail.

Click on the picture to make it big. The Mountain Bike Trail is the black squiggly line on the map.

The trail begins on the far left, you'll see two lines, the upper black line is the start of the trail, the lower black line is the end. Follow the upper black line til you make it back to the lower black line and you'll get a clear idea of why this trail has twice left me disoriented, not knowing which direction I was going, and exhausted from the miles of ups and downs, twists and turns and dodging of obstacles, like cliff drops, root ruts and stumps.

Walking this trail, through the jungle canopy, at around 90 degrees, was very pleasant. Totally shaded, for the most part.

I only saw one reptile today, and that was not in Gateway Park, it was on my front door when I opened it to leave. A cute little lizard.

Since Gateway Park is almost next door to Town Talk I went to Town Talk where I got a case of peaches for only $4. California freestone peaches. 84 peaches when I got them home and counted. What am I going to do with 84 peaches?

Well, more accurately, what am I going to do with 80 peaches? 4 disappeared during the lunch process.

Very good peaches. Blindfolded I would have bet they came from Eastern Washington, because they actually taste like a peach, unlike other tasteless peaches I've had the misfortune to have misrepresented to me as peaches in the past.

I didn't go to the Parker County Peach Festival this past Saturday. I read no glowing reports about the tastiness of the Parker County peaches this year.

Anyone want some peaches? I deliver within a 4 block radius.

Tonight I Heartily Biked The Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail

Gateway Park Trail Above Trinity River Cliff

Tonight I went on my first mountain bike trail ride in a long long time.

Yesterday I saw the Gateway Park mountain bike trail and thought it looked fun.

Easy and fun.

Well, it did turn out to be fun. But, easy? Not so much.

The Gateway Park mountain bike trail is a one-way single track. The trail starts off easy, twisting and turning through a dark woods. At times I felt like I was in a tunnel.

After several minutes of twisting and turning I exited the woods to a paved trail, following an arrow back to the mountain bike trail. Once more I was meandering a twisting and turning trail through a dark woods. I was liking it a lot.

And then, suddenly I found myself pedaling beside the Trinity River, with the river about 50 feet below, with the trail running along the edge of a cliff that drops to the river. This seemed treacherous to me.

My photo of this does not remotely capture what this cliff-side trail actually looked like.

I was still dealing with the surprise of finding myself pedaling at a cliff's edge, above a raging river, when suddenly I came to a steep drop off.

It has been a long time since I biked down a steep drop off.

Biking down the steep drop off went well, but, I was not prepared for the steep climb that followed. I almost made it to the top of the climb when I ran out of steam and had to jump off the bike. This type maneuver can go badly wrong. This time it did not.

That first steep up and down was followed by several more, some with twisting turns mixed in, and some off camber turns.

It was challenging.

Eventually the roller coaster section ended and I was back to more sedate trail, like I enjoyed at the start of tonight's ride.

All in all, I was quite impressed with the Gateway Park mountain bike trail.

Who makes these trails? And how do they make them? It seems to me to be quite the feat of engineering.

It would seem, judging by the fact that I only saw 4 other bikers tonight, that the D/FW mountain bike community has not discovered this trail. It took awhile for the River Legacy mountain bike trail to draw the crowds that now regularly fill the parking lot. In many ways, I thought the Gateway Park trail was funner than the River Legacy Park trail.

I will be back. But, not tomorrow. And probably not the day after tomorrow.

I Walked By An Area Close To The Public Today In Fort Worth's Gateway Park

I'd not visited the Gateway Park trail in a long time, til today.

That trail was damaged quite some time ago from the Trinity River flooding after the remains of Hurricane Hermine dropped too much rain for the river to easily handle.

For a long time after Hermine left town the Gateway Park trail was blocked, with a sign on the blockage informing trail walkers that the trail was closed.

Eventually the trail was reopened, though the damage has not been repaired, but interesting signs have been installed on the cyclone fencing, that blocks access to the damaged area, informing people that the "AREA CLOSE TO THE PUBLIC."

I did not need a sign to tell me that the area where I was standing was close to the public. I'm part of the public and I knew, quite clearly, that I was close to the area.

Another sign informed me that "TRAIL IS CLOSED TEMPORARILY FOR MAINTENANCE DO NOT ENTER"

Closed for maintenance? I did not see much maintenance going on.

Closed temporarily? It's been years, that does not seem very temporary to me.

As I walked along the sections of the trail that weren't closed, I saw a dirt path heading towards the river.

I followed that path and was surprised to see the remains of a very old trail that the river had washed out a long time ago, likely long before Hermine visited Fort Worth.

No cyclone fence or warning sign stopped me from walking on this old paved trail. You can't tell it very clearly from the picture, but, that is the paved trail, broken off, at the bottom of the picture. If I walked off the end of that trail I would have had myself a fun, long fall to the river below.

Chunks of fallen paved trail lay on the river bed, along with old tires and other flotsam.

A couple years ago a mountain bike trail was blazed in Gateway Park. I've never biked this mountain bike trail. My previous times seeing this trail it did not look as if very many people biked it. Today I saw the Gateway Park mountain bike trail and it now looks well ridden.

I shall return at some point in time in the near future to pedal the Gateway Park mountain bike trail.

Thinking About Biking The Newly Re-Opened River Legacy Mountain Bike Trail With The Queen Of Wink

Last night I saw a lot of mountain bikers in the mountain bike parking lot at River Legacy Park. When I was done biking I drove through that lot and saw that the chain closing the trail was now open.

I knew the River Rats had worked on the trail on Saturday, but the description of the amount of damage and the amount of water remaining, led me to think it'd be a long time before the River Legacy Park Mountain Bike Trail re-opened.

Well. As I so often am. I was wrong.

I checked out the DORBA (Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association) website this morning and saw the River Legacy Trail is open. For the most part.

The EKG and Fun Town sections are still under a lot of water. I do not bike either of those parts of the trail, due to it being too extreme and beyond the mountain biking skills that I currently possess or want to possess. The names of some of the challenges in Fun Town give you a clue as to why I avoid them, names like Granny's Heart Attack, Lost Lunch Gulch and Ball Breaker.

I'd been warned on the DORBA River Legacy page to look for big holes on the Prairie Loop. The big holes did not bother me, but I did not like how the vegetation has gone virile due to all the water. This seems like prime ground for critters like Copperhead snakes, which I have seen at River Legacy previously.

I was surprised by how dried out the trails were, for the most part. There were a few slightly tacky parts, but nothing so tacky that mud stuck to my wheels. In one spot water was still over the trail, but a short bypass takes you around it. There are currently big ponds were none existed before, and the existing ponds are filled to the max, at times coming to the edge of the trail.

Overall, I was surprised at what good shape the trail is in and that it is back usable so soon after being under so much water.

The Queen of Wink is going biking with me.