Trinity River Turns Into Dallas Lake After The Amazing Race Ends There

I saw that which you see here a few minutes ago on Facebook. I think that is Reunion Tower on the south end of this view looking east at the Dallas skyline.

That would make this the iconic view of Dallas seen during the opening credits of Dallas, with a lot of water added.

I am not sure about it, but I think the Dallas version of the Trinity River Vision envisions recreational lakes being in this flood plain. Along with a tollway. I may be wrong about this.

I can't imagine how that would work when a flood event, like you see here, comes to town.

My mom called last night to find out if I'd been flooded. Apparently the flooding in Texas is big national news, as well it should be, what with it being of biblical proportions. Almost.

Yesterday I got around to watching the season finale of The Amazing Race, with Dallas being the Final Destination City. This was the second time Dallas was the Final Destination City.

When the racers left Peru their clue told them to head to their Final Destination City and find their way to AT & T Stadium.

There have only been a few times whilst watching The Amazing Race where I am familiar with the territory being covered. With those times being race legs, or final destinations, or starting points in Seattle, Los Angeles, Utah and D/FW.

At Cowboy Stadium the racers ran into a Roadblock. Each of the boys opted to play, since it was football related. They had to get in uniform, then a cable hoisted them to the stadium's roof where they were handed a playbook, then dropped back to the field, where the playbook told them they had to catch a touchdown pass and score a field goal.

Two of the boys were football savvy. The other two weren't. It was amusing.

The next clue had them going to P2 Ranch in Alvarado. I'd never heard of this place. Nor had the taxi drivers. I later learned the ranch was down by Burleson. That is a bit of a distance from the stadium, with the route taken appearing to be all country, no freeway. This seemed odd.

At P2 Ranch the racers had to get in cowboy gear and be drovers on a cattle drive herding longhorns to a pen. This was across a lot of land, through water, horses got skittish, one racer fell off her horse. It all seemed risky to me.

Phil eliminated the fourth team to arrive at the ranch. The other three teams were told to go to the aforementioned Reunion Tower to find their next clue.

I have no idea by what route the teams made their way back to Dallas. This was not shown. But one team, known as the Bickersons, due to their constant bickering, made it to Reunion Tower well ahead of the other two teams.

Reunion Tower was another Roadblock. with the girls having to do this one. They had to rappel down the tower looking for their next clue, a route marker. Hayley Bickerson found what turned out to not be the route marker, thus costing them their lead and likely the win.

The other two saw the correct route marker and quickly made it to the location. A mud pit near the railroad tracks by Reunion Tower. They had to drive a Monster Truck to get through mud to get to their final challenge.

That final challenge was a bit tiresome, but when the clue was finally released it told them to find their Final Destination at Continental Avenue Bridge. One taxi driver did not know where that bridge was, the other did, telling the taxi driver who did not know that it's by the new bridge.

So, this iteration of The Amazing Race ended on a bridge that runs parallel to one of the Dallas Trinity River Vision actual signature bridges, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.

All in all, The Amazing Race made Dallas and Texas look real good.

No mention was made, during the final episode, of that town to the west which makes other towns, far and wide, green with envy....

Calling 911 With A Dry View From Miss Puerto Rico's, A Cop Visit And The Queen Of Wink & Me Going Around The World

24 hours ago this was not what the view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony looked like.

So far, this Sunday, at least at my location, in Texas, there has been no heavy duty storm action, like we got blasted with yesterday, despite the prediction of a possible repeat.

I called 911 this morning, after which a Fort Worth Cop quickly showed up to take my van vandalism/bike theft report. I am not sure, but I don't think a report was made.

Apparently there is a ghost's chance in hell that the culprits might be caught and my bike recovered.

I know nothing about the science of police work, but it would seem there must be some system of checking pawn shops.

I was impressed with the high tech equipment in the cop car. I'd not seen that before.

Since there is quite an outbreak of the type break-ins that broke me, I would think decoys could be set up to trap the bad buys. How hard would that be?

Awhile back I watched an astonishing police operation from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony. At least a dozen police cars showed up, with a lot of cops running around. The culprit was caught,  handcuffed and bent over the back of a police cruiser.

The crime? Shoplifting a box of disposable diapers and a pair of socks from a Dollar General store. This seemed a bit of overkill, disproportionate to the crime.

My bike and the damage to my van costs quite a bit more than some diapers and socks. How many others have been the victim of the same car prowler?

Anyway, the visit with the cop was quite nice. In the end he said he'd be on the lookout for a bright yellow K-2 bike.

Feeling despondent, on my way back from Pantego and Dalworthington Gardens, I called the Queen of Wink. Her royal litany of woes made mine seem puny. I guess that made me feel better. I must begin to work on our audition video for The Amazing Race. We feel due to my good navigational skills, the Queen's superior intellect, my inherent charm with natives and the Queen's flirtatious nature, we should be able to zoom around the world to an easy first place finish.

As long as no mountain biking is involved. I don't do mountain bikes anymore.

After we win and get our million dollar check we will be holding a party. You, who will be invited, know who you are.

Up Early In Training In Texas For The Amazing Race

As you can see from the view through the bars of my prison cell, October 18 is yet one more nice, clear blue sky day in Texas.

The blue sky day thing should be ending today, if the weather predictions of multiple days of incoming rain prove to be accurate.

I was in the pool, that you can see through the bars, soon after the sun lit up the place. The pool was very pleasantly temperatured.

Temperatured is being red-flagged as being a misspelling. I am choosing the "add to dictionary" option, thus turning "temperatured" into a legit word.

I learned last night that I need to get myself in shape for The Amazing Race and an audition video. The Queen of Wink and I are going to race around the world and be first to the final finish line, thus winning a million dollars.

I was shocked this morning to read my old hometown newspaper, on-line, to learn that a friend of mine from high school had gone missing whilst hiking on Sauk Mountain. I made an urgent inquiry of Betty Jo Bouvier and learned this was a different person, of the same name, who had gone missing. I've hiked to the top of Sauk Mountain many times. I don't quite see how one would get lost, without intending to do so.

I have not heard from Elsie Hotpepper for days. I think she must be pouting due to erroneously thinking I suggested that she was an old lady. All I did was refer to Elsie as a "lady of a certain vintage." That phrase does not mean "old lady." It could mean young lady, which, of course, it does, in reference to Elsie Hotpepper.

I think I will go hiking the Tandy Hills today as part of that get in shape for The Amazing Race plan. I hope I don't over do it.

I Am Behind Bars In Texas Again After Returning From Glen Rose & Applying To Be On The Amazing Race With The Queen Of Wink

I am back behind bars this Sunday afternoon in Texas. As you can see, laying with me on a chaise lounge, out on my patio, looking through the bars, the fog eventually lifted and a somewhat blue sky is the result.
For now.

Before the clouds finally parted, thus allowing some heating, it got down to 62. And very breezy.

Nonetheless, I needed a break from spending this morning down in Glen Rose, by Dinosaur Valley and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, so I decided to brave the clammy cold and go on a bike ride.

First stop, Chase Bank, where I am proud to say, for the first time since Chase installed their new ATMs, I successfully deposited a check without incident.

Then it was on to Village Creek Natural Historic Area.

Closed. Due to flooding. Again. I decided against driving to River Legacy Park and finding it also closed, so for that reason, and the fact that I realized I was way under-dressed for a bike ride in such extreme chilly conditions, I aborted and came back here.

Where I learned I may be getting incoming from Washington, tomorrow, via Houston, en route to Amarillo and a date with a big steak at the Big Texas Steakhouse. If the logistics work out, I am having lunch tomorrow in the Fort Worth Stockyards with a pair of Pacific Northwesterners. That'll be nice. It has been awhile since I spoke Washington. Over 2 years. I don't know if I can speak Washington, anymore, without a Texas accent.

The latest iteration of The Amazing Race starts up tonight. The Queen of Wink and I are applying to be on The Amazing Race. The Queen will be the brains, doing anything that requires math or any other higher level thought process. While I perform, mainly, as the navigator, due to my uncanny navigational abilities. When our audition video is finished I will put it on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.

An Hysterically Laughing Baby & Skiing In The Desert In Dubai

I have a few corespondents who consistently send me amusing things to see and read. I always see and read their incoming because of their established track records of good taste when it comes to what is interesting and funny.

One of my regulars who sends me good stuff is Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast. Another is Miss BSM in Hawaii. She has been absent for awhile, I believe due to acting on a TV show. And then there is Miss CVB up in Washington. She sent me the "Laughing Baby" video you see above. I've never before seen a baby laugh hysterically like this kid does.

Speaking of video. Last night I went to watch my DVR recorded latest episode of The Amazing Race. I have the DVR set to record 2 extra hours past the scheduled time due to football games running long. Last night an extra 2 hours was not enough. The recording stopped with 15 minutes left in The Amazing Race.

I did get a good look at Dubai though. The Amazing Racers had to fly from Phnom Penh to the Persian Gulf and find the tallest building in the world. Unlike most of the racers I knew this meant go to Dubai and find the Burj Tower. At least one of the racers thought Persian Gulf was a country.

Once they got to Dubai they had to get to the top of the still unfinished Burj Tower to find their next clue. Scary looking skinny skyscraper.

I've heard of the Dubai indoor ski attraction. Now I've seen it. I somehow thought this was in a mall. Instead it was in its own free-standing, sloped building. Inside it looked like night skiing, complete with ski lift. Outside, the racers were sweltering in the desert 100 degree plus heat, inside, the mountain was barely above freezing.

The task at the snow zone was a Detour. To non-viewers that means a choice between 2 tasks with varying levels of difficulty. All the teams chose dig through snow to find a little itty bitty figurine. I think it was a tiny snowman. One team found the thing and then one by one the teams gave up and decided to try the other task, which was using the snow to build a classic snowman, with coal chunks for eyes, a carrot nose, I forget what else. Oh, yeah, they had to build the snowman out in the desert heat and get it done to some judge's satisfaction to get their next clue.

My recording stopped before I saw a desert snowman building attempt.

The Amazing Race & The Amazing Star-Telegram

Click here to Read about How the
Dallas and Starr Post-Show Romance is Going.
With Smooching Photos.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE DURANGO TV BLOG
TO READ ABOUT NICK & STAR WINNING
THE AMAZING RACE WITH DALLAS AND TONI MISSING

After a month of reading the Tacoma News Tribune and the New York Times it was a bit of a jolt this morning to find myself back with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram being my morning paper.

Both the Star-Telegram and the News Tribune are McClatchy newspapers. So, why does the Star-Telegram have so few columnists on its editorial page compared to the News Tribune?

And why does the Star-Telegram make Doonesbury so hard to read on their editorial page when the News Tribune does not?

Not once whilst reading the Tacoma News Tribune did I read any writer make some connection between Tacoma or Washington or the Pacific Northwest and some TV show.

My first day back and the Star-Telegram does it again in an article about my favorite TV show. A show I'd feared CBS had cancelled, that being The Amazing Race.

I'll copy and paste the Star-Telegram Amazing Race article verbatim with its Amazing Connection to Fort Worth.....

North Texas team to compete in 'The Amazing Race’

A brother-and-sister team with ties to Fort Worth will try to continue the success of North Texas contestants on reality shows when the 13th edition of The Amazing Race debuts on CBS at 7 p.m. Sept. 28.

Star Spangler (yes, that’s really her name), a former Dallas Cowboy cheerleader who lists her hometown as Fort Worth, and brother Nick, who performed in a recent Casa Mañana production of The Fantasticks, will be one of the 11 teams vying for the grand prize of $1 million.

In media materials, they admit to an uncommon level of competitive instinct, even with each other, which could make for some exciting TV.

One team the siblings will face is made up of geeky best friends Mark Yturralde, 41, and Bill Hahler, 42. The Comic-Con treasurer and student aid administrator from San Diego have been pals for more than 20 years and have auditioned for Race since the third season. The superhero and gaming aficionados said they left their toys at home during the race.

"We’ve got really teeny backpacks," Hahler said. "They are small. We wanted to make sure that there wasn’t anything to prevent us from putting that pack underneath the seat in front of us when we got on a plane."

Two couples teams look promising, too.

Married beekeepers and self-described hippies Anita Jones, 63, and Arthur Jones, 61, from Eugene, Ore., are the oldest — and perhaps most colorful — team on this season.

Among their mottos: "Don’t worry, be hippie" and "The hokey pokey is what it’s all about."
Ken Greene, a former St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers defensive back, now 51, will race with estranged wife Tina.

Starting at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the contestants will travel more than 30,000 miles in 23 days to countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Russia and Kazakhstan.