Sikes Lake Bike Ride With A Coyote

 What with my New Year's Resolution to try and get more exercise of the outdoor activity sort, today pre-noon I did some fast walking at Lucy Park. 

And this afternoon, as the sun was beginning its slow descent my bike took me on a ride for the first time in a long time. That would be my bike's handlebars, looking west across Sikes Lake.

As you can see the outer world is looking serene. No wind and heated into the 70s.

When I got to the bridge at the west end of Sikes Lake I found I had to turn around, due to some sort of repair being done at both ends of the bridge.

And then when I got near the bridge at the other end of Sikes Lake I came upon what you see here.

A coyote.

Coyotes began showing up several months ago on the grounds of the MSU President's mansion. The coyotes arrived to encourage the flocks of geese to seek elsewhere to flock. The husband of the MSU president regularly moves the coyotes to new locations, so as to keep the geese thinking they are real, and not harmless manmade coyotes.

Today marked the first time one of the fake coyotes has shown up at Sikes Lake.

I rather enjoyed the bike ride. I was a bit wobbly at first, but the wobbliness soon abated. 

Saturday Evening Shadow Of The Sikes Lake Thin Bike Man

Yester evening, as the sun slowly set, I had myself a mighty fine bike ride, eventually joining the throngs walking, biking, blading and jogging around Sikes Lake.

You can sort of tell, via the photo documentation, that it was late in the day, causing the casting of a long shadow of the thin man on the bike.

Today, the next to last Sunday of the 2022 version of March, the outer world is scheduled to be heated into the 80s.

I foresee a long walk and another bike ride in my future for today, as I close in on the goal of losing 20 pounds by the end of this month, so that I can more comfortably fit into an airplane's seat...

Pedaling At Sunset In Fort Worth Past The Trinity Trail Homeless People

I started pedaling before 7. It really was not as dark as this picture would make you think. In the picture I've just left Gateway Park, crossed the Trinity River on the Dam/Bridge that was flooded, a week ago today, pedaled up to the top of the levee and stopped because the sun was doing some interesting lighting that I thought might make an interesting photo.

Yesterday I came up 5 homeless people walking on the Trinity Trail. Two pairs and one guy solo. I was hoping today to see no homeless people.

Continuing on, in a mile or two I came to a flock of swan-like birds, floating in the Trinity River. I assumed they got the memo from J.D. Granger that the Tarrant Regional Water Board has been working successfully for decades to turn the formerly polluted Trinity River into super clean water, safe to swim and inner tube in.


In the above picture I'm the furthest I made it on tonight's sunset bikeride, to the west side of the I-35 Freeway, a short distance from the Fort Worth Stockyards, which, if I remember right, is a couple more miles of pedaling. That shelter in the foreground is a water oasis.

The above is what I saw when I turned around from the view of the I-35 Freeway and the water oasis, two of the more, uh, interesting, downtown Fort Worth Skyscrapers, peeking up above a line of trees.

Now the homeless person report.

I saw none wandering the Trinity Trails. However, under the Riverside Drive Bridge there was a group of 5 or 6. On my way out, one asked, as I pedaled by, "How's it go'in, man?" I said, "fine."

On the return two of the under the bridge homeless people appeared to be sleeping. None of those still awake howdied me as I passed.

There were a couple females pedaling tonight on the Trinity Trails and one jogging. I would think that group under the bridge might make a girl a bit nervous. I'm not a girl and they made me nervous. The scene had a sort of post-apocalyptic look to it. Blade Runner in Fort Worth.

I'm liking my sunset bike rides. Except for the homeless people part. That and the giant flying things that hit me. Tonight I think I may have been slammed by a bat. Whatever it was, it was big.

An Early Evening Bike Ride With The Alligators & Jackrabbits At Fort Worth's Quanah Parker Park

I had myself a frustrating, annoying afternoon, all computer related.

On the way back here from the Tandy Hills today I saw that Quanah Parker Park has re-opened, recovered from that recent Hurricane Hermine unpleasantness which had flooded the park, forcing its closure.

So, about 6 o'clock I got the urge to roll. And so I did.

Quanah Parker Park is the park closest to my abode. A couple miles distant. Or less. The paved trail winds through Trinity River floodland. Obviously. The trail circles around a large pond. That pond has been re-charged by the recent flooding.

You can see the flood rejuvenated pond in the picture above, with the sun starting to make its slow move to set. I would not be too shocked if an alligator or two has taken up residence in the Quanah Parker Park Pond.

Due to there being a big supply of rabbits to feed on.

I've not seen so many rabbits scurrying about since years ago in Washington Park in Anacortes in Washington.

Years ago, when my nephews, Joey and Christopher, were about 7, they decided they were going to catch one of the critters at what they called Bunny Park. I think their trap was inspired by a cartoon. Basically a stick holding up a box, with the stick attached to a long string and the trap baited with carrots.

Those two played rabbit hunters for well over an hour before they finally gave up and just started chasing them. Last time I was in Washington Park, in 2004, I saw no bunnies. I'd heard there had been a bunny removal program due to the numbers growing too big.

I biked the Quanah Parker Trail for about an hour, back and forth between the Quanah Parker Park parking lot and Chesapeake Energy Operation, at the west terminus and then back to the trail's end, at the east end.

By the time I was done the sun was in full retreat.

We are looking west, obviously, in the picture, from the Quanah Parker Park parking lot, at a line of trees above the Trinity River with the sun hanging above, along with some clouds.

I think I may make a habit of this evening bike ride thing. It seems quite salubrious and fits in with my plan to get in better shape and live a healthier lifestyle.

Getting Stuck With Goatheads Sends Me To Tandy Falls

I did not intend to go to the Tandy Hills when I left here today. Instead I went to Oakland Lake Park to ride my bike.
That did not go well.

I figured I could pedal across the grass to get around where the sidewalk was being worked on. The first instance of getting around the sidewalk workers took me way out in the grass.

Soon I saw brown things stuck to my front tire. I slammed the brakes, fearing the brown things were dreaded goatheads.

I pulled a brown thing out of the tire. It was a dreaded goathead. I pulled 15 to 20 of the dreaded goatheads out of the front and back tires. I carried the bike about 100 feet to hopefully goathead-free cement and street pedaled til I could access the paved Oakland Lake Park trail without crossing goathead infested grass.

After a little over 2 miles of pedaling I was over it. Since the top of Mount Tandy was just a short distance away I decided to go take a picture from the top of Mount Tandy of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, free of those angry dark Hurricane Hermine clouds.

I assumed I would only be able to walk to where I could take a picture, with beyond that being real muddy. I was wrong. I heard noises like the Fort Worth Water Boys were back, noises like engines revving, air brakes popping and walkie talkies. I thought there was no way trucks could be driving the Tandy Highway dirt road.

I took the downhill option to the right that leads to Tandy Falls. Figuring eventually mud would put a stop to my hiking. I was wrong. Again.

As you can see, water is roaring over Tandy Falls today in copious amounts. There was plenty of evidence that during the Wednesday tropical downpour a huge amount of water was roaring over Tandy Falls. I kept hearing truck noises and people talking on walkie talkies. I decided to see if I could walk on Tandy Highway without growing taller due to mud sticking to me.

I kept expecting to see trucks. I got to the first creek that the Water Boys had plugged during their recent operations. The flooding had done a good job of eroding the plug. And for some reason crime scene tape had been added.


I continued on past the crime scene to the next creek crossing. There was no crime scene tape there. The creek was running nicely through the hole left where the culvert pipe had been yanked out. After successfully fording that stream, and not finding myself mired in mud, I decided to take a right and head up to the top of a Tandy Hill, still drawn by hearing voices on walkie talkies and engine noises.

I got to the top of that hill and decided to hike no further, due to it being a bit muddy in either direction. That and I'd already gotten more exercise than I had intended.

Turning around and heading back down the trail I'd just hiked up, I saw the orchid-like flower you see in the picture. 10 days in to September, 2 days after torrential rains and the Tandy Hills is still sprouting colorful wildflowers.

I never did figure out where the walkie talkies and engine noises were coming from.