Remembering Bobcat Cove Almost Getting Mauled In The Lotus Pose

Another Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day which I actually remember. And this memory did happen in the month of October. Which day in October, I have no idea. As for the year, it was either 1994 or 1995.

The location is Lake Powell.

That is me atop a red sandstone cliff, in the Lotus yoga pose, in a location we came to call Bobcat Cove. The first docking location on a four day houseboat float on Lake Powell. 

This docking location was erroneously named Bobcat Cove. It should have been called Cougar Cove. During the first night on Lake Powell, all the floaters, but me, slept on the roof of the houseboat. I slept inside.

The houseboat's sliding door was left open. In the middle of the night, I awoke to see the glowing eyes of a big cat. I let out a blood curdling scream which had the rooftop sleepers rush off the roof.

I was scorned for the bloodcurdling screaming. And it was suggested I imagined the big cat. Come morning, with sun illumination, cat tracks were clearly visible at the entry to the houseboat. Heartfelt apologies for doubting my veracity were forthcoming.

Here is photo documentation of the cat tracks.

At the point in time when I was nearly mauled by a giant cat I had never seen an actual bobcat. It was not til experiencing Texas that I had actual bobcat encounters. And thus realized bobcats are much smaller than that big cat that came onboard the houseboat.

And so, Bobcat Cove should be renamed Cougar Cove, or Panther Cover, or Mountain Lion Cove...

On The Tandy Hills Hiking With A Big Bobcat Enjoying A Distant Look At America's Top Downtown

On the left we are on the old wagon trail on top of Mount Tandy, looking west at the stunning skyline of what we recently learned is the Top Downtown in America.

Fort Worth, Texas.

I had trouble sleeping last night, so I was vertical early this morning, which had me in the increasingly cool pool a half hour before the sun arrived to do some illuminating.

I thought a bout in the Tandy Hills Natural Area's natural steambath sauna would make me feel better.

It did.

I'd forgotten rain fell on Saturday. I remembered the rain when I got to the jungle part of the trail and found myself growing suddenly taller due to mud sticking to my shoes.

The mud did not stay stuck long, quickly shrinking me back to my regular height.

I saw several Hoodoos today, including the precariously engineered Hoodoo you see below.

The above Hoodoo was standing at Hoodoo Central at the north end of the View Street trail. I did not take  pictures of the other Hoodoos I came upon today due to the troubling fact that the humidity made it difficult to get the camera out of the pocket in which I stick it.

For what seems months now when I arrive at the summit of Mount Tandy I find my usual way in blocked by a tower maintenance operation. Weeks ago I walked over to the operator sitting under two big umbrellas to inquire about what they were doing. All I got out of the explanation was cables were slowly being replaced.

Today when I started my hiking the under the umbrellas guy waved at me. When I returned from my hiking the under the umbrellas guy waved again and then as I was standing outside my mechanized transport, hydrating, the umbrellas guy got off his perch and started walking towards me.

The umbrellas guy looked like he wanted to tell me something.

I was right.

Apparently soon after I started hiking down Mount Tandy the biggest bobcat the umbrellas guy had ever seen walked slowly in front of the fence that surrounds Tandy Tower and then took a right  to follow me down Mount Tandy.

I asked if he was sure it was a bobcat, asking if it could have been a panther. He said it had a short bobbed tail. The umbrellas guy said he's seen a lot of bobcats over the years but did not know they could get as big as the bobcat that apparently went hiking with me today.

In all the years I've been hiking on the Tandy Hills I think I have only seen one bobcat, a fast moving one darting across the trail ahead of me.

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...

A New Tandy Hills Hoodoo With A Crow Mad At A Bobcat & Pesky Flies

Well. The Tandy Hills Hoodoo has under gone yet one more remodelling, taking on a different shape than the shape I saw last Friday.

A new shape and it appears a new Hoodoo is sprouting to the north of the main Hoodoo.

After I photo documented the new Hoodoo I found myself suddenly confronted by a very upset crow, making extremely loud crow cawing noises.

A few seconds later I saw what had the crow so upset.

A bobcat suddenly leapt out from the trail which leads to the Hoodoo from the west.

The bobcat saw me and did a quick u-turn, running back from whence it came. I followed, hoping to take a picture, but the bobcat was long gone.

I think today was the first time I've had a bobcat encounter on the Tandy Hills. I may be forgetting one.

I had other wildlife encounters today on the Tandy Hills, with those wildlife encounters being extremely annoying.

I do not recollect ever being bugged by bugs on the Tandy Hills.

Til today.

It was being like a mild version of a late summer high country hike in the North Cascades, where biting deer flies can make hiking miserable, unless one douses oneself in bug spray.

I don't know if it was biting flies which I found myself repeatedly swatting. I do know they looked like a small version of a deer fly. And I don't believe I suffered any bites.

I don't remember if I've mentioned it before, but my location in North Texas is way less buggy than my old location in Western Washington. I don't believe I have had a single mosquito bite since I have been in Texas. I never went a summer in Washington without a mosquito bite. My last mosquito bite occurred  the last time I was in Washington, in Tacoma, summer of 2008.

If this fly infestation continues to be a pest on the Tandy Hills I think I may be cutting back on my hill hiking.

Walking With Indian Ghosts, Bobcats & Ticks To The Village Creek Green Bayou

Very early this morning I had myself a very refreshing long swim in a not too cool pool.

In the noon time frame I had myself a not too cool walk with the Indian Ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

Not too cool, as in the hot and humid type of not too cool.

The Village Creek Blue Bayou  has turned into the Village Creek Green Bayou, as you can see in the picture, all green, no blue, not even in the sky.

As I was walking across the Village Creek Dam Bridge, on my way to the Green Bayou, I met two guys carrying fishing gear. I asked if they'd caught a lot of fish. One of the guys then told me that they did not even get a line in the water, because before that could happen they found that they were getting ticked off by ticks.

I got ticked off by a tick, years ago, camping somewhere near Mount Baker, the precise location lost to my failing memory. That particular tick ticked me in an extremely sensitive area. The pain was intense, so intense I dropped my drawers without warning to my fellow campers.

One of my fellow campers had tick experience. Or so she claimed. Next thing I knew a lit match was heating the tick to tick it off enough that it would release its grip. This worked. Relief was instant.  I quickly re-installed my dropped drawers.

The two guys I met today who got ticked off enough by ticks that they decided not to cast their lines, must have caught the ticks before they struck, I assume, because the two guys did not evidence being in any recent pain.

The stray dog that was living near the VCNHA parking lot was gone today. Once again, near that location, a large bobcat crossed the trail ahead of me. I think the stray dog was too big to have found itself bobcat food. At least I hope that's the case.

Last night's storm knocked out power at my location for an hour or so. The power came back on right about the time the sun set for the evening.  Power goes out way too often at my location. Rarely does it go out across the street, where Albertsons and other stores are.

Walking Over A Field Of Broken Glass On The Tandy Hills While Pondering Signposts & Sociopaths

Today, half way down Mount Tandy, at the junction in the trail where one direction heads north, while the other heads south, I came upon the field of broken green glass you see on the left.

I find it difficult to believe that any of the litter averse, ecologically evolved sorts who wander the Tandy Hills would commit such a vandalistic act of broken glass mayhem.

Maybe a big green glass bottle fell out of a plane and landed on this spot. I'm sure that is the explanation.

Earlier today, on Facebook, I saw a photo of a very healthy looking bobcat which was spotted on Saturday on the Tandy Hills by some Boy Scouts.

I suspect the bobcat spotting Boy Scouts were on the Tandy Hills to help install the new signposts that have been stuck in the ground since my last visit.

The previous sole signpost had one direction indicating it was the rabbit trail, while the other direction appeared to be the eagle or hawk trail.

The new signposts that I saw today had what looked like maybe the sun, or a sunflower, another what appeared to be stalks of grass and another with what looked to be a roadrunner.

So, I guess those are the sun, grass and roadrunner trails.

I was a bit perplexed as to how the signposts are going to work to help someone find their way. The signposts may be too abstract for my relatively simple mind.

Changing the subject from signposts to signs of other things.

Hiking today in the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium I found myself have some peaceful reflection time, reflecting on why I've been feeling relatively depressed lately.

I think I may have reflectively simplified my relative depression to the fact that I don't like being lied to. Character matters. As does loyalty and respect. Duplicity is not an attractive trait. And, it is a sad fact that among the humans who inhabit this world there are some who are truly evil sociopaths. I always believe that time heals all wounds and wounds all heels. But sometimes that process seems to take too long.

Changing the subject again, this time from evil sociopaths to swimming.

The temperature is just a few degrees shy of 80. In the Washington of my youth this would be considered a really HOT summer day, with the idea of heading to a lake crossing my mind. But, here in Texas, it is the idea of heading to a swimming pool that is crossing my mind right about now.

Hiking The Tandy Hills With My Perennially Negative Self & A Possible Bobcat

Today I was back on the Tandy Hills. As you can see via the view up a steep trail up a Tandy Hill some of the Tandy trees are getting very colorful.

Most of the food in the Tandy Buffet Shrine, that I have mentioned a couple times in the past week, has now disappeared. Not a single crumb of the coffee cake was in evidence.

I have not gone swimming since last Monday. It's been cold. But the 24 hour temperature average the past 24  hours has been well over 50 degrees. With the current temperature in the middle of Monday afternoon being 71 by tomorrow morning the 48 hour average will have been well over 50.

So, tomorrow morning I am going to try and go swimming. If the water has not warmed to a suitable temperature I can retreat to the hot tub.

Yesterday, in a blog comment to a blogging that mentioned my twin nephew and niece, Theo and Ruby, had their 23rd month birthday party on Saturday, also mentioned one of Theo and Ruby's aunts, which had the commenter commenting that Theo and Ruby's aunt is a bad apple. That seems a really harsh judgement to make from very little evidence.

And then Someone Else, in another comment to another blogging,  that being a blogging about the most beautiful work of modern architecture in the world, outrageously opined that my supposed "perennial negativity toward Fort Worth has become rather annoying."

I am shocked. Perennial negativity? At best it is only occasional. And usually with very good reason.

Changing the subject from my perennial negativity back to the Tandy Hills.

As I headed down the hill that leads to the aforementioned Tandy Buffet Shrine I was hearing voices. Eventually the trio of guys you see in the picture above came into view. The trio appeared to be painting. I  would have gotten closer to see for sure what the trio was doing, but I respected their invisible no trespassing sign.

Continuing on I eventually found myself back on the Tandy Highway, heading towards Mount Tandy and my vehicular transport parked on the summit. When I got on the Tandy Highway and looked north I saw what looked like a bobcat looking at me. I stopped and grabbed my camera.

I zoomed in and took 3 pictures. From where I was standing I was too far away to tell for sure if this was a bobcat. It has been awhile since I've had a bobcat encounter.

When I got the pictures off the camera I was able to tell with some certainty that this was not a bobcat. I think it was a rather big cat of the domestic house cat sort. Out having him or herself a real fine time running around on the Tandy Hills.

I hope I have not been too negative about the perennial Tandy Hills today.

Biking With Bobcats Tonight In River Legacy Park While Looking For Olive The Missing Prairie Dog

River Legacy Bobcat

Tonight I decided to expand the search for Olive the Missing Prairie Dog to River Legacy Park in Arlington.

That and I've decided I don't get enough exercise.

That is not a dog in the picture. That is a River Legacy Park bobcat. It had been a couple years since I've had a bobcat encounter.

My first bobcat encounter was on the River Legacy mountain bike trail. Years ago. It was during a period of time when there were reports of cougar sightings along the Trinity River.

I was pedaling fast, deep in the woods of the mountain bike trail, when suddenly I saw a bobcat. I was sure it was waiting to pounce on me and have me for lunch. I skidded to a stop and had a stare down with the beast. Then I high tailed it out of there, going the wrong way on the one-way trail to hurry to warn the park ranger of the imminent bobcat danger.

When I found a ranger she acted like I was a silly kid getting all excited over nothing. Because, as it turns out, I was.

Politely Posing

I have had many bobcat encounters in the years since my first. I long ago learned if you act nonchalant, so does the bobcat.

When I saw the bobcat tonight, he was walking towards me on the paved trail. I stopped. He kept walking towards me. I got out my camera. Started taking pictures. He did not mind. He was intently studying something up in a tree.

After a couple minutes a pair of bikers came upon our serene scene and the bobcat ran into the bushes. The first biker saw what I was taking pictures of. He did not look too alarmed.

I think I am done with trying to get more exercise for the evening. I will try and be sedentary until morning when I go swimming.

Giant Tires & Bobcats Invade The Parched Tandy Hills

Lately it seems hardly a day goes by without yet one more Tandy Hills mystery.

White snails, bamboo teepees, frozen water, flooding creeks, giant tires, just to name a few of the Tandy Hills mysteries.

The Giant Tire is today's new Tandy Hills mystery. Actually it was two tires. One giant, the other not giant.

The Giant Tire is the Big Mystery. The Giant Tire arrived within the past 24 hours. It sits in the middle of Tandy Highway, near the creek crossing which recently flooded.

I thought maybe some kids had fun rolling the tire to this location. However, I saw no tire tracks.

I tried to lift the tire to its rolling position. It was too heavy, way too heavy. I could not budge it.

How did this Giant Tire get to this location?

Far away from the Giant Tire I found another tire that had arrived since yesterday. This one was located near the end of the trail that leads on to the Tandy Hills from the park on View Street.

As you can see, this is a little tire. With a view of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

A short time after discovering the second tire I came across something I've not seen on the Tandy Hills before.

A Bobcat.

I have had multiple Bobcat encounters at River Legacy Park in Arlington, and once at Quanah Parker Park near my abode.

I was about 50 feet from the Tandy Bobcat when I spotted it looking intensely at something, I assume lunch. As I reached for my camera the Bobcat spotted me and leaped into running mode before I could aim the camera at him.

This was the biggest Bobcat I've seen. It seemed a little skinny. I imagine times are tough on the Tandy Hills, food-wise, and definitely water-wise. Maybe the Tandy Bobcat has discovered the Tandy Roadrunner's water barrel.

Years ago, when I had my first Bobcat encounter, was during a period of time when there had been cougar sightings along the Trinity River.

I was on the River Legacy Park mountain bike trail when I saw a cat ahead of me. My imagination said cougar, at first, then I realized it was way smaller than a cougar. Still, I was certain its intent was to murder me and drag me to its lair.

I sort of over-reacted and turned around on the one-way trail and hurried out of there, going the wrong way til I made it back to civilization. I pedaled fast to find a park ranger to warn of the danger. If I remember right the park ranger giggled at me.

After that first Bobcat encounter I had many more, some documented on my River Legacy Park webpage. Years after that first Bobcat encounter I was pedaling on to the bike/hike bridge across the Trinity and saw a Bobcat walking on to the bridge from the other side. I continued on, as did he. We passed each other, sort of warily, at the middle of the bridge. I think I said something like "Howdy Kitty."

If I go to the Tandy Hills tomorrow for my regular Saturday hike, followed by a Town Talk visit, I wonder what new mystery I will find to mystify me? I hope it isn't anything that bites.

Flat Bobcat Encounter at River Legacy Park

Well, I've had me a day. I got up well before the sun did today. That had me in the pool early. About 11 I decided to try and ride the River Legacy Park Mountain Bike Trail. I figured it's been enough days since Friday's rain, that it should be dried out.

The first time around was uneventful, wildlife-wise, except for one brief encounter with a skinny green snake.

Somewhere between the 3 and 4 mile mark I came upon a turn off to a new trail. I'd just been there last week and saw no sign of this new trail. The trail twisted and turned, tracked back and forth, I had no idea what direction I was going. And then after about a mile of slightly slow going, due to the new trail not being broken in yet, it rejoined the original trail. I think I maybe gained 50 feet after twisting and turning around for a mile.

On the second time around I quickly came upon the biggest, as in overweight type big, guy I've ever seen on a mountain bike. No, I did not get a picture. I asked if I could pass. He was pleasant. I don't see how that guy could manage some of the ups and downs.

About a mile later my front tire suddenly went wobbly. It quickly went totally flat. It was not long before the Big Guy came up behind me. I was surprised. I think he'd taken shortcuts. He offered to help. I said thanks, but I'm just gonna walk it out. There are those shortcuts, I figured it'd be about a mile of pushing the flat tire. I was right.

About a minute after the Big Guy's offer of help, I came upon my first bobcat in a long time. He was a big one. He did not seem too nervous about me. I talked to him and he seemed to be doing some sorta growling thing. I was able to get my camera out and take a lot of pictures. Eventually he slowly walked away from me as I continued to snap pictures. He only walked about 10 feet, to sit in the shade of a small tree.

So, I ended up going about 7.7 miles with my bike today, with 1 mile of it being on foot. I did not like being on foot. It is a very warm day. The sort of very warm spring day that brings out the snakes, like Copperheads. It is not easy to spot a snake in the grass. Especially when it is tall green grass.

Bobcat Attacks in Arizona & Texas

I had my first bobcat encounter soon after there were reports of cougar/panther sightings here in the Dallas/Fort Worth zone. My first bobcat encounter was on the mountain bike trail at River Legacy Park. I braked to a halt. The bobcat was in tall grass at the side of the trail. It kept popping its head up as if it was waiting to pounce on me.

I reversed course and high-tailed it out of there, going the wrong way on the one-way trail. I found a park ranger person and told her of my dangerous encounter. She laughed and told me the bobcats were harmless.

So, after that, with my follow-up bobcat encounters, I had no concern that I was in danger. On one of my bobcat encounters I was rollerblading and the bobcat was an old lady one. She just slowly walked ahead of me while I snapped pictures. That's the old lady bobcat in the picture.

My most recent bobcat encounter was also the weirdest. I pedaled on to the north end of the River Legacy trail's bridge over the Trinity River. At the south end I saw a bobcat walking on to the bridge. I kept pedaling. He kept walking. We met in the middle with me saying, "howdy kitty."

So, I was quite surprised to learn this morning that bobcats do attack humans. As in a bobcat attacked 3 people in Cottonwood, Arizona. The first attack occurred after a woman thought she'd hit the bobcat with her car. She stopped, got out and was attacked and scratched.

After that the bobcat headed towards a Pizza Hut where it menaced a woman as she left with her pizza.

After the pizza encounter the bobcat went inside the Chapparal Bar and commenced to attack, causing people to stand on bar stools and tables to get away from the marauding bobcat. The bobcat bit two men in the bar.

By the time the police arrived the bobcat was in the bar's parking lot. The police shot and killed it. Rabies test results are not yet available. I'm thinking this might be a Hitchcockian The Birds type phenomenon, with bobcats going crazy randomly.

I won't be so relaxed during my next bobcat encounter.

Bobcat & Mountain Lion Encounters

Five days ago, hiking at Tandy Hills Park I had a close encounter with a very large cat. We stared at each other til I started to move forward which spooked the cat into running away. I'd previously seen a large tannish colored cat in the distance. Til then, I really didn't believe the rumors that such an animal existed in the park. I don't know what type cat this was. I'd read that panthers have been spotted. Here in Texas they usually call mountain lions, panthers. In the northwest they were usually called cougars.

Long ago a Dallas reporter visited Fort Worth and wrote that the town was so lifeless that a panther was spotted sleeping at the courthouse steps. Or was it city hall? This long ago story is why Fort Worth is called Panther City and why it's baseball team is the Cats. So, apparently there is a long history of panther encounters in Fort Worth.

What perplexes me is, though this cat did look like a cougar, it was only about twice as big as a very big housecat. The cougars I've seen in zoos or stuffed in museums have been quite large. Way bigger than the cat at Tandy Hills. This cat at Tandy Hills was just a little bigger than a bobcat.

Which leads me to yesterday's encounter at River Legacy Park, my first with a bobcat in quite some time. My first encounter with a bobcat was on the River Legacy Park mountain bike trails. I'll admit it scared me. At that point in time I was sure it wanted to eat me. I was to learn later that there is no record of a bobcat attack on a human.

So, my subsequent bobcat encounters did not scare me. My strangest bobcat encounter occurred on the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Trinity River at River Legacy. As soon as I turned onto the bridge I saw a bobcat walking on to the bridge at the other end. He kept walking towards me and I kept pedalling towards him. We passed in the middle, both looking at each other, he not saying a word, me saying "Hello kitty."

I did not have my camera with me during my Tandy Hills panther encounter. I did with yesterday's bobcat, which is the source of the photo above.

Below is video taken by Dave of Dallas of a bobcat encounter at River Legacy Park.