Nearly Killed At Village Creek Crime Scene

I had too much to get done this morning. By the time I was able to escape it was past noon. I was going to go to River Legacy Park to ride the mountain bike trail, but that would have taken too long, so I went to my nearest pedaling place, that being Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

When I was at Village Creek a couple days ago I was not pleased to find myself biking over the remains of a window. Likely a break-in theft attempt looking for valuables, which you are warned not to leave in your vehicle because there have been problems previously.

So much so that a pole with security cameras were added some time ago. The sign on the security pole says...

SECURITY NOTICE
PARKING AREA
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
MAXIMUM ENFORCEMENT
OF ALL ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES

The first time I saw this it just seemed real silly to me. "Enforcement of all illegal activities?" What does that verbiage even mean? And am I supposed to believe that someone actually monitors these cameras? If so, I've mooned that person a time or two, as I quickly change from biking shorts to non-biking shorts. I guess mooning the security camera must not be an illegal activity requiring maximum enforcement.

As soon as I stepped out of my van I saw there'd been two more windows broken. From the position of the glass I could tell they were side windows on the side not facing the street. Since there is nothing of value in my van, I left the window open today.

I had several "incidents" while biking today. First off groundskeeping crews were all over the place, trucks were driving the trail. They can be hard to get around.

Coming to the first bridge/dam I could see 3 bikers on the other side. I knew that by the time I was on the other side, they'd be coming down the hill fast towards me. I met the first 2 females with no problem, but the male behind them was looking at his odometer and heading straight at me at high speed. I had no room to maneuver out of his way. I hollered, he looked up and swerved, narrowly avoiding a head on collision.

About a mile after nearly being killed in a head-on bike wreck there was a group of 2 moms with 5 little kids. I hollered "coming up on you." The moms got all frantic, yelling at the kids not to move. I slowed way down, then, just as I got right to them, a little boy, who had only been paying attention to a spider, suddenly backed up when the spider moved towards him. I had to slam on the brakes or I would have hit the little guy.

The next weird thing is they'd been mowing the sides of the trail. This leaves some grass residue, which would likely desiccate and blow away within 24 hours. But, rather than let that happen, a person stands on the bed of a pickup, while the driver drives as the bed stander holds a leaf blower and blows some of the grass off the pavement.

I thought, why waste gas doing such a thing? Not to mention the pollution, both noise and air, that those air blowers put out.

So, that was my bike ride today. I almost died and I almost killed a little kid and I was at a crime scene where there is maximum enforcement of all illegal activities. It's been a good day in Texas.

Fort Worth Soldier Zachary Boyd Battles Taliban In Pink Boxers

I am sure the Fort Worth Star-Telegram covered this story, since it involved a Fort Worth soldier. I no longer get the Star-Telegram so I no longer get to marvel at that paper's odd need to mention the Fort Worth connection, no matter how tenuous, to a celebrity or person in the news. You could be married to someone who once lived in Fort Worth and that would be enough of a connection for the Star-Telegram to need to mention it.

Long ago I webpaged some examples of that paper's goofiness, including funny uses of their patented "Green With Envy" verbiage. As in towns far and wide are green with envy because a soldier from Fort Worth battled the Taliban in Afghanistan out of uniform, clad in pink I Love NY boxer shorts and flip-flops.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates (if I were like the Star-Telegram I would somehow insert that Gates was a neighbor of mine when I lived in Washington) heaped praise on a Fort Worth soldier on Thursday. Earlier this month a picture was snapped of the soldier hurrying to defend his post, wearing pink boxers and flip-flops.

Secretary Gates yesterday said he wants to meet the soldier and shake his hand the next time he visits Afghanistan. Gates said, "Any solider who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink boxers and flip-flops has a special kind of courage. I can only wonder about the impact on the Taliban. Just imagine seeing that a guy in pink boxers and flip-flops has you in his cross-hairs. What an incredible innovation in psychological warfare."

Army Specialist Zachary Boyd, 19, ran out of his sleeping quarters May 11 to help his other platoon members who were under fire from Taliban positions shooting at their base in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan. A photographer was on the scene. When the picture showed up on the front page of the New York Times, Zachary told his mom and dad, here in Fort Worth, that he might lose his job if President Obama saw that he was out of uniform.

To which Secretary Gates said, "I can assure you that Specialist Boyd's job is very safe indeed."

Memorial Day Weekend at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

I've said it before, I'll say it again, during my now decade long exile in Texas the funnest thing I've done, where I laughed more than anything else I've laughed at in Texas, was my drive through Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.

If you're in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone and you've not been to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and you're looking for something in the area to do to kick off the start of the summer season, you can not go wrong with Fossil Rim. Especially if you have kids.

Fossil Rim is down by Glen Rose, near Dinosaur Valley State Park, which is also a good getaway if you've never seen the dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River bed. The hiking and biking in Dinosaur Valley may be the best I've experienced in Texas.

At Fossil Rim you go into the Visitors Center to buy your tickets and feed, if you want to feed the animals. On weekend and holidays the entry fee is at its highest. It may sound a tad expensive in these troubled times, with adults 12 - 21 $22.95, kids 3 -11 $16.95 and seniors $19.95.

I do not know, what with Fossil Rim qualifying 12 year olds as adults, if the 12 year olds are allowed to buy adult beverages at Fossil Rim.

The entry fee may seem steep, you will only think that before you see what you get for your money. After that it will seem like a bargain and the money will seem well spent.

After I webpaged my visit to Fossil Rim I was sent an annual pass good for one year and two guest passes. I did not get around to using the pass. I had good intentions. I wanted to go back and take video. But, I've not been back.

For more pictures, including more zebra pictures, go to my Eyes on Texas website to see why Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is the funnest thing I've done in Texas.

Have yourself a good, happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Alma Sings Sunset Sounds In Port Aransas

Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast sent me a cool picture this morning that I felt compelled to share.

In the picture Alma and her conga drummer, Luis, are playing at Sunset Sounds at Patsy Jones Amphitheater at Roberts Point Park in Port Aransas.

That is the Lydia Channel behind Alma, with a big freighter going through the channel. While Alma was singing and Luis was drumming Mother Nature was blowing gusts up to 52 mph.

Below is Alma's America's Got Talent YouTube Audition....

Swimming In Potholes In Fort Worth

Another beautiful morning in Fort Worth.

This new swimming at the crack of dawn is being a real good thing.

Speaking of cracks. We have a lot of cracks in the pavement here in this zone of Texas. And potholes. And leaks. Sometimes all three at the same time.

Yesterday, when I turned on to View Street to go hiking at the Tandy Hills, I saw a lot of water spewing from yet one more water pipe leak. The leak ran into the park, eventually finding its way to a usually dry creek bed, turning the dry creek into an active flow moving a lot of gallons of wasted water per second. Appalling in a zone where water is something you don't want to be wasting.

On the road by where I live there are several potholes that are caused by water leaks. The potholes get filled with asphalt, like they were yesterday, and then the water gradually erodes the asphalt away and the pothole returns. There seems to be no effort to find the source of the water leak.

This problem seems to have turned epidemic in some areas of this town. I've read the water delivery infrastructure is ancient, in some places, and in need of replacement. This must be the case with the View Street leaks.

So, that's my day so far, swimming at dawn and being perplexed by leaking potholes.

Dallas/Fort Worth Level Orange Ozone Alert & Yellow Wildflowers

Despite being under a Level Orange Air Ozone Alert here in Fort Worth, I decided to risk doing damage to my lungs and other vital organs by going hiking at the Tandy Hills Natural Area at noon.

That's the noon view of beautiful downtown Fort Worth's stunning skyline. The air does not look very dirty, to me, in Ol' Dirty Town, today. Maybe it's invisible air pollution.

The Tandy Hills wildflowers seem to have had a resurgence, there was a lot of color on the ground today, including a big yellow flower that looked sort of sunflower/daisy-like.

Today whilst hiking it occurred to me that the Prairie Fest powers that be should have an Easter Egg Hunt during the Fest. With eggs on the trails, only, so that the little buggers don't go traipsing on the prairie grass. Eggs all over the park, with a couple golden prize winning eggs. Or something like that. You wouldn't want really little kids on the trails so there'd need to be their own special egg hunt on the grass somewhere, but kids 10-18, they'd be old enough to hurry along the trails looking for eggs, with some over exerting parents stumbling to keep up.

My backache woe is totally gone, hiking was good, semi-HOT, requiring that clothing be minimalized, and starting yesterday, even though it gets few visitors, so far, I have gotten the type feedback I was looking for to validate I was on the right track, so the new Durango Roadtripping idea is working out.

Bald Heads, Back Aches, Mountain Biking, Swimming, Hiking & American Idol

Yeah, that's me with my newly shaved bald head and a backache. Yesterday I said I was going to Sprouts Farmers Market around noon and then going to River Legacy Park to go mountain biking in the late afternoon.

The mountain biking did not happen. I believe I had over done a yoga stretch and my back muscle rebelled. The rebellion took place while I was in Sprouts pushing a cart full of fruit and vegetables. I believe my back seized up in what is known as a spasm. It hurt.

Having my back go out on me is the worst. I'd rather recover from a painful surgery than a backache. The pain I was feeling, that came in bursts, was the pain I've felt before that leads to my back going out. So, I was not pleased.

I got out of Sprouts and made it back here, took some ibuprofen and did the stuff I've learned to do to thwart this type disaster.

By the time I sat down to watch American Idol, a half hour after the show started, my back was feeling no pain. It did not take me long, fast forwarding through boring parts, before the DVR was caught up to being live with American Idol. I grew bored waiting for commercials to end.

So, I offed it and went to bed. It didn't matter to me who won the thing, but I was a bit surprised this morning to see that Adam Lambert was not the winner. It seemed like he'd been already crowned months ago.

By morning, no back woes, up way before dawn, in the pool as the sun came up.

But, fresh woes, WeatherBug just went off with a Level Orange Air Pollution Alert. This means if you are old, infirm, have breathing problems or just hate air pollution that you should avoid breathing today. I hit bingo in at least 2 of those categories.

I wonder if this Level Orange thing should stop me from going hiking the Tandy Hills today. Probably not.

Seas Of Peaks & Midland Flatlands

Like I said earlier today, when you get high in the Cascades you see this phenomenon called "The Sea of Peaks," where there are so many mountain tops, extending as far as you can see, that it looks like whitecaps on a rough sea.

The young lady from Midland, whom I mentioned on my Roadtripping Blog, had asked me if I knew of any waterfalls within 2 hour roadtrip distance from Dallas/Fort Worth, commented on "The Sea of Peaks," saying...

"The pic of you lying on the flat rock over looking your beautiful descriptive simile of white caps on the sea...makes me feel like I'm on the seashore of endless worlds...truly inspiring and if doesn't want to make a body move...I don't know what will...:)"

I've driven by Midland, Texas a time or two, both heading west and east. Flatest, most mountain-free stretch of land I've ever seen. But there are sort of mountains within easy driving distance of the flatlands of Midland. The Young Lady who has never seen a waterfall went to those mountains a few days ago and blogged about it.

In the picture above those are some of "The Sea of Peaks" as seen from the Mount Pilchuck Lookout. Mount Pilchuck is pretty much in the Cascade foothills on the far west side of the Cascade Range. From the summit, on a clear day, you can see the Seattle skyline, Puget Sound, Mount's Baker, St. Helens, Rainier, Adams and others.

Click here to seem more Cascade Mountain pictures, including some of me taking my nephews on Dangerous Adventures that their parents knew nothing about.

LOST Facebook TV Star Friend

Just moments ago I blogged my sad lament about wanting to be at a beach, on top of a mountain or on a roadtrip. Actually combining all three would be great.

After I finished my sad lament I saw I had a Facebook message. When I logged into Facebook I saw the online chat thing was open. My one longtime reader may remember me mentioning a few days ago the pleasant surprise of getting Facebook Friended from a high school classmate, which then led me to learn she is now a TV and Movie Star. The TV part being on LOST.

Her message to me in the chat thing was commenting on me being up at 4am and saying I must be an early riser. I suspect I have some time setting wrong, because I was not up at 4am, though I did get up before dawn today.

I then saw on that Facebook Wall thing, or whatever it is called, that Beth had added some more pics for LOST fans. My favorite was the pic with Sayid. The one with Hurley is cute too. There were pics with Dr. Jack Shepherd, Danielle, the French Woman, Walt and I forget who else.

Like I've said before, I've never had a TV Star Facebook Friend before. Let alone one asking me if I'm an early bird. It's got me all atwitter. And wondering why nothing exciting ever happens to me, like being on a TV show? I suppose one must make some sort of effort for such a thing to happen. Making an effort has never been one of my outstanding traits.

A Warm Saltwater Beach, Mountain Peak, Roadtripping & Woeful Me

My favorite Blogging Co-Conspirator has caused me to think of being at a beach of late. Though I may get in water in the form of a swimming pool, like I did real early this morning, as in crack of dawn early, I can not remember when the last time was that I was at a saltwater beach, with the water warm enough to swim.

But, as much as the thought of saltwater beach swimming makes me want to get out of this landlocked zone and see some open water, even worse, of late I have found myself writing about roadtrips I've gone on in the past.

That is causing me to dredge up some rather fond memories, which is causing me to want to go on a roadtrip real bad. I have not been on a long roadtrip since July of 2001 when I drove, solo, from Fort Worth to Seattle for my mom and dad's 50th. And back.

I can't even remember the last time I've been out of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. That's pathetic. I occasionally used to take a short roadtrip up to Ada, Oklahoma to see one of my best friends, dating all the way back to early grade school. But last summer she moved back to Washington. I now know no one in Oklahoma, as far as I know.

All this thinking about roadtrips and looking at old pictures is also making me want to go on a real hike on a real mountain. Just like how I can't remember the last time I've been out of this Metroplex, I can not remember the last time I hiked up a real mountain. The picture at the top is me laying on top of Hidden Lake peak, looking down at Hidden Lake. This is deep into the North Cascades. When you get high in the Cascades you see this phenomenon called "The Sea of Peaks," where there are so many mountain tops, extending as far as you can see, that it looks like whitecaps on a rough sea.

I guess last summer's hike at Mount Rainier sort of counts as hiking on a mountain. But not really. As in no mountain top got reached. No Sea of Peaks was seen.

Today I'm taking a short roadtrip up to Southlake and Sprouts Farmers Market. And then maybe this afternoon I may take an even shorter roadtrip to River Legacy Park to pedal the mountain bike trail. It is now dried out from our recent deluge. All this beach, mountain and roadtrip talk has me feeling a bit depressed. I need an endorphin boost.