The Last Night Of Summer With A Mysterious Blue Vertical Cylinder In Fort Worth

I am trying to get in shape for my upcoming bike riding expedition with the Queen of Wink. It's a daunting, exhausting process. I seem to be making progress.

This afternoon I was excessively exercising my cerebral functions. That happens so rarely, when it does happen, it can get me all hypered up.

So, with me all hypered up I took off to the Tandy Hills sometime after 6.

I was hoping to get a good sunset picture of the sun going down on Fort Worth on the last day of the summer. But, I was too early and the sun was hanging too high.

One of my intentions in returning for a rare visit to the Tandy Hills was to haul yesterday's discovery of a mysterious blue vertical cylindrical object, from deep within the Tandy Hills, to install it at the top of Mount Tandy, as the biggest part of the Tandy Hills Shrine.

But, when the mysterious blue vertical cylinder came in to view, tonight, I saw that it had grown horns. I believe the mysterious blue vertical cylinder has now become Tandy Shrine II. I do not know by what means the mysterious blue vertical cylinder grew horns. But it really seemed like something that should not be messed with.

And so I did not. Mess with it.

It would have been a bit of a labor to haul the mysterious blue vertical cylinder to the top of Mount Tandy. I was going to balance it on my shoulders, shifting it from the right shoulder to the left, back and forth, when one side got tired.

It is now coming up on 7:30, with the sun now in final descent mode. Now I would be able to take a good sunset picture from the Tandy Hills.

So, it is goodbye yellow summer sun for 9 months. The next time the yellow sun of summer returns I am thinking I will likely be seeing it in Washington. There will be a large gathering with whom I may feel compelled to gather with. On a farm in a barn with BBQ. Washington BBQ. Smoke from the wood of a Cedar, not a puny Mesquite bush.

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.

In-N-Out Burger Bringing Double Double Burgers To Fort Worth

That is a quartet of In-N-Out Burger Double Double Burgers in the picture.

I have only had an In-N-Out Burger Double Double Burger once. It was during a 10 hour layover in Phoenix. I'd been drug to a Happy Hour where way too many appetizers were consumed.

And then on to In-N-Out Burger where I had 2 Double Double Burgers. By the time I buckled my seat belt on the plane I felt like I might explode on take-off.

The In-N-Out Burger Double Double Burger is the tastiest hamburger I have ever tasted.

So, I was quite pleased to read on the Facebook pages of one of Fort Worth's favorite Town Gossips, Bud Kennedy, that an In-N-Out Burger is coming to Fort Worth, with this news confirmed this morning in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The Fort Worth In-N-Out Burger is scheduled to open in mid-July, of 2011, at the northwest corner of West 7th and Currie Streets.

This will put In-N-Out Burger close to the Fort Worth burger icon called Kincaid's. I wonder what Kincaid's aficionados are going to think of getting a taste of a really good burger? I've had a Kincaid's burger twice, thinking both times why does this blah burger get such high local accolades? Methinks it may be an emperor has no clothes type thing, all the sheep going along with pretending that Kincaid's makes a good burger. When they don't.

The Morning Of The Last Day Of Summer In Texas

I am up before the sun, again, on this, the last day of summer. The Autumnal Equinox is tomorrow, which is why today is the last day of summer.

Fall temperatures have already arrived. It is only 71 out there this morning.

Currently a Thunderstorm is scheduled to bring in fall in North Texas.

Which means more water, which means continued high humidity.

I am out of reading material. This means I must try and find one of the Fort Worth libraries that is still open and hope that it has some books on its shelves.

In the meantime I am going to go swimming if the sun ever arrives to light up the place.

A Beautiful Sunset With Bugs At River Legacy Park

I am back from my sunset bike ride at River Legacy Park. I'm feeling back to normal after my abnormal morning caused by Sunday night saloon hopping.

There were way more people on the River Legacy Trail tonight than on Saturday. This surprised me.

The paved trail has a center line. You are supposed to stay on the right, unless you are passing some slowpoke.

I zoomed under the Collins Street bridge at high speed. The trail takes a sharp right after you come out from under the bridge, and then a sharp left.

Well, I was going too fast and crossed over the center line, just as a girl was nearing the turn, for her, to the right. She panicked, I was quickly back on the right side, but in her over-reaction she about caused a wreck. Which, I guess, would have been my fault.

In tonight's sunset picture you can almost make out that the sun is being reflected in a big pond of water. There are several big ponds of water, or mini-lakes along the River Legacy Park Trail.

I got zapped by so many no-see-um flies swarming into me tonight, I had their little black carcasses all over me. This required an immediate fly cleansing shower when I got back here. These annoying bugs are the only thing annoying me about riding my bike.

Hiking The Tandy Trails Not Thinking About Saloon Hopping With Elsie Hotpepper

Why did this mysterious pipe show up deep in the Tandy Hills today? The vertical pipe is by a creek where Fort Worth Water Workers had placed a culvert pipe, temporarily. That pipe was larger in diameter and length, than today's pipe, and had been removed weeks ago.

I thought I'd carry this new pipe up to the Tandy Shrine, which is where I parked today. But, it was too heavy. The pipe looks so odd and out of place in the picture, much more so than it did in person.

Maybe the new Tandy Hills Pipe was a hallucination. It's been that sort of day. But, if it was a hallucination it would not have ended up on my camera.

I spent all morning in San Antonio. I like that town. I think it may be my favorite Texas town.

I was out way too late last night, due to someone having a birthday and wanting me to go saloon hopping to celebrate.

No, it was not that notorious saloon hopper, Elsie Hotpepper, saloon hopping with me. It was another entity who forbids me to mention her name, or nickname on my blog.

I don't understand some people's paranoiac issues.

Anyway, way too much adult entertainment last night had me up late this morning. With a headache. That remains with me this afternoon. I thought hiking the salubrious Tandy Hills would fix me. But it didn't.

The next time someone wants me to go saloon hopping I am just going to say no.

Monday September 20 In Texas

It is Monday. September 20. I am up after the sun.

I have nothing else to say, except I am going swimming now.

Sushi & Squirrels At Village Creek Natural Historic Area

No, that is not my bike sitting out on my patio. It is my bike sitting on the patio overlook on the Village Creek Pond.

The Village Creek Pond rose above the railing in the recent flood, leaving behind a lot of grassy debris stuck in the railings, some of which is of the vine sort that has now sprouted pink flowers.

Yes, I know, I went on a sunset bike ride last night at River Legacy Park. Why would I be back on my bike again today?

Well, the past three days I have spent a lot of time in Austin. Every once in awhile I need a break. So, today, at noon, the break was biking at Village Creek Natural Historic Area and the Pioneer Trail of the Bob Findlay Linear Park.

There was a surprising number of bikers biking today.

The only animals I saw, besides humans, were one turtle in the Village Creek Pond and one very squirrely squirrel that waited til the last second to make a dart for my bike's front wheel. I've decided to stop trying to avoid hitting the little monsters, because that is going to cause me a bike wreck. So far I have not ridden over one, but today was close.

Currently I am in I am stuffed with sushi mode. The sushi I got at Town Talk yesterday turned out to be about the tastiest sushi I remember tasting. But. There was way too much of it.

I may have to go on a sunset hike on the Tandy Hills tonight to work off this load of sushi. In the meantime I think I am going to San Antonio.

Early Sunday Morning In Texas With No Fireflies

As you can see, via the view from my patio, I am up way before the sun, for the first time in several days, this Sunday of September 19 in Texas.

I don't know what got me up so early this morning, particularly since I was up til past midnight.

I was pedaling in River Legacy Park last night when the sun made its exit, but I saw nary a single firefly. Maybe firefly season is over.

I have only seen fireflies on two occasions. Once at River Legacy Park and once at Concert in the Gardens in the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. The night I went to Concert in the Gardens the theme was Star Wars. The fireflies fit the theme perfectly.

I have been told that fireflies fly above the Tandy Hills when the sun goes down. But, I have never been on the Tandy Hills when the sun goes down. Maybe today I will experience that.

I hear the birds starting up their morning meet and greet with the sun. Annoying little chirpers. This indicates I will be pool bound shortly. After the sun lights up the place.

A River Legacy Park Sunset With Bugs & Floods

At about the point where the 4 mile marker is, on the paved trail at River Legacy Park, I glanced to my left and saw the sun sitting on top of the tree line, on its final fall into sunset mode.

When I saw the sun, almost the entire globe was still above the tree line. The sun sets so fast in these parts that by the time I got the camera out and aimed, the sun had almost totally fallen behind the trees. I think no more than 15 seconds could have passed, maybe 20. That is one fast setting sun.

I was a bit disappointed in River Legacy Park tonight. Usually on Saturday evening the park is real busy, BBQs making for good smells, groups having parties. And often a wedding in the park pavilion. But, tonight there were not a lot of people. And no wedding.

Maybe people abandoned the park due to the annoying swarms of no-see-um teeny flies that hit me like a swat in the face, time and again, tonight, as I did my pedaling. I have been assaulted by these annoying insects previously. But why tonight? This is their first appearance at River Legacy Park since I've been back biking there.

I started off my pedaling tonight by heading out on the trail that leads to the west. Prior to the new trail being opened, a few years back, with the new bridge across the Trinity and miles of new trail, I used to bike and roller blade this section of trail frequently.

I thought I'd check it out and maybe see how the west end of the mountain bike trail is doing, as that is easily accessed from the west terminus of the paved trail.

Well, as you can see in the picture, I was thwarted in my attempt to pedal to the west end of the River Legacy Park Trail by water still being over the trail. The mountain bike trails are just to the south of this section of paved trail. This does not bode well for the mountain bike trails. It'll be a long long time before they are back in pedal mode.

So, that has been my exciting Saturday night, so far. A beautiful sunset, a bike ride. And a lot of bugs.