Harrowing Hike To The Summit Of Mount Wichita

Yesterday whilst walking around Lake Wichita Park I was sort of shocked to suddenly have what looked like a mountain replica come into view.

Today I went back to Lake Wichita Park with the intention of hiking up and down the mountain 10 times, gave or take a time or two.

On my first two visits to Lake Wichita Park I had not ventured, via vehicle, to the southern end of the park. Today I did so and found  multiple park facilities at the base of Mount Wichita, including a large parking lot, picnic pavilion and a tire pump station for the many bikers biking the Circle Trail.

Upon arrival at the Mount Wichita parking lot I saw two guys at the top of the mountain, and another running towards the summit.

Within a couple minutes I was walking around the base of Mount Wichita and saw another guy at the top and another running to the summit. You can see both as little spots in the below photo.

Multiple trails, six or seven, maybe, take hikers to the summit of Mount Wichita. I did not think to count the trails. I walked all the way around the mountain and then opted to run to the summit on the trail you see below.

Well.

I could not even manage to run halfway before hyperventilating began. Mount Wichita is much taller than it appears. And the trails are much steeper than they appear.

Way steeper than any of the trails I used to hike in the Tandy Hills.

It is a bit ironic that on Saturday I asked a sweet young thing at a Texas Travel Center kiosk if there were any hills to hike in any of the Wichita Falls parks. With the sweet young thing indicating no such thing existed.

And then yesterday I found Mount Wichita.

And today I discovered the hike to the summit is far more challenging than any trail I hiked in the D/FW Metroplex zone.

Til today I had some concern that my hiking muscles might atrophy in this hill challenged zone of Texas. To discover the most strenuous hiking location than I've had since I lived in Washington, and to discover it is closer to my new abode  than the Tandy Hills were to my old abode, well, it is all just too fortuitous.

Below you are on the summit of Mount Wichita, looking northeast at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls.

The summit of Mount Wichita was flatter and covered more area than I expected.

When I saw the Please Use Caution When Climbing Hill sign, that you see above, I thought to myself that that caution seemed a bit ridiculous, with it not crossing my mind that I would soon find myself being very cautious when on Mount Wichita.

One does not need to be too cautious on the climb up the mountain. It is the descent where caution is required. As in the trails are way steeper than they look from the base of the mountain. One slip and a bad rolling fall could be the result.

I drove to Mount Wichita anticipating going up and down many times, replicating the hiking workout I used to get on the Tandy Hills.

Well, it took me about ten minutes to get my breath back after the first ascent. Then upon heading back down I quickly realized going down the steep trail was  also heavy duty exercise. I made it to the base, thought about it a second or two, then turned around and headed back to the summit. Walking this time, not running.

Next time I will try to make three ascents. Maybe....

Hiking Around Lake Wichita Finding The Wichita Hill

On Saturday when I was in Lucy Park I asked a young lady who was womaning an information booth for the Texas Travel Center if there were any hill hiking options in the Wichita Falls zone.

She looked sort of pained and apologetic when she told me the topography is flat far into the distance.

I asked because when I moved to the D/FW zone late in the last century I thought that zone was flat far into the distance. I soon had that erroneous notion corrected with the discovery of the Cedar Hills in Cedar Hills State Park in the south of Dallas area.

Eventually I moved to far east Fort Worth and a few years later I discovered the Tandy Hills were practically in my back yard. I don't think I ever returned to the Cedar Hills after I discovered the Tandy Hills.

Today I drove to Lake Wichita Park. A closer destination than any of my park destination choices in the Fort Worth/Arlington zone, except for Mallard Cove Park and Quanah Parker Park.

I knew the Circle Trail which circles Wichita Falls circulated through Lake Wichita Park, so I figured I would find myself some trails to venture on in that park.

I parked at the first parking option when I got to Lake Wichita Park. An upaved trail exited that parking lot. The trail followed what looked like swamp. Eventually I got to what looked like a lake. At that point the trail became paved. I later realized this was the Circle Trail. Soon the Circle Trail passed by another lake.

At that point I had a small lake to my north and my south. I figured both could not be Lake Wichita.

Soon the Lake Wichita mystery would be solved, along with being pleased to find the Wichita Falls version of a Tandy Hill, which you can experience with me in the video below....

The Latest Chapter In The Tim Love Woodshed Smokehouse Scandal

The latest chapter in the Woodshed Smokehouse scandal confuses me because I can sort of see Tim Love's side of the argument.

Four years ago Tim Love got a sweetheart deal from America's Biggest Boondoggle, partnering with Mr. Love to build a restaurant on Tarrant Regional Water District land.

You know, land that is supposedly owned by the public.

If I remember right, as part of the sweetheart, no bidding competition deal, Tim Love pays a part of the restaurant's take to The Boondoggle.

The Boondoggle sees this Love operation as some sort of concession deal, like food vendors at the airport, and thus should not have to pay any property tax.

But, this year the Tarrant Appraisal District decided that the Woodshed Smokehouse is more of a private operation than a public one, so they sent Tim Love a property tax bill.

Tim Love says that dozens upon dozens upon dozens of Trinity Trail users are free to take a break from the trail, for free, sitting at one of the restaurant's outdoor tables.

I recollect doing this myself, four years ago, when the Woodshed opened, joining a group protesting the sweetheart no-bid deal The Boondoggle gave Tim Love. That protest also confused me, because several of the protesters protested by ordering food and drinks from the entity they were protesting.

Methinks this entire Woodshed Smokehouse scandal could be put to rest by The Boondoggle selling the Woodshed and the property on which it sits to Tim Love.

Tim Love would likely not be willing to pay what the property is worth, with the property then being sold to whoever was willing to pay the asking price.

Or have a bidding deal where whoever was willing to pay the most above the asking price gets to take possession of the Woodshed Smokehouse....

Solving The Mystery Of The Wichita Falls Horses Of Many Colors

Soon upon my arrival in Wichita Falls I saw a horse which caused me to wonder why a funeral home would have a Horse of Many Colors sitting by its entry.

Soon thereafter I saw another Horse of Many Colors. And then another. And another.

I have now lost track of how many of what I thought were Wichita Falls Horses of Many Colors I have seen.

This morning I came upon the Horse of Many Colors you see above as I walked to the entry to the Market Street grocery store, which my local adviser advised me was the best grocery store in Wichita Falls.

Soon upon entering Market Street I realized it was the same as Market Street in Colleyville. I vaguely recollect when the Market Street opened in Colleyville that part of the story was the store was based in Wichita Falls. Or was it Amarillo?

Anyway, a few days into being in Wichita Falls I realized the Horses of Many Colors were actually Mustangs of Many Colors.

The university which is a couple blocks north of my new abode is Midwestern State University.

I believe the MSU mascot is a Mustang. There is a statue on the MSU campus of a group of Mustangs.

Are all these Mustangs of Many Colors a city-wide thing like when Seattle did the same thing with Pigs of Many Colors back in the previous decade? Many towns back earlier in this century did a similar thing.

I recollect Dallas tried it with Pegasus statues.

If I remember right that particular Dallas effort did not go well.

Tacoma had Salmon of Many Colors all over Tacoma, as late as 2008.

Anyway, I'm having myself a mighty fine time adjusting to a new town. And last night I got to experience my first Wichita Falls Thunderstorm. The booming did not last long. But a lot of water dropped.

Suspense On A Wichita River Suspension Bridge

Walking from Lucy Park on the Circle Trail which leads to Wichita Falls in Wichita Falls I came upon that which you see here.

A suspension bridge across the Wichita River.

I have long been a fan of rickety old-fashioned suspension bridges with well weathered wooden planks.

This particular suspension bridge  over the Wichita River may have been the best I've ever swayed on.

I know I can not remember a better one.

Some people were scared to set foot on this bridge, sort of frozen in fear at the entry. I found that amusing. That and their horrified looks when I got the bridge swaying and rocking and rolling.

Wichita Falls and the Wichita River seem to have way less litter than that other location in Texas where I was regularly appalled by the astonishing amount of litter blowing in the wind and floating in the river.

Yesterday I saw big fish jumping in the Wichita River. And people fishing. An no signs warning that the fish are not fit for human consumption.

Below is video of my suspension bridge trek over the Wichita River....

Hiking To The Top Of Wichita Falls

You are looking at Wichita Falls here. Wichita Falls is not in Kansas. Wichita Falls is in Texas.

I have seen Wichita Falls many times over the years, as I passed through Wichita Falls on the freeway.

But today was the first time I visited Wichita Falls, up close, with a lot of other people.

My access point to Wichita Falls was via Lucy Park. Lucy Park was very busy today, with a lot of people having themselves a mighty fine time.

Including one of the nicest people I've met yet in Wichita Falls. She was manning a booth for the nearby Texas Travel Center. She gave me a map and chapstick, along with a lot of good information, including where the famous Wichita Falls mountain bike trail is located.

The most charming thing I saw today was the scene below.

Grandma was taking a picture of one of her granddaughters holding her baby sister. It was darn cute.

You can hike a brick trail that meanders to the top of Wichita Falls. That is that view below.

What one finds at the top of Wichita Falls is a bit surprising. I suspect Wichita Falls is the only waterfall in the world to flow from such a thing.

You can see that which is at the top of Wichita Falls in the video below, along with listening to my pithy commentary and a look at the view from the top of Wichita Falls.

Spencer Jack Takes His Dad To Lynden To Help Trump Make America Great Again

Yesterday Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, called to ask me how I was liking Kansas, among other things, including mentioning that Spencer Jack and he were thinking of journeying north to Lynden today to help Donald Trump make America great again.

This morning I got email confirming that Spencer Jack and his dad were going to be witnessing America's biggest embarrassment in person.

The text in the email said....

Spencer Jack and I procured two tickets to today's big event. This should be amusing.

Including in the email were copies of the two tickets to the Big Event, one of which you see above.

I read this morning in the Seattle Times that Trump's visit to Washington is not being welcomed by a lot of Washingtonians. I suspect protesting will ensue.

Both Whatcom County, where Lynden is located, and the county on Whatcom's southern border, that being Skagit County, have large populations of Mexican descent.

Trump will be appearing at the Lynden Fairgrounds, where the Northwest Washington State Fair takes place. I think that's the name of that fair. It has been decades since I have attended that particular state fair.

Anyway, it should be interesting to hear Spencer Jack's and Jason's report on today's likely Trump fiasco....

Spencer Jack Takes His Dad Memorial Hunting In Lynden Prior To Donald Trump's Visit

No, that is not Wichita Falls you are looking at here.

Wichita Falls is a manmade waterfall in a manmade town in Texas named Wichita Falls.

The slight falling cascades you are looking at here are in the manmade town of Lynden in the state of Washington, about 5 miles south of the Canadian border.

Spencer Jack drove his dad to Lynden a  couple days ago to complete a task I had tasked Spencer and his dad with a month or so ago.

That task was for Spencer Jack and his dad to go to Lynden City Park to see if a memorial plaque was still in place near the wooden footbridge which crosses Fishtrap Creek.

Well, Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, called me this morning to report the wooden footbridge across Fishtrap Creek has been replaced. With no memorial plaque memorializing Spencer Jack's Great Great Gandpa, Dr. Jim Porter.

In the second picture Spencer Jack is waving at us from the edge of Fishtrap Creek. I assume Spencer Jack's dad's photo vantage point is from the aforementioned new footbridge across Fishtrap Creek.

In addition to the Fishtrap Creek missing memorial plaque report, Jason also reported that he was surprised to learn from my brother, Jake Jones, that I had moved to Kansas.

Apparently my brother attended mom and dad's weekly Sunday McDonald's Brunch, where mom reported that I'd called  the day before with the news I'd moved to Wichita, Kansas.

I am fairly certain I did not tell my mom I had moved to Kansas. I did tell my mom I'd grown a bit weary of the daily moving roundtrips to my new location, and that I'd be returning to D/FW once a month, at least.

I have driven through Wichita, Kansas a couple times. The freeway is elevated as you pass through the town, if my memory is serving me correctly. I do not remember experiencing that particular Wichita at ground level, except maybe to get gas.

Spencer Jack and his dad did manage to locate one special memorial plaque in Lynden.

In Lynden's Monumenta Cemetery, the headstone of Spencer Jack's Great Great Grandma, Sylvia Slotemaker. Slotemaker is how you spell Jones in Dutch.

Hard to believe it is almost 22 years since the day after I returned from my first Lake Powell Houseboating trip in October of 1994 when my mom called to tell me that Grandma Jones had died. Grandma would be so pleased to have Spencer Jack visit her like this.

22 years ago, if you had told me that 22 years in the future my mom would be thinking I'd moved from Texas to Kansas, my feeble imagination would not have been able to conjure a scenario where that would make sense.

Any yet, here I am.

Tomorrow Donald Trump will be in Lynden, at the fairgrounds. Jason thinks he and Spencer Jack may show up, just to experience the lunacy in person.....

Wichita Falls Day Three With Wi-Fi Woes & Falls From Grace

Day Three of my Exile from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

And I am exhausted.

One thing after another.

First day here an unpredicted storm blew into Wichita Falls, seemingly out of nowhere. I looked out the window facing west and saw trees bending in the wind

I thought a twister was incoming.

And then the rain began.

The storm did not last long.

One good thing. I have covered parking at this new location, and so a vehicular  bombardment by giant hail is not a worry.

The Time Warner internet install guy showed up today, right on schedule. Two, of the three computers I use, connected with no problem to the wi-fi. But, the computer I primarily use will not connect. That computer has connected to multiple wi-fi connections previously, but so far I can not figure out what the problem is.

My phone connected to the wi-fi easily, but not my favorite computer.

So I am reduced to using that red monster you see above. It's a Toshiba running Windows 7. It runs just fine, but does not run the programs I like to use, long discontinued, and thus not installable on a computer running Windows 7.

I am currently unable to access my durangotexas.com email. I use the long gone Outlook Express to access email. Or used to use Outlook Express to access email when I was able to connect that computer to the Internet.

I have other means to access email, all laborious, the worst of which would be hauling my favorite computer to another wi-fi connection.

I've had a few other woes in the past couple days. Like falling out of the back of a pickup. I thought this would result in a massive bruise, but no bruise appeared. Just epic pain medicated with ibuprofen. I also broke the latch/handle thing that opens the pickup's tail gate.

And don't get me started on my bike woes.

I mailed my mom a Mom's Day letter today with my new address. The ;post office is very modern, unlike the post office I used at my previous location. And very efficient. Also unlike the post office at my previous location.

Usually when I have a computer problem I quickly see a path to a solution. I see no such path with my current wi-fi woe.

But tomorrow is another day, I think.....

GOODBYE To The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex

This morning I say GOODBYE to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone, heading to greener prairie pastures northwest of the Texas Prairie Lakes Region.

I currently am expecting to be disconnected from the Internet for only one day, that being tomorrow, with Internet installation scheduled for an unspecified time on Thursday.

I will sort of miss my former location, things like walking in Arlington with the Village Creek Indian Ghosts, hiking the Tandy Hills, biking the Gateway Park and River Legacy Park mountain bike trails.

I won't miss living behind a security fence where that security fence did not protect me from two vehicular break-ins, one of which did serious vehicular damage, the other of which resulted in my bike being stolen.

I won't miss air pollution, traffic congestion, too much noise and one or two other annoyances.

I will be returning to the D/FW zone once a month, at least, so I will be able to keep up with, eye witness-wise, the extremely slow progress of America's Biggest Boondoggle. I am really looking forward to seeing what The Boondoggle's bridges end up looking like, if they ever get finished.

I may be back in D/FW sooner than a month from now to pick up a thing or two I left at Miss Puerto Rico's. Three bar stools I left there will come in handy at my new location.....