Memorial Day MSU Bike Ride Remembering Seattle's International Fountain With Overpriced Space Needle

This Memorial Day morning I had myself a memorably long bike ride north, taking my rolling wheels first around Sikes Lake, then to the MSU (Midwestern State University) campus, which is currently abandoned.

And then further north, eventually getting lost on Speedway before finding my way to the Circle Trail via Holliday.

At MSU I stopped the bike at the location you see here. A fountain spewing jets of water.

Refreshing on a HOT day, such as is the case today.

The MSU fountain brought to mind my longtime favorite fountain, that being the fountain known as the International Fountain at the Seattle Center. That fountain came into existence at the Seattle World's Fair, which was known as the Century 21 Exposition. The International Fountain is about 100 times bigger than this fountain I got cooled by today at MSU.

Googling International Fountain Seattle Center brought up multiple websites, including a Wikipedia article about the International Fountain, which included some statistics giving one an idea how big this centerpiece of the Seattle World's Fair is...

• 56 "Micro shooters" arrayed as a ring buried in the granite blocks of the fountain floor, on the outer perimeter surrounding the dome. These shoot straight up.
• 77 "Fleur-de-lis" - plate-sized nozzles on the dome, shooting medium-high arcs.
• 4 "Super shooters" - four nozzles on the top of the dome capable of shooting up to 120 feet (37 m) high. Each "super shooter" peak shot uses 66 US gallons (250 l) and is driven by 120 pounds per square inch (830 kPa) of air pressure.
• 137 "Mist nozzles", each with an opening the size of a pinhead to generate fog
• There is an additional ring of floodlights between the "micro shooters" and the dome.

I do not know if the current iteration of the International Fountain still plays music timed to the fountain spouts. Playing dodge the fountain is a popular pastime for kids of all ages on a hot day at the Seattle Center.

Speaking of the Seattle Center. A couple days ago that location came to my mind for another reason.

The Space Needle.

I was reading an article about the newly re-opened re-modeled observation level atop the Space Needle. In the article I read that the elevator ride to the Space Needle observation deck now cost $26. I found that hard to believe, figuring this must be a mistake.

Trust me on this, even with its new glassed over look a visit to the Space Needle observation deck is not worth $26. If I remember right the last time I was at the top of the Space Needle was with Spencer Jack's dad, Jason, and his uncle, Joey. Both were younger than Spencer Jack is now. I don't remember how much it cost to get on the Space Needle elevator at that point in time. But I doubt it was more than a couple bucks. Maybe five at the most.

What does it cost to ride the Seattle Monorail in 2018? Last time I took that short ride I think it was 50 cents each way.

When the giant observation wheel opened on the Seattle waterfront a couple years ago I recollect reading the fee to ride was $13. That seemed reasonable. But, $26 to ride to the top of the Space Needle? That's ridiculous...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Poo Water Warning Makes No Mention Of Trinity River

I saw that which you see here this Saturday morning in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a pseudo newspaper which ill serves as the Pravda-like propaganda organ for Fort Worth's corrupt ruling oligarchy which rules Fort Worth in what is known as The Fort Worth Way.

In this Going to the beach this summer? Make sure you're not swimming in poo water article we read...

Oil and water. Peanut butter and pickles. Or, a relaxing beach outing and high fecal bacteria readings.

Yuck.

But that’s exactly what some Texas Gulf Coast beach destinations are plagued with as summer approaches, according to a website called Texas Beach Watch.

No mention is made in this article of the fact that the entity known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, in one of its few "accomplishments" in almost two decades of getting little accomplished, has managed to convince Fort Worth locals, apparently starved for something to do, to get wet in the polluted Trinity River in events known as Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats and Funday Sundays.

With those events held when the monitoring of the pollution in the Trinity River indicates an e.col and fecal bacteria level low enough to supposedly make the Trinity River water sufficiently safe.

Those Thursday Rockin' the Polluted River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats should be starting up soon, what with summer soon arriving.

I wonder if now that the TRWD agency which oversees what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, that being the sponsor of those polluted river events, no longer has its one and only watchdog of the public welfare, Mary Kelleher, on board, if those weekly testings of the Trinity River will still take place prior to allowing the River Rockin' to happen...

Rockin' Sikes Lake At Wichita Falls MSU Priddy Pavilion

Yesterday early evening I decided to enjoy the mighty fine semi-balmy weather to get myself some fresh air and aerobically induced endorphins via riding my bike on the Circle Trail, eventually ending up circling around Sikes Lake.

Near the north end of the lake I found myself needing to slow down due to a large number of small humans darting about erratically.

When I approached the bridge which crosses over the north end of Sikes Lake I saw that a large assembly of full size humans had assembled.

I quickly determined the assemblage was assembled to listen to music, which started playing soon after I stopped to observe the scene.

Upon arrival back at my abode I consulted the May edition of The HUB of North Texas to learn what I listened to last night was part of the Midwestern State University Live at the Lake Concert Series at Priddy Pavilion, with last night's concert featuring an entity known as the Jay Hollis Band.

The HUB info suggested one bring blankets or lawn chairs. I imagine the blankets were to sit on, not to use to keep warm, since such is not needed in late May at this part of the planet.

I took a photo or two and then switched the camera to video mode to record that which you see below. In the video my pithy commenting alludes to Fort Worth's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube floats in the polluted Trinity River. And those pitiful little bridges Fort Worth can not seem to successfully build over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

I think Wichita Falls should dredge the north end of Sikes Lake to make it deeper, then line the bottom with cement. Then hold Rockin' the Lake Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats at their real pavilion with a real bridge over real water.

Wouldn't that be something?

Stop At Wichita Falls HOOTERS On Way To ALDI

On my way to ALDI this morning, stopped at the stop light at the intersection where Kemp and Call Field/Midwestern Boulevard meet, I looked up to see a new sign has arrived in Wichita Falls.

HOOTERS.

I believe this incoming HOOTERS is coming in to the location previously occupied by Logan's Roadhouse, which hit the road after closing a year or two ago.

I have not read anything about HOOTERS coming to Wichita Falls in the local newspaper. Nor have I seen advertisements soliciting for local talent to staff the cast of the Wichita Falls HOOTERS.

I hope I do not sound too rude, but since I have been in Wichita Falls I have not seen many, if any, of the type talent one sees being in the cast of the HOOTERS I have previously observed.

A HOOTERS recruiter will soon succumb to a sense of hopelessness if he or she tries to find HOOTERS type talent in either of the Wichita Falls Walmarts I frequent. The recruiter would find plenty of candidates with two of the expected HOOTERS assets, but the full package, this I have not eye witnessed in the nearly two years I have been in this town. Well, I may be forgetting one or two full package incidents.

And if HOOTERS has a no tattoos policy, well, from what I have seen in Wichita Falls, that recruiter will have a lot of trouble finding local talent without tattoos.

I have never seen so many tattoos on so many people, as I have in Wichita Falls, with the tattoos displayed on such large surface areas. And so proudly displayed, or more accurately, proudly exposed, due to an insufficient amount of clothing material modestly covering that which one would think those of such ample size would want covered.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how well HOOTERS does in Wichita Falls...

Before Possible Elsie Hotpepper Lunch Look At Fort Worth's Gateway Park & Trinity River

Today was that last Wednesday of the month, that being the day when I usually return to the Dallas/Fort Worth zone for a variety of reasons, including a perpetual lunch date with Elsie Hotpepper.

On this particular Wednesday I had a couple hours in need of killing, and since I had my bike along I decided to go rolling around Fort Worth's Gateway Park.

We will take a look at what I saw today, sort of in reverse order. I parked near the western Gateway Park boardwalk overlook looking over the Trinity River. We will get to the Gateway Park boardwalk overlook later.

But first, near the end of today's Gateway Park area exploration I found myself atop the last dam which impedes the Trinity River as it flows through Fort Worth. After this dam the river returns to its more natural state as it flow east through Gateway Park on its way to Arlington and then Dallas where the river gets sort of returned to being un-natural again.

As you can see, via the above DANGER sign, it is advised that one not wade, swim or boat in the current state of the Trinity River. Yeah, I'm sure without that sign there would be a lot of people wanting to get wet or float at this location.

On the way down the trail to the dam and that WARNING sign the above additional warning has been added since I last rolled at this location.

"WHEN FLOODED TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN".

Yeah, I imagine before this sign was added a lot of people ventured past this location when the river was in flood mode and met a sad drowning fate. Actually when the river is in flood mode this location is a bit scary and I can not imagine anyone being dumb enough to get near enough to be in danger.

Above, another look at the dam and the Trinity River's current dried up status at this location. This photo was taken part way down the Trinity Trail leading across the dam. You can see that DANGER sign you saw in the first photo in the middle of the dam in the above photo.

Above my handlebars are under the Beach Street Bridge, looking east at that dam we are heading towards, crossing the dried up Trinity River.

The above is new paved trail, accessed via rolling under that aforementioned Beach Street Bridge. This used to be a primitive gravel trail, with the paved Trinity Trail on the other side of the river. Now there are paved trails on both sides of the river. This new paved trail terminates with a return to gravel at the location of the long abandoned original Coyote Drive-In. Or whatever that long ago movie viewing venue was called.

This new paved trail ventures into the zone which I believe the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, more commonly known as America's Biggest Boondoggle, has excavated a lot of dirt, moving that dirt to the east side of the Trinity River, and Gateway Park, where it has been piled into a sort of mountain. I believe this excavated area is intended to store water when the Trinity River floods and that flood water is diverted at high speed through The Boondoggle's flood diversion ditch which may one day be dug under the three simple little bridges currently being built in extreme slow motion on dry land, hoping one day to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

I also believe this area I biked through today is the location where J.D. Granger has said his Boondoggle would plant thousands upon thousands of flood impeding magic trees.

I saw no new trees which I could identify as such today.

Speaking of bridges. Today I saw evidence that Fort Worth does know how to build a new bridge.

A new section of the paved trail in Gateway Park took me to the Trinity Trail which is now using the old bridge over the Trinity River as a bike and pedestrian bridge. Above you see my bike stopped in the middle of the old bridge, looking at the new bridge.

That new bridge was built in about a year's time. Built over the actual water of the Trinity River. Water which went into extreme flood mode during the building process. Twice. With one of those times seeing the flood water rise so quickly that heavy equipment had to be abandoned, unable to be moved to dry land before being flooded.

Meanwhile in another area of Fort Worth, under a corrupt Fort Worth congresswoman's son's inept management, three simple little bridges have teetered on ineptly designed V-piers, for years, over dry land.

Early on in today's Gateway Park bike ride I came upon the overlook boardwalk on the east side of the park.

What an improvement over what used to be at this location. Well done.

And look how scenic the Trinity River is at this location. So peaceful. The river almost looks inviting enough to go inner tube floating in it...

Dead Calm Lake Wichita Bike Ride

What with the blowing as near dead calm as this windy location on the planet ever gets I decided a late morning rolling of my wheels to Lake Wichita seemed like it would be a mighty fine time, what with that zero wind blowing thing combined with a relatively cool temperature and air freshly cleaned by day after day of negative ions flashing from lightning bolts.

Due to rain falling of late the Lake Wichita reservoir is at full pool and thus spilling some water over the Lake Wichita Dam Spillway.

You can sort of see via the refection on the dam water how dead calm the air is being currently. A couple ducks were peacefully floating in front of the Lake Wichita Dam Spillway mural, likely pondering if anything on that wall was edible.

A couple miles from the above location, after crossing :Lake Wichita Dam via the Circle Trail, the trail leaves the dam to continue on towards Mount Wichita.

About a half mile after leaving the dam one comes to an overlook spur off of the Circle Trail which overlooks the Lake Wichita wetlands.

I remember years ago, after seeing some photos I took in Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area, Betty Jo Bouvier asked me if it really was as green in Texas as my photos made the landscape appear. Betty Jo lives in what is known as the Evergreen State, on the west side of the Cascade Mountains, in Western Washington.

The last couple times when I have returned to Washington I have found the west side of the Evergreen State not being all that green, with brown being the dominant color, due to not enough rain falling to maintain the dominant green color scheme.

Such is not a problem at my location in North Texas, where green is currently the dominant color.

Below the view is turned around 180 degrees on the above overlook, with the view now looking north at where the spur to the overlook meets the Circle Trail. That is another lake, well, pond, you see in the distance.

It appalls me the two bond proposals proposing to complete the Circle Trail and to revitalize Lake Wichita failed to gain sufficient support in the May 5 bond election.

So short sighted...

Saturday Night Bike Ride With Mountain Climbers Fishing Followed By Thunderstorm

An hour or so before last night's Saturday night scheduled setting of the sun, and a couple hours before last night's scheduled thunderstorm, I opted to roll my bike wheels on the Circle Trail to Lake Wichita and the mountain which hovers over Wichita Falls like a mini dormant volcano with zero chance of ever erupting.

Mount Wichita might wash away in an extremely heavy rainstorm, but erupt? Never. No chance.

Last night when Lake Wichita came into view I saw more fisher people fishing than I had ever seen previously at this location. The fishing dock was crowded with poles. A couple boats were angling in the bay. Multiple people were fishing from shore.

I have yet to see anyone catch anything at this location other than a bug bite.

When Mount Wichita came into view I saw more mountain climbers climbing the mountain than I had ever seen previously. Including the guy in blue you see closest to my handlebars. He was descending the mountain barefoot, holding his shoes.

I can not imagine why anyone would opt to go barefoot on the rough surface of Mount Wichita.

Last night's thunderstorm arrived on time. When the light of day showed up this morning I did not like looking out my bedroom window to see multiple large branches had fallen on and behind my mechanized means of motion.

Just a second while I photo document what I am seeing from my bedroom window this morning...

When, or if, the moat which currently surrounds my abode, subsides, I will likely be doing some log removal.

Anyone need some firewood? I think it's Mesquite....

In The Pink With Post Thunderstorm Early Morning Sikes Lake Bike Ride

Gradually I am recovering from a couple weeks in the desert in Arizona, with the Texas HOT humidity bothering me less and less.

This morning's early morning bike ride around Sikes Lake was cool. In more ways than one.

Last night ending around midnight my location in North Texas was once again boomed by a drippy thunderstorm.

Rain and lightning bolts seems to have a salubrious effect on air quality, washing away dust and pollen.

As you can see via the view above my bike's handlebars the wildflowers have greatly expanded their colorful display since I last saw them last month.

One does not see delicate wildflowers in the Arizona desert. One does see a lot of color, though. Color from blooming hardy desert plants. Like Saguaro cactus and these big trees called, I think I can get close to the spelling, Jackaranda trees.

Yeah, I spelled that tree correctly. Jackaranda. Trees covered with purple flowers.

Bougainvillea is also currently in bloom mode in the Arizona desert. My mom calls these bushes "Bogeys", like Bogey and Bacall. Mom has a row of Bogeys in her backyards. I pruned mom's Bogeys when I visited in February. Bogeys have nasty prickly thorns, I soon found out.

Sister Jackie has a big tree in front of her house which blooms delicate little yellow flowers in copious amounts. So copious the yellow flowers pile up like snow, and blow into yellow flower drifts.

Sister Jackie has a flower plowing device which electronically blows her carpet of yellow flowers into big mountains of yellow prior to being bagged by a vacuuming device. These yellow flowers are a seasonal vexation, tolerated because the tree is so impressive, as is its vexing yellow coloration.

I wonder how long a Texas Evening Primrose would stay pink and proper in the Arizona desert heat? Probably less than an hour before wilting away to dust...

Miss Daisy Pocket Talking With The Arizona Sun Lakes Ladies Swim Club

When I arrived in Arizona late last month, David, Theo and Ruby had arranged to arrive at their grandma's, a product called a Pocket Talker, scheduled to arrive simultaneous with my arrival.

I opened the Pocket Talker soon upon my arrival at Miss Daisy's.

Miss Daisy is also known as David, Theo and Ruby's grandma, and my mom.

The Pocket Talker was easy to figure out, and seconds after I installed it on Miss Daisy she lit up with a big smile, hearing better, and louder, than she had for a long time.

I then texted David, Theo and Ruby's mama Michele, with a pic of Miss Daisy in Pocket Talker mode, and I said Miss Daisy was gonna go to the pool with me for my morning assignation with the Sun Lakes Laidies Swim Club.

Mama Michele was skeptical of this happening and said she would need photo documentation.

Well, that photo documentation took place two mornings later, which is what you see above. That is Miss Daisy in the foreground. You only see three of the Sun Lakes Ladies Swim Club ladies, Miss Jacqui on the left, then Phyllis, with Ann on the right.

I did not bring the cable to Arizona by which I transfer photos from phone to computer. I did not get around to doing so til this morning. I sort of forgot there were photos on my phone.

During my stay in Arizona Miss Daisy joined me and the Sun Lakes Ladies Swim Club only one more time. And that time without the Pocket Talker, true to the prediction of Sister Jackie, that after a day or two of Pocket Talking Miss Daisy would forget it was not embarrassing to have headphones on, and would revert to thinking using her not as useful, but invisible, hearing aid was good enough.

Even though on that second pool visit Miss Daisy lost the ability to hear what was being said, and thus reverted to using the word "what" frequently.

Have I mentioned how relieved I was to leave Arizona for the fourth time in less than a year?

My Favorite Brother-In-Law Jack's Long Life With Bacon Secret

One does not need to spend much time with my Sister Jackie's first husband, my favorite brother-in-law, Jack, to notice bacon is a large part of his health food regimen.

A couple times a month, give or take a time or two, Jack is in Maricopa at the Ak-Chin Casino Resort buffet where he starts off with a salad, followed by a plate loaded with bacon, followed by another plate of palate cleansing salad, followed by another plate loaded with bacon.

Jack is a health food trailblazer. Just like how chocolate went from being something supposedly bad to consume, except in small quantities, and then was discovered to have multiple health benefits, such too is the case with bacon.

Apparently.

As witnessed by the 109 year old woman I saw yesterday on Facebook who attributes her long life to lots of bacon.

Consuming a lot of bacon has not seemed to have had any sort of adverse effect on Jack's health. He is a trophy winning athlete, winning Pickle Ball Tournaments where he regularly defeats opponents ranging in age from the 60s to the 90s.

Bacon has kept Jack young. He passes for being in his 50s in these tournaments, and due to looking so young Jack is regularly asked to prove his actual age when Pickle Balling against those 60 to 90 year old opponents.

I have not yet decided if I want to hop on the bacon bandwagon. I've never been a fan of bacon, except in small doses. But, I remember when I felt the same way about carrots, broccoli and garlic, among multiple other healthy food items.

I guess I should buck up and make myself eat bacon....