Surprised Finding Mount Baker On My Wall In Texas

A week or two ago I made mention of Washington's Mount Baker volcano in a blogging about Mr. Forrester Cooling Down A Washington Heatwave Via Mount Baker.

I have been looking at the image you see above, all this month of May, due to this image being the May scenic view on the calendar which arrived this most recent Christmas, sent by Sister Woman Lydia Mae, from Mount Vernon, where Lydia Mae can see Mount Baker on any clear day she looks out one of her windows facing northeast.

Now, as an example of how un-observant I can be. I have been seeing this calendar for five months now. And only today did I realize the calendar's scenic scenes are all from Washington. I don't want to take the calendar from the wall to check out the month's previous, but I can look at the following months without taking the calendar from the wall.

I see next month is a view of Mount Shuksan, the mountain some have mistaken for being Mount Baker, due to the fact that one can see Mount Shuksan from the Mount Baker ski area, but one can not see Mount Baker from the Mount Baker ski area.

After seeing next month is Mount Shuksan I wondered if the entire calendar consists of scenes around Mount Baker, so I went another month ahead, to July, to see the July scene is Palouse Falls. That is in Eastern Washington, far away from Mount Baker.

The caption describing the May photo is "Park Butte Lookout and Mount Baker".

I have hiked from Schrieber's Meadow multiple times, hiking what is called the Railroad Grade up the southwest slope of Mount Baker. I have only hiked the spur trail to Park Butte Lookout once. It is a strenuous addition to an already strenuous hike. But, well worth the effort.

A blurb from the Washington Trails Association webpage about the Park Butte Lookout hike...

On Park Butte, hike to an historic fire lookout and come face-to-face with Koma Kulshan. Along with unobstructed panoramic views of Mount Baker, the Twin Sisters, and the rest of the North Cascades, the route to Park Butte offers campsites, wildflower-filled alpine meadows, rushing waterfalls, and a stunning variety of mushroom species.

The Park Butte Lookout is one of the few remaining from the era when lookouts were needed to lookout for forest fires.

The most brutal hike I have ever hiked in the Cascades is a few miles north of Mount Baker, the Church Mountain hike. The summit of the Church Mountain hike is a small flat spot on which the few remains of a long ago abandoned lookout remain. To reach the summit you have to pull yourself up the steep final ascent using a cable which remains from the old lookout. It is a bit scary and not for those made squeamish by anything steep.

The Hidden Lake Lookout is another which remains operable which I have hiked to. The Hidden Lake Lookout is accessed via the Skagit Valley. I think it is probably closer to the Glacier Peak volcano, than Mount Baker.

The Hidden Lake Lookout is maintained by the Skagit Alpine Club. I seem to recollect there being some sort of emergency phone which required cranking to operate. This may be a false memory. You can stay over night in the Hidden Lake Lookout on a first come first stays basis.

I can not remember the last time I went on an actual real hike on a real mountain. It may have been August 11, 2008, when my favorite sister-in-law had me drive her and her mother to Mount Rainier, where we hiked from Paradise to Myrtle Creek.

I am now feeling melancholy thinking about missing going on real hikes on real mountains. Something I thought might happen this coming summer til this COVID-19 Trump Pandemic happened...

Escaping Rain Under Lucy Park Covered Walking Venue With Memorial Day Hot Dogs

Rain arrived this morning, right on schedule, as predicted by the predictors.

The predicted rain so far has not fallen in copious amounts.

Instead it is reminding me of a stereotypical Western Washington winter rainy day.

Slow dripping. Under a gray sky. And not too cold.

Feeling the need to do some vertical moving I opted to drive to Lucy Park and avail myself of one of the park's covered walking venues.

As you can see, I was not alone in thinking driving to Lucy Park to avail oneself of one the the Lucy Park covered walking venues was a good idea.

My co-walkers fired up a grill and were soon cooking hot dogs and burgers. I politely declined the invite to join in due to having already made Memorial Day lunch plans at another location...

Wichita Bluff Hoodoos Survive Softball Size Hail

This Sunday before the 2020 version of Memorial Day I opted out of attending a church service in one of the few churches in Wichita Falls open for regular business, and instead joined the morning throngs communing with nature in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area zone.

Yesterday, via Facebook, I saw a photo of a gigantic chunk of hail the size of a small watermelon which allegedly crashed into a home in the town of Burkburnett, a town due south of the Oklahoma border, about 15 miles north of Wichita Falls.

I heard nothing else about hail cannon balls in the neighborhood, til this morning whilst checking on the online version of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's front page and saw this...

The storm happened Friday night, well into Saturday morning. I heard no hail hitting my Wichita Falls location. I am guessing by "near Wichita Falls" the Star-Telegram must be referring to the aforementioned Burkburnett.

When I last saw the Wichita Bluff Nature Area's Hoodoo installation the installation was totally discombobulated, as in something or someone had totally obliterated the stand of Hoodoos.

I think that was Friday morning, before the thunderstorm which produced giant hail. So, I really do not think Mother Nature can be blamed for the Hoodoo leveling. I suspect it was an act of human destruction which discombobulated the Hoodoos.

And now this morning, 24 hours, or longer, after giant hail pummeled some locations, the Wichita Bluff Nature Area Hoodoo installation has once again risen, this time with more Hoodoos than ever previously counted, as in I almost had to use all my fingers to count all the Hoodoos.

So, that has been my Memorial Day Weekend, so far...

Saturday Lucy Park Suspension Bridge Video Walk Over Wichita River

Last night's almost all night long thunderstorm was the longest and loudest storm so far this year, near as I can remember.

And now, on this next to last Saturday of the 2020 version of May, blue sky has returned with only some big puddles of water and foliage scattered about.

A visit to Lucy Park seemed like a good idea, post-storm. I thought there was a chance sufficient rain fell to render the Wichita River into flood mode, with Lucy Park closed.

But, soon upon arrival at one of the biggest parks in Wichita Falls, when the Wichita River came into view, it was seen to be nowhere being in flood mode, though running high.

Today I used my new phone to make a video. I think this was the first time I have done this with the new phone. The phone seems to make better video than my old video camera used to make, before I tossed it due to it being an antique. The old video camera was just a camera. Not a phone. And it was about ten times the size and weight of the phone.

Anyway, in the video you walk with me across the Lucy Park suspension bridge over the Wichita River. This is not for the squeamish who are afraid of heights whilst walking on something swaying.

Lake Wichita Fish Kill Pandemic Mystery

This morning my bike rolled me to Lake Wichita. Perfect temperature with a bit too much wind. That is Mount Wichita you see above, in the upper right part of the photo.

In the lower right part of the photo that is a couple dead fish you are seeing. At the point on the Circle Trail when the trail gets closest to the lake I looked down and saw a dead fish, then another, then another.

And so I stopped for a closer look.

From where I stood on the bank of Lake Wichita, in addition to those dead fish, which you are able to see in the photo, I counted a total of 17 formerly living fish. The fish did not appear to have been dead long, as no noticeable decomposition had taken place, with no tell tale foul odor.

There are not many locations along the trail where you get an up close look at the lake. Right by Mount Wichita is one open beach location, but I was not looking for dead fish when I was at that location.

After leaving the site of the 17 fish massacre, when I got to the next point on the Circle Trail where I had a good view of the lake edge I figured if this dying fish problem was pandemic I would see more dead fish at that location.

When the trail on top of the dam gets to the location of the floating dock one gets a good look at the lake's edge.

I saw two dead fish at that location.

And then I figured, what with water falling over the spillway, a rare occurrence, there should be dead fish caught in the reeds in the creek below the spillway.

I saw several more dead fish when I rolled on by the below spillway location, along with a man and woman, of the married couple sort, pointing and staring, I assume at the dead fish, as I don't know what else would have been getting their attention at that location.

Upon my return to civilization, and mentioning the dead fish, one of my local facticians (made up word) told me he had read that there was concern about an algae bloom on Lake Wichita presenting a potential problem of the killing fish sort.

I saw several people fishing at Lake Wichita today. I don't know if I would want to be catching fish from a lake which is killing fish due to the water quality.

Rare Ghost White Thistle Lily Haunts Today's Wichita Bluff Nature Area Hike

A raindrop or two dripped whilst taking a nature walk in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area this third Thursday of the 2020 version of May.

And on that nature walk I came upon the rare wildflower you see above. A ghost white thistle lily.

This 2020 version of the spring season seems way greener than the North Texas norm of recent years.

I find myself surrounded by jungle-like foliage vegetation frequently of late. Or so it seems.

Above we are looking at one of the swinging benches one finds in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area. This particular bench is found on one of the side spurs of the main Circle Trail which meanders through the Nature Area.

The view here is from what may be the high point on the Wichita Bluffs. That spot of orange you see in the center left of the picture is the Wichita River, currently running a bit high due to last weekend's rain.

Make note of the jungle of green you see above.

Years ago, whilst I lived in the DFW zone I recollect blogging some photos of the Village Creek Historical Area in Arlington. This Historical Area is also naturally green, like the Wichita Bluffs, though not as hilly.

I recollect Betty Jo Bouvier seeing those photos of the Village Creek zone and then asking me if it really is that green there, because she thought all of Texas was dusty brown desert. I disabused Betty Jo of that erroneous assumption.

Years before disabusing Betty Jo regarding her Texas landscape stereotyping, I was back in Washington, soon before moving to Texas, in a movie theater in North Seattle with Wanda to watch The X Files movie.

The X Files movie opens in Dallas. When I saw what was being shown as being the outskirts of Dallas I leaned over to Wanda and whispered "it's not really like that, it's not all flat brown desert, it's slightly hilly with a lot of green and trees".

Wanda made some disparaging remark indicating she did not believe me. A short time later, about four months after I made the move to Texas, Wanda made her one and only visit. I do not remember reminding her of her skepticism regarding the North Texas topography when she saw it for herself. I have never been big on doing the 'I told you so' thing.

In July of 2017 when I drove myself to Arizona, having a bad vehicular breakdown on the way, stranded a few miles east of Flagstaff, I was a bit nervous when it came time to return to Texas, what with record breaking high temperatures and still feeling traumatized by coming to an unwanted halt on a freeway which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.

So, my little brother suggested following me back to Texas, to make sure I made it back without any more vehicular nightmares traumatizing me. I did not think that was a good idea, due to having experienced many a time previous the pain of traveling with more than one vehicle. Way too easy to get separated, along with all sorts of other issues.

That drive back, by the time I got to West Texas, to the Van Horn, Pecos, Wink, Odessa, Midlands zone I was tired, but could find no place to stay with a vacancy. Eventually I gave up, made it to a rest area between Sweetwater and Abilene, managing to rest for a few hours before driving the final leg back to Wichita Falls.

That morning the sun began to rise by the time I got to Seymour, about 50 miles southwest of Wichita Falls. I was so surprised at how beautiful that sunrise was, and how, as the illumination grew brighter, the landscape became greener and greener.

I had been in the monochrome desert of Arizona for almost a month. The landscape stays that same monochrome well into Texas. I recollect thinking it would have been so amusing if my little brother had followed me, with him being totally shocked at the jungle of green he was seeing, no longer in a desert...

Swimming Sunday In Lake Wichita

Yesterday, on the day of the week known as Sunday, in the late afternoon time frame, my bike rolled me to Lake Wichita where, eventually, in the shadow of Mount Wichita, I saw something going on in Lake Wichita I had never previously seen.

People swimming.

Last year the city park people cleared out a section of the shore of Lake Wichita, ridding it of vegetation of the brushy sort. This made a beach, of sorts, a section of which you see above.

Just as I stopped rolling to get out my phone to snap some photos the Skagit Valley's Linda Lou called. During the course of that half hour phone call I missed several good  people swimming photo ops, but the one I managed after Linda Lou stopped talking to me serves as adequate photo documentation.

I do not know why, as part of the supposed Lake Wichita Revitalization Project, a designated swimming area has not already been built. I assume some dredging, some sand and some floating dock type structure would make for a mighty fine playing in the water opportunity.

I think such a thing would be extremely popular. Even with the primitive beach which now exists the Mount Wichita parking lot was fuller than I have ever seen it, with multiple people ascending and descending Mount Wichita, along with all the people sunbathing along the shore, or fishing, or those actually in the water.

As inviting and cooling as it looks to be I don't see myself getting wet in Lake Wichita anytime soon. I've developed an aversion to snapping turtles and water snakes...

Sunday Church Walk With Sikes Lake Geese Before McDonald's Cheeseburgers

This Sunday morning, with going to church not an option, unless I wanted to go to the Cowboy Church on Jacksboro Highway, a reality I learned later in the day, I opted to join the throngs of former churchgoers enjoying one of God's local outdoor temples, that being the trail around Sikes Lake.

The Sikes Lake geese seem to have found a new level of liking the humans, what with so many of them visiting their Sikes Lake home due to the COVID-19 increase in visitors.

In the first of today's photo documentation I had just joined the promenade of walkers following the biggest goose family living at the lake. Mom and dad hatched 17 babies this birthing season.

Mother goose has become so used to the humans she no longer does her threatening hissing if you get too close to her babies.

Above we have stopped for a closer visit.

And closer.

And even closer.

That first goose family was walking the trail near the parking lot on the east side of Sikes Lake. The above, much smaller, goose family was on the south side of the lake. These babies were closer to being newborns than the first ones we saw. And their mother was a bit more protective, doing some distant hissing when my co-walker reached out to pet one of the fuzzy goslings.

After walking around Sikes Lake the hiking crew returned to the motorized means of transport so I could drive us to the nearest McDonald's drive-thru to acquire a bag of cheeseburgers to munch on during a drive which ended up driving by that aforementioned Cowboy Church on Jacksboro Highway, south of Wichita Falls.

And now, what with the outer world seeming still, as in not windy like it has been for days, methinks I will go on a bike ride to Lake Wichita and join the throngs social distancing there...

Wichita Falls Hotter'N Hell 100 Goes Virtual Due To COVID-19 Pandemic

I attended the final day of the Wichita Falls Hotter'N Hell 100 event my first year in this town. I was impressed by what a HUGE deal it was, and how well executed and entertaining it all was. But, I have not returned. I do not remember what caused the non-returns, but I had planned on returning this year.

As recently as a week ago I saw HHH officials indicating the event was still on track, despite the ongoing COVID-19 nightmare.

And then this morning on the front page of the online Wichita Falls Times News Record I saw the following article headline...

In-person HHH canceled for this year

I had already used up my month's clicking allotment so I just had to sit and wonder what it meant that "in person HHH" had been canceled. What other option could there possibly be for a bike race and its surrounding events if not in-person?

And then I went to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where I do not have a monthly click allotment and saw another front page online headline about the Hotter'N Hell 100, with the Star-Telegram providing more clarifying info about this year's HHH than the local paper provided on its front page.

From the Star-Telegram we learn "The HHH is offering a virtual event that allows participants to ride or run their HHH event in their hometowns and receive a 2020 HHH ride t-shirt and finisher's medal via mail."

Well, now, that sounds sort of pitiful. A virtual event? Is this some sorta scheme to avoid refunding entry fees to those who have already paid? The actual bike ride races of their various iterations are only part of the HHH event.

I have seen multiple new hotels under construction in town, and have assumed they are aiming for an open for business date for late August when the town is flooded with thousands of people attending the HHH.

I don't think those new hotels are going to be getting much virtual business from the 2020 version of the Hotter'N Hell 100.

Of course our Dear Leader may be right, and not the Uber Idiot the majority thinks he to be, and the Coronavirus will have gone bye bye by August and all will once again be normal in the world, with the Hotter'N Hell 100 able to take place in the real world, not the virtual...

Wichita Bluff Nature Hiking With Snakes & Socked Sandals

For today's pre-noon hiking I opted to join the throngs communing with nature on the Wichita Bluff Nature Area section of the Wichita Falls Circle Trail.

I had my first snake encounter of the year soon after beginning today's hike.

It was a large snake, parked on the center of the trail, a location on which I did not like to be seeing a snake.

But before I could get my photo taking device out of my pocket the snake slithered off the trail, heading towards the river.

Continuing on I eventually made it to the high point on the bluff where I sat on one of the swinging benches which swings at the end of one of the side trails. I decided to take that bench swinging as an opportunity to show you one of my new hiking sandals, with matching hiking socks.

It is a Pacific Northwest thing to wear socks with sandals. Sometime this is absolutely a necessity due to the chilly climate. Years ago when I first wore sandals with socks in Texas I had some locals acting like this was some sort of outrageously embarrassing fashion faux pas.

Not one to easily cave to peer pressure I have continued to wear socks with sandals, some of the time.

Today I would have likely been more comfortable sans socks, due to a high temperature combined with high humidity making the outer world seem extremely HOT.

Speaking of the Pacific Northwest, it is seeming increasingly unlikely I will be making my planned trip there this summer.

Sister Jackie just got back to Arizona after flying to and from our old home zone. She did not make the new style of flying seem like something I want to be doing. And road tripping the over two thousand miles back to Washington has its own set of Corona worries.

We live in such vexing times with so many perplexing vexations...