In Disneyland With Spencer Jack & Jason

A couple years ago my Favorite Nephew Jason emailed me a photo of himself and Spencer Jack standing in front of what looked to me to be Utah-like scenery, along with a Route 66 road sign. This confused me because I did not think Route 66 went through Utah, or any Utah-like scenery.

Last night FNJ emailed a similar photo and asked, once more, if I could guess where he and Spencer Jack were. This time I replied "Disney California".

Jason then called to tell me I was correct. Spencer Jack took a couple days off school and flew his dad to Anaheim. Jason is now at the age when a day at Disneyland is exhausting. So, he left Spencer to continue riding rides, whilst Jason walked back to the hotel to get some rest and call his favorite uncle.

This morning another photo showed up in my email.

Above I can tell Jason is in Disneyland, floating on a canoe, following the Mark Twain Riverboat on the Mississippi, heading to Tom Sawyer Island.

When last I was in Disneyland, Disney California had not yet been invented. That last visit was Christmas of 1993. Disneyland broke an attendance record that day.

Way back then it cost around $30 to get admitted to Disneyland. If I remember last night's conversation correctly, Jason told me it cost $290 each for a two day pass to both Disneyland and Disney California. I'm thinking that price must include some sort of express pass.

When I was around Spencer Jack's age our annual family vacation was to California and Disneyland two years in a row.

We did not just go to Disneyland. We also went to Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios and Sea World.

Doing such in 2021 for a family of six would cost a small fortune.

The Mountain Is Out With Madame McNutty

Another in the continuing series of making her homesick Facebook posts from Madame McNutty. 

Madame McNutty comments "Fantastic photo. The Mountain is out and everything."

I think I have made mention previously of the fact that in Washington when you say "The Mountain is out" you are referring to Mount Rainier, even though it shares being a volcano mountain with four others in the state.

But, Mount Rainier is the only one of the Washington volcanoes which can be seen almost anywhere in the state you happen to be, which is why Mount Rainier is on the Washington state license plate.

Even though this is a bird's eye view of the Space Needle, which is a view most visitors to Seattle do not get to have, this is a more realistic photo of the Seattle skyline and Mount Rainier than most.

Often a photo trick is done which makes Mount Rainier look way bigger and way closer to Seattle than it actually is. This photo shows accurately how Mount Rainier actually looks from Seattle.

Now, the view of Mount Rainier from Tacoma does have The Mountain seeming way closer and way bigger.

I remember back in the last century, on a rare rainy day in Seattle, Hank Frank's dad, Joey, and Spencer Jack's dad, Jason, were riding the ferry with their favorite uncle, from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. As we were floating along a tourist asked if we were locals. Yes, we replied, we are not tourists. The tourist then asked if we could point to where Mount Rainier would be seen if the sky were clear of clouds. All three of us simultaneously pointed in the same south, slightly east, direction.

I wonder how many tourists visit Washington hoping to see The Mountain, but don't get to, due to it being socked in by clouds. I remember the first time going to San Francisco being disappointed due to not being able to see the Golden Gate Bridge, due to thick fog.

Speaking of the Space Needle. My favorite Macklemore song and video, "Can't Hold Us", ends with Macklemore landing on top of the Space Needle, looking much like the Space Needle image above...

Rainy Wichita Falls Library Return With Lucy Park Plaque Walk

That is the entry to the Wichita Falls Public Library you are looking at, shrouded by trees.

I was last at the library two Saturdays ago, as in 10 days ago, and somehow managed to read the four books I checked out that day and so needed to return to check out four more.

Maybe I should check out more than four, that or slow down my reading speed. But it gets cumbersome carry so many books in my book bag. Five might be my limit.

The forecast for today is for heavy rain and severe thunderstorms. Leaving the library the sky looked menacing, but, even so, I decided to go to nearby Lucy Park for a brisk walk of a mile or two.

Eventually rain began to drip, but I made it back to my vehicle without getting soaked.

A few days someone asked me if Lucy Park was named after Lucille Ball. I recollect when first hearing this park's name wondering why it was named such.

There is a plaque stuck to a big boulder by the Lucy Park Duck Pond which explains the name.

Lucy O'Neill Saunders was a Wichita Falls oil baroness. That is not mentioned on the plaque. I learned that elsewhere. Lucy owned the land which is now Lucy Park, land which was donated in her mother's memory by Frances Ann Dickinson.

Last Night Thunderstorm Before Today's Clear Blue Calm

My bike decided to roll me to Sikes Lake today, after visiting Hamilton Park and the MSU campus.

As you can see the outer world is pretty much dead calm at my location on this second Monday of the 2021 version of October.

Such was not the case last night when a strong thunderstorm with 70 mph winds and a short downpour poured down. The power only flickered a couple times. Tornado warnings were issued for Wichita County and the surrounding counties. 

But, the tornado sirens never went active.

While this storm was happening I was on a virtual Amtrak train ride, going from Manassas to Lynchburg, Virginia. It was a rocking and rolling train ride. Almost as bad as my one and only time of riding Amtrak from Seattle to Portland. And back.

Or was that Tacoma to Portland? And back.

I can't remember, for sure. What I do remember is the ride back was worse than the ride to. And, that by the time I was back driving I had to pull off of I-5 so that I could throw up. First time I have ever been seasick.

And it was from a train ride. Not a rocky boat ride...

The Shadow Of The Wichita Falls Thin Man On Sunday MPEC Walk

That is the Shadow of the Wichita Falls Thin Man you are seeing here.

On this second Sunday of the 2021 version of October I decided not to go to church this morning, and instead went on a walk around the Wichita Falls MPEC.

Multi-Purpose Events Center.

I have only gone to a few events at the MPEC. The finale of the Hotter 'N Hell 100, a Christmas Crafts Show and an anti-Trump Rally.

I don't know how the MPEC came to be. It is a large complex consisting of several buildings and HUGE parking lots.

Since I have been in Wichita Falls I have not seen any big projects come to fruition.

I have heard of big plans, such as the Lake Wichita Revitalization Project, which I learned of soon upon arrival via a well done website. And when I learned about it I thought that the revitalizing was going to soon come to fruition. I now see the well done website no longer exists, but its domain name is available for $5,195.

Anyway, let's continue on with our look at the MPEC.

Above, that is a small section of the MPEC's large parking area, with a solo pickup parked under some shade trees.

Kay Yeager Coliseum is where hockey gets played, along with other sporting type events.

Sheppard Air Force Base is a NATO training base, located at the north side of Wichita Falls, which is why we are seeing flags from other nations blowing in the breeze between Kay Yeager Coliseum and the Ray Clymer Exhibition Hall. The Ray Clymer Exhibition Hall is where that Christmas Crafts Show aforementioned was located.

Standing under those NATO flags looking at the entry to the Ray Clymer Exhibition Hall.

One of the entries to Kay Yeager Coliseum. These were steep steps. So, I ran up and down them. I can see where these steps could get a bit dicey when a large crowd exits.

From the top of the Kay Yeager steps looking towards the Agricultural Building on the other side of the Wichita River. We will get there eventually.

A view of the MPEC grounds. During events such as the Hotter N' Hell 100 there are variety of things taking place in this area. Like a beer garden, multiple food vendors, bike related art and a lot of people.

Now we are heading towards that aforementioned Agricultural Building. I'm sure it has a name, but I don't know what it is. .

Some sort of event was happening today. There were dozens of RV's parked to the left of the view above. And horses were making horse noises in a corral to the right. One solo cowboy was seen riding a horse.

In the middle of the pedestrian bridge which takes you to the Agricultural Building I stopped to take a picture of the Wichita River.

And above you see the Shadow of the Wichita Falls Thin Man walking back across the bridge, heading to the parking lot where we started our MPEC tour.

I enjoyed not going to church today. I may make a habit of it...

Bike Refuses To Cross Scary Lucy Park Duck Pond Bridge

My gas powered mechanized hauling device took me and my bike back to Lucy Park today to do some wheel rolling. 

In the photo documentation above, we are stopping to consider if it a good idea to ride across that short bridge you see the handlebars pointing to. That bridge looks innocuous enough. However, I have walked across that bridge on previous visits to the Lucy Park Duck Pond and found this bridge a challenge to walk on. It moves up and down and rocks left and right. 

I have seen little kids having themselves a mighty fine time on this bridge. I think crossing it could make some sensitive sorts seasick

So, I opted to be cautious and turned around and pedaled away from the ducks and their pond.

Instead I rolled on the Circle Trail for a few miles. Rolled past Wichita Falls, which was falling a lot of water today. Past the actual site of the actual original Wichita Falls, a mile or so downstream.

And then turned around at O'Reilly Park to head back to that aforementioned gas powered mechanized hauling device.

So far I have not been enjoying the cool Fall weather. Because so far such has not arrived.

Yesterday we broke that day's temperature record at 98. Same is happening today. The A/C is running.

Yesterday I mentioned our record breaking temperature to someone in Seattle who replied that at their location it was 52 degrees and the heater was running. Humble bragger...

What Is Floating In The Wichita River By The Lucy Park Suspension Bridge Locks?

In the view above we are standing midway across the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge over the Wichita River.

Lucy Park was my go to location today to acquire some aerobically induced endorphins after Madame McNutty disturbed my morning yoga session with an attempt to watch the yogi via her video device.

See that string of floats floating across the river? If this was in a Pacific Northwest river I would assume some Native Americans from one of the myriad tribes which inhabit the Pacific Northwest had installed a fish net in the river. 

But, such is likely not the case in Texas, since most Native Americans were chased out of the state a long long time ago, chased to Oklahoma and New Mexico. Texas has only two, I think, extremely small Indian Reservations.

If this were a fish net what type fish would one be hoping to net in this murky muddy river?

Looking the other direction from midway over the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge...

More locks have been added since last we made note of the locks being locked to the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge.

It has been speculated that these locks on this bridge are emulating a bridge in Paris on which people lock locks. That is the Paris in France, not the Paris in Texas...

Virtually Flying Over 5 Volcanoes With Madame McNutty

I have been seeing the above the past few days via Facebook. Even though this has been appearing for days the post has generated only one comment, that being...

"Very cool, must be view from Hurricane Ridge?"

Well, Hurricane Ridge is in Olympic National Park, at the north end of the Olympic Peninsula. From Hurricane Ridge I think there are only two, maybe three volcanoes one might be able to see. Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, and maybe Glacier Peak.

When flying to Washington it is when you start seeing the whitecapped volcanoes that you know you are getting close to landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The view in the above photo is looking north, from Oregon. That would make the volcano in the foreground Mount Jefferson, with the next volcano being Mount Hood. Then we cross the Columbia River to Washington, seeing three of Washington's five volcanoes, Mount St. Helens on the left, Mount Rainier in the middle, with Mount Adams on the right.

I don't know if this photo of Pacific Northwest volcanoes fits with the theme of Washington scenes which make me and Madame McNutty homesick for our old home zone. Seeing this didn't make me homesick.

I prefer to see scenery from ground level, not the bird view...

Circle Trail Centipede Encounters With Prickly Pear Cactus

Today my bike decided to take me north on the Circle Trail further than I have gone in a long long time.

About a mile north of Hamilton Park the Circle Trail comes to the Prickly Pear Cactus Orchard you see above. This orchard appears slightly south of where the Circle Trail crosses under Holliday Road, which you can also see in the photo above.

Going north on the Circle Trail eventually passes under a couple freeways, making for a lot of cement overhead. Soon thereafter the Circle Trail enters an undeveloped zone making it seem as if one has left the city and is out in the wild country.

Eventually the Circle Trail returns to civilization, around the point where the gazebo you see below shows up. As soon as I got off the bike to get out the phone I looked down on the ground and saw the biggest centipede I have ever seen. I did not know those critters got so big. It was big enough that I reacted the same way I do when a snake slithers too close. As in I shuddered. By the time I got the phone to turn on the camera the centipede had waddled out of sight.

You can not tell it via the photo, but the gazebo overlooks a bit of a gorge, with the Circle Trail crossing the gorge and then going down a slope for a quarter mile, give or take a foot or two. About a mile past the gazebo I decided I had gone far enough.

Turning around I quickly realized I had had the wind at my back as I pedaled north. This made for a more strenuous bout of pedaling heading back south, against the wind.

I think tomorrow my bike and me will take a break from pedaling...

Giant Wichita Bluff Nature Areas Weeds With Mean Girls

Lately a couple well known Mean Girls, Madame McNutty & Comrade Sobek, to be exact, have been belittling my earnest attempts to take a selfie photo with my phone.

One of the Mean Girls even compared my face to a soccer ball. I really do not understand this.

The other Mean Girl, last night, suggested I have an eating disorder, in addition to being photography challenged.

Shortly before noon today I returned to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area to do some natural hiking.

Yesterday, or the day before, I mentioned having a run in with giant 20 foot weeds sprouting alongside the Circle Trail. When I mentioned those 20 foot weeds I also mentioned seeing the same type giant weeds sprouting in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area, and that at that point in time I was not in the mood to photo document them

But, today I was, hence the photo documenting selfie above, standing in front of giant weeds. I eagerly await the Mean Girls critique.

Continuing past the giant 20 foot weeds.

Above I am far above the giant weeds which grow alongside the Wichita River. You can sort of see the Wichita River peeking through the trees. As you can clearly see, the leaves have not gone into fall color mode at my location.

I don't remember if the trees here do go into fall color mode. Seems like what happens is first freeze the leaves just fall to the ground, without going through a being colorful phase. Can you spot the purple wildflower which was what provoked me to take a photo at this location?

Madame McNutty probably won't be belittling my latest selfie anytime soon. She is currently stuck on a slow motion Amtrak train, heading north to Delaware, stuck behind a slow moving freight train...