Raindrops Falling On My Head With No Thunder Booming

An hour before noon on this third Sunday of the 2022 version of October I exited my abode intending to drive to Sikes Lake for a fast walk with the geese.

However.

By the time I reached the carport, rain was falling semi-copiously, so my driving direction upon leaving the carport switched from heading north, to heading south, and then east, to Walmart, to do some high speed grocery cart pushing.

As you can see via looking past the raindrops splattered on the windshield, I was not the only person slogging through the rain to stay dry in the air-conditioned comfort of Walmart.

A 30% chance of thunderstorms is also on the weather menu for today. But, so far, no bright streaks of light or loud booming have been seen or heard.

Washington Drought, Air Pollution & Skagit River Report From Nephew Jason

Incoming email from my Favorite Nephew Jason, last night. Previously Jason told me the Skagit River has shrunk to a level seldom seen, exposing sandbars in locations usually covered by water. The photo Jason included in the email also shows how horrible the air quality is due to wildfires. Usually in this view you would see the Cascade Mountain foothills. You can almost make out the foothills through the haze. That bridge you see crossing the Skagit River connects Burlington, on the left, with Mount Vernon, on the right. If we turned around at this location, and looked west, we would see the I-5 bridge over the Skagit River. 

 FUD

Tonight, I was on my way into town to pick up some Chili Rellenos when I stopped at the river, hiked up the dike, in the thick smoke and haze, and snapped a picture for my FUD.

I took a photo of the local news last night to remind me to do this for you, as I told you I would send you some pictures of our shrinking Skagit River.   

I want to walk out on that sandbar but haven't done such yet.  The river is at approximately 10 feet deep at its measuring location.  Much different than the photos I sent you 11 months ago when the river was 25 feet higher!

We could use some of our famous PNW moisture.  Rain has been very scarce here. Minimal rainfall in July, August, September, and now October have left us hot and dusty for nearly 4 months.

I have the sprinkler watering my trees in the back yard right now.   

If you want to come up and wade/swim across the river with me, I think it would be fun.  The water has to be very warm right now. No kidding.  

Hope all is well in TX.

-FNJ

PS -- As I am typing this, the weatherman pictured last night, is back on TV reporting about how awful the air quality in Skagit and Whatcom Counties will be this weekend.   I shall send you photographic evidence of this in a separate email. Today was awful, but over the last few years, this has been the norm.   I wish my coolest uncle was here to see all the changes.  Why do people think this global warming thing is a hoax?  

_____________________

The climate change deniers are the same people who think masks don't help prevent virus transmission and other right wing nutjob lunacy....

Low October Tide On Sikes Lake

You are looking here at today's low tide at Sikes Lake.

I saw no one clam digging. Or wading in the water trying to catch a Dungeness crab.

I am so tired of time flying by faster and faster. Already almost half of the 2022 version of October is gone.

Soon the dreaded holiday season will be upon us.

Looks to me like it is time to dredge Sikes Lake again. The last time this lake was dredged, that which was dredged was hauled to Lake Wichita Park, creating what some call Murphy's Hill, but I call Mount Wichita.

Methinks some new dredging in both Sikes Lake and Lake Wichita could result in a series of little mud mountains, creating a virtual mountain range.

I'm sure such would quickly become a huge tourist attraction, what with the scarcity of any mountain-like terrain for many miles in any direction...

Daily Endorphin Acquistion Via Watching January 6 Committee Hearing

My daily endorphin acquisition today is not being acquired via fast walking at any of my many walking venues.

I am getting today's endorphins via watching what may be the final January 6 Committee Hearing. 

Most damning testimony against Trump yet.

So absurd that there are still simple-minded sorts in our country who do not understand what a treasonous criminal Trump is.

Appalling....

Breezy Return To Cool Lucy Park With Hillbillies

 

Clouds have again left town, leaving a bright blue sky behind, with a wind blowing around 30 miles per hour, with a temperature in the 70s, making for a pleasant return to Lucy Park, to commune with nature via fast walking a few miles through the Lucy Park backwoods jungle.

In the photo documentation, the reddish brown that you see on the right is dirt, with the trail passing over it. The reddish brown you see on the left is the Wichita River, with the only thing passing over it, for quite a few miles, is a pedestrian suspension bridge.

The pleasant weather brings out alot more people than when the local weather is in sauna steam bath mode. This pleasant period will not last long, before being way too cold becomes the norm.

This morning I got an odd thing from Virginia, via Madame McNutty.

Apparently the McNutter has been tinkering with making this year's Christmas card. Seems way too early, to me, to be fussing about such things.

I guess it is sort of cute, Jed, Granny, Jethro and Ellie May, being the Appomattox Hillbillies.

I am certain of the identity of only one of the Hillbillies, as that is clearly Madame McNutty being Granny Clampett. The McNutty resemblance to that loveable TV character is uncanny.

I have spoken to the 2022 version of Granny McNutty on the phone a few times of late, to find that her voice is also very Granny Clampettish....

Walking Scenic Circle Trail To Its Termination

It was to the east parking lot access to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area that I parked today. But, I did not walk the Circle Trail west to the Nature Area. Instead, I walked the Circle Trail east, to its current termination point, as seen in the photo documentation.

By this point in time I thought this termination point in the Circle Trail would have been terminated, with the connection to the Circle Trail, in Lucy Park, completed.

If I remember correctly the final thousand feet of trail were to be temporarily gravel, instead of concrete, pending additional funding. But, that has not happened, neither a thousand feet of gravel, or additional funding.

This section of the Circle Trail, from the east Wichita Bluff Nature Area parking lot, east to the current termination point, runs parallel to the Wichita River. This is one of the more scenic sections of the Circle Trail, with much of it shaded by big trees.

As you can see, there is some cloud action blotting the usually all blue sky. This morning those clouds did some dripping.

Lucy Park Close Encounter With Imaginary Snake

Yesterday, at Lucy Park, I was way under dressed, shivering in shorts. I bailed on the walking after about ten minutes. And as soon as I got back to my vehicle rain began dripping in semi-copious amounts. First rain in a long time.

Today, on this second Sunday of the 2022 version of October, it was back to Lucy Park I went. 

The outer world was chilled to 67 degrees. And today I managed to be over dressed in sweatpants and long sleeve t-shirt.

No rain dripped today.

But, as I was walking quickly along, ahead of me I saw what looked to be a big snake. Which is what you see in the middle of the above photo documentation, on the left side of the trail.

My instinctual reaction said snake ahead. My rational reaction quickly said it is too cold for a snake to be slithering around.

It turned to be nothing more sinister than a stick, a tree limb fallen from a tree...

Where In The Pacific Northwest Are David, Theo & Ruby?

Incoming four emails last night, asking the question, "Where in the PNW are David, Theo & Ruby?"

Each email had one photo, with text saying Hint #1, Hint #2, Hint #3, with the final email text saying "Not sure if this a place you’ve ever explored. It would have looked much different when you were a kid and even, I think, most of the time you lived here."

When I saw the first photo hint, that being the one above, before I read the text in the 4th email, which said "not sure if this is a place you've ever explored," I thought it was likely Birch Bay. 

Then the next hint...

Definitely not Birch Bay.

On to hint #3...

The Padilla Bay tide lands south of Bay View State Park, maybe? But this does not quite look like the Padilla Bay tide lands.

On to the final hint...

Well, I believe I have driven by this location a number of times, driving Interstate 5 between Tacoma and Olympia.

That would make where David, Theo & Ruby are in the Pacific Northwest to be the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

I do not remember this area as developed, like it is now. I do not remember if this was a National Wildlife Refuge when I lived in Washington. I just remember this location, where the Nisqually River empties into Puget Sound as the Nisqually Mudflats.

I wonder where in the Pacific Northwest David, Theo & Ruby are going next?

Cloudy Chilled Wichita Bluffs With Noisy Jets

It was back to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area I ventured today.

In the above photo we are at the highest point on the Wichita Bluffs, looking east towards the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls.

Do you notice anything unusual in the photo documentation?

If you thought clouds to be the thing unusual, you thought correctly. I cannot remember when it last was that clouds blotted out a clear blue sky at my planetary location.

Today, in addition to the clouds blocking the sun, the temperature was barely in the 70s, with a strong wind blowing. 

Above you are seeing the dueling benches lookout, looking out over the Wichita River coursing through the the Bluffs.

This is another look at that cool gray sky.

It sounded like a war zone walking the Wichita Bluffs today. Jet after jet after jet after jet was soaring low and fast over the Bluffs.

At times two jets flying parallel.

It is not unusal to see an air force jet flying out of Sheppard Air Force Base. But not the multiple instances that were happening today...

Walking The Lucy Park Jungle Desert With Germans

It was back to Lucy Park I ventured today for some semi-chilly fast walking.

I mainly walked in the Lucy Park backwoods zone, which, up til a couple weeks ago, looked like a jungle.

Now, as you can see via the photo documentation, the backwoods zone looks as if it is trending towards becoming a desert.

I think I have made mention previously of the fact that I frequently find myself, whilst in Lucy Park, how to get to the waterfall.

Today it was a pair of German tourists trying to figure out, by looking at one of the many maps conveniently installed in Lucy Park, how to find the waterfall.

I think I can understand why the map might be confusing, even though you can find the waterfall on the map. I assume the confusion comes from trying to figure out where you are currently on the map, so you can figure out the route to the waterfall.

In addition to the multiple maps signs, there are also smaller signs, with a photo of the waterfall, with a big arrow pointing the direction to the waterfall. Maybe more of those directional arrows need to be installed.

I remember my first visit to Lucy Park. A large event was taking place, of the sort I have never seen in Lucy Park since. It was hard to find a parking spot, even though there are plenty of places to park in Lucy Park on a non-event day.

A Texas Travel Center is located across the Wichita River from Lucy Park, accessed via the suspension bridge I may have mentioned previously.

On that first visit to Lucy Park the Texas Travel Center had set up an informational kiosk. The nice lady manning the kiosk gave me Texas themed chapstick. I asked her how you get to the falls. She pointed towards the river, and said, just walk the trail along the river and it will lead you right to the waterfall.

And so it did, it was that easy...