Microsoft OneDrive Memory Takes Me Back To Mountain Biking In Texas

Arriving in my email this morning is another Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day that I actually remember.

Though, not on this day, it being a January day. January is not a warm month. 

I appear to be sweating in this selfie photo taken with my antique, long gone, Casio digital camera.

I don't think I have done any sweating in Texas in January, especially at the location of this photo.

With that location being the mountain bike trail that begins in Rockledge Park on Lake Grapevine, in the town of Grapevine.

I have not been on a mountain bike trail since moving to my current Wichita Falls location.

When I moved to Texas I thought my mountain biking days were behind me, what with Texas being a bit scarce in the mountain department.

I soon learned I was once again erroneous.

A couple months after moving to Texas I took a long drive to far east Texas, known as the Piney Woods Region. I was quite surprised to see that the Piney Woods Region looked a lot like the forested zones of Western Washington.

I drove in a park called Tyler State Park. This is a big park. I soon was seeing people on mountain bikes.

And then I came to a big parking lot, located where there were multiple trailheads for multiple mountain bike trails.

I was looking at a big sign with a map of the trails. A couple other guys were also looking at the map. I remarked to them that I was surprised to find mountain bike trails of this quality in Texas, that I thought I was not going to be mountain biking in Texas due to the lack of mountains.

One of the guys asked where I was from. I told him. He then asked where I was located in Texas. Haslet, said I, a tiny suburb of Fort Worth.

Fort Worth? Says the guy. So, you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Well, there are many real good mountain bike trails right in the Metroplex, some of the best you can find anywhere. The guy told me to go to a Bicycle Inc. store where I could get a map showing where all the trails are in D/FW.

I did so, the following week, and was amazed to see the number of mountain bike trails in D/FW. Over the years I think I biked each of them, at least once. And some dozens upon dozens of times, like the Rockledge and Horseshoe Trails on Lake Grapevine.

Another favorite was what are known as the DORBA trails in Cedar Hills State Park. Great biking and hiking trails are in that huge park.

Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association is where that DORBA name comes from. There are three loops to the DORBA trail in Cedar Hills State Park, with the third loop labeled as EXTREME.

Because it was not easy. I only biked the EXTREME trail once. On that EXTREME trail I had my one and only in the wild rattlesnake encounter in Texas. A big rattler, off the side of the trail. I heard it shaking its rattle before I saw the snake curled up, ready to strike.

The week previous to that rattlesnake encounter I'd been to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, so the rattle noise was fresh in my memory. I think I almost overdosed on adrenalin when I passed that snake, and soon thereafter the trail entered a sort of marsh-like, tall grass section, which greatly heightened my snake anxiety.

But, I saw no additional reptiles that day.

Fort Worth has a couple mountain bike trails. The Gateway Park mountain bike trail was close to my abode, so I biked that one frequently. The Gateway Park trail is a fun one. It has a sort of roller coaster feel to it, in places.

Arlington's River Legacy Park has miles upon miles of mountain bike trails, some marked difficult, which were too difficult for me to master.

In River Legacy Park I had multiple snake encounters, but never with a rattlesnake. Several copperheads, though. And bobcats. Lots of bobcats. And armadillos. Including baby armadillos, If memory serves me accurately I think I put at least one photo of baby armadillos on the River Legacy Park webpage I made years ago.

All this mountain bike talk and remembering how much fun I had in those various D/FW parks, it is making me a bit nostalgic. 

There is a mountain bike trail here in Wichita Falls. I have hiked part of it, accessed by crossing the suspension bridge in Lucy Park. Soon after crossing that suspension bridge one comes to a section of the mountain bike trail called Alligator Alley.

When one Googles Wee-Chi-Tah Mountain Bike Trail in Wichita Falls one finds a lot of websites with information about this trail, including a Facebook page.

A short description of the Wee-Chi-Tah Trail from one of those aforementioned webpages...

"Explore this 12-mile loop in Wichita Falls along the Wichita River. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. This is a popular trail for mountain biking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime".

I think when Spring arrives I may take up bike riding again, maybe even braving Alligator Alley and the rest of the Wee-Chi-Tah Mountain Bike Trail...

Frozen Icebound Washington Weather Report From Nephew Jason

 My old home zone of the Skagit Valley, and Whatcom County, have been iced over of late, making vehicular travel treacherous. 

Incoming email from my Favorite Jason Nephew, that I did not see til this Saturday morning, but arrived in my email inbox on Thursday. I do not know why I did not see this email til this morning. 

The explanatory text in the email...

FUD -

I took this shot off the TV yesterday afternoon.    

And then checked on our above ground living Lynden relative.

She reported 7 inches of snow in the front yard and 3-to-4-foot drifts between her apartment and the garage.    Jeff came by and cleared her front steps and walkway.

Back here in the valley the ground and air are still frozen. Schools were cancelled yesterday as well as today.  I kept my restaurant closed both days as very few people are out and about.   And as I type this, it is currently snowing in Mount Vernon.  We only have a few inches—but enough to virtually shut down the city.

Temps have been below freezing for a week now.

-FNJ

_________________________

FUD is the abbreviation of Favorite Uncle D. FNJ is the abbreviation of Favorite Nephew Jason. Lynden is a Dutch dominated town a few miles south of the Canadian border.

At my North Texas location we are also freezing, with the arrival of a new Arctic Blast, yesterday. The current forecast for my location predicts possible frozen precipitation precipitating on Monday... 

Green Free Lucy Park Walk With Icy River & Frozen Waterfall

This third Thursday of the new 2024 year I was back in Lucy Park for, I think, the first time this year.

With the temperature in the upper 40s, and little wind blowing, it made for a pleasant bout of communing with nature.

As you can see, what I used to refer to as the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle, is now totally deprived of anything green, making for a forlorn looking barren landscape.

That is the Wichita River you see above, as it passes through the former Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle. The patch of white you see on both sides of the river is ice. 

That ice ought not last long, what with the temperature this afternoon getting into the 50s.

No, that is not frozen Wichita Falls you see above. The manmade Wichita Falls is a short walk from Lucy Park. When the temperature drops to near zero I assum Wichita Falls is turned off, thus not having the opportunity to freeze over.

The frozen waterfall you see above is Snoqualmie Falls, located a few miles east of Seattle. If you were a Twin Peaks fan, Snoqualmie Falls was the waterfall you saw on that TV shows opening credits.

If you visit the Snoqualmie Falls viewing lookout whilst the Snoqualmie River is in flood mode, Snoqualmie Falls is HUGE, spewing a big wall of mist and shaking the ground like an earthquake.

It is quite a thing to see. And feel...

Microsoft OneDrive Takes Me To A Cool Pool With Uncle Mel, Dad & Grandma

Microsoft OneDrive Memories from the Day, that I do not remember happening on this day, arrived in my email a few minutes ago.

The first memory, that one you see above, I took with my long gone Casio digital camera. That camera had a unique reverse the lens feature that allowed for taking what we now call selfies, nowadays taken with ones phone. 

But those selfie type phones had not yet come to be, early in this century, when the above "selfie" was taken. I know this photo was not a memory from January 17. Because I can see I am standing by the pool that existed at my first abode in Texas.

That pool was not heated. No way was I in that pool, or near it, shirtless, in January. 

Another photo in today's OneDrive memories is a tad poignant.

Uncle Mel, my dad, Jack, and Grandma Slotemaker.

I do not recognize where this photo was taken.

But, it likely was at a location in Lynden, a Dutch themed Washington town near the border with Canada...

Nephew Jason Takes Us To A Sunset Look At Mount Baker Whilst Miss Sheila Takes Us To A Mount Rainier Sunrise

Incoming email this morning from my Favorite Jason Nephew, with one photo, and the following text...

We are thawing up north, very slowly.

My phone indicates that you are freezing some thousand miles to the south and east.

Took this picture on my way home from work tonight of Mount Baker via the same viewpoint of a few days earlier.  Sunset is gradually working back to the 5 p.m. hour.

It was certainly more beautiful in person.

I wish you were here to enjoy the great Pacific Northwest.

__________________

I also wish I was enjoying the great Pacific Northwest. No matter which direction I look at my current Texas location I see no scenery like that which you see above.

And then there was this, from renowned Pacific Northwest photographer, Sheila K, a sunrise look at Mount Rainier from her Lacey backyard.

I do not know how close, miles wise, Miss Sheila and Miss Chris are from Mount Rainier, at their Lacey location. Lacey is a town a few miles east of Olympia.

If Mount Rainier ever decides to go into active volcano mode, Sheila and Chris will have an interesting phenomenon to pay close attention to...

Comparing Temperatures Walking With Linda Lou In Walmart

Saw that which you see here, this Monday morning, on Facebook.

Apparently downtown Seattle accumulated enough snow during the current Arctic Blast to enable cross country skiing to Pike Place.

I do not recollect ever seeing skiing in downtown Seattle before.

The current Arctic Blast at my Texas location did not get the predicted precipitation. Not in snow form. Or ice. Nothing precipitated from the cloudy gray sky.

Walmart was my walking location, again, today. For the sake of variety I went to a different Walmart than the one closest to me. I think the Walmart I went to today is about a half mile further than the closest Walmart.

As I was walking in Walmart Linda Lou text messaged me, asking "Are you all frozen? We are up to 12 degrees this morning."

I texted back, "14 degrees here. Am walking in Walmart. Brrrr."

We are currently scheduled to get heated to something in the 50-degree range on Wednesday.

Driving by Sikes Lake a few minutes ago I was not surprised seeing the lake mostly frozen, with geese floating in a small area that had not frozen over yet...

Wichita Falls Sunday Morning's 8 Degrees Really Feeling Like 2 Below Zero

Saw that which you see above, this Sunday morning, on Facebook. There may be a lot of whining about the current temperature, with the Arctic Blast blasting across Texas, starting yesterday. 

But, the weather whining is well merited, what with just a couple days ago we were being heated into the 70s. It is jarring to go from that pleasant warmth, to how cold it is this Sunday morning, with the wind making 8 degrees above zero really feel like 2 degrees below zero.

The predicted precipitation has not precipitated, yet.

So, no snow or ice.

Yet.

As you can see via the above screen cap, we are at 100% cloud cover currently in Wichita Falls.

Looking out the window that cloud cover looks menacing.

Saturday's walk around Mount Wichita was way too cold.

Any walking outside of my abode today will be taking place in Walmart...

Nephew Jason Takes Us To Frigid Padilla Bay

Incoming email from my Favorite Jason Nephew, with two photos, subject line: Frigid Padilla Bay.

Text in the email: Took this from March’s Point this morning.

Marsh's Point is a small peninsula one drives by between Mount Vernon and Anacortes. On March's Point Padilla Bay is to the east, Fidalgo Bay to the west. There are a couple oil refineries on March's Point, refining oil which arrives from Alaska in big super tankers.

I do not recollect seeing Western Washington's saltwater in frozen mode, prior to seeing Jason's photo documentation of such.

I am just returned from a frigid walk around Mount Wichita. The strong wind had the 32 degrees feeling way colder. 

I think that bump on the horizon, above Jason's car's hood, is the Mount Baker volcano.

 Another look at frosty Padilla Bay. And that is definitely Mount Baker on the horizon.

The promised Arctic Blast has arrived. Strong wind from the north. So far, no clouds. 

Soon it will be colder at my North Texas location than it currently is at my old Washington home location...

Another Frigid Day In Paradise

I saw this photo yesterday on Facebook. The photo was taken by Miss Carol BD from her home zone on the Skagit Flats. 

The view is looking east at the Mount Baker volcano and the Cascade Mountain's foothills.

As you can clearly see, a coating of snow has dusted the Cascade foothills.

Currently the Skagit Flats are being chilled colder than my North Texas location, at only 9 degrees above zero.

My Wichita Falls location is being chilled to one degree below freezing, at 31.

We are scheduled to get a bit colder as we progress through Saturday, with incoming snow predicted for Sunday, possibly in Ice Storm form.

The governor of Texas is claiming the Texas grid will not collapse, this time, when the temperature nears zero. I don't attach much credence to anything the current governor of Texas claims.

I think I may venture into the outer world today, driving to the only thing remotely resembling a mountain at my current location, that being the mound of congealed lake mud I call Mount Wichita...

Incoming Weather Report From Nephew Jason

Incoming email from my Favorite Jason Nephew, this morning.  With a screenshot from Jason's phone. 

Today I am being a bit warmer than my old home zone of the Skagit Valley, with Mount Vernon chilled to 10 degrees. 

Lynden is around 40 miles north of Mount Vernon, a few miles south of the border with Canada.

Lynden gets way colder and way more snow than my old home zone, due to weather systems flowing south from the Fraser River valley. A mountain range between Lynden and the Skagit Valley usually keeps that cold Canadian weather from making it all the way south to my old home zone.

When I was a kid we thought it great fun to go north from our snow-free zone, to visit the grandmas in Lynden, where there would be deep snow drifts.

This morning I see the forecast for my Wichita Falls home zone is now predicting an Ice Storm, with an inch thick coating of ice, arriving Saturday. 

I never experienced an Ice Storm til moving to Texas. The first one happened about two weeks after I arrived in the Lone Star zone.

I was in the Fort Worth Stockyards, at the now defunct Riscky Rita's Mexican buffet. Upon entering Riscky Rita's the temperature was in the 60s. And hour later, leaving Riscky Rita's a strong wind was blowing from the north, and the temperature had plummeted to below freezing.

That night my first Ice Storm arrived, coating the outer world with thick ice. We did not know how to turn off the water to the pool, or the barn, figuring such should be done to prevent burst pipes. 

By morning it was eerie, quiet, except for the sound of tires squealing on thick ice, trying to get up a slight hill to the east. 

If an Ice Storm does arrive tomorrow, I am not venturing out in it. I do not want a repeat of last winter's bruising fall on ice...