Training report

Hello, everyone.

Training report, and shoe comments:

Monday we did 6 miles on the Hike and Bike. Today (Friday) we did the whole monte: from the parking lot all the way to Bentsen State Park and back again. We're calling it 9.75 miles. Or 10 if we want to just claim it! (about 16 km)

Weather was fine: clouds with spots of sun, temperature around 70, wind. As we started walking about 7:45 there were few bikes until later on.

Watched a flock of six or seven Roseate Spoonbills flying over head, in a straight line, probably heading out to find breakfast.

The mesquite trees are in bloom and smell very nice as one walks by.

Scads of mosquitoes next to the walled subdivision that the trail curves around approaching the state park entrance. Those folks need to go on a standing-water hunt!

When we finished, about 10:35, I had a hot spot on the bottom of the foot. Probably need to track down something like Leukotape. (Or at least some kind of tape that neither comes off nor squashes the adhesive through the tape fabric onto my socks. That is near-impossible to get out again!)

I'm liking most of the things about the new shoes. One thing I don't like is that the second top-of-opening hole pair is gone. I used that second pair of holes with the pair that's still there to secure the heel-lock knot so my toes wouldn't hit the front of the shoe. The new hole alignments mean the lock knot is lower and squashes the top of the foot. (Medium to high arch issue) Going to see about adding back the hole that is gone.Should be able to just drill it out, right? And add some Fray Check to secure the opening? What do y'all think?

(See picture of the shoe on the highlighted post, I'm changing to the new-shoes post for that today.)

Estero Llano Grande, second visit

Hello, everyone.

Today we went back to Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco. We got there early, as the day was promised to be warm. ("Warm" in this context means "over 80F.") The forecast was not wrong.

There were a few birders there, but not whole flocks like can happen sometimes after Winter Texas season really revs up. No wind to speak of, a lovely blue sky with white puffy clouds here-n-there, a humid day but not a miserable one. Lovely walking conditions overall!

We saw, but couldn't get a photo of, a vermilion flycatcher and assorted other small birdies that we didn't even get a good look at. There were a number of waterfowl too, in the park proper and in the canal behind the park. (If you follow the trails you can walk along on top of the levee and view the canal.)

Today some of the most interesting birds were at the canal: a large-ish flock of white pelicans that we first saw swimming in the water by the tens and fifteens, then later flying in an updraft overhead, and finally in a clump on the far bank of the canal.

Also, and less to be expected, a pair of kites in a tree overlooking the canal.

There were other interesting sights also; hopefully there will be another post tomorrow with more photos.

Morning blossom, and a surprise

Hello, everyone.

We found this little beauty at the entrance to Bentsen Park today:

Tulipan, a native hibiscus of northern Mexico and southern Texas

 And here was the surprise:

 Can you see the thing that doesn't belong, way up at the top of that tree? Here is a close-up:

Opuntia, AKA prickly pear cactus or nopal

You really never know where a cactus seed will sprout. The birds are very fond of the egg-shaped red fruits, called tunas, and they scatter seeds all over the place. This is, however, the first time I have ever seen one of these sprouting in tree bark.

Seeing a different section of the Hike and Bike

Today we went to the Hike and Bike, but we didn’t do our usual route. My sweetie wanted to do “the levee.” I had no idea what he was talking about. “Levee” can mean any elevated long lump in the landscape, in practice. It turned out that what he meant was to take a left on the paved turn-off along the way, before we reached the bridge with the swallows. The blacktopped, elevated path was indeed a levee, as it was a good 6 or 8 feet above all the surrounding area.

Little though one could tell it with all the brush growing up. We saw brush piles where a tractor had pushed out mesquite trees in the past, but they were next to 15 foot tall, thick-trunked mesquite trees and bushy nopal cactus plants that must have been 8 feet across and 7 feet tall. So the brush clearing activities were all in the past. After a while we came to a place where the blacktop turned left and descended to meet the regular (also blacktopped) path that we usually walk. There was another path, though, just a set of tire tracks along the top of the levee, and we took it. We saw the biggest walking-stick bug I have seen in a good while along it. We got a good overview of the city’s project to install—I guess—water pipes along the road. Eventually we got the the road and found the turn-off that leads to the parking lot. That was steep, but the dirt was dry and the rocks in the dirt were not loose, so it was okay to walk down on. When we got to the bottom, we found a sign (facing the parking lot, of course) that said “Levy run”. And then I realized what my sweetie had been talking about when he said he wanted to do the levee.

It was a fresh, beautiful Monday morning, with very few people out. We saw a collection of cottontails, and a dove that was dancing on the path to lead us onward, and a roadrunner (paisano bird) that was dancing around between trees off of the path. I think there must be at least two, and maybe three, pairs of roadrunners that live in the Hike and Bike park. Along with the small group of javelinas.

On Thursday last, we saw a javelina boar, but he wasn’t posing for pictures and we didn’t get the camera out in time, so his handsome profile went uncaptured. (Darn.) Today, no javelinas, even though we got to the Hike and Bike around 0740.

Also today the new camera arrived. I will try to learn how to take good pictures to upload with it. Today’s pictures are still with the old camera.

because every Valley blog needs a palm tree!

The walking stick, next to my sweetie's hiking boot for size.