Fish Creek Linear Trail (Arlington / Grand Prairie, TX)

2013.06.22 (07:38) - Parked near the Walgreens at Green Oaks and New York in Arlington, Texas where we made our way west toward the rising sun. It took me about 30 minutes on the bike to get from one end to the other. Let's see how well our feet do.

From the start, it is obvious this trail was designed to get the neighborhood active with all its residential tributaries. One such and our first excursion was Fish Creek Neighborhood Park. With a gazebo in the center, one can make a loop and then rejoin Fish Creek Trail. It is well manicured, pleasant and well worth the extra steps.

At 08:12, we started caching and our pace would slow but the breaks to search are also good. I definitely didn't miss the beggars lice or the thorns, and being in shorts didn't help, so I treaded wisely off the trail while hunting.  We found four by the time we crossed into Grand Prairie. Later on while looking for a cache, I turned over a rock and found a baby snake. Remembered not to panic, as I did more harm to this little fellow than he did to me.  

At 09:31, we made it to the bridge under S Great SW Parkway where the creek is almost nonexistent. Where has all the water gone? Not far from there we found a water fountain that blasted water out the spout with a majority of it hitting the pavement. That answers that question. 

At 09:54, we make it to the Western end of Fish Creek where Sheffield and Dartmouth intersect. Run Keeper had us at 4.66 miles projecting a 9 mile day with the walk back. We made a goal of trying to average about 20 minute miles on the stretch back. It is after all starting to warm up. But we had to find our final cache of the day first.

It took us almost 10 minutes to find it and it raises another dilemma. What is the point when caching diminishes the exertion of exercise. Right now, I am trying out a 5 to 10 minute rule. If it takes more than that to find a cache, I have to move on as the joy is more in being outside and active. 

We hauled it on the way back averaging between 16 and 18 minutes. We didn't see as many people with the rising temperature  Matter of fact, it was down right hot and we stunk. Now for some food, a shower, and the Tim McGraw concert tonight.

2013.06.23 (10:32 - 86 degrees) - Even though we walked a big chuck yesterday, we had not completed Fish Creek. Today, I am determined to finish it off. Parking at the same spot, I went west at the split.

At 11:01, I found my first cache off the trail and this point on, I will be removing beggar's lice. But somehow, it is not a big deal today. It so happens, I came across a stamp on the trail that read, 'Life is short, Live it to its fullest.' Resonated as last night I went to see Tim McGraw and one of the songs the crowd sang back was 'Live Like You Were Dying'. The part about love deeper and speaking sweeter is working on my mindset. 

At 11:29, I found myself taking an excursion toward the Arlington Animal Shelter. There is a doggie park here where the humans sat and rested next to their resting pups. Funny. 

At 11:46, I found a very neat Geocache. It is a wired honey comb. Very creative and way cool. Speaking of creative and cool, as the trail crosses Silo Road, look south and admire the murals.

At 12:30, I made it to the eastern terminus and sat while finding the last cache of the day. Summer in Texas doesn't take long to warm up and stay hot so I needed to make haste on the way back. Still, I took an excursion into Craven's Park where folks were playing baseball. As I walked from first to home, a wild pitch was thrown and the runner coming from third was tagged out. Just like that life happens as I walked by.

On Saturday (2013.06.22), we walked 8.73 miles in 3 hours : 40 minutes averaging 25 minutes : 17 seconds per mile with geocaching. Our fastest mile was on the 8th mile at 16 minutes : 18 seconds.

On Sunday (2013.06.23), I walked 6.35 miles in 2 hours : 36 minutes averaging 24 minutes : 40 seconds per mile with geocaching. My fastest mile was the 6th mile at 15 minutes : 58 seconds. The temperature when I stopped at 13:12 in the afternoon rose to 98 degrees. I took 13,098 steps.

Total Blogged miles : 87.95 miles.