So the warm weather is here and that means it’s time to get back on bicycles and head for the Trinity Trails, as we did yesterday afternoon. It was a leisurely ride from South Hills up to enter the Trinity Trails at Overton Ridge Park and head down a creek to where the creek joins the Trinity just beyond Hulen Blvd, then up to University Blvd. on the Trails and back.

We rode through the park passing joggers, families with children, and dogs, so many dogs. shih tzus, poodles, a bull mastiff, a chocolate lab, a set of three boxers, an ancient-looking chihuahua of mottled grey fur tones, two pale golden labs which were playing in the water, it seemed a regular Cruft’s Dog Show on the leashes in the sunlit afternoon.

The animals we saw were not just canine, however; we saw many, many ducks. On a bridge riding across Overton Park Creek, Dean pointed out a lone duck with a funny “cap” of feathers on his head. “Look at that!” he said. “It looks like an old lady going to church!”

“Merganser,” I told him, though later through a web search I found out I was wrong: it was a Wood Duck. We also saw plenty of Mallards.

But my favorite animal to see on the Trinity Trails is an animal you see in the river itself. At first, you might think it’s just a stick, floating on the water and protruding a bit above the surface, but it you look again you’ll see the round shell of a turtle. I’ve seen snapping turtles and red eared sliders, and as we rode along the river, there were dozens, too many to count, so I began looking for the biggest one, a turtle a foot across or more. I saw one, maybe two such. “Dean!” I said. “Look at that one!” But of course we had already passed it.

Out on the main stretch of the Trails, between University and Hulen, bike traffic was heavy, with lots of those “biker guy” types with the tight shirts and shorts of bright red and yellow or blue and white cranking along and passing us with ease.  We seemed created to be passed, playing the Local train to thier Express.

Nevertheless, their example seemed an inspiration. What if I borrowed a bike from my mother, who does long distance riding, maybe I could be on one of those touring rides they hold in spring. After all, I need to come up with something to give me a goal to get in shape, since taking the advice of “you don’t have to join a gym to lose weight” I’ve stopped going. “How would you like to go on one of those bike tours they have?” I asked. “Do you think we could try?” Optomism was the order of the day.

If you’re interested too, you could check out  Bicycle Tours listed by month on Bicycle Texas.