LB Houston

I cranked up the GPS again and headed for a new place in Irving - LB Houston Nature Trails. It was Saturday morning, the day after the Texas Rangers won the ALCS, I was at the game, and this morning it was cloudy and looked like rain. I began my ride at 8:00 AM and I was first at the trail. You know what that means - I did spider web patrol. Luckly, there aren't as many webs this time of year. I do not like all those webs clinging to me. But...

According to DORBA there are 7.5 miles of trails here. My garmin agreed - if you say on the main trail and don't take any of the bypass'. This trail had a couple of features which are a little unusual. First, the dead car, you don't see that too often on a MTB trail. The car is something of a surprise as you round a corner. I immediately wondered how in the world it ended up here. There has to be a story behind this. It is a pleasant diversion and worth a stop to check it out.

Next, there is a stand alone skills area. See saws, wooden turns, and a large whoop-t-do are parts of the skilz (their spelling) or fun area. I must admit I have never been a big fan of see saws. I did, however, play on them for awhile. Link for all the photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28201157@N08/sets/72157625104509725/

The trail itself is what I would qualify as a beginner/intermediate trail is fun. It has a technical loop, several fair sized dips, and many roots. There are no creek crossings which I found disappointing. The trail surface is dirt, no rocks or sand. All in all, I had a good time and will be going back.

I did also discover a concrete pathway next to the trail. If you are interested in putting in some straight line miles without worrying about traffic this is the place to do it. There were lots of bikes, joggers, and walkers on this "trail" while I was there. I never did find the name but I did ride it from end to end and my estimate is for a length of 7 miles. I will post the GPS stuff along with the LB Houston coordinates. For this Saturday morning I was able to log about 30 miles by combining LB Houston and the concrete path.

On a personal note I have added swimming into my weekly routine for aerobic exercise. I really don't like swimming much, fir me it is the equivalent of a treadmill in the water but in the winter time it has the advantage of being inside. It's not cold here yet but it is coming.

GPS
LB Houston  32°51.993  96°55.363

Concrete Path  32°51.758  96°55.536  or  32°54.969  96°56.441

See you on the trails.

Later