Slow Turn to Fall

The color change is very slow in these big old Maple trees. Taken on Sunday. Hopefully the rain won't ruin the progression.

Tree Spy Report

Big Tree in Seattle Still Looks Pretty Green on October 21

Having had to leave Seattle, my agents are keeping an eye on the Wedgwood Big Leaf Maple trees. As you can see above, on October 21, while a smattering of leaves have dropped, there's still little color change. Spy "Linda A," shown below, shows the girth of the big tree's trunk.

"Linda A" Shows the Scale of This Tree

Not Yet Rantwick

"The Prince" of King County is JUST Starting to Turn Color

The Young Prince is beginning to turn on October 8. However, the King of King County remains verdant in its majestic splendor (splendour for our Canadian bretheren). Both the trees are Bigleaf Maple.

I decided to take an organized approach to support Rantwick's quest for a tree superior in every way to his own "King of Autumn." So I used the Internet and came up with a list of candidates to watch. Namely Seattle's Heritage trees, and similar ones that have been around since the early pioneers. But they have not turned color. Not even the scarlet oak. Oh, well, perhaps next year.

On the Very Same Street, "The King" has Been a Giant Here for Over 100 Years

Changing Scenes

A couple of weeks ago, I noted that the palms in North Texas did not fare well this last winter. The post was here. One of the the two trees is shown in the first photo Hope springs eternal around these parts, however. In the last week, the homeowners paid to have the dead foliage removed, resulting in a tree such as the second photo. Same tree as the first. Do ya think it will come back?



The Palm on May 13, 2011



The Palm after TLC



Just a Casual Recreational Rider



Non-Chain Coffee - Where Should I Go?

This morning, no longer having a commute to make, as "just a casual recreational rider," I decided to wander around and see what I've been missing. I had nowhere in particular to go, other than I was pretty sure this'd be my last chance for a FARATS photo.

I figured that looking for colorful trees, it'd be a good bet to head for parks and woods and places where such reside besides local subdivision lawns. So I headed north, into Grapevine. I was a bit nervous, because, as reported here, Grapevine sounded pretty difficult for a cyclist to get around in if their mayor felt it necessary to publicly suggest it was necessary to put in bike lanes to help out the commuters. If commuters were helpless, how could a casual recreational rider hope to survive, what with packs of rider barreling around blind corners on paths at 20mph? Still, as I finished coffee, I decided to be brave and venture into the wilds of Grapevine. Soon, Kermit led me into Parr Park - by the back entrance. There didn't seem to be a well-paved trail, or any bike lane either. Come to think of it, things seemed not quite up to my usual standards for bicycle travel. And Kermit made sure I knew it, despite his misleading smile. There WAS some prickly stuff and swampy dirt. Fortunately, the brush was light enough that before too long, we got to a proper MUP path. The Parr Park "Bicentennial Tree," however, was gone - struck by lightning. In any event, when they cut it up, they discovered it wasn't really much older than about 190 years.

Where the Heck ARE We? Somewhere Near Parr Park in Grapevine - Looking for Those Bike Lanes.



Now THIS Looks Like a Better Route for Kermit!



While the path was nice enough, the path was filled with those little yippy dogs that seem determined to commit suicide by dashing into one's front wheel. Luckily enough, I spyed a little offshoot to the MUP path and it led to my favorite kind of North Texas road. The "massively overbuilt five lane collector road with absolutely no traffic at all." In this case, it was called Heritage Avenue. I felt all nostalgic for Heritage Parkway at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, but this one is a road that dead ends, having started nowhere in particular and ends nowhere in particular. In a couple of miles along this road, I was passed by exactly two motorists. Neither of them felt compelled to use the two-way left turn lane.

Heritage Avenue, Somewhere North of Parr Park. Typical Traffic Conditions.

Heritage Avenue also runs close to my home and I ride it often, but THIS Heritage was just a little strange. For example, I saw a sign alerting me to the presence of the West Fork of the Trinity River! I'd never dreamed I lived so close.

Are You About to Arrive at the West Fork of the Trinity River?

And HERE IT IS! This river is almost as spectacular as the Los Angeles River. There really IS such a place, you know. It is featured in the movie "Gumball Rally."

West Fork of the Trinity River!?!

Not too far north of the raging river, I came to the northern terminus of Heritage Avenue. And then, as I pondered where to go next, inspiration hit me. I had a PERFECT entry for the Rantwick FARATS contest. Lots of color, nice shape, a bike in the shot, and smooth pavement. No, the entry is NOT the gratuitous bike photo below, but keep going.

Gratuitous Bike Photo Underneath a Tree

A few words on the tree. Unlike almost every other FARATS entry, the tree is not a Sugar Maple. In fact, it is not a Maple at all. It's just a regular "tree" that decided to turn red and glorious instead of the typical North Texas approach of leaves either turning yellow, or just turning brown and dropping off the tree. It is in Grapevine, about 200 feet south of Mustang Drive, which is where Heritage Ave dead ends. We may not have KINGS in the US, but this tree shows any ordinary tree can grow up to be the PRESIDENT.
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How Can this Lose? It May not be Big, But it Has a Bike, a Texas Flag, and a Five Lane Road with Smooth Pavement all in One Shot!

I must say there are perks to recreational riding. I surely discovered more new stuff in a couple of hours than I would have in a month of commuting. Still, it was unclear to me exactly where Grapevine should put those bike lanes. Perhaps all the murderous motorists that necessitate them were sleeping in this morning. Oh, well, there's nowhere I'd commute to in Grapevine anyway, being just a casual recreational cyclist, and any future commuting would lie in a different direction anyway.

PS: The last photo has nothing at all to do with the rest of this post other than Rat Trap Press suggested I'm obsessed with clipless pedals. You will note the classy "Costco Court Classic" shoes restrained by ancient toe clips - and the toe clips are probably older than RTP. For Chandra's benefit, I have a "High Vis" reflective clip to keep my cycling-specific Old Navy blue jeans behaving.
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Costco "Court Classic" Shoes do not Include SPD Mounting Provisions

Getting Colder in North Texas

We're still far short of the peak color change in North Texas, but there are a few trees changing. You'll note it is the only one in the vicinity and that it is NOT a Sugar Maple. Ain't got none of dem bars around deese parts.

North Texas DOES Have Trees that Turn Colors Other Than Green and Brown! This One is in Colleyville

Searchin' For Rantwick's Tree

Regular Tree Candidate, in Hoquiam, Washington

If you look at Rantwick's contest, the rules are somewhat vague. "Show" implies a fall color change, but he didn't actually say so. The first sort of candidate, in my nationwide search for the ONE to take down that Canuck tree is the regular sort, as shown in the first photo. As you can see, it's not really showing any color yet other than berries and this one isn't even big enough to be a real candidate. Still, it illustrates a type, of the same sort as Rantwick's "King."

Type 2 Tree

In some areas, such as Washington and other areas of the west, there are whole other classes of trees (Type 2 tree), such as the one at right, which put on their show with their attractive demeanor (our for you northerners). Such trees do not change color (our for you northerners). Some of us really favor (our for you northerners) such trees, and SOME put on a show lately due to pine beetles, but I think we have to consider the judge bias and, regretfully, move on, not even considering the rain forest variant on evergreen trees, as shown below.

Moss-Covered Tree in World's Largest Temperate Rain Forest Region

As an interesting diversion while tree hunting, sometimes the camera slips and you wind up with bicycle content entirely by accident such as in the photo below!

No Bicycles Allowed at Hoquiam City Hall. There's a Rack Around the Back. Hoquiam is the "Tree Capital." They Certainly Cut a Lot of Them Down.

Moving on, SOME fall color involves entirely different approaches, including aquatic pond plants.

The Pond Plants are Starting Their Fall Color Change, but I Think They'd be Disqualified Under the Technicality That They are Not Trees



Buddy Holly is NOT a Tree



There are many other options as well, such as the cactus varieties mentioned by John Romeo Alpha. I may have to narrow the search down. One of my daughters is, for example, searching around Lubbock for trees, but Lubbock is better known for windmills, oil pumps, prairie dogs, and Buddy Holly statutes. We will, however, leave no stump unexplored...