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White Rock Lake

The_Veg

D'OH!
Those who read my 'Night Life and JFK' thread will remember that I live in Dallas and therefore interesting rides usually require a fairly good allocation of time, since I'm in a really urban area and to get to the nice twisties requires getting way out of town.
So there I was yesterday afternoon- sunny day, temperature manageable, time on my hands, but not enough to get out of town. What did I do? I went to my nearest nice outdoor place, White Rock Lake. This lake is located about two miles from me in the eastern part of Dallas. It's a man-made lake, and not terribly big, but big enough for a couple of marinas where people keep little tiny sailboats. The immediate shore almost all the way around the lake is a park with many miles of trails used by walkers, runners, rollerbladers and bicyclists. There is a dog park, and picnic areas, and many people fish the lake but since it collects urban runoff from much of northeast Dallas I wouldn't want to eat those fish. The local arboretum sits along one part of the shore, built on the former estate of an old-money family that lived there from the 1920s to the 1950' or '60s. Other surrounding lands just across the park road around the lake are still nice neighbourhoods with quite upscale pricetags, but without the ridiculous status-driven feel of the Park Cities not too far away. So now that you know the story of White Rock Lake I'll tell you about the ride.
A person can tour all the shore roads in less than half an hour, maybe 45 minutes if they really take their time, and that's even obeying the 25 or 20 MPH speed limits. So off I went, since I was starting in mid-afternoon and wanted a quick ride before the sun set. You'll all be pleased to know that this time I brought my camera and got some stuff to show you. The pictures are really the story here, as the ride was just a nice slow meander along the shore. You'll have to forgive the big string of posts as I don't have webspace to host from. So sit back and enjoy!

This first picture is of the trusty BatBike enjoying a nice relaxing park while I'm off looking for interesting things to take pictures of:
 

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Birds

Birds were everywhere about the lake. Many kinds were present including two types of geese that I could not recall seeing in the local area, but I would have thought that migrations would be done already by this time of the season. As an interesting aside to that, if you have the least interest in birds or nature I highly recommend the film Winged Migration. Look it up on NetFlix. You'll be amazed!
One pier I passed was a popular spot with these fat fellows who appeared to be some type of gull. Sorry about the lack of positive identification but I'm not sure what happened to my North American bird guide.
 

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SCATTER!!! RUN AWAY!!!

But then a man began walking on the pier (it wasn't me- I was shooting from a bench on the shore) and they all decided it was time to leave. You can see his fingers at the edge of the frame on the left. I didn't notice that until now.
 

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DUCK YOGA

Apparently this excercise craze has reached the world of waterfowl. I'm not sure what this asana is called but the ducks seemed to like it as they held it for a long time.
 

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Mr. Mallard

The yoga must be working as he seems rather at peace with his surroundings.
 

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BOATS

I'll remind you again that it's Dallas rather than Mystic or Cape Cod. The tall buildings hiding in the background betray the urban setting.
 

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PARTING SHOT

Here's your humble tour guide and The BatBike enjoying a moment off in a parking lot. You'll have to forgive my facial expression- I was trying to look thoughtful but the sun was low and bright and right above the camera. I usually look more bright and cheerful. It isn't really a scowl I promise! :)
I hope you've enjoyed our little tour of this small slice of nature deep in the heart of the big city. I've enjoyed being your guide and I hope you return and visit us again!
 

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Ok. You're freaking me out. Your compositionaly sensibilities mirror my own a wee bit too much. :D

Beautiful shots. Good to meet you.
 
Great pictures Veg, keep them coming. I never considered the loop around White Rock Lake to be a motorcycle destination, joggers tend to make better time than motorized vehicles, but you sure make it sound interesting.
 
Thanks guys! I didn't know I had it in me!

Didn't mean to freak you out Scott- maybe we were separated at birth? :yow
 
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