George Bush Park Trails

Logged 40 miles at George Bush Park along the I10 past the beltway. The trails connect to Terry Hershey Park but the former is a better choice for bikers of all speeds, as there are very few pedestrians on the shared trails.  It is often windy and today was no exception - especially heading back east along the I10, there is always a strong wind bearing down with little respite across the open trail. Heading in the other direction the terrain changes completely and becomes more woody, a marsh and Buffalo Bayou.

The park covers 7,800 acres and the marsh was part of the original Stephen F Austin colony. In the 1880s In the 1880s, a railway named the Texas Western Narrow Gauge Railroad ran trains from Houston to surrounding areas. Barely lasting one decade, the line was forced to shut down due to bankruptcy.
http://lifeonthebrazosriver.com/TexasWesternNarrowGageRR.htm

Cattle and farms occupied the area throughout the early 1900s, until the it became parkland in the mid-1940s. Today it borders a whole lot of housing in Eldrige and Katy.

Boardwalk over the Buffalo Bayou, often see people fishing along the banks just here.

It was a warm but overcast and windy day.  There were several horse trailers unloading to go riding along the trails.

Red, White and Bike ! For Presidents Day !

Bike for Little Heroes - Waller High School Football Stadium • 20735 Stokes Road Waller, TX 77484 - Sunday, April 10, 2016 - An organized ride supporting children and younger siblings of veterans. Check it out at www.redwhiteandbike.org

 

 

 

Humble, TX – Lions Club Ride

This Valentine's weekend I cut a badly needed 50 miler in near perfect weather on Saturday morning. 3.5 hrs with some wind. The annual ride by the Lions Club was one I had not done before and it took off from Will Clayton Parkway  near the airport – Cycling out against the backdrop of planes coming in for a landing, was one thing, but there was also the opportunity to ride over Lake Houston. This reservoir built in 1953, supplies much of the water for the city of Houston, and is on the west fork of the San Jacinto River, 15 miles northeast of downtown H-Town. Going over the main bridge was tricky as the reflectors along the side are old and broken and cyclists had to weave in between them to avoid a bumpy ride. While I was doing this I looked across at the sunrise breaking through clouds across the lake and I noticed several large water birds just skimming the surface – flying low an inch above the water with hardly any wing movement. They seemed to be moving at the speed we were – just on the lookout for something to eat – Amazing sight – and just one of many on the ride. A white collie ran alongside some of the ride near a farm and the wind mostly behaved although it whipped up to 12 mph by 9 am.  the We rode through Atascocita, Humble and through  the Dwight D. Eisenhower Park on the way back.   There were some peaceful farms, one had a creaky Aermotor 702 spinning away. In Lubbock, TX there is a fantastic Windmill Museum called the American Wind Power Center and Museum.  It is well worth a stop if you are ever up in that part of Texas. Wind power is now generating up to 10% of our state’s electricity and these early windmills used to pump water were key to opening up the west.

Start of the Ride at Humble - 8 am

Breakpoint 3 - Near a busy intersection

 







Lunch !  Made it back to the start after 3 ½ hours for a well earned BBQ lunch with a lot of volunteers helping!

 



Cycling at Brazos Bend State Park

 Brazos Bend State Park in Winter i s a terrific place for both taking a road bike for a run. There are off road paths which are more suited to a mountain bike but the park has a lot of sealed roads and  pathways for cycling. It is also a great way to get around the various parts of the park when you are camping if you bring you bike along with you.

The park website has detailed site and trail maps and can be found at
http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/brazos-bend

There is a great interactive trails map as well as PDF maps that can be downloaded
http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/brazos-bend