Big D

I flew into DFW the other day and fortunate enough to have my Pocket Rocket with me. I haven't been to Dallas since I lived there for almost a year in the early 80's. The Wyndham Hotel where we stay in North Dallas would've probably been in the sticks back then, now it totally surrounded by suburbia.

I got the bike together and went out for a late afternoon exploratory ride after a brief look in the phonebook to get my bearings. Turns out I picked a fairly decent parkway type road with stop lights few and far between. This was better than the bike path along the Trinity River which still showed periodic signs of flooding from the numerous days of heavy downpours earlier in the month.

I ended up turning around after about an hour and a half when the road T'd into the airport perimeter. Following my crumbs & coming back the same way, I was stopped at an intersection when a big gust started throwing up road debris behind me. Looking back I see the darkest wall of water a quarter mile away heading toward me. Come oooonnn light...

With nowhere to duck for cover when the light eventually changed I decided to try to outrun the sucker. Which as it turned out wasn't that difficult considering the fact I was aided by a 25-30 MPH tailwind. That was fun.

When I got back to the hotel I realized that I hadn't seen anybody else out riding their bike (except the 2 young girls on their pink tasseled driveway cruisers); unless you count the guy on the 3-wheeler selling ice cream (I guess he'd be considered a professional cyclist). Not a single one.

Now turn back 20+ years and I can still conjure up the image of a certain beer bottle flying eye level left to right slow motion-like right in front of my face as the p/u sped on. I figure the Big D still has a problem with the Lycra-clad crowd.

Next morning I head out again, this time in the opposite direction toward White Rock Lake. What I find is the mecca to cyclists in the immediate Dallas area. Nice quiet roads a bike paths for all to share and enjoy. Sort of like Greenlake on steroids. A few laps around the lake and back to the hotel somewhat more satisfied that Dallas does have a bike haven.

This was reinforced by the Competitor Texas mag I picked up at the REI near the hotel - which pretty much stated that it was THE place for runners, cyclists, and triathletes to get in some quality training in the heart of the city.

Oh and if I've piqued your interest I saw a rare 2.48 acre vacant lot for sale across the street from the lake on a nice quiet lane available for $2.75 million.