Today I rode the River Trails-Grand Boulevard Trails loop. This first shot was taken out at Draper Lake, but it was the only one I shot that day. It’s a sand plum tree in blossom, and it smells pretty sweet, but it’s rather faint. There is a related tree that doesn’t bear fruit, but smells just the same, and whole lot stronger. The non-fruiting plum is potent enough to smell sweet a half-mile downwind.
This big flat open space was once the Downtown Airpark; it still shows up in some flight simulators. However, after they put that big Ferris wheel out here a couple of years ago (formerly at Santa Monica Pier), it was only a matter of time before it went from a flat racing venue to a housing site. From where I was standing this looks like a mixture of townhouses and mini-mansions.
This carpet of tiny lavender daisies stood in Woodson Park, which is just off Interstate 44 near SW 29th Street. There were patches like this all over the park. The other thing was a very potent flower smell that I failed to identify until I got all the way across the park to the south. I spotted a poor bedraggled magnolia tree with just a handful of fresh blossoms and it was still a marvelous scent.
When I left it was still in the low 50s F and hit high 60s F before I got home. Winds were WSW.
Another lost Racetrack, oh well. Too Bad. Small racetrack operation has always been more a work of passion rather than making bucks. Hudson, NC had an 1/8 mile dragstrip where I went every Thursday night to watch to watch local kids throw down grudge races. Those are not pro or semi pro just young guys building their street cars and racing for bragging rights. Given the local terrain street racing is pretty much impossible so, the drag strip was important. As residential building got closer, there were increasing complaints which led to Sheriff deputies and NCHP harassment like reducing the speed limits and tickets for 2mph over the speed limit. Eventually, it was too much hassle and the owners shut it down. It’s still there or it was the last time I rode up there, it was pretty depressing, I wanted to go inside and take pictures of nature reclaiming it but, it was posted. North Wilkesboro is still going so, there’s that.