Bridges that Link Places - 1

Life on earth has come a long way since the first human being walked on the planet. Human beings have been able to link land masses divided by natural obstructions such as rivers, lakes, canyons, valleys, etc by building bridges. These vital links have been used by governments and corporations as revenue generation tools. Armies have used the bridges as means of control by destroying vital links and cutting off the land area from outside world. It is interesting to note the different kinds, purposes, and varieties of bridges that are used by people across the world. In my limited travel experience I have shot some pictures of bridges and here they are for your viewing pleasure.

A Bridge built for hikers/ walkers to walk through the forest across a deep creek

A Bridge built for walkers and motorists in touristy San Antonio. This is the first bridge I have seen with a traffic signal... technology changes things...

I will continue with more pictures of bridges in the following posts...

Arbor Hills Revisited

Some winter views of Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano. The tower is a particularly interesting location for its stunning sunset views. One can sit here and watch urban wildlife in the park on lonely days when there are few people in the preserve.

Bicycle Trails in DFW Area

I have been bicycling in the area for the past 6-7 months and here are pictures of some of the trails I have hit in this time. My favorite trail continues to be the Chisolm trail in Plano which flanks a creek and has the best scenery and minimum road intersections. Another trail I like is the Blue Bonnet trail because of its convenient location adjacent to our apartment. Take a look at the pictures and decide for yourself. In Irving I like the Campion trail which runs alongside the Elm fork of Trinity river. I haven't biked on this trail since a long time, hope I will hit the trail again soon.
Blue Bonnet Trail, Plano


Campion Trail, Irving



Arbor Hills, Plano

Trash on Trail

The tower in Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Plano, one of my favorite places to hike, bicycle, or simply walk amidst nature. I haven't visited this nature preserve in quite sometime... perhaps 6 months or so. Last time I was there I noticed tons of trash around the creek and the hiking trails. I thought I'd post these pictures on my blog to make people aware how much trash is being mindlessly discarded in public spaces. If this trend continues there will be no pristine natural place where one could spend a quiet moment. I wish people would be more careful about the way they discard their trash. There are enough trash cans and recycle bins in the nature preserve, one just needs to have some patience to carry the coke cans, plastic wrappers, and other trash to them.
The picture below is how the nature preserve looks during a fall sunset. Let us ensure that it is kept this way and not full of plastic and other trash that is seen in the pictures above. If you have any feedback or opinions on this do let me know!!!

Vistas of Waterside Weekend Getaways - V

The more I dig into my travel pictures the more waterside pictures I come up with. It is simply amazing to see how many water systems have been constructed, maintained, or preserved even as the cities in US become larger and the villages make way for residential communities and towns. For a year and a half we lived in Carrollton, Tx in an apartment which was set on the banks of a dried up creek. Water flowed probably once a year in the creek when it rained really hard. Nevertheless the creek was maintained as a wooded green belt area by the city and served as a buffer zone for urban wildlife to sustain. On good days I saw rabbits, racoons, and the elusive opossum darting about in the creek. Of course there were a number of birds, rodents, and other creatures which are not of a big consequence. Here are some water front pictures of Carrollton, Tx.

The boat pier at the Keller Springs Lake

Keller Springs Lake

Goose proudly posing on the banks of Keller Springs lake, Carrollton

The fish stocking pond in the Arbor hills nature preserve

Anther view of the fish stocking pond in the Arbor hills nature preserve

Fall in Arbor Hills

It has been over a year since I landed in the US and boy... it has been a really long year. Time has been going sporadically fast and slow... sometimes it felt fast and sometimes it feels as if days are just not passing through. Anyway it has been a year of living in a new place and getting used to strange things in a strange land. One of my favourite places near home continues to be Arbor Hills Nature preserve and over the weekend I had gone for a walk at the park. Here are some pictures I shot while at the park, some may look repeated but nevertheless this is one really nice place.

New Post-storm sights in Arbor Hills

Last week I visited Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. This time my experience was completely different. The entire park has turned green and there is no sign or remnants of the long cold winter the preserve experienced a few months ago. The grass has turned green and small bushes and weeds have started flowering. Here are some pictures of the nice greenery that dot the preserve and some colorful flowers that thrive out there.


Bright yellow flowers provide cheer to the grassy landscapes of Arbor Hills Nature Preserve

Purple blossoms also add to the beauty of the preserve.

Massive tract of earth caved in along the creek due to the recent thunder storm

Tree broken due to the thunder-storm

New finds in Arbor Hills Nature Preserve

Couple of days ago we had gone to Arbor hills for a walk... possibly the 10th time so far. But every time I have walked in Arbor hills I have discovered something new a different facet of this nature preserve. It is small, only about 200 acres but full of surprises, nature and attractions. This time I also had a fleeting glimpse of a Bobcat, a species of wild cat which scampered into the bushes at lightening speed.

But the highlight of this visit was finding a small lake in the middle of the preserve which is home to several turtles. At the first glance we saw several of them sun-bathing on a rock at the edge of the lake. As I walked around the banks and neared them one by one all of them jumped into the water out of fright. I have begun to like Arbor hills very much and feel like visiting the place more often. Here are some pictures I shot at Arbor hills, I hope you will enjoy them and give me your feedback.

Ants building their nest after resting and enjoying the stored food all winter.

Lake in Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, hadn't chanced upon it during my previous visits.

Another view of the lake, the shadow of the sky looks blue but the lens couldn't capture the sky as blue... I guess I am making some mistake in the camera settings. But the picture looks nice.

Several trees such as these have shed leaves during fall and autumn/ winter. In the next couple of months they will sprout new leaves and become lush green.

Miniature purple blossoms present a pretty sight. In winter it was the sight of red fruit filled trees now it is the sight of trees full of flowers, white, yellow, purple etc that offer colour to sore eyes.

The hiking trail which was brown last month is now green and beautiful. I am glad that spring is here.