Urban Trekking

This weekend I took an urban hike.  On July 4, 2010, I struck out at 9:42 am to visit a little burial plot along Airport Frwy in Irving.  Why?  Well…why not?  I have driven by the site for about 7 years working in Dallas.  I was curious to know who was buried there and for how long.  Now I know.

I could have driven there and been back before lunch, but I felt like hiking out to the site made more sense.  

The walk out was great.  It was still relatively cool and I was excited to go.  Along the way I saw a large rabbit hiding out near a house.  One of the places I came across was an old bridge:

I also ran across a guy going the opposite direction really close to my destination.  I said hello and he asked if I could help him with directions.  He was trying to get to a Walmart or other retailer to get some socks.  I got him turned around (he thought he was headed east, but was going west) and we walked and talked for a bit.  It seems he had flown in from Phoenix, AZ the night before and walked from DFW Airport to a hotel near Hwy 161.  He left because his oldest son had recently died at 25 from a drug overdose.  He felt lost and just needed to get away.  He said he knew a guy in Frisco and was trying to get there.  He mentioned (more than once) how many Indians (dot not feather) we have here and how very humid it is.  I could not disagree.  After about a half mile, I found my spot and pointed him towards his destination.

I arrived at the burial plot, took some pictures, made a small map and took notes of who is buried there. 

When I was done, I grabbed a sandwich at a local gas station and started back. About half way back, I really started to feel it.  There is something about my hip shape that just makes it hard to walk long distances.  It also did not help that it had rained the day before and I kept getting my feet wet.  The shoes were great, but wet feet are just hard to tread on.  I had to stop twice and by the time I got to my street I was dragging my feet.  A hot shower and some Tiger Balm later, I felt tired but content.

I hope to make more treks in my neighborhood.

I had hoped to put a map of my trek on Google maps, but it is acting wonky.  With any luck they can get that cleared up and I’ll have a nice view of my trip to share.