rushin' roulette

I don't mean to rush headlong into a new posting without allowing my previous hommage à l'amour to adequately linger, but I can't take the chance. I took a friend on one of my favorite urban hikes to El Carreton today because I knew it would be right up his arroyo. And how does he repay me for this insider information? He threatens me.


That's right. We're just walking along & I'm pointing out this 'n that, saying I'm going to post this here blog, see? And then he just ups and says, "Not if I do it first," and starts snapping pics & shooting videos. Whatever!

Mr. Fancypants Blog Stealer was especially impressed with the new public art we have on the Interurban Trail. There are at least 6 different installations running along either side. Each is a different "flip book" style for when you run or ride past quickly.


The volcanoes are so bright and colorful. It's not until you get very close that you realize the pictures were made from all different kinds of gummy candy.




My personal favorite is the series that starts as a little fawn with antler buds that grow to be this impressive rack.
















I walk this trail every day, so I was really worried when I saw workers in orange jumpsuits setting series of metal posts in concrete. I thought...well, I'm ashamed to admit that I completely assumed they were doing something stupid and ugly. Public art never crossed my mind. (Carving K +T into the concrete did, though, so I carved.)


Why did I assume the city would want to stick it to us somehow rather than beautify our trail? Because I'd been recently collecting evidence of how extremely ghetto our stretch of the IU Trail is, compared to once you pass over the city line at 145th into Shoreline. It's as if the clouds part, sun streams in, and thousands of little angels flock around, singing joyfully.


By crossing one small street, you enter a world of fancy brickwork, sculpture, covered seating areas, random art and benches, trail maps, center lines, landscaping, obvious maintenance, and most importantly, trash cans.

Unfortunately, when they linked our stretch of the Trail up with part of the larger IU system, they merely paved a former community-use greenbelt from 110th to 130th. This invited much heavier traffic, but the city supplied no amenities to support that use, nor any apparent maintenance. Not even a single garbage can. So this leads to partly-responsible citizens tossing their dog poop bags into the bushes rather than carrying them home. And while I certainly understand the inclination to part with that little package ASAP, it merely creates a bigger problem than if they'd simply left the pile on the ground.


But then came the art.


Hey, look how easily I'm distracted! Show me some pretty, shiny things & I won't even notice the dozens of plastic bags dangling off blackberry brambles like some hellish Christmas scene.

But let's end on an up note.

Please enjoy this short video of Tim taking Rowan's scooter for a spin on the IU Trail. Be sure to note what he has in his hand. Good citizen! -k8-