Yesterday afternoon I unbent myself from the computer and pumped up the bike to take a ride around Dallas where I live. It ended up being a three hour ride around downtown, which to add the confusion, is also called “uptown” in parts. The main difference between uptown and downtown is that uptown is where the rich, white folk live. So it seems. It is apparently very important to differentiate, even though it’s all central Dallas when you get right down to it.
It was fun and exhausting to ride around and explore the area. I have no idea how many miles I went, but my ass is still sore from pushing my out of shape self around the city.
Most of the ride was uneventful, but I did have a few interesting experiences. When I crossed a creek near the Infomart, I spotted a tire-sized snapping turtle coming up for air in the green, rain-swollen creek. I knew I should have brought my camera, but from where I was it wouldn’t have made a good picture.
A short time later I went down this closed off road and passed under a rail line where a homeless black man was curled up sleeping. As I rode past, he bolted awake and leapt up at me like he thought I might be trying to rob him or mess with his shit. It scared the crap out of me, and I pushed on past the piles of wet garbage as quick as I could. As I looked back, he sat there on the edge of the concrete wall looking either very scared or very pissed off leaning forward with his hands steadying him on each side. It’s hard to tell what blaring, blood-shot eyes mean. Who cares, I’m sure you have to be one vigilant mother to sleep outside in this town. I felt ashamed for disturbing him with my clueless, whitebread jaunt through the city. Just a tourist passing through while other people sleep under bridges in the mud.
I walk past sleeping homeless dudes on the way to work all the time. But the guys in the park I walk through are used to it–tons of people walk to UT through there and there are dog-walkers as well.