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People are dumping heaps of junk on the side of roads and it ticks me off

People are dumping heaps of junk on the side of roads and it ticks me off

by | Sep 5, 2020 | Blog

I passed dozens of mounds of junk dumped on the side of the road between Austin and Manor today. Pam LeBlanc photo

What’s up with dumping trash on the side of rural roads around Austin?
I rode my bike from my home in Allandale to Manor and back this morning, eager to knock off some miles in less than 100-degree heat. And while the ride featured some beautiful rolling terrain, a flyover by some model airplanes, late season sunflowers and a few docile cows, it also featured the worst piles of roadside trash I’ve seen in years.
As I pedaled along, I passed pile after pile of broken furniture, busted TVs, worn out mattresses, pieces of lumber and used football helmets – huge, heaping mounds of it. The piles were alongside rural roads just outside of the Austin city limits, where, I’m guessing, nobody really monitors for people unloading truckloads of construction debris.

This pile included a heap of old football helmets and pads. Pam LeBlanc photo


I snapped these photos on Lindell Lane, north of Decker Lake (or Walter E. Long, as the kids call it these days), and on Blue Bluff Road, east of the 130 Toll Road. You could fill a dozen railroad cars with the amount of junk I pedaled past.
I wish I could load it all into an 18-wheeler and back it up in front of the home belonging to whoever put it there.
Instead, when I finished my 43-mile ride, I looked up the fines for illegal dumping in Travis County. I’ll call and report the problem on Monday.
Illegal dumping can be classified as a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the amount and type of waste, whether it was put there by an individual or a business, and whether the defendant has prior offenses. But dumping between 500 and 1,000 pounds of junk (what I saw) can land you a $4,000 fine and up to a year in jail. (Read the penalties for all types of dumping violations at https://www.tcsheriff.org/images/departments/docs/enviro_brochure.pdf.)
To report illegal dumping, call 1 (877) 663-8677. You can also report it to the Austin/Travis County Environmental Health Services Division at (512) 978-0300 or x311.
It’s pretty simple. Don’t be a jerk. Don’t drop your junk on the roadside.

This pile looks like construction debris. Pam LeBlanc photo

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The Trail Foundation’s gala goes socially distant this year

The Trail Foundation’s gala goes socially distant this year

by | Aug 22, 2020 | Blog

The Trail Foundation’s biggest fund-raiser of the year is adopting an in-person, socially-distant look this year.
The Twilight on the Trail gala will take place in three outdoor sessions Nov. 1, at the Four Seasons Hotel. Tables of various sizes will be arranged on the lawn, with plenty of space between them.
Guests can stroll the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail before or after their session to enjoy pop-up performances from the foundation’s Austin Black Artist Music Series. Food and beverages will be served table side to avoid crowds at bars or food stations, and guests will be required to wear masks when not seated.
Sessions are scheduled for 3-4 p.m., 4:30-5:30 p.m., and 6-7 p.m. outside the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, 98 San Jacinto Boulevard
The event helps raise funds to protect and enhance the trail.
Tables for two, four or six people are available, starting at $500 for two, and can be purchased here. Those who don’t want to attend in person can have food and drink delivered on the same evening. Sponsorships are also available.

The Trail Foundation’s Twilight on the Trail fund-raiser (show here pre-pandemic) will take place in three outdoor sessions this year. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation

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Looking for funky side of Austin? Check out this new book

Looking for funky side of Austin? Check out this new book

by | Aug 19, 2020 | Blog

This new book is packed with tips on discovering the weird stuff in Austin, from a car wash populated with dinosaurs to a museum displaying a cigarette supposedly smoked by Marilyn Monroe. Pam LeBlanc photo

Sure, most of us already know about Barton Springs and Mount Bonnell and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
But did you know about the ladies’ room at Kitty Cohen’s? Or the in-home museum where you can ogle a lipstick-smudged cigarette said to be the last Marilyn Monroe ever smoked?
Get the intel on all the funkiest stuff around town in “111 Places in Austin That You Must Not Miss,” a new book by Kelsey Roslin and Nick Yeager, with photographs by Jesse Pitzler ($20; emons:). It’s the Austin edition of a series of paperback books highlighting the off-the-wall and unusual in cities around the globe, from Toyko to Chicago.
The Austin version is rife with gems.
For example, at the Jurassic Car Wash, 4809 S. Congress Avenue, you can suds up your vehicle while watching animatronic dinosaurs threaten to tear off your side mirrors. You can even wash your dog (or pig, for that matter) at the adjoining pet wash.

This painting of Bert Reynolds adorns the wall of the powder room at Kitty Cohen’s, a patio bar.


In the powder room at the patio bar Kitty Cohen’s, 2211 Webberville Road, where bright pink flamingos adorn the walls, you can check out the painting of (naked and mustachioed and seductively posed) Burt Reynolds. Snap a picture of it and tag it #UltimateKitty on Instagram, and the owners will donate a dollar to the SAFE Alliance, which helps victims of child abuse and domestic violence.
Or drop by the Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata, 1808 Singleton Ave., for a glimpse of a lock of hair from Elvis and that cigarette butt supposedly lipped by Marilyn Monroe.
There are entries for Smut Putt Heaven Holiness Church and a vegan bakery called Zucchini Kill, a place that offers goat yoga and the bathroom at County Line, where you get an audio primer on how to talk Texan.
Just call before you go, because some of the oddball entries – like Threadgill’s, which closed permanently in April – are going the way of the dinosaur.

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City of Austin boat launches reopen Saturday

City of Austin boat launches reopen Saturday

by | Aug 13, 2020 | Blog

I haven’t water skied since last summer. That’s about to change. Chris LeBlanc photo

Big news, fellow water bums.
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department will reopen boat launches and boat docks on Saturday.
The city’s tennis centers, golf courses, boating concessions, clay shooting concessions, food concessions and Umlauf Sculpture Garden will also reopen, with Stage 4 Covid-19 protocols in place. (See the guidelines at COVID-19: Risk-Based Guidelines.)
According to a press release, the changes were made in consultation with Austin Public Health and city leadership. The facilities will operate under reduced capacity, with modified operating procedures such as social distancing, cleaning and temperature checks.
According to a press release, the department evaluates its operations on a daily basis. If the city moves to Stage 3, the department could open more facilities. If conditions degrade, it could close facilities again.
For updates, go to austintexas.gov/parkclosures.

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Take this survey to help revamp an exercise station on the Butler Trail

Take this survey to help revamp an exercise station on the Butler Trail

by | Aug 6, 2020 | Blog

The existing fitness station on West Riverside Drive will be revamped. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation


A row of pullup bars, some benches, a drinking fountain and an outdoor shower occupy a patch of ground adjacent to the Butler Trail near Zach Theatre. A puddle often forms around the shower, and the space – well, it just doesn’t look all that inviting.
But The Trail Foundation and the Austin Parks and Recreation Department plan to revamp the fitness area, located on West Riverside Drive, and they’re asking for the public’s help in planning it.
The new exercise station will feature exercise equipment, visual guides to show how to use it, new native plants and shade trees, a limestone seating wall, a new drinking fountain and bike racks, and a concrete ribbon curb to separate the area from the trail.
Two virtual community engagement opportunities are planned. An online survey to pick between two options for exercise equipment is open until Sept. 1.

The first option features a “bamboo jungle” and other equipment. Illustration courtesy The Trail Foundation


The second option features multi-use stations. Illustration courtesy The Trail Foundation


One option features pushup bars, pullup bars, a bamboo jungle (so cool!), a workout bench and parallel bars. The second features steps, and arm bike, a link-suspension trainer/core twist and magnetic bell, and parallel bars. To see schematic drawings of both options, and to take the survey, go to https://thetrailfoundation.org/portfolio/butler-shores-exercise-equipment-community-engagement/.
An online video meeting will be held later this fall to summarize community input and present the chosen equipment design.
The $500,000 project is scheduled for completion in 2022. To make a donation to help fund it, go to www.thetrailfoundation.org.

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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