Weather and Personal Endurance Level Cast Shadows in this Saturday's Races

As I am writing this, the six o'clock local Gainesville news is about halfway through with weather announcer Bradley Benoit delivering his own version of the local weather, along with the "forecazz" as he likes to pronounce it.  It looks as if this weekend we're in for some stormy, rainy weather.  So regarding the upcoming Tyler's Season of Hope races on the Hawthorne Trail, 15K (9.3 miles) and 5K (3.1 miles) in length, the prospects for a dry race seem pretty dim.  This is a recurring theme for the end of the calendar year when bad weather often comes along to increase my misery index with scheduled races.  Back in Janauary 2025, the Florida Track Club organizers finally delayed by a day holding their touted Mary Andrews Marathon/half marathon race on the eastern end of the Hawthorne Trail.  So once the storms finally abated, I had to deal with very, very cold weather for this unimaginative and undifferentiated, boring there-and-back course.  I'm already dealing with my own problems sustaining running endurance for middle distances with this weight gain and brain cancer ordeal, but I frankly don't want to have to deal with race infrastructure screw-ups like not providing adequate parking...Tyler's Hope is guilty of that in the past years on a couple of counts when they marginalized us in favor of side interests like the 5K kids and "Girls on the Run".  They did mention on their website that during their races the course will remain open until the last finisher crosses the line, but my trust level on this is low...the charity running this, I'm afraid, is into the philosophy of "take the money and run". I still would like a little cooperation...please don't marginalize the Season of Hope entrants!  But I think that Melissa and I are of one mind on this...we're bypassing their event.  Instead, we'll get up early this Saturday and check out the weather and the most likely "forecazz" to come true.  Should all bode well, maybe we'll then pay another visit to Depot Park...

Mixed Running and Walking in Today's Depot Parkrun 5K

This Saturday morning I woke up early...before six...after not sleeping well.  But I dutifully got myself ready to go at yet another Parkrun 5K, this one to be at Gainesville Depot Park, a few blocks south of downtown. As a reward for simply getting out there and showing up, I had decided in advance to speed-walk the whole four laps around the park...the 68 degrees race time temperature and 91% humidity reinforced that decision.  This Parkrun location is a lot more crowded than the one held at West End Community Park, so just before its start I deliberately walked backward to near the back of the throng.  Yet I still experienced the jumble of people behind me running around, crowding me out although I was simply walking (quickly) in a straight line.  Eventually it thinned out (a little) and I was able to establish a reasonable walking pace, slower than my best but not my worst, either.  I speed-walked two laps, and felt energized enough then to start mixing in a little running.  During those final two laps I ran a total time of 10:08, finishing the 5K (3.1-mile) distance at 37:08.  You can view the posted results by clicking HERE. During this season of my life, in which I'm about to undergo some mild hormone and radiation treatment for microscopic residual prostate cancer, I need to set aside my "personal best" standards regarding race finishing times and instead focus on that "showing up", either mixing up the running and walking or doing solely speed-walks.  So, supposing circumstances and how I feel work for me to do another Parkrun next week, my plan is to start out the race running for three minutes, then walk four, then run six...until the end, with me averaging six minutes of running to four of walking.  Sounds like a reasonable idea...

Got Through This Morning's Hot and Humid Depot Parkrun 5K

Today was perhaps, weatherwise, the worst day to attempt a Parkrun: the temperature at the 7:30 start was 75 degrees with an oppressive 97% humidity.  That didn't keep Depot Park, located a few blocks south of downtown Gainesville, from filling up with runners and walkers for this weekly free event that is run by volunteers.  I mean, I got there a little earlier than usual, but the main parking lot was already packed and the overflow lot was already half full. For the Parkrun, my intention, given the conditions, was to speed-walk the entire 3.1 miles, but I found the experience frustrating when a kid and his presumed father seemed to pick me out as a mark as, early on, the little boy repeatedly (1) sprinted past me, (2) got immediately in front of me, and then (3) stopped...making me have to suddenly pivot to avoid collisions, knowing as I walked past them that I'd have to do the same damned thing all over in a minute when they did it again.  Look, if you're gonna coach your kid, fine, but maybe teaching him to avoid run-ins with others on the course just might be a priority, what do you say?  In any event, I eventually shook off that obnoxious duo but found myself going at an all-too-slow pace.  Eventually, after the second lap, I began to insert some running into it, ultimately running for 9:14 out of the final finishing time of 38:54. I don't know, I've written before how I prefer this simple Parkrun course to the one at West End because it has laps to it, but in all candor it can get to be a real drag encountering the same people over the course of a walk/run.  Maybe next time I'll try West End.  In any event, it looks like my times in the next few weeks are going to be slower and the emphasis will be on simply showing up and finishing (and avoiding tripping over obnoxious people). To view the posted results for today, click HERE...  

Ran Gainesville's July 4th Melon Run

As alluded to yesterday, this morning I ran the Florida Track Club's annual 4th of July three-mile race, called the Jack Gamble Melon Run.  Held at Albert Ray Massey "Westside" Park off NW 34th Street here in Gainesville, I've run it a number of times in the past and have come to accept the sad truth that since this event seems to attract the most hard-core, competitive entrants, then there's no point in hanging around after it's over, hoping to get an age-category award. Besides, it's summertime and this hilly race course, coupled with the expected heat and high humidity, tends to test the ability of many naive runners to simply finish it. The race began at eight, but I got to the park at 7:30, just in time to snag one of the last available parking spots. Just walking around the place amidst the 73 degree temperature and foggy, 100% humidity, I could portend a challenging race since there seemed to be an inordinate amount of people there.  Then I discovered that they had changed the course...but in the end that was all right.  Since they don't time runners at the start...only the end...it took 14 seconds once the race began for me to actually get to the starting line, so in my mind at least I deduct that amount from my recorded finishing time.  I ran the first mile or so just to lightly run and get into a nice, easy groove.  Once that was accomplished I found myself gradually picking up the speed and passing lots of people.  By the end I was pushing hard and was tired, finishing with an official time of 28 minutes 31 seconds, some 1:36 slower than last year's Melon Run time when I weighed about twenty pounds less.  I will say this: I could have gone out running harder and maybe finished closer to my 2024 time, but I'd also be more exhausted while facing a more demanding recovery.  That's significant since I intend to run the Depot Parkrun 5K tomorrow morning, and then explore the new West End Parkrun course with others Sunday morning.  All in all, this race was a pleasant experience...the volunteers were great!  And along with the celebratory Independence Day vibes, plenty of chopped-up watermelon slices were there for everyone.  You can view today's results by clicking HERE. By the way, I noticed three other Depot Parkrun "regulars" besides myself who were in attendance for today's Melon Run...let's see if they also turn out for tomorrow...

Just Did Gainesville's Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning

It's been a little more than six weeks following my surgery, and going by their guidelines about when I can resume running, I decided for today's Depot Parkrun 5K...held weekly at that park just south of downtown Gainesville...to mix in some running with the speed-walking I had been doing for the previous three weeks.  So, for the first three (of four) laps, I would walk the front side and run the back side.  On the last lap I ran most of it...finishing with a hybrid walk/run mix time of 34:51.  It was obviously more tiring to add in the running, but at this writing it's a little more than two hours since my finish and I feel fine...no pain or soreness.  Melissa went with me today...always encouraging...and she gamely walked half the event: keep it up, Sweetheart! It was a reasonable 60 degrees at 7:30 am race time...the humidity was a muggy 94%. You can view today's results by clicking HERE.  Depot Parkrun is just one of the Parkrun organization's hundreds of events held worldwide.  It's free, and you register online to receive a printable barcode that you take to be scanned after the race...then your results are posted online.  It's been a good habit for me for the past few years, especially regarding my recovery from my two surgeries.  

Walked Today's Depot Parkrun 5K

This morning I returned to Gainesville's Depot Park, a few blocks south of downtown, to participate in their weekly Saturday morning 5K Parkrun.  This event is free...you just need to sign up online to get your barcode so that your results can be posted.  Still cautious about returning to running just four weeks following my prostatectomy surgery, I heeded my doctor's advice and stuck with walking...albeit doing it quickly.  The weather at 7:30 race time more resembled that of June than early April...66 degrees with 95% humidity. But my walk went quite well with me barely perspiring and suffering no discernible loss of energy...I finished at 42:28: click HERE to view the posted results.  Next week I'm hoping Melissa walks the 5K with me...I always enjoy walking with her.  And then, in subsequent weeks, maybe I'll begin to mix in some running as I continue to recover...

No Racing This Weekend

I was planning to go to my local Albert Massey "Westside" Park this morning to participate in the US Road Running racing event scheduled on the fourth Saturday each month...I was going to do the 10K race, which I did there a month ago.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which brought down a lot of branches if not whole trees even in Gainesville, not in its direct path, the Depot Parkrun, held in that city park, was canceled for today at the request of the Gainesville authorities who expressed the need for time to clear it of debris.  I'm imagining that the same conditions exist at Westside as well, and besides when I woke up this morning it was raining and soggy...yuck.  So, instead I'll exercise some indoors today and make the best of what's around me.  I think I got a little spoiled anyway with that Depot Parkrun being held every week...a little break from public races, as with other things, can be a healthy thing...

Ran the Jack Gamble 3-Mile Melon Run This Morning

As in previous non-pandemic years, the Florida Track Club held its annual Fourth of July Melon Run, recently named in honor of Jack Gamble.  I've run the event three times before, the last one being quite a ways back, in 2016.  It is held at Albert Massey (Westside) Park)...at least that's where the race starts and ends with the course running around the block enclosing the park and then looping eastward down NW 8th Avenue past the uniquely picturesque outdoor planetarium, the walkway through Loblolly Woods Park, west down NW 16th Avenue, and finally returning down NW 31st Drive to the finishing line near the entrance to the park's pool.  Every year at this time the combination of summer temperature and humidity is stifling, and 2024 was no exception: 77 degrees, 94% humidity and 76 degrees dew point...ugh!  I didn't feel all that well this morning and was a little apprehensive about finding a parking space...no need for concern on both accounts: I quickly adjusted to the race and there were plenty of spaces, since I got there in plenty of time.  I started the course, hillier than my normal weekly Depot Parkrun 5K, holding a little back. But after a mile or so I cranked it up and finished strongly with a time of 26:55, better than anticipated.  There were a whopping 307 finishers in this race and the competition was fierce, with some of Gainesville's fastest runners...and walkers...participating.  I'm glad I went...click HERE to see the results...

Ran Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning for First June Race in 11 Years

Now that the Parkrun 5K held (almost) every Saturday morning at 7:30 at Gainesville's Depot Park has resumed after a long layoff due to the Covid pandemic, I thought it would now be feasible to try to get in at least one race per month...at least for the time being.  So this morning I woke up uncomfortably early (I'm more a night owl) and drove on down there.  At race time it was warm and very muggy, 76 with 90% humidity...not my favorite running conditions.  I could tell early on that I would need to slow down and every four or five minutes I took brief walking breaks...until the last of the four laps, that is, when I slogged on through to a pretty slow 33:06 time.  Still, I ran the good race as they say and look forward to trying it all again in July, most likely under even hotter and more humid conditions (groan).  The Depot Parkrun is run by volunteers...once I get a number of races in I plan to join them.  It's also free...you sign up online and get your barcodes printed out, one of which you take to the race for them to scan to record your finishing time.  The website also has race results, past and present...today they warned me there was a glitch with the barcodes and that I might be listed a couple of places from where I finished...oh well, I know what my time is anyway.  Sometimes the race will skip a week here and there because the park is used for other events...next Saturday with be the celebration of Juneteenth there, so the next Parkrun will be June 26th.  This is the first June race I've run since the Chad Reed Memorial 5K in Cross City, Florida on 6/5/10....

Click on this link for the results from today's run...looks like they sorted out that glitch I mentioned earlier...

Our Recent Cruise: The CocoCay, Bahamas "Experience"

As I write about my impressions of the Royal Caribbean cruise Melissa and I went on a couple of weeks ago, I would be remiss without mentioning what happened with one of its highly promoted features: a stopover for several hours in the Bahamas at CocoCay, an island privately owned by the company and transformed into a water vacation paradise, complete with a water park and lots of beach to enjoy.  After a mechanical delay kept us from leaving Ft. Lauderdale on time Sunday the 9th, we went up to the top deck (16th for us general passengers) and stood at the rails practically overcome by the intensely strong winds, interspersed with even stronger gusts.  Up there was also what would turn out to be my own personal favorite restaurant: the Windjammer, all costs already included in the prepaid cruise fare.  It featured an enormous dining area ringing a large series of buffets offering a wide range of food and drink...it was only too easy to overeat there.  When our ship finally did leave port later that night, it traveled almost due east to the nearby Bahamas destination, to harbor there early Monday morning.  When Melissa and I awoke we were planning on a fun day of beach time and went up to the 15th level's Wipeout Café for a "free" breakfast and took our food outside to eat...if anything the wind was even stronger and we were fortunate to find a spot that shielded us from it.  Later we went back up to our stateroom to get ready for disembarking when the ship's public address system boomed into our rooms the captain's personal message that he had tried to safely harbor at CocoCay but due to the high winds he used his professional judgment in the interests of safety and would bypass the island and continue onward through the Bahamas with our cruise.  Well, that was a heavy disappointment for everyone...but we could feel the wind ourselves and easily see the very choppy ocean waters the ship was now plowing through.  During the next few hours the turbulence had caused a greater-than-usual rocking motion and Melissa began to strongly feel the effects.  Our cruise was rescued, though, through the combination of an over-the-counter product to deal with her seasickness as well as something (which I had never heard of before) called a "sea band", one worn on each wrist, which due to a process similar to acupuncture was able to alleviate much of what she was experiencing.  And the ship itself had much to offer us as well while we journeyed on to our Wednesday Puerto Rico destination.  More on our cruise to come...

Evening at Chicago's Millennium Park

After checking into our hotel on Wacker Street late afternoon on the Sunday before last, our party of three tourists intent on exploring Chicago (Melissa, Will, and I) decided to walk a short distance south to try some of their Chicago-style deep-dish pizza at Giordano's, a local chain.  The pizza's preparation took a while, and it wasn't until the sun had set that we finally set out for the nearby Millennium Park.  I was wondering whether the sightseeing there would be diminished without the sun shining down on everything, but from the above photos it's clear that nighttime is THE time to go there! In the second picture is Millenium Monument, situated in  the park's northwestern corner against a spectacular backdrop of lit-up skyscrapers.  Photo #1 is of the park's main draw: the imposing Cloud Gate, more commonly referred to as "The Bean", constructed by a British-Indian artist and finished in 2006...with very shiny stainless steel throwing off incredible curves and reflections.  We walked around it, taking selfies and examining the peculiar optics...I'm not quite sure what it was for, but it was definitely intriguing! Further south we walked and encountered the Crown Fountain, which is essentially a wading pool bordered by two tall vertical rectangular slabs facing each other.  And I mean "facing" literally: the slabs feature close-up faces of random people from diverse backgrounds, each gradually changing his or her expression and then, at the end, blowing a spray of water out of the mouth into the pool...where little children scream with delight and run around while their parents and family patiently put up with it all. It's cute and interactive...and totally unique as far as I can tell...

 We were getting pretty tired at the end of this travel-intensive day, so we ended our walk through the part soon after the "face slabs" and returned to our hotel.  There is a lot more to Millennium Park...and the adjacent Grant Park further south... than we experienced.  Next to the Millennium Monument is a sophisticated bandshell for concerts (none were held this evening), and other parts may have been only available during daytime hours.  But we knew our stay in Chicago had some serious time constraints so we subsequently moved on to other things.  On any return trip, though, I plan to completely cover this area...

Our Recent Trip to Indiana

I had never been to Indiana before our Southwest flight landed on the Indianapolis airport runway in the evening nine days ago and we made our way via rental car to the small northeastern city of Marion. There on Saturday, my wife graduated with her Master's from Indiana Wesleyan University's Wesley Seminary.  Our son Will and I met many of Melissa's classmates, professors, and college leaders...what friendly, caring people they are with such a sweet spirit everywhere!  We thoroughly enjoyed the ceremonies and the campus and then explored Marion itself while enjoying their local restaurants.  I thought that this was a great little city...their northside Matter Park with its many facilities and beautiful garden and the miles-long Riverwalk trail (all three of us are walkers) were outstanding...I've included some photos of them along with Melissa's graduation...

On Sunday the three of us went by car into Chicago, the other half of our planned vacation...more on that in future articles.  On the way we saw many, many fields of corn and soybean...the former keenly reminded me of that famous cornfield scene with Cary Grant and the crop duster from Alfred Hitchcock's thriller North by Northwest...once we even saw a little plane that resembled the one from the film.  I really liked our Indiana experience, although we saw little of Indianapolis other than its airport and the Interstates leading through and out of it.  I wonder whether we'll make it back to Marion some day.  By the way, in that first photo Melissa is second from the left in the second row...the faculty and seminary leadership are seated in the front row...

Future Nature Park North of Mile Run in Gainesville

I'm hearing of a proposed new nature wetlands park, about 700 acres, north of the end of NW 37th Street in far northern Gainesville where Mile Run, Rosemont-Vista Palms, Sutter's Landing and Alive Church are located.  Its entrance, with available parking, will be at the current dead end of that road, about a mile from NW 53rd Avenue...not far from where I live.  The park will supposedly have a 2 1/2 mile walking trail and a walkers' entrance on the north side near 441 at Turkey Creek Forest.  I don't know the timetable for its development and opening...the information I am passing on I just received from my local Nextdoor social media site.  When I used to go out on my extended training runs, I would often to go down NW 37th Street to that dead end and turn back...wonder if the park will be runner-friendly.  Should be interesting following this news item...

Ran My First Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning

Parkrun is an international organization that holds running events in local parks...Gainesville has its own Parkrun in Depot Park at Main Street and SW 4th Street.  Timed 5K runs are held each and every Saturday morning and there is no entry fee.  To participate and have your run timed and recorded you need to register at their website (here's the link: [parkrun]) and then print out the six barcodes you get, taking one of them with you to the race.  This morning was my first Parkrun as well as my first visit to Depot Park.  There were 41 runners and walkers participating this time around, and the parking was no problem.  The course is a meandering loop around the park and involves running almost four laps, always on a paved surface and with interesting scenery to look at as well as some mild slopes that are a refreshing change from the flatness of my own neighborhood streets.  I liked the run and the park...this merits return trips, although I can't say I enjoy getting up early on Saturday morning for a 7:30 run.  I finished with a leisurely 30:00 time and was apparently the oldest man in it although some women exceeded me in age...here's a link to the results page [results].  This morning when the run began it was 51 degrees with 82% humidity. The events depend on volunteers, so somewhere down the line if I continue with Parkrun I'll probably pitch in as well.  And they are friendly to both runners and walkers...that's good since Melissa likes long walks and I plan to walk with her whenever she comes along...

Enjoying Riding the Hurricane

My recent trip to Hollywood in south Florida gave me the opportunity to reacquaint myself with a pleasurable experience I have been lacking of late: the theme park thrill ride. In this case, the park was Boomer's in Dania and the ride was the Dania Beach Hurricane wooden roller coaster.

Boomer's, strictly speaking, isn't really a theme park; at least it isn't in the class of a Busch Gardens, Sea World, or Universal. As a matter of fact, the Hurricane is the only thrill ride they have. But to me it is enough, comparing favorably with Dollywood's Thunderhead coaster as my favorite wooden roller coaster so far. What I like the most about the Hurricane, besides its length, are the numerous times of "lift" caused by going over hills in the course.

I am still confounded by the fact that the Dania Beach Hurricane is the only roller coaster in the entire south Florida area, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. For an area that touts itself as a vacationland and depends heavily on tourism, why hasn't a Six Flags been built there? Go figure. But even that is not as confounding as the fact that not many people down there seem interested in riding the one coaster there. I invite Boomer's to relocate here in Gainesville, with the outstanding Dania Beach Hurricane of course. But they'd have to rename it to something appropriate to my home town. How about the "Gainesville Road Work Adventure"?

No More City Park Articles For Now

If you have been following this log over the past few months, you may have noticed that (1) I had been writing articles (with photos) describing various Gainesville city parks and (2) I stopped doing so. Why?

Well, if you look at the pics, it should be apparent that most of these parks simply have a playground/picnic area and a looping walking trail through a wooded area, with a small running creek running through it. Some parks have better play areas than others while some excel at the trails. But the experiences, at least to me, are pretty similar. So why keep visiting new parks that are minor variations of each other? But there were a couple of other factors that curtailed my interest in this "explore local parks" project of mine.

The various Gainesville city parks were listed and described on their own website. There were two "parks" so described that were relatively close to my neighborhood, so I went out to explore them. And found that they didn't really exist, at least not yet. But the website had them already open, with walking trails and play areas! So phooey on them for that!

And then there was the time that I took my wife to walk with through the pretty little Cofrin Nature Park off NW 8th Avenue. It was almost twilight as we got out of our car, entered the park, and walked through the woods on the trail. A pretty pleasant experience, I might say. But as we left the wooded trail area and approached the park's exit, we noticed two police cars parked right there. We asked a policeman if there was a problem, and he replied that someone reported a suspicious-looking man in the park. They obviously didn't regard US as suspicious because we were a COUPLE. But later I wondered to myself, what if it had been just me going by myself through the park? The police would have automatically regarded me as a suspicious type, possibly the one who had been reported, and who knows how events would have progressed after that. So my initially positive experience walking through a park with my wife ended with a sense of paranoia about the police. I recognize that part of this is coming from me, but part of it is also, I am convinced, from the tendency of the police to discriminate in their treatment of people based on their demographic classification (gender, race), dress, and grouping (solitary, coupled, or in a larger group). And often finding myself being a "solitary" person in public, I find that to be just a little bit threatening.

Hiking Can Be Such a Boar

A few weeks ago I visited Devil's Millhopper, a sinkhole designated as a State Geological Site that is located only a couple of miles from my home. Around that time, I discovered that, about three miles further west on the same road was located San Felasco Hammock State Park, a much larger park than Devil's Millhopper. The hiking trails at this place are numerous and much longer than "DM"'s, whose only trail was .6 mile in length. So I envisioned myself eventually getting off my butt and heading down there (with my camera, of course).

But alas, a story has been circulating in the Gainesville news media of late regarding the large population of wild boars running rampant within San Felasco Hammock. As a matter of fact, residents in homes near the park have experienced boars in their yards, an obvious threat to their well-being (and much more so to their pets). Well, if that's the case, I'm not all that keen on walking or jogging down miles of remote stretches of hiking trails with wild boars waiting in ambush for me (that scene near the end of the movie Hannibal still weighs heavily on me). Maybe this is an overblown concern. After all, hiking out in the country will naturally increase the possibility of encountering some dangerous animal, like a bear. That just goes with the territory, right? But the way it is being reported, these boars are aggressive and exploding in numbers.

So who needs to go down to Hallow-Scream at Busch Gardens to get a scare this October? Just pay a visit to your friendly, local state park...and let your blood curdle into anguished screams of mortal terror!

Gainesville's Possum Creek Park

Last Friday, on my way back home from getting my flu shot, I finally decided to stop off at the city park closest to my home: Possum Creek Park, at 4009 NW 53 Avenue. This park, originally just a big field where soccer games were occasionally held, has evolved over the past few years into a multifaceted park, with an excellent children's play area, a covered picnic section, a vast field, the field's perimeter as a suitable jogging path, and a rudimentary hiking trail through the adjacent woods.

More work is still needed to make that hiking trail "work". Unlike the other three city parks I've been to so far [1][2][3], this trail has only a small, temporary sign marking its entrance. The path itself isn't very clear, either. And there were no benches along the path for visitors to rest on. But the biggest problem I saw with it was when I reached a small creek (presumably Possum Creek). Instead of a small wooden bridge over it, there were two small, very wobbly logs that even a raccoon might have second thoughts crossing. Beyond the "crossing", I could see the trail continuing further.

I love Possum Creek Park's gigantic field, and I'm confident that more work will be done on the trail. I plan to make a follow-up visit in a few weeks to see if I'm right about that. I've read in my local newspaper that plans are afoot to add a small skateboard practice area to the park. I support this, as the park has more than plenty of space to accommodate some skateboarding. But the proposal has elicited heated editorial letters opposing it. I can't understand why people who may never have had any inclination to write a letter to the editor suddenly feel that this is such a major issue in their lives, with all of the much more significant controversies surrounding us!

Here are some of the customary photos of my visit.

Gainesville's Cofrin Nature Park

In the midst of an area of heavy traffic congestion on the way to the overcrowded Oaks Mall area lies an unassuming little park, Cofrin Nature Park. Named after recently deceased area philanthropist David Cofrin, this pleasant getaway is a fresh respite from the stress of urban living. At the entrance are a tennis court, a children's playground area, and a picnic area. A few steps past this is the start of a looping nature trail, complete with a view of a tiny creek that runs through the park.

I found walking the Cofrin Nature Park's trail to be refreshing, shorter then either Loblolly Woods or Ring Park and much less confusing than the latter. Again, no admission is charged there, although parking spots may be hard to come by if the park is crowded (when I went, I was the only one there). I recommend this park to anyone who wants to briefly escape their urban existence and experience a little nature for a while before returning. For those who like to walk or jog for exercise, the trail is very suitable.

Cofrin Nature Park is located at 4810 NW 8 Avenue. Here are some photos I took of the place.