I began the route on top of the pedestrian bridge high above 635 that connects Farmers Branch and Dallas, and then descended down into a neighborhood filled with streets whose names begin with “High:” High Meadow, High Mesa, High Bluff. Any of these features in a hike would have made for a breathtaking route. But this is a random neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, so of course I didn’t see any meadows, mesas, or bluffs.
A funny thing I’ve learned about developments is that things are often named after what once existed in their place. It’s very likely that a high meadow or bluff existed in this area before development. The neighborhood has an elevation of over 100ft higher than the nearby Elm Fork of the Trinity River to the west, which likely would have been an obvious observation without modern development impeding sweeping views of a tall-grass prairie landscape.
Long gone are the prairie plants native to the area. In their place, seemingly endless mini-islands of cultivated turf-grass separated by large swaths of concrete.
Scenes from within the neighborhood
I'd love to see a selection of prairie plants native to this Blackland Prairie ecoregion of Texas return. What if a majority of the St. Augustine grass and invasive Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) was simply replaced with native short grasses such as Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalograss), Bouteloua gracilis (Blue Grama) and Hilaria belangeri (Curly Mesquite)? This alone would drastically reduce the amount of supplemental watering, fertilizer usage and mowing required to maintain our landscape, while providing beneficial seed and habitat to so many living creatures native to our area of Texas.
I635 was first constructed in 1969, almost a decade after the majority of the homes in this neighborhood and the homes to the north in Farmers Branch were built. And even then it was once a much more quiet, eight-lane highway at surface level.
From the LBJ TEXPress Website:
By employing new tolled TEXpress Lanes we offer drivers a choice in their daily commutes. And by introducing variable fluctuating pricing based on traffic demand, the LBJ Express enables drivers to maintain a more predictable rate of speed. The idea is CHOICE! You have safer, reconstructed general highway lanes, fully-optimized frontage roads, and new and reliable TEXpress Lanes that offer you a convenient trip from one end of the project to the other.
Speaking of CHOICE! What about public transit? What about cycling and pedestrian infrastructure? I635 seems like a perfect place to connect east and west train routes. I’d love to see TxDOT put forth concerted effort into improving transit as a whole instead of seemingly focusing solely on automobile transit.
So what did I see? I saw single family residential homes from the 50s and 60s built on flat land, sandwiched between rows of concrete filled with cars along the way. I saw the sun nearing the end of its work for the day. I saw a bunch of trees towering above islands of grass, and people watering said trees and grass.
It’s nice to see people out—to smile and say hi—to connect, even just a little bit, in a very human way.
Scenes from the edges of the neighborhood
Episode 764 with Kelly and Juliet Starrett of The Rich Roll Podcast filled my ears as I walked. They have a new book out: Built to Move: Kelly & Juliet Starrett on the ten essential habits to help you move freely and live fully. This was far more interesting than the constant hum of vehicular traffic from nearby 635 that I would have been listening to otherwise.
Most importantly, I felt good. I've been meaning to get out and adventure around the city like I use to do, and starting this project ... well, it just feels right.
Hello Dallas – I'm looking forward to getting to know you even better.