3/31/11--Forget Presidents day April 1st Should Be a Holiday!

        **" Red M & M, blue M & M--they all end up the same color in the end!"** ---Homer Simpson

                        **" I haven't seen a spider around the house in days.  What are they planning?"**
                                                  **"Don't follow the trend----set it!"**
                              **" Washington state can breathe a lil easier very soon."**
  **"In Three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life:  It goes on."**---Robert Frost.

                  **"Adventures are delightful, and friends are treasures, but home is best of all."**

    I have rambled in the past about some of my favorite and least favorite places to live.   One past blog even has pictures, so if you see anything resembling the picture, make a quick U turn!  Many locations on my dislike list-seem to be in Arizona.  Self named, land of the sweating sun.  At one point in my travels I lived in a terrible town called Kingman, Arizona.  My buddy came to visit me there and greatly extended his trip home, to not have to drive back through the town.  We lovingly called the town "The Devils Crotch."   Kingman is straight on in the valley and not really close to anything.  Maybe Laughlin--everyone seems to know that town.  It is somewhat between Vegas and Phoenix.   While we lived in the area Phoenix got voted as the sweatiest city in America with Viva Las Vegas a close second.   Such a selling point to put on the travel packets!~    Before I rant about Arizona any more, I will get to my point. 
    Last night on the news they listed the three worst ranked city's to live in.   Ranked by all factors, pollution, driving, etc   And number one worse was Phoenix.   Than Portland, OR--- I like a lot of city's in Oregon, but would have to agree.  I hated going to Portland.   And number three was Seattle, WA.   I love spending time in Seattle.  And unlike the other two towns, I could gladly spend hours or even days roaming around seeing the sights and such.    I do suppose I would never want to live there though.  I grew up in a very small town, and in contrast Seattle is just to big for my tastes.  
 ** Please read Groovy Places Vs Fail.com--Don't Google These  in my past blogs and let me know if you have been or lived in better and or worse places. 
    I must pause for a second and pander how it is already almost April?   Wow times ten!

 **"Adventures are delightful, and friends are treasures, but home is best of all."**   I am not sure were I got this quote, but I like it.  And I had it posted on my Facebook page the other day.  I am looking at retreating back to my hometown once again for the summer.  But after many many moves, and somewhat establishing a home in Washington, were my heart is happiest, were can someone actually claim home is?   I realize my parents and such live in Sheridan and it is were I grew up, for the most part.  I also realize that at the moment my best options are back in the town.  I followed my heart once again instead of my head, and although I have so far avoided the train wreck, I have in turn buried myself quite well.  
   After posting the above quote my sister replied with "Yes, so true, Dorothy."    My answer was "I click my heels together and they don't know were the hell to take me."   But I guess after piles of moves, one can't expect much else.   The final decisions in the end can only be made by me.  And posting the entire background would take months.   I do know as much as I hate being in Sheridan once again, I hate feeling like the move, even though temporary, will be like giving up on those that I love in Washington.  But maybe those have already given up on me?   I some how think that no matter how helpful the move might prove to my pocket book, and fine reducing that it will be the end of any type of relationship with the family that I have here.   Each made even harder when the ones that brought you to a new place   now seem not to care in the least.   About you or what is above discussed.    If I move how will I deal with things.....

Down By The Bay--Take 202

    So somewhat surprisingly my friends youngest child asked me to go exploring with him every day this weekend.  Somehow we never saw much rain.  Just lots of angry looking clouds.  All though I was sure while down by the boardwalk off and over the Bellingham Bay that we were going to get dumped on by heavy rain at best.  Possibly the rain dance before the hike was a bad idea?  We did not have to swim back to the house, and managed to stay dry.  Maybe Seattle got all the rain. 

                                                                                         

    On Friday we were going to go down by the bay, but somehow ended up on WWU campus.  He had a skateboard with him.   And the campus is full of paved areas and hills.  Hours of fun for sure.  I never have mastered a skateboard in the least.  Maybe because I tryed to pick it up to late in life.  Or because I grew up living on mostly gravel roads.   Youngsters pick things like this up way quicker, the same way there bones heal eight times faster than ours, luckily.   Unless you are still an advad milk drinker maybe.    He was soon zooming around me in circles, with his hands in his pockets.  Scaring the crap outta me, and oddly enough making me tired, just by observing. 

                                                                                                           

    The skies were dark and gloomy, but it was nice enough out for short sleeves.  A very friendly lady, walking her dog, talked with us for awhile.   She happened to have a Great Perinishe.  I think I just murdered the spelling.  My roomie many moons ago, had two of the dogs.  They are huge overly friendly hairballs for the most part.   His weighed 150 and 120 pounds.   And I recall waking up on his living room floor with a bad hangover and a furry pillow on both sides of me.  But they were very warm!  
     Saturday sent us wandering through the Fairhaven Park and than trails to the bay.   During a long stretching, gravely hill, my companion almost ate dirt--stomach planted on the skateboard.  Darting headfirst before I had a chance to utter what a bad idea that might be.   Somehow most of him stayed on the board.   But it was not an enjoyable enough ride to be tried again.  We took to the streets, easier riding access, down by the bus depo and to the bay.   Were some hungry seagulls helped us eat freshly decorated early Easter cookies.  

                                               

   Sunday kept threatening rain, but again not enough to mostion the whole walk at a time ever presented itself.  He kept asking about an outdoor adventure, but I kept pushing it back to let the clouds move on.   After getting snagged into some house hold cleaning, it was soon decided that it was time to brave the outdoors!  

    No skate board this time.  So we wandered the streets of Fairhaven and ended up on the wooden boardwalks.   The tide was way out so we crossed the first boardwalk and explored the rocks and tide pools.   Not finding to much past the norm.   We did catch and release some small crabs.   And I got some more groovy pictures.   The clouds quickly became very black and fierce looking.  And I was expecting to be very soaked before hitting home.                   

                                                                                                    

   A quick stop at the store for pie --the way I cook it, already made.   A great chocolate with chocolate mix.   Get some more non-winning games pieces and V line for home.  





Dirty Dan Harris



**Mini Rant #9** Thats not Safe!?

    I have been overly slackin' on mini rants.  If you  scroll through them--I try to post them on Fridays.  Again not last week.  Since I have been posting since December, and only have nine mini rants, I am slackin' a lot.  Today's is about safety.   Most of the things I do in a day-especially in a day I am out exploring, are not safe---by any ones standards.  Most people I know do not agree with this, until they go on a hike with me.  Very few go on a second hike. 


Have to locate the picture

    We used to hike with this individual named Pork Chop.   We did not come up with the nickname, and are not fully sure what it even meant.  But he did like to eat for sure!   He for what ever reasoning, went on many hikes with me.   And more than once we would lose him, during a really difficult part of the hike.  After back tracking for awhile, we would often find him rolled up on the ground in the fetal position.  He to this day would deny it, and we have no pictures, so no real proof.  Anyways, before we would do something overly stupid, he would stand to the side and repeatably say "that's not safe!"  Until we would convince him the fun factors made up for how un safe it might appear.  One day as we were climbing on drift wood over rocks and the ocean, he was yelling this now famous to us phrase.  He stopped yelling it after he suddenly jumped on a log and than almost as suddenly, found himself flopping around on the ground!   Now it was our turn to yell out "That's not safe!"  After we stopped taking pictures, we helped him off the ground.  And he found a new phrase.  
   



Have you seen me?

    None of this is really "rant worthy" except maybe that I can not find Pork Chop to contact him and or say Howdy!   Maybe because I can only recall his first name.  Maybe because, even without out help he found something deathly un-safe.  Thus I am including a picture of the lad, in case anyone in reader land knows were he is.    I added the above for background, bazaz to the posting if you will.  


    Police in this area used to kind of ignore people on bikes.  Unless they were being drug under a city bus or something.   Lately they have decided that this is not a good idea, because bikers have kind of takin' over and invented there own rules.  Blowing through stop signs and lights and such.  So much so that doing something basic, might be very damaging to your pocket book.   Even not wearing a helmet is highly frowned upon.   When I lived here before I used to be in much better shape, and would bike across town --to and from work.  I had the closing shift at work, and it was always dark.  For added fun, I had no lights, and seemed to usually be wearing all black.   This could be frowned upon. 
    My buddy was on his bike to work way to early in the morning one day, like before 5 A.M.   He was cutting through parking lots and such, because he was late for work, and honestly no one was out at that time except street cleaners and cops.  As to prove that point, he looked back behind him because of a strange sound, and saw a police car on his tail, lights flashing!   He was getting pulled over for blowing through several parking lots, right into the empty street.  The nerve!  I think he just got a warning.  Even after asking the cop if they had caught all the theives and rapists in town, and now rebal early morning bikers were the new top catch.  
    I strongly believe that after about the age of 18, rules like seat belts and helmets are no ones business but your own.   It is defiantly not the governments business.  I always wear seat belts because of a nice wreck I got into in my teens, while learning how not to drive on icy roads.  Or maybe it was after I got my last seat belt ticket.   They are up to $100 fines now!
    While roaming with my girl friends kids lately, I have had random people come up to me and explain how un-safe there actions were.   *the kids actions*  Nothing ever huge, just happened a lot in the last two weeks.
     All of this makes me stop and wander how I survived as a child growing up.  I contribute a lot of my survival to having a very thick head.  In more ways than one.  Things I did in my teens, were a strange mixture of bad hormones and acme, and my own fault for the most part.    But I re-call  learning how to ride a bike, by going to the top of a big hill and jumping on.  Hoping stopping was also learned.   Living on dirt roads.  Never wearing helmets or any protective gear.  Exploring the whole neighborhood till dark.   Standing up beside my dad in pickup seat while going down the road.  Riding in the back of pickups.   Etc etc.  And I grew up just fine.  Just fine.  Just fine.....   
     The world was a safer place, even in my youth.   But are people maybe over protecting themselves?   And how much of a say does some random stranger really have unless the child is playing in the highway or mugging the person complaing?  A little bit of pain is healthy, and an awesome learning experience.  And if a child is over protected, when they get thrown into the real world, they will be overly soft.   Falling over cracks in sidewalks, and trying to sue the city for negligent walking areas.  
    Over guidelines and rules, for safety or in general just lead to soft people and police states.   Oregon state is already very far in the wrong direction in this area.   They are trying to pass 0 tolerance for drinking.   Which means if a person has one beer all night, than gets pulled over, they can get arrested for a DUI.   If you fall asleep in your car while drunk, turn the engine on for heat, you can get a ticket.  If you bike home after drinking, you can get a ticket-and loose your driving licence.   Etc Etc Etc in that state.   In Arizona, there are special areas outside were you have to stand to smoke.   And if you are not in the special zone, you get a ticket.  
    Guidelines for whats safe for people as a whole slowly open up what can be regulated in all aspects of life.  

3/25/2011 Yo yo!

                      **  " I don't do perky. You want perky, get a coffeemaker!"**---Garfield
                                         **"Theres not enough booze on the planet, fugly lady!"**
                                
                                       
                            **"Fat does float!"**----Me    Discouraging a large co worker when she was braggin' about swimming across a rather large lake.  --One proably had to be there to find the humor.  Although she was far from amussed.           To go with this I must tell about another large co-worker.  Not amazingly both of these worked with me at Wally World.   Not supprisingly they were not the largest people we worked with.   **Writers note----I am not making fun of big-uns at all in this rambling blog.   Not saying I will not do so, or have not done so.   I have just been refraining so far!     Anyways this worker decided to share with us all one day how when she jumped in the city pool, it took ten kids to dunk her under water.  And if she dove in the deep end --she just kind of bobed up and down in the water.   She decided to share this while I was in the break room---- I am very sure I sat there taking it all in, bitting my tounge so hard it was bleeding, than ran out of the room, and proably made it into the hall way before I started laughing so hard that I am very sure my panties were very moist.  After that she became Beuoy.    Like the things that float in the ocean to keep boats on there path.  And no matter how hard you hit them, the boat sinks before them.   I long ago learned the importance of researching "code names"    Very soon I will explain this in depth.  But can say that many of my freinds have and had nick names.  If they knew it or not. 
    So today I am mostly rambling.   My best buddy is overly sick and although I am trying to be helpful, we are finding it way to easy to get on each others nerves.  I enjoy getting on many peoples nerves, but not hers.   We have known each other for so long, that we know what buttons to push.  And push the crap out of them.  
   Today I learned that the city bus does not take food stamp cards as payment.   Add them to the list.  I thought I was swippng my bus pass but it kept beeping.  The driver soon said, you can use that card a lot of places, but not here.   As I looked at it, I realized it was my food stamp card not the bus pass.   I must say, it does not work.  
   I also learned that girls wear way less when it is sunny around here.  Yeah me! 
  I just learned, with my girlfreinds daughter, that the tooth fairy leaves $5.00 for a silver capped tooth!   Really?   Dang you internet!    Now who is going to pay the tooth fairy?  

Downtown Bellingham-A Great Place to Start Exploring

    



Sheridan Wyoming

       The downtown area in most cities is usually great to explore.  It can quickly tell you a lot about a city.  In my travels I have seen a lot of deserted downtown's.  I will not blame big box stores, for quickly turning Mom & Pop stores into tumble weed filled stores, but let you judge for yourself.  Sheridan, Wyoming has an awesome downtown.  Filled with interesting tourist traps and unique statues on most street corners.  Tired of walking?  In the summer time you can cheaply catch a renovated trolley with wheels and book it all around town. 

   

    Bellingham, Washington is again were I reside, and happen to have lots of pictures of, so I will ramble about it's great downtown area now.  Take some time to take it all in.  The above old court house allows for a great picture from almost every angle in town.  Day or night.  Although I sat on a cell phone in front of this building at three in the morning, and am pretty convinced the great building is haunted.  Inside houses what I have heard is a great museum, but I never seem to be in the area when it is actually open.  Several overly interesting museums can be found within blocks of this building.   The large courtyard leads right to the bay if you keep roaming.  There are also some great shops to explore along the way.  Already thirsty?   The newish Chuckanut Brewery has some great selections to choose from. 

    Just up from the old courthouse you run into woods and some nice trails.  Explore down by the water.   Hit the right time of year and you can see the massive Salmon in the fish ladders.  Or pause to watch someone land one right out of the river.  Find the statues or just sit on a bench for awhile and take it all in.  The public Library is also just steps away.




Behind the library



Add caption



  


Part of the Chip A Hoy Tribe?





Coffee!

     A few great coffee shops can be found near the area also.  I think it is amazing how fast the water gets deep.   This ship is docked right off of downtown. 

Bar to stay away from

Under the large bridge you can view one of the areas largest homeless camps.   To the bay you can see the remains of buildings being torn down to make room for more condos.  If you hit it right, you can watch them demolish a building or two. 


The Bagerly

    Railroad Avenue has some of the best places to eat, booze it up, or get caffinated in my eyes.  All of the bars downtown are clustered in a large square area.   Making it easy to hit them all if you get a night out on the town.   RR has a Starbucks and Woods coffee.  Great pizza joint, The Bagerly---  I recommend the farmers bagel, Mallard ice cream--- can't find a better summer stop, unless you get gellito in Fairhaven.  


Boundary Bay Brewery



Farmers Market



Wild Buffalo

    In the spring and summer you can enjoy the farmers market on Saturdays at the end of RR street.  Or sit in the Woods coffee across the street and enjoy.  Stroll a little farther and you can follow a walking path to the bay and beyond.  Offers some great views of the bay and than empties out into the park.   The Horseshoe Cafe is supposed to be the longest continually running restaurant in the state.  Just past that is the Wild Buffalo bar.  They have a homey feel and have many nights of entertainment.   Including open mike nights, which seem to get better the drunker you are.  Actually this area offers many very talented people. 

I Owe I Owe!

                           **"I wish my money would have sex in my wallet and multiply!"**

 

  Not a surprise to anyone, I owe a lot of people a little bit of money.  I might even owe you money.  If this is true, the check is in the mail!   I am actually trying to start paying my debits and fines in the attempt to be able to hold a drivers licence once again.  And maybe someday have a credit rating better than -872.   I think when they punch in my numbers now, it just says TILT! on the computer screen.  This is hard when the outflow is much higher than my inflow of cash.  And more fun when most everything has went to collections.  If you have not dealt with a collections agency, you should be very happy.  
   A few weeks ago I found two items that had went to collections, but created a low total amount.  And than found out that company was just getting a "new" item from me and the total owed was almost $600.00.   Of course I would have to set up some kind of payment plan with them, to get off the phone, and they now had my home address.   I put new in quotes, because the collection came from "06".  Anyways I paid the first two off, and never got a paid statement from the company. 
    Last week I called the company and tried to explain that I did not want to offer more money to them, if I had no proof the last two bills were paid in full.  I wasn't into donating money at this time.  It soon turned into a large argument.  The operator told me that you had to request those notices because they had thousands of clients and were trying to go as paper free as possible.  I said that that did not work if they sent me out 22 notices saying I owed them money.   About an hour later, I was told I wasn't being realistic or serious, and the operator actually hung up on me.  But I got my paid in full notices in the mail yesterday!   
    So I think I have now learned that anything I post as a positive, and this is rare, were my parents can read it  soon goes to heck!  I don't know if I'm being punished for unnecessary bragging or what.  I had just posted a few days ago that I had snagged a nice temp job, which I saw lasting at least a week, with good pay.  Afterwards I would be back to unemployed, but have a nice chunk of cash in my pocket.  Somehow it ended up being a one day job.  I realize people on Craigs List, at least the  buyers, are very flighty, but I really have no idea what happened.   When the "boss" came out to pay me for the days fun, I asked what time to show up tomorrow.   A full  six hours of work barley put a dent in all the work to be done.  When she paid me off, she said she had ran out of money-and was sorry.   Really? 
    This has happened many times--not getting fired, but things going south soon after I tell about them.   From getting a great job to an awesome raise.   From getting a new car to getting married.  I guess the last example is a good thing that it is on pause.  My main reason for coming back here was to get married and enjoy that life.   And at the moment, I can't even support myself.  Maybe I should just post things I really really do not want to happen.  That way it will look like the bragging, and whatever force is working against me, will make sure it does not happen! 

3/21/11

    I had a very good weeksend for a change.   They have been very relaxing, with a nice hike thrown in.  No hike this week, but still relaxing.   Not that days of not working stresses you out a ton.  O.K.  that's not true, it is very stressful.  We were all going to go swimming, but that did not happen.  I tried to land a day job, helping people move for twelve dollars an hour, but never heard anything.  Jugding by past experiences 88 people probably applied. I defiantly have the experience moving.  Although it  is kind of a hard thing to prove. 
    My friends brother showed up and we had a very chill evening, recalling how bad we were at playing quarters.   The table is great for bouncing, but all of our skills seemed to be lacking.  To make up for it, we kept adding new rules.   These usually just benefited the rule maker but made it continually more interesting.   Soon we moved on to playing cards.   I am not sure I have ever seen my dad lose at cards, so one would at least think when not playing with him, my gaming would be very good to great.   This does not seem to be true if I am sober or not.   Well rested or tired.  Angry or hungry.   That night I came in a close fourth out of three players!   Although it was a late night, morning seems to always come very early at our house.   The kids have not figured out the joys of sleeping in at all yet.  So Sunday turned into an extra non productive day some how.  
    I would like to aid that while I was out and about on Friday I saw a man holding the first dooms day sign I have seen in a long time.  Off of Sunset Drive.   Anyways, by his calculations we are all going to die on May 21st of this year.   Amazingly punctual and soon.   This is months before the end of times per the movie 2012 and the Aztecs.   On Saturday I found myself down Sunset again.   No sign holder.  But I did see a man desperate to find his wife's wedding ring.   She had worn it to the store that morning, and did not return with it.  Sounds like the ring was worth 12,000 bucks.   Which means a few things---to me anyway.    He should have saved a few dollars to get the ring sized also, maybe she really doesn't want to get hitched and doesn't have the heart to tell him, Someone left Rite Aid with an awesome prize, and I should have woken up earlier cause that someone could have been me!   One of my purches that day was beer.   I am really curious about Wal Greens new beer.   A six pack costs something like 2.99   so you know it must be good!   I tend to think it will taste more like cat pee than booze, but for that cheap, it all tastes like good sh*t if you drink enough of it.  Even cat pee I suppose.   Anyways, I was bringing home beer on the bus, and quickly noticed how many riders were eyeing my beer.   Maybe because they could tell that the case was breaking.   On the short walk home the handle pulled out, and beers rolled down the sidewalk.   I suppose if this were to happen on the bus, each can would be fair game.   And the bus riders all knew this.  
    When you are ridding on Grayhound they tell you so many times that you are not allowed to drink on the bus, that it makes you really really want to drink.   If for no other reason than to drown out the warnings about drinking on the bus.   I think being overly  drunk on the bus would make it much much more enjoyable.   Which would still rank it just above getting a tetanus shot in your eye after you allegedly got bitten by a stray hooker.   *On a side note--did you know that you can get herpes in your eye?   Did you want to know?   I didn't.   Know or want to know.  I was reading the safety and side affects of a medication.   Usually a super long list full of much worse possible side effects than what the medicine is supposed to treat.     My favorite warnings are on the birth control devices on T.V.  Were they have to warn everyone that the pills will not protect you from STD's.   Really, they need to warn people of this?   Wich just makes me wander what itiotic lawsuit accured that they have to post this on each commercial.   Some of you might also know that I just had to have a tetanus shot.  Thankfully it was not in the eye, and although it was a very crummy night, it was much more thrilling than any ride on the Grayhound I have had so far. 
    At the last place I officially worked, we had a large salad bar.   Since customers persisted on eating the contents, we had to keep filling it.   I was doing the dreaded pudding, and it comes in huge metal cans.   Some how I managed to slice a big chunk out of my finger on the can.   No huge deal, but the bleeding would not stop.   Once we neared an hour of no stop bleeding, the manager decided we should take a field trip to the hospital.    I think she was fine till I "jokingly" said I could see four of her at the same time!   Anyways the manager became the "ambulance driver"   and she was more than a little worried about blood getting in her car.   It was great fun explaining to the nurse, how the evil can of puddin' attacked me.   The manager still has a picture of me, with a very large finger, under a no cell phone sign, she took with her cell phone.   Hours later, the doctor brought out what most of us call super glue, but had a much fancier-expensive ring to it.    And than since they could tell I was lying about my last tetanus shot, I got to have one.   That hurt way more than the wrangled finger.   Total trip cost $800.00 bucks, but I got out of helping them close down the restaurant that night. 
    I also wrangled a temporary job over the weeksend, which I officially start tomorrow.   Nothing glorious most weed pulling and lawn up keep.   But the lady seems very awesome, and it pays very well.  Plus there is enough work to keep me busy for quite awhile.   These jobs are always nice to because you go home with the cash.   Instead of a paycheck every few weeks, complete with the governments cuts already takin' out.  

Falls Park--go and take a fall and enjoy views

   

                               **  "Don't follow the trend----set it!"**

  The other day I had some energy and time to kill and ended up at Falls Park off of Lakeway Street.  Several buses access the area about every hour if you are also car less like myself.  This is the first time I have been to the park since I have moved back, and I had forgotten how beautiful it is.  Like many places in town you can easily access much of town from this starting point.  Trails wind through the woods in all directions perfect for bikes, runners, walkers, and exploring. 

    I started off the Lakeway entrance.   Its a short walk down the paved road to the actual park if you also take the bus.  To the left are some great trails that wander along with the creek.  Just past the parking lot is a small play park and restrooms.  If you make the short trek over the hill, another larger park awaits.  Along with another parking lot, and tennis and basketball courts.  Through the parking lot is a small fishery.   Many times fish of random sizes are in the tanks before they are ready to be released in the stream and beyond.



Water slide?



    You can follow through this area to a small pond usually full of ducks just dying for some bread from you.  To the left of the parking lot you can hear the main falls of the area.   Pause on the old bridge for some awesome views or pictures.   To the left is a concrete caged in run off, I always thought would make a great water slide!  

??

    In the summer this area is filled with people trying to cool off.  With the braver ones jumping off the falls.   Above the falls are some great shallow pools and some much smaller falls.   I do have to caution that the rocks in this whole area are very very slick and slant downwards.  And sharp!   I have found it much more enjoyable to cool off or swim at Lake Whatcom just a little further up.  Although on those days when the thermometer is in or nearing triple digits, parking spaces are few and far between. 

    Lake Whatcom has its own playground complete with sanded volley ball areas.   These lead down to very large wadding and swimming area.  This place stays very busy, so be prepared to battle for a good spot to throw a blanket on the grass.   My only drawback was that this is a huge drinking water source for the community, and you can boat in it.  Last time I was in the water, I looked down and was surrounded by fish swimming upside down.  *Not because they were tricky.   I realize all the water is processed many times, etc, but I still drank nothing but bottled water for a long time after that swim.  



Remains from the tracks



    Several trails go around the large lake.   And you can follow several easy trails from the lake back to Falls Park.   Or just catch the city bus.   The lake is mountain feed, so a quick wake up if you decide to jump in in January.   I have tried this before, and would neither recommend or discourage others from doing so. 

    Years ago the train used to travel across the lake.   I have seen pictures and still wander why it went basically across the middle of the lake instead of crossing and edge?   That seems like way less effort to have built, but what do I know.  

   I rank the hike from Falls Park to the lake a 4.5 on my scale.   Read my hike 101 blog if you care about my scale.  Mainly because of the awesome views.   It is a fairly easy trail.   With some slight inclines.   But most have actual stairs.   Something that really bugs me.   Stairs should not be in the middle of any hike in the middle of the woods.