Little did I know that Austin’s tagline evidently applies to the local mountain bike trails. Technically, these trails are located in Cedar Park, Texas, but that’s close enough. At a glance, this one of many trails at Brushy Creek appears peaceful, serene, and to some, even beautiful.
Then, there is this. WTF?!?
Initially, I thought someone threw this deformed green alien brain looking thing at me. It was a near miss and I was relieved it hadn’t smacked into my shoulder or crashed into a finger. Eventually I realized it had fallen from a tree. I’ve seen some strange fruit in my travels, but this was definitely new to me.
After a little research, I identified it as an Osage orange and discovered that prior to the invention of barbed wire, its gangly, thorny trees were planted as natural fencing for cattle deterrents. The fruit is generally useless and has been known to choke a cow. I suppose worse things could cross my path so I guess I’ll be grateful when I next encounter “weird.”
Texas 