Waller Creek: 1st of September 2010

Between 4th and 5th Street, from 2-3pm:

I arrive at the 4th Street Bridge on my bicycle. I lock it up and look out over

the creek that is surrounded by the city on all sides. I walk off the road, step and

climb down the banks into the mostly dry creek bed. The water is murky, oily and

stagnant in some places where the ground is level. There is a very narrow flow in

the stream where the floor slopes downhill. In almost every direction I see that

the water and ground are both littered with cups, cans, pieces of broken glass

bottles, wrappers, bags, articles of clothing, and other various trashed objects.

There are random components of man-made structures that have become

part of the land such as metal rods, concrete chunks, torn fabrics along with metal

fence parts and pipes. I find more random objects including a lone shoe under the

bridge and a fair amount of graffiti on the walls that support the bridge. There is an

opening in the wall where street-water slowly trickles down from a tunnel into the

creek.

I make my way upstream, hopping from rock to rock to avoid stepping in the

dirty shallow water. I see people looking down at me from a deck of “Palm Door” (a

business that hosts weddings and other events) about 20 feet above me jutting out

over the creek bank. On the west side of the creek there is a large tree who’s trunk

and old roots protrude out over the water about 10 feet from the bank. Below the

tree some large water dwelling rodent (possibly a muskrat) scurries into the bushes.

In the tree above me I see a small red bird; as I look in its direction I can almost

pretend that I am in a natural rural area instead of the middle of the city because

there are no manmade things in sight. As I turn I see the reflection of a tall building

in the water and reality comes back immediately.

I hike further and find two condom wrappers on the ground; I contemplate

what an uncomfortable place that must have been for the people who used

their contents. Nearby I see a turtle slip into the water from atop rock.

Up ahead I can see the 5th Street Bridge arching over the water, appearing to

have a much more consistent and intentional appearance than the hodgepodge 4th

Street Bridge. The symmetrical arch is constructed of large rocks cut into regular

blocks. It is unlike the previous bridge that had only flat walls made of these rock-

blocks along with slabs of concrete intersecting each other at varying angles and

other inconsistent materials.

Once I am under the arching bridge I can hear the twitter of bats that live in

its crevasses. Near the ground there is a large opening to a tunnel system; smelly

water trickles out of it into the creek bed. I see that on the north side of the 5th

Street bridge the creek is in a very different world; there are no plants or trees

or rocks or muddy banks along the edges of the water as there are south of the

bridge. Instead there are 20-30 foot high concrete walls that lead from the water

up to a walkway on either side. Large buildings line the walkway; some are hotels.

I ponder how I might go further in that direction without walking in the filthy

water. I attempt to traverse the underside of the bridge but it is too difficult. My

professor shows up behind me and takes a photograph of me photographing the

pipes that run underneath the bridge. After he leaves I climb back up to the street

and look down at the creek from the sidewalk of the 5th Street Bridge. I climb around

on the man-made overhangs on the north side of the bridge but soon choose to leave

so that I may explore other sections of Waller creek.

Between 3rd and Red River Street, from 3-4pm:

I arrive at the 3rd Street Bridge. I find a sidewalk on the northwest side of

the bridge that is fenced off to prohibit access. I step over a broken part of the fence

and look down at the creek bed. I see that it extends part way under the sidewalk

because of massive erosion. Underneath the cover of the partially overhanging

sidewalk there is a small pile of clothing and bags, indicating that someone likely

camped there.

On the southwest side of the bridge I discover a body of water that is

not directly a part of the creek. I find a sign that explains that it is a wet pond: a

manmade body of water that collects runoff and filters out pollutants before the

water flows into Waller Creek. Near the sign there is a fence that inhibits access

to the creek from the sidewalk, however upon crossing the 3rd Street Bridge I

find that the east bank has no fence, so I am able to walk down into the creek bed.

There is an open field (Palm Park) that runs along this side, between the

creek and Interstate 35. It has a swing-set, a shallow drained swimming pool,

a couple tables and benches and a structure that appears to be a restroom. I

walk further and see a sidewalk that leads half way down to the creek bed but

abruptly ends, dropping off where it has broken and been washed away by past

flooding. I choose not to walk further along the edge of the park because just

ahead there is a man sleeping on the ground and I do not wish to disturb him.

I walk back the way I had come and encounter a fellow with a shifty vibe and

slightly manic demeanor who asks if I’m taking pictures; I answer that I am taking

pictures; I continue walking; he asks another question but I don’t fully hear it; I

ignore him and cross back over to the west side of the creek.

I follow the sidewalk downstream and notice some fish swimming in the

creek. I arrive at the Red River Street Bridge. There is a stack of seven pennies

on the low wall; I toss one in the creek leaving the stack as six. I look down

and see three young women on a sidewalk that runs along the creek below the

bridge. I call out to them; we have a brief conversation from which I discover

that they are UT architecture grad students who are studying the creek as I am.

At this point I have been out in the heat for hours and am longing for a swim;

I hop back on my bicycle and set out for Barton Springs.