A couple weeks ago I got my bike all muddy cycling the Third Creek Greenway [1] at Tobler Lane, thanks to a huge mud hole that enveloped the path near the creek. Last week the mud mysteriously disappeared. Turns out a fellow greenway user took the initiative to clean off the trail [2]. Hat tip to HandsomeRyan!

If you haven't been near the Cherokee Boulevard connector in a couple years, you might not recognize the place. Not only did the city restore the meandering nature of the creek [3], but they also cleaned out most of the undergrowth. It looks vastly different.

For the first time in a few months I rode all the way down to Neyland Drive. Along the way it occurred to me that Tyson Park sure looks a lot cleaner than it used to.

But the most dramatic visible change was along the creek as it passes through the UT campus. I'm not sure if it's because of the above-mentioned project or some other work, but the water actually resembles a creek now. It won't be winning a beauty award any time soon, but it's a far cry from the superfund site that existed a year ago. Perhaps my nose was numb from the nippy air, but I didn't even smell any hazardous waste.

Thumbs up for the improvements.