A post-Christmas hike at O.W. Fannin Natural Area offered a peaceful retreat highlighted by beautiful weather, mountain bikers, and a surprising close encounter with a local peacock.

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Today is the day after Christmas, and it was about 65° and sunny this morning in Arlington. Paradise. I wanted to go for a hike, so I returned to the nearby O.W. Fannin Natural Area. It has become one of my favorite places to walk in the woods.

Today’s adventure included a sighting of one of the famous peacocks that roam the area. Last time I was there, I saw three walking in a clearing; this time, though, I ran into one in the woods. I had just entered the trail from Red Kane Park and rounded a bend when I saw him. There he was, just sitting there near a tree. I feared he was injured or dead because I’ve never seen one sitting—not that I’ve seen many of them anyway —but my arrival spooked him enough to clamber to his feet and start ambling on. I wanted to stop and get a photo, but I had just passed someone walking a dog and thought it best to be a little farther on if the fur and feathers started flying.

Elsewhere on today’s hike, I saw a large mushroom, several hardworking squirrels, a few people walking their dogs, and a dad with his two sons riding mountain bikes through the woods—possibly breaking in some Christmas gifts. That looked like fun. I rode bikes often as a kid, but never a mountain bike in the woods.

A large mushroom sighted on my hike

Overall, it was mostly quiet with woodsy solitude, beautiful weather, and some much-needed fresh air and sunshine. A beautiful day.

And to quote Anthony Kiedis in the song Wet Sand—”My what a good day for a walk outside.”

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Blog post by Jason S. Sullivan, 12-26-25