Walking With The Indian Ghosts In The Unnatural Village Creek Natural Historical Area

Some Village Creek Trees Naturally Minus Their Leaves

Yesterday lightning bolts striking Fosdic Lake stopped me from getting my daily aerobic stimulation. Today I was not going to let anything stop me from getting my much needed endorphins.

Today I did not go back to Fosdic Lake.

Instead I went to walk with the Indian Ghosts at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

Have I ever mentioned that I get calling this area "Historical," but I don't really get identifying it as "Natural"?

It is historical because in this location a series of Indian Villages lay on either side of what is now known as Village Creek, extending for about five miles to the south from near what is present day Lamar Boulevard to the top of a hill on which the largest village was located and which is now the location of the clubhouse of the Lake Arlington Golf Course. 300 acres of corn grew near the villages of Village Creek.

The modern day version of the Village Creek Historical Area contains all sorts of unnatural things.

Like paved trails. And paved pods for picnic tables. With some of the paved pods being quite large with multiple picnic tables. The picnic tables have unnatural fireplaces next to them. There are unnatural benches throughout the "Natural" area. There are two unnatural cement dam/bridges across Village Creek in the 'Natural" area.

A network of power lines runs through the Village Creek "Natural" Area.

Village Creek Natural Sanitary Sewer Vents

Among the most unnatural things in the Village Creek "Natural" Area are big vents for an Arlington Sanitary Sewer line, along with manholes. These look sort of like the unnatural monoliths that got the monkeys all excited in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

At times the malodorousness wafting from the sanitary sewer monoliths is quite unnatural. Today the sanitary sewer monoliths were being particularly unnaturally malodorous.

The unnatural viewing platform that looks out over the Village Creek Blue Bayou is made from planks made from recycled plastic, with a metal railing. Not very "Natural."

There is a mirror on a stick at a bend in the paved trail that I find useful, but totally unnatural.

There are large expanses of mowed lawn in the Village Creek "Natural" Area. Mowed lawns are really not all that natural.

I'm sure there are more unnatural things that I am not remembering, right now, in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

I don't know if it is ironic, or not, or simply a signage mistake, but the sign at the west side parking lot, off Dottie Lynn Parkway, says "Village Creek Historical Area." No mention made of this being a "Natural" area, as well as "Historical."

It is the signage you see as you walk from the parking lot onto the paved trail that informs you that this is "Village Creek Natural Historical Area."

It is all very perplexing. And sort of schizophrenic. And one of my favorite parks, even though it is not very "Natural."