Locked Out After Sunday Walk With Arlington's Village Creek Indian Ghosts

Since today is the last Sunday of February I did today what I often do on the last Sunday of February. I drove  to Arlington to go walking with the Indian Ghosts who haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area they used to call home.

There were a lot of people walking and biking with the Indian Ghosts today, enjoying the balmy temperature in the 70s. Last year about this time we were enjoying a bout of snow and ice.

The paved trail you are looking at above is at the north end of the VCNHA, as it exits to the Interlochen neighborhood and becomes the Bob Findlay Linear Park Trail. During the last major flood event, around Thanksgiving of last year, I think Village Creek flooded than I've seen it previously flood, but I did not witness that flood event. Just the aftermath. That is the dried mud residue of the flood you see at the side of the trail, high above the creek..

Village Creek is running a lot of water, still, from the most recent bout of minor drippage, as you can see below via the dam bridge which exits the Historical Area.

Why aren't generators installed to harness this energy? Probably because usually it is more of trickle than a hydro force.

When I left the Indian Ghosts behind I dropped in on ALDI, because I needed coffee.

Soon thereafter I was back at my abode. When I stuck in the metal device which slides the deadbolt out of locked position, facilitating opening the door, it was quickly apparent the lock was broken, as in the key just spun around without engaging.

All other means of entry are dead bolted from the inside, with no key openers. The windows are all locked.

So, I quickly called a door opening specialist. She arrived, tools in hand, about a half hour later. A few minutes later the door was open and I was making lunch. I asked the door opening specialist if she'd like a burger. The answer was in the affirmative, with the works, sharp cheese, onion, pickle, bacon, lettuce and tomato. With oven-baked fries.

The new lock and key are quite nice.

Flood Forces An Alternative Route To Walk With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Pondering The J.D. Granger Memorial Plaque

Last night a storm dropped a lot of water, in addition to banging my windows with hail, along with some strong thunderstorming.

A storm dropping a lot of water cuts back on my hiking, biking, walking options.

Walking around Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park is always doable, no matter how much flash flooding has flashed.

But, my usual Sunday constitutional takes place at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area where I walk with the Indian Ghosts who haunt the area.

So I drove to my usual entry place for my usual walk with the Indian Ghosts, sort of expecting the parking lot, and park, to be closed, due to flooding.

My park closed by flood expectation turned out to be correct. So, I drove to the east side of the Village Creek Natural Historical Area, to the Interlochen neighborhood. I knew the flooding would either have abated enough to allow a dry creek crossing, or I could just walk the trail in the Bob Findlay Linear Park and avoid Village Creek.

As you can see, via the picture above, at some point during last night's flash flooding water washed over the dam bridge, leaving some driftwood, but, by noon, the bridge was dry, and so I was able to do my regular Sunday walk with the Indian Ghosts, albeit from a different direction.

I was not the only person opting to enter the Village Creek zone via Interlochen. A lot of other people were walking around the "Park Closed Due To Flooding" gate.

Below you see one of those gate crashers walking across the dam bridge that usually is the first one I come to when I enter the park from the regular parking lot.

The water rushing under the dam bridge at high velocity made a very familiar noise which caused me to wonder how long it has been since I've last experienced a real waterfall. Turner Falls up in Oklahoma? Snoqualmie Falls up in Washington? Tandy Falls in Fort Worth?

Speaking of water in Fort Worth.

I have previously read the memorial plaque that you come to when you exit the Village Creek zone to the Bob Findlay Linear Park.

Today I read it again. I found one particular paragraph interesting.

"Bob developed Interlochen Estates, a select residential area featuring a sophisticated lake system. He received national attention on this development for his conversion of abandoned gravel pits located on a flood plain."

Reading the above paragraph had me wondering if some day in the future, 20 or 30 years from now, when, maybe, the Trinity River Vision is actually something someone can see, if a similar plaque might be installed on the shores of Pond Granger honoring the brains behind the TRV Boondoggle, J.D. Granger.

"J.D. developed the Trinity River Vision, a private economic development area with a sophisticated pond, built using public money, with no input from the public in the form of voting for the project. J.D. received national attention for his part in removing existing flood control levees, replaced with a massive flood diversion channel, which failed when first flooded, causing billions of dollars in damage, while losing an untold number of lives."

I somehow really doubt there will one day be a J.D Granger Linear Park in Fort Worth. Then again, I have seen some mighty strange things happen in this town.....