Leaving Cedar Hill

I have not posted our exact location intentionally.  To protect our privacy, I will post about our previous locations but not the current or future ones, except in vague references such as "Central Texas" or "Texas Coast."  Now that we are leaving DFW I am free to tell you about our adventures while staying at Cedar Hill State Park.

But first, I must admit that if I were to live in the Metroplex again, I would settle in Cedar Hill.  Situated approximately 10 minutes south of downtown Dallas, Cedar Hill is close enough to access big city-amenities.  Ecologically, it is where the Blackland Prairie meets the Hill Country.  Rolling hills of limestone outcroppings overlaid with Eastern Red Cedars and Ash Junipers, mixed with Mexican Buckeye and Live Oaks, are just a few morsels in this smorgasbord of plants, animals, geologic formations and natural processes.  There is much to see and do in the park.  We must stay there again!

David took plentiful plant photos which I will post later.  Indiangrass and Pitcher Sage (Salvia azurea) are just two of the many gorgeous species he captured digitally.  If insects are your thing, you will not run out of species of beetles, spiders, and more to observe.  Bike the DORBA trails; walk or run the hiking trails; swim in the designated area in Joe Pool Lake; we worked and played every day and still did not do everything we wanted.

The best part of our stay was watching butterflies.  Hackberry Emperor and Tawny Emperor butterflies flitted around us, landed on our truck or on our clothes.  The trees were enveloped in thousands of pairs of tiny wings.  We also saw Black Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Southern Dogface, Question Mark, Giant Swallowtail, and a couple of moths that we never identified.  Each day Sage and I "hiked" into the "Enchanted Forest" to hunt butterflies.  She really has grown into quite a lepidopterist.

We are grateful to the folks at Cedar Hill SP for their hospitality and warmth.  When we had trouble with our truck, they helped us repair it.  Our fellow campers gawked at our setup and glanced curiously around our campsite.  We invited everyone of them to look around; we love opening up our home-on-wheels to entertain guests.  During our stay, we were able to test our mobile adventure unit.  Of course we will need to reconfigure some systems to make them more efficient.  Smart changes will make for a smoother ride for everyone.  Adios, DFW and Cedar Hill.  Wonder where we will stay when we return in a few weeks...?