Annarchy

IRL: Disclaimer: Someday I'll get on the same day as everyone else....

Yesterday we started early making and setting the bricks to dry, while the men worked on chopping down appropriate sized trees for the roof on the barn, by the time the sun crested the mountain top and the shadows of the mountains slipped across the field. Big D said she would make something for lunch. We had cinnamon tortillas for breakfast toasted on the grill at dawn, then moved the cows and fed the birds. Around noon, I washed out one of the buckets, filled it with river water and poured it into a pot for warm water, to wash up in. We had left over tortillas with Machaca, then headed back to work on the barn. We made a few small windows near the ceiling for ventilation and light, by skipping a brick and standing 1" diameter branches closely together, setting them in place with the cob we are using for cement. To get the bricks set above our heads, Naomi & I made us a couple of ladders. Funny looking things, but they work. We notched the stringers and the rungs and tied them together. The men just shook their heads at us. About mid after noon we were pleasantly surprised to see Mr Q. He had brought a plow for us to use. The men talked for quite a while then Mr. Q refreshed James on how to do it by enlarging our garden another furrow. After the demonstration, he said Goodbye and headed back to the lodge. I asked him to say "Hi" to everyone for me as he left. As I watched him go I began hoping to finish the barn as soon as possible so I could go visit our neighbors. I really miss them, feeling so isolated. It's not a bad thing, but I just miss them all. As tears started welling up, I swallowed them back down and focused on making the bricks. Around dusk, we called it a day. The logs were in place and most of the roof was covered. We started the fire pit and sat around it for quite some time as the 2 medium split logs burned away, discussing the fence we would need for the animals. Dinner was left overs, the last of the tortillas, Machaca and beans.

Machaca History: Machaca, which comes from the verb form machacado (pounded or crushed), is a dish that was prepared originally from dried, spiced meat (most commonly beef) that had been rehydrated and pounded to make it tender. The reconstituted meat would then be used to prepare any number of dishes. While drying meat is one of the oldest forms of preservation, the drying of beef with chiles and other native spices was developed by the ranchers and cowboys of northern Mexico. Soaked & mashed dried jerky (or fresh/left over beef cooked until it is mush) 1 - 2 Tbs. tomato bullion 1 Tbs. dried onion 1 can diced tomato 1 Tbs. oregano 1 tsp. garlic 1 tsp. cayenne (or more if you like hot food) 1/8 cup smoked flavoring (or cook over an open fire instead) 1 tsp salt & pepper Add enough water to boil for 1/2 hour until almost all of the water evaporates. Spoon into a tortilla and enjoy. Sorry, I'm not too scientific about the recipe, I learned it from a friend. It's a hit a parties and my DH loves it when I make it either on the stove, in the pressure cooker or over the camp fire.

Monday, we woke up to the rain pattering on the tents. It took me a few minutes to crawl out of our sleeping bag. Stepping out into the open, the sky was grey and the valley seemed covered in a mist of clouds. I went to the wagon and scooped some grain for Little Lady. She is showing now and I want to make sure she gets enough nutrients to feed her little one. I wish they had told me when they bread her, then I would have a better idea of when she will deliver. No matter, she lets me scratch her mane and brush the mud and grass off her. Her udder is still underdeveloped but I'm sure that will take care of itself when the time comes. She's a beautiful golden color with a lightening streak of white between her eyes. After I brush her, she follows me around like a puppy, wanting more of the meager amount of grain I give her a day. Today I found a nice patch of lush grass and tethered her near it. I moved the oxen over to the tree line on the north side of the meadow, since we haven't gotten the roof on their barn yet, giving them some shelter from the rain and fresh grass, though they didn't seem to mind the rain. I checked the birds when I fed them, their tee pee's were keeping a majority of the rain out. Our plans for making more bricks seemed slim unless the rain stopped. The day was mine! I grabbed my drover, put on my warm moccasins, utility belt with my weapon and my walking stick. Peeked into our tent and whispered to my dearest, I was heading out to explore. He whispered back, “I love you, be safe”. “Yes dear, I love you too” I replied and headed across the meadow to the north east corner to the tree line. Bramble bushes lined the edge of the trees, I wasn’t sure what type of berries they were but could tell by the leaves and flowers they would have some type of fruit. I skirted the bushes and entered the tree line. A squirrel started chattering at me announcing my presence. I looked up at it and it scurried higher up the branches. I turned north and came to a declining slope and noticed the trees thinning out into a rather large meadow with a couple of hills. I turned northeast walking along the tree line on the east side. As I crested the first hill top, I could see down the length of the valley between the hills. It was full of vegetation, bushes, rocks and a stream flowing toward the river. ¾ of the way down the other side, I found where the stream came out of the forest. I walked up the stream heading due east for a few minutes until I found a place I could hop over without soaking myself, then went back down stream to find the meadow and check it out a little more. As I approached the edge of the trees, I caught a glimpse of dark brown beyond the trees to the north. I stopped to make sure it wasn’t moving and turned in that direction. I came to the far end of the meadow after crossing another small stream and entered the trees toward the next hill and field. At the top of the hill the field was fairly flat sloping up to what looked like an old broken down house. Trappers cabin? Curiosity got the best of me, and I headed toward it. The building sat at the edge of a dense part of the forest facing the field. Someone had gone to the trouble of making a porch that had long ago fallen down. I walked around the building peering in the windows making sure it wasn’t occupied by something. The back door was ajar and I carefully pushed it open. I stepped in and the smell of old wet wood permeated the air. The room had a table, which looked like if you touched it, it would fall over, with a chair pushed up next to it. The next room, I think it was the living room, had a window that looked out over the field. One other room adjacent to the kitchen had a blanket wadded up in the corner. The floors were slatted wood and creaked every step I took. Uneasy about falling through I went back out the way I came in. There was a path in back of the shack that went up a slight incline into the forest. I decided it was time to head back and bring someone with me to show them what was here. I got back to camp and the rain was letting up a little. I found everyone in our 'one room home' lol. Wood was stacked in one corner by the door, chairs were set up around the bbq and everyone was relaxing. They had a pot of beans cooking and were reading. They said it was a day to rest, tomorrow would come soon enough and we'd get back to the work that needed to be done. After telling them everything I saw, I went out to our wagon and got a pencil and paper, I wanted to sketch out what our home was going to look like, and joined them around the fire.

‘What a challenge!’ is all I keep thinking. Up at dawn, work until dusk with breaks for eating. We're sore all over and want to sit back and rest. The light rain that moved through on Thursday slowed the drying time for the bricks. We had our routine set, DH shoveled clay into a bucket while James shoveled sand. I gathered arm loads of dry grass from the field while Naomi mixed the ingredients in another bucket then dumped the mixture into the frame we had made from an extra plank Big D had brought in her wagon. 1/2 bucket of mix made two bricks and the bricks were set enough to remove the frame by the time the next batch was mixed. During the drying time, James worked on the logs we needed. Naomi & I stacked branches by diameter and length. DH dug rows in the garden. While waiting for more branches to carry, we took turns raking the tilled soil, removing and stacking sod and rocks in piles. Big D took care of preparing lunches and dinners. Breakfasts, when we eat them, have been simple, a hand full of oatmeal or a cup of cereal. Naomi has taken time about every three days in the morning to start a loaf of bread, baking it during our lunch breaks. The other days she makes enough flour or corn tortillas for the day. Friday she started a pot of beans, which made enough for leftovers on Saturday. We had marked the area for the building we wanted to make and began laying bricks down, using cob as mortar and a smooth coating over the bricks. When it dries, it's hardness is similar to concrete, and so can be used for load bearing or self supporting walls. With the footing/foundation set, adding the course seemed to go rather quickly. It took about ninety 10"x14" bricks per layer. The first room internal dimensions are about 13'x11' with a door opening on the East and South sides. By Friday afternoon the walls were complete including using one log/tree cut into three pieces used as the door and window headers. We used many of the long small branches to make a coop for the birds. We set four six foot length branches as our base, tipped them into the center and secured them with a rope, then filled in each side with more branches and some bamboo reeds from the river woven through the branches to secure them, to make a TeePee, leaving an opening on the side facing the house. It is only temporary coop until we could make a more permanent structure for them. They seemed to like it. To my surprise, the hen wouldn't come out of her nest in the cage. When I checked her, she was sitting on several eggs. We put their cage in the coop covering the opening with a woven reed gate. Then, made a second tee pee for the turkeys and used their cage to block the doorway. Mid afternoon Friday we made extra bricks for a kiln placed on the southwest side of the building. 3 bricks wide by six length with a shelf inside to fit a grill and used smaller hand formed bricks to finish the top and chimney, covered with cob. We stacked three bricks tall and wide as a wall, table top and heat shield below the opening. By evening it was finished and filled with dead wood, wood ends and pieces and we lit it. We had been pushing ourselves so hard we ended up mesmerized by the glow and chatting well into the night. We decided Saturday we'd plant and do light work. I wanted to do my walk about to see what the land up here looked like. Sunday we were going to the Lodge for services. We still have to make shelter for the oxen, cow and horse, but for now several nearby trees and the wagons are providing that for them. We'll start on Monday on that. Saturday, I was up well before dawn, the moon's crescent was barely visible and we needed to finish all the planting before too much longer to take advantage of the moon's cycle. I dug a flower bed in front of the window opening of the house and planted the chocolate, ginger and peppermint plants. My 6 tomato plants were put in the ground as soon as we'd prepared enough ground on Wednesday, they seemed like they really liked the soil and there are several flowers already blossoming on them. One plant stem had been pinched about 4 inches off the ground in our travels, I'm hoping it will bush out instead of dying off. We had also managed to plant some cherry, beefsteak and roma seeds. The rest of the day was spent planting seeds. The tilled garden was now 20' by 40' We put in 4 rows of yellow corn, 2 rows of white corn, a row of spinach, 1/2 row of lettuce, 1/2 row of radishes, carrots, garlic and onions. Green beans were planted in between the yellow corn and black eyed peas between the white corn. The next 2 rows were mounded and planted with acorn, crooked neck squash, cantaloupe, watermelon and pumpkin. Leaving one row for the jalapeño, bell peppers, long green chili, basil, rosemary, thyme, cumin, sage, oregano and asparagus. We need another garden for the wheat, which we hope to prepare and plant next week. Saturday evening we were able to use the kiln for cooking. We had biscuits and bacon gravy. Sunday everyone got up about the time the sun crested the mountain top. DH stayed with the animals while we took the buggy and brought a chicken casserole for lunch. Services were refreshing and Michaels instructions reminded me how frail I am. The ox or horse would more than likely drag me along, if I tried to plow. James stood up and took a turn and did really well. Big D cheered him on clapping. All the plows were spoken for so we decided to continue as we have been, one shovel full at a time. We mingled and socialized with everyone before going back home. DH had spent his time fishing and had caught a couple bass and several crappie when we returned which we minced and mixed with a can of cream of mushroom soup, some onion and served it over some egg noodles for dinner.

I been really busy this past week. 5:00 p.m. comes, I put things up and come here to read, before I post and next thing I know it's time to go home. I've been doing research on floor plans and calculating how many bricks to make our structures, how many trees/logs for the roof, calculating how big the garden must be, and what the terrain should look like, (I don't want to give the wrong info). I will try, really try, to make time tomorrow to be able to sit down and type in my log. It's all in my head and on pieces of paper, I just need to type it out. LOL

Here's a link to Adobe houses, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe Our area is saturated with these buildings.

OOOhhhhhh, excellent! That explains a lot! <I can't bake worth a squat using the box/recipe temperatures. Why didn't I think of that? duh> We're at 3,600, in order to successfully bake anything, most of the time I have to lower the temperature 25-50 degrees and increase the time by 10-15 minutes. Countless times I've cut the edges off and used aluminum foil to cover the edges. Black bottomed biscuits and burnt pie crusts are a speciality of mine, LOL Thanks Leah. You're a gem.

ladybug60, -6, & RebeccaP

Saturday, the men returned about noon as I was finishing up the inventory (IRL: inventory). GS808 said where we were at seemed a good a place as any. We had water, a large field and adequate resources to begin our homestead. He mentioned they had seen a herd of deer and managed not to disturb them. They would go hunting when our supplies began to run low. My dearest and I took a moment to walk down to the river talking about our supplies. We turned north and walked up river to the reeds and cattails, until we noticed the mud sticking to our feet was clumps of clay. We backed out and cleaned off most of it with a stick then walked back to the wagons which were parked end to end in a V shape, next to the large rock outcropping that dropped 15 feet down to the river on the east side and gently sloped into the field on the west side to give us some shelter. I was concerned about the amount of rocks we may have to remove for the garden, but he and James assured me they would handle the heavy work so I wouldn't have to. We would set aside specific ones for the chimney. It was agreed that we would stay together until we were able to make a separate house for Big D, James & Naomi, and continued talking about where we wanted our house, barn and garden to be. By mid afternoon we gathered some extra wood and sat near the wagon planning what we needed to do. I made a few flour tortillas and put a few deer sausages on to cook. They liked the idea of taking one of the canned hams with us in the morning for Sunday lunch. Sunday morning we were up at dawn, well, except my dearest. James took care of the oxen and Little Lady while I fed the birds. GS808 got up an hour later and washed up in the river, saying how refreshing it was. I smiled and told him I had a pot of warm water waiting for him, but he didn't ask. We decided to walk to the lodge, it didn't seem that far, after all the traveling we have done recently. I grabbed our bag and we headed toward town. Mother's announcement was disheartening, but services were inspiring. I enjoyed visiting with everyone. It was so nice to hear how much they have accomplished and what their plans were. DH wanted to get back to our place before dark so we got Big D and Naomi loaded up the buggy and we headed back to our place. It was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to touch the west mountain by the time we arrived, so Naomi and Big D made a pot of chili colorado with extra chili using some of their jerky and made a batch of tortillas to go with. It was too hot for me. *Wheww hot hot hot!* Monday morning, I woke before dawn and laid there listening to the silence, broken by the occasional snore and moan. Nothing else seemed to be stirring. Quietly, I slipped out of the tent and climbed into our wagon with a candle to do my reading, noting that I would need to make candles in a couple of months to replenish my stock. As dawn broke I blew it out and finished reading in the dim morning light. A loud splash surprised me. Carefully, I felt for my pistol and shoved it in my back pocket, because I had left my belt in the tent, climbed out of the wagon and headed in the direction of the sound. *Splash*. I crept up the bolder and peeked over the edge. *Splash* Fish, just fish, jumping at morning knats. With a sigh of relief, I sat down on top of the bolder thinking that it is so quiet that the simple splash of a fish sounded loud, then, sat there and soaked in the splendor of the valley to the south and the water fall in the distance to the north. The sky was bright with a few thick clouds, I could see some vertigo rain from a couple of them and hoped it wouldn't rain. I grabbed my shovel and went to the north side of the field and began turning the soil, taking the sod and placing it next to the row I was digging. By the time I finished 10 foot, James and Naomi were up and moving about in camp. I continued working for an hour or so until Naomi came over with a cup of coffee and told me to take a break as she grabbed the shovel, handed it to James, took my arm and ushered me back to the fire where we sat and talked about her life before this adventure and her hopes and dreams for a better life then what she had in Mexico. Once GS808 and Big D got up, surprisingly within 10 minutes of each other - like mother like son, lol - James took a break and came over to the fire where we discussed what we were going to do about living arrangements. GS808 suggested an adobe home. "We have clay, sand and straw." he said, pointing to the field covered in dead winter grass. "We would only need a few medium sized trees for support logs on the roof." My mind raced back to our home town, where most of the homes were historical adobe, and how we had watched the historical society restore some of the worst depreciated structures. It might be possible. I was so worried about having to cut down trees, I knew there was no way I would be able to handle the strain on my back. If it were left to me, I'd end up living in the wagon the rest of my life, cause I didn't have the strength to chop down a tree and make it usable to make a home out of. I went to the wagon and rummaged under the towels for the stash of 6 cheap shower curtains I had folded up and three 10' x 6' tarps that we could use to dry the bricks. I grabbed a bucket and emptied the large 10 gal garbage can for mixing the mortar. James & GS went to work gathering the clay, Naomi got buckets of sand and I gathered straw/grass with Big D. The mixture is about 50% sand, 35% clay and 15% straw. On one of our trips back to the staging area, Big D pointed at Little Lady's poo and said "Get that, it's bug repellant for the bricks, and I hate bugs." By lunch break we had mixed a couple of batches and made 48 bricks that were drying. They had to be turned 1/4 turn in 2 hours and would be able to be used in 4 hours. We continued working on gathering sand and straw the rest of the day. The clay we would get fresh as we made each batch. Big D stayed near the wagons and prepared dinner and we all crawled into bed just after the sun went down. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday went pretty much the same. The dried bricks were stacked up and wet ones were set out to dry. Breaks were taken to eat, brainstorm the floor plan, and switch gears and dig the garden.

Oooopppsss.... where's my eraser.....

Awesome Michael, I'll have to print it later when I get to my printer. ((((Mt_Rider)))) hope you get feeling better soon. I've missed you. Here's what I did to the map so I had an idea of our area: Section area: divided into acres divided into feet

Brrrrr....but beautiful! Thank you for sharing. My calendar has a verse for this month: Isaiah 2:3 "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord... He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths."

(((((MT3B))))) Hope you get better real soon. Wonderful information, thanks so much. I took some time to divide the map into miles, little rectangles, lol. Anyway, then I took an area and blew it up and divided it down to feet. Wow, 1 acre = 43,560 square feet, which messed me up at first, until I found that it also equals 100' L x 435.6' W. [ 100' + (217.8=435.6/2) x 217.8] which squared out the plot somewhat. {Someone correct me if I got that wrong please.} After blowing up each square, my drawings are finally down to about the size a person would see standing still. (The artist in me wants to draw the images I preceive. lol) The distance between the area we chose and the Lodge & Mother seems to be around 3 miles and 2 miles from "R" - as a crow flies. Time to travel that distance is understandably longer due to the terrain, at least until we can make a path/trail/road. Heading over to read yesterdays posts ........

We had spent Friday night at the lodge in our tent by the wagon, planning to start working on our land in the morning. We would be back for Sunday services to pick up Naomi and Big D. As usual, I was up before dawn, when one of the roosters decided to begin crowing, prompting another to join him in what sounded like a chorus of conversation. I slipped out of the tent, climbed into our wagon and lit a small candle to save the battery life of my flash light to do my reading. By the time dawn broke, I had finished and began to look at what we had, deciding to do a full inventory when we got back up to our area. The damp beans were double in size and I knew I would need to get them planted if I wanted to salvage them. I didn't want to mess with the other seeds that got wet, hoping that if they were beginning to do the same they would survive. About that time, GS808 & James stuck their head around the corner of the wagon startling me when they asked, "Are you ready to go?" I hadn't expected them up 'til after the sun came up. They hitched the wagons while I herded the heifer over and tied her to the back. Memories of our trip rifled through my mind as I thought 'this would be the last time we had to head out', then hoisted up the birds and we were on our way. It took close to two hours to get to the place we had first stopped. We would make this area our temporary 'home' and scout around. My dearest gave a kiss on the cheek, patted his weapon on his hip, while James held up his whistle and they took off towards the other field to the east. I stood there watching them walk away then turned my attention back to the tasks at hand, then walked down to the river. The water seemed calm on the surface, currents creating an eddy behind a small bend to the south. To the north, various sized rocks peppered the shoreline fading into a sandy beach edged by a strand of cattails growing in what appeared to be silt. I went back to the wagons, let out the tether on Little Lady to graze, and walked north across the field, down a small incline to the tree line. I could see another open area beyond towards the east and made my way through the trees. The grove looked like a mixture of species, pine, oak, popular, maple and a few I couldn't identify yet. Ferns were beginning to unravel mingled with a vast variety of other plants, shrubs and bushes. It opened into medium sized grassy meadow surrounded by trees on all sides. I stood there for a moment, then turned back, gathering dead wood as I returned to the wagons. I wanted to set up camp first, there would be plenty of time to explore later. I dropped my armload of wood next to the wagons and prepared a small fire pit that would be our heat and my stove, then broke up the wood to fit it and stacked it off to the side. Next, was to set up the tent nearby checking the wind to make sure we wouldn't be smoked out by the fire pit, smoothed an area and set it up then unrolled the sleeping bags on top of the mats. With that done, I focused on inventory until the men returned figuring it wouldn't do me any good to start a garden here if they had found a better place.

We met AH on the way into the Lodge, excitedly he said they had found their spot, then he headed towards Mr. H. Big D, Naomi & James were sitting near the fireplace taking when we came in. We joined them and began discussing what we need to do. Gunslinger went over to Mr. H to discuss our options and came back smiling. "Well, are you ready to head out?" he asked. "Mr. H said the area we were looking at on the map hasn't been explored." He paused a moment, gazing at the flames flickering on the logs, "We could check it out and be back well before dark, if you want." James stood up promptly, nodded at Big D "Let me get my jacket, I'll meet you at the buggy." I turned to Big D and gave her a hug. She whispered "Good Luck, I'll see you when you get back." The buggy was hitched and its contents had been transferred to their wagon. James was standing next to the horse stroking her mane when we got there. I climbed in while the men sat out front. Remarkably, I could see that my dearest MIL had been extremely spoiled our whole trip. Soft leather divided bench seat, like a Lazy Boy recliner, including the head, arm and foot rests. In front of me was a pull out table with cup holders, a small refrigerator nestled under the cab surrounded by wooden cabinets. The windows were lightly tinted and manually rolled up and down. Even a sky light! There was an incredible amount of space behind the seat for storage. No wonder she never complained. I shook my head, thinking how we had taken the bare minimum to save on weight, then fixed my gaze out the windows to see what I could see, marveling at the smoothness of the ride. We followed an old trail leading to the hot springs, then began weaving up and down the hills, bypassing swamps and trees, boulders and small streams. The scenery was breathtaking. We had climbed in altitude by the time we reached the area we had been looking at on the map. James brought the horse to a halt and tethered her to a medium sized popular tree. The area was a large open field on top of a medium grade hill, lined with trees to the north and east, while the river flowed on the west side at the bottom of the hill about 100 yards away. To the south, you could see the lake and almost all of the valley. I stood there speechless for some time gazing at the splendor, until my dearest came up behind me and whispered, "You've gotta see this." He walked me to the north side of the clearing and pointed up to the top of the mountain. You could see the waterfall cascading down the cliffs. Even in my wildest dreams, it would have been hard to find such a perfect place for us. James had walked east towards the trees, then called out to us. We came over and he pointed to an area just on the other side of the grove of trees that lined the field we were in. You could see another field, lined with trees and a few valleys in between. We chattered excitedly about the area, this can go here, and that there and on and on and on, before deciding that this area would do just fine and we should get back to the Lodge. The ride back seemed much shorter and we arrived at the Lodge well before dark. GS808 went to talk with Mr. H, James hurried to talk with Big D and Naomi and I went to check on the animals, then, met up with them in the Lodge. GS said he'd got the paperwork done and handed me a cup of coffee suggesting we get a good nights sleep, and that we had been invited to sleep in the Lodge instead of having to set up the tent. I woke early, snuck out of the bags and went out on the porch to do my reading. By the time I had finished several people were up. I could hear Chef clanking pans in the kitchen and went in to help. He readily put me to work making biscuits while he busied himself preparing eggs, pancakes, bacon, toast, and gravy. After breakfast, we sat around, enjoying the time to socialize without having to worry about anything. I made my way around visiting, sharing what we had found so far and listening to the stories of what everyone else had found, where they were going to be and what their hopes were. Everyone was concerned for Mt_R, Mt3b and Q including me. Mother quickly assured me they were in good hands, but, it didn't seem to ease my concern, quietly we said a prayer together.

(((((Quiltsy41)))))

Cool, it's Friday. Boy do I have my work cut out for me. Been thinking about all this and now that we are here in the valley, the un-reality of it is setting in. A LOT of work, just to survive. IRL, end of the month/year/taxes and trying to catch up from the Holiday's and taking MIL back home, has been a challenge and I haven't had much time to 'surf the net'. A moment here or there, but priorities press and time flies. Anyone have an extra minute they can spare to send me? LOL Hoping to stay on the same page as everyone else....

Yesterday morning started abruptly for me when I woke realizing the sun was already up in the sky. I had slept in and needed to take care of things. Even though I had fallen asleep concerned for our things, it had been a restful night, now that we had finally arrived in our valley of safe haven. I could hear the clunk of buckets and grunts of the animals. Quietly I slipped out of the sleeping bag and unzipped the door enough to slide out, trying not to disturb DH or Frank. Their snoring remained consistent as I zipped the tent door back up. Big D was walking over and we went back to her buggy. She wanted to talk about where we were going to settle. She made me laugh when she stated she wanted the Lodge. I told her we had hoped to check the northern area later in the day. “Take James with you.” She replied. My first priority of the morning was to check the wagon and take care of the animals. The oxen and the Little Lady were in the pasture grazing contently and the birds were quiet. The wagon looked like it had dried out quite a bit during the night and my hopes soared. I climbed up the front and began checking the tins. One small tin of pinto beans and a small container of seeds had gotten wet, but the plastic liners and bags had protected everything else. I wondered if we would be able to get the seeds planted by the time the moisture they received caused them to begin to sprout. As I stepped off the wagon, there was Big D again. “Come on, get yourself some breakfast. Chef’s got some scrambled eggs and biscuits.” She insisted. The Lodge seemed so peaceful. People were milling around and others were engrossed in conversations when I made my way to the kitchen and got me a plate, a cup of coffee and a promise of more if I wanted. Big D had a place by the fireplace saved for me and we chatted as the fire warmed us. Revived and relieved, I made a cup of coffee for my dearest and went to see if he was up yet, leaving her in the Lodge. He was up and eagerly accepted the cup. We discussed heading out later and checking the northern area, but we wanted to make sure that area had not already been spoken for, as I rolled up the sleeping bags and disassembled the tent, then headed back to the Lodge.

First off, I'd like to apologize for my "Blooper". I was assuming since it took us quite some time to climb the mountain that it would have taken a few days to come down the other side to get to the valley. I didn't realize we were already on the map near the lodge. We have a couple more questions: How big are the rivers on the map? and do they run all year? I'll be a good girl now and shut up.

We followed the wagon train in to the lodge. The river had taken it's toll, seeping in from every direction. Water was even coming over the edges of the wagon, slopping across everything. We managed to keep the sleeping bags, tent and clothing dry, but everything else seemed soaked. We were tired and cold by the time we stopped. Big D was given the luxury of riding the raft and was toasty warm as she laughed at us for being soaked. They had taken the precaution of sealing everything and their wagon had floated like a boat. As they headed into the Lodge, we tended our animals, and tried to dry things out. I replaced Frank's bedding then sat cuddling him for quite some time to get him to quit shivering, before GS came and told me dinner was provided for us. After dinner, we set up the tent next to our wagon, laid out our sleeping bags and passed out. Tomorrow is another day, I was thanking God we made it through today.

Vis: We're used to 2-5', most of the time you can see the debris in the water, as long as you are alert to it. We've known people who were not and got decked. Water Temps: Cold is cold, with the wet suit, you can generally handle it, however, the duration must be considered to prevent hypothermia. Safety: If you are alert to the currents, most running water will push you to the sides. People tend to freak out when they are being pulled along and try to swim up stream which wastes energy and increases the risk of drowning. The best option is to turn and swim with the current and head to the sides. Flooded river: Yes, we have on several occasions. It can be treacherous if you are not alert. Never never dive head first in the water, always slowly submerge and look around. Look for trees, branches, and other crap that the water has picked up. That's where a wet suit can provide some protection from encounters with objects. Including the unexpected current forcing you into a rock outcropping. Would I take my wagon across? Probably not if the water didn't subside. Again, the key is whether the bottom is stable enough to get a grip. Generally rivers tend to have a mucky bottom where it is deep and as it shallows out the water becomes swifter where rocks collect. I would if the water was knee deep to waist deep, and then only pointed down stream to allow the flow help push the wagon along. Any shallower, considering the cfs, you could be swept away before you had a chance to get a good foot hold. Deeper would pose the same problem due to buoyancy. Thank you very much for the rope. I would be useful if the current is too rapid. But I would hesitate tying it around me, instead, I would hold on to it and swim it across. There is the potential of the rope catching debris and pulling you under. (I always carry a sharp knife while diving.) Since we've apparently crossed and headed in... I'm going to go read what you all posted today.....

I woke up late, sore and still tired. My back, legs and feet screamed at me as I climbed out from our sleeping bag, GS had gotten up without waking me. I could hear the sounds of everyone taking care of the animals as I sat there stretching, thinking how nice it will be to get to the Lodge, then climbed out the back with a pail of grain to feed the cow, but she was already eating and almost finished. Oxen were being hitched and everyone seemed ready to go. Groggily, I put the feed back and rearranged the sleeping bag into a makeshift chair about the time AH shouted "Wagons Ho!" Moments later, DH was on the seat with the reigns in his hands. Briefly, I thought that he must really be excited about this being our last day on the trail. As we made our way down the trail, the anticipation mounted with every glimpse of the lake, fields and Lodge. There were times as we switched back, that it seemed we were moving away from our destination, but with the size of some of the hills and the thickness of the forest, it was apparent that the trail was taking the path of least resistance. During our lunch stop, GS helped fill several of the bottles we had dumped up on the mountain. I filled and capped them, and marked them "Mtn Stream", he carried them and put them away separate from the unopened ones. As we finished up, GS had gotten into the last of our jerky and was ready to move out. Stopping had rejuvenated me, walking around talking with everyone, watching the kids run about playing, animals grazing, and people socializing sharing their hopes of the 'perfect' place. Once we were back on the trail, it occurred to me that I really hadn't given it much thought lately. Anyplace that had water to drink, grass for the cow and a small plot for a garden would be fine for me, just as long as I didn't have to live in this wagon forever, I would be a happy camper. I moved up and sat next to GS to get a good look at the terrain of "Our Valley". Huge trees made up most of the forest, peppered with vegetation. I wanted to jump off and explore to see what some of them were, but decided there would be plenty of time to explore once we were settled in. I sure hope no one gets rattled when I go for a walk about and end up crossing their property. When our train began circling early, we figured our group either needed a break or there was another obstacle that needed to be resolved. Hearing the rushing water of the river suggested that it might have something to do with why we stopped. I hopped down and was met by Mother who explained the situation, she was heading towards Mt_Riders wagon as I turned to inform my dearest. He gave a sigh and began unhitching the ox. We listened as the conversations centered on crossing the river, what to do and how to do it. Building a replacement bridge would entail cutting trees, latching them together, making it large enough for our wagons and animals to cross yet light enough to be moved into place. If everyone worked together, it might take less than a week. Other suggestions of waiting for it to subside could also take more than a week. Concerns began circulating about the clouds that were building, if more rain came, waiting for it to go down could even take longer. The map didn't show a river near the entrance of the valley which means that we still weren't that close to the Lodge. After some time, GS suggested we go for a walk and take a look at this river. The bridge point seemed the most logical point to cross. Someone had built rock slabs on both banks to support the logs which were no where to be seen. The river seemed to be flowing consistently, clarity had much to be desired with all the mud and debris it was collecting. We walked quite some time down stream surveying the banks for a possible secure path, discussing whether we wanted to dive in and check for an area that could be used to cross safely. We decided it was already too late in the day to be soaking ourselves, walked back planning to go upstream in the morning. We both agreed that the debris from the bridge would be another obstacle we didn't want to encounter. The next morning we were wakened by the thunder and the smell of rain in the air and when it began to fall in sheets, we found shelter in the wagon. GS picked up his book and I immersed myself in finishing a doily I was tatting. I grabbed a bucket and collected some rain water for my tomato plants that had survived and the pomegranate tree, occasionally looking out to see if the clouds were subsiding. Lunch and dinner were simple, smoked venison wrapped in a corn tortilla warmed on our BBQ using a small amount of wood we have left.

Depending on the flow, it could be explored. IRL, the river we regularly dive/swim in weekly, flows 1600 - 2000+ cfs (cubic feet per second) with water temperatures in the 40's to 70's, depth ranges from 1' to 65'. If a shallow area could be found that has a good foundation - pebble bottom with solid shore lines, the only danger would be the flow. Generally, if the water is shallow the flow is intense and we would have to be concerned about the animals or small carts being swept away. Interesting... to say the least.

Quick questions: How deep is this river? What is the composition of the bottom? Would it be possible to ford the river someplace? (I could always put on my wet suit and go see... LOL)