I finished canning my tomatoes, washed up a bit, then decided to track Vernon down. He’d gone to the Mesa to rework an old reservoir. It’s never really held water and he had planned to dig it out and rework the road so that a truckload of bentonite might be hauled down to the location.
When I arrived, the work had been done, but where was he?
Ah. I have always referred to this draw as Buck Draw. Back before the fire, big muley bucks would bust out of this draw. They loved the concealment and the various escape routes. Now that it is treeless and open, I should change the name.
This draw does indeed drain a large area. When I arrived and made eye contact, I received a shrug. We knew the old reservoir hadn’t held well since Vernon’s grandfather had it built decades ago. Maybe time *would* be better spent trying a different spot. Vernon puttered on, digging from the bottom and tamping down the dam.
I watched him work, but monotony quickly claimed my brain and the dogs and I left to explore. Sure I’ve ridden along the draw, skirting rimrocks and trees, but never have I explored at leisure on foot. Vernon remembers a shack here when he was a kid. We always have been wary of old wire, knowing the simple remnants of a corral were among the trees. I wanted to see what treasures I could find.
The geology is awesome…
The old eagle’s nest was cool… part of it had fallen down and two snake skeletons were included with the sticks.
Then, there it was. Stacked stone around a bowl shaped depression. A dugout had once stood here. Downhill were old lard cans, tin cans, stove parts, and a bedstead. Part of a life was lived here. I’ve ridden forty yards away down a steep and rocky trail a zillion times and had no clue this dugout was here.
Maybe Vernon’s little new reservoir might bring back some life to this dry part of the pasture. Maybe it won’t work. But… maybe it will. There’s always hope. Whoever built that dugout had hope for a while… and moved on taking their hope for a fresh start somewhere else.
I took a ton more pictures. Which interests you more? The rocks? The nest? The dugout and its trash? Let me know!
The trash. There is bound to be some interesting items there.
Very cool discovery! I’m interested in the size of the dug-out and the rocks. And I really hope all the work Vernon is doing will be successful!
Oh wow, all of it, especially the rocks and dugout! That is so cool, especially thinking how close you had been so many times. Let us know how the reservoir turns out also!
I would love to see more pictures of the nest! Thanks
I’m interested to see how the reservoir looks when it’s finished and if it works out for you. Pictures of the eagles nest would be great.
More pictures of the eagle nest please!
The trash. There is bound to be so e interesting items there.
The rocks and dug out. Is the rock sandstone there?
I can’t even imagine how hard life would have been.
Do you know how old it is?
And do you worry about rattle snakes with the dogs roaming around….
The geology, the dugout and it’s trash highly interest me. If those stacked rocks could talk. The work, just to stack those large rock! There were no gas powered machines to help lift in those days. What fun…to explore.