Monday, September 30, 2013
Cabin Day 10, 2013 - Place Names
Today, I thought I talk a bit more about some of the places on the land that we (or others) have given names to. There are a bunch of them, so you'll need to click through if you see "More..." at the bottom of the page.
Ewok Forest: We named this area the Ewok Forest for the open space filled with straight trees. Since then, the beetle kill has taken its toll. Many trees have been cut down or have blown down. But, the name won't change.
Serenity Point: When we first built the cabin, I used some leftover logs to build a small bench on a point north of the cabin. It is about a 3 minute walk down the top of a ridge, surrounded by trees to the bench. We named it Serenity Point because it is a nice place to "take a break" and simply "contemplate", maybe with early morning coffee.
Dick the Tree: The naming here maybe obvious to you. It used to be even more obvious since there was a strategically placed twig that has since broken off (ouch). This is the only tree I've seen with two trunks that merge into one. The causes of most mal-formed trees are obvious, a larger tree falling across a smaller one, for example. But, this one has me stumped (pun intended).
The Pond: Years ago this was an active beaver pond with a hut and busy beavers maintaining the dam. But, the beavers are gone and now the pond is silting in and will become a nice meadow with Bart's Creek running through it some day. Bella likes to "swim" in the pond.
The Watering Hole: This bend in Bart's Creek almost always has a good supply of fresh running water, either from runoff or upstream springs. Since it is about halfway on a walk "around" the dogs like to get a drink here.
The Bog: This used to be a beaver pond, probably 50 to 100 years ago. It is now silted-in enough that it is only a bog. The moose and elk like to hang out here.
Picnic Rock: This is a huge chunk of granite that has fallen into the valley from the rocky cliffs above. There is a large flat spot that is perfect for folding out a blanket and eating a picnic lunch. Not a bad place for an afternoon nap in the aspen tree filtered sun, either.
Solitary Rock: Just up the ravine from Picnic Rock, this guy was named by Tom Newsom because it just sits all by itself in the middle of the valley. The trail used to go right by this rock, but because of fallen trees, we've diverted the trail up the hillside some and now it goes by Downward Facing Dog instead.
Downward Facing Dog: This is the remains of a tree that was struck by lightning. It is impossible to say how long ago, but it has been "carved" by the wind into smooth edges. If you look carefully, it looks like there is a dog/wolf/coyote pointing downward. Look for the dog's ears at the bottom right. His feet point out to the left, top and bottom.
Rendezvous / The Bottom / Bart's Creek: Also known as the "deep dark woods" this area is where the road that bisects our land bottoms out in the ravine and begins the climb up the hill to the east to adjacent properties. The forest here is very dense with pine, fur, spruce and aspen. Bart's Creek runs through culverts under the road. This is a popular destination for a daily walk with the dogs. To keep the dogs with us and to train them to come when called, we always stop at the bottom of the road and call out "rendezvous!" This means they are about to get treats and they all come running (from wherever) to partake. This used to be an important ritual to keep seven to ten dogs with us on the walk. It is less critical now with two dogs, but still an important ritual that they expect.
Alien Landing Site: What can I say? This is an old landing site for an alien spacecraft. Every year, green colored rocks (high copper content) "boil" to the surface at this landing site and Lynne collects them.
The Stump: When we had a bunch of beetle kill pine removed several years ago, one dead tree they cut was this old guy. This is just west of the cabin in our new meadow.
Coyote Den Rock: One year we discovered a den of coyote pups in crevices in this granite rock formation. We heard them first, and later climbed up to peer into the den where there were several pups crying for their mom. Not sure where she was, but we left quickly so she could take care of them. We used to see and hear coyotes a lot more often. I think they have been ruthlessly hunted recently.
Poop Hill: I think I've explained this before, but for completeness...Poop Hill is an area on the hill south of the cabin site (actually on our second piece of land) where we have always encouraged the dogs to poop. This keeps them from doing it close to the cabin, where it would have to be cleaned up.
Camp Site: The old camping site west of the cabin. We've tent camped here as well as parked the camping trailer and, later, the motor home. It has a nice grassy area as well as a stump upon which one can sit (although not too comfortably). They cabin construction crew of two guys parked a trailer here for several months during the building of the cabin in 2000 so they could live up here 4 days of the week. We used to walk from this site to the cabin site through the Ewok Forest, most of which is now cut down due to beetle kill and the need to create a fire defensive space around the cabin.
Posted under: Cabin News • by Rick on 09/30/2013 at 06:23 AM
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