Several weeks ago we started making our access to the new building site. To get to our desired location we have been in conversations with the County Highway department so that they could tell us where we could make the approach from the road. After several weeks and many visits to the road, we all decided on a path which would be the best and safest access. However, to get to where we want to go (our new home) one has to go down and through a steep ditch, up a narrow berm, across an eight foot chasm where the berm ruptured many years before, around another narrow berm and up a steep hill. Sounds like fun! So one day in early February we began. (This posting covers the span of several weeks). Here's our adventure.... thus far.
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| On the other side of these brambles, brush and scrubby trees lies the entrance to our new driveway. |
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| Decades ago, I suspect, this narrow berm held the water from the 2-3 acre lowland area. When we purchased the land about 12 or so years ago the berm was washed out and the "pond" was reduced to a little stream surrounded by marshy, grass. Wild rose, honey suckle and brambles rimmed the edges. |
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| You can see our Road better. Some of the old concrete which was dumped here many years ago will need to be re-positioned. |
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| Brambles, old weeds, dead wood and a steep edge will make this a "frisky" clearing attempt. |
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| On the other side of the berm the way to our driveway can be seen. Yes, across the washout, up the hill, on the south side of the utility pole and around the bend. |
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| But the brambles and dead wood would need to be cleared first. |
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| And yet, I can't help but look to the west to imagine what that big clearing, that big wet marshy and soggy grass area will look like after a repair of the berm and re-installation of riser pipe. I picture wood ducks & turtles, bullfrogs & grey herons, bass & crappie and perhaps some bluegills as well.... |
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| But back to the matter at hand. How to remove this in the most efficient, effective manner? Me? I would use a chainsaw and some muscle and haul it out. Farmer's Husband Gary? Much smarter.... |
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| Why God created tractors! "Work smarter. not harder" :-) |
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| A couple of hours later and the clearing is passable.... ok, a little rough, but you can sort of see your way now. |
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| It's hard to capture the dips and valleys and incline here. Suffice to say this will take a 24 inch culvert 40 or so feet long covered by massive amounts of fill in order to reach our existing berm. Just a little additional effort. |
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| Now for the other side... the side adjacent to the waterway. |
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| Here's what was lying in the broken berm - a toppled and twisted willow and masses of wild honeysuckle. None could remain. |
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| Toppled over willow trees, mulberry bushes and other brambles removed. Farmer's Husband Gary cleans up the dead wood from the bottom of the "creek" - the passage where the berm broke many years prior. |
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| The broken berm.... Look toward the top of the photo. The steep incline? That's the way to our building site.... |
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| Taken from the perspective of standing in the "pond". Clearly we could not have roots in the berm. They weaken it as they decompose and water penetrates and creates new pathways..... To keep it strong, we had to remove the organic debris, even the debris beneath the surface. |
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| Farmer's Husband digging out the first of many trees roots. |
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| The old twisted willow proved to be a challenge. Both because it was bigger than expected but also because the old berm was quite skinny at this point. Not much to stand on for the tractor. But he got it and removed it to a giant burn pile. |
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| Now to widen the berm. We laid out the edges of the new house and started the "access" to the walk out basement. After removing the topsoil (over 1 foot!), we loaded up the one ton dump truck with fill. Load after load after load.... |
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| The way to the berm from on top of the hill. It too had to be cleared. It was very difficult for me to remove these oaks. The "mama oak" had died many years ago in a massive wind storm. Thankfully, there are many others on the site. |
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| Looking down the hill. One can see the narrow existing path with the broken berm at the bottom. Quite a steep hill. Should be an adventure in making our new driveway! |
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| The driveway will start on the other side of that guard rail and smaller utility pole in the distance. It will gently curve to the berm and then curve again around the high voltage utility pole in the foreground. A wide gentle S curve.... |
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| Bringing our first loads to the "hill" |
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| After about ten truckloads we were able to make it safely to the high voltage utility pole. On the east side of the pole we discovered the old "spillway". It was only about 14 inches in diameter. Went down about three feet (the other two feet above the ground we found alongside of the hole, rusty with holes). It then traveled at a steep angle to the other side of the berm. Nothing flowed now. It all went to the crevasse in the old berm. Farmer 's Husband Gary filled the horizontal pipe with some broken concrete blocks. We then mixed portland cement, sand and gravel and dumped it into the old standpipe and added water to seep into the mix. That way, the new driveway will be strengthened and water will not leak into the old pipe. |
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| It was a gorgeous day! Can you believe 70 degrees in February? We took advantage of the light breeze to burn all of our brush. I had the brilliant idea to burn some of the marshy area so that we could see the contours more easily. Ah.... something about dry grass with a little wind.... and suddenly I was on the brink of starting a forest fire! We quickly grabbed shovels and ventured into the edge of the pond through rose thorns and brush and stomped the leading edge out. Whew! That was close! |
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| After about 38 truckloads of fill from our building site we could safely drive to the other side of the broken berm. The driveway will be widened another 13 feet or so, but for now it was easily passable with our truck and tractor. Gary was ready to dig the trench area to put our new 3 foot culvert in. It was getting late, the shadows were getting long. |
Going down the edge of the driveway to the break in the berm. Laying the culvert will have to wait for another day. Hopefully we can work again next weekend. But for now we will happy with the progress we have made. Smile.
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The culverts arrived this morning. |
Today's Journey Joys: 70+ degrees and sunny skies in mid February - an opportunity to get a jump start on our building site, water bottles without leaks, frozen pizza when one is tired from hauling fill all day, nibbling on chocolate while watching a movie with husband and son, comfortable and supportive beds, and laundry machines.
