You can tell that this photo is a bit out of date since there are still some green leaves on those trees. But it’s not too old, really. In any case, I really like this part of my forest. It’s just about at the center of the 80+ acres, not a long hike to get there, but you know you’re deep within when you arrive.

This is the creek bed that forms the Central Valley that bisects the rectangle of my land. The bed is full of leaves in this photo, but I’ve seen it full of water too. Mostly it’s full of rocks. Some of them are even round rocks.

This is a dynamic part of the forest. I’ve seen this area blocked by fallen trees and limbs, only to return to it to find them mysteriously cleared. I’ve seen water flowing through this creek that never reaches the lake beyond. It disappears into the ground a couple hundred feet above the lake. (Whether the water reappears somewhere in the lake, I can’t say.) I’ve seen obvious, well-worn game trails along here and then not been able to find them on later visits. Round rocks seem to come and go of their own volition. I’d swear I’ve seen dogwoods growing here and then not been able to find them again. I’ve seen flotsam in the tree branches at shoulder height, which suggests some terrifying high-water events. (I could use one of those events about now to refill the lake.) I’ve planted trees here (cypress) and then never seen evidence of them again. Turtles seem to favor this area; then they don’t. Deer come pounding down here unexpectedly.

In all, it’s an active, living place in my forest. and I wish I was there now. I fear that a whole month is going to pass before I get back to Roundrock, but then that makes each visit more special and appreciated.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2013 at 12:27 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.