There are no great, dramatic waterfalls at Roundrock (yet). First of all, the streams we have only run after a heavy rainfall. Second, the fall of the land is not steep enuf to create a situation where a big waterfall might happen, even if intermittently.

Nonetheless, on our wet-day visit just over a week ago there was flowing water in the stream beds and a few places where it burbled over stones and fallen logs in an appealing and delightful way. I managed to get a couple of photos that almost captured the moment, and the one above is the best. (I’ve never claimed to be a photographer!)

I took quite a few unsuccessful pix of my little cascades before I realized that I needed to get down at the water level for the best effect. (It helped a great deal to be over my skittishness about getting my feet wet. When I could walk to wherever the shot needed to be taken, whole new worlds of discovery opened up. Yes, I know. Hyperbole. But it was kind of like that.)

What I am shooting here is not only the fall of the water but the pool of water below it. Both are rare sights in our forest. This shot was taken about half way up our Central Valley, somewhere between the headwaters of the lake and our western boundary. We were on our outbound hike (fearing a heavy storm that never came), but I still took a moment to snap a shot now and then. (That white image just to the left of the tree trunk is Libby, by the way.)

Among the a number of ambitions I have for Roundrock that I conveniently forget when we are in our post-lunch stupors in the comfy chairs under the shady tarp overlooking the intermittent lake is to build a waterfall in one of the ravines. I don’t think this would be too hard to do actually. There are a few places where the sides of the ravines are steep enuf to allow not too a number of stones placed just right to create a small wall. The water would flow over this wall and tumble into the pool that would form below it where the rocks were taken from.

There are some problems with this scenario. First of all, the wall would have to silt in sufficiently to prevent the collected water from seeping between the rocks in the wall. Okay, that could happen, and it could even be helped along. Second, the best spots for this are all remote (as remote as anything can be on 80+ acres anyway). So while having a lovely and euphonious waterfall is one thing, enjoying it is another. Third, it would only be a waterfall during the rain or briefly thereafter, and given the relative infrequency of our visits (as well as the relative infrequency of the rain), the convergence of stars or karma or whatever that would bring Pablo and the flowing falls together are exceedingly unlikely.

But I should build a waterfall nonetheless. There will come a day when I will move to Roundrock full time, and when I do, I will be able to hike to these “remote” points in my forest when the conditions are right and enjoy the fruits of my efforts. And if the stars really are aligned well, you’ll be able to join me!

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Another Fallingwater.

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Missouri calendar:

• Young raccoons leave dens.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal    Source

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