Oko Topa

Monday, Mar 16 to Sunday, Mar 22, 2009: high 80, low 31

Early Friday morning of this week was the Vernal Equinox. The beginning of spring. Perhaps presaging the opening of the new season, on Monday morning, March 16th, Kenny Rosane reshaped and graveled the approach from 226th Avenue. This is the entry to Wingsprings. Through this gate all visitors pass. Prior to the reshaping and graveling, the approach was the lowest point between the gravel road [226th Ave] and the gate. Moreover, it was concave shaped. Therefore, when it rained or the snow melted, it was a muddy quagmire for days and days. Unfortunately, i do not have any photos to show it in that condition. The photo below, however, might help you to imagine how muddy that dirt approach could get.

When it was really muddy, you would have to try to drive through the gate as close to either side as possible, and at such an angle so as to avoid the slippery gooey muddy mess in the middle.

The tracks above illustrate this strategy, though there obviously is no muddy water to skirt. This picture and the one below were taken earlier this month on a frosty day.

Here’s an even frostier photo. Its taken the morning after a snowstorm as i approached the gate from the Wingsprings side. The wind was blowing the snow across the trail, and as i recall, the temperature was bitterly cold. There was no sign of travelers prior to me that morning.

On another early post-snowstorm morning, however, its clear that rabbits–and apparently lots of them–had already been traveling the trail by the time i got to the gate. I had followed their tracks all the way from the house, nearly a mile away. And the tracks crossed the road [226th Ave] and continued eastward.

Here is one of the earliest photos of the gate, taken the summer of 2004 when we initially began construction at Wingsprings.

And here the gate is from the other side, the Wingsprings side, on Monday morning after Kenny finished reshaping and grading the approach. It might not appear to be much of a change, but it will more easily enable us to make that transition–both literally and metaphorically–from Wingsprings to the county road and beyond, especially in inclement conditions.