Desert Drive and History Lesson

A couple of weeks ago on a lazy Sunday we decided to drive out to where the new airport is being built here in our little valley. It should be completed or so they say by 2011. The runway at the top of the plateau has served it’s purpose and so they are building a newer one, not so centrally located above the town. There was not much to see other than a lot of cleared dirt, so we ventured off into the dessert. All of the following pictures are taken with my new Nikon D3000 camera. I love the colors! This is not enhanced one bit, this is how it really looks people! The sand and mountains are this ORANGE! There were a few sports bikers and 4 wheelers tooling around in the sand. We stopped to see what draws so many people here.

As you can see when you enlarge the photos, it isn’t hard to become mesmerized and in love with the beauty of the desert.

The sand is sooooo fine…..something you would see in an hour glass only burnt orange.

Footsteps will soon disappear when the wind starts to blow

we saw a sign that told us we could go a few miles ahead to a historical site, so we did.

I love history. Especially when it is in my own back yard!

The structure at the top of the hill is the fort

Standing inside this structure you almost felt like you had to whisper. I can’t imagine being held up here, peering out the portholes for Indians. I couldn’t see very far looking out, I can’t imagine holding a rifle in this small porthole and keeping my head down so as not to get hit by an arrow. That I will show you in a moment.

All around this fort are small areas to put your rifle through…

Water in the dessert is like gold and Fort Pierce River was a water source these men were not willing to part with so they fought for it.

This is where the water flows, the rock is worn with wind and water flowing from it into a gully below….

Did you mama ever tell you NOT TO LOOK directly into the sun? Well my mama did, but I didn’t listen! I am still playing with my new camera…. Can you see where 3 arrows hit the rock? I can’t imagine from a distance how close this really came. But I am sure if they just shot over the top….arrows were getting in.

The opening where the rifles were poked out of is just to the right of this arrow mark!

This is the side of the building and that is the opening! Pretty cool huh!

Well I won’t bore you with anymore of the Fort, but if you ever come this way, this is a great history lesson not to miss!

The beauty of this desert never ceases to amaze me

Oh BTW today is the first day of my treatment.

The BIG GIRL, I am calling “it” a girl, don’t know why…just am. I have decided to give her a name too. Rada. (Ray-dah) We are going to become good friends for the next 28 days. I will let you know tomorrow how it went. Scared? yeah a little.

View Full Album