A  Ride Up Our Driveway  -  Spring 2009
You are about to venture up the gray gravel road we call our driveway.    

We begin this trip turning onto Four Mile Road.  The road sign is new this spring.  Now people can find the turn without Bob or myself leading them there.  The sign also helps since this road does not appear on some maps.  The hill behind this sign is at the lower edge of our hilltop.
 




















To the left of the road is Four Mile Creek, its namesake.  When we moved here, I wrote in a newsletter about these small valleys between mountains.  This is typical.  The creek and road are in the center.  The mountains go up behind the homes on either side.  We will live on top of the hill on the left side.  You can see where our forest meets our neighbors’ mowed back lawns.  The small paved road on the right leads to a right-of-way to our property on that side of Four Mile Road.
 













The creek is now on the right side of the road.  Look straight ahead on the left, just at the curve, to see our gray gravel driveway and our big black mailbox.  Across the road from the mailbox, going up the mountain, is our other property.  This area is very quiet and beautiful, with an old fashioned friendly neighborhood atmosphere.  We are getting to know the neighbors and are sure that we will be happy here.   


















As we turn onto the driveway, you see a small patch of white gravel in the lower right corner where our mailbox sits.  Note the tall grass on the creek bank straight ahead.  That nameless creek is our property line along the right side of our driveway. Hold on.  Here we go.




















On the left, our property begins at the tree line, as with the neighbors in previous photos.  On the right, behind the row of trees, is a slope that goes down to the  nameless creek.  On the far right you can faintly see the edge of the house belonging to the man who sold us the property.  We are glad that he kept that acreage and still lives there. 
 
















The land is still fairly flat here as we enter the forest. 






























Now we start climbing.  The little bridge across the creek on the right side marks the back end of our seller’s property.  From here everything you see is our land, which is still hard for us to believe.  We wanted 10 to 20 acres and ended up with 100.  We have become very familiar with, and connected to, the half of the property that we are working on to become our daily living area.  Everywhere we look, we imagine enjoying ourselves there in the future.  It will take time to explore the rest of the property that we have not yet seen.     












We are near the top of this section.  On the right is a pull off that looks down into a beautiful grotto where several small creeks merge into one to become the nameless creek.  Straight ahead you see a left turn.  Once we take that turn we will leave the creek.






















We have made the turn and continue climbing.  Off to the right is one of many old farm roads to explore.




























Still climbing.  If you could look downhill through the trees on the left side of the previous photo, this one, and the next two, you would see the backs of houses on Four Mile Road as we parallel it.  Look through the trees uphill in those photos and you would see the central and top plateaus that will be in future photos.    





















Still climbing!  Are we there yet?  No, but getting closer.  We have seen deer here and in several other places around the property.  Sorry! They did not come out to be photographed. 

























Sunshine!  We are out of the woods.  Keep this spot in mind.  You will see this piece of driveway in many later photos.  


























And you are there, almost.  The gravel ended here when these photos were taken.  The ground was too rutted and slick for a car to drive up.  A few months later the gravel did continue.  You will see that in future photos.  We never thought to come back to take another photo.  Remember this spot.












Go to next sequence


Return to home page