New Trails, Concrete Stairs to the River

Nice walking trails are beginning to form on our property. The largest undertaking is a trail that leads from the back of the big house to the river. I mentioned this trail in an earlier blog post and thought it needed more work to make it more accessible. Concrete stairs were the answer for this steep site. The crew is working on the last 8 meters of stairs which is followed by more natural dirt, clay and rock steps. A trail across the river leading to the end of the property boundary is coming along nicely. A spring (one of several on the property), is located along this trail. The abundance of water in the area makes a lot of mud on the trail. The crew built a bamboo and rock ramp in order to improve the walk.

I continue to learn from Mario, the gardener. Most of the vegetable seeds we planted have sprouted and the vegetable starts are doing great. So far we planted cilantro, radish, mustard greens, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, sweet peppers, celery, corn, squash and two types of beans. Soon there should be an overabundance of food.

Yesterday we had a nice dinner at Mario’s house and met the entire family, including the 86 year old “Papa”, who upon our entrance to his property asked us if we found gold on our property yet. We hear different stories about our property from just about everyone we talk with. This man wanted to let us know there is no gold on the property, how he knows, I’m not sure. Other people say decades ago there used to be a large gold mine operation on our property. We don’t care either way and prefer to preserve the nature that is still intact.

The first photo is of a wild flower growing on the property. The second is of the concrete stairs being built on the river trail. The last picture is of the bamboo and rock ramp near the spring area.