This is a post that I could write over and over throughout the year.
Cave Creek, the namesake for the Town of Cave Creek,* runs through the Harmony Hollow and Stamp Mill properties.
This is what our driveway looks like after a good monsoon rain. It’s awe-inspiring to watch the water rush through when it’s happening. Equally awe-inspiring when it recedes, but in a more devastating way, as you can see.
When we started looking into permitting for the house restoration, there was a chance that we might have to pave the quarter-mile driveway.
While paving or putting in a bridge could solve our washed-out driveway problem, our stomachs get queasy even thinking about doing that. As it is, we plan to put any creek land into an official conservation easement so it can never be built on.
We know it’s an ongoing battle, but it never fails to amaze me when our seemingly hearty road disappears. Cave Creek receives rainwater that rushes down from the mountains further up north, and we’re not the only ones dealing with this. Large washes all over town make for interesting rural life after monsoon rains.
We’re fortunate/unfortunate to be one of the places with an actual creek to contend with. It’s a love/hate relationship, but Mother Nature always wins. And when she does, it’s still glorious to see.
*I take some issue with the article saying that General Stoneman “discovered” the future Town of Cave Creek, as the Hohokam Native Americans had already been there, and others before them. Perhaps that is why they have the word discovered in quotes.
