Homestead mailing list

[<eureka AT hctc.net>]

I hate rappelling! One year I took up rock climbing and 
did two routes about the equivalent of a 20 story building 
with my teacher. That part was OK, I'm actually good at 
that. But rappelling back down frightens the daylights out 
of me. I once slipped about six feet (200 feet up) with my 
back to the ground before my gear caught me. Adrenaline 
filled my body and I was paralyzed by fear. I also watched 
an experienced climber next to me take a twenty foot fall 
and heard his hip break as it hit the granite. I learned a 
lot from climbing, but I never, ever had fun. The only 
positive outcome is that I am no longer afraid of climbing 
the ladder to my roof. :)

--S

On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 14:35:15 -0800 (PST)
 bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com> wrote:
> Somehow I missed the extra pages the first time I went 
> to the link.  That sounds bad about the river no longer 
> flowing in the well.  Water is life.
>
> I can't believe that someone who has done as many 
> adventurous things as you have described  has not 
> rappelled or otherwise climbed down to the rivern thru 
> the well.  If you ever do, take pictures.  I wouldn't do 
> it, but I wouldn't get in a kayak on white waters , 
> either.  :-)  ....bobford
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> --- On Wed, 11/5/08, eureka AT hctc.net <eureka AT hctc.net> 
> wrote:
>
> > From: eureka AT hctc.net <eureka AT hctc.net>
> > Subject: Re: [Homestead] Wild water
> > To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 2:53 PM
> > Bob, if you paged through the article and saw the 
> > underground water chambers on the following three pages, 
> > this is more of what I have starting at 40 feet below 
> > the 
> > surface where the pioneers dug through rock to get to 
> > it. 
> > The opening and shaft all the way down is about the 
> > length 
> > and width it would take a man to swing a pick axe, so 
> > rectangular, maybe 4' x 5' or so.
> >
> > I don't have an above ground natural well like this
> > one, I 
> > have something that's tapped into the watery cave
> > below, 
> > and the 40 feet down to it is air space. Our well is 
> > covered with a heavy iron lid so that animals don't
> > fall 
> > in (lots of rocks and blocks piled on top, wild vines 
> > growing taking it over), but it doesn't have a lip as
> > it 
> > should. Our well service men have been down in it, but
> > I'm 
> > not that brave, I only peer in with a flashlight. During 
> > this drought we've been able to see more of the cave
> > space 
> > which looks barely big enough for a skinny person to 
> > squeeze through. We have an electric submersible pump 
> > bringing the water to an above ground tank housed in a 
> > small "well house".
> >
> > I just thought it would help you visualize how a river 
> > might be flowing through the bottom of my well. I'm on
> > the 
> > same aquifer as Jacobs Well. I have a friend that used 
> > to 
> > climb down into a Hill Country cave near there and swim 
> > in 
> > a large underground lake. This is not a place you want 
> > to 
> > be in one of our flash floods.
> >
> > Apparently my worst fears are confirmed on Jacob's
> > Well:
> > http://www.visitwimberley.com/cgi-bin/water/viewnews.cgi?category=2&id=1225125916
> >
> > --Sage
> >
> > On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 13:06:19 -0800 (PST)
> >   bob ford <bobford79 AT yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > That's neat Sage.  Okay, I went to the photo at
> > the link 
> > >(Of jacob's well).  That water comes to the
> > surface.  If 
> > >I understand correctly, your does not?  You have to
> > send 
> > >a bucket down (or some pumping apparatus) thru 40 feet
> > of 
> > >open air before you touch water?  In other words, you
> > can 
> > >see, way down, but not touch, the water?.  How big is
> > the 
> > >opening of the open well?  An underground river 40 feet
> >
> > >down would be a trap for any animal ? ...bobford
> > > 
> > > 
> > >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > 
> > > 
> > > --- On Wed, 11/5/08, eureka AT hctc.net
> > <eureka AT hctc.net> 
> > >wrote:
> > > 
> > >> From: eureka AT hctc.net <eureka AT hctc.net>
> > >> Subject: Re: [Homestead] Wild water
> > >> To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > >> Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 1:53 PM
> > >> I think it was Bob that was interested in my
> > pioneer 
> > >>well, 
> > >> where about forty feet down you can see a river
> > flowing 
> > >> through it. Although it is clear and cold and
> > coming up 
> > >> from deep within the earth, undoubtedly stuff
> > trickles 
> > >> down into this very wild water. We use a reverse
> > osmosis 
> > >> filter for most things, but honestly we drink it
> > from 
> > >>the 
> > >> hose and haven't died yet.
> > >> 
> > >> Speaking of wild water, I am reminded of another
> > Hill 
> > >> Country locale I've visited called Jacob's
> > Well, a
> > >> natural 
> > >> hole in the bottom of a rock bottom creek that
> > goes down 
> > >> at least 400 feet and during the pioneer days
> > pumped a 
> > >> geyser up. When I swam into it a decade ago it was
> > just 
> > >>a 
> > >> couple inch roil on top of the water, but still
> > strong. 
> > >>A 
> > >> golf course and subdivision have since been built 
> > >>nearby, 
> > >> so I wouldn't doubt if it's a depression
> > in the
> > >> creek now. 
> > >> All of this is from a large system of pockets and 
> > >>tunnels 
> > >> through our limestone known as the Edwards
> > Aquifer, 
> > >>where 
> > >> San Antonio gets all of it's water.
> > >> 
> > >> Here's a link, with some interesting photos if
> > you care
> > >> to 
> > >> page through the story of how divers lose their
> > life 
> > >> exploring it. This might give you an idea of what
> > my 
> > >>well 
> > >> is like on a much smaller scale.
> > >> http://www.visitwimberley.com/jacobswell/
> > >> 
> > >> --Sage
> > >> 
> > >> 
> > >> On Wed, 5 Nov 2008 13:15:13 -0700
> > >>   Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com> wrote:
> > >> > 
> > >> > On Nov 5, 2008, at 12:50 PM, bob ford wrote:
> > >> > 
> > >> >> Don, one time I was hunting along the
> > stream bed
> > >> of a 
> > >> >>wooded area of  
> > >> >> a farmer's land.  I drank from thwe
> > beautiful
> > >> clear 
> > >> >>water of the  
> > >> >> stream.. 'Walked up aways , bloated
> > dead cow
> > >> in stream, 
> > >> >>possum  
> > >> >> crawled out of its butt ..
> > >> > 
> > >> > And you appear to have not died. At least not
> > all of 
> > >> >you.
> > >> > 
> > >> > All surface water is rife with bacteria. As
> > even with 
> > >> >the water you  
> > >> > now drink, no matter city water or bottled,
> > the key to
> > >> 
> > >> >health safety  
> > >> > is the percentage of bacteria and your state
> > of health
> > >> 
> > >> >when you drink  
> > >> > it. The water in Hurricane Creek has bacteria
> > >> "too 
> > >> >numerous to count."  
> > >> > Beavers had populated the upper reaches, so
> > the water
> > >> is 
> > >> >also full of  
> > >> > giardia.
> > >> > 
> > >> > Btw, for others in a similar good
> > circumstances, which
> > >> 
> > >> >is to say with  
> > >> > abundant surface water, I learned this summer
> > of an 
> > >> >apparently sure  
> > >> > cure for giardiasis--our old friend, garlic.
> > Raw
> > >> garlic. 
> > >> >Mince two or  
> > >> > three cloves, put it into a glass, add water,
> > swish it
> > >> 
> > >> >around, drink  
> > >> > it. Do this on an empty stomach and two or
> > three hours
> > >> 
> > >> >before your  
> > >> > next meal. Repeat daily until symptoms
> > disappear. One 
> > >> >dose does it for  
> > >> > me.
> > >> > 
> > >> > Think of the pioneers, traveling a few miles
> > each day,
> > >> 
> > >> >stopping to  
> > >> > camp when possible by a spring or a stream,
> > >> replenishing 
> > >> >their  
> > >> > supplies. 'Course we don't know how
> > many died
> > >> along the 
> > >> >way.
> > >> >
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> > >> 
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> > >      
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> >
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>      
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