To The Dynamite Sheds! A Scout The Wonder Dog Adventure
Another story in the continuing saga of Scout the Wonder Dog.
Superman has his Fortress of Solitude. Batman has his Bat Cave. Scout the WonderDog has The Dynamite Sheds.
Constructed in the 1950's and abandoned in the 1970's these structures were used to safely store dynamite used in oilfield exploration. Nestled in a bend of the Brazos River in a remote portion of Fort Bend County, Texas at the end of a nondescript country road, the Dynamite Sheds have become Scout The Wonder Dog's peaceful, protected retreat.
Here he is in his secret identity as Scout the Country Dog who spends his time spleeping under the house
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Here he is in his true identity as Scout The Wonder Dog, intrepid explorer, defender of hikers and campers, ever vigilant and ready to deploy his Mighty Bark when Danger approaches
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This is SargeVining, his faithful manservant, driver, and cook.
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Danger? Did someone say Danger? Scout the wonder Dog knows no fear.
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We carry on.
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Past grim reminders that life is cheap out here.
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The trip is to test water filtration methods. Scout bravely drinks from water sources like these as a matter of course, but he's concerned for the welfare of his manservant, and all other hikers. This is his Mission. This is his Duty.
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Danger comes in all forms on the trail, from creatures large and small. This is an ant hill.
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Psshaw, you say. But wait! That is one of the little ones. Here is one of the big ones.
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A trail leads from it.
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Scout The Wonder Dog advises against camping close to ant hills such as these and tells hikers in these parts to closely inspect their environs for them before establishing a camp of any sort.
Look, a trail! Nay, says Scout. Tis but another danger of this prairie---a path favored by cows that only goes to places favored by cows. Stay to the road!
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But there's beauty here as well. The Lantana is in bloom.
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This sign portends our entry into the wilder portion of our trip. We are about to embark across a wide prairie that is formed in the bend of the river by centuries of deposited silt and is periodically inundated once very 50 years or so.
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The prairie stretches before us.
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The live oak at the end of this lane marks the likely homesite of the Lightfoot clan, and was established in the 1820s by one of the heroes of San Jacinto. Scout the Wonder Dog is not the first brave soul to tread this ground.
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And this glade fifty yards away and a marker on USGS maps is all that remains of the Lightfoot family cemetery. The occupants of all such country cemetaries were moved to the Fort Bend County cemetary in Richmond in the 1920s. But thier Pioneer Spirit lives on in the heart of Scout The Wonder Dog!
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More signs of danger appear. A farmer's plow did not make those furrows---that is the work of wild pigs!
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As we near our destination, evidence of this area's previous ocupation appear. Drill pipe discarded 50 years ago or more.
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Another potential source of water but still far from our destination. Pools like these dot this prairie.
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Down the road and around the bend we near our destination and more of the beauty that can be found out here appears. Indian Paintbrush with a dusting of blue bonnets and thistle.
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Around another bend and through another gate, the first of the dynamite sheds appear behind some daisies.
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But wait! Scout The Wonder Dog goes on alert! Danger lurks ahead!
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Will we survive the attack of the killer snake? What other dangers await us? Will we be safe in the dynamite sheds ahead? Will Scout the Wonder Dog prevail over the dangers that lurk on the trail?
Stay tuned.
