I encountered a new word, “swales.” I stopped at the Lobanillo Swales historic site outside of St. Augustine. The interpretive signs informed me that the place I was standing was a trail that had been carved through the forest first by animals, then improved by the Native Americans (Caddo), and then traveled extensively by the early settlers. This trail was part of the 2500-mile Camino de Real de los Tejas. It was used by the Spanish to carry missionaries and military into the area and to protect it from the French.
The area on the righthand third of the picture shows a depression filled with trees. That was once the trail. It is 12 feet wide and 18 feet deep. The groove was carved by the repeated passage of horses, carts, and feet. I had to look up the word swale because I was still confused even after reading the signs. A swale is a shady spot or a sunken or marshy place. In this context a swale is usually a water-harvesting ditch on a contour, also called a contour bund (I love it when a word is defined by another more obscure word). It is a long, narrow, usually shallow troughs between ridges (wikipedia).
This particular place was excavated and pieces of pottery were found from 1773. Documents from the era identify the place as a resting area for people being evacuated from the Presidio Los Adaes. This is an old place.
I got out and walked the area looking down into the ravine and wondering about the people who have walked this way over such a long time. Nobody walks this way today. The road has been moved 70 feet to the north and paved. Once the sounds of horses and wagons jangled in the woods, now the whoosh of automobiles blast into the quiet forest.
So many things are changing in the world. The paths that people have walked for a long time are being abandoned. Sometimes it is for the good, but at other times it seems to be diminishing our culture. Kindness seems to have been replaced by bluntness. Compassion is rejected in favor of indifference. Servanthood is sacrificed on the altar of selfishness. The trees in the swales gave clear evidence that this path had been abandoned long ago and would be nearly impossible to recreate. Maybe we should all check on our own pathways. If you see the weeds growing on the old paths, it might be time to get back to the old ways.