Dear Friends,
Among the many outstanding attractions of the beautiful Meeting Hall Dome site on ISHA Hill is that it’s riverside property. Getting to the river, however, can be challenging. From the Dome site, explorers can walk east along “Master’s River Trail” to a bluff that overlooks the Chippewa river valley. From there, it’s a tricky descent down a steep trail to a small, unnamed creek, with no easy crossing. And then, after a walk through the thick woods and tall-grass marsh of the floodplain, the intrepid explorer reaches the banks of the lovely Chippewa River.
In order to overcome one of these obstacles, ISHA is studying the possibility of building a small, permanent bridge over the unnamed creek. Here’s a Google Earth image, showing the Dome site, the trail, the creek (blue line), a possible bridge site, and the Chippewa River on the far right.
At the September mitti seva, a group of enthusiastic sevadars visited the creek site. Here they are heading into the woods along “Master’s River Trail.”
Here’s a view down the steep bluff to the small, unnamed creek. (Any suggestions for naming our little creek?)
On mitti seva day, the group spontaneously decided to build a temporary creek crossing. With the simple directive, “grab a rock as big as your head,” a human chain was formed down the steep incline, and the stones were passed down to the creek, to create a dry crossing. Here are the sevadars at work … including one with bare feet!
The participation and enthusiasm were contagious, and in the short time given for the task, a walkway emerged! It was a beautiful example of what seva is all about … people working together in joy and cooperation, expressing their love and devotion for Ishwar. Although spring river floods may dislodge these seva stones, the sevadars are prepared to rebuild, until a permanent bridge can be built!
After crossing the creek and the marsh, these determined explorers were treated to the beauty of the Chippewa River.
Also during mitti seva day, a small group of experienced builders and engineers gathered at the stream crossing to evaluate options for a permanent bridge across the unnamed creek. Their observations and recommendations will be incorporated into a construction plan later this year.
Here are examples of some other small, wooden bridges that might inspire our own bridge design team. There’s always more seva ahead!
“Love is the bridge between two hearts.“
With warmest regards,
Paul Bauer
Chair of ISHA Building & Fund-Raising Committee
Paul Bauer
Chair of ISHA Building & Fund-Raising Committee