Dallas is currently nearing a stage 4 drought. I know that it's bad and that we are restricted to watering our yards once a week along with other precautions. I have noticed the levels of small ponds recede and I have witnessed the stressed and dying plants. All of this was concerning, but the full scale of it all didn't hit home, until yesterday.
Yesterday, I was in the mood for a hike, so I headed out to one of our big lakes. The lake is home to a five star, nine mile trek. It's really pretty. But, before I headed down the trail, I stopped by the lake to view the water. I was in shock! I saw that the sail boats and pontoons were sitting on the bed of the lake and that the boat ramp led to dirt. That was only the beginning of the severity of the drought hitting home. I decided to get out and walk along the boats and view the lake up close. The ground was filled with deep crevices that left patches of ground about the size of my foot! I had to watch my step and maneuver like a chess piece on a huge chess board. As I moved closer to the receding lake, the crags of clay became softer and they also began to feel a bit unstable, determined to take it all in I continued to press on towards the water. The lake bed was littered with dried clam shells some were peeled open while others were perfectly shut. I also took in the depth of the water and studied the cliffs to determine where the water should be. I estimated that I would have been under 15ft of water if it was at its correct depth. I have never seen anything like it before. My only regret was that I didn't have a camera with me. I am going to head back over there sometime soon, with camera in hand, to capture the magnitude of the drought on film and save it for posterity.
