Beaver creek is kinda winds thru the Pittville-Fall River area right thru the Pittville plains, and there's this really neat lava bluff called Beaver Creek Rim. The rim starts and ends all in the length of a half-dozen miles and is about a coupla hundred feet high (I'm guessing). There's some cool signs of life and pioneers in that area, old hand-hewn cabins and rock fences and such. There's this one absolutely prime spot where the creek cuts right thru this bluff and comes streaming out of this nasty-looking bluff, cutting a sharp "V" right thru the rim face. At this place there are lots of willow trees and grass and thick shrubbery, plenty enough to find a pleasant little sand flat and dip your feet in the cold water. The sound of this little hidden oasis is soothing and settling, and a perfect reward for walking thru the rock-strewn fields to get to it. Tthere's even an old fallen-down house that a pioneer that saw the beauty of the place built. That place, I found, is called Burton Ranch, and I plan on going back again this year.

First, the rim...

This is one of those neat old finds that makes you keep coming back. The old cabin wasn't 10-foot square when it was standing, but hand-made in every step.
Hand-hewn cabin

Here's a closer look at the hand-work;
Hand work

I was foolish enough to just have to see what the top of the rim looked like, and after a gruling climb-scramble, I took this pic looking back down at the route I walked in on;
Looking down

Look at that hand-stacked rock fence, will ya? Here's a closer look because it inspired me so m uch. You can imagine that the rocks that comprise this mile-long fence were once spread all over the fields and some pioneer (Mr. Burton, maybe?) picked every one of those and walked it back to the fenceline. Would you have the gumption to do that?;
Close-up

Here's a shot after I walked back down and out (way past the end of that fence) of the rim itself, and you can see how it just begins from nothing and lifts right outta the plains. The creek's bisect is a little to the left of this photo;
Rim shot

This is a close-up of the bisect, the spot where Beaver Creeek comes out of the canyon that it cut into the rim. It looks so much impressive in person;
Bisect

There was an odd patch of this lava rock that I walked past on the way in. It looked like it was just dumped there by trucks to fill a hole, nice a fresh with not one plant growing in the middle of it. Sure wish I was a geoligist;
Rock patch

OK, now here's a good shot of the bisect and the ranch. This road leads right to the falling-down house (you can see it if you look), and the house is backed right up against the bluff and the stream. Just out of the right side of this picture, the cliff goes right back up at the same height as this point:
The road in

One more shot closer;
Closer

And this next pic is the reward. Such a beatiful and secluded spot.with lots of cool shade that I can see why they built a house here in the first place;
Rewards