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Land Rush

     Shortly after the Historian had left us Fortson and Eugene came back to finish up the night shift. Janie and I went into camp and saw the barbeque and party had pretty much wound down. We managed just enough sleep so that we were reasonably ambulatory the next morning and it was back to the lumber mill again.

     We hadn’t been there long when Captain Travis messaged us and described the bridges he intended putting up later in the day and to ask about planking. I told him we would get right on it. Janie asked me if that wasn’t something that needed a priority assigned to it and I said it probably was but before the rules kick in let’s just get it done with.

     By the time Joe and Gene took over (they were an hour early) the job was about a quarter of the way done. Joe had checked in before leaving camp and I asked him to bring out a couple meals cause Janie & I were considering a picnic. Then I told him what we were really going to do was look at some land.

     We had been studying the grid map of what would be called Liberty Township that the Council had already produced by noon, and had talked as time permitted during the rest of the day about where to claim our Freeholds. I had been raised up on the shores of Lake Superior and knew I wanted something on water with access to the ocean. Janie, who had grown up in Kansas and then went to work for Mid States Power, said that sounded near perfect to her as well.

     There were almost three hours remaining till dark and we had been working south of the campsite, so if we walked fast we could get to the area we had chosen to look over and still have an hour or more to spend before we would need to head back in. We didn’t say much as we put all our effort into covering the near two miles of mostly open ground to a point [k41] on a bluff overlooking the river. After we got there we had no need to say anything at all.

 

Janie’s Point   Photos By L. Monroe

      To the north of us one side of the point faced a large sheltered bay which was tentatively slated to become the Township port area. It was below the last of the two bridges who’s spans were much too low to the water for anything but small boats or barges to pass under. And the river’s depth here was more than adequate for a deep water keel.

     On the south side of the point the river widened rapidly to the open sea with a small island showing vivid green a half mile to the southeast. The bluff continued along the shoreline to the west then south again for about 2500 feet forming another smaller bay and at it’s base was a narrow rocky beach some 20 to 40 feet wide interspersed with areas of sand and tall narrow bladed grasses. There were several places where the bluff gave way to a steep boulder infused slope leading right down to the waters edge some 60 feet below.

      We clambered down the nearest one of these natural ramps and there ate dinner. I made it a point to take a sip of water from the river and found it clean and sweet. We were only a bit less than a mile from open ocean but the current was swift enough that neither of us could detect the least hint of salt or any other mineral. We finished our meal then walked the beach westwards till we could climb back up to the top the bluff.

     For the next thirty minutes we walked the edge stopping here and there trying to figure out the best spot to start building a home. One of the things that made this spot so terrific was that with the community port area to the north we would be sure of someday getting power and a road.. Janie never once brought up her disappointment with the way the colony had progressed so far and all too soon it was time to return but I was sure she was pleased that we were far removed from the area reserved for Liberty City proper.

     Immediately upon reaching the camp site we registered our grids. I chose the point which was really only about half land, the rest being river, but my what a view, and the grid to the west of it [j41]. Janie registered [i41] and following the curve of the shoreline [h42]. Between the four sections with the way the shoreline swept around the point that was almost 2000 feet of frontage. I let Janie know that back on Earth any land like that would have started at over a thousand a foot and only gone up. We were instant millionaires.

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Colony: Alchibah is a science fiction blog novel.
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