The Bent Creek Sculpture Walk
As Tropical Storm Cindy closes in on the mountains of Western North Carolina, it's time to call the Bent Creek Sculpture Walk officially complete. Here's a guided tour of what stood at 17:00 on Wednesday, July 6, 2005.
The first well-organized pile of rocks we come to is Independence Circle: 
Most likely to survive high water
so-named because I did it on the morning of the Fourth of July holiday, the final day of my three days (July 2, 3, 4) of mania and cold feet. It isn't completely an arch-on-an-arch, but when it falls I will rebuild it better in that regard.
Further downstream we come to The Bent Serpent: 
The Bent Serpent is undoubtedly related to the two Stone Serpents I have in my back yard; probably a young male in search of a mate.
On Saturday morning, July 2, I gave my friend Thominator a hand loading his moving van and went off to Bent Creek to play. I did a four-arch crossing of Beaten Branch, called "Meditations on Thominator," though the second arch fell and was rebuilt on July 4: 
Beaten Branch and Bent Creek ...
The right Rock C of the left arch slid down its Rock B and the arch bent but did not break. I was awed. Things made of stone rarely bend without breaking.
And finally, we get to the Row of UnderWater Arches: 
Pardon the odd angle of the photo ...
Building arches above the water involves only one force -- gravity. Building arches in moving water involves gravity and the force of the current. However, because rocks are lighter in water, the force of gravity is less a factor. At first I thought, "I can use the current as a tool," but soon realized I didn't have a choice -- I had to work with the current.
If things change and Cindy leaves us alone, I might add more to the Sculpture Walk. But I expect to go back and find it all gone, and I might not work there for a while. Thanks for having me.