Sinagua Rising: A story of survival after a worldwide catastrophe

by R. G. Andersen-Wyckoff

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  Once they had finished relocating the honeymoon suite, Colby got his bow and arrows and, followed by Jorge pulling a garden cart, went down the trail to the flood plain. The cattle were still there, munching on the sparse winter wheat. As it happened, the breeze was from the south and Colby was able to surreptitiously move around the base of the mesa toward the cattle without being noticed. He selected a healthy looking steer and again, with one arrow, put the animal down. The rest of the cattle moved away but did not run; the draw of the remaining wheat was too irresistible.

  With some difficulty, Colby and Jorge managed to get the steer in the garden cart and moved away from the other cattle. At that point, Jorge and Colby skinned and butchered the steer and placed the sections in the cart. It took both of them to push and pull the cart back up the mesa. Colby turned the stretching and curing of the hide over to Tanner, while Jorge finished the butchering by the big supply tent. Tanner was scraping the hide the next day when Matt returned. He left what he was doing just long enough to welcome Matt and Jason back, hear Matt’s story about the cargo he had brought, and then he went back to finishing his work.

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  The day after Matt returned, Colby asked Bishop to call everyone to a meeting after breakfast to discuss the ideas he had for the new Meeting Hall, kitchen, and restrooms. After explaining his ideas and receiving suggestions from everyone, especially the women when it came to the proposed restrooms and bathing facilities, Colby sat down with Bud, Bishop, Matt, and Jason. They needed a lot more lumber, cement, and roofing material to build the facility he had designed—it would require a trip into Sedona proper to Pro Build in hopes they could get everything they needed in one trip. And, they needed to “harvest” some more telephone poles for use in completing the pueblo units. They would need to take the big truck and the ATV trailer in order to accomplish the task. They decided there was no time better than the present to do it.

  Within an hour they had climbed into Colby’s truck and driven it down to the Ranger Station. They removed the fencing and then the big truck. They refueled the truck to make sure that would not be a concern, and then hooked up the trailer. They locked the gates behind them and set off for Sedona.

  They saw no one all the way to the “Y.” Once they turned on highway 89A going into what was known as West Sedona, they began to see small groups of people and individuals, all in scavenger mode. Though they drew attention as the big truck and trailer wound its way through the vehicles stranded in the roadway, sometimes having to nudge them out of the way with the truck, no one approached them. At the far west end of the community they pulled up to Pro Build.

  It was obvious that people had been scavenging in the large facility. The windows were broken and the doors pried open. Someone had cut the lock off the storage yard but otherwise everything looked like it did the last time Bud and Colby had been in the store. In the various storage sheds out back they found all the lumber and concrete they would need, and then some. With a few exceptions, the bags of concrete were still plastic shrink-wrapped, as they had been when delivered. The forklifts were still there and operational. Commandeering one of the forklifts, and detaching their trailer, Bud and Colby began moving flats of concrete and roofing paper, roof tile, and housing tile to the back of the truck. When that was completed, they reattached the trailer and then loaded stack after stack of lumber in the various sizes Colby had decided he wanted. They made a pass through the interior of the store, picking up miscellaneous building supplies and other items they thought might come in handy. Jason stood guard outside while the other men acted like children in a candy store. There is something about hardware stores and men!

  The trip back to the Ranger Station was just as uneventful as the trip to Sedona, though much slower, especially with the extra stops they made to harvest another half-dozen telephone poles. The truck and trailer fairly lumbered along the roadway, winding through the abandoned vehicles, almost to the point of being overloaded. Had the scavengers wandering around had vehicles, they probably would have followed the big truck and trailer just to see where they were going with all that stuff. Because of the size and weight of the truck and trailer, the materials had to be shuttled up to Duwa from the Ranger Station using the other trucks and small trailers. The truck and trailer were too heavy to cross the soggy area just outside the fence. Fortunately, again, they had the small diesel forklift to help remove the load and place it on the smaller trucks and trailers. It took the rest of the day before they had cut the telephone poles in half and loaded them onto one of the trailers and could finally lock the big truck up again and close the fence. They had missed lunch and were exhausted, but they perked up when they smelled beef cooking on the large barbecue.

  After a brief, but welcomed bath in the creek, joined by the rest of the Duwa clan, they all settled down to a meal fit for a king, prepared by Michael, Maria, and Estella. By the time the sun went down, all four men were sound asleep in their cots.

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  Bright and early the next day, Colby, Bud, Matt and Jorge were up at the pueblo laying out string lines to mark the dimensions of the new building that would house the Meeting Room, kitchen, and bathroom. They located the building in the southwest corner of the pueblo near the tower, where they were at the lowest point below the water tanks and closest to the septic tanks, and still within the protective umbrella of the pueblo and defensive wall. Once the corner pegs were set and the string run, they began the back-breaking work of clearing and levelling the site. It was a large footprint, ten feet longer than the current Meeting Hall and a bit wider. They left enough room to walk between the closest pueblo rooms and the new building on both the south and west sides, kind of like a cozy passageway.

  The west end of the building, closest to the tower and defensive wall would be occupied by the kitchen, the center section by the Meeting Hall, and the eastern most end by the restroom and bathing facilities. Once the site was prepared they poured concrete footings around the perimeter of the building and then at strategic intervals within. These footings would support the entire structure and provide for a raised wooden floor to allow air circulation under the building. They dug trenches in which the water and sewer lines would be laid as well as a gravel-filled drainage trench to catch any surface water running downhill from the plaza and carry it away from the building and into a sump at the closest point to the wall, from which the water was piped into the septic system. Then they began the task of carrying the large amount of lumber they had stacked by the equipment storage tent on their return from Sedona up to the site, along with all the equipment and supplies they’d need for the construction. They also brought up large sheets of heavy plastic to cover the materials and supplies should rain appear. They were just finishing this task when Matt heard the distinctive sound of a trumpet—one long and two shorts.

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  Though Matt was well aware of the number of days that had passed since his return from Stenton Farm, the trumpet call nevertheless surprised him. He ran to his cot, retrieved the bugle, and returned the call. He then raced to one of the ATVs while yelling at Jason to follow him with Colby’s truck, as they had previously discussed in preparation for Mattie’s return. With deliberate speed Matt sped to the Ranger Station and opened the gate at 179 to admit Henry Stenton’s truck. Henry was accompanied by his wife, Ruth, JR and his wife, Cathy, Hank—and Mattie, who was greeted by Matt as if she was a long, lost daughter. It had only been two weeks.◘

  Chapter 39

  The Barn Raising

  The Stenton truck was parked near the entrance to the Woods Canyon trail and the Stenton entourage unloaded the truck into the back of Colby’s truck, which was parked on the other side of the creek and then headed toward Duwa. Mattie sat beside her father and kept up a steady stream of conversation until the truck crested the mesa. The aroma emanating from the back of the truck piqued Matt’s interest but there was time for t
hat later.

  As they pulled around the last of the juniper forest and down into the village parking lot there were gasps of exclamation from the Stentons as Matt said, “Welcome to Duwa.”

  Mattie’s homecoming was cause for celebration and the Stenton’s, not wanting to come empty-handed, had prepared for just such an occasion—and Matt’s curiosity was finally assuaged. Henry and JR had pit-roasted a pig, wrapped it in burlap, and put it into a wooden crate for transport. And, Ruth Stenton had brought four of her famous apple pies, carefully placed in another burlap wrapped crate. Michael and his kitchen crew quickly moved the tantalizing food to the kitchen trailer and informed everyone there would be an early dinner that night. He also found that the Stentons had brought fresh vegetables, onions, and potatoes from their garden—it was definitely going to be a feast like none they had had since moving to Duwa.

  After introductions were made, as the women gathered around Mattie to hear of her two-week adventure, the men unloaded the last treasure from the back of Colby’s truck—several five-gallon tubs of chicken feed.

  “I figured you could use some more feed for the brood you brought home, seeing as how your corn’s not ready yet and you don’t have any soy to mix with the corn for feed. Half of them tubs has cracked corn in ‘em and the other’s got soy. You can give them chickens jist corn part of the time and then mixed with soy ‘ta others,” Henry told them.

  “Thanks,” replied Matt, “you’re a life-saver in more ways than one. Come on and we’ll give you a tour of the place while Michael’s getting the feast ready.

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  “Well, you’ve got a right interesting place here,” said Henry, while they stood in the courtyard of the pueblo. “I can see you’ve done a helluva lot of work, especially with that greenhouse. I can also see you’ve got a helluva lot more to do ‘fore’s you can move up here out of them tents, especially with this here building,” he said as they moved over to the site of the new Meeting Hall. “I expect you could use some help,” he offered.

  “Well, we can always use help,” replied Colby. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Well, how ‘bout a good old fashioned barn raisin’,” he answered. “Me and the boys are right handy with a hammer and saw and the boys got strong backs,” he said with a smile, “but not so much my back; but I can manage. And JR here is one helluva good stone mason, if’n you got the tools.”

  “We have the tools,” replied Colby, “but for what?”

  “You cain’t have a big meetin’ hall like this without a nice fireplace,” Henry responded, “and probably some rock skirting around the whole building. What do you think?” he inquired.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” said Bishop, before Colby could respond. “We’ll be the envy of the entire Sinagua world,” he chortled. “Let’s go join the women and kids and have that feast we’re all looking forward to. I can smell it from here. We can talk more about this after dinner and maybe have us a barn raising tomorrow,” he finished, mimicking the grammar used by Henry.

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  There was not much anyone could say after dinner, other than, “That was delicious,” and, “I’m stuffed.” There were multiple conversations going on while Kiera and Manny made sure that Jackson, Belle, Chloe, and the kittens got their share of small bits of the succulent pig meat. There was even enough left for Michael to wrap up and put in the freezer for another meal later.

  “Well,” said Bud, “if we’re going to have a barn raising it appears we’d better set up some sleeping arrangements for our guests. I’ve got just the thing. Colby and I’ll go down to the Ranger Station and move my motorhome up to the trailhead. And we can bring Tanner’s Jeep in, too. There’s plenty of room in the motorhome for all the Stentons, and they can use the Jeep to go to and from Duwa.

  That night they had a campfire and music by the “Duwa-minstrels.” They found that JR also played the guitar and Henry was pretty good on the kazoo, made by putting his handkerchief over his comb. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful day.

  Bud accompanied the Stentons down to the motorhome on an ATV to make sure they got settled in and knew how to operate everything. He and Colby had made sure the generator had gasoline to operate it and water in the storage tank; not enough to shower, but enough to operate the commode.

  In the morning the Stentons were back at Duwa looking rested, ready for breakfast, and a barn raising.

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  Colby and JR decided where the best location for the fireplace would be—centered on the norther wall of the Meeting Hall. Because the building was oriented east to west in its length, the roof was to slope slightly from north to south to expose the south-facing roof to the sun. Jack would install solar panels the length of the roof to provide electricity for the building.

  Some men measured, some men cut, and others prefabbed the wall sections on the ground. As each section was completed they tilted the wall up and nailed it in place on the plywood floor they had already installed on 2x6” joists, except the bathroom area which would be concrete, so it could be easily cleaned and tiled. Telephone poles were cut to specification and mounted as pillars at strategic locations throughout the building. By lunch time they had the exterior shell in place and ready for the interior walls and then the roof. Colby wrapped the exterior with Tyvek and stapled insulation between the 2x6”studs. The interior was covered with sheetrock and T1-11 sheeting, except for the walls in the shower room, which would be tiled. The lower three feet of the exterior walls were tacked with chicken wire, to hold the rock skirt JR was to build, and the balance was also covered with T1-11. Spaces for the doors and windows had been left to be completed later. A double-wide door space was left into the kitchen area to allow room to move in the equipment Michael had salvaged from Tequa.

  The women and children had been helping by gathering basalt rocks from the opposite side of Duwa Valley and bringing them up to JR to be used to build the fireplace. While they were moving the stones, JR was busy building the elevated base and mixing and pouring concrete to support the fireplace and chimney that would sprout from it two days later. Everyone got caught up in the excitement of seeing their new Meeting Hall building taking shape and all pitched in—just like a real barn-raising.

  By the end of the third day the roof was on, with skylights installed in each of the three sections, and covered with roofing paper. Colby would install the roof tiles later. The interior of the roof was insulated and closed in with T1-11. The low side of the roof was equipped with gutters and drained into pipes that carried the water to the septic system. The doors and windows were framed and ready for Jorge to do his finishing magic, and a beautiful fireplace and raised threshold of gleaming basalt rock was prominent in the north wall, its chimney climbing the wall and peaking above the high roof line. The kitchen and bathroom still needed to be finished but, otherwise, the building was completed. It was amazing the amount of work that was accomplished with so many hands pitching in to help, including the special skills of the Stentons.

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  That evening, Michael and his kitchen crew worked up a special meal in recognition of the completion of the shell for the new Meeting Hall building. Bishop, at Michael’s request, had smoked a beef roast on the big smoker all day and, if they hadn’t already had big appetites from the long day’s work, the tantalizing smell from the smoker wetted it even more. Most of the fresh vegetables brought by the Stentons had already been consumed, and the yield from the greenhouse was not yet ready to harvest, so Michael whipped up baked beans and rice from the bulk stores they had, adding fruit cocktail for dessert. Of course, the meat was flavored by Bishop’s own BBQ recipe, with extra sauce on the tables for those who wanted it.

  Bishop toasted the fine work of those who contributed to the barn raising, which meant everyone, and especially recognized the Stentons for their contribution, as well. Everyone, including the children, held their glasses of Tang up, saying “hear
, hear.”

  Almost immediately, Philip stood up and, turning to Bishop said, “May I?”

  “By all means,” Bishop responded.

  “Jessie and I have an announcement to make,” he said. You could have heard a pin drop, had it been a solid floor rather than rugs on dirt. “Jess and I have decided to get married and we’d like Bishop to perform the ceremony and all of you to be our witnesses.” It wasn’t an unexpected announcement, as all had known their relationship had grown very close over the past several months, and they all applauded vigorously.

  Jorge and Estella stood and told the group that Philip and Jessie had discussed their desire to marry with them and they had given their blessing. Then Jack and Mel rose to do the same.

  “We’re not Philip’s parents, but we know they would have been as happy as we are that these two fine young people have found each other,” said Jack. “We’ve suggested the wedding take place on July 3rd, the anniversary of the CME, and we’ll have a giant celebration. Estella has said she’ll bake a large sheet cake for the occasion, while the ingredients are still available to do so.” Again, everyone applauded. “Of course, everything depends of your willingness to perform the ceremony, Bishop.”