While the warfare was really only against the pocket gophers that are endemic up here, we did manage to win quite a few battles. Before you feel bad for the gophers, please note they are not cute, cuddly Caddyshack critters, but a cross between a tiny beaver and incredibly mean rat. They are the primary food source for our apex predators: hawks, feral cats and snakes (gopher and rattle). They also make terrible messes and are incredibly stupid. To give you a rough idea, while writing this post we’re in the middle of resurfacing the swimming pool. We have had close to a dozen gophers commit suicide in the pool–several drowned when the cover was removed but we hadn’t drained the water, and others managed to fall into the empty shell and die of exposure, even though there are steps at one end they could’ve used easily to hop out. Still, the vultures appreciate freebies.
With that said, here’s a video of what it was like to walk the great trench we made prior to rebuilding the wall.
