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The Road to Heaven

By Kathy Watkins

Buying undeveloped property at the best of times means one must take into account all the work that goes into developing the land. But when the land is boat access only, you are faced with an entirely different set of challenges.

A new dock and road access to the property would mean that we could safely dock our “new” boat and get to our lot without having to climb through the bush. It was imperative the contractors chosen to do the job recognize the obstacles of working without available power, being away from the mainland, and how to get machinery and materials to a boat access only job site. They would also need an understanding of how tides would affect the logistics of building on a tidal lake.

Gary Dick of Dick and Dick Enterprises and his son Ryan of Double “D” Excavating were introduced to the project. Gary and Ryan came to an agreement with the sellers that they would build a new dock large enough to accommodate 10 boat slips. The father and son team would also provide road access from the beach and water to each of the lot lines.

After studying the map of approved roadways, walking the property and barging over an excavator, Ryan called upon a professional feller to assist in the safe removal of trees. Log piles of hemlock, fir and cedar started piling up and the common area off the beach revealed a powerful waterfall that runs all year long.

The removal of trees opened up the road and revealed the land in a way we had never seen it before. It was like walking up to the heavens with all the natural light now pouring in. A log bridge was built, and for the first time we could advance closer to our property without getting our feet soaking wet. The first cut of the road was rough, the surface soft and muddy, but nonetheless lead us to the edge of our treed lot for the very first time!

Ditches were built and big “O” pipe installed to redirect the water. Careful attention was taken to maintain the integrity of the creeks and keep the waterways natural. The roads were then covered with gravel and over time have become harder and more compact.

Our little piece of heaven was one step closer—and easier to get to! We stood on the top of our lot and imagined what our view would look like with the trees removed. Ryan was excited, as were we to have him get started on clearing the lot and opening up our view to the glorious Pitt Lake.

FIRST ROUGH CUT OF THE ROAD