Big Springs

I've written elsewhere about the era of Forest Service guard stations, and I won't say it all again, but along with serving as the homes and cabins of forest guards or district rangers, some facilities evolved into field stations or work centers.  Last week I was eating brats grilled by a colleague at the Big Springs "Administrative Center," which likely means that it is a place for administrators to conduct administration.  Actually, I don't know what it means, but, as one of the only locations on the Kaibab Plateau with a year-round water source, it has seen centuries of human use.  Many of the old cabins at Big Springs—while still in use by summer research and fire fighting crews—are on the National Register of Historic Places.  A few of them have even been turned into rental units, where members of the public can go for a vacation in the pines, although, to my way of thinking, and as you can see from the picture, the place is just too damned crowded to be restful.