The dry creek bed was created out of necessity.  We needed a solution to a runoff problem and this was it.  When we started, we had no idea exactly what we were getting into.  We started in the spring, and as you can see by the leaves on the trees in the pictures, it was fall when the last stone was finally put in place.

It started as a trench that was about a foot deep, a foot wide and 120 feet long.  While digging, we discovered why they call this city 'Rockford'.  We uncovered several medium sized boulders and a pile of cobble sized rock.  All of these were later incorporated into the creek.  We also found tree roots... lots of tree roots!  In fact, one of the biggest obstacles that we had to overcome was getting through the roots from a cluster of maple trees that we had recently removed. 

Once the digging was done, then the real fun began.  First we put down landscape fabric to keep the rocks from mixing with the dirt.  Then came a layer of pea gravel and the drainage pipe.  Around that we put river rock and then finally the boulders and cobble sized stones went on top.  In all, it took over 20 tons of rock, every bit of which was lifted, carried and placed by hand.

When all of the rocks were in place, we created several new planting beds along the creek.  One of these gardens also solved the problem of what to do with the rather large tree stump from those maple trees.  The last step was adding low voltage lighting so that we could enjoy looking at it at night as well.

In the end, the hard work was worth it.  The rain water runs away from the house, and the dry creek is a beautiful addition to our landscape.