With an annual rainfall of over 45 inches a year, you can bet there’s always roadwork to be done on the farm. Everything from driveways, equipment yards, and steep sections of the 1/4-mile dirt road between the house and the hilltop pastures are all starting to ooze mud and need graveled in places.
In addition to the existing roads, I’ve established driving lanes across and through the pastures at permanent points, which are now in need of road base. In some places, very badly in need of road base. Time to get to work.
A little over a week ago, I ordered a full load of what around here they call “dense grade” gravel delivered, and I’m sure it’s just one of several I’ll work my way through this winter. Dense grade has limestone mixed in with the gravel, which adds a powdery filler that compacts much better than just plain gravel. It also doesn’t sink in to the mud quite as badly as gravel.
So with the help of my able assistant, Jack the Tractor, I’ve spent several hours this past week spreading bucketloads of road base in variously muddy and treacherous locations. That enormous $300 pile of gravel is nearly gone, but the mud isn’t. Time to order more…
Thistledog's Farm 
I don’t think a farm can ever have enough gravel, at least this one can’t. But, where I buy gravel, the fellers always give me a few extra tons. I bought 6 ton (which wasn’t even close to being enough for that particular job) and they gave me 8…nice!