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Return to Paradise - Homestead and Adventure!
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06-09-2015 5:53am#1Previously, from WR:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057302784
Well, it’s that time of the year again and it was with a buzzy heart I boarded the great plane west for the Americas!
On the flight there were no dramas, on the ground at Chicago it was business as usual. The Customs folks read my declarations, checked my lithium batteries and all was well. Apart from my hand-baggage the main bulk of my gear was not searched. Nearby my position a Lebanese dude was having the full search done as multiple food packages were inspected. I think they were ok with him in the end though.
As I passed through the airport into the main area with my bags I thought it was going well, until the weather turned…
Great thunderous rain and clouds drenched mid-west America. Nearly all American Airlines flights were grounded and mine was no exception, 'cancelled' read the flight to Denver, as were nearly every other airline flight to the mid-west.
After taking my turn to queue at the 'rebookings' telephone quad I got talking to a woman about what to do next. I ended being routed onto a Miami-Denver flight the following morning, there was nothing to do but wait it out and people-watch until sleep claimed me for a few hours. As I drifted into sleep I wondered how my little Cabin Shed from last year fared over the hostile-winter.
I woke up at midnight and wandered around, in the main area lots of people had been given cots and blankets, but not the Ryder. They’d all be handed out already!
As I was about to head back to the fringes an older woman saw my wanderings and let me share hers instead so it wasn’t all bad. We slept tail to tail on a four seat bench against the wall so it wasn’t exactly side by side action for those that wonder. :eek:
In the morning she had gone and a New Jersey Jew-dude was sat nearby instead. As I roused myself from sleep and bundled up the blanket he was talking on his phone loudly about business back east and the delays, he mentioned about how some people had been stuck at the airport for a WEEK!
I hoped I would not be there that long and headed over to my departure gate before it was too late.
The good news was I was now booked onto a direct Denver flight. Apart from some frizzy-attitude from the growling check-in woman (she was a bit over-worked) all was well.
The bad news soon became apparent on landing. I was fine with the lack of altitude sickness, but the delayed baggage had me a bit on-edge. No trace was showing up and it was a case of wait-and-see.
I had no spare clothing nor my Ram Pump project gear and of course my scout unit.
I headed to the base to the north hoping the White Baron and the other expensive gear was unmolested.
Mountain Mike was there at city-base and we set up the usual tent for me to crash out in. Mike let me borrow a tent and some old sleeping bags for mattressing. My other Canadian sleeping bag was swiftly washed and dried.
0600hrs next morning I heard an apparition tapping on my tent. It was MM Mike.
“Emergency sorta,” he said and I got dressed to see what the fuss was about.
To my relief the baggage had arrived, but it had been dumped on the doorstep of Mike’s house without even the courtesy of a doorbell or knock at the door. No phone-call had been made either. Still nothing had been taken, although a TSA card inside my backpack said that ‘for the security of America’ my bag had been searched.
That drama over with it was time to get prepared for the expedition. This time I have to scout out a niche in the PNW and do some work on my land in Wyoming! It’ll be a buzzy busy time but should be fruitful!
First stop was mundane things like insurance and tags for the number plates.
More to follow, watch this space...2
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Looking down from the Ryder's Redoubt...
There's not much snow now, just a few patches in the shady areas, all clear on the Golden Hill though.
I partially remove some stuff from the Cabin Shed. It stood up great to the snow! I wonder how it will fare when the heavy snow years come?
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Ok, what I plan to accomplish is two-fold.
I will be over at the Mountain Hold & Exploring my new world up in the PNW!
There's some secretive and amazing land I have set my eyes on. It's a lot of work, but, like the pioneers landing on distant shores, a new world will hopefully slowly rise up....
On the Mountain Road!
Leaving Wyoming and crossing the border into Montana was a real buzz. Green valleys and lush terrain became more and more apparent. The Little Big Horn was my next stop.
As it was Sunday the museum was closed, nevertheless I took some pics of the place.
Some of these veteran Crow scouts of the 7th Cavalry are likely to have known Lonesome Charlie who fell in the great battle of Little Big Horn. They could expect the most horrendous treatment if captured as, to the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes they were considered race traitors for taking the white man’s coin. Nevertheless after the war ended the Crow tribes ended up being awarded the area.
I stopped off at a casino run by the Crow Agency and, like their forebearers, they weren’t aloof or shy about talking to a European. One even told me she’d been to Denmark!
I left after spending two bucks for the buzz on a gambling game then left, a car full of Crow nearly struck the White Wolf as I made to turn left (they were turning across me but seemed to think a diagonal move was more suitable than a wide turn). After the near-miss I wondered if my opinion of them had come close to being a different one indeed.
I entered the Pacific North West and was swept away by the valley interstate, there were tonnes and tonnes of Trees! Here was where I would make my autumnal and winter retreat!
Arrival in PNW
The land was shown to me and although it was hellaciously hot (as I’d chosen a time in early afternoon) I looked past the heatwave conditions and looked into the BOL.
It had water close by from a neighboring well, lots and lots of trees. Some mature, many adolescent and youngling. The land was flat and it had good sun coverage too. During winter it would require an elevated solar platform to catch the mountain fringing sun though.
After making merry with the neighbor that night I set about scouting about it the next morning when it was still cool. The markers were only partially set out for the land in question so I had to make some estimations of central masses etc. There were only two cabins close by and I had plenty of privacy.0 -
For a cabin I had plenty of trees around, not all were super-tall and big, but it was enough to get started.
My friendly neighbor G-Man helped me out too, he already has a cabin and other artifact equipment which he offered to lend. All the neighbors are friendly, even T-Man the paramilitary hermit from the low-mountains.
The heatwave that has been sweeping the PNW has been testing, whenever I work outside I have to make sure I cool down again with plenty of water. It's dry too, the wind has been still. That's great for the White Baron to fly in, but not so great for down below on Terra Firma.
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About my acreage amid the All-Forest:
This is the shower area! I stand on the stump and take care of business!
This is the first of four 30 foot purlins, I peeled it with a hatchet and draw-knife.
Here's another, just to the left of this is where my tent is now set up:
This saw action at the Mountain Hold last year, it replaced the one that was torn up by the black bear of rampageon. Hopefully this year it will be less molested!
This is where, all being well, I'll have the Ryder Cabin:
Into this cosy copse of youngling trees will go a shed:
The toilet facilities aren't much but will evolve into a proper composting outhouse in future times:
I'll be leaving those big trees in the center up so I can run my sky-wires for hoisting the great thirty-footer logs into the air.
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More bad news came when I checked the height measurements for the tree I’d be using for a sky wire. The ladder I’d acquired last year wouldn’t get me the height I’d need for the cabin project. Essentially that puts the Ryder’s Redoubt Project on hold for a while. I did reinforce that latter with battoning on both sides so the thing won't snap apart when I'm up at height. The rungs are a bit worn though.
Just look at the water run-off / snow melt effects on the land here!
After a weather check I see more grim news. The Mountain Hold and area is going to be deluged for 5 days. This will mean mosquito heaven for the next 10 days. Movement is tricky during such conditions too. It was time to redeploy to the south and get the trailer completed at the Greeley Grotto.
The next morning I make a quick update to MMM and make a hasty bug-out to the White Wolf with all my gear. It was just starting to rain too but with a poncho thrown on I get the tent down, the shed locked-down and I’m out the gates by 0830hrs.
I outran the storm but by the time I make the Colorado city the rain soon caught up! There was enough time to dry out the tent and hang some gear to dry before the weather front descended.
Now it’s just time to work on that trailer at the Greeley Grotto.
The next day it was gloomy clouds and cooler temperatures. Making the most of it I got to work on the trailer. After sourcing all the parts and bits that had been tidied away I soon had the wheel shields,
This wasn’t difficult but then the rain descended and with Mike’s help it was moved under the shelter of the Greeley Grotto.
The next stage was securing the leaf-springs to the trailer. The guide was vague but I got the right stuff in the slots!
Once this was done it was time for the critical axle to be installed and clamped into place onto both leaf-springs with a set of U Bolts and steel plates. Then is was just a case of getting the wheels on.
Wheel Bearing assembly
I took apart one hub assembly to have a good scan about inside. The Oriental Factory beings had pre-greased it but I added some more just to be certain.
Once the hub assembly was slid in I just had to add the crucial 'castle nut' flush then back it off 1/6 of a turn so the thing could spin freely.
The tools I used to get the hub cap off. You don’t have to remove the entire hub assembly though, unless you re re-greasing it, or wanting to mount it to the axle easily.
I almost forgot to put the cotter pin through the axle!
Next mission is servicing the White Wolf, both myself and G-Man reckon the transmission is a bit worn and could do with a rattle-tattle from the grease-monkeys...0 -
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The transmission work cost just over 300 bucks. The annoying noise has faded a bit at least.
Wiring the Red Mule’s cabling for the brakes and signal lights was a bit niggly but I got it done.
This is crimped and heatshrunk. Earlier I had tried soldering it with a Harbor Freight butane torch but it wasn’t fine enough and kept melting the adjacent wiring.
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Caregiving Interlude
Before I could do that the next few days were building up for some caregiving duties at the Grotto. Mountain Man Mike was going stir-crazy from being in the city for so long and practically unable to leave his Grotto post! He needed to live free for a while and after some council with the old folksters of the Grotto he had his leave/liberty. As I had to wait around for my trailer inspection date anyway I agreed to help out for a few days by being the .
So Mike prepared for his own solo trip to the Mountain Hold.
After unloading the Blue Mule of 4x8 boards Mike loaded it with gear to take up to the mountains.
Then on the 11th Mike set off, happy and glad to be free from the crushing confines of the city. If pickups could be flown by raised spirits that thing would have been floating to the highway let me tell you.
I was to remain behind and see that the old folks were ok, it was a new world for me, but I owed them for all the support they gave me when I got started in 2012! Both of us could have gone in theory but we/I thought it best to remain behind at the Grotto to help out with the old folks.
As well as this I made sure to work on the boards and 2x4s for painting and whatnot.
I was hoping the caregiving wouldn’t be too intrusive but within an hour of Mike departing for the Hold I had my first test! The elderly man of the house had fallen! He’d not injured himself thankfully but needed help getting up. In my military days we’d practiced carrying people on our shoulders (fireman’s lift) but that was with standing upright to the carry, not from the ground.
Nevertheless I got him under the armpits, kept a straight back and raised myself up with a mighty heave and up he went too! I plonking him down onto the cushioned chair and all was well again. The oldsters of the house were impressed that for such a slender man I was able to pull off the feat!
Only a few hours later I had to repeat the duty, and the next day, while I was at K. Sooper I got a call, he’d fallen again, so back to the Grotto in the White Wolf it was and another session of lifting duties!
By this time I considering this caregiving stuff to be quite a workout! Who needs a gym when you have approx. 170 lb of man-weight to lift about! LOL.
I got a comms message from Mike that the Hold had been drizzly and wet. He managed to get some of the land barriered off with electric wire though.
I hadn’t noticed also but the garage at the Hold was being held up only by the mega-duty filing cabinet installed last year. If that hadn’t been moved the whole garage would have been flat-packed!
One of the old folks took another tumble but no injuries thankfully, then Mike returned and it was back to the Grotto routine...0 -
Getting the side-indicators wired up with the join-crimps.
Also have only just gotten around to mending the wing mirror (following the theatrics with a blown tire-remold).
There’s only the board to go on now then it’s a waiting game for the inspection.0 -
Here's the 4x8 board being matched up for the trailer frame:
The bottom was already painted with four coats of white gloss paint. This is the side that will be exposed to the road-spray etc.
Making some notches for it:
The side bracers need to be modified slightly. Here's the tools I used for cutting the notches:
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The journey from the Greeley Grotto to the trailer inspection depot complex was uneventful. I have to say that apart from the 'max speed of 55mph' warning on the tires the trailer functioned pretty good.
On getting there I put my rusty trailer-reversing skills to the test and moseyed on in to the complex.
The building was like something from Gattaca - all isolated and in stark contrast to the surroundings of high desert plains. An interstate was nearby and I noticed a lot of highway patrol machines. My appointment was with a deputy sheriff no less and out we walked to inspect the trailer.
He wasn't a nit-picker and gave it the once over, then checked the lights were functioning and operating ok. Then it was a case of filling out paperwork and off I trundled to the registration office!
Once there, after queueing-up for what seemed like hours and nearly melting the computer which struggled to process my elaborate and diverse picture IDs, I was finally legit with the trailer!
BUT, the woman dropped the bombshell that there were no proper license plates, only the 60 day temporary ones. The proper ones would have to mailed to my address up at the retreat...
This was only a sidenote at this stage though as I had to get the actual cargo box built for the great voyage north!
But that is another story, for another post... 0 -
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Completing the Trailer Build.
Having a simple bed trailer is fine and dandy, but I wanted a real box trailer for cramming in many hundreds of pounds worth of equipment for a long haul to distant lands without messing with tarps and ropes etc.
The bed for the trailer was bolted down. I only used four bolts and thread-locked nuts but it will do the job ok.
The side bracers would take some work, these needed a custom fit and a lag screw going into the base-section of each 2x4.
The sides and the roof were braced from front to rear with 2x4s internally. MMM was a help with this as he'd already built similar boxes for his old pickup truck. He also helped with the roof section.
It's getting there, just need to get the front and rear sections on. MMM advised to get them both screwed on, but I wanted much better. I wanted a door section for the rear piece for better practicality, but I had to build it first!0 -
It was time for measurements and skillsaw moves...
The front is now done, now onto the rear cargo door...
Some small noggins for the hinges and a hasp lock were what the door started with:
This gives you an idea of the interior specifics. The 2x4s brace the sides and allow the 4x8 sections to join together. I'll add some more for added structural strength later.
Additional bolt-locks are added to the cargo-door:
I deliberately made the hasp and bolt locks slightly offset so by lifting the door slightly it seals a lot better to the main-body of the cargo-box0 -
The trailer is nearly read to roll, both bracers are installed in the internal corners:
Just before I set off MMM advised that I should have the license paper stuck to the rear cargo door. Like a headstrong fool I decided to put the thing in a double poly-sleeve then triple cable-tie the thing...
After bidding farewell to the city Grotto, wishing Mike well in getting to the Hold in future times I was off in the morning! I took with me some of Mike's gear for storage but the trailer was only at 1/4 capacity. According to the paperwork, it can take a weight of more than 1,000 lbs! We shall soon see...
The trailer didn't give me any issues, but I kept the speed to 55 mph which meant for a leisurely, but slow progress to the Hold, my first stop-off for cargo-loading.
The flapping thing that was the license paper seemed to holding too.
BUT, on arriving in Wyoming I saw that Mike's warning ought to have been heeded!
No paper, technically no legality. I still had my little registration slips but no license paper/plate, with nearly 1,000 miles to go meant I had to be a careful Ryder indeed...0 -
I arrived at the Hold without incident though. I slept in the back of the White Wolf just before the start of the private road. I would have slept down in Encampment camping grounds until the morning but it was full of cyclist and rv people.
Just before 0600 hrs I woke up. There had been some drizzle in the night but it had mostly cleared up. Nevertheless I knew there wasn't much time, I knew the rainy weather came in waves and I didn't want to get soaked during the loading saga that was to commence...
First thing I did was make a four-point turn so that the trailer was pointing the right way back up the private road, then I proceed to unload the gear Mike had given me to store. This only took a few minutes and was a cinch, although the 50 lb of concrete was a bit tricky to move with.
It was the long trek up three ascents with broken terrain in between for most of it and a narrow trail to negotiate that would test my balance and hiking skills. I would have to empty out my cabin shed of hundred of lb in equipment too and return down the mountain with it. Thankfully the ground was not too damp or soft.
I wanted to be off the Hold by 1000 hrs but as the long, near sisiphean task dragged on I had to drink plentiful sugary drinks to keep my relentless pace going.
Eventually all that was in the shed was Mike's stuff. His Lee Enfield rifle, the hallowed Big Berkey water filter and a few odds and ends I could not stuff into the cargo-box nor pickup.
I had to leave behind my trust studded snow tires, I also accidentally took some of Mike's Enfield ammunition in my ammo box too. One day I'll have to get that back to him.
Nearly all the other stuff was loaded in fairly neatly though. I was utterly exhausted though, it was just after 1200 hrs when I decided it was time to depart the Mountain Hold. My feet were sore, I was too tired to collapse the failed Ram Pump project (it protudes onto Mike's neighbors land) nor could I re-barrier the gateway area.
It was a shame to leave the Mountain Hold with the original cabin site only 10% complete. The two posts I erected will have to hold the line for a few years, as will the five purlin logs too. I hope they won't fall down the mountain-side with erosion from the snow-melt.
As I drove back up the mountain road towards the highway I noticed how quiet it was, perhaps the rainy weather had kept the many cabin people at bay?
I'll miss many of the cabineers and wonder what the next few years will bring at my new distant destination...
The Pacific North West!0 -
Watch Ryder wrote: »Just received a satellite transmission from the White Baron!
He had a bit of a crash but says he is ok.
Lesson's learned:
10,000 feet is just over the capabilities of a hexacopter (an octocopter is more suited for these elevations).
I need to order a new servo for the undercarriage.
Crashing next to water is better than in the water usually.
For the video 60 FPS is available for those with the speedy internet connection...
Here's the surveillance footage that survived the battle...
I thought the video would show some high altitude footage
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It took me two days of traveling to get to the Green Havens. I calculated I'd used $130 for the 800+ mile journey. To do the same thing in the UK would easily cost double that, maybe even triple!
Driving at 55 mph for nearly all the way was a laborious task after the 500 mile mark
I passed a few Highway Patrol Enforcers but either my Ryder Luck was smiling, or they understood why I had no trailer number plate.
Once though an unmarked 'camoflage' pursuit vehicle lingered behind me, then it moved out and drove on ahead.
I slept at a rest area, with a trailer though I could park with the big rigs which I find are a light blocker and don't tend to move as much. I would have preferred to sleep in the trailer than cramp-sleep in the back of the Wolf, but I wasn't about to unload any of the stuff at the rest area. 12 hours of road time later I got close to my destination. Once I was under 50 miles to go time didn't seem to drag so much anymore.
Finally though I made it. The long exodus was at an end. The tall, green forests of the All-Forest were everywhere and the sun was blazing down.
The trailer held together, although one of the side bracers was loose and two of the bolts had come partially apart from their wooden noggins! All that had prevented the door from flying open was my trust hasp lock and the chunky padlock I'd used! Minor repairs were needed! Yet I had to unload all my stuff first.
Then there was where to put it all! I had no shed built yet and only the flimsiest idea for a land-building-plan. After a few hours I had some areas with gear and tarps to protect it all. At the days end my lady-friend called me up! I was on date-time in a few days. These previous and next few days will be most eventful I think...0 -
Here's the water tank in action.
I fill it up at the well and drive it back to the Ryder's Retreat for decanting into jerry cans.
Once I get more trees cleared and felled I'll buzz the trailer into the heart of the acerage.
Here's one more tree felled for construction. It's a bit wonky, but should make an ok eave log.
It may seem slightly close to the power tent but I got it to fall where I wanted it with wedges to direct the fall.0 -
Had a busy day today. A wasp decided to sting the Ryder early on, the heat was on and I had logs to sort out! Resisting the urge to unleash chemical warfare on their nearby nest I shook off the feeling of liquid razor blades in my wrist. Then I planned my next step...
First move was to get the first log for peeling to the position I needed at. I used the trusty tirfor for this duty.
Next was to install a Skywire for hoisting the logs up and down. This is not a job for casuals, in fact it's quite foolhardy if you aren't careful. In the construction industry the technique is colloquially referred to as bondling but is heavily frowned upon. Nevertheless needs must when the Ryder is toiling to get a retreat built!
Using the largest diameter cable commercially available at a big box store I had 3/8s of multi-strand steel-wire. I used bull-dog clips on both ends to make a pair of loops. Then into these loops I used a shackle and a carabiner to make them connectable. Finally Two thick sections of rope on two trees made the Skywire nearly ready!
The final part was to tension the thing. A turnbuckle is doable but awkward as you're wire length has to be adjusted to quite narrow tolerances.
A pull-lift (comealong) is ideal and extremely proficient at tensioning. I had neither so instead had to resort to the cheapo harbor-freight ratchet reel.
This bonked me on the head earlier in the day (:mad:) and my lesson-teaching :thumb: resulted in a crescent wrench now being the method to tension it up.
But tension it I did somewhat, from there it was just a case of clipping on the trusty chainblock and I had my Skywire set up. For now I'll be using it to land the logs on a pair of sawhorses. Later in time though the cabin will be constructed with the Skywire between two of the bigger trees.
This was the first lift. It was capable but you can see the lack of tension caused serious sag in the cable. The weight of the log didn't help either. As it's green there must be about 250 to 300 lbs in the thing!
It's about 15 foot long and a lotta bark to come off too!
Once it was in place it was peeling time! After about 30 - 45 minutes this thing was the result...
Compared to when I was at the Mountain Hold it was a lot more easy, but the lack of high elevation was a factor there, as was the fact I didn't have a Skywire set up for peeling logs.
This is after I re-tensioned the line, you can see the difference. It should be ok for most of the post lengths, for the jumbo-logs that are 30 foot long it should be interesting though.
I decided that a production-line effect was needed, so I clumped a few mish-mash logs next to the peeling-zone, removed a few dead treelings and this was the result:
So it's just a case of 'roll-off', lift-on with each log. They can dry out over the rest of the summer all being well.0 -
Today, despite it being 100 degrees in the shade, I managed to finish off the peeling and get the mighty 30 footer stacked in the racks!
This wasn't as easy as it sounds as several stumps, a tall dead tree and several small trees barred the great logs passage!
With my shirt feeling like an oven was slowly cooking me I kept on at it.
Eventually the log was tirfored into position with a post log for company.
Using G-Man's metal sawhorse I got the big log landed for peeling and it took the weight without buckling.
Here's the video of how I got the trailer put together for those folks that were wondering:
Just to give the impression of the awesome weight and size of the big ridge/purlin/eave log:
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Another hot day today and another tree for the felling. This one will hopefully be the ridge-pole. I had a fun time chainsawing it down too. I got the Tirfor deployed to make sure it fell the right way, gave it my three cuts, re-tensioned, one more cut and SWOOSH down went the great tree.
After a cable-pulling session through the day (I had to move other obstacles etc), I had the mighty 30 footer ready for lifting and peeling.
I wonder how many more times I must call upon Trebor the Tirfor? I hope he lasts as I paid a small fortune for him to be deployed. He gets a daily greasing to make sure his joints are ok so we shall see...
Bit of a traffic congestion here, the other tree will have to wait a few more days as he isn't a priority.
Finally in position for lifting and peeling:
I had a quick check of the log and saw this!
A hidden stone must have done that, just as well I leave the bark on for when Trebor moves the logs around! Still the rock has helped remove the bark without damaging the sapwood.
I will be very glad when the long girder logs are all stacked in the racks! Two are down and I have another three to go! The difficulty isn't so much the weight of them, it's finding a tree that is near-to-dammit straight. Once you go over 13 - 16 feet in length of a tree there's a much greater chance of bends, kinks and swerves to contend with. I don't mind a slight curve but many are only suitable for posts, some barely capable for a 14 footer!
Sometimes I feel like this Sisyphus.
The Labors of Ryder continue...0 -
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Déjà vu was setting in as I went to lift the great log from the previous day. It groaned and moved but the Harbor Freight tensioner keeping the line taut was no match for the battle and it paid out instead.
I moved on to felling the last of the long girder log-trees.
This is a fir tree, just look at all the branches I have to sned off!
This one vanished into the forest. Come back!
Two are in awkward spots to drag out with Trebor so I concentrated on the easy one first, I trimmed, de-limbed and pulled it in closer.
Tomorrow is city-visit day when I have to re-supply and do chores. No video today, hopefully there’s enough to be keeping you entertained already until the next one. 0 -
If anyone's wondering what I'm doing with the branches etc from all these trees I am felling, well let me present the natural foliage barrier near the gateway!
No more for today I'm afraid, it was a nearly full day going to the city to get essential supplies and gear.0 -
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Wednesday was a full day of graft!
I deployed the new cable tensioner which I hoped would be capable of getting the Sky Wire taut enough to take the great 30 foot logs.
Up we go!
The cable dipped, but was much more capable at taking the 1000 lbs+++ log.
Lifted and in place on the saw horses!
The ridge log isn't perfectly straight, but it will do for my cabin, I'll possibly hew it straight next year, for now my priority to getting it peeled and stacked in the racks for drying.
During the peeling process I used my rigging techniques to turn the log using the lifting equipment. I could have rolled it, but the risk of it falling onto the deck and breaking a limb wasn't worth it.
Indeed the saw horses collapsed 3 times, but each time the chain block prevented the log from falling very far, which was just as well.
Almost done now!
Fully Peeled! The only tricky bit is rolling the big thing on the racks (some stumps are in the way).
I get the Tirfor on the case and soon it is...
Stacked and in the racks!
Only another 3 of these big beauties to go!
G-Man stopped over for an unexpected visit, he was most impressed by the progress. Hopefully I'll get the entire log panoply done with more projects to spare by winter!
Look at all the mess from the 'clothes bark'!!
It'll take a while to pick all that up, but tomorrow is another day...
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It’s getting a pain to move the logs about now, but the mountain-like challenge is slowly showing progress. There were set-backs though, another tree I’d felled failed the final appraisal and can only do duty at a 14 footer. It means I have to yet again fell another live tree, this one at the very fringes of the Acerage, in the midst of the All-Forest!
Some of you may be wondering what I mean by that, well the All-Forest is a place of primordial mystery and challenge, some even say that creative forces brought us into the world somehow there. For me the All-Forest that I see nearby is a large, dense forest of young and old trees. Some of it sprawls onto G-Man’s property too! Getting the last girder log tree felled and moved to the processing area will be a PITA, I hope it falls the way I want it. The other part is the Small Forest which is very close to the cabin site.
Here's the next girder log being brought in:
One of the issues I’m noticing with trees is getting perfectly straight ones is near-impossible. Part of the issue is in areas of powerful summers they tend to ‘lean in’ towards the sun. So a tree that is great for a 14, 17 or even 20 foot log will rarely be suitable for a 30 footer. Oftentimes I’ve had to make do with a slight bend here and there so when mounting it on the posts in future times I’ll have to just cut away, notch or shim where necessary. Some of the bends on these trees are like miniature banana angles! LOL
No way, just no way for this one, only a 14 footer for you:
This log was originally going to be a 30 footer as well (the other part is next to it), but like the quest for righteous men in Gomorrah, few make the grade. It will *only* be a 20 footer for the ridge pole now:
This is the 30 footer that just about made the grade, a slight curve but nothing too excessive.
Meanwhile the next big 30 plus footer was brought in position, I had to fiddle about with the slings before getting it balanced. It was so long it was almost too wide for the clearing! LOL
By getting the other end pushed down I could really get this moved in using just a chainblock for the central fulcrum point.
Then it's just slinging up for the central balance and up she goes onto the saw horses!
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Today was a semi-rest / writing day.
What work I did do entailed getting the hanging log peeled and trimmed down to about 34 feet long. The peeling was a lot harder than normal. Despite the tree being cut down green the bark on the sunward side was actually semi-dried out!
G-Man was telling me that some people just have a log cabin kit delivered and they just put it together, that’s ok but folks like us prefer the real deal making it raw kinda thing. It’s cheaper but more importantly there’s a sense of having done it entirely yourself instead of relying on outside forces via the $$$$.
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It was a working Sunday today, I peeled three logs to various states and got the big thirty-five footer stacked in the racks! It was hard work to roll being extra big and I had to get extra noggins bashed in to support the weight and length.
There is a bit of a bend on it, but I have a plan to pin it down straight once it is lifted onto the posts.
As an aside I had some hatchet-throwing fun and even scored a few hits!
By the end of the afternoon I was aching all over. My left knee and side-back muscle were not very happy. Just as well Monday-Tuesday are rest and meeting days.
I saw this weird grey snake slithering towards some of the fence-foliage. It looked like it was not much bigger than a large worm but slithered into a small treeling I’d propped up near the gateway. Hopefully it won’t slither into my tent!
After that a pair of deer showed up to say hello! It really was a day for the forest friends!
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Had my fourth log tree felled today!
Getting it rigged up:
Run the lines out extends the range of the Tirfor! This is over seventy feet total length now! Far enough to get a good falling video with it clouting the camera or me.
The mighty tree was on the edge of the All-Forest though and I had to wade in with my chainsaw to clear a path!
“Take the Strain!”
This may look an odd knot but all it is is a bowline on the bight so I wouldn’t have to unspool 100 ft of rope from the drum.
Then it was two cut sequences and:
Video here.
My only slight concern is that it’s a Tamarack tree which are not the best for log construction unless used as boards. It’s a thick thing but I won’t use it as a ridge log for this reason.
Snedded and cut the lengths that were needed, dragged out the shorter log section.
Cut a banana-shaped tree down too that was intruding onto the cabin land.
Notice the tree in the midst of the All-Forest? That’s what I have to drag out! It’s about 34 Feet long too and still partly on the stump. I carried a small log to put under the stump section still holding the tree, that way when I pull it off the stump, it’ll roll along the log, making Trebor the Tirfor’s job much easier.
Gloomy weather brings a bit of rain, but it soon passes for sunshine once more:
Still, only one more big tree to fell and sort out and that’s’ the long girder poles out of the way. Then it’s just a case of getting the posts done.
Did other small jobs mostly, more dragging tomorrow, can’t wait.0 -
Been a busy Ryder today getting some log moving and peeling done.
I pulled this great big tree off it's stump with a CLUMP!
Down it went onto a log for easy rolling and then it was Treboring time!
Peeling these things wasn't easy:
That's as far as this big lump for today:
This will be a road for helping turning the White Wolf around in future times...
The cabin site looking towards the sun:
The Gateway:
I have to clear this lot for getting the turn-around road made...
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Saturday started well as I stacked the next log in the racks. I cut down another blocking tree too, then dragged it to the processing area. I’ll get that peeled tomorrow.
I cleared some of the lane trees but managed to nick myself with the branch saw. It wasn’t serious but I applied iodine just in case.
When visiting a neighbour I received some excellent news! He is wanting a lot of trees cleared from his easement road due to dangers in snowtime. Many of them are superbly straight and will augment my existing stock!
Tomorrow is range-day and cutting day! Can’t wait!
The past few days were out on the valley heights picking out trees to cut down. I started out early in the morning too and was on my first tree felling when a most crazy thing happened.
I’d made my first wedge-cut for direction before following through with the back-cut. The tree was not happy about my direction and tried to fall back, trapping the chainsaw. I was not perturbed though as my mallet and steel wedges soon had the tree back on track to fall the way I wanted. However, at the very moment I had freed the chainsaw and the tree was falling back along the side of the road, my neighbour drove up!
It was like something out of an action movie. The tree was falling along the road as he was just driving on by with a trailer attached to his truck! Fortunately my fall was accurate as I intended and the tree landed without incident. It would have been cool to have videoed it though.
My neighbour saw the funny side too and there was no bad vibes.
I did another two trees along the road without any incident.
This tree looks like someone tried cutting it many years ago and decided to think better of it?
I set up a target on a friends private range.
Then it was time to get busy with a Mosin Nagant, AR 15 and the trust FN FAL! Nothing like a Sunday for a range-day0 -
In the days following the range day I had mixed and unexpected news. My trusty neighbor , G-Man, had to leave for nearly two weeks. It meant my internet time was severely clipped! The last of the girder logs went into the racks BUT the others do not meet my exacting standards. So some will be demoted to post duty at a later stage. This means I must once again hunt down more 30 footer logs!
Nonetheless I got stuck into the work-as-usual with a gusto! The big drama day came when I was dragging what would be the massive ridge log behind the White Wolf! You should have seen it, if I had taken my camera it would have made for a cool video.
This was romper-stomper action, I was concerned my truck wouldn’t be able to get moving but move it did, in an angry ox moving a plough kinda way! You should have seen what it did to the road! LOL. The big log was no less than 36 feet long and 14 inches in diameter at the base! The primordial thing left a trail like a torpedo had been fired along the surface of the road! I made sure to drag it along the middle, creating a mini-median as I rolled along. I was in first gear the whole time too. However, the wire cable I was using to drag the mighty-log snapped about 3/4 of the way back to the Havens. That’s how hardcore it was! So I had a log in the middle of the access road and it was scorcher hot! What to do?
I felt the load ease so I stopped and retrieved the snapped portion. Thankfully it was only the end piece where the loop was, meaning I could make another loop using the existing cable-clamp. Doing so was a mini-saga in itself. Eventually, after returning to base to get tools and rope, I was able to manually rock’n’roll the log enough to get the loop back under. Then using a rope around a tree with a mallon link I used the White Wolf to drag the metal wire fully under the log so I could reeve the long end’s eye through it! Then it was just a case of driving onward.
This time the wire held the rest of the way, on my return I had another challenge though, how to get the thing into the cabin site?
The cable had really tightened against the ball:
After a session and a half on the Trebor-Tirfor I was able to get the log in position. I’ll let the pictures do the talking:
Here it is at the Cabin Site with all the others i need to do:
More musical logs the next day as I peeled and got logs moved.
Another big log in the racks, not straight-enough for a ridge log though:
This picture is starting to reveal the method behind my meanings. The far-right part of the picture is where the post-logs will be racked. They need to be out of the way so I can get the thirty-plus footer logs in to the left and top of the picture. That way the cabin site area is clear for marking up AND when I come to start making posts erect, the post-logs are easy to get to.
Also notice the Sky-wire chainblock. I actually move the entire log using this by raising the log to as high as it will go, then pushing one end to the point that the entire chainblock assembly skids along the skywire. In this way getting the post-logs into the side-racks is possible. I could use the Tirfor, but moving that thing back and forth all the time is a PITA and my back is aching just thinking about doing that.
On other news, there’s smoke in the air from distant forest fires, hopefully not to close to the Green Havens though…0 -
Today the smoke cleared completely. Good news for meaning forest fires had faded away, bad news for scorchio suntime! I had a banging headache from the sun two days ago and don’t want it to come back!
Moving the post logs that were in the way took a bit of time, I got the remainder of one peeled then got the other two stacked in the side-racks!
The big thirty-six footer, which I will call the Gungalog, as it reminds me of Odins straight spear shaft Gungnir, was moved slowly using the following method.
I took my chainblock and slung up Gungalog with a cradle-angle method, maximizing lifting force (at the expense of load security). In this way I was able to drag-lift the great thing into position.
I went for a test lift too and the Skywire had a fit! The power-pull tensioner gave a few jolts and starts and paid out a few inches! I jumped about and tensioned the Skywire and did battle again.
This time the log lifted and I was satisfied the Skywire would be sufficient in later days. Also, when the logs are fully dried-out they’ll be much lighter, easing the burden on the lifting systems.
I took my time on the peeling the log, as this will be the main load-bearing bit I wanted it to look the part! Another day was ending as I jacked in work for the day, Gungalog was only partially peeled but I had scouting to do.
I wandered to another distant cabin and got some ideas for my solar setup. A nearby tree to where the cabin site is would be perfect for mounting a big solar array. I also will add a garage onto the cabin too, that way I don’t have to go out in the rain if I’m driving somewhere. It may mean I have to lap the posts and do some pinning to extension logs, but that’s over-the-horizon talk!0 -
Well this update will be short but punchy.
The peeling and racking of the Gungnir Log took a lot longer than normal, I was able to get some video shot though so that will be going through the tubes soon hopefully.
The dragging action of earlier days really beat up the underside, it gave the effects of a sawmill with a flat-section for landing on posts BUT there was a lot of dirt ingrained. Some of it was in tiny slits and gouges, meaning a draw knife was not enough. I tried water and screwdriver, this was not very effective. Then a deployed some 50 grade sandpaper which did a much better job. I could get all the dirt out, but most of it has gone and linseed oil will take care of the rest.
Through much jiggery pokery of the tirfor and chainblock, including using a dead tree as a snatch block, I was able to get ‘er done.
The log looks fine but needs some more sanding after the bashes and rubs from other obstacles on the way into the racks. No biggie though.
Outside the cabin site is another long log, this one with a slight bend in it, but nothing as bad as one or two of the others already in the racks. It’s like as soon as I do one job, another on leaps into action for me to contend with! I hope I can keep up this pace, I have to get to the firewood zone soon as they’ll be closing the gate for that in the coming weeks.0 -
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