The weekend after Labor Day had a mix of lot clean-up, an ATV trip, and a campfire. Here are a few details.
I came up on Saturday solo, as there were only a couple of loads of wood to be taken to the burn pit. I took care of these then settled down for a quiet evening. Periodic showers during the day gave way to a partly cloudy and dry evening. A campfire in my fire pit closed out my evening. Here is a short (3:29) video taken on Saturday:
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As I did last week, I took an ATV trip on Sunday before heading home. This one turned out to be the longest trip, 40+ miles, of all my trips this year.
I covered, in this order, Middle Fork of the Swan River, Radical Hill, Webster Pass, Red Cone Trail, a visit to the town of Montezuma, then Deer Creek back to the Middle Fork and my truck. Wow. Tremendous scenery and some of the most challenging trails I have attempted to ride. Here is a topo map of the area courtesy of Google Maps:
Radical Hill, Webster Pass, and Red Cone areas
Here are some photos I took during the outing:
Jerry and “The Griz” head for Radical Hill
Radical Hill from Webster Pass. Note trail coming down near top-right of photo
Local resident gives Jerry the “Once Over” at bottom of Radical Hill
Handcart Gulch (Center) from Red Cone Trail (Right)
Red Cone from Handcart Gulch
Proof I made it to the top
Old mining equipment at top of side road 290
Harebells blooming along Middle Fork of the Swan River
I’ve created a gallery of photos taken from this trip and other trails I’ve ridden in the area and added it to my Galleries page. Click on this Webster Pass link to view all the photos of this trip and a few from my Montezuma Loop trip taken the previous week.
I had a few snowflakes go past but they changed to a (brief) light rain at lower elevations. Thunder and snow pellets punctuated my time above timberline but these were from small cells that moved along quickly. Most of the day was partly cloudy with temps in the upper 40s to low 50s with a sometimes strong wind blowing. I was glad I decided to wear my long johns under my outer clothes and bring along my snowmobile gloves. I wore my old leather coat and had my helmet on; this combo kept me pretty comfortable all day.
I really do enjoy these outings but I can feel the results when I get back in the truck. A lot of bouncing and jarring is part of any trip but this trip had more than average. Rocks everywhere. I used 4-wheel low range a large portion of the time, including coming down some steep sections where I depended on the low gearing (and brakes) to control my descent. There were quite few other 4-wheel drive rigs in the area and a few of us stopped and compared notes about conditions and the routes we had taken. All in all it was a great outing even though my back and shoulders were tired and stiff at the end of the day.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
I find it hard to believe there are other people on these God-forsaken ATV roads Fields is “enjoying,” but since these other folks are out-and-about it’s likely there will be help handy should he have a mishap or equipment failure.
The dogs and I enjoyed a weekend away from mouse poop.
As I noted in my last post, Labor Day weekend was going to be a busy one. I left directly from work in Glenwood Springs and drove to The Lot on Friday evening to open the RV and get ready for Saturday.
The burn pit was open so Saturday was a busy day; I managed to get 4 loads of slash and junk wood loaded and hauled away. Three of those loads involved using the ATV to get the aluminum trailer near the wood piles. That was interesting…I had to cut a few aspen to make another wilderness road in the saddle. And, as we move closer to the top of the lot, the terrain gets a little steeper. Still I was able to move the trailer in and out OK. Pam had arrived Saturday afternoon and helped with the final load of the day.
Jerry loading another load of burn pit wood
We did not get all the slash cleared out; there was just not enough time to get everything over to the burn pit. Next weekend I should be able to get out two more loads, which should eliminate the rest of the slash we have piled up. I’ll also bring home a few larger chunks of pine to be used as firewood. The pine is part of two large old-growth trees that had fallen down on the lot. (They smell great when cut into.) By the end of Saturday the house site area was looking much more attractive – and accessible.
Sunday was a day for other chores. We used the ATV and 2-wheel cart to find and bring more rocks to line the circle in the driveway. Pam has been planting daisy plants [she is transplanting from flowerbeds in De Beque] around the edge of the circle, along with transplanting a few small pine trees from the cleared area. With the addition of three 2-wheel carts full of mulch, taken from under a few of the large pine on the lot, the circle is looking quite nice!
Pam and circle drive both looking pretty good
I mentioned we have two old-growth pine logs trees that had fallen on the lot. The stump ends of both will be converted into rustic benches. I used the ATV’s winch and moved one stump end up the lot to a place where there is a good view over South Park. One of the tasks for the next trip is to make this into a seating bench. I’ll need to put another chunk of pine under the cut end to level it out and then use the chain saw to cut a flat spot to sit. Hopefully I’ll have a couple photos of this after the work is done.
We will use the other log in a similar fashion but have not yet picked a spot for it. Most likely it will be on the path that leads up to Pavilion Point, as we have to stop to catch our breath to get there and a bench to sit on would be handy.
I loaded some firewood into the truck to bring home. The wood is small stuff that we had originally thought we might use as dog enclosure posts. That didn’t work out so now I have a bunch of small diameter trees to cut up and use as firewood. It all burns!
We also built a rudimentary fire pit using local rocks along the back side of the gravel driveway. In the two years we have owned the lot we’ve never enjoyed a campfire. (Last year outdoor burn bans were in effect almost the entire summer.) Pam (+ dogs) left for home Sunday afternoon before we could try it out, but I did light a fire Sunday night and it was very nice to be able to sit in front of the fire, watch the stars appear, and just enjoy the ambiance of the evening.
Campfire adds ambience
The “mouse wars” continue. Pam found a live mouse that had a foot caught in a trap, so she donned her latex gloves, took the trap outside and up the lot, and let the mouse go. She did not have the heart to kill it so the mouse may end up living a long life as a field mouse. I just hope it doesn’t find its way back to The Box.
I did trap two other mice, but the traps remained empty Sunday night into Monday. I would like to think that with the latest hole patched and several mice removed maybe the war is over, but I’ll see on my next trip.
So Saturday and Sunday were quite busy but also productive. We wish we had a few more days, though, just to enjoy being in the mountains. As mentioned, Pam drove back Sunday afternoon, but I stayed over as I planned to take an ATV trip on Monday before I headed home.
No other projects are planned for the rest of the year. One more weekend to finish clearing the slash and pick up a few more bits and pieces of firewood, and another weekend trip to bring The Box home for the winter will close out our activities for 2014. We might make a day run or two in late September or October as there are standing dead trees that could be cut for firewood if we feel so inclined, or to view the fall colors (some leaves are already turning gold and red) or just to get out of town. It’s too early in the year to quit going up to Sanderling completely.
We are satisfied in knowing we completed all the projects we had planned for the year, and are particularly pleased with our clean-up efforts that were made possible by having put in the driveway extension. Last year was an “acquire” year; we bought the F-150, the RV trailer, and a new chain saw. This year we spent more time actually working on the lot and completing projects.
Next year we move into more of a “lot development” scenario as we hope to put in a well, septic, and small off-grid electrical system to power the RV (it would be nice to use the microwave) and expand it when we put in a structure. All it takes is money, and we may not get all of these things done, but you have to have a goal and a plan to get there. We may look into the availability of a loan to pay for some of these projects as the cost breaks down like this: well: $9k, septic: $9k, solar: $4k. Total: $22k. Lot clean up will continue, but we have most of the “line-of-sight” areas now cleaned up so this task will not have a high priority next year. (We will be cleaning the lot for years to come.) Some work we can do, some we will have to farm out, but it is time we moved into another stage of the development cycle.
On Monday I took off on an ATV trip. My plan was to complete a loop from Breckenridge to the old mining town of Montezuma. I had passed the turnoff to Montezuma on my Swan River ATV loop and had wanted to explore this side trail when I had the opportunity.
I’ll not go into a lot of detail about this 29 mile excursion other than to say that much of it is above 11,500 feet elevation. Stretches were rocky and steep; I used 4-wheel drive, low range on more than a few occasions, including some downhill stretches. The loop is very scenic, goes past several old mining sites (and 1 town site, Saints John) and offers even more side trips that I didn’t have time to explore but hope to get to in the future. As it was I took almost 6 hours to make the loop. Below are a few photos taken along the way.
Restored church in Montezuma
Deer Creek
Flowers blooming in protected spots
Stone wall of old cabin above timberline the high country
Grasses turing fall red
I saw four skittish mountain goats but no other large wildlife. The goats looked to be in their full winter coats. The hillsides above timberline are beginning to change into fall colors of reds and browns. Some flowers are still blooming – as you can see in a few photos – but the columbine are done and others plants have gone to seed. There is fresh snow on a few of the highest mountain tops and the high country is getting ready for winter. My days of being able to ride my ATV in the high country are starting to dwindle but I do hope to get out a time or two yet when the fall colors are at their peak.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
It’s been great to have the dog run to put the dogs in while working on the property –that has worked out super. Bru, of course, would rather spend her time in the RV, but Blondie and Jo utilize pretty much the entire dog run.
I still hope to enjoy one campfire and see the aspen grove in full color before the season concludes.
Morning chores, changed oil in the Honda and motorcycle. Weed-whacked the edges of the lawn. Moved the ’76 Scout II and the ’48 Ford 8N tractor and mowed the area where they are usually parked. (Left main lawn for Pam to mow, too wet for me to do.) Packed up the truck, kissed Pam good-bye, and headed for the lot.
Arrived at lot, unloaded the ATV, un-hitched the aluminum trailer, unlocked The Box, and then hooked it up to take it to the dump station. After returning to the lot, repositioned The Box to allow access to the area we have been cleaning (hopefully the future building site) with the ATV and trailer. Required a lot of jacking up and putting stuff under the wheels, as where The Box is now parked is not very level. Process took about 2 hours. Off to get a load of water, 25.5 gallons added to the fresh water tank. Hooked the aluminum trailer to the ATV, pulled alongside The Box, and loaded the pile of firewood closest to the driveway. Had dinner and went to bed. It was about 9:20 PM.
The Box now sits a bit farther to the left of its former location
Monday:
Slept in until almost 8:00 AM! Got up, checked mouse traps, removed and buried two mice. Had breakfast, fired up the ATV, moved aluminum trailer over to the F-150 and hooked up the truck and trailer. Backed the truck/trailer up into the spot where The Box used to sit. Took the ATV and started to drag firewood from 3 different piles down to the truck. Kept this up, with a few breaks, until all the firewood I had stacked up was on the aluminum trailer. (This made the biggest load of firewood I have ever brought home in a single load. )
Skidding wood with the ATV
BIG load of firewood
Drove the truck and trailer down to the cul-de-sac, un-hooked the trailer, drove back up to The Box. Loaded the ATV in the back of the truck. Began process of putting stuff away and getting ready to head home. Had lunch, sat for almost 30 minutes in my recliner (best part of the trip!) then finished washing dishes, finished loading the truck, and shut down The Box. Walked around the cleared area for a while and enjoyed the view over to the Mosquito Range behind Fairplay. Planned the next phase, how to get the aluminum trailer close to the slash piles we created during the last two visits. Headed home, arrived in De Beque 4 hours later. Un-hooked the trailer, unloaded the ATV, emptied the truck of laundry, cooler, and other items used during the trip. Had dinner, checked e-mail, took a shower, kissed Pam, and went to bed.
Since I returned from my motorcycle trip on July 7th we have been up to The Lot a couple of times. Of course we continue with our clean up, but we did tackle putting in the dog run. We ran into a couple problems but, as of last weekend, the run is pretty well complete. The dogs (except Bru, who would rather stay in the RV) seem to like it just fine.
Not very exciting, but here are a few “under construction” photos:
Installing the gate
Original 8×12 run incorporated into new run
We finished the gate and added a sun shade over the 8 x 12 run before we finished; photos next time. Pam is pleased with the result and it sure makes it nicer for the dogs to be out of the RV for long stretches.
We are still having a few problems with the RV; mice are still getting in somewhere and the batteries are not charging as they should…may need to replace them.
Last weekend the nighttime temps dropped close to 40 and we had to fire up the furnace. In 2013 we winterized The Box by mid-September as nighttime temperatures were consistently dropping below freezing, so we have about 6 weeks of summer left. This year we will bring The Box home and take care of a number of small repairs, including checking out the electrical system.
A couple of other things to note: We saw our first deer on the property. A nice-looking doe came up the driveway. We happened to be eating dinner at the time and were able to watch her as she took her time checking out the dog run and finally wandering off.
Several hummingbirds have found the feeder. We like watching their antics.
It has been a wet summer. The burn pit closed due to flooding! We have a big load of stuff on the aluminum trailer to take to the pit as soon as we get word it is open. That kind of messed up our clean-up schedule so we will have to move to Plan B, just stacking stuff up ready to go on short notice.
So the clean-up continues but the major projects of the year (driveway extension, storage shed, and dog run) are completed. A few more loads of firewood for our friend Kathy Hall remain to be brought home and cut up, but that task can be done on day trips so will continue into late September and possibly October. We are very satisfied with the improvements we did this summer!
On to the second part of this post: My latest ATV trip.
I have not been out riding much this year, but took a few hours off last Sunday to visit the Swan River area (near Breckenridge) on my way home from the lot. My goal was to make the loop I had been unable to complete on my last outing.
The plan was to go up the Middle Fork of the Swan River, cut across a ridge on an established trail, then down the North Fork of the Swan and back to the truck. I had been on both drainages before so some of the scenery was familiar but the connecting ridge would be new territory.
Although the day was overcast, and occasional drops of rain fell, it was a very nice 16 mile trip. (3 hours to complete.) Wild flowers, including Colorado Blue Columbine, were blooming in profusion, and streams were running pretty full making for some nice photos.
Colorado Blue Columbine
Middle Fork, Swan River
ATV (The Griz) on Middle Fork trail
I was fortunate in that I saw several mountain goats this time, a few with young with them:
Mountain goat with young, Mt. Wise
This youngster was getting a quick meal:
Young goat getting a meal from Mom
Finally, one last water shot of the North Fork of the Swan River:
North Fork, Swan River
It was very pleasant afternoon trip, and I passed a couple side roads (marked with Forest Service signs) that I will have to explore on my next visit to the area.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
With major projects done and mountain temps just about perfect, we find our work time at Sanderling is accomplished in short bursts, with time to rest in between. Fields hauled up an old recliner and footstool in the truck this last trip. A future photo opportunity must capture him stretched out in the recliner (outside next to the RV), looking down the driveway at his view. Driving back to the high desert after your time in the mountains, dropping down in elevation and feeling the heat increase, is almost painful. We will be spending pretty much every August weekend at Sanderling this year.
Yes, it has been a bit longer than normal since my last post, but it has been a very busy interval.
🙂 Felicity came for a visit.
🙂 Worked on the Sanderling lot.
🙂 Attended an IT related event in Denver.
Our daughter Felicity returned from her month in Wales and stopped by for a visit. I picked her up in Denver on the 13th. (She was with us until the 19th.) Driving through Denver, not fun. Man, what traffic! I was late getting to the airport but, thanks to the magic of cell phones, I was able to call Felic and let her know what was happening. Getting out of Denver was also a real trick as Friday rush hour traffic is horrendous. Eventually we made it to a diner for a meal and eventually to the RV for the evening.
It was very good to see Felicity (been about a year) and we spent a few hours in conversation, catching up with her news about working abroad and traveling, and news from “stateside” that she had not been aware of. Felicity had a good time in Wales but due to her “working vacation” did not have as much time to go sight-seeing as she would have liked. She lost the use of her digital camera (a drop resulted in a broken screen) and had to resort to using her cell phone camera, not as good in quality but better than nothing!
Pam and the dogs joined us at Sanderling on Saturday and the rest of the weekend was spend talking, loading wood destined for the burn pit (4 loads on Saturday) and more lot clean-up on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon we packed up and headed home. Pam and Felicity (and the dogs) had the Honda and were planning to go home via the Boreas Pass route, but Pam found signage in Como indicating the route was still closed — surprising as the pass is normally open by Memorial Day. After a quick (!) tour of Como they headed home by our regular route through Fairplay and over Hoosier Pass.
Pam and Felicity clearing dead wood
Felicity on Pam’s Pavilion Point
Once the ladies had departed, I took the truck and RV over to the dump station and emptied the holding tanks, then returned to the lot to re-park the RV. Sure like that pull-through driveway! Once that was done I hooked up to our aluminum trailer, which we had filled with a load of wood to bring home to cut into firewood.
Sunday was Father’s day, and Pam surprised me with a sign:
Jerry with his Father’s Day sign
We’ll put the sign up over the door of the RV. It sure is appropriate and I like it.
Other photos of the weekend:
Blondie in the woods
Blondie saw a squirrel and could not be kept away from the tree she “thought” it was in. (We could see the squirrel in another nearby tree.) Kept her occupied quite a while. That dog has a one-track mind.
Other photos:
Humming bird feeder was put out in the circle
Harebells blooming on the lot
So…we were all home by Sunday night. Monday night I was in Denver getting ready to attend an IT (Information Technology) conference / trade show on Tuesday. That went well, but it was after 10:00 PM when I arrived home (Denver to De Beque, pretty much across the majority of the state) on Tuesday night. High wind had caused a power outage in De Beque; Felicity and Pam were sitting and talking in candlelight. (Power was out for about an hour and a half.) Wednesday I was back at work. Thursday I took Felicity to Denver so she could catch her flight to Albuquerque, New Mexico (visiting friends there). After dropping off Felic at DIA, I routed through South Park to check the RV on the way home. While I was there I put out our hummingbird feeder. I also relieved the mousetrap under the bathroom sink of a dead mouse…still dealing with them getting into the trailer!
I drove around 1,600 miles this week, quite a bit of mileage considering I didn’t leave the state! Yes, it was a crazy week; to and from Denver three times in one week is a record for me, one I’m reluctant to repeat soon.
I plan to take off on my 2 week motorcycle trip to Ontario, Canada on June 24th. I’ll be busy getting ready for the trip this weekend. The length of the cycle trip means no posts for a couple weeks, by the way, until after July 6th. Even then it will take me a while to go though the trip photos and get a post ready; there won’t be a new post to this blog until mid-July.
On the return side of my Canada trip I’ll spend some time visiting family in Wisconsin. It has been a couple years since my last visit and I am looking forward to seeing a number of people again. I should have quite a bit of material for my posts when I return.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
Now that both children have been to Sanderling, they can appreciate the “grunt” work their parents are putting in to clear the property. I couldn’t resist having Felicity do a bit of wood gathering while visiting the high country – three sets of hands greatly improves the pace of dead wood removal.
Felicity’s digital nomad existence is past the honeymoon stage (the work/vacation trip to Wales). Now comes the real test – can she organize her time to work on-line while on the road? I think she’s missing her “nest” of personal belongings. Her road takes her back to Portland, OR soon (and familiar surroundings) for a period of housesitting.
While Fields takes his motorcycle jaunt for two weeks, I consider that period my vacation as well. I’ve arranged to work a different schedule at the community college — from now to the end of June — to maximize my days working at home and minimize the commuting time.
The jazzy plaid pants in the photo above are actually my fleece pj bottoms. It was a brisk morning…
This past weekend found us working at our Sanderling lot, clearing a place to put in a dog run. As I have noted before, there is a lot of dead wood on the ground and a fair number of standing dead trees that we remove when given the chance. Most of the standing and downed dead wood is aspen, not surprising given the area, but aspen does not make real good firewood unless you have a lot of it to burn.
We sort the wood into two types, firewood and burn pit wood. This time out we didn’t bring the aluminum trailer to cart the burn pit wood away but instead created piles of each wood type, planning to take it away during a future trip. Eventually the firewood will come home and be donated to our friend Kathy Hall for use in heating her “cat house” (her one-car detached garage).
I’ll get to the Saturday work in a bit, but first I’ll cover Sunday’s unusual event, a tornado.
The forecast had included a chance of thunderstorms. We had risen, had breakfast, and started to work on clearing a pocket of dead wood. Around 11:30 a few raindrops began to fall so we decided to take a break. I happened to look out over South Park and saw this:
Funnel cloud over South Park
I told Pam I thought this was a funnel, or tornado, cloud. A telephoto shot yielded a larger image:
A rare mountain tornado
We later learned a tornado had touched down about 5 miles south of Fairplay, one of 7 or 8 tornadoes sighted in Colorado on the 8th of June. If you search the web for “Fairplay tornado, recent” you will find YouTube videos of this particular storm.
Sanderling experienced no problems, other than rain and a very little bit of hail, and light winds as this storm passed. We had never heard of a tornadic event in the high country, much less seen one. Plenty of tornadoes form in eastern Colorado and head into the center of the country, but tornadoes at 10,000+ feet are rare events indeed!
It is hard to top that, but on a more mundane level: Our work on Saturday, and Sunday morning before the rain, consisted of mostly grunt work moving dead wood around. We started below and to the downhill side of the drive as that is where Pam has decided the dog run will be built. Here are a few photos that illustrate the work:
This “before” shot is near the shed but shows the typical dead wood found almost everywhere on the lower part of the lot:
Typical dead and downed aspen on the lot
After clearing you can walk around easily
This is the area where the dog run will go. The wood ended up stacked near the driveway:
Burn pit wood (front) next to firewood and brush stacked along driveway
Sunday’s work yielded another before and after pair of photos:
Top of drive before clearing started
Piles of wood await further handling
Piling the wood this way means we can stage more loads destined for the burn pit (when it’s open, only on Saturdays), but it also means we have to handle the stuff two more times — once to load into the trailer than again to unload at the pit. This is the major project for the rest of the year so we can work at our own pace. (After we get the dog run installed, that is.)
Even though the weekend was truncated – we left for home early Sunday afternoon – we did meet the goals we had set for this land-clearing trip. It is heartening to see progress being made!
I’ll close with this last photo of our Honda parked near the RV and shed at the top of the circle drive. (It also includes another view of the dead wood we had moved to clear the dog run area.) Pam is also carting mulch from under the trees to dump in the middle of the drive circle. I think she has plans to transplant trees and plants in that spot.
Car, shed, RV, driveway, and wood removed from dog run area
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
I hear ya, Tabitha. I was just pondering the other day how we must be freakin’ crazy to work like convicts every weekend. Which is why this past weekend we slept in on Saturday morning before organizing our departure, drove in a leisurely fashion and arrived at the Sanderling property mid-afternoon, worked on and off until dark. Then, on Sunday, we started on another section of woods until it started raining, at which point we were done for this trip. During breaks there were dog walks to look for squirrels – I spooked a field mouse and I think Blondie would still be sitting patiently by the hole the mouse disappeared into if we’d left her up there.
The property is really starting to come along. It’s gratifying to tackle a small patch of woods and completely clear it out, then stand back and appreciate the difference. Having the RV right by the work area is a major convenience; we’re not wasting energy walking back and forth for drinks and dog checks because everything is right in one spot. We’ve discussed bringing up an old rug and old recliner and flopping both on the driveway under the RV canopy for sit-downs – who knows, it could happen!
Weather has been crazy in the mountains this season. In addition to sighting the tornado, we drove back through snow flurries on both Hoosier and Vail Passes.
The fall colors are at their high point here in Colorado. Cold has also come in the form of snow and temperatures below freezing, temps in the teens in the high country. This set off a scramble for me to get to our lot and winterize the RV trailer.
I had driven up with the Honda on Wednesday, October 2, as I needed to turn on the RV’s furnace. A few days later, Saturday the 5th, I went up again with the truck to finish the winterization tasks and bring home a load of firewood.
Winterization of an RV includes taking the trailer to the dump station and draining all the holding tanks. I drained the hot water heater, fresh water tanks, and used the built-in water pump to put RV anti-freeze in the water lines. All “freezable” items, food and bathroom, were removed and brought home. A few other items were brought home as well, such as coats and sweatshirts. When we go to the lot again we will just have to bring a few more “things” along with us, but I think the cold temps have pretty much put an end to any major work outings.
The highlight of both trips was viewing the fall colors. Below you will find several photos and a video (run time 7:15) of the fall colors around and on our lot.
Sweep of color down to South Park
View from RV trailer is excellent
View from RV trailer main window
Aspen along “wilderness road”
Our tree-lined driveway
(Incidentally, the driveway was formally approved by Park County this past week, one year after we applied.)
Leaves starting to fall off trees
These next two photos show the difference between where we have cleaned up the down dead wood and trees and where we have yet to work.
Note dead and down trees on ground. This is the “before” photo
“After” photo. Note cleaned-up ground under the trees
I shot some video around the lot. Here is a 7:15 clip taken over both trips.
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Pam says I am getting a little out of hand with videos, so let let me know if I should continue to include them, if you don’t view them, if you have trouble viewing them, or any other feedback you think appropriate.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
I was going to drive up to Sanderling (with the dogs, in the Honda) this weekend and join Jer at the lot, but the hard freeze in De Beque required me to stay home and make sure the plants/kittens/outdoor cats stayed warm. Early weather reports also predicted snow flurries over the mountain passes, and I’m not much of a winter snow driver. As it turned out, no flurries and I may have missed the golden aspens in the grove we’ve been working on all summer. Maybe next year.
Sinbad, the outdoor adolescent kitten we just paid to have neutered, disappeared this week. Why is it, just when you spay or neuter an animal, it either disappears or gets hit by a car? When the sadness of rescue (death and disappearance) is not balanced by the joy (births and adoptions), it’s time.to.quit.
There is a lot to blog about this time. On September 14th I made a one-day solo trip over to the lot and did more work. The next week I was on vacation from work for three days and took an extended ATV trip in the Ouray (pronounced you-Ray) area on two of those days. Finally, Pam and I went over to Sanderling to stage more wood for removal. Last Wednesday new kittens arrived, Pam’s 24th foster litter. Mom cat’s name is Ebony and her kittens are all black just like her.
That’s a lot of ground to cover.
Trips to the lot are now falling into a pattern of getting loads of brush and slash over to the burn pit and getting some firewood home. My solo trip was no exception, except Pam requested I bring home some rocks to be used in our berms. So, after a long day’s work, I finished by picking up 10 rocks to bring home. Pam was delighted. I was tired.
I had driven over on a Friday night. Saturday morning was overcast and cloudy so I went up to Pavilion Point and made this video. (Running time is 2:31.)
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Not much else to report from that trip. Our last trip, this past Friday afternoon – Saturday, was more of the same. (I did find the key to unlock the 2-wheel cart.) We returned via Boreas Pass – Pam had not been on the pass this year – and we stopped to take this photo of aspen along the road turning color:
Boreas Pass, September 2013
Jumping back a few days… I had traveled to Ouray (pronounced you-Ray) Colorado for a two-day (Sept 18 and 19) ATV outing. I wanted to ride the Alpine Loop which consists of Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass. I had ATV’d part of Engineer Pass last year but had not completed the loop. Both pass trails start from Highway 550 south of Ouray and end in Lake City, Colorado.
The first day was overcast and had late afternoon rain, not the best travel conditions but not bad enough to prevent the trip. Thursday was much better, partly cloudy and dry. I enjoyed my trips on both days.
Rather than including a gallery of still photos I am including this long (12:36) video that covers parts of both Engineer and Cinnamon passes.
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It was a good outing and I enjoyed both day’s travel. There are many more ATV trips in the Ouray – Silverton area that I hope to get to next year.
One or two more photos not including in the video:
Aspen turning color, Engineer Pass, Sept. 18
Jerry with old mine hoist, Mineral Point area, Sept. 19
Ebony’s kittens:
Ebony and her kittens
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
P.S.
We are not in the flood zone that has made national news. Here in the western part of the state we have had a lot of rain, and flash-flooding at one point closed I-70 a few miles from home, but nothing like they had on the eastern part of the state. Thanks to all who called or e-mailed to check on us!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
I am ready for the wood cutting summer to be over. Too many “pulls” on my time and energy – full-time job (I’d prefer to work part-time again), all these pregnant cats with kittens, and four-hour-each-way drives to the Sanderling property. Jer can’t really be safely left on the lot solo with the chain saw. There is no one in shouting distance if he injures himself, and cell phone coverage is spotty up there. Staging wood and slash one weekend when I (and the dogs) accompany Jer, then the next weekend he takes the solo trip with the truck and trailer to haul slash to the pit and wood home – that routine seems to be working.
One kitten from the previous litter died this weekend at the vet (the fuzzy white Siamese-mix), and one that was adopted from that same litter is sick but hanging in there (the long-haired orange one). A bacterial infection – it could have been picked up from Izzy, from the animal shelter, who knows – is the cause of the distress. Such sadness when the little ones cross the rainbow bridge so soon.
Ebony’s newborn kittens are Mink, Mole, Sable and Seal. I think there are three boys and one girl. Ebony knows exactly what to do, this is her second litter this year.
We did fit in the Mountain Laurie/Boreas Pass visit, as you can see by the photo from the Boreas Pass Road. Some years Mom’s presence is felt at the location where her ashes are scattered, some years not so much. A beautiful day on Boreas, but the spirit of Mountain Laurie seemed to visit me at Sanderling in the form of a hummingbird earlier this summer. If you believe in such things…
So I am sitting here trying to find a way to make this post a bit fresher and more personal than is my norm. How about a day-by day commentary? OK…let’s give it a try.
Friday: I had taken the day off. Thursday night one of my gold crowns came off. First stop on Friday is the dentist. He was able to work me in between appointments so I didn’t have to wait long, maybe 20 minutes or so. He re-glued the crown back in place. Went shopping after that for groceries and supplies. The ventilator fan in the bathroom had died and I stopped at three different stores looking for a replacement. Didn’t find one, the original is round and all the stores had were square units. Suggestion from Home Depot: Look on-line. Great. Until I can find one the bathroom will get a little steamy when we shower. Not showering is not an option… 🙂
Returned home, had lunch, then packed up the truck and headed up to the lot. Packing can be time consuming as I need to load and strap down the ATV, pack the ramps, load all the “stuff” needed for that trip, hook up the trailer, and make sure I have everything else I normally take such as my camera gear and a full water bottle. Then it’s off to face the holiday traffic. Pam normally has most of the “stuff” organized for me otherwise we probably would not have clean linens or food to eat when we get to Sanderling.
Arrived at lot, opened up trailer, transferred all the “stuff” from the truck into the right places. Trailer is a bit “closed in” but the cool mountain air soon cleared out the stale air. Unloaded the ATV and got the trailer set for the next morning’s work, then dinner and into bed for a night’s rest.
Saturday: I get up, have breakfast, hop on the ATV and hook up the trailer. Drive down to the spot where we had piled up brush to be taken to the burn pit. Load the trailer. Go back up the lot and attempt to get the 2-wheel cart into service. The last time out we had decided to work on cleaning up the higher parts of the lot. No way to get the 5 foot by 12 foot aluminum trailer higher into the lot. Plan of attack: Use the 2-wheel cart to haul stuff down to the trailer. I don’t know what it is with me and keys, but I did not have the key for the padlock I had used to secure the 2-wheel cart. Crap. Loaded more slash by hand into the trailer until I had a respectable load and took it to the burn pit.
Ever had an “it was meant to happen” moment? I had gone back to the RV to get a 2nd bottle of water as the day was beginning to get warm. Coming out of the burn pit I stopped to thank the volunteers who man the gate. One lady asks me if I have any extra water so I hand over the spare bottle. Turns out she had lived near Grand Junction and knew where De Beque was. Who knew? Back to the trailer to start on Plan B.
Plan B: cut a road through the edge of the aspen grove that will be wide enough to handle the ATV pulling the trailer. I got started on this and was working away when Pam arrived. I decided to cut this path for two reasons; first is that I could not get the 2-wheel cart in service, but mainly I decided I didn’t want to have to handle everything twice more, first into the cart than out again and into the trailer. Loading directly into the trailer made much more sense and will be well worth the loss of a few aspen for a road cut. The other advantage is being able to get the trailer closer to both slash and firewood, eliminating trips back and forth that using the 2-wheel cart would have entailed. I hope this new arrangement works out well. If not then there will be another Plan B.
Wilderness Road
We proceeded to cut standing dead wood and small green trees in order to clear our “road through the wilderness.” Attention was paid to clearing dead wood from near the saddle area. I used the ATV to skid the salvageable wood down to the trailer. (See 44 second clip below.) We had a respectable load of wood by the time we were done for the day.
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Pam had opted to come to the property on Saturday for a very good reason: Two of Izzy’s kittens were going to be adopted. Pam had been in contact with a lady from Glenwood Springs who was looking for a pair of kittens. The potential adopter had seen photos of the kittens, had viewed the kitten video I posted a few weeks back, and visited De Beque to see the litter. She decided to take the Siamese-looking kitten, Freedom, and the gold/orange kitten, Liberty, as kittens tend to do better when they have a playmate about their own age. Since the adoption is through the Friends Of Rifle Animal Shelter, Pam made arrangements to deliver all 5 kittens to that facility on Saturday morning before heading up to Sanderling with the dogs. The shelter will arrange the adoption after proper vetting has occurred. We are delighted to get these first two adopted and hope the other 3 will quickly share the same fate.
Izzy’s kitten Liberty
Izzy’s kitten Freedom
By the time the road was done on Saturday afternoon and all the firewood retrieved, we were beat. Pam made a nice hot dinner of corned beef and potatoes accompanied by fresh fruit and home-made chocolate chip cookies. Then it was time to relax, talk, plan the next day’s activities, shower, then off to bed.
Sunday: The clouds had started gathering and we knew that by afternoon rain would set in. After a few hours of work on the road -widening it – we knocked off for the morning. Back in The Box, the propane tank had been used up and I switched to the other tank. After a good lunch of eggs and left-over corn beef and potatoes, washed down with hot tea, I drove to Fairplay to get the propane tank refilled. Turns out my tank has not been “re-certified” recently – has to be done every 5 years or so – and no vendor in Fairplay would fill my propane tank. Great. I’ll have to find a place that will do a re-certification before I can get the tank filled. Not going to happen on a Sunday or Labor Day so the tank will come home with me.
By the time I returned to the RV Pam had pretty well completed getting stuff ready to return home. We took a walk up to Pavilion Point, let the dogs out for a last run before their 4-hour trip, and managed to get everything loaded into the car. Pam started for home with the dogs just as the raindrops were beginning to fall.
It rained sheets, accompanied by thunder and lightning. I stayed inside. Rain kept up for about half an hour then stopped. I began filling the fresh water tank to replace the water we had used during the last two visits. Over to the community hand pump to get water. I filled the tank then made another trip to fill my empty water jugs. Sixteen extra gallons are now sitting at the rear of the RV ready to use the next time we visit. As I was doing this the rain began again, but no thunder and lightning this time, just a nice moderate rain that kept up for a few hours.
Realizing my work day was over I made myself a hot dinner (tuna and cheese on toast) and had a cranberry-orange muffin for desert. After doing dishes and getting cleaned up I called it a night.
Monday: I slept in until 7:30! Nice. Then it was breakfast and begin packing the truck and shutting down the RV. I loaded the ATV, found a place to carry the propane tank, and hooked up the aluminum trailer. Plan for the day was to get in an ATV ride before getting home. Was not going to happen.
I am in the truck heading for Breckenridge when the phone rings. It’s Pam. “The Honda won’t start, it’s dead in the driveway.” ATV trip goes away and I head straight for home. Arrive in De Beque in early afternoon. Battery in the Honda is dead and won’t take a charge. Off to Grand Junction and Walmart for a new battery. Since I am making the trip anyway I might as well do some other shopping. Get home, unload everything, put new battery in the car. Honda fires right up with the new battery installed. I fry up some hamburgers for dinner then check my e-mail. Nothing major except a note from my sister Kitt who has some computer questions. I answer as best I can then shower and head for bed. I am very tired.
And that was my Labor Day weekend.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
All I can say is, thank goodness I drove straight through from Sanderling to De Beque without stopping, or that dead Honda battery could easily have halted my return trip. Not fun, with three dogs in tow.
Izzy is still with us, waiting for her milk to dry up before she can be spayed and returned to our garage colony. Ebony, the petite black preggo who’s been showing up at the garage feeder, has now come into the house for the duration of her pregnancy. Foster litter #24 is in the hopper.
This past Sunday I was able to spend a couple hours riding the Middle Fork of the Swan River. (The last time I was in this area I rode the Georgia Pass [South Fork] and North Fork of the Swan River ATV trails.) This ride, plus updates on the lot and Izzy’s kittens, are the subject of today’s post.
I’ll begin with a few lot updates. Pam and I have been clearing dead wood and cutting up firewood. Pam was stung/bitten twice during our last outing as it appears that, with fall coming, some of the more aggressive insects are building nests low to the ground and under some of the dead wood we are planning to remove. We have to take a bit more care now and have armed ourselves with hornet and wasp killer in spray cans. We’ve made the decison to work higher ground on the theory that the bugs prefer the wetter areas of the lot and the higher, drier parts will have fewer nests. As such we will begin working the saddle area and upper parts of the lot.
This plan has some issues as there is not a good pathway to get the aluminum trailer into the saddle. Plan B…cut a small trail large enough for the 2-wheel dump cart to use and ferry the wood down to the driveway where we can load it into the trailer.
Our last load of wood was the largest single load we have brought home so far. Two evenings of labor and we had the logs cut into firewood, delivery scheduled for this upcoming weekend. A long Labor Day holiday will allow us to get more brush taken to the burn pit and stage more firewood to bring home. Temps have dropped into the upper 40 degree range already in the high country, a reminder cold comes to the higher elevations early in the fall, and at least one ski area reported a snowfall already. (Snow only lasted a day or so.) We need to get our wood out without wasting much time.
Load of logs from lot became firewood
Firewood ready to load and deliver
I bought a new chain saw to help the work go faster. My old (30+ years) Craftsman has problems and parts are not available to do the repairs, so Pam let me buy a new Jonsered 2245 saw. It has proven to be a nice upgrade.
I was at Sanderling this past weekend (solo visit) and put the new solar charger in place. I hope this fixes the problems with the solar panels not keeping the battery charged but we’ll take the generator with us on the next trip as backup. On my solo visit I hauled the trailer over to the dump site, emptied the grey and blackwater holding tanks, and topped off the fresh water tank. We should be good to go for a long Labor Day weekend visit.
Subject 2: Izzy’s kittens.
Izzy’s 5 kittens are at the “really cute” stage, exploring their world, wrestling with each other, and developing distinct personalities. All are very friendly with people and will attack shoe laces and pants cuffs if given a chance. We will try to get individual photos soon but here is a short (2:46) video clip of some play time:
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After finishing the “trailer chores” on Saturday, Sunday I took an ATV ride up the Middle Fork of the Swan River. The last time I was in this area (Georgia Pass) I had ridden the North Fork of the Swan River and had enjoyed the outing a great deal. I had seen moose, mountain goats, and some great scenery.
This trip was not quite as exciting (no moose) but I did see a few more mountain goats and lots of high country scenery. Afternoon rain cut my trip a bit short; I had no rain gear with me and above tree line elevations (pockets of snow were below me) getting wet means getting cold in a hurry. I headed back down the trail and received only minor showers until after I made it back to the truck and had the ATV loaded. I ran into pockets of hard rain on my way home. I’ll need to add a poncho to my ATV gear.
Here are a few photos of this outing:
Lower end of the Middle Fork of the Swan River
Cabin marks the Swandyke town site
Middle Fork, Swan River
Above timberline where snow often stays all year, about 12,600 feet
Big views from top of trail, looking west
End point for today but trail continues on
Mountain goats frequent the area
Side road #258 leads back to old mine
Highlight of the day was, again, seeing mountain goats up close. Here is a quick video (2:34 running time) featuring 3 mountain goats. Note how one is still shedding its coat while the other two animals look neat and sleek.
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Next big outing will be Labor Day weekend at the lot.
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
P.S.
I have created a gallery for my California 2013 motorcycle trip. If you would like to view it the address is:
Kittens are their absolute cutest, for me, at 5 weeks of age. This litter just turned six weeks old, and are starting to be little s-h-i-t-s. The Rifle Shelter may be coming to my “rescue” and finding a foster for the current litter until they are old enough to be altered (male kittens must be 2.0 pounds to be neutered, female kittens 2.5 pounds to be spayed). I may need the assistance because it appears I have another preggo mom cat at the garage feeder. Yippee.
All photos were taken by Jerry or Pam unless noted. Click on photos to bring up a larger version in a new window. Close that window to return to the post.
Clicking on the enlarged photos will zoom in on the cursor location. (Most browsers.) This gives you the opportunity to see additional detail that might not be apparent in the smaller photo.
I hope you enjoy reading this blog and looking at these momentos!
~ Jerry
