Wednesday - - Flagstone P/U Day!

I apologize, blogposts won't always be this mundane and frivilious.  I promise that I will make every attempt to make them content rich!  However, this post had to be made as I'm familiarizing myself with the myriad of email delivery options provided by feedburner and I wanted to be sure that my selections are having the desired effect. 
In the mean time, here's the important blog update:  I will be picking up the flagstone tomorrow! Woo Hoo!  There it is................>>>>>>>>>

Craig's List - What a great site!

If you haven't already discovered the merits of http://www.craigslist.org/ , you're one of the few still out in the dark!  On more than one occasion, it has provided the means to sell items quickly and at decent profit or acquire items at pennies on the dollar (if that much)!  The most notable deal was the purchase of a coleman pop-up camper for $250 (Thanks Mary!).

Today I scored a great Craiglist find for Trout Camp!  Answering a post from a nice gentleman in Solon, I was lucky enough to pick up 150 brick pavers before someone else beat me to them.  I'm not talking about those budget paver bricks readily available at the big box stores, but the old fashioned pavers that were city streets years ago.  Some of them even have bits of asphalt left on them.  They are heavy duty, weighing in at 10#'s each and in a 4" X 8" X 3.5" dimension.  If my calculations are correct, I'm fairly confident (counting dirt "grout" lines) that our fire pit area should have all the coverage it needs once they are put into place.  Please excuse the lame artwork, but I've included a rendering of my intended use of the bricks.  A return trip is planned for Wednesday to retreive enough flagstone for an 8X8' area as well.  Best part of the entire transaction...IT WAS ALL GOTTEN FREE!

Considering the location and amount of natural burnables, a fire pit arrangement as detailed is a more prudent way to enjoy ourselves and greatly reduce the risk of starting a forest fire.  After all, "Only you can prevent forest fires!"

 

What's on the agenda for the next several weeks?

Now that PAOD-2010 (Pennsylvania Opening Day -actually week) has passed, our attention is now directed toward the short list of things to do at trout camp. Focusing on the few immediate tasks that will evolve Trout Camp's terra firma into a "turn key" camping experience when pulling in for a weekend is our top priority.

What needs to be completed?

• Chopping the pile of root balls, stumps and dead wood into a more manageable and burnable lot.
• Improving the grade of the deck, the camper and the fire ring areas.
• Constucting a 12 X 20' elevated deck.
• Constructing a more substantial backstop for the target area of the firing range.

My most pressing concern, when thinking of the projects that need attention, is not overstepping any boundaries when calling in favors. It is very likely that Trout Camp will require the return of my Father's F250 and my buddy's Kubota tractor, but I'm thinking that I'd like to put off another round of "special requests" until we determine that a future endeavor cannot be completed by any other means. So, in the mean time, I've been actively pursuing alternatives.

While surfing the net for DIY'ers cliff notes on the subjects of grading / leveling / surveying hillsides, I came across a forum that suggested the use of a roto-tiller, shovel, non-flexible metal rakes and some muscle to create areas that were on a more comfortable slope.  It was an interesting suggestion and one that I will put to use although I'm not sure whether I'll till the high side and rack the soil downhill to fill or till just below the area to be improved and bring the loose soil up hill to fill to a more respectible grade.  Who knows?  I may use both! I also found some very easy ways of calculating slope and effectively managing the repositioned of soil over a large areas through the use of 5m long stakes, string levels and measuring tools. The good news is we don't have to purchase any of these items and it is just a matter of finding the time to get them up to the mountain and work the soil into submission.

My plans are to borrow a friend's Troybuilt Pony roto-tiller and another friend's mini-trailer to haul it and head out Saturday evening and attempt to get as much of the list completed as possible. My wifey has requested a tag along and I find that I really appreciate how much she enjoys accompanying me. She seems to long for the solitude and quietness that our little slice of ANF Heaven graces us with. I'm finding, even though much of my time there has been spent working hard, that DaJtcha has way about her, something special and almost addictive. I know that the wife and I don't want to leave when the "return to reality of city life" bell tolls.

A cool night, long day and sore to the bone....

It was "Bob the Builder" day at trout camp. I journeyed into camp the evening before just as the sunset and the evening temperatures began to chill. It was eerily quiet, save the hoots from a owl perched far off on a Northern mountain crest. I returned the calls with those of my own and naturally solicited a territorial response. Within 10 minutes the dominant male had made his way within several hundred feet of my own perched position upon the skeet deck. Completely blind because of the blanket of darkness that had settled and depending on only my hearing, I began to wonder..."He can probably see me clear as day and I bet he's wondering what I'm up to with my challenging calls!?" Before I could begin to worry that he may just swoop down and attempt to establish the heirarchy on the hill another call came off in the distance. So now there were three! Lucky for me the two real owls went at it and left me alone. I took the momentarily distraction as a call to scoot out without a scratch and set up camp for the night. I slept well even with the 29 degree temperatures. I was thankful of my decision to pack two sleeping bags and a set of fleece for the night. They kept me relatively warm regardless of how cramped it was laying across the bench seat of my Father's F250.

I awoke at 6:45 and decided to get down to work. The tractor tore through the few stumps that littered the winding road into the head of camp. I tried my best to fill and level the holes left in their removal, but I realize that this may be a job to fool with in future outings. Having 8-10 hours to accomplish a mountain of tasks had my priorites elsewhere.

In this period of time I was able to widened the parking area, rip out 30 tree stumps, back drag and flatten the deck area, the drive way, the parking area, the firepit area and remove several root ball mounds left from the 85 tornado. All in all, I would consider it a very productive day. The next trip may have Jim and I installing a 12 X 20' deck that will serve as a place for him to set up his tent, for us to enjoy good eats and an elevated area to retreat in the event things get wet and we need to get of the ground.

By the way, the stars and planets were so bright that it felt as if I could just reach out and grab them all. I've witnessed many bright starry skies, but this particular night lacked any overcast or clouds and as a consequence the stars were super white bright...a very nice treat to admire on my first overnighter on DaJtcha!

Kubota time...This weekend at Trout Camp

This Sunday, directly following my shift at work, I will be traveling out to Trout Camp with my buddy's Kubota tractor.  Equipped with a backhoe and bucket, I intend on taking a big leap forward on the "to do" list.Our land is nice, but has a couple annoying problems.  In 1985 a F5 tornado blew threw the area and level many of the old trees. See the story here:  1985 F5 Tornado Information   Mother Nature always finds a way to bounce back and this was no exception, however, 7 years later...a careless fire became out of control and climbed from the bottom of the mountain and up to the summit.   It erased a good portion of the regrowth and forced nature to restart once again.  Fast forward to today...the area needs a good scouring of small tree stumps and 4-6" tall tree trunks that have remained from these two incidents.  The goal on this trip is to remove as many of these tripping hazards as possible over the course of a full day of work. Four areas require extra attention:  The 20X12' deck zone, the camper placement area, the parking area and the fire ring.  All of them need to be graded since they are on enough of a decline to cause issues with camp setup and comfort.

While I have the heavy machinery out there, I will also attemtpt to flatten some of the high spots along the access driveway. And, the remaining downed trees will be chained and towed to a staging area for splitting for firewood.

I'd like to thank several individuals that have helped us greatly with their contributions and generosity:

My Father, for use of his F250
My cousin Dave, for use of his HD Trailer
My Buddy Greg, for use of his tractor

Dj

An expensive Wednesday...

Spent most of Wednesday at DaJtcha determined to have her prepped for my return on the 11th. In the process of clearing, pruning, marking, plotting and visualizing the work that I would attempt to blast out with the heavy machinery, I took out (one by one) all the little machines I had brought with me. One after another they fell victim to the land or my abuse. First up was the hand shovel, crow bars they ARE NOT! The wooden handled shorty had been a faithful work horse for me for many years, but the handle would not be able to take the prying I attempted to use it for. Crack! Second up to bat was my 30' tape measure and let's just say that I have a 25.5' tape measure that has retracted into the case like a turtle hiding in its shell. Then came the rake handle. "What's next?" I wondered! Ummm, maybe I shouldn't have wondered so much...the lawn mower was the next to die. This time, it was my fault. I had tried so hard to keep the blade from the multitude of stumps that litter the acreage and everything was going great, but in a mound of leaves...one 2" tree branch lay hidden and waiting to strike. This will be the third mower that has perished as a result of full throttle to full stop. OUCH!!! Thankfully, the rake, the tape measure, the shovel are all replaceable under the craftsman warranty. The lawn mower, unfortunately, is not. It appears that every three years, I make it an expensive habit of destroying the mower and purchasing a new one to replace it.
The good news is with the help of a fluorescent paint can I was able to plot out where I needed to move dirt, remove stumps and grade the property. I believe at the end of this next trip with the back hoe / bucket tractor...the resulting dramatic changes will be evident in photographs that I will post.

Another Sunday Afternoon Visit...

After practicing repetitive casting on a local NE Ohio river and having my efforts rewarded with (1) a lowly sucker for all my attempts, I suggested to the family that we take a stroll out to camp and spend the afternoon relaxing among the trees and wildlife. I was met with some reluctance from my two children, but my wife was all for it. In our household, if the wife and I are onboard...then we're ALL onboard! So, pushing it a bit, I was able to arrive at the forest opening to camp in 2 hours 10 minutes. I made most of my progress on the major freeway as driving the back roads into camp at anything moderately higher than the speed limit is not advisable considering the dangers. Concentrating on the road side reveals many deer that have met their fate via a speeding car. I didn't want the Xb to serve this purpose and certainly not while my love ones were coming along for the ride. Having made several trips back and forth has taught me that it takes longer getting there once exited from the interstate than while traveling on it and driving back home in the dark is both mentally taxing and alarming.
Camp hasn't changed all that much since the last visit. I chose to move an overturned 55 gallon barrel from the entrance to a place more near the fire ring (at least the location of where the fire ring will be placed). It wasn't too much trouble as I used the gradient and gravity to roll the drum into place. For now, it sits and waits patiently. Oh man! I just remembered, I set it upright and I'm not sure there were any holes near the bottom?! It may have no choice but to serve as a rain collection barrel until we get an opportunity to re-visit!
The last several stumps, the ones that were most in the way and were likely to put up the biggest fight when removing, have been extracted from Mother Earth.  I may have attempted the short drive to where the parking spaces will be placed, but with the low clearance of the subcompact it was not advisable.  Next time!

As a public service announcement:  I'd like to point out that the collapsible razor sharp pruning saws are indeed razor sharp and will cut through jeans and pierce skin without much effort.  The warning that chopping or sawing while tired is good advice and one to be followed!  Ouch!