Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

OlJarhead · August 09, 2021, 11:19:15 AM

Didn't make it to the cabin

But I did work on some wainscoting for the house!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRVlhyH2TLE

OlJarhead · August 17, 2021, 07:52:33 AM

Fires are within 10 miles of our cabin now and still heading in that direction. I am hoping the weather turns and we get more rain as that should help slow them down!

Waukonda has been hit pretty hard it appears and there are fires elsewhere but so far, this year, despite the heatwave, hasn't been as bad as it could have been!

August 17, 2021, 03:42:33 PM

I do hope that works out okay for you. 10 miles in these dry conditions can get eaten up too fast if the winds pick up. So far this year ee've had a good fire year and just lately even got some rain. All the best to you.

OlJarhead · August 17, 2021, 04:34:21 PM

Thanks MD! I've seen fires travel 60 miles in a couple hours so you are 100% right! Scary to be just ten miles away though I've seen much closer (watched the trees crown across the valley from me not much over 1/2 a mile away back in 2015.

Sure hoping this one stays north of the highway ..... guess I better check Inciweb!

jsahara24 · August 20, 2021, 08:09:33 AM

Having to deal with fires every year must be draining for everyone out west, being on the east coast it is hard for me to really understand as I can barely light up a fire in my firepit most nights....

Hoping all goes well and the rains arrive! Good luck!

August 23, 2021, 10:58:08 AM

Thanks bud,

In truth, pine forest burn about every 5 to 7 years naturally. The problem, as I see it, is when man goes out and starts fires! Sheesh! In Cali I saw that there was arson involved in their big fires! And back when Australia was burning? Yup, arson (2500+ fires lit by arsonists back then) and last year in the Okanogan? You guessed it, arson.

It's bad enough when it's dry and the lightening strikes but then some wack jobs decide to help nature along via 'fire bombs'......I'd string em up!

Anyway, I digress! We've had a little rain so I am hopeful....and inciweb seems to indicate the fires are pushing west right now. If they went south I'd be in trouble.

Meanwhile, I made a run to Kaloutus to do a little milling....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvFy-wcvhUg

OlJarhead · September 03, 2021, 11:52:54 AM

Still trying to get to the cabin but I finished the wainscotting at our house!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJIeEDrmgwM

OlJarhead · September 28, 2021, 09:33:40 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucqtpiUWIsU
The rematch!

I'm heading to the cabin this weekend to check on things but since I had to fight off Covid for a couple weeks (actually, pneumonia that Covid caused) I haven't had a lot of energy to do much! I did this logzilla just before testing pos for covid and going into a two week battle.

Good now though!

OlJarhead · October 05, 2021, 05:02:23 PM

Oh man, what a fantastic weekend at the cabin! I don't have a pic posting place (I don't use Insta or FB -- and MEWE doesn't seem to let me share)....but I think I will do a vid of our trip to share.

I need a new place to host pics though!

Anyway, arrived on Friday and got the woodstove going to warm up the place....that little Vermont Castings that I paid $1k for about 12 years ago (and is about $2500 now) continues to work awesome

Once cabin was warm and we'd had some evening drinks we hit the hay and were up early Saturday.

On Saturday I got the battery maintenance done -- 6+ years running now! Thanks MD! Still running about 25vdc overnight when we are not there with a light load but it's been that way for ages. My extra panels do a great job of getting them back up to 100% in no time as well and I rarely need the genny. Anyway, got the batts topped off, cleaned up and covered again. Then split a half a cord or more of wood and stacked it up and cleaned up the place nicely.

Had a great meal and relaxing evening (wife slept most of it -- that mountain air can do that) and Sunday were greeted with 10 nice fat Turkey's cruising around the solar panels

Nice to see them!

Got some wood covered and cleaned up more on Sunday before rolling out and wishing we stayed longer!

October 05, 2021, 06:36:18 PM

Quote
QuoteI need a new place to host pics though!

I use imgbb.com now

Quotethat little Vermont Castings that I paid $1k for about 12 years ago (and is about $2500 now) continues to work awesome

We still love ours too. I never realized they have gone up that much. Wow!

Redoverfarm · October 05, 2021, 07:17:14 PM

Quote from: MountainDon on October 05, 2021, 06:36:18 PM

I use imgbb.com now

Don I thought you used Imgur.

MountainDon · October 05, 2021, 07:55:26 PM

I have used it. Imgur was recently bought out by a media company that has a history of buying ailing brands. Some of their acquisitions have not fared well. I jumped ship. Maybe an unnecessary change.

OlJarhead · October 06, 2021, 04:37:41 PM

testing

MountainDon · October 06, 2021, 08:47:13 PM

You still have trees, always a good sign in a western forest.

October 07, 2021, 07:15:06 AM

LOL ahhhh.....it's always a worry because arid pine forest naturally burn every 5 to 7 years but I do a lot to protect our place like you do and then hope for the best!

MountainDon · October 07, 2021, 07:58:10 AM

The FS has another contractor thinning a thousand acres just south of us. This is wonderful to see as the area is horribly overgrown.

Early morning a week ago. They had to widen an old dirt track that was in really bad shape. Bad enough that the road had been scheduled to be decommissioned several years ago. The road is good too as it will provide another route in another direction to escape in case of fire.

OlJarhead · October 11, 2021, 01:47:54 PM

Cool and it looks clean! Out here they did a job and left a lot of slash which caused a beetle problem!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umv42KA1G2A

Meanwhile, I did this video to share our last cabin trip!

cbc58 · October 31, 2021, 08:39:39 AM

Great video. Thanks for posting this.

OlJarhead · November 03, 2021, 08:07:49 AM

Thanks!

I used to share a lot of pics and may try to share more moving forward now that I have a place I can do that but since I'm doing a lot of YT stuff for the sawmill I find it easier to justs do a vid of cabin stuff....just working on one now actually

Cheers
Erik

OlJarhead · November 09, 2021, 08:16:46 AM

Here's a new one...winterizing the cabin and a bit of discussion on the solar heater and what not

Man I have a lot of work to do up there!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xVNH7SSccU

November 18, 2021, 08:50:05 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvqT_7sMefg
Here's a new one....my next will have a LOT more on the cabin interior than any previous video and I hope to have it out Monday....and I'll be at the cabin this weekend milling more lumber and doing more work on the porch!

I have some free time coming up so plan a LOT more cabin trips in the near future! woot!

OlJarhead · November 26, 2021, 09:53:23 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjUaNtAMom0

Well that was an adventure!

OlJarhead · November 28, 2021, 11:15:51 AM

Ok! So after fixing the above (Ridge Cap) that I'd left improperly affixed I now know that I don't HAVE to go back up and fix anything now

However I am contemplating sending another young buck up to remove the entire ridge cap, place some hardware cloth and then fix it all back down again. Just to prevent rodents from getting in there again.

I also added an insane 4 1/2 gallons of hydraulic fluid to the tractor and parked it up hill to prevent it from dripping (seems to have worked). It appears to have a rear seal leak that is allowing the fluid to run to the front of the drive train and leak out of the skids....darn it! So, next spring I need to haul it to the tractor shop and bite the bullet on getting it fixed (4wd also doesn't work)....that's going to hurt!

Last thing I did while there was to fix a piece of flashing under the roof above the stairs to the porch. It's been a pain as the melting snow drops to the 2nd to last stair and causes it to become so covered in ice that it's nearly impassable! So, having realized that not having a gutter isn't as much an issue as I thought, I just fixed some flashing under the drip line and set it on a steep enough angle to allow the water to run off to one side and not onto the step! DOH! Wish I'd done that years ago LOL

So, now it's time to make paneling that I can haul back up there on top of my jeep (hmmmm there's a picture).....at least that's the plan.

Wish me luck!

OlJarhead · January 09, 2022, 09:11:41 AM

Happy New Year folks! May 2022 be a great one!

I haven't made it to the cabin for my usual New Years trip but do hope to get there soon. I'm working on some wainscoting for the bathroom wall (outer) and hope to get the door trim done as well. I'm also working on some paneling that I hope to get up in the porch on the next trip.

The neighbors reported over 2 feet of snow before the last dump so this is likely the most snow at the cabin in the last 12 years! Needless to say I'm dying to get the jeep up there to test it out and to check on the roof on the porch etc to make sure all is holding up!

MountainDon · January 09, 2022, 09:32:02 AM

Yes, a belated Happy New Year! The FS is doing some serious thinning almost right to one corner of our property so that is making the wildfire danger look the best it has been in decades. There are been enough snow to make me not want to bother trying to drive to the cabin though. We can really use a lot more snow for the water but the long-range forecast does not look good for that.