Snoscootrs Wild Ride

Winter Keeps Rolling Along

2011-02-27T07:04:00.039-05:00

What a winter this has turned out to be! One of the top 5 snowfall amounts at home, and a pretty awesome year of riding as well. It is early Sunday morning in Vermont as I begin this blog, and 2-3 inches of fresh snow have fallen overnight, and it is coming down lightly as I type. Staring out the window into the blanketed tree line, a there is a feeling of serenity or peacefulness about it. Everything looks pristine and pure covered by a coating of white, before the sand and salt change the colors to brown.
This winter has been a winter for the books to be sure. I have been able to get up more often than in past years to enjoy my passion, largely in part to my wonderful wife. She has been on more trips and we were finally able to reach a milestone of our own, seeing our first moose in Vermont-(more on that in a bit)

Since last writing, we have attended a few events, and ridden numerous trails. We made it up for our clubs annual Spaghetti dinner, and it was a huge success! Record numbers of people rode in by snowmobile or drove in by car. Prior to the dinner on Sunday we took a Saturday ride. Karen, Pete, and I cruised over to Lancaster, New Hampshire, trying to fill in some of the trails we had not ridden on. Following a roughly predetermined route,we rode by the Moore Dam. Built in 1956, it created the Moore Reservoir, which covers approximately 3490 acres on the Connecticut River. The building of this dam caused the flooding of several villages, including Pattenville, New Hampshire, and old Waterford, Vermont. Down the trail a little way, we passed by a covered bridge in Lunenburg, apparently under repair. Fun Fact: This 266 foot bridge, built in 1911, spans the Connecticut River. It is a two span bridge using William Howe's wood and steel design. He patented the Howe truss, which uses diagonal timber compression members and vertical iron tension members. This design was eventually used in metal bridge design as well.
We stopped for a quick snack,and went down the trail. We eventually ended up in Burke, and took a wrong turn, which brought us by the ski area. Circling back we found the right trail and headed down some familiar trails back toward home. Taking a detour into Greensboro Bend, we rode by the abandoned rail station. Greensboro Bend is so named because of the horseshoe bend the railroad takes through the village. Making the last loop towards home, we encountered a small pocket of heavy snow, lasting around ten minutes. In some cases the conditions were almost whiteout! The next day was the spaghetti dinner. Due to it being on Sunday, we did not ride in, but drove instead. The turnout was greater than expected, and a great time was had by all-yet I can't seem to locate my pictures from that day.

The next trip up was the weekend of Lincoln's birthday. With an extra day off from work because of the holiday,we were up on a Thursday evening.Much to our surprise there was an abundance of snow, and work to be done. Friday morning, we planned to head west to explore new frontiers with a couple of friends. They arrived at 8 and made their way over the high snowbanks so we could discuss our options. We headed west, towards a town called Eden, and had a nice loop picked out. As usual, our local club had groomed the trails smooth for our journey. Traveling through Danville, Greensboro, into Craftsbury, the trails were perfect. As we came into Craftsbury, the trail was difficult to follow in town. Then a local pointed the way, and we looped around a building, and over a narrow path behind a house, and the trail opened up again, and the groomer had just been through! As we rode along the trails were still perfect, hardly a track anywhere. We felt like we were the only ones out there. After a while we came upon a junction with a large parking area so we decided to stop, and confirm our location, and maybe have a snack and something to drink. It was a nice spot and had all the "comforts" of home. After a brief respite, we packed up and got ready to depart and head towards our next point of interest. As we were leaving, one of the snowmobiles wouldn't start! One of our party was extremely knowledgeable and the best mechanic of all of us, and yet we could not find out what the problem was. After a 1/2 hour or so past with no luck, the groomer was spotted coming down the trail.We flagged him down and discussed our options as to where was the best place to go from here. He told us Eden was our best best 7-8 miles away. Unfortunately this meant we would have to tow the disabled sled for this distance. There was a road closer, but then no way of contacting anyone. At least in Eden there was a convenience store which meant a phone(cell service was not available in the middle of nowhere).
With that the groomer departed, smoothing the trail ahead of us, hopefully making the tow a bit easier. One of our party left his mark on the trail, perhaps like bread crumbs in case we got lost? Hooking up the disabled sled(all of us carry tow ropes apparently)we got ready to leave.I went ahead to warn oncoming snowmobiles if needed about the towing, and Karen rode in back, much like the escort service you see on the highway surrounding a modular home. Towing in the woods can be quite a challenge, especially with the varied terrain. There were a couple of minor mishaps, but we finally reached civilization. After a few failed attempts, we found someone who had a friend with a truck, and for a nominal fee was glad to come down and take my friend and his snowmobile the 40 or so miles back to the hotel. Loading the snowmobile took 5 of us, and let me tell you it is much harder when you are wearing all that snowmobile gear. After loading the sled, our friend departed. Since we had lost a bunch of time with an unplanned breakdown, we looked at our present location, and determined it was kind of late to go where we originally planned, so we plotted an alternate route back home, which would give us some decent mileage and still get us home at a decent hour.

We travelled out East of Eden (pun intended), south through Wolcott, Elmore, and Hardwick. Eventually we came upon a logging operation. A large portion of the snowmobile trails are current and former logging trails, and so we share the trails when required. Imagine my surprise when a skidder pulled out from a side trail though. We followed him for close to mile before he reached the large staging area for the trees.
After we passed the skidder, we were moving along on some unfamiliar trails. I was leading the way, so hopefully I was making the right trail choices. The signs that clubs put up vary from county to county, and even from club to club. Some are very detailed, and others are, well, not so much. Sometimes you have to orient yourself to get the proper bearings, as the signs don't always match the trail maps.

So I chose the path for us to follow, heading back towards familiar territory, and suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see something moving. I eased off the throttle, and turned my head and I saw them. 1, no 2, no 3 moose! Wading through the deep snow about 20 yards off the trail traveling parallel with the trail. I immediately stopped and pointed, and told Karen through our helmet communicators-"MOOSE!" We have been hoping to see a moose for several years now, and in the fall went on a moose tour to see them. But this was different. We were pretty up close and it was still daytime. The moose worked there way back onto the trail, as it was much easier for them to navigate on the packed surface of the snowmobile trail than the deep snow off trail. I slowly depressed the throttle, trying to get closer-but not too close- in order to get a few pictures. The moose zigged off the trail, then zagged across the trail into a small hollow behind some rocks, and this is when I got a few pictures.
Success! I was probably 50 feet away, which was close enough for me. If I was able to turn around I might have gotten closer, but the trail was too narrow, and I did not want to irritate them. In talking with the locals, the animals tend to travel the trails more towards the end of winter, as they are struggling more to find food, and walking through the woods takes a lot more energy. I can attest to that, just getting stuck off trail with a snowmobile can be an exhausting experience. After the moose moved behind the rocks, was passed safely by and made our way back to the lodge for the evening, where I sat down and planned out the next days ride The next day was a trip south to Groton, for the Groton snowmobile club's annual Chicken Dinner. Our friend could not fix his snowmobile, because the part that went was one that had to be ordered, so we were sad he couldn't join us. But off we went, meeting up with our club, and I think there were around 30 of us who rode down together. We arrived early in the dinner, and there was already parking issues. We managed to find a space to park and went in to enjoy a nice chicken dinner. This was a fund raiser for the Groton club, and we try and support as many local club events as possible. There were plenty of people and the chicken was fantastic!
After the dinner, we decided to head out on our own, to find a way back on some trails we hadn't ridden yet. This is the nice thing about our general area. There are many trails that loop around so you can get from one location to another in many ways. Small loops, large loops, allowing you to see various terrain, and enjoy the outdoors. The route I selected took us through Groton, Marshfield, Cabot, Peacham, Barnett, Saint Johnsbury, and home. Riding through Marshfield, heading toward Cabot, we passed an area with both snowmobile and cross country ski trails, and they were marked plain as day. There was no doubt the same groomer groomed both sets of trails, but based on the signs, my guess was the groomer was only too happy to groom the cross country trail in exchange for allowing the snowmobile trail to pass through the same property. One great thing about the snowmobile trails in Vermont is approximately 85 percent of the trails are on private land. This means private land owners open up their property for the snowmobilers enjoyment. They do this with no incentive or personal gain I might add. So we always try and respect this fact and stay on the marked trails, and give a wave when we see someone walking or working near the trails.

On the last portion of our ride, we encountered the worst trail I think I have been on. It was very bumpy, had lots of ruts, and was one we on which had to stop a few times to get a break from all the jolts our bodies were taking. After what seemed forever, we came over a rise, and saw the sign we needed to see. Welcome to the Danville trail system! From that point on the trails smoothed out, and we were back to floating on a carpet of white gold. As we got closer to town, another snow squall kicked up, but it was a pretty sight, with the sun and the snow cloud fighting each other. The last few miles, the snow picked up and we arived back at the lodge, ready for a hot dinner, and a good book. It was around 300 miles of riding over the 2 plus days. As we were relaxing, the snow was again falling, and the groomer could be seen going down our trail, creating the new carpet for the next ride.

Finally..Winter has Arrived!

2011-01-23T19:24:00.035-05:00

After hiding long past its due date, winter has arrived in the northeast! More so in CT than VT, but finally showing it's true color-white! Winter showed up early around the Christmas holiday, creating blizzard-like conditions along the CT shore, but very little in the upper northeast. The trails were bare and nearly impassable. After Christmas, the January thaw showed up, erasing almost all the base. I am sure you could hear me cursing. Then the temperatures starting going lower, and snow started falling, albeit in CT mostly. Over the course of 2 weeks we ended up with close to 30 inches here at home, and a paltry 5-6 inches in the north.

On the 14th of January, we made the decision to go up and check it out first hand rather than listening to all the reports. Early Saturday we decided to try the trails, and go up to Lyndonville to see the ice drag races. Firing up my sled, I went to meet Pete, who had come up looking to ride, and so we offered to let him come with us.

After meeting up with Pete, we headed out to gas up. The day was kind of gray with the sun peeking out on occasion from behind the clouds. Leaving the gas station, we rode by Joe's Pond, where we could see a couple of brave souls decided to take a short cut across the pond. I know it is cold, and supposed to be safe, but after last year being a year with several people going through the ice, I would pass. After a back trail warm up ride, we headed off to the north. Arriving at the drag races after a bumpy journey, we pulled up to grab a spot to watch, and a cup of hot coffee. Quite a few folks showed up by snowmobile, but even more by car.
We found a good vantage point and watched several races. They were semi-professional with a light tree and starter, and between races, they would power rake the launch area to remove loose debris and snow. Definitely all in the take-off though. Several people would have the front ends lifting off the ground and back off on the throttle. They need to keep weight more forward (or be a bigger guy like me)

After watching several races, we ventured back onto the trails. After a short discussion trail side we chose our route for the remainder of the afternoon. Unfortunately we picked a few of the rougher trails. These were rough mainly due to lack of snow. The trail system is maintained by various clubs, each having there own portion for which they are responsible. They use groomers and drags, much like a ski area to fill in the ditches and smooth out the high spots. But alas, with limited snow comes limited grooming. After the next junction, we opted for a smaller, less traveled trail, which wasn't too bad. As we rode across the fields, we spotted a flock of wild turkey. We stopped for gas again, and drove home on the rail bed, which was thin with lots of ballast rock coming loose. We decided to end on that note for the day, opting for an early dinner.

The next morning we suited up once again for a short ride before driving home. Trails were thin, but passable. We chose an alternate to the rail bed this time and it was a little less driven on, so was in pretty good shape.We disappeared into the hills, and found the higher elevations to have slightly more snow, turning everything into more of a winter wonderland.
After a quick 30 or 40 miles, it was back to the lodge, and I decided to pull out the summer toy and try it out in the snow. Needless to say, while fun, not practical. You got a feeling of floating, and it kept digging down in the snow. Fast forward one week. Snowstorm for CT hits giving us even more snow, and follows into VT and adds a bunch of snow to the trails. So I decided to take Friday off and head north. Pete was up there on Thursday, so we arranged to get together and ride Friday and Saturday. Heading out to the east early Friday, the trails were smooth, and no one had ridden since the 3 inches of fresh snow had fallen overnight. We continued south and east, snow lightly falling, then north, finally coming to the bridge crossing in Lancaster, NH. Crossing the bridge was pretty easy, as it appears there was a pedestrian section converted to a snowmobile section for the winter. We stopped for gas, and headed north for a bite to eat in Bloomfield, VT. After a hot cup of coffee and a sandwich, we left, heading south and west back towards our general starting point, all while trying to avoid traveling too much on the trails we took to this point. We stopped at "the Roost" a cabin along the trail, where you can usually warm up, sign the guest book and rest a little.
On this day there was no fire going and being ~ 4:00 PM we didn't want to start one. We signed the guest book and left. I did notice they had a home made pit stop out back as well On the way back to the lodge, we encountered a "low" bridge. Although the picture doesn't do it justice, it was pretty low, and the feeling you needed to duck was prevalent. As we got closer to home the sun was falling and it was cooling off. We were looking for gas once again, since you can never have enough. After finding one of the trail markers, we headed off through a field, where I stopped for this picture: Again the camera really doesn't do it justice. After gassing up, we made the last 30 or so miles in short order. I left Pete at the junction, he going to his hotel, me to the lodge, and we would get together for dinner after getting cleaned up. I drove the last few miles, up through the pine grove, and crossed the street, arriving safely after 165 miles for the day.Rising early on Saturday, I noticed the temperature was -6F. Donning extra clothing, we headed out in a westerly direction to avoid all the common Saturday traffic. Riding was perfect.When the temperatures are lower the snow sets up nice, and makes it faster riding. We covered 50 miles in no time, then we ran into a problem. A trail closure on the route we picked caused a major monkey wrench on the plan to go to Derby, up near the Canadian border. This required us to back track for several miles, then go via an alternate route. Now the sky was blue and clear, but the temperature was still hovering at around 10F. Following the new route led us right into another problem-fuel. Based on the original route we had plenty of fuel. With the routing difficulty, we were now lower than anticipated. Looking again at the map, there was a gas station nearby-on the map. But when we tried to find it, all the tracks ended in a parking lot. Turning back again, we thought we would try to make it, as it seemed by the map we had enough fuel. We stopped and asked someone along the trail-but they were no help...Finally, we decided to head back yet again to a place we knew for sure we could re-fuel. We made it there with apparently a lot more than the gauges would indicate. Mine was less than a quarter tank, but only took 6 gallons and holds 10 gallons. But in that kind of weather, you do not want to run out, because 5 miles through the woods and fields is a lot harder walking than down a road where you would probably come along a house. So while there we were going to have a light lunch and head to Derby. Lunch wasn't really an option however, so we ate some junk food to hold us over,(I had a huge Apple Fritter) and left.

Back on the trail, we reached the junction which would take us to Derby in one direction, and home in the other. After looking at the days mileage, and the issues, I was starting to get a chill setting in, and so we decided to head back toward home and pick up some more substantial food along the way. The town of Burke was on the way, and there was a restaurant with good options for meals. Then it was back for the evening, with another 160 miles for the day.

Sunday Pete was leaving early and I was going to originally, but decided I would jump on the sled for one more spin around the neighborhood. After checking the temperature @ 8 AM and finding it 6F, I suited up to go. I fired up the willing engine....And off I went. No one was out yet, and the trails were groomed overnight. Smooth as glass they were as I went, first down the rail bed, then up on the the recently added "Highland Trail" This was groomed and no one had been there yet, so of course I had to go. My short jaunt to the gas station turned into a40 mile ride. Every corner I took was smooth, and undisturbed, taunting me to keep riding. The trail beneath my ski was perfect in every way, the snow compacted and firm, held fast my the morning chill. It would not be more perfect for very long. Already it was after 9:00 and I knew shortly all the people that were up too late would be waking soon, and I would have to share the trail. I rounded the corner, and reached the next junction, still more untouched trails! So I decided I was going to get my riding in and kept going till I hit the trails someone had been on, then I looped back getting as much smooth riding in as I could before the long car ride home. My addiction was satisfied for now. Riding back through the woods, I happened upon this barn in an open field, with no other structure nearby. Coming back into civilization, I topped off the tank for next time, and sat down in the brisk cold and enjoyed a hot cup of soup, my reward for a picture-perfect solitary ride. Finally I headed back to the lodge, topped of the oil, spun the sled around so it was pointing in the right direction for my next journey, and hung all my riding gear where it will patiently await my return. Maybe next weekend, as our club has its annual fund raising spaghetti dinner. We always like to support our local club.

In parting I share one last photo, and it (or others very similar) have appeared before, but this is always one of my favorite shots. It is along the abandoned rail bed very close to our place, so we drive by it all the time going to and from the gas station. Every year its a little different, but every year it still reminds me how beautiful winter is, though most people think I am crazy. They are right, but that's beside the point.

See you on the trails!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T19:40:00.015-05:00

Greetings all, and Happy New Year! Things have been quiet on the Vermont front over the past few months, and we patiently have been waiting for winter. Recapping from my last blog, fall came and went pretty quickly, with little fanfare. We were up late in August, and I spent some time working on a trail in the back of the property, which should allow access to the side road someday. What you see is around 250 feet or so, with about 1000 feet left to go. After working up a sweat in the woods, I decided a ride on the trails was in order. Much like the snowmobile trails, Vermont has several areas where there are ATV trails. You must get a registration and trail pass as well in order to ride on them. In our little town, you can also ride on most of the class 3 and class 4 roads (dirt roads). I headed down Pumpkin Hill Road, and saw Don our driveway guy cutting his grass. He asked where I was going, and I told him just for a buzz around the neighborhood. He said the lawn could wait, so offered to take me on a tour of some of the lesser known trails, so of course I said "YES"- always best for the locals to show you where its safe and prudent to go.

Down the back roads we went, and soon I realized something that I never had to deal with following someone on a snowmobile. DUST! You have to keep a little more distance between you on the dirt roads. After traveling down some of the dirt roads, Don took me through the cornfield, which would get us up to the main road. Here there were a few gates we had to open and close in order to keep the livestock from escaping.
After passing through the gates, we crossed the main drag, through the local farmers front yard,(generously donated to allow us to get to the gas station), through his yard and back field. Then as we came out of the field, I recognized where we were-snowmobile trail 51, leading right to Marty's, our favorite gas and snack place-they have the best soups in the winter! After a quick stop, back into the woods we went, traveling on a few smaller multi-use trails, onto the roads again, past cornfields, farms, and coming to a stop where there was an awesome view of the hill where our property is. The large building in the center of the picture is the big red barn across the street from us.As we looped around some of the sites looked very familiar, seen in the past from snowmobiling. I even "borrowed" a technique to capture a self-portrait as I traveled down the back roads: September was busy, but I did take a solo ride up in late October to volunteer for trail cleanup with our local snowmobile club. It is sometimes difficult to get up to Vermont when the work parties go out, but this worked out well. I left after work Friday, and along the way noticed that there was still a little color left, but we had missed peak season.
As the days were starting to get much shorter, it was near dark when I got close. The moon was full, and there were just a few clouds circling the moon, causing the brightness to fade and then brightly shine. I stopped at the scenic overlook, and snapped this picture: The next morning, I rose early and grabbed a quick breakfast sandwich and Hot Chocolate @ Marty's and drove to the designated meeting place. It was cold! 18 degrees and the wind was blowing. I made some small talk with some of my fellow workers, catching up with familiar faces, and introducing myself to the folks I didn't know. Soon we headed to the woods, and it was actually a little warmer. Our assignment for this day was to de-brush one of the newer trails. This consisted mostly of cutting low hanging branches so they don't damage the groomer, and cutting any branches that were hanging out into the trail. Using chainsaws and pole saws, we covered about a mile or so of trails and then regrouped and went to the other end of the trail to see how the other party was doing. After several hours, we called it quits, satisfied with what had been accomplished. I later found out that my helping out qualified me for a discounted "volunteer" trail pass! What could be better? I went back to our place and did a little trail management of my own. I moved the snowmobile trailer out closer to the garage for the winter, and took the lawn mower over to trim down the high grass to clear our feeder trail, and make the transition to the main trail easier.Our next trip up was right after Thanksgiving. This year just seemed to be so busy, we weren't able to get up any earlier to mark the driveway for plowing. We arrived to a little snow. Nothing major, but it brings hope that it will be a good snowmobile season. After marking up the driveway, I had to add my Christmas decoration-which doubles on back as a snow depth gauge.Snow continued throughout the day, lightly coating everything. The next morning we rose, and spent some time rearranging the garage-snowmobiles up front, lawn mowers to the rear. Everything is almost ready to go riding-we just have to wait for a little more snow and Opening Day. Even our guardian looked like he was enjoying the weather:I ended up back the next week. A bad storm and high winds caused several trees to come crashing down into the yard, and I wanted to get them cut back before winter. Dad and I drove up for the day and made short work of them. I was a little sad to see the snow was almost gone.

So we had a few small storms up in Vermont before Christmas, but the trails were thin. They finally decided to open the trails, but due to the holidays and our son getting married January 1, I was unable to break away. On January 1, a warm p arrived and melted almost all the base. Rats! So today-January 8, we just received a foot of snow here in CT. Everything is covered nicely. But all my snowmobiles are in VT. And here is what our front yard in VT looks like today: Irony to be sure-but I have hope things will turn around and we will be riding soon! The trails close April 15 if there is snow that long so there is always hope. And here is hoping you all have a great year!

Catching up on Things

2010-08-29T19:02:00.020-04:00

It's been several months since my last blog, due to many reasons. Life sometimes gets in the way of plans. Work, family, schedules, responsibilities and so forth all contributed to my lack of updates. I also have decided to dedicate this blog to mostly Vermont and snowmobile related things, and have actually started another to cover other adventures-or misadventures! See the link to the side.

So at last write, we were recuperating from a minor accident. I am happy to report all is well, a minor concussion with lingering vertigo for several weeks, but back to normal. In the weeks after, the weather took a turn on the wrong direction, and the snow started disappearing in a hurry. By the First week of March trails were pretty much closed except for the northern most high elevation trails.
We went to the "Sno-deo" in Stewartstown, NH, as they still had snow, and there was the opportunity to test drive the new model snowmobiles. They also had lots of antique snowmobiles, racing, and other vendors. First up when we arrived, the antiques. So many types and vintages to see, from a Model T, to Polaris Ski-Doo, motorized toboggans, and many, many more.Considering there was very little snow at our place they more than made up for it here. After the antique exhibit, we went to test drive the Ski-Doos. A big difference from our older ones to be sure. Next I went over to the the Yamaha booth, and was able to try the "Cadillac", a 4 stroke with power steering-very sweet! I tried to test drive the new Polaris but the line never shrank. Too bad as it looked like a nice ride- and my favorite name-a RushAfter looking at all the vendors, we headed back home, and the next day traveled west to try and check out Champlain College. The trails out there were not any better than in our neck of the woods.We arrived at the college, but alas they has just departed for spring break, so a tour was out of the question. We walked around a bit the headed to the harbor of Lake Champlain. The day was crisp, and a thin coating of ice was creaking and could be seen rising and falling with the waves.The harbor side was beautiful, with some amazing granite statues and a huge compass rose.>April saw a last minute trip to Philadelphia (See Philly Whirlwind on the other blog). May turned out to be very interesting, with a trip to Jamaica, which Karen won from a radio station (See Yea Mon Jamaica!-coming soon) June was a quiet month, mostly working due to staffing constraints and application roll out. I did however take a little time up north to build our guardian of the property- July was a little time to kick back and get a new toy! We purchased an ATV or Quad (whichever you prefer), to help with the chores up north and to possibly pick up some other seasonal trail riding too! Apparently most of the Class 3 and 4 roads(dirt) are also considered trails, so riding can be very abundant in our area. August was a busy month at work but we found some time to get away and do some chores. I purchased another item that will prove invaluable for some time until we build a house. After my purchase I spent some long hours cleaning, scrubbing, and disinfecting. We packed it on the trailer and brought it up, and met my sister and family up north for a long weekend. We picked up the remaining supplies at the local hardware store, and spent some time digging holes fore poles, installing gravel base, and removing stubborn rocks. When we were finished, we had an outdoor solar shower, and a rest room! We had a smaller, camper toilet we have been using, but this one is a little more roomy and I can have it cleaned on a regular basis, so less carting for me. I even added a Solar powered light for those night time excursions! After all that work, I took off for a quick 20 mile jaunt down the scenic back roads and trails to cool off just a bit.Everyone else hung around for a bit, and we had a nice dinner, and lit a great fire to sit around later in the evening. Nothing like a fire on a cool evening, when the sky is clear and the stars are glistening above. The next day we all travelled to the other side of town, and did The Great Vermont Corn Maze. The corn maze covers 8.5 acres with around 2 miles of trails, lined with 10-12 foot towering walls of corn (as described on their website)The object of course is to get to end. With a number of trails to choose from at the start, we picked "Moe"Traveling through the maze we came across several bizarre items. There were punches located in various parts of the trail, and they would help you figure out the path you took once you finished. There was no map handed out, so it was trial and error. First we came across a boat, and later a huge tunnel. Around the halfway point, we came across the "Bell of Frustration". Part of the goal in reaching the end was to ring the bell signifying you reached the end. Well hidden in the middle was another bell Onward we trudged through the maze searching for the elusive path to the end searching for the "Bell of Success". Winding through the maze, we finally reached the end! And you could leave the maze and say- And that brings us to the end of the update....for now. Fall is coming and that means cooler nights, fairs, and getting the snowmobiles ready for winter. I hope to volunteer to help with the trails a bit as well, In the meantime from us to you, enjoy the rest of your summer!!

It Only Takes a Second.....

2010-02-15T08:32:00.026-05:00

It only takes a second to do so many things. To flash a smile, to snap a photograph, to say I love you, for plans to change, or for something bad to happen.

It started out as a long weekend with plans to go north Wednesday, and come back Saturday, after 3 days of riding. Ryan was going to stay home so it was just the two of us. In a second the plans changed. The weathermen started pushing the panic button about us getting a huge storm. In a second, the call was made-we would wait until Thursday to go up instead. Well the snow came and we ended up getting a whopping 2.5 inches, and less up north. Bummer.

So you always learn to adapt, and go with the hand that is dealt. We took off early Thursday, and drove up, not seeing very much snow at all . Even when we got close to our place, the coverage wasn't much better. We arrived there early enough to head out on the trails by 11:00 or so.
We try to explore new directions every time we ride, as there are 6,000 miles of trails in Vermont. We decided to head west and see what the trails looked like, and we knew we had a couple of options. Down the rail bed we rode, all the way to Greensboro Bend. The trails were surprisingly good the further west we rode. Changing direction, we headed north towards Craftsbury. The trails varied quite a bit, with the open fields being sparse, and the woods having a better coverage. It still feels like early season conditions out there at times. Up through the fields and over the hills we rode, occasionally seeing those random objects which always cause a chuckle. Here for instance, was an alternative power source in the field behind the house, spinning in the breeze and moving a bit to better catch the wind.
Onward we forged, hitting occasional bare patches, trying our best to avoid them while still staying on the trail and our side of the trail. Through cornfields and stands of pine, enjoying the serenity of the scenery. Nothing in the world beats a ride in the countryside on a snowmobile as far as I'm concerned.
As we reached the next junction, time and hunger were our new companions. I was getting hungry (surprise) and the hour was getting later. We had planned on a short ride today with a longer ride tomorrow. After looking over the map and gas levels, we charted our course for Glover, hoping to stop and refill on both fuel and food. As we rounded the corner from one field into another, a good sized deer loped across my path not 10 feet in front of me. He apparently was in a hurry to get into the woods once he spotted us. I stopped immediately, and watched as he gracefully ran into the woods, hoping to point him out to Karen. No such luck. I started to look back and there I saw 3 more deer staring back at me, stunned and momentarily paralyzed. I whipped out my camera, and of course the started running away. We managed to get off a few shots before they disappeared from view in the direction we had come from.

It only took a second for them to be out of our range. We continued on and shortly after our close encounter, we happened by a unique building in the middle of a field. My first thought was a type of corn crib or other storage building for feed, but ultimately we never figured it out. But it makes for an interesting photo. As we got closer to Glover, the next town, we realized that the gas and food was not exactly what we were looking for, so we kept on riding and as we got to the outskirts of civilization, we entered the woods once again. This tree was bizarre to be sure, so much so a picture was in order. You don't see things like this too often driving down the road. Winding through the wooded trail for a while, we finally emerged into an open field. After a quick gas stop in Evansville, we returned to the trail. A few more minutes and we came upon Lake Willoughby. The lake was sparsely dotted with fishing shanties, and snow squalls were swirling about us. We continued up the trail to a restaurant we had visited in the past. It was now called Robin's Roost, and was, well, a little disappointing. In the past we were able to get a good lunch, but apparently now they cater more to the drinkers. They have a restaurant that is only open on weekends, and a bar. We grabbed a soda and some cheese filled bread to tide us over. We were the only snowmobilers there, the rest were locals watering their souls. To each his own. We departed a short time later, slightly fortified, and anxious to get home. We cruised down some really nice trails with plenty of snow, and turned south toward home as the sun sank over the horizon, snow still dancing in the air. Not enough to get overly excited about but a little snow none the less. We arrived back at the lodge a little after dark, and some hot soup warmed the chill from the days ride. A quick shower, and relaxing hot chocolate, and we we settled in for the evening.

The following morning, we tossed around several options for riding. We thought about trailering north a bit and riding from there, trying to go straight north on some of the trails we rode yesterday, and finally settled on exploring some of the smaller trails to the east. We spoke with our local trail master as we were heading out, and he warned of some areas that were pretty thin in the direction we were going. A normal occurrence when snow is this low that the lower areas are thin for first couple miles, due to them leading to/from hotels, gas, and food. We rode down the field, through the tunnel, over the field, to the first junction. What happened next was scary to say the least.

Riding through the field, we dropped into a small dip, and when we crested the top of the dip, we were confronted with a sheet of ice!

Even though we were going relatively slow, I drove over with apprehension. As I got back onto the snow pack, I stopped and warned Karen about it. But in a second, after cresting the hill I watched the sled spin 450 degrees, catch the snow and send her flying! I heard her in my intercom, and watched the sled flip once and right itself. I immediately ran up to where she was lying, to check her condition. She was in a bit of pain, and my thoughts were how would I get her out of here? After a few minutes, she was able to get up under her own power. A few bumps and bruises, and a bit of a headache. We finally turned back to the sled, and noticed a few things out of place. Broken windshield, bent handlebars, reverse and emergency kill switches damaged. Nothing major in the grand scheme of things. The most important thing was Karen's well being at this point, and how would I get her home. At first I wasn't sure how we would get back. Going up the hill was not an option, as the rest of the field was roped off with barbed-wire, and her sled wasn't starting. I had a tow rope, but was a little concerned about the terrain ahead of us, since we have only towed on relatively flat trails in the past and this had some sharp uphill corners. I took out my Cabela's leather man, and started to dissect the kill switch. I was able to remove some of the broken plastic and reset the switch to a normal position, which allowed the sled to start. Summoning a lot of courage, Karen rode slowly to the next road we came to, and we parked in a parking lot, and I called our neighbor Don, and he came and picked us up and I went back with the trailer and picked up both sleds. We dropped the sled at the local shop and it is being repaired now.

With the sudden change of plans, we decided we were done riding for the day. I took her home to rest for a bit. After a while, we decided to go to Cabot and the Cabot cheese store. On the way at the scenic lookout Mount Washington was very visible, so we stopped for a photo moment. Continuing on we drove into Cabot, which is a typical don't blink or you will miss it town. From there we stopped at the Cabot Store, and sampled all the goodies. Cheese, cheese spread, dips, butter, popcorn topping. I was delighted to get to sample approximately 13 types of cheese ranging from mild to sharp, spicy, peppery(including jalapeno and habanero) to a buffalo rubbed, and more. They make an awesome spicy Salsa Grande that is very addictive as well. We were able to get out of there "relatively" cheap, and still walk away with an assortment of goodies. They also have a tour for like $2.00 which we have done in the past, which is very informative, not only as to how the cheese is made, but the history of the Cabot company and how it is made up of small farmers, who all have a stake in the company. We actually were stopped at the Price Chopper in St. Johnsbury and thanked for buying Cabot products by a gentleman wearing a barn coat with a Cabot label one a few months back. (I was the guy with cheese, dip, and whipped cream)

Heading back, we had to chuckle a bit. There is an exposed water pipeline carrying water from Cabot to who knows where. In the summer when we drove by, numerous leaks could be seen squirting up in all different directions. Like a series of mini fountains. Well in the winter these took on a different appearance. Large ice deposits! There were some that almost reached the road. Here you can see several ice mounds, all of which correspond to a leak in the pipe We made plans for dinner at the Danville Inn, "reservations a must". A small bed and breakfast in town, they offer dinner on Friday and Saturday. They had an awesome buffet style dinner with Roast Pork, Chicken Pie, veggies, potato and sweet potato, salad, and other things like pickled beets Cole slaw and more. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, and I recommend it as a great alternative when not on the trail. We topped the night off with a visit to the local snowmobile club monthly meeting. Normally we are not up here when they hold them, so we took the opportunity to go and meet some of the people in the club and of course, being in a small town, *everyone* had heard about the accident by the time we got there. After that we went to the local hotel so someone could soak in a hot tub.

Saturday was a transitional day,just before heading back on Sunday. I found out the night before that there was going to be a club ride to Groton for the Groton snowmobile club chicken dinner, so I figured I would have to go. About 25 of us met near Joe's Pond ~9:30 AM for the hour or so trip to Groton. We headed south and surprisingly the trails were in great shape. Not too many pictures can be gotten when you are in the middle of a pack this big. I did manage to get a few when we arrived at the BBQ. There were lots of sleds! A great turn out for sure, and the food was great!

Afterwards we split up into smaller groups for the ride back, and called it a weekend. Not the way we originally planned the weekend, but everyone was OK when it ended. A trip to the hospital confirmed a concussion, so rest and recovery is on the agenda. That will take more than a second. But after this weekend I recommend that you take a second to tell the people close to you that you care, take a second to smell the roses, and take a second to enjoy life. Things can change so fast!

I love you dear and glad you are OK!!! Don't scare me like that again!!

Winterlude

2010-02-05T21:48:00.016-05:00

Life is always very busy, and I get sidetracked from updating the blog from time to time so I will try and catch up. This adventure is from late January.

Winter is a strange creature to be sure. A few weeks back we had plenty of snow, and awesome trails. Then we had a sudden warm up, with a driving rain, and the trails were reduced to ice and then another big freeze. All the wonderful snow we had was reduced to a flat base. While it filled in some of the holes in the trails, it wasn't the best for riding. Since the January thaw, there have been several small snow squalls, which started to build the base back up. With the extreme cold (-14) and lack of snow, we decided we would take a ride and go look at one of the Vermont colleges on Ryan's list of potential candidates, and give the temperature a chance to climb.

We headed down south to Randolph Center, VT to Vermont Technical College. Along the way, as always, we were treated to the sights of Vermont. After paralleling a river for a while, wondering how the water could still be flowing. We rounded the next corner and saw a spectacular ice jam, which covered at least a mile of river.

Onward we traveled over the back roads, winding its way to our final destination, led by a slightly confused GPS aptly nicknamed "Madge". As we crested one hill, we saw an Inukshuk marking the end of someones driveway. An Inukshuk is stone landmark built by humans, originally used by the Inuit, Inupait, and other peoples of the Arctic region. It is thought that it was originally used as a point of reference, or possibly a marker for hunting grounds. The most common Inukshuk was usually formed with a single stone pointed in an upright manner, and the Inukshuk is actually confused with an inunnguaq, a cairn representing a human figure. FYI a cairn is a man made pile of stones (refer to my blog from July for a more detailed definition.)

After our encounter with the "rock star", we meandered our way into Randolph Center, and finally, Vermont Tech. The first impression I had was boarding school. As we drove further into the campus, the buildings took on a more modern appearance.
Vermont Tech seems like a very nice campus, with a nice mixture of old and new architecture, and outstanding views. We happened to show up on the weekend, so there wasn't much that was open. We met with a security official, who provided us with a information packet, and gave us a brief tour of the campus, including the student building, which housed the pool, gym, workout room, and one of the cafeterias. Armed with all this information we departed for our return trip to our "lodge".As we left we noticed a historic sign, which of course spurs more curiosity, and the inevitable "hmm, so that is where that came from.
Does it ring a bell to you? Arriving home, we were greeted by a present from the trail master. A nice private snowmobile trail sign to mark our trail. I immediately put it to good use. I eventually put it out back on the trail head. I decided to take my sled out for a quick ride, since it had been in the shop for a mystery oil leak. I jumped on the back trail, and headed out to get gas and the trails were not all that bad. A little thin to be sure, but still rideable. I rode down the rail bed for a bit, and stopped to pull some trees off the trail that had blown down in the wind. The further west I rode the more snow I encountered, so I kept going. My 10 mile quick ride turned into a 50 mile excursion. I forgot my camera, but had my phone and did snap one picture. I stopped at a junction and was reviewing my map, and a small sign on the junction pole caught my eye, so I just had to snap a picture.
Definitely good advice when it is -14 out!

Next up February vacation!

Day Tripping

2010-01-30T07:52:00.028-05:00

Thanks to Martin Luther King, we were able to spend a long weekend up north, and enjoy some time on the trails. Karen and I took off early Saturday with a plan for a couple of day trips to ride till dark. Early morning on the trails is always very pretty, with the sun coming up, the low lying clouds hanging over the hilltops, and the air crisp. Heading north and east we travelled through St. Johnsbury to gas up, and with an ultimate destination of Bloomfield for gas and a quick bite to eat. Once past the town, the trails are remote and take us up into the hills. As the elevation changes, so does the snow depth, and the scenery. Gone are the dormant trees, looking brown and lifeless and they are replaced by trees thickly coated with snow, painting an entirely different picture from the seat of our transportation. Snow seems to cling to every branch, needle, and weed, creating a parallel world. As I always say, pictures really don't do it justice, but I still share them in hopes some of the beauty can be conveyed. If you click on the picture it will open a larger view, increasing the detail a bit.Arriving at our first destination, we stopped for a quick bite and gas refill. The place is Debanville's on the border of New Hampshire and Vermont. A nice place to refuel both sled and body. After a nice turkey sandwich and soda, we headed back out.Heading south, we retraced our tracks until we got back near the entrance of the power line and pipeline, and took an alternate route south towards home. These trails were a little less traveled and after a short time we came upon a couple of guys pulled off on the side of the trail. They gave us a thumbs up, signifying they were OK, but when we passed we saw one of their sleds and just had to stop. A classic 1972 Rupp snowmobile in mint condition. No suspension like the newer sleds, but still an awesome machine. I actually rode one of these in the early 70's, when I first started riding. We chatted for a bit trail side, and one of the guys posts regularly on one of the snowmobile websites I follow, and both guys were from CT. It was nice running into them and seeing that vintage sled, but soon it was time to get heading home. Off we went, and after a mile or so we came upon a logging operation. Drag marks across the trail, broken branches, and then the massive piles of freshly cut lumber and branches separated and stacked neatly. The aroma of fresh cut wood permeated our helmets before we even got near the piles, with the odor of pine being most predominant.Down past the fallen trees we rode, heading south towards home. Past homes, fields, in and out of the woods, and occasionally coming across humorous reminders along the trail that other people have been here before us. And of course the signs always are interesting. As we were getting closer to our connector from the side trail we took home, the trail came out of the woods, and you had to ride along the side of the road for a few hundred feet. It's not uncommon up here to do that, using the class 3 and 4 roads(dirt) as trails for short spans. As we crossed the bridge and saw the stop sign to cross the real road we saw the following across they way. Believe it or not it really worked! for some reason, possibly the crown in the road, even though you aimed toward the sign, as you crossed the road you started drifting right. So if you aimed right you were in perfect alignment for the trail by the time you were across the road. After that it was over the mountain, through the sand pit down the rail bed and home. We went out for a nice hot dinner and back to relax at the lodge. We turned on the new "mood light" in the front window too. The following morning we decided to go out for another short ride in a different direction. We hopped on the rail bed and headed west. We stopped at Marty's for gas and headed down the rail bed. Turning right on another trail, we found we were making first tracks on a newly groomed trail! Nothing like a groomed trail to be sure, smooth as silk, quick and devoid of bumps for the next 20 miles made for an awesome ride! As we drove down the rail bed towards Greensboro Bend, the scenery was beautiful. Along the way farms dotted the sides of the trail, and we passed by a few houses, tree farms, and corn fields. As we came to an intersection to our left was a small farm with what appeared to be Emu's?
Simply bizarre. Further down there was a maple syrup container where all the lines from the woods ran down to. We passed lines for a mile on either side of the tank as well. That must have been a lot of work running all those taps and lines during the warm season. Once we reached Greensboro Bend, we took a smaller feeder trail to connect over to Wheelock. This trail started going down the side of the road and then into a field. At the end of the field we entered what appeared to be a dormant campground, with the picnic tables all neatly stacked until spring. At the far end of the campground we entered the woods, where the trees were so close together and the trail so narrow, it seemed like we were making our own trail as we went.Looking up in the dense vegetation, it was hard to see the sky with all the branches blocking the light. We looped around and made it back to the rail bed near Danville and decided to extend our ride a little further by going up the Highlight Trail. This is a new trail our local club created last year and it has not been added to the map yet so not to many people know about it. It is a couple mile trail which loops back to the rail bed, and depending on the direction you go there are some nice views of Joe's Pond or the hills to the north east. We chose the Joe's Pond direction, and after passing a cross country skier on the trail we reached the crest of the hill and sat looking down on the island in the middle of Joe's Pond.

Heading back towards home Karen stopped in the "ice cave" as we call it to get a close up shot of the ice. Note the blue in some of the veins of ice coming down the cliff. Again the picture really doesn't do it justice. Riding t the end of the rail bed we took the detour over the hills where we stopped for a minute to get a picture of one of the farms behind our property. A pretty postcard shot if ever there was. We arrived back home and warmed up with some soup and packed up for the long ride home. Next time we come up is the end of January for our local clubs fundraiser spaghetti dinner. Remember to enjoy the day and think snow!

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-10T21:14:00.016-05:00

Happy New Year to all! It is hard to believe its 2010 already. After a good cold snap, and a bunch of small snow showers, it was time to head north and do a little riding. I headed up late Friday, and met up with several friends Saturday morning. It was 4 degrees when I headed over to their hotel, and as I came up over a hill and saw this view of St. Johnsbury, with the sun and the frozen clouds, I had to stop and snap a quick picture. We met and headed north and east, leaving St. Johnsbury and rode in the direction of Canaan, Vermont. Our route would take us over various terrain, mostly nice trails, and few bumpy ones. We stopped at one junction, and when I caught up the hood was up on one of the sleds. Nothing major,luckily. The snow was sticking to everything, turning the environment into a winter wonderland. Snow was clinging to everything-frozen branches, weeds, trees, and even the junction signs. Winter just dotted the landscape. We headed north and the views just got better. From the trail, the snow and ice was so thick that the mountains looked like someone had poured sugar on top. We ventured on, winding through trails that just got better and better. The snow enveloped everything around us. We reached the power lines and the trails were wide and flat. Here you could see for miles and make better time since they were was a lot less winding than the wooded trails. We followed the power lines north, and eventually we went back into the woods, where the snow cover was even deeper. Pictures really can't capture the scenery as it looks to the naked eye. Expensive camera gear would make a difference I am sure, but most pictures are taken with my standard digital camera, and rather quickly as I am usually lagging behind anyway. :-) But you start taking in the scenery, and you slow down and enjoy it for its sheer awesomeness, knowing that it is fleeting. A couple degrees warmer, the snow starts to melt, and falls off the trees, and suddenly it is just woods on the trail. But other times you come across a scene out of a Rockwell painting, and you want to make it last so you slow down to enjoy it. Switching trails again, we were confronted by a re-route. One of the trails we normally take to Canaan is a logging road, and this year it was closed due to high volume of logging expected. They let us know pretty sternly not to use the trail too. There has been a little controversy in Vermont this year about eliminating some of the signs to save money, make us fall more in line with other states, and to make it a more uniform experience, but they employed a unique sign to show us the way here.After a few hours we arrived in Canaan for a late lunch. We actually ate in New Hampshire, as the first place we stopped at was pretty busy, so we crossed the Connecticut River and stopped off at a place called The Spa. Nothing fancy, but an awesome Turkey Club! And as a bonus parked outside was the Groomer. After eating and digesting a bit we headed back towards home, going back on some of the same trails, and slowly the sun began to sink. We stopped at a junction as the sun was disappearing, and I got a decent picture of the trees getting that last bit of light before we ventured back into the woods and nightfall. As it got darker, and we rode back into the heavier trees, the snow glistened in the headlights, and the branches bending with all the snow on them really enhanced the light, so it seemed like daytime. Then all of a sudden we were back in the vast darkness of the power lines, then into the woods, and finally, rounding the corner to that last junction before we went our separate ways for the evening. The guys back to the hotel, and me to the garage. It had gotten quite cold by then, and my helmet was frozen shut. I was lucky the groomer had come by my place so the last 2 miles was like gliding across ice, a perfect carpet of white in the snow! 200 miles door to door, I was stiff and sore, so it was time to call it a night. Here is our approximate route:

The next morning the guys came up, and we ventured out for a short 30 mile ride. The trails were smooth this day, as it was still early, so we went down the rail bed and up across the new "skyline" trail in Danville. Hardly a bump anywhere, nothing but freshly groomed trails made for a nice finish to the weekend before driving back home. The scenery was very similar as well. Breathtaking!

As we headed back, just before we parted ways, I saw this and it made me wonder- Why does the Turkey cross the road? Probably to get out of our way! Be safe, ride right, and have fun!

First Ride of the Year

2009-12-19T22:00:00.014-05:00

December! Finally, time to snowmobile! It is sad the season always is so short. I begin with a picture matching the last blog, showing the trail by our getaway place in Vermont. We took a ride up this weekend to work on a few things, but mostly to take a ride on the trails.We traveled up Friday evening and brought our little Christmas tree and my sister had made some stockings so we hung them to give it the Christmas feel. Saturday morning was a chilly -7 outside to start. After a trip out for breakfast, we came back and puttered around for a few hours. The in yard snow gauge showed just under a foot after snow and a little rain to compact it.
I added a thermometer to the depth gauge but its a little far to see very well. It is cleverly disguised from the road as a standard Christmas decoration. I finally took the snowmobiles out and got them ready just before noon. After the sleds were primed and ready, we suited up and headed out, breaking trail on our new feeder trail, packing it down for future use. The air was brisk, the sky was clear, and the trail was hard packed. Down the trail we went, as we came out of the woods we started chasing some turkeys down the trail. Onto the rail bed to the "caves of ice" as we call it. This is always an awesome photo point and every time you drive by it reveals a different character.

We traveled on and ended up at the scenic overlook, with distant views of Mount Washington. The Mrs. posed for the camera and the snow capped Presidential Range can be seen just over her shoulder. We rode around 55 miles and that was enough for now. We did hit some rough patches, and snow is really needed to fill in the ruts, and wet spots that are finally freezing up. As always you do see some unique things on the trail, and this weekend was no exception. We passed a man with a dog sled on the rail bed. We were following him for a while and he was moving at a decent 30 mph. We passed him when he waved us on, and rode ahead and stopped to take a picture, but he U Turned before reaching us.

That is all for now. Look for more travels next year.

We here want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Waiting For Winter

2009-11-25T11:43:00.009-05:00

It is almost Thanksgiving, and we eagerly await the start of winter. Most of my friends do not care for the cold temperatures and snow, and I tell them "I don't care if it ever snows at home, as long as it snows more up north". And it is true, I don't enjoy scraping my windows early in the morning, or starting the car earlier to allow it to warm up, or worst of all the first snow when practically everyone forgets everything they ever learned about driving. But to me there is nothing more enjoyable than the sound and smell of a freshly started snowmobile, or the first time the throttle is pushed, and the track engages on freshly fallen snow, carrying you across the frozen ground. Down through the fields, into the woods, a certain kind of freedom and peace washes over you and there is nothing like it. Unfortunately, snowmobiling season is short, and entirely dependent on Mother Nature, and as you can see nothing is happening as of yet.

We ventured up north this past weekend, with a couple of projects in mind. Insulating the ceiling downstairs was high on the list, as the temperatures were starting to fall and we wanted to cross this off the list because it would help not only the downstairs but upstairs as well. We opted for encapsulated insulation this time, an insulation wrapped in a plastic "sock" if you will. Installing this actually turned out to be very quick, since the ceiling was built with "I" joists, and space 16 inches on center, the insulation rested very nicely in between with no added stapling or other support. Plus, with a R30 value, a great insulator.

The hardest part of doing the insulation was moving all the things around over and over. The snowmobiles and tractor were OK because they were on wheels, but all the little things made it more time consuming. While I did the insulation, Karen tackled the stairs. She was tired of looking at the plain wood stairs, and decided to paint them, which is always fun when trying to remember which side did she paint first when you have to run upstairs.

We worked on a couple other projects, like hanging a corner shelf, moving the pegboard, and I installed a garage door opener, but still have to install the sensors for that next time we go up. There are a couple other things we worked on, but haven't completed quite yet, so I will save them for another blog. I did get out and put the driveway stakes out, and also put up a chain on our private snowmobile trail to deter people from riding across a bunch of stumps and debris we did not clean up in time. I don't expect any real traffic, but you can never tell. Of course no trip up north would be complete without the obligatory moat snapshots. The water was flowing as usual, a little heavier than the past few trips. You can here the water from upstairs at night when everyone is quiet. It still looks very nice even with all the tamarack needles on the banks. We have been adding rocks as we dig them out of the yard, even though I was told there were no rocks when the land was cleared.

Finally on the trip back there were several areas that there was some serious work going on. These areas were where there have been issues with falling rocks, and one was bad enough to detour us across the median and onto the other side of the highway. At least they were able to use some of the rock taken off the side to build up the median.

The other wasn't quite as bad, but nonetheless required some serious reinforcement to ensure motorist safety. Those are some steel nets that were installed.

So with that I give thanks to the guys who make the roads safe, as well as family, friends and all the little things that make our days a little easier. I also want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and remember: I am still "Waiting For Winter"

Fall Temperatures and Sights

2009-10-12T21:25:00.016-04:00

It is very hard to believe that just over a year ago, the foundation was just being poured on the garage, and the walls were just starting to be put up. We have come pretty far since then, and this should be the first winter of real use. We came up over the Columbus Day weekend for the first time in a month. We initially were going to do some leaf peeping, and maybe a little work. Mother Nature decided to flip our schedule a bit. A wee bit of rain Friday night made for a slow trip up, and it lingered into the morning. Since the weather wasn't cooperating, we decided to finally finish up the walls in the lower garage level. We had just one side left, and fortunately, it was fairly straight forward. Before-
And after- We are glad to finally finish this off because it needed to be done, but with all the work we have done, this was kind of pushed to the back burner, so we could go up and have a little fun. Once this was knocked off the list of things to do, the weather cleared up enough for us to get outside, and do some walking and eventually some peeping. We first went out back, and noticed the brush cutter had been out clearing what will become the snowmobile trail in less than 65 days! Looking off to the northwest, it was apparent color was in full bloom. It almost had passed in some places it appeared, as the color seemed a little dusky, but the contrast were still sharp. We decided to take a drive, and see how things were progressing in and around Danville. First stop was down by the town green. The green is very small, typical of old New England towns, and it truly is one of those "don't blink or you will miss it" spots. It was very nicely adorned for the fall season, but sadly, we missed the Autumn on the Green festival by a week. I will have to add to my calendar next year. We have been trying to get up for some of the different activities, but life always seems to happen. Venturing onward, we traveled some off the lesser roads, at one point ending up on a single wide, pot hole riddled trail, which I eventually recognized as one of the snowmobile trails we frequent during the winter. After a quick U-turn, we ended up out in the countryside, which takes all of about 2 minutes up this way. Past farms, scattered houses, and many open fields, the colors were fantastic. Corn was fading fast, getting ready to be cut into silage, to feed the animals over the winter. There were several areas within a short drive where the views are just amazing. Pictures really don't justify the simple beauty out there as well as you would expect, because being there standing in the crisp fall air adds a dimension that can't be captured on film. But sharing the pictures gives you an idea of what it looks like at least. And the trip included a couple animal sightings as well.

Always see the strangest things in Vermont.
That about wraps it up for now, the clock is ticking, and soon winter will be upon us. Time to get the sleds ready, clean up the gear, and check everything. Then come December we should be riding. Based on this picture, taken October 13, at around 7:30 AM, winter is on its way. You know what they say at New England weather, just wait a few minutes, it'll change....

Late Summer Update

2009-10-11T21:09:00.011-04:00

Greetings all, its been a while since the last update. Summer has passed by too quickly, and just so much going on, haven't gotten around to updating. A couple trips up were for pleasure, and the most recent started as a pleasure trip, but the weather caused a change of plans. We went up for Labor day weekend, and early on finally got down into some of the shops in downtown St. Johnsbury. Typical of a small downtown, replete with the old metal style thermometer. Venturing into one of the stores, there were many items you would expect to find, such as a Moose head, old furniture, and the like. One thing that caught our eye was the canoeing squirrel.

We had other company, as my sister and her family came up with their camper and set up for the weekend. While we were there we made a few tourist stops. We went to the local museum and planetarium, the Fairbanks museum. The museum was founded by Franklin Fairbanks, a philanthropist whose family ran the Fairbanks Scale company.
Fairbanks was also a big naturalist, so when he donated the museum to the town, his collection of natural science specimens were included. Indeed is was an awesome collection, from small to large animals, an amazing number of birds, including an immense collection of hummingbirds. We also stopped by the local Maple Sugar Museum. The tours were not running but the gift shop was still open and of course a photo opportunity was there as well.

After a bit of sight seeing we went back and had a cookout and campfire. The evening was crisp, and the fire was welcome.
The following day we went for a walk out in the "back forty" to show everyone the back part of the property. The woods were thick, and the grass was very high, so travel was slow, but it still offered a unique perspective, with the kids shorter than the vegetation. But as usual, the weekend just disappeared too quickly, and it was time to head back to home and work. So we wave goodbye to summer, and look forward to fall, and ultimately winter.

Top of The World-and Other Places

2009-07-26T21:35:00.030-04:00

A long weekend again, and this time more pleasure than work. We left late Thursday for a 3 day weekend, which in my opinion, was well deserved. We have been working most of the summer, both at home and up here in the great white north, so haven't really taken a formal vacation. (Still haven't either.) After arriving late Thursday and settling in it began to rain a little, and that turned into a heavier rain Friday morning. Go figure. Not to be dissuaded by the weather in any way, we headed over to the local lumber store to stock up on supplies. More wood for the walls downstairs, and cinder blocks to form a ring and create our first fire pit.

After returning, the rain stopped so we decided to take a drive down Route 2 which runs East/West through the state. Through towns like Marshfield, where we saw a collapsed structure. I thought those things were stronger for some reason. Westerly we continued into Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. Montpelier, was chartered in 1781, by population is the smallest capital in the United States. For more fun facts click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montpelier,_Vermont . The State House in the capital city was very prominent even from a distance, with the golden dome reflecting the faint rays of the sun appearing through the clouds.
This was the 3rd rendition of the State House, last designed in 1857 and opened in 1859. Again for more facts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_State_House . On the way back we stopped off at a local ice cream establishment, which had a few interesting features as well. The first thing that caught my eye was the lines in the parking lot. After getting our ice cream and sitting down at the table, we noticed a carnival type mirror on the side of the building. Naturally we had to check it out and it did not disappoint. Personally I was hoping it was the one that made you look thinner, not shorter. Oh Well. On the way home we chose a parallel route to mix it up a bit and drove the the town of Hardwick. We have snowmobiled through here before, but not through the town proper. Again we see the devastation fire can produce, as we drive by another beautiful older building that had been ravaged. Indeed a shame, a moment of carelessness or a chance failure of an electrical nature, and memories, possessions, history, and so much more can disappear.

Saturday we looked at the weather, and it was going to be relatively clear but warm, and it did warm up very quickly. We had been toying with the idea of going to drive The Mount Washington Auto Road. We decided it looked pretty decent and did a little research to make sure we would have time to do it and went for it. (Pretty obvious to figure out by the first picture) On the way we decided that we would take a guided van ride up, saving our vehicle, and blood pressure from extremes, and allowing all of us the time to enjoy it. The picture below shows the entrance to the auto road, and you will note the guard rail. According to our driver/guide this would be the last one we see on the auto road. A bit of trivia:

The Mt. Washington Auto Road opened as the Mt. Washington Carriage Road in 1861. As the oldest man-made attraction in the country, the Auto Road is 7.6 miles long with average grade of 12% and a 22% grade on the last 50 yards.
At 6,288 ft. (1916.6 m) above sea level, Mt Washington is the highest peak in the Northeast.
Famous for its unpredictable weather, it holds the world record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, at 231 mph (372 km/h), recorded on April 12, 1934.
Mt. Washington is the third highest state highpoint in the eastern U.S., after Mount Mitchell, North Carolina (6,684 ft; 2,038 m) and Clingmans Dome, Tennessee (6,643 ft; 2,025 m).Elevation: 6,288 feet (1,917 metres).

There are many amazing and bizarre records regarding the mountain as well from fastest time on foot (56 minutes), fastest time on a bike(49 minutes), fastest time in a car (6 minutes 41.99 seconds- Wow!!) People have walked up backwards, walked up pushing a wheelbarrow, and most recently a man brought a camel and walked the road to the summit because no one had ever done that before. But I digress. A few more pictures and details about the mountain. The following is from http://www.outdoors.org/ regarding the various stages of vegetation. "From Pinkham Notch to the summit of Mount Washington will take you through a wide variety of plant communities, ranging from lowland deciduous woods to alpine tundra."" As you ascend in elevation, the northern hardwoods give way to a mixed spruce-fir boreal forest." " Higher up, the trees begin to thin out and become stunted. Dwarfed trees and dense, low mats of vegetation called krummholz (a German word meaning "crooked wood") are evident as you approach treeline.""In the alpine zone itself, low-lying sedges, grasses, lichens, and mosses predominate, alongside spectacular mountain flowers. The meadows of Mount Washington flower in late June, attracting many admirers. The mountain floral display often continues in mid-summer. Some of these plants are endemic (meaning that they exist in a small geographic area) and are quite rare." Also pictured above are cairns. Cairns are rock piles that are man-made often used to mark trails. According to our driver, the cairns on Mount Washington are 30 feet apart. Most experienced climber would have a rope with them and in poor visibility would anchor the rope to one cairn and seek out the next, then tie off on that and retrieve the rope. Sounds like a lot of work, but the weather is ever changing on the mountain, and walking 30 feet in the wrong direction when you cannot see too far ahead could be fatal!

Of course the views of the mountains driving up were phenomenal as well. The most prominent in the presidential range were Clay, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison. We arrived at the summt, and had but 30 minutes to explore.Most of the time was spent in line to stand next to the summit sign-at the beginning of this blog- but we always push the limits, and were able to get a few more shots and show up a few minutes late for the return trip. There were several buildings atop the mountain, some functional, some historic, and some a little of each. The Summit Stage Office was built in 1908 and actually served as the first home to the Observatory from 1932-1937. In this building the worlds highest wind speed was recorded. You can see the chain in the picture above as well as the next where the building had been chained to the ground, apparently because there was no foundation.

The Tip Top House, originally built in 1853, was a stone hotel at the summit. We were informed by our driver that is was a symbol of status to go there and gentlemen would wear proper attire-top hats, tails, and the like. The inside accomodations were sparse, but the dining area was ample. The Tip Top entrance, as my wife heads in for a closer look, to the accomodations, much like a pullman car on a train, but very simplistic. Finally, the Sherman Adams Summit Building, built in 1979, which serves as the central visitors center, and houses the Observatory.More facts and info can be found here: http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/history/ is you desire. After the decent from the top of Mount Washington, and a leisurely ride back home, we decided to reduce the pile of wood a bit. There was a significant amount of roots, branches, and the like we pulled from the yard-so far-, so we figured it was time to dispatch them to the never world. Translation? Bonfire. We stacked up the wood and started up a small fire, which quickly proceeded into a larger fire.
Since the fire was going good, I decided to try my hand at a little "fishing"
And there were even a few keepers :->
The next day, Sunday was a pack up day, but we managed to get some work done too. We have talked about a trail from the yard out to the snowmobile trail for some time. This way we do not have to ride down the road to get on the trail in either direction. This makes it difficult to steer on the black top so you can't always get from the road into the trail smoothly. We looked at several options and the best option was directly across from the shed dormer. This works well for 2 reasons-it gives us a better view of the trail, and we are able to cross the"moat" in an area which it is the shallowest, so no bridge required. A before and after look.

I still have to take the stumps out next time, but had to get some of the brush out of the way so we could access them first. And the view from the trail looks pretty good too. That's about it for now. Back up soon for more work, fun, and all that jazz. I will try not to ramble on so much next time, but a picture is said to be worth a thousand words. Although I do not have a thousand words for each picture, I hope I have added enough to tell the story behind them.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!!

Summers going fast....

2009-07-12T22:39:00.016-04:00

It is so hard to believe that it is the middle of July already. By my estimate, we have ~156 days or so until the snowmobile trails open up for the winter. The last several weeks have kind of been crazy and there has been a lull in activity. I was up a few weeks back with dad and we worked on one of the walls and stairs, and this past weekend we were up and finished the stairway and put a handrail up. Also another chore on the list was to put up a pegboard-after all whats a work area without a pegboard! (And I got such a sweet deal on the pegboard too!)
Karen decided to paint the outside entry door green to match up with the roof, and it came out pretty nice! Cutting the grass has been an interesting experience this year. As previously shown, the grass was non-existent, then suddenly took off to towering heights. While cutting the last time, the riding mower promptly died part way into the job. This resulted in a request to our plowing person who also cuts grass to come and take care of the hay field which was our yard. He was able to cut a good portion of it, but with an over abundance of ruts and tree roots in the back he couldn't do a portion. While we were up this weekend, we did some root removal and tried to cut with push mower this time, while waiting on the rider parts. The results were pretty much the same. This was the before shot. Very time consuming and not too fun, with the ruts and other foreign objects. I was able to get the biggest portion done where they were unable to trim the previous try. It came out decent, all in all. Except the lawn mower died. Not to start again. So we brought it home to tinker on and see what the malfunction is this time. The pile of wood in the picture on the left is a pile of the roots and branches we have pulled out of the front yard so far. We plan to light the pile up at some point in the future, and enjoy a nice bonfire, once we fill a few buckets from the stream for safe measures. As you can see it is a decent size pile and only represents a little less than 1/4 of the sticks in the yard. Of course we don't like to work the entire time we are there. We found out there was a really bad fire in St. Johnsbury, the next ton over, late Thursday into Friday. For the full story click here: http://caledonianrecord.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=145&ArticleID=46115
This was literally 2 1/2 minutes from our place so we took off after working for the day, had a bite to eat, and stopped by to see the devastation first hand. It is said there were 130 + fire fighters from 17 communities in Vermont and New Hampshire that responded. Amazingly no one was seriously injured. The last picture is the bank being aired out. No money was harmed in the burning of the adjacent building, however smoke and water damage were present. With all the towns being much smaller than we are used to,one would think this is a major loss to the town, not only physically, but I would imagine historically as well.

Sunday brought some cleanup chores, and a visitor. We had a turkey "trot" by through the yard and across the driveway and Karen was able to get a great shot of the bird from the upstairs window. We still have yet to see any large animals on the property, but they are around to be sure. We found a few different, distinct tracks that had been made recently, the biggest being this: A little comparison shot for size estimate. Someday we will catch them (photographically of course). And overnight brought a heavy rain, so the stream was flowing in the morning as well.All in all a productive weekend, with a little downtime too. But the weekends, much like summer, seem to be flying by way to quick. We just got there and it was time to leave to come back to work. I will have to take a few days off and spend up there working on a few more outside projects before it gets too late.

Enjoy whats left of your summer and looks for updates in the future!

Late Spring

2009-06-08T21:10:00.014-04:00

Spring is fast coming to an end, and Summer is right around the corner. It is amazing how quick time passes by as we get older. Seems like only yesterday we were insulating, or putting the snowmobiles away and now it is time to cut grass. It takes a little longer for the grass to green up here, but boy, just stay away for a few weeks and -BAM- it is close to 4 feet tall and even more in some places. Now Ryan stands about 5 ft. 10 so you can get an idea how high it was. It was a really beautiful weekend, with just a short shower on Sunday, but we still got things accomplished. We worked on removing more sticks and stones from the yard, and actually cut some of the grass. I also removed a large pipe from the front yard with Ryan's help so we wouldn't run it over in the future. Yard work was also on the list this weekend, so worked on trimming the weeds -er- grass a bit until the lawnmower decided to take the rest of the day off. Add to that a little chipping of the smaller trees and brush, and it makes the day go by pretty quickly. Always a lot of work to do never enough time.
We did work on some other things too. A small bridge recycled from an old bench was unceremoniously laid across the moat out back and tested for durability, and passed with flying colors. OK so its not the biggest but it beats jumping over all the time! The ground is still a bit soft there so you tend to slip a little. Just need 2 more and the snowmobiles will fit across too. We also worked a bit in the garage, installing Oriented Strand board or OSB on the walls in the garage portion. Karen painted them gray and we installed almost the entire back wall, which neatens things up and opens up options. I opted for the OSB because too many times I have seen the holes in the Sheetrock in garages, so we wanted something a little more durable, and the cost wasn't all that much more than Sheetrock. Plus you can feasibly put a screw or nail anywhere in it to hang things, instead of always looking for the studs. This was the first weekend we spent staying on the land instead of the local hotel, and it was quite a change. Sleeping with the windows open one night closing them the next because it was cool-like 40's overnight. We even made several meals up there too. You know the place is ready to go when you have your gas grill running! We had a quick rain storm Sunday evening, nothing heavy, just enough to wet things a bit and cause a little mist on the roads. Afterwards there was the most beautiful sky! The colors were so vivd it was really amazing!

Karen attempted her first gardening this weekend as well. These are called Lupine and seem to grow all over New Hampshire and Maine, and Vermont as well. Although pleasing to the eye I am told that these attract aphids-otherwise know as plant lice, which will promptly dine on anything in the general area of the flowers, so they should be planted away from any plants you would like to keep... (A big thank you to George Africa from the Vermont Flower farm for helping me identify these plants, and providing a good bit of data on them- If you are up this way please stop in at his shop on Route 2 in Marshfield-if you can't make it you can always check out his blogs listed on this page. He is a wealth of information concerning flowers and always has an enjoyable blog)

And of course we did find a little bit of down time. We took a ride one afternoon, and while looking for a place to stop for lunch on the back roads we saw a beautiful fox. Now I guess I couldn't drive race cars as my reaction time was pretty slow. I saw him coming over the hill in the field, and we stopped, and backed up, but it was like he heard the lens popping out of the camera, because he looked at us and scampered away. So sorry no picture-maybe next time. We saw a few deer in a similar fashion, along the side of the highway but never could have stopped safely and gotten a picture. But there are plenty of tracks in the back so maybe some morning we will come out and run into a few. In the mean time stop by and sit and read the paper sometime.

Moving Day(s)

2009-05-16T21:26:00.014-04:00

Yes moving days ahead. Friday past we had carpet installed upstairs so it meant cleaning up and moving as much out of the room as possible. We were able to get all but the futon out and downstairs out of the way. Luan was put down to create a smoother base for the carpet.The 3 man crew showed up fairly early Friday-about and hour or so into the 4 hour window- and promptly got to work. Putting down the tack strip and pad first both in the big room and the little closets.This seemed to take no time at all next it was the main piece of carpet-I chose to supervise the carrying of the carpet upstairs. After laying the largest section the secondary pieces were bought up and the seams formed. After completing the install they cleaned up the room, vacuumed, and removed the scrap. The room looked pretty nice, but a little empty.Well we were more than able to remedy that! We brought some of the old items back up, and added a few new ones as well. We moved things around a bit and finally settled on a configuration we are going to try for a little while, then go from there.Cleaning up continued a bit outside as well. Karen and Ryan were working a bit out in the yard. We are exploring alternatives to speed up the process, and to avoid some of the manual labor. But the grass is finally coming up, just not exactly as planned.

Karen did an awesome job cleaning up and reseeding the area where the underground electric comes in from the road as well. And Ryan helped too. Nice job guys! Finally with some of the furniture moved back up we were able to clean up the downstairs a bit. This gives us a little more breathing room and the ability to relocate things that have been in temporary storage.

So now things are coming to an end upstairs, and we will be concentrating more on the outdoors, with a minor on the downstairs on those rainy days. And a couple other things on the back burner, but close to fruition. Stay tuned.........

The Long Way Home-Part 1

2009-04-29T09:10:00.016-04:00

This past weekend we went up to prepare for carpeting upstairs. Chores included bringing down the old carpet, removing anything small enough or light enough to carry downstairs, a quick sweep and getting underlayment for the floor. We decided to put a little extra down now rather than later to cover the floor seams and give a smoother surface for the carpet. After cleaning up it kind of looked like we were starting all over again. Once we accomplished these tasks we decided we would take a road less traveled toward home. We have been talking about going the "back" way for a while, on the roads we see parallel the main highway, and it was a wonderfully warm day, so we set the GPS to "Home" and "Least use of Highways" to see which way it would direct us.

We started down the road, and it was warm, and a bit buggy. Although you could not really see them, the casualties started appearing on the windshield. We ended up on Route 5, which paralleled the Connecticut River, the NH/VT border, and the main railroad tracks running north/south. We drove through a small town named Passumpsic, scene of a mid winter rollover by yours truly, and home to a railroad graveyard. A spur came from the main rail line, and into a yard, which had 2 more sets of tracks, which appeared to dead end on the property. Each set of tracks in the yard had numerous rail cars, including different engine, caboose, flatbed, and box cars, plus a few oddities such as a crane and plow car.
The engines were of various shapes and sizes, but all were in the state of disrepair. The engine pictured below seems to be missing half of the engine compartment for the conductor. Also look at the caboose in the background, it is pretty dilapidated as well.
There was even an old time water tower for the steam locomotive on a flat bed car.
Continuing south through Barnet, the road kind of meanders and as we rounded one particular corner all you could here was the thunderous echo of rushing water, and so we stopped to get a couple of shots of the water cascading over the rocks and down the small gorge which two roads crossed.

As we drove further south, we criss-crossed the railroad, the river and boundaries of each state, alternately in NH and VT, until we came to McIndoe Falls, which put you right on the dam and the water. These pictures were actually take from the NH side of the river. There was also a portage trail for people with canoes to bypass the dam.

Driving towards home we passed through Ryegate, Wells River, Bradford, and a few other towns. I think it was in Bradford, we passed through town just as church was beginning, and everyone was parked on the street. I could just picture 100 years ago, or maybe a little more, when the wagons and horses would be hitched out front. We also drove by this very small park next to a nice waterfall. Still a lot of spring melt going on. We stopped real quick for a pit stop, to clean the windshield, and drove on past Lake Fairlee, and kind of Lake Morey, but drove around Lake Fairlee. Looks like a beautiful place for sure. Finally I looked at the watch and GPS, and noticed we had gone only 60 miles or so in 2 hours, so we decided that was enough for this trip, and set it back to "fastest route" got back on the highway, and after another stop to clean the bugs off made it home late as the sun was setting. Hopefully next time we will continue the drive from where we left off and explore more of the back roads of Vermont.

Back on the Road Gang

2009-04-19T23:21:00.018-04:00

Does everybody know what time it is? Tool Time! That's right its time to pick up those tools and rake, shovel, dig, and pry. And what would you need to perform these various tasks on? Why the yard of course! One of the things that we discovered in the whole process of building, is to make sure you are clear on what work is going to be done. Since this was our first time buying raw, undeveloped land, there were a few things we missed when having the land cleared. Clear expectation would be the most prominent.

We had originally contracted to have ~ 1 acre of land cleared, including tress, brush, etc., and seeded. Initially we had hope to clear the land in 2008 and then build something in 2009, but we opted to build early. We did not express our desire for our new "yard" to be of golf course quality. Instead we trusted it would be just that. So in comes the logger, chopping trees down, removing limbs, and taking out the good wood, then next was stump removal. As part of the stump removal process, the topsoil is stripped off, piled to one side, the stumping and grading is performed, and finally the topsoil is put back on. Then seed and hay is applied to begin the new yard.

Well, as luck would have it, we did not get a clear definition of this process, and so we ended up with a lot of "extra" in the yard, mostly in the form of roots, limbs, and rocks. It was expected rocks would be there so I can't say I am too surprised about their presence, but the limbs were kind of a shock, and roots are, well, a pain to put it simply. You kind of expect some roots too, but the amount of them are turning out to be overwhelming.

We started working on the yard this week, now that just about all the snow is gone, and is there a lot of work to do. In the fall, they seeded the yard, and spread hay, but shortly after it got cold and quickly snowed, so the yard still has a bunch of hay as well as the the previously mentioned roots, rocks, and and limbs.

As you can see, there is an assortment of debris in the yard. So raking, digging, shoveling, and prying were in order. We took a couple of days to go up and work on the yard a bit. The first day was very cool, so we opted to work a little on the outside, but tended to more chores inside. Since the garage door opener was finally installed, it only made sense to replace the extension cord tacked up as a temporary power source with a dedicated circuit.
And needless to say I had the perfect person for that job. I also decided to run some network jacks, as you never know what may happen down the road. (we are hoping to maybe set up a web camera someday) And of course I had another volunteer for that as well.
What a wonderful volunteer he was too. The next day was warm, but breezy, and we worked mostly in the yard with the above mentioned implements of choice. We work for several hours at a slow pace, since every time you hit a rock or root, you would stop and dig it up. Initially we were dumping roots and straw out back, and the rocks were tossed into the moat. The we decided to just dump the straw and pile roots to cut down on the trips. This is but a small sample of the things we were pulling out of the yard. Upon closer examination, you will see that some of the "roots" were a little bigger than others.
We plodded on until early afternoon, and after our backs signaled it might be time to stop, we headed off to a late lunch and Daddies Toy Store (Home Depot) in Littleton NH. This is the closest (~20-25 miles) and less expensive than the local hardware stores. We picked up a few things and ate, and we had the opportunity to catch a spectacular view of Mount Washington from town.We returned with our purchases, and cleaned up a little, and called it a day. The next day was a little sketchy and raw so we didn't get too much done. We shopped a little and did some exploring, finding places we had only reached by snowmobile in the past, and being amazed how close they were by car versus by trail. And as always when an opportunity pops up, a little photographic wonder causes a pit stop. Although the snow it mostly gone, there still remains some residual ice on the highway rock walls. Well one tumbled off and broke into pieces so close to the edge of the road, it was too inviting not to stop. Those who know me know I am not the smallest person, so using me as a measuring device will give you an idea how big the chunks of ice really were. And yes I am standing up. Finally we headed back home with a side trip to my sisters. Ryan stayed over for a few nights to hang with his cousin, and do whatever kids do these days. We stopped in Otis at the Poultry farm and picked up some goodies, and passed by a nice covered bridge down the road that spanned the Farmington River.

Spring is coming rapidly, and the closer we get to our house the greener things are becoming. UP in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, things are still that dusky color, but signs of spring are there- and occasional flower popping up, green patches of grass scattered about the lawns. We still have a month of Sundays left to clear the yard up. Hmm..... Maybe we should have a yard party???

Construction-Complete!

2009-04-05T21:25:00.015-04:00

Snow in April? Only in Vermont! Sunday brought a light snow in the hills, not enough to stick, just enough to make you scratch your head and wonder. Last weekend we received an email letting us know all the wood work was finished upstairs. Another trip north to take more pictures!! Sweet! Well OK, we decided to do some cleanup too. Everything was put back into place however, and the only cleanup needed upstairs was a little dust wiping of the walls. Our fabulous builder got all the heavy stuff and put all the furniture pretty much back where it was before he started. We cannot think of enough adjectives to describe the results. Beautiful, fantastic, and spectacular are a few. He really took our idea and ran with it. The finished product almost exceeds our expectations. The windows were trimmed out smartly, with a nice routed edge across the sill.

The doors for the storage areas on either side of the dormer have a nice latch mechanism and built to withstand some use.
Everything came in above expectation. One of the things we asked for was an access hatch for the tiny area over the space in case of emergency, and Ken was more than happy to oblige.
We also asked if it was possible to make a door for the space behind the knee wall opposite the dormer. This would be accessed only from the stairway. Again, it was not a problem. The door looks aesthetically pleasing and works perfectly. Here is a view of the access door.
And here is a view of the door looking down the stairwell. You can see how it blends in very well.
Overall, we are extremely happy with the way things are turning out. Inside we only have carpeting planned in the next few weeks, and we should be done, and it should be inhabitable. We have some of the creature comforts to get by with Right now we can sit back for a minute and take a breath. But only for a minute.The weather is turning warmer now, the gates on the snowmobile trail are locked till December, so our next real project will be out of doors. The yard is pretty roughed up from where we were last year. Between the foundation going in and the trench for the electric, and the driveway modifications, there is definitely a lot of work left to do. Most of the snow has melted, the water is running in all directions in the moat, down the road, across the yard, and underground.
As you can see there is plenty left to be done. Our foundation has been laid, and the next step is to build upon the base, and improve our outdoor view, so it too is pleasing to the eye. Raking, root pulling, seeding are next up on the list of tasks. As the weather permits, or more accurately as the groudwater recedes, these projects will move forward. We have many more things planned over the summer, and are looking forward to the first cookout, the first sleep over and much more. Someday this summer, if the water is still flowing we will be able to put a bench out back near the moat and hear the water flowing by much like this.

Almost There...

2009-03-23T09:29:00.006-04:00

Another weekend of running, and more progress to report. This weekend started off with somber task, cleaning out grandma's house, since she is no longer able to live there on her own. But after all she is 98, so that is a pretty good run, I think. Its hard to take someones life and memories and pack it up, give it away or just get rid of it. Makes me think I want to get rid of some of my clutter now and avoid the rush.
After finishing early on Saturday we decided to go up and check the progress. We felt it should be close, if not complete and decided to stay up there overnight. Well, as always, what a difference a week makes. It appears all of the main work is complete, with only window trim, and doors for the storage alcoves remaining. The dormer has been completed as well, minus the window trim. It will provide a great catbird seat to watch wildlife from, as well as the snowmobiles on the trail.
It is amazing what a warmth the pine adds to the room. The choice is perfect I think, and the large window in the front as well as the dormer gives a great natural light source, which really keeps the place bright all day long. The only reason for turning the lights on this weekend was to test the lights and switches after installing the stairwell light. We opted for a rugged light that would take possible brushes from moving furniture and other objects up and down the stairs. We also installed a 3 way switch so it can be turned on from the top or the bottom of the stairs.
As the days roll by we have just entered the first weekend of spring. Although it was 30 degrees and snowing Sunday morning there are signs that warmer weather is around the corner. Bird sounds are more abundant than in the past few months, grass is starting to show in the yard (although we are a little more sheltered from the sun than the people across the street) and the home-made stream out back is starting to run once again.
This is a reminder of things to come, and more work to be accomplished during the next 3 seasons. Plans include bringing the yard up to par, cleaning up dead and fallen trees, fortifying the stream with some rocks to reduce erosion, and possibly a walking/snowmobile bridge over the stream out to the trail. And there are certainly more tasks on the list, but if I tell you everything you won't check back, right?

The Walls are Closing in on us

2009-03-14T20:24:00.012-04:00

I spoke with our guy on Thursday and he was moving along on the pine installation and had a few questions for me. I answered the questions, and after his update we decided to take a day trip up on Saturday and check things out. He is moving along very nicely I must say. As you walk up the stairs, the door and wall have been installed and most of the pine done. As you walk in, it is just an amazing transformation from last week, when there was just a little pine installed, and mostly insulation showing.
As you can see the rear wall, side wall, and 1/2 of the ceiling is done. In addition the door has been trimmed out.The front wall is done as well. One of the walls on the side of the dormer has been done, and a doorway has roughed out to access the area behind the knee wall for storage.
Now it is really taking shape!
It is really looking awesome! We did a little electrical work, fixing the length of the switch wires in the new wall, and mounting the box and wiring for the hallway light. Before we left we had to look at the snow a bit. The trails next to the house were very icy and thin, yet there was still a lot of snow on the trails, or more exactly on the sides of the trail. And there was still plenty of snow in the yard as well.

Stay Tuned for the Final Reveal- in a few more weeks!

Wild, Warm, & Wet Weekend

2009-03-08T20:33:00.011-04:00

March is definitely a crazy month, with random and extreme warm ups, cool downs and odd meteorological events. A veritable kitchen sink of weather. On Monday, we received upwards of 7 inches of snow in CT. On Saturday afternoon, we stood at the corner of NH, VT, and Canada in T-shirts after a late lunch, but before I arrived at the garage, it was raining/sleeting last night, and today I drove home and it was in the mid 60's.

My weekend started on Friday. I left ~8:00 after dropping the kids at school. I stopped upstairs when I got there, because I knew that some work was progressing with the installation of the pine board, and I just had to peek.

After that it was downstairs to put on the riding clothes and hit the trail. It was in the upper 30's so I opted for the lighter bibs and coat. I took off heading north, and the trails started out a little rocky, the fields were spotty, but the ice had softened up. A little mud then into some better riding and deeper snow.I rode for a couple hours, and decided to head in for gas and a quick bite. As I drove into North Concord, I passed a few friends having a snack together.
After a quick bit of nourishment, it was back to the woods, and on to points north. I rode through several towns, or more accurately the woods of several towns, and rarely saw any sign of life. The trees started to envelop me, with the birch and maple trees becoming denser, and the mountainous views becoming more limited. I stopped to look at my watch and marveled that I had already been gone over 4 hours and hadn't seen a single snowmobile, but lots of trees. I decided it was time to head back toward home, and "civilization". I met up with some friends for a tour of the garage, and a short ride down to the local restaurant for dinner, and happened to run into the guy who is doing the pine work up at the garage. We had some decent food, and drove back, planning to meet early Saturday. I parked the sled for the night with a 110 miles for the day.

We met up ~ 8:00 the next morning, and headed north. The trails were not too bad early on, but things change as you head into higher traffic areas. We had a minor breakdown on the trail, and had to perform a little trail side repair to fix a leaky radiator hose-thank god for duct tape!
We rode on into Island Pond, to stop at the local snowmobile shop for a new piece of hose. On the way we drove through probably the biggest logging operation I have seen out in the woods. This is only about half of the wood pile that was on trail side. From there is was onto Canaan, VT for a late lunch, and back to home base. By the time we left Canaan, the trails were pretty bumpy, and it was challenging and a little tiring, but we made it back around 8:30 pm and logged just shy of 200 more miles. Almost 300 miles in a little over 32 hours, that was enough for this weekend. Right now it looks like it may be over, but riding season is open till April 15, as long as there is snow on the trails. If you are interested, here is the track of the weekend ride. The red is Friday and black is Saturday, some trails we covered twice.

Hmm, temperatures are now supposed to drop again, and I only need 80 more miles to hit 1,000 miles for the first time ever.............

The Hard Part is Over

2009-03-01T20:15:00.007-05:00

Well it's Sunday night and we beat the "big storm" home. We went up this weekend and finished the insulation work, and preparation for the wood paneling. We did about 1/2 of it last week, and this week was the other half, plus all the little filler, plus cleanup, and the last two were definitely time consuming. We worked all Friday afternoon, and into the early evening while it rained. The rain melted almost a foot of snow, and we ended up with a little water in the garage, mostly because there was a significant ice build up near the door. This seems to happen, because the driveway gets plowed, the the snow on roof falls down and sits and melts and freezes. Come spring we need to re-grade the driveway a little more I think. Saturday we went back to work in earnest, seeing the daylight at the end of the tunnel. After 3-4 hours, there was just a little left to do, so we took a break-for a quick 50 mile ride. Down to the gas station to top off, up through North Danville, and up to the scenic overlook near Cole's Pond. It was a much clearer day than a few weeks back, and offered some excellent views of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains

After a ride to clear our heads, and enjoy a little Vermont countryside, it was back to work, taking care of the final touches, and cleaning up the mess. Finally we brought the futon upstairs and assembled it, so we wouldn't have to bring it up after the new wall and door have been put in place. Finally everything is done.... For now :-)

All Work and No Play.......

2009-02-23T13:29:00.012-05:00

What a crazy weekend! We went up early Saturday to work on insulating the upstairs in preparation for the pine wall installation. First we had to clean up the remaining snow from the last snowfall. Our guy Don (a real saint) does a great job keeping our driveway open for us, but can only get so close. There wasn't a lot but needed to clear away from the doors and trailer. Ryan and I went off to Home Depot in Littleton to pick up the door for upstairs, and Karen finished up installing the soffit ridge vent. After we returned, we got started on the insulation. It was a slow, itchy process, but we managed to know out almost half in about six hours. It is very tedious cutting and fitting, and crawling in and out of the knee wall area, and stapling upside down at times.
We got it pretty warm in there too, so warm in fact we actually ended up shutting off the heater several times. It will really be awesome once the room upstairs is totally enclosed. 58 degrees doesn't seem very warm but when you are working with insulation you don't want it to be much warmer, or else the itching really starts in. All the while, as we worked the snowmobiles went by the house. Single riders, groups of 3, 4, 5, and more drove by in both directions all day long. All I could think was sure, rub it in, rev those engines a little more while we are here working. At least I know we are working on a long term goal, so that made it a little easier to swallow. I also did a little electric work, having to move a few switches, and rewire one of the lights to come on with a single switch. Of course I waited till it was late in the day and had to hurry before dark. Karen caught a nice shot out the front window with the video on her camera, as several snowmobiles crossed the street.

That evening after dinner watching the weather report, they were forecasting winter storm warning for all of Vermont till Monday morning. We got up the next day and it was snowing! Off we drove to the garage, and the roads already had 3-4 inches with the prediction of 8-16 inches for the day we decided we would just head home, because it was a 3 1/2 hour drive on a good day. The snow was coming down too.We jumped back on the highway, and headed south. 1 lane was semi clean, but it didn't take long before we passed a truck towing a snowmobile trailer, which looked like it flipped, and ripped the enclosure off like tin foil on a ring-ding. We saw several other spin outs and people in snowbanks as well. By the time we hit White river Junction, the snow was light. By the time we got to Springfield, Vt the roads were dry pavement. Once into Massachusetts, rain sleet, snow and any combination of the above. Back home in one piece but lost some valuable work time, better luck next weekend.

Back to Business-Sort Of

2009-02-16T18:52:00.014-05:00

Well after a few weeks of awesome riding, we hit a late January thaw. Several inches of snow dissipated very rapidly due to warm temperatures and rain. After 4-5 days of above average temps, things dropped to a more winter-like 20's, but the damage was done. The open areas took a bit of a beating, but the trails in the woods held up pretty well. I went up this weekend to pick up materials for next weekend, when we will work on insulating the upstairs, in preparation for wall treatment. This was a picture of the White Mountains heading into NH to go to Home Depot-that's where the closest one is. Picked up insulation, and some other miscellaneous stuff, headed back to unload and bring upstairs. After I lugged everything upstairs it was time for some lunch.
After a late lunch and a little cleanup, I went out for a late afternoon/early evening solo ride. There were very few other snowmobiles out for a late Saturday afternoon, which made it easier to stop and take a few pictures. This was a melting stream on one of the trails. And this was a strange house along the rail bed You can never figure out what people were thinking when they build I guess. Dusk fell and on the way back I drove by this barn out in the woods, and had to get a picture of it.
After a 40 mile jaunt, I headed back to the garage, and worked for a while installing soffit vents, then back to the hotel.The next morning, I went back and cleaned up a little more, and decided to head over to Walden, as the local snowmobile club there the Coles Pond Sledders were having a Pancake breakfast. I headed out on the trails, and took the scenic trail up to the scenic view. The view could have been better but it was a little overcast. There was a light snow falling and I was kind of able to capture a snowflake or two on my gloves On the way down to Walden I passed a familiar sight.

I arrived in Walden @ the old church for the pancake breakfast and it was mobbed! So many snowmobiles and cars lined up down the road. This is about a third of the snowmobiles out in the field. It would take too many pictures to show them all. Someone who is involved on the local club was there also with his unique snowmobile

Back to the garage with a full stomach, and the long drive back home. All told some work got accomplished, and 100 miles in on the trails.

Ride On

2009-02-02T08:27:00.010-05:00

Well another weekend of slacking on work, but just riding. With all this snow I'll never get anything done. :-) Conditions are just too good to pass up, and the views are always breathtaking!

I brought a friend and co-worker up for his first snowmobile experience this weekend. He is an athletic type person and has ridden jet-ski's before, so he was pretty much a natural. Left Home Base ~9:30 in the morning, down the rail bed to Greensboro Bend. Once we rounded the corner from the railroad bed to the open trail we saw a beautiful house on the hill.We stopped @ Smith's store for a quick nourishment break. Then we went over the new Greensboro Bend to Wheelock connector, past a few cross country skiers. Nice trail, very small, but it was a good time maneuvering on the narrow trail. Headed north on 51 over to 53 then 52. Stopped to gas up @ East Burke, and soon as we got there they were having gas pump problems. Saw a few State Police sleds while we were there. We doubled back to Lyndonville to top off, crossing next to the old covered bridge. Then we headed back through E. Burke picked up 54 down to 2/5. Passed the groomer on 54 and another on 2/5.Trails were smooth for a while where the groomer had been.Drove through Victory, Kirby, then on to 5 through St.Johnsbury, and back home through the underpass tube. Here is a unique view of that.Stopped @ Goodfellas for a early dinner and back to chill.We did about 115 miles great for his first time. We probably could have ridden some more but didn't want him to get too tired of it too quick. He seemed to enjoy himself, which is good, though he was complaining about a little finger pain today (Monday) I call that the "holding on syndrome"
The amount of snow up there is still amazing. We have nowhere left to put it in the driveway it seems.

Soon I will have to shovel it out into the yard to make more room for it. Not necessarily a bad thing. :-)

Nothing else to do except........Ride On.
See you next time! The big ride coming in 2 weeks

The Great White North-In Vermont

2009-01-25T08:58:00.022-05:00

What a weekend! Finally came up to enjoy Vermont's winter wonderland, after spending so much time running back and forth building, and meeting with contractors, and planning, and on and on. We came up Friday and our plan was to just come up and have fun, riding our snowmobiles, and not doing any work.

It was a balmy 30 degrees when we dressed up and left, and we originally took off to ride the power lines and possibly up to Island Pond. We got about 10 miles into the ride, and hit a trail closure, due to some trail work. So much for that plan.

So we regrouped, and decided to head west toward Danville, and the north toward Sheffield and west toward Walden. Of course to do that we had to pass back through the underpass near our place. Always a little bumpy but gets you from one side to the other. During the ride we came upon the scene above, a tree arched over the trail, snow still on it's limbs, and the tubing from a maple sugar operation. The trails were awesome! Snow was everywhere, and the deeper you went into the woods, the more the snow was clinging to every tree branch, pine needle, and tree stump. We rode till early evening, and put on about 70 miles from like 3-7PM. Coming back down the railroad bed towards home we tried a couple of night shots.
We even met up with the groomer following him for a few moments till we could pass him,

then it was back to the camp, change clothes and out for a bite to eat. The next day we headed out to try the power lines again. We left around 9:30 in the morning, and it was a bit cooler about 9 degrees. We made it around the closed section this time thanks to a temporary re-route. After a short ride, we stopped on Kirby mountain for that scenic picture, and I had a Laugh-In moment. Remember Laugh-In, and the guy on the tricycle? He would stop, then fall over. Well we stopped, and I pulled off to the right edge of the trail. As soon as I completely stopped, the bank gave way way and the next thing I knew I was tipping over in slow motion :-)

No damage this time and we got a picture of it to boot. We headed north and east and hit the power lines, and shortly after we hit some snow squalls, but the riding was great. If you look closely you can get an idea how far the power lines run. They keep going forever it seems. By this time it was maybe noon, and we had only seen like 10 snowmobiles so far. We drove off the power lines, hit some other trails, and ended up in Bloomfield Vt on the NH border. We stopped for gas and a bite to eat @ a place called Debanville's General Store. Great sandwiches, and very nice people. They had a sign in the booth, "we work on the honor system- here is a basket with a pencil and paper, please write down what you eat and drink and bring to register to pay" Kind of refreshing outlook on life. After a bite to eat, we headed south and east, near Maidstone Lake, and some of the streams there made for great pictures.
From there we looped around to the north, and then west. We went down one particular trail and it afforded us a spectacular view of the mountains, treetops covered in snow, and glistening in the sun.
Continued on west to link up with the intent of catching a certain trail to make it home. Instead we took a side trail, and ended up extending the trip a little. We wandered through several small towns, and passed the parked groomer for the Burke Drift Skippers.
Cruising now, we went through Burke, Sheffield, trying to get home, as the temperatures were dropping, and so was the sun. We made it to one hilltop and the sunset was really nice, so of course we had to stop for a picture. The sleds were put on cruise control (not really) but we knew exactly where we were, and how far from home, so we got into a rhythm, and soon we rounded the corner, and there was the groomer! I actually knew he was coming, because our communicators pick up a beacon in the groomer to warn people they are on the trail. From there on it was smooth trails and before we know it we were at the gas station. A quick top off, and back on the railroad bed and a smooth, groomed carpet of white gold all the to our door! We arrived back @ the camp and it was a blustery -6 degrees outside, and a still chilly 30 degrees inside. I need to get working on insulating so we can take full advantage of the heaters. But hey I felt like we deserved a little fun for once you know? We'll get it done someday, and the hotel is 4 minutes down the road and heat is included in the meantime. Here is what the ride looks like on the map roughly.

Sunday morning, we woke up and it was -20 degrees! We decided not to ride, but we went to the local clubs fund raiser. The club we joined this year is the Danville S-Ski-Mo's, and they had a spaghetti lunch fundraiser, so we went for an early lunch, and met some of the club members, some local folks, and even some folks from CT who live like 4 houses down from my dad. Small world.They had a great turn out from what we saw over a hundred in the first hour alone we overheard. Its good to support your local clubs, as the fundraisers go toward offsetting grooming costs, equipment, and trail projects. The turn out was mixed with lots of people riding in and some driving in. We thought about riding in but we were headed home right afterwards, so decided not to dress for a 5 mile ride. There was good rider and groomer representation though. All told we rode 231 miles, filled our gas tanks twice, ate in 3 different restaurants, met some new folks, saw some excellent scenery, and had a great time! The trails were awesome all weekend, the number of snowmobiles whose path we crossed was very low, not sure if its the cold or the economy, but we saw maybe 40 snowmobiles all weekend. That definitely makes for some...Happy Trails!

Warming Trend ?? Where??

2009-01-20T10:52:00.011-05:00

Things are shaping up in the north! A prolonged cold spell and frequent small snowfalls have covered the trails and our land in a white, glistening blanket of winter gold. Great if you are a snowmobiler, but not so much if you hate cold weather. So where is this global warming I've been hearing so much about? Temperatures as low as minus 40 F last week up here, wish I had a history on my thermometer.

Due to the crazy weather this weekend, we decided to go up Sunday. Good choice. There were numerous spin outs all the way up to upper Vermont, and the ride up was about an hour or so longer than normal. Dad came up with me, his first trip up since his quadruple bypass in October. The last time he was up was when the foundation forms were put in. We got up there around 3:00 pm and checked into the hotel. We went up so he could check out the place, and I had some snow cleanup to take care of. We have the driveway plowed, but they can only get so close, and the snow is starting to pile up. So we had to clear a path out back for the propane tank installation and an area for the installers to work.

Dad even took a turn moving snow. Guess you can't let a quadruple bypass keep you down eh?

The men showed up early and set the tank out back on the corner of the building and then ran the piping upstairs.
The heater was installed on the back wall upstairs in the corner. It took the about 2 hours from start to finish. We turned it on and ran it for about a half hour and it heated the relatively barren upstairs from 21 to 40 degrees pretty quickly.
While we were at it, we installed an electric heater in the garage level to help melt the snow off the snowmobiles and take the chill out a little if you are working down there.
Of course the view of the mountains across the road were spectacular! It amazes me how beautiful the view is no matter what season. Spring and the fresh greens of fields and trees, summer, with the sun and clouds shading the hills, fall. with the fiery red, orange, and yellow, but my favorite still has to be winter, with the trees coated after a fresh snow.

New Year-New Beginnings

2009-01-04T07:49:00.019-05:00

Happy New Year to all, hope everyone had a great holiday. Ours as you may have noticed was a little bittersweet (if not please see previous post) but you have to keep on moving. A long New Years weekend was in order and we decided to go up January 1 and get some work done on the garage. We stayed over till Sunday and got quite a bit accomplished, had a little fun and some unexpected adventures.
It was a cold weekend, temperatures never reaching 20 degrees. First order of business was to work on insulating the first floor or the garage portion. This was the easiest and required the least amount of cutting, fitting, and thanks to my wonderful wife, went up very quickly. With half of the garage section insulated by late Thursday, we went out for a short 50 mile ride on the snowmobile trails. The trails were in decent shape, a little thin in some open fields, and the occasional water hole that hadn't been filled in completely but pretty good riding overall.
By the time we got back the temperature had dropped quite a bit. The left is the temperature inside, and the right is outside.
On Friday we went to look at heaters for the upstairs and picked out a unit which should work out well, and that will be installed in a few weeks. After leaving we went in a different direction, and after a while we ended up kind of lost. We set up the GPS, and its first reaction was "whenever possible, make a legal U-Turn." Well I've heard that before and if you go a little further it comes around and find a new route. Finally it seemed to get back on track.Except for 1 thing. We were in Vermont. Roads sometimes are roads in the Summer, but not the Winter. Soon we were driving next to Uncle Willy's barn with the GPS showing a road, but not the terrain. There were however about 35 turkeys, which decided to promptly take flight.We went back to work on the rest of the first floor insulation, and a little cleanup and organization. We put up a few shelves to store some of the snowmobile gear, and worked on the insulation. Now the first floor is about done.
Saturday was a recreation day. Karen took Ryan out on the snowmobiles for a while and he did around a 20 mile round trip down to Marty's and the surrounding area. I stayed back to work on another project, a prototype snowmobile ramp, which passed its preliminary test very well. Ryan had a great time, and had some good photo opportunities.
This is the wall of ice on the railroad bed, a couple miles away, always a great photo spot. This next one is somewhere on the trails.
And finally the prodigal son (and wife) returns.

Later on Karen and I went out for a spin, and did another 50 or so miles. This time we chose a path less traveled, and went from Danville to St. Johnsbury, Waterford, and back through St. J. We stopped for a bite @ yes Petty Co Junction We drove back on some smaller trails and saw a spectacular sunset. Riding back we took the very less traveled trail, and soon the trail markers became fewer and farther between. It was dark and this trail was barely wide enough for a single snowmobile. One hill was blind and dark and sloped pretty bad, and before I knew it, I was tumbling down the hill, with the snowmobile tumbling over me. I wound up standing in a bathtub with the snowmobile upside down. A great guy Mark happened by and helped us get it righted, and up the hill. We sat there for a few with hearts pounding, a little shaky, and ego bruised and windshield and mirrors broken, but otherwise unscathed.

Neil Peart of the rock band Rush wrote in one of his books "adventures suck when your having them" and its true. It was easy to find a little humor in the spill since I wasn't hurt badly, but also lucky that a tree stopped the snowmobile from possibly landing on me. Even more funny was the fact I wound up standing in a bathtub on the edge of a snowmobile trail. I am just glad I had proper riding gear and a helmet on. And of course I was asked by Mark to stop and help someone in trouble on the trails in the future, as a kind of "Pay it Forward" We tend to do that anyway, but when someone stops and helps you out, you know its the right thing to do. I also learned to avoid trails marked in red on the map in the future (Red means stop now) :-)

Until next time safe travels! And remember folks, don't try this at home! =-)

Blue Christmas

2008-12-27T12:53:00.012-05:00

ROXY- 2003-2008 RIP

Greetings to all and I hope you had a great Christmas. Christmas day was typical for us, company, food, presents, etc. The day after Christmas turned out to be a bad day. We had plans to go to Vermont, and do some work. This was the first trip for Roxy. She had gone in the car plenty of times before but not for such a long ride. Somewhere in Mass, she got sick. We kind of attributed it to car sickness, and stopped and cleaned up, walked around a bit and she seemed fine. When we got up to Vermont, she was sick again. She was having a hard time keeping even water down. After a few hours she was more lethargic, and we got concerned, so we called the vet, and he had us try a few things. She did not seem to get better, so we decided to scrap our plans and drove home so we could have our vet see her, after all she was familiar with him, and sometimes being home settles you down a bit.
We took her to the vet this morning, the 27th, and the news was not good. She had been fighting a battle for the last few months without showing many symptoms. The prognosis was not good. Based on the conversation with the vet, the battle was too hard for her weakened state, she wouldn't be able to win. We had a family meeting and decided to let her go with dignity, and we went to be with her. It was sad, but she would have suffered more had we not made the decision. She was happy to see us, and she passed peacefully. Now she is chasing cars in doggie heaven.

Roxy came to us from the North shore animal league, and Ryan and mom picked her out.

I didn't want a dog, because of all the responsibility that goes with it, but was overruled. She was a great dog, and friend. She was really devoted, and loved to walk, even though she had hip displasia, a condition where the hip socket was not fully formed, and she would be hurting after the walk.
She loved her daddy (Ryan) very much too as they were always laying around together, and goofing around.

She loved her mommy too, always trying to help her with the laundry by swiping at her with a paw, or just putting her head on your lap when you were sitting down.

She was a good sport too. She would lay on the floor and the couch and box you much like a cat does, and would never mind if you did something a little silly to her.

But most of all she was part of the family, and we will miss her very much!!

Rest in Peace Roxy!!!!!

Finished and Ready for Winter

2008-12-13T20:29:00.013-05:00

Greetings everyone! Only 11 more shopping days till Christmas. I personally have gotten my present (for a few years) early this year. After a few days of rough weather along the east coast ranging from 4-7 inches of rain @ home in CT to 7-10 inches of snow at the home away from home in VT, with a light ice coating on top. The ride up saw high rivers in CT and Mass, and snow and icy trees in VT. The roads in VT were amazingly clear considering the amount of snow and ice along the sides of the roads.

We stopped at a rest area close to our exit, and the ice was even thicker on the trees, and the temperature was hovering around 6 degrees. The sun was coming out strong and the air was crisp, yet it was a clear morning, and the blue sky allowed the sunlight to reflect off the icy trees.
We proceeded to the land and this was the first time there was significant snowfall covering the yard, and the driveway got its first plowing. It gave a new perspective to the setting, very clean.
As you can see the metal roof is doing its job. By the time we got to the garage it was after 9:30, and it was approximately 12 degrees, yet a good portion of snow on the eastern side already slid off, and about half of the west side was clear too.
The garage windows had the final trim detail added last week, and the electric service was finished and we had power. We bought a indoor outdoor thermometer, and it settled on a indoor temperature of 39 degrees after running the heater for a bit, and a balmy 14 degrees outdoors. You can see it in the window trying to sync up to satellite.

After unloading some supplies, we fired up the snowmobiles and rode around the yard a little, since the trails don't officially open till Tuesday. Remember folks, don't try this at home :-)

Just following the old adage:

We went into St. Johnsbury, and then Lyndon, looking to see if we could look at heating sources, but it appears everything closes at noon on Saturday. Near one of the lumber yards we saw a narrow, one lane road under the train tracks. You definitely need to sound your horn, long and loud. It was a very narrow road.
On the way home we also saw something we hadn't seen in a while. A checkpoint along the highway being run by the Border Patrol. They stop and check the cars and verify citizenship. Luckily we were legitimate. We had seen this for a few years after 911, but they weren't out the last 2-3 years. Of course it was only about 20 degrees.

Probably not much to report for a few weeks due to the holiday crunch coming on, so Happy Holidays to everyone who reads this and think snow! Hoping for first official ride in around 2 weeks!

1 Year Anniversary !

2008-11-29T18:29:00.014-05:00

This weekend is the 1 year anniversary of our finding the property. Approximately 1 year ago this weekend, we decided to come up to Vermont, armed with data sheets, maps, and directions to around a half dozen different properties, from Groton to Burke. We covered practically the entire Caledonia County. We didn't really see any property we really liked that much. On a whim, we drove by another property we liked, but didn't work out. Across the street from that property, we spied a for sale by owner sign. We did a little investigation, and several hours later we hammered out an agreement to purchase several acres.

Ever since that day, we have been planning, and arranging, scraping, and saving, coordinating and executing to get to where we are just 1 year later. We started out marking the property, and hiring a contractor to clear slightly more than an acre of land. We ran into some water issues, and added a drainage trench around the cleared acre. We had a driveway put in. We were looking to build a "Big Box Home Improvement Store" garage, and started trying to coordinate with concrete, excavators, and store representatives. At the 11th hour, we found a contractor to do the whole job, and we are very happy with the results!

Over the past week, the dormer was finished,

the stairs installed,

and the transom windows over the garage were installed.
We came up this weekend to check things out, as it had been a few weeks since our last time up. We arrived and the electrician was on site, installing the meter box, and panels. Since we went with the garage first, we ran the electric there first, but they needed to install a power disconnect in the garage, for a future connection to a house if and when we get there. So now the only thing to be done electrically will be the connection from the pole, and that should happen during the week, weather permitting.

We brought a few things up this weekend also, to make it a little more personalized.

and

On the way home we drove through the center of town, and it was amazing what a few miles could do for snow. Here is a picture of the town green, with 3-4 inches of snow yet we had none on our property.

Happy Holidays! (and only 18 more days till the snowmobile trails open!)

Almost Finished!

2008-11-16T08:11:00.008-05:00

Its hard to believe, but they are almost finished with the garage! We went up yesterday to check progress, and it is looking really good. All the windows are in, the siding and trim is almost complete, and there is not too much left to do. I am hoping the electric will be roughed in over the next week or so.

There are still a lot of details to be worked out, such as insulation, heating source, sheet rock, but the builder expects to wrap things up this week. So hopefully next week we can bring sleds up in preparation for winter!

This picture is from the snowmobile trail. The dormer actually faces the trail, so we can sit back and watch the snowmobiles go by or just enjoy the mountain view. Hopefully in the next week or so we will be posting the finished pictures, and then the progress of finishing the inside. Now I can finally pray for snow up north since the building is closed in!

Babbling Brook

2008-11-12T11:08:00.003-05:00

I wanted to try and add this to see if it indeed works. Attached below is a short video clip from the "moat" in the back yard. It needs the Apple Quick Time plug in in order to play. If you have problems please leave a comment below. If you turn the sound up you can hear the babbling!

Thanks, Joe

Things are Looking Up!!

2008-11-11T20:25:00.011-05:00

Happy November everyone! The past month has been crazy, with everything going on, people getting sick, running around, and the weather and time change. I am very happy to share the latest progress, and be able to see some exciting changes since I last visited 2 weeks ago.

Taking advantage of a day off, I drove the long drive early this morning, which was made a little easier with the falling gas prices. Gas was still ~ 2.50 up north though, but they are slowly dropping. I spoke with Ken on Friday and he told me they had the 1st floor walls were up, and the roof was partially sheathed. Imagine my surprise to see the progress since then! The front windows are roughed out, the shed dormer was built, more than half the roof was done!

The left side and rear side construction are pretty plain. We discussed locations for 2 windows on the ground level, and decided on one the left and right sides.
The dormer is shaping up nice as well. All you see was assembled in just about 1 week. Of course I had to go upstairs and check out that as well. The space is much bigger than I imagined, and with the bump out for the dormer, it adds a whole new space perspective.

By the time I was getting ready to leave, they had 1 of the garage doors up, and were working on the other. I also marked up the driveway for plowing during the winter.

One other sign I saw that reminded me why we were doing this. The snowmobile trail signs were put up in the last week or so!

More to come very soon!

Fall- All Over

2008-10-27T10:46:00.011-04:00

Fall is definitely here. There is a nip in the air, and leaves are dropping everywhere. This week we went up to check things out, and now the slab has been poured, the foundation back filled, and the drainage installed. I also found out I was doing something wrong in posting, so now if you click on the picture, it will give you a larger view.(That helps me because the pictures are too small for these eyes lately)

I also was playing with the camera, and found I have the option to create a panoramic picture, by taking 3 pictures and the camera "stitches" together. Takes a little getting used to but works fairly well. This shot was from behind the garage looking north.

This shot was from the road facing south looking into the lot.

Just another different perspective.

The other thing that is different is the color. Gone are the leaves from the birch, and maple, except for a few stragglers, but vibrant in color were the tamarack trees. They are one of just a few species of pine that lose their needles in the fall, changing color much like a maple tree. You can see the yellows starkly contrasted against the standard green pine backdrop.

On the way up, we stopped at the normal breakfast place, P&H. It was kind of disturbing in a way to see a truck load of Christmas trees there already, as it was just October.

We took another ride down the road after stopping and towards a town called Marshfield, where there were some spectacular views, including Molly's Falls Pond, with Hooker Mountain in the background.

We saw a large group of turkeys in the field next to the road on the way back as well

And we saw our first moose this weekend in Vermont, but unfortunately not the way we thought we would see one.

Birds Eye View

2008-10-13T07:28:00.030-04:00

Today we view things from a different perspective. A good friend is part owner in a small plane, so I was able to "hitch" a ride from him and fly up to Vermont to get some pictures from a different angle. Sunday was such a perfect day for flying, hardly a cloud in the sky. My first encounter was with a Hot Air Balloon, as I left the house and headed toward the airport. As you can see the sky was clear and deep blue.

We met at the hangar, and Ed went through his checklist, while I tried to stay out of the way.

We took off ~ 9:00, and set a course north, flying pretty close to parallel to I-91. We quickly were into Massachusetts, flying past Westover Airfield, where the "big" planes were.

Continuing north, we passed into Vermont and New Hampshire. As we went further north the colors grew more extreme. The hills seemed to pop with color everywhere, with bright oranges, yellow, and reds sharply contrasting with the dark and light greens.

Flying definitely gives you a different outlook on things. As you look straight ahead, it seems like time is suspended, and you are hardly moving. When you look down to the sides, you see things go by, but it still seems like a reduced speed. At one point we were doing ~170 knots, which translates to ~190-200 mph, but yet it seemed like much less than that. We flew over the Connecticut River many times in the way up, as it twists all along the border of VT and NH. In a different aspect, you could see the fog that we often drive in on those early morning, hugging the river, covering it like a blanket.

Although there was a slight head wind, we made it up to our property in about 1 hour and 30 minutes. This was about 2 hours quicker than it would take to drive. Had the winds been lighter it would have been much less (as witnessed by the 1 hour return trip) As we got closer we were able to start picking out familiar landmarks, most of which stood out, some however , because of the different angle, it sometimes was a bit tough till the last minute. The following picture is the farm and field from above the scenic outlook in last weeks blog, with the St.Johnsbury dam in the top of the picture.

From here, we knew we had to head slightly northwest to the property. Shortly after banking left, we were able to start spotting familiar landmarks again, including the house with a tee pee in the yard. I missed a shot of that but will get one from the ground next time I go up. Seconds after we passed the tee pee, we were over the property. We several good shots of the foundation and fields nearby.

From the south.

From the east

From a distance

In this picture, if you see the big red barn at the tip of the wing, and then the large clump of trees slightly above that, we are to the left of that on the other side of the road. After a quick stop at the Lyndonville airport....

We took back off for home. The colors up this far north were pretty spectacular too.

We flew over the Vermont corn maze and then headed south towards home.

What an awesome trip! I even flew the plane a little bit. You definitely gain respect for pilots after that, with all the things you need to keep aware of, winds, speed, direction, attitude and so much more. I found I lean to the left a bit for some reason. Once on course, we would start drifting a little bit left every time :). Still it was a great experience, and I thank Ed very much for going up and taking me on a weekend day, when he probably could have been doing something else more important.

Lost & Found(ation)

2008-10-05T11:44:00.018-04:00

Greetings all! Here comes fall! Gone are the 80 degree days and now the nights are cooler and daylight hours growing shorter. I received a call from our builder of garage Monday, and he asked if it would be OK if the excavators started this week prepping for the foundation. Of course I had no objections! On Wednesday I received another call, stating the hole was dug, and the footings were poured. Of course, then it rained like cats and dogs (again), so they were going to have trouble setting forms. Armed with this news, and seeing that the color was rated as high in upper VT, we naturally figured it was time for a road trip. We also finally were going to meet in person the builder, as all our business has been conducted over the phone so far.

We left late today (9 AM instead of the normal 5 AM) as Ken the builder wasn't able to meet till ~4 PM. The drive was much different, lots more cars than usual (because most people are sleeping @ 5 AM!) but still got there in the normal amount of time. As we travel north, the colors slowly change from green, with occasional oranges, yellows and reds to a sea of colors mixed on the hill sides. These pictures was facing toward New Hampshire's White Mountain range at a scenic lookout spot near St. Johnsbury on I-91.

We arrived at the property, and were happy to see that the forms were up after all. As we got out to examine a little closer, a turkey was strutting around in the yard, totally indifferent to our presence.

The forms were set up, but due to the heavy rain, they ended up extending the driveway with additional fill in order to be able to work. A membrane was laid down so once they are done, they will be able to move the extended driveway back out front to the garage doors.

Additionally, a drainage trench was dug to move water away from the foundation. Eventually, a drain will be placed around the entire foundation, and the water will move away, towards the other drainage ditches (dubbed "The Moat") we already have in place.

With the forms up, 24' x 28' now looks small, but it should cover our needs. In talking with our builder, he said it goes through phases, now it looks small and once the walls start going up it starts to look big again. He said in fact some of the walls have already been pre-built in his shop, and hopes to start building by November! But for now I can only focus on what is there, the foundation. The rebar is all in, and rumor has it they expect to pour as early as Monday October 6!

While we were up there it was hard not to look around and see the changing leaves. There was a patch easily seen from our land that looked at times like it was on fire, when the sun peeked out between the scattered clouds. Easy to see why we picked this spot.

A quick drive in the county permitted several nice shots too numerous for posting here, but one that caught our eye is.

As always I have to thank my lovely wife for her keen eye for beautiful scenery (and extreme patience!)

It is amazing how fast things are happening! We have a finish date by mid December, which also coincides with opening day for snowmobile season!!

Next up newly poured foundations, and maybe a different perspective of Vermont!

The Scarlet Letter and Unique Farms

2008-09-14T19:53:00.010-04:00

Happy September! The days seem to be just flying by. Before we know it, the snowmobiles will be topped off and fired up for the new season, and I can't wait! Progress has slowed a bit on the property, but still moving forward. Today's title comes from two different sights this weekend. The first is from the picture above (more on the second later.) Today's letter is P for Permit.

I went north last week to meet with excavator, and discuss the location of the garage. After our meeting, he was going to price out costs for the foundation, and get back to me. Once we determined the location, I went to town hall and submitted my application for a permit to build the garage. As the process goes, I fill out the form, add any drawings, provide dimensional information (setbacks, property lines, etc), and a check. In turn they post a sign on my property for all to see and anyone to contact the town if they have a problem with it. This sits for 15 days after application has been approved, to give people a chance to contest the request. My permit will be accepted after September 23.

So this Saturday I went north again, partially because I had to meet with another contractor, partly because the rest of the lot had been seeded, and I wanted check out how it looked.

I was happy to not only see that it was finally seeded/mulched, but the original area that was seeded grass was really starting to come in. I met with the other contractor, and we discussed the work to be done, and took a few more pictures. The trees were just barely starting to show some color in the mountains, a sure sign that fall is starting to creep up on us.

So if all goes well, we hope to have the garage foundation done in the next 3-4 weeks, and possibly the garage by mid November (if all goes well). Redundant yes, but everything is dependant on schedules, weather, funding, and a little bit of luck. One thing can throw things off, then there is still electricity to think about.

Oh and to address the second part of the title. As we drive back and forth, and sometimes venture off the beaten path we run into different things that catch our eye. Sometimes an animal, or a scenic view or a farm. Vermont has many types of farms, and we have seen animal farms, vegetable farms, large farms, small farms, run down farms, but the other day we saw the coolest farm so far.

A Marshmallow Farm! :-)

Summer Time Blues

2008-08-25T09:20:00.011-04:00

Greetings all! Well, it's hard to believe, but summer is almost over (unofficially). That kind of gives me the blues, since there is so much more to do before winter. Things are moving forward up north, with about 1/3 of the lot now seeded, and the rest will be done in short order.
The ground has dried up considerably, and allowed us to walk the property without sinking in, so now with grass going in, it will help solidify things even more.

(Freshly seeded & dry land)

There is still a bit of runoff, but nothing like what we saw a few weeks back. this was the western side of the property, where the water drains away.

I could actually still here some water bubbling as it dropped from one tier to another, cascading down over small rock and earth. So maybe we will have a permanent babbling brook, only time will tell.

Next up will be a garage before winter if everything goes right, and the stars align properly.

We also had an abundance of wildlife in the area. In talking to the neighbor, he told us how there was a large gathering of turkeys in his yard, fertilizing an already thick growth from the recent rains. Also visiting and eating the apples from his tree were a buck and 2 does. I found that they seemed to like the areas we opened up, and it looks like they found the softer spots early on.

As a side trip we drove around the back roads (not hard because in Vermont, most every road is a back road) and a short distance from the property, we found a covered bridge. (Not too hard to find these) Along with the covered bridge, were various markers and a plaque describing the area, called Greenback Hollow. Ironically, the waterway the bridge crossed was "Joe's Brook", which connects to "Joe's Pond"

The History Lesson

The Greenback Hollow Bridge-Replaced

Joe's Brook-not to be confused with the other Joe's stream above.

During the day I met Andy, who lived nearby, and used to own the farm behind us. He sold it to a family from CT, and now lives with his dad. Neither looked like they were spring chickens, but they were out haying the field across the street from us. Both fine people. Always nice to meet neighbors up that way. What still strikes me as strange, coming from "the big city" is the amount of trust people still have up there, compared to us. We lock things up tight when we go out, never imagine leaving expensive equipment out for fear of theft or vandalism. As I drive by farm, field, or house, and see snowmobiles on trailers or front porches, quads parked in front of houses, tractors left by the road in the field, it is nice to see that there is still some of that basic trust left in the world.

High Water

2008-08-10T10:27:00.007-04:00

Greetings all who peruse this page. It is August 10, and at the moment it is sunny, but severe storms are in the forecast for later in the day. The past week has been crazy as as the weather goes, with severe downpours @ home and in Vermont, including tornado warnings- yes tornado in CT. Reading the highlights from the Caledonian Record- the local Vermont newspaper- flash flooding has caused some severe issues up there as well. I spoke with some friends earlier in the week who summer in New Hampshire, and they told me how this has been the wettest summer they remember in the longest time.

I really believe this to be true, and in reading the paper, it appears so. From the Caledonian Record:

" At least 1.82 inches fell Wednesday morning and some places up to 3 inches fell"

"So far this month we've gotten 3.52 inches of rain, and the average rainfall for the month of August is 4.23 inches. So far, the total rainfall for the summer months (June, July, August) is 18.06 inches, when normally, this would be 11.99 inches."

Why am I babbling on about rainfall you may ask? Well rainfall directly impacts land clearing. I received a call early this week, and was informed there was quite a bit more water showing up than originally thought, and we needed to modify the original plan a bit, and construct a drainage swale to help run off the water, and allow the property to dry up. So of course I agreed. I received another call on Friday, and was told everything was set except for the seeding, and this would have to wait until things dried up a bit, and that it has been wetter up there than anyone can remember in a long time.

Originally, I wasn't going to go up this weekend, but plans changed late Friday so we made the early morning trek up to view the final land clearing/excavation/drainage installation. Again it started off very foggy on the way up, we passed what was later announced as a fatal car crash in Plainville, and a big rig rollover into center median near the Mass/VT border. finally arriving, weather clearing for nice pictures, and a light breeze blowing.

So immediately we noticed a new swale of the eastern side of the property, and water was running down, albeit slowly. As we walked the perimeter, first in a southerly then westerly direction, the swale increased in size and the water in volume.

Toward the western end water was coming from a drainage area near the septic, as well as the wet area we had known about. Now we are starting to wonder if there is a spring or artesian well in this area. But there was enough water running from here that you could actually hear it bubbling like a brook.

The water was then diverted northerly to drain out to the existing culvert in front. so in a sense, we now have a "moat" around the perimeter of the cleared area. Guess my next option would be to look to build a castle :-)

Well, hopefully the crazy amount of rain will slow down, and we can get grass growing soon, the property will dry up, and we can start looking at next steps, like building something, whether a small home or at least a garage for now. Stay tuned-and don't throw away those inner tubes yet-

Muddy Waters, Rainy Days

2008-08-03T08:36:00.011-04:00

Muddy Waters

Well its been 3 weeks since our last trip north, partially due to a busy schedule, partially because the ride up and back in one day tends to wear you out after a while. We left before sunrise on a partly cloudy Saturday morning, and immediately saw a young deer, debating whether to cross the road or not. Thankfully he chose to run back into the wood from whence he came.

The ride is approximately 3.5 hours, depending on traffic and other factors(i.e. radar traps) and shortly after we drove into Massachusetts, we encountered various areas of patchy fog. It amazes me how the fog can be dense, then non-existent in a matter of 1/2 mile. We encountered foggy conditions through most of the rest of the drive up.

At times it was indeed "so thick you could cut it with a knife". We stopped @ our normal breakfast spot-P&H- Exit 17 of I-91- Good food, great service. After a refreshing repast, we drove the final 30 or so miles to the property. In speaking with our contractor, he was hoping to start the stumping and grading Thursday afternoon, if everything worked out. The first step was to rough in the driveway, so they could unload the heavy equipment without damaging the road, or tracking mud and debris. All that and more was done by Saturday morning when we arrived.

As you can see the driveway has been roughed in and they have stumped about a third of the land. Included in the driveway was a culvert for the roadside, which allows the spring runoff to flow by.

Evidently they had some massive downpours Friday afternoon, so it was a bit muddy, and and a bit wet, so we walked mostly the perimeter to survey the progress.

We walked out back to the septic area as well, an they haven't gotten that far yet, but the path from the skidder was apparent, and challenging to maneuver...

Once in the back of the lot, beyond the man made destruction-or construction, nature still exists. I was unable to get any pictures of the birds calling from the trees, but still life abounds

And of course what would a trip like this be without the obligatory photo of me on the equipment :-)

After a quick detour to Lyndonville to look at a few modular homes and gather information-coincidentally right across from the Lynburke Motel-one our our famous snowmobile "rest areas", we headed back home. Holding true for a change to the weather forecast, we hit some pretty crazy weather, raining intermittently at first, but then with a torrent of heavy showers, which made the last hour of the ride aggravating to say the least. I don't understand why people forget how to drive when it rains.... ah but that's another blog for another time. So I leave you with............

Rainy Days

Moving Right Along

2008-07-13T20:46:00.011-04:00

Week 2 of tree clearing is over, and much more progress is evident! We went up Saturday morning, and while not finished, they are better than 75% done now. Both the acre and the area where the septic will be located are pretty near cleared.

It is funny that the land is fairly dry, but there is one area that a little wet. Kind of like a small spring area, which so happens to run almost directly along the path that would connect the "house" location to the "septic" location. I should note that what has been cleared out is drying nicely, so we expect this will also follow suit. But you can see why the skidder has big tires and chains.

Out back toward the back end of the septic area, there are several trees with unique growths on them. I am not sure what causes this, but will have to look into it.

So the pile of wood is slightly bigger at the roadside, and the trees on the lot are dwindling (at least in the portion we chose to clear). Hopefully in 2 weeks the grading will take place.

Finally, this is the meadow area on the western side of the property. We need to get a brush hog in there to clean it up. See if you can see my wife standing in the grass not 15 feet away from me :)

Till next time, hope you enjoy the update!

Progress is Apparent

2008-07-04T17:53:00.009-04:00

Well Happy Fourth of July to Everyone! This week we see progress. After finalizing things over the last couple of weeks, locking in a contractor, and setting a schedule for work, Things are starting to happen!!

Last weekend, we went up and marked the areas to clear for the contractor. These areas included about one acre near the road, and another area out back for the septic system. It was fairly cool, but muggy and buggy, so everyone was sweating pretty good, and we all have a few mosquito bites to show for there efforts.

Earlier this week the logger dropped his equipment off and started clearing the marked off areas. We decided to forgo the traditional Fourth picnic and take a ride to inspect the progress. We were excited to see some of the land was indeed cleared!

This was a few weeks ago

And this was this morning!

This was probably about 1/4 of what will eventually be cleared. All the trees were stacked out by the road and different size and length piles, next to the Skidder.

We did some exploring inwards through the cleared area, and all of the smaller branches made a nice bed of green, but also made for tricky maneuvering, as the branches tend to pop up or roll on you as you trample through them.

Of course, some one could not resist the "climbing on the skidder shot"

While the end goal is building something, these things take time. We expect they will be clearing for a portion of next week as well. After that, the property will get some sun and dry out some. And a few more weeks, will be the stumping, grading and seeding. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks!!

Summer Vacation????

2008-06-16T21:26:00.020-04:00

Seems weird to say but we just got back from our "Summer Vacation" even though summer doesn't officially start until June 20. We took our (almost) yearly trip to Florida, for fun, sun, and relaxation. Since we have a timeshare, the location is a gimme- Vistana Resort in Lake Buena Vista, mere footsteps from Disney and the tourist mecca of Florida. From the outside, the resort is very beautiful.

There are 7 pools there too. We usually frequent the 2 nearest the villas.

This year, the units were refurbished with new furniture, counter tops, and electronics- flat screens in the living room and bedrooms, and a Bose surround system in the living room. The units are like 15 + years old so updates were in order. Here is the living room.

And the Master Bedroom, with Master Bath & Tub were updated as well.

Even the kitchen was update, with new cabinets, counters, and furniture...

Between the Villa's, there are small ponds with various wildlife-fish, ducks, egrets, and what appears to be a blue heron. The heron has a particularly nasty disposition.

He was particularly nasty to a family of ducks. When we arrived, there was a mom and 4 babies

By Thursday, she had only 1. Friday we did not see any babies. Last year we saw the heron, flying around with a baby in it's mouth. This year we chased him away a few times, but it evidently didn't help.

This year we stayed around the resort mostly this week, but I ventured to Universal Studios for a quick jaunt to hit all the highlights, or most of them anyway. Some funny things caught my eye:

Or maybe: Of course had to go to Jurassic Park too And a place called Poseidon's Fury

Of course all good things must come to and end, and vacation is no exception. But vacation is never vacation, its scheduled time. Hurry, rush, try to cram in as much as possible, and before you know pack up and go. Still it's great to get away, but its good to get home.

I think I need a vacation from vacation :)

You Can See The Forest For The Trees

2008-05-19T08:17:00.009-04:00

Greetings all, Its mid-May, and we are finally starting to do some preliminary work on the land. This will be kind of a running journal to update friends on progress who can't make the 4 hour drive up to see what is happening.

I have to admit, as beautiful as it is in the winter, with the sunlight glistening on the trees and snow, it sure looks nicer in the spring! Everything is green! The buds are out, the grass is growing and the mosquitoes are flying a bit. We met with a forester to figure out what our options might be. The property is pretty dense with a variety of wood, including spruce, pine, cedar, and mainly tamarack. There is also a lot of dead, blown down trees too, and it makes it difficult to traverse the property in places, as you can see .

But after a few minutes I was able to clear up some of the trees :-)

Just kidding. We wandered the property, marking the boundaries a little better, marking out a wet area, and getting a feel for the land. We noticed several paths or corridors in the trees, and found "presents" from what looked like deer and moose (we think, because of the size). There were a lot of useless trees that have been choked out of life from the density of the growth, but they made for interesting pictures.
(The oaks are just too lofty, and they grab up all the light-Rush-The Trees).

After a few hours with the forester, weaving through the property, examining the variety of species, and condition of the trees, we parted ways, and he was going to compile some recommendations, and possibly a few estimates for us. We hiked back into the back side of the land, and it was so quiet you could hear the woodpeckers and other native birds (which I will have to learn more about), and hear the breeze blowing through the tall grass in the field across the road, which led to this "nostalgic" New England type picture.

It does seem like a daunting task to clear the property enough to build our little getaway cottage. The mixed thoughts of clearing while preserving nature and whatever little "Eco-system" that exists as well as the costs associated with it makes the mind spin in so many directions. I guess it still is very similar to a garden, which will require maintenance and forethought to turn this rough gem into a shiny jewel, but when all is said and done, this will be the view from the living room!

What could be better than that?

End Of The Season Ride

2008-03-30T20:24:00.010-04:00

Well they say all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately the same applies to snowmobile season. As I sit writing this on March 30, even though the snowmobile season officially ends April 15 in Vermont, this weekend was the last hurrah for me, and I think there will be "very limited" riding after today.

My good friend James and I hit the ground running like 8:30 Saturday morning, trying to pick the best way to go to miss the mainstream traffic and find the smooth trails for our final ride. We left St. Johnsbury, headed north and east. Leaving the hotel was a little ugly, as the first 1/2 mile was muddy, dirty, and snow-less. After a quick 20 miles we stopped for a quick photo op and chose the path to Canaan for the ride of the day.

The trails were totally smooth as glass, and we were amazed at the amount of snow still left for this time of year. Traffic was unusually light in the morning, partly because we were off the beaten path. The trails twisted, and turned, meandering through open fields and wooded stands.
We quickly developed a rhythm, lean right, lean left, accelerating, braking, around the corners, over the hill crests, until we hit the pipeline. When we hit the pipeline, the trail was wide, smooth, and flat. We saw a few people stopped at one of the intersections, the first people we saw so far that day. Then we connected to the power lines. About 2 hours into the ride and along comes the Groomer! YES!! That means really smooth trails for a little while. Well a little while turns out to be the next 25 miles or so. The power line trail is awesome riding. See if you can spot my friend James on the trail!

We reached Canaan around 1:00 just in time for lunch. The restaurant was pretty busy with snowmobilers (maybe because it was the only place in town), but the food was pretty good.

After lunch we headed west toward Norton, and from Norton, we headed Southeast to Island Pond. We filled up on gas, water, and some energy food. We went to a scenic overlook, from which we could see the pond of Island Pond, with the "island" in the middle of the pond.

After leaving the scenic overlook, we headed back down the trail, and promptly ran into a flock of turkeys heading into the woods, almost oblivious to us as they were walking slowly, and did not even speed up as we went by

We headed down the trail for a short way, and the trails out of Island Pond were, well rough. We quickly scanned the map, and picked an alternate route. We chose another "less traveled" path, which would eventually connect us back to the power lines, and back toward the hotel. We drove through dusk, and got back near the hotel around 8:00, too early to go home, so rode onto Danville, my new home-away-from-home, and had dinner @ a place called Goodfella's. After a nice Prime Rib and Chicken Parmesan dinner, we hit the trail one last time for the final ride home. Back @ 10:00 PM. a 12+ hour day of riding-total mileage 235 miles for the day.

The next morning, we both got up a little stiff and sore from the previous days ride. Only 1 thing to do. Go out and ride some more! We jumped on the sleds and took off toward Marty's in Danville for some hot soup and a sandwich, then down the rail bed into Walden, up to Coles Pond, around the loop back to the rail bed and to the car for a quick 50 miles. As the morning progressed, you could feel the snow's consistency changing. More and more you had that feeling-this was it- the last ride. As we drove back to the hotel to change and load the sleds up, it was apparent-the end. Game Over. We sadly knew it was indeed the last ride. But in 285 miles we hit no more than 20-30 miles that would be considered "bumpy" but even those were good compared to other trails we were on even this year so we can put our sleds to bed knowing the last ride was definitely worth it.

So as I wash my sled down and put it away in the shed (a sad thought)I leave you all with these final words-

HAPPY TRAILS!

Finally we can see clearly now

2008-02-01T13:00:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, and finally we can see more than 50 ft in front of us. We were told if you cannot see Two Top, you shouldn't go there. Well today we could see the mountains from town, so we headed up there early, as the weather seems to change at will around here.

We headed up and the trails were awesome. Along the way there was a running river, with the snowbanks next to the running water, was really serene.

We kept on going hitting some freshly groomed trails, and some deep snow

Just before reaching the summit the weather got a little windy and wind blown snow again reduced visibility. We finally made it to the top and what an awesome sight to behold. The view was obscured by clouds and sporatic snow, but the trees were amazing! The snow ghosts of Two Top!

Really breathtaking isn't it? It was like another world up there. After spending some time up on Two Top, we headed down to a local sheep ranch that had a restaruant, but they were closed so we rode another 30 miles back to town and ate in one of the local establishments. Here was the view from our table..

We headed back out after lunch and came across these guys on the trail who had just taken a buffalo. Evidently they are allowed to take them with a permit.

We continued down the trail and ran into yet another herd of buffalo. (minus 1 evidently)

amazing how close they let you get.

After taking a detour into the deeper powder we found another trail and heading down that way I saw smoke in the distance ahead. I thought oh no a forest fire! I rounded the corner and saw this snowmobile engulfed in flames!

After the fire died down, we went on, having to bring snowmobiles back on the last day by 5:00 pm. we were traveling down the trail and ran into a group of snowmobilers, and a single buffalo. Evidently some kids on snowmobiles spooked him, and he got separated from the herd. As we were talking he kept walking toward us geting closer until he was like five feet from the front of my snowmobile!!

That pretty much covers the highlights. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and when you see me I'll have more.

This is more proof that "The Point of the Journey, is not to arrive"!

Different Day Same Snow

2008-02-01T11:57:00.000-05:00

Tuesday Morning, and it is still lightly snowing. Not as bad as yesterday. Normally you love snow, but it really puts a damper on what you can see in the mountains. Today was our first day of "free ride" riding without a guide. Armed with GPS, extra gear, and maps we left from the hotel, and almost immediately ran into another group of buffalo. Some other snowmobilers came from the opposite direction saying the trail was blocked by the rest of the herd, so we turned around and went in another direction.

The trails were much better in the treed areas, with less wind to blow the snow. The main trees around are called LodgePole Pine. Here is a sample of the trees.

Here is sample from an area that got burned in a fire in 1988. Devastating hardly describes it, but there was a lot of new growth so that was optimistic.

The LodgePole Pine (Pinus Contorta, Subspecies Latifolia) native to Rocky Mountains, Yukon to Colorado. Evidently they have 2 types of seeds, one which opens as they mature, and one that needs exposure to high temperatures (such as a forest fire) in order to open and release their seeds. Kind of natures way of taking care of itself. Enough science lesson for today :-)

After doing a couple of smaller loops, we headed out to try another, which would give us a little more mileage. We encountered more snow, and more snow. We got into the woods but it still did not let up.

After heading into the woods we got to the point where you could start seeing some of the "ghost trees" appearing, but the winds were blowing so bad we turned back. When we got back to town the snow let up and the town was cleaning up the snow. We were able to watch the massive snowblowers cleaning up the streets.

Blinded By The White

2008-01-28T17:59:00.001-05:00

Monday and we have been back for a little while. Definitely a tough day of riding into Yellowstone. 20-30 mph winds snow blowing and drifting, 2 broken snowmobiles, and a trip to Old Faithful. No don't get me wrong, I love getting snow, and normally love riding during a snowstorm, but this was different, since it was a healthy expenditure to come out so one would expect nothing but pristine conditions-HaHaHa!

Our party was 6 people and a guide, a couple about our age from Idaho, 2 guys from Manitoba, and us. As you can see there was considerable snow to begin with

We left the hotel, and ventured into the park. Early on we stopped and saw some Elk feeding by the river totally oblivious to us.

A few miles down the road, we encounter a herd of buffalo on the banks of the river as well pretty much ignoring us.

As you can see the snow was blowing pretty good. We ventured on to the warming hut. And the snow kept coming down harder.

Shortly after leaving we had a sled breakdown, so we left along the side of the trail, and we doubled up. We made it up to Old Faithful, and we were informed they were closing the park @ 1:00, but we would be able to stay for the eruption ~12:27 +/- 10 minutes. At least we were able to see the eruption.

After the eruption we were told to leave the park, as they were closing it due to the bad conditions. The sno-coaches were slipping off the trails all over the place so it made for slow going.

We headed back through the park toward home. We ran into a large group of buffalo on the road, and they were spooked by the snowcoach we were following and started trotting toward us. We parked the sleds and them between us .

We picked up the broken sled, hooked up and towed it back. After checking our sleds in we looked out the window of the conference room and the snow outside was just phenomenal!

We cleaned up and walked into the town for dinner, and the sights are amazing. The amount of snow accumululation is astounding. They seem to move the snow to all the closed businesses, and then truck it out. Or they just leave it there.

Look for Tuesday's blog next....

I might be Flying to Montana Soon!

2008-01-27T22:41:00.002-05:00

Well it's 10:45 EST (8:45 mountain) and after a long day of driving, flying, taking the shuttle bus we arrived in West Yellowstone, Montana for a few days of snowmobiling. Although it took 2 planes, and a 2 + hour bus/shuttle ride we made it to the hotel. We were afforded some awesome views during the flight, and on the trip, and even in town.

We drove south to Big Sky to drop off people, and while I am not a skier the hills there were awesome, as were the lodgings

There is so much snow they seem to be running out of places to put it. We probably got 4-5 inches of new snow since we arrived. We walked around a little bit(quite a challenge in all that snow and higher altitude!)

These were the sleds getting gassed up for tomorrow! Can't wait! We are doing Yellowstone tomorrow, with a 80% chance of snow tomorrow.

We had dinner in the hotel, which had a nice restaurant with the first nights meal included, I opted for the Buffalo Steak-Ribeye cut- This poor guy-

was reduced to this

Reporting from 6670 ft-Tune in for another update soon :)

November's Adventure

2007-11-30T10:55:00.003-05:00

Well this is the first blog since I signed up for this. Where to begin?

Well the wife and I have been looking to purchase property in VT for some time now. We have looked high, low, left, right, up, and down. We have looked @ fixer uppers, tear downs, lots, goat trails, you name it. We had a couple good candidates, but either the bid was too low or the price too high, or we were too late. :(

After a couple of years we had slowed down looking, but as Winter approaches, we decided to take 1 more ride up to look @ several candidates. Much like the 3 bears the first one was too far, the second was too wet, etc, etc. We came across one in the range we wanted to put an offer on, but had a few more to look at. It had good potential, but on a hill (duh-It's Vermont) and lots of rocks (duh again, its in the mountains.)

We had a few left to look at and go check in to the hotel. So we went by one, and while heading to another, we decided to swing by a property we tried to buy, but didn't work out. Surprisingly there was a for sale sign on it still, but it was not showing up in the online listings. (So much is done via computer these days, between finding properties, Googling and Map questing directions town information satellite views, etc). We also noticed a For Sale by owner sign across the street in a more wooded parcel, and jotted the number down, figuring we would call later. We loved this general area, partly because the town and area is beautiful, and the people we have met there in our travels have all been really nice as well. But also the view was outstanding! See what I mean?

So we looked @ the final properties, and decided to call it a day, go to hotel, check in and relax. We got there and called on the private sale lot, and setup a meeting for the next day, they seemed really nice on the phone. So we met next morning, discussed the property, walked it, got to know the sellers, and instantly took a liking to them! Some times things just feel right. We walked and talked for ~ 2 hours, and finally excused ourselves to talk privately, telling them we would get back to them shortly. Well it wasn't a hard decision, and we stopped by their house a short time later, and after several hours of talking, signed a letter of intent to purchase the land!!! Not only have we apparently found what we were looking for, but met some wonderful people in the process.

It's really exciting for us as this is the first step of a process we have been working on for a few years now. We hope to finalize the sale in December, and possibly looking to start the building process next year. Of course I haven't mentioned where yet, and will hold off till the deal is done, but look for updates soon!