Sunday, September 19, 2010

We went to a ski swap and ended up at Oktoberfest.

We went in search of skis for a red Adirondack chair. We had in mind a ski swap we had gone to 15 years ago at the Minnesota State Fair grounds one Fall, where there were piles of old skis going for $5 a pair.


What we found in Breckenridge was not that. These were skis mostly in the year or two old category with near new prices. Needless to say we didn't pick up any chair skis, these were too nice (and expensive) to cut up. BUT, I will not forget this swap next time I need skis.




It was a great fall day in the high country and the ski swap was not our only reason for going to Breck. The aspens are turning and the summer tourist traffic is gone...mostly.


Marlys and I crossed the bridge from the Riverwalk Center and were transported to Germany.



The Summit Band was playing polkas, the beer was cold and on tap, and the brats and sausage were being grilled.





Its hard not to be content with this combination.





We got a Paulaner Pilsner sat down near the band and enjoyed the afternoon.





Although there were quite a few folks in attendance it wasn't armpits and assholes crowded, just enough people to make it nice.


We talked to couple from North Dakota that have lived in Breck since 1991...as expected they were able to polka pretty well.


All in all a great day!

Friday, September 17, 2010

14er season done for the year... for me.

Five 14ers were hiked/climbed this year. Two were for the third time and two were milestones; namely the highest-Mt.Elbert and the most difficult (for me) Longs Peak.

The Everest Base Camp Trek has been postponed due to items beyond our control.

Next year there are three 14er's currently on the list; Huron, Massive and Pikes.
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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Mundane Work of Fall

Its fall in the high country and the Aspens have started their turn along with the Ponderosa's getting yellow needles. It also is time to get the tasks done that were suppose to have been done during the summer, but alas they didn't.


Beyond the completion of the pergola, there were three major items scheduled for last summer; cleaning and resetting the fill float in the cistern, getting the wood stove installed and the chimney but in and prepping the wood for the dresser construction this winter. I can now same I almost have them done.



About a month ago we picked up a 500 truck tank off of Craigslist. This was the prelude to the cistern work as we needed away to re-fill it quickly once it was drained and the inside work was done.




We also planned on using it to re-fill the hot tub which hadn't had the water changed in almost a year. The last time we re-filled it from the well and due to the alkalinity it seemed that we needed to add allot of chemicals to get everything balanced. Also the ozone generator need to be "re-newed".


Now with a truck tank we could pickup municipal water in Canon to re-fill the hot tub. About getting water in town, that required an inspection that the plumbing used to fill the tank would not allow any backwash and the setting up of a bulk water account with the water department. Water currently costs $6.04 per 1000 gallons and is purchased at a self service station in town.


Once we had everything squared away with the bulk water we re-filled the hot tub and then picked up 500 gallons for the cistern work. I turned off the well pump to draw down the cistern, but after three days, it had gotten down to about 8 inches and we moved ahead with the inside work. The challenge was getting into the cistern through the manhole cover. A ladder was cleaned and inserted then I attempted to squeeze in... and it was a tight one. Once inside I did the appointed tasks got out and dropped the 500 gallons in.


While it was filling I also installed a tank vent, which we never had and tried to calibrate the very scientifically designed tank gauge sticking through the cover.


I filled it to capacity with ~1200 gallons of bulk water, so that meant that the cistern still had about 500 gallons in it when the work was done (1700-1200=500).


I restarted the well pump and began taking meter readings on the gallons pumped out of the cistern on a daily basis.


The other project awaiting completion was the shop wood stove. As you may recall we bought a wood stove at the end of last winter when the they were on sale. I waited until now to buy the chimney because...well I needed Simpson Duraplus sections and Home Depot didn't have any in stock until the last month. The chimney will end up costing more then the wood stove.


There is a stage 1 burning ban going on right now so the stove will not be fired up for a while.


It is mostly installed but I will need to put another one foot section on top to get the clearance spec'd by code and the manufacturer.

I at least have it straight and plumb.


A CO and fire detector are also on the list for the shop before we really start using it, but it should be better then the propane construction heater used for the last few years.


Speaking of the shop, a few things needed to be cleaned up concerning the entertainment feeds...the TV dish and FM antenna have been just sitting on the ground next to the shop all summer and a more permanent location was needed.


The wood needed for the dresser has been saw and is stickered outside drying. That is old plywood sheltering the wood from rain and direct sun.

It hasn't been surfaced or squared up yet which will be a task for after the official start of fall next week.


Also there was a great post on the Hermitage blog concerning building and living in BFE, as Pat P. would say. Here is the link to Leland's Great post .

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Finally saw a Tarantula

Over the years I have heard about the Tarantulas migrations(?) that happen near Canon City. I have heard them mentioned during the news broadcasts in Denver, and last week in Pueblo, I heard a guy talk about them swarming (probably not the right word) over the Pueblo Community College in Canon City, which he surmised was built in the middle of one of their routes.

In reading about the Tarantula's activity in the area them seem to be mostly in the Arkansas River area. It also seems the this is more of an annual mating ritual then a migration.

Seems that only males are out and about and they are smaller then the females that stay in their burrows. The mating season is from August to November.

Anyway I saw mine on Colorado 9 just before the junction with US 50 by the Royal Gorge. I can't imagine many survive crossing roads as they don't move too fast.