Ginger, Gary and Lanie stopped for Lunch on the Sac River Trail
Lanie enjoyed yesterday’s hike so much she wanted to go on another today.
Do I detect dissension in the ranks?
Lanie on the Sac River Trail
12 November 2011 | 365:316 | 365 Days blog | Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman
Muddy feet
After yesterday’s rain it was a bit muddy on the Sac River trail today,
In the evening we booked tickets for our visit to the UK in June, only to find another darned volcano has started spewing forth smoke and such in Iceland. This time last year there was total chaos with the trans-Atlantic flights, let’s hope that it doesn’t become an issue again.
We now need to plan all the people we want to see and visits we want to make while we’re away. We’re planning on backpacking too which can be a challenge in the UK.
Today’s alternate shot & extras
It was a just a bit muddy
Ginger and Lanie on the Sac River Trail
Sac River from the Sac River Trail
Typical view of the Sac River Trail
21 May 2011 | 365:141 | 365 Days blog | Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman
Silliness on the Sac River Trail
The real picture’s in the background.
Ginger, Katie and I put in a four mile hike on the Sac River trail today. I was expecting the trail to be very muddy but it turned out to be surprisingly dry. During a brief stop I thought I’d grab a quick safety shot. I had an idea in mind. So it seems did Ginger and Katie. I could have gone with the more serious shot, but this one’s more fun. Ginger said she looks stupid – well that’s what you get for messing with my self portraits. Katie’s comment was along the lines of “D’oh, you can’t see me licking mom’s hair – it was kewl.” Oh well, I’d wanted them out of focus in the background, little knowing the stunt they were going to pull once my back was turned, so tough!
We decided to stop for lunch at the old barn, where Ginger and I ate lunch on our last visit on March 28, We were surprised to find the building had collapsed, leaving just a pile of rubble where we had been sitting. The recent storms must have done for it, though checking the timbers there was a lot of termite damage which I’m sure escalated its demise.
After the hike we returned to Springfield via Braum’s where we each had a double dip cone. The calories in the ice cream cones probably exceeded the number of calories we consumed on the hike, but they were very yummy.
This afternoon I tried out my latest Backpacking wood burning stove again, unfortunately with no more luck. It burns well once lit, wood gas is being generated and it burns well too, but the stove is not producing enough heat to boil a litre of water in a reasonable time, or without adding more fuel. I sat and thought about it for a while; I’ve now got another design in mind, which is not based on any of the designs I’ve seen, but uses what I’ve learned about gassification and wood gas burners in general. Hopefully a I have a more efficient, easier to manage and more consistent configuration. Whatever happens I know I’ll have great fun designing, building and trying it out.
Today’s alternate shots & extras
This would have been today's shot but I prefer the more irreverent picture.
A reward for the day's hiking
The old barn had collapsed since our last visit
Where has the barn gone?
30 April 2011 | 365:120 | 365 Days blog | Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman
Lunch break in the old barn on the Sac River Trail
Ginger has this habit of distracting me.
Today’s alternate shot
28 March 2011 | 365:087 | 365 Days blog | Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman
Gary and Ginger on a snowy Sac River Trail
No Interwebs today.
To keep busy I cleared the drive of last night’s couple of inches of snow, and we decided to enjoy the sunshine, brave the snow cover and go for a short hike on the Sac River Trail. The hike was fine, proving our gear is up to a winter hike, getting to the trail and away again was not so good.
On our way to the trail I nearly ‘T Boned’ a pick-up and trailer as it sailed through a stop sign without stopping; the driver was too busy chatting on his cell ‘phone. The street was completely snow covered, and the ABS while working hard couldn’t do enough to stop us in time. The only thing I could do was try and minimize the blow, and turned into the curb while trying to avoid a lamppost. Fortunately the curb stopped us and I missed the post. A couple of hours later at the parking lot for the trail I made the mistake of trying to turnaround to get out and got us well and truly stuck in the snow. Somehow I even managed to get one (driving) wheel off the ground! I tried my repertoire of get unstuck tricks, and finally had to resort to digging down through the snow and ice to the ground using my pocket knife. Note to self: Snow shovels aren’t worth a damn for digging out a stuck van.
I took today’s picture of Ginger and I while on our hike.
Today’s out takes & extras
Out take: Gary and Ginger on a snowy Sac River Trail
Little Sac River from the Sac River Trail
Ginger on a snowy Sac River Trail
05 February 2011 | 365:036 | Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman
