Parting Shots...

We had a marvelous time--despite the VERY cold temperatures--and were sad to leave our little piece of paradise and head south to the heat of Phoenix.

Finally some FUN!

Most days we worked from dawn to dark on all of the projects. However, we did take a few moments out now and then to ride our ATVs on one of the zillions of trails that criss-cross this area. There are many mining and logging roads throughout the mountains and the views are often spectacular.

Scrap Metal Collection

Throughout the property, we are finding LOTS of scrap metal. Everything from barbed wire to car/truck axles and sections of pipe to unrecognizable bits and pieces.

Concrete for the barn

Our last project on this visit was to get a concrete floor in the barn and its surrounding porch area. The concrete crew was onsite for about a week. The first step was to add additional gravel as a base.

The next step was to add and tie off a rebar "grid" to add extra support to the floor.

Pouring of the concrete began and took place for 4 days! The first day poured one half of the interior, the second day completed the interior, the third day poured 2 of 3 porch sections with the final pour on the fourth day to complete the section of the porch with the small (8') garage door access.



Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink!

When we purchased the property, there were 3 wells on the property as well as 2 creeks. Lots of water, but no pumps, no electricity, no nothing to provide access to all of that water!
So, this year, we dug the 330 ft trench from the deep well head to an area up near the septic and barn and installed the yard hydrant and an electrical pigtail so that we could use our generator to run the well. Our friend, Dick, had given us a 3/4 HP pump, so after purchasing all of the necessary wiring, plumbing, fittings, valves, etc., we were able to install everything and VOILA! We now have water!
Here is the view before we started:

Digging the trench in this rocky creek bed field to 5 ft (in order to prevent freezing in the winter) proved to be a challenge for our backhoe crew. They didn't dig deep enough and we ended up digging the last foot of depth (sometimes more!) by hand! (Note Alan in the trench in one of the photos.)

Once the trench was finally at the correct depth, we began the installation of the pump and plumbing/wiring into the well itself. Our backhoe crew helped Alan to drop the pump and the piping down into the well.

With everything "in", it was time to fill in the trench.

It felt good to have the yard back and finally have water available! We connect the electrical pigtail to our generator and fire it up and water comes out! Yee ha! Running water!

(Note the electrical pigtail on the tall post on the left and the red pole makes the yard hydrant more visible (so no one runs over it!). The rocks in the foreground mark the septic tank and RV dump.)

You've Got Mail!

Since we were disturbing the soil and had to file a permit to do so, we added digging the hole for our mailbox post. Once again, the little tractor was up to the challenge and we now have our mailbox installed!

Of course, it may be years before we actually get mail here!

Adding Connections to the Septic

When we bought the property, the septic tank and drain field were already in place. However, there were no connections to the tank. Luckily we had Uncle Gary's tractor to help us with digging trenches in order to stub out future connections for the tank as well as install the RV dump we can use while we are living in our little travel trailer.
Alan loved "playing" on the tractor to remove the dirt covering the tank (even in the rain!) and dig the trenches for the pipes.

We "christened" the septic system and the RV dump on 5 June 2013!

Burning Brush and last year's construction debris

Another chore to be completed this visit was to burn all of the brush from last year's tree limbing as well as old piles scattered about the property. We also were able to clean up last year's construction debris from the barn.

Planting 600+ Trees on our property

After our cruising season aboard SV Kokopelli this winter, we returned to the US earlier this year (in May) and headed up to our property in Idaho to plant trees that our forester had gotten for us. We didn't want to miss the "window" for tree planting.
Ed (the forester) has had special tools made to help make the job of planting easier and faster.
The first step is to clear away the surrounding ground of weeds and grass. We did this by kicking at it with our hiking boots as the area doesn't have to be that large.
Then, the first tool has a solid cone-shaped bit that you push into the ground while holding the long handle to form the hole for the little sapling.

After dropping the sapling into the hole, the spade like tool is pushed in adjacent to the hole--about 2-4" away--and then rocked back and forth to loosen the soil.

The final step is to remove the spade tool and stomp with your heel into the slot made by the spade to secure the tree and form a natural depression for rain water to collect and water the tree.

After moving over about 12 feet, the process starts all over again until all of the trees are planted. It took us 2 days to get about 650 trees in. Ed said that each of us should be able to plant about 1000 per day. HA!