BLACK MOUNTAIN BEAUTY
COLD SNOW UP TO MY EYEBALLS
ISOLATED LIFE
MUDDY AND STEEP SLOPES
HIGH FASHION- CHAINSAWS AND CHAPS
CUTTING AND CHIPPING
DESOLATE HOUSING
PLUMBING MALFUNCTION LEADS TO
POOP IN OUR SHOWER
BACK TO WOODLAND PARK
THE SNOW IS GONE. WE ARE HOME.
STILL CHAINSAWS AND CHAPS
KANSAS TUMBLEWEEDS.
WE MOVE AND PILE THEM ALL DAY.
I HATE TUMBLEWEEDS.
KANSAS OXYGEN
I CAN RUN FAR AND BREATHE WELL.
KANSAS: SUNSHINE, WARMTH
BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT!
BIKE RIDE TO OKLAHOMA.
ONLY SEVEN MILES...
A DRIVE TO LEADVILLE
BUT A WEEK LEFT OF THE ROUND
BEAUTY ALL AROUND
LODGEPOLE PINE TREES MUST
DIE. THE TREE GODS HAVE CHOSEN.
I STRIKE THE DEATH BLOW.
AWAKEN EARLY
RUN TILL IT HURTS. SO PUSHUPS.
WORK MUSCLES ALL DAY.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Fire
4/9/2010
Yesterday we traveled back to Denver for Transition Week. I got sunburned walking to the library.
Friday our team participated in a prescribed burn. Brendan, Ayla and Noel got to help light the 100 acres using driptorches. The rest of us held the line, and watched for spot fires. There was a spot fire near me when an old punky log caught fire. We were on the east side of the burn, and the wind was blowing the smoke e right at us the whole time. After the east line burned to black we mopped up by moving burning logs a chain (66feet) into the area, spraying water on flames too close to the edge, and mixing the water, and spreading the embers to put out the smoking embers too close to the edge. When we finally went home we were soo exhausted!
After a week spent in Leadville it was amaxing to return to my bed in Lake George! The “girls cabin” in Leadville was an unfinished cabin that had little more than a bathroom. The beds were rickety bunkbeds that were nailed together out of driftwood. Needless to say the ricketyness forced Noel and I to move the mattresses onto the floor, and have a slumber party. Our room looked like we broke into the cabin and were squatting in our room. We had our backpacks half unpacked, computers plugged into the wall so we could take care of paperwork and watch movies. The mattressed felt like they were made of cement, and encased dead bodied. We didn’t really get a good nights sleep that whole week, so I am psyched to sleep in a bed!
In Leadville we spent the week cutting down lodgepole pine trees to fight the mountain pine beetle infestation. Brendan and I had a good time Thursday, putting targets where we wanted to drop our trees, and making as many pairs of legs as possible. We made the legs out of trees with school marms (one base, which then splits into two trunks), and chopped off the trunks and stump the base.
Yesterday we traveled back to Denver for Transition Week. I got sunburned walking to the library.
Friday our team participated in a prescribed burn. Brendan, Ayla and Noel got to help light the 100 acres using driptorches. The rest of us held the line, and watched for spot fires. There was a spot fire near me when an old punky log caught fire. We were on the east side of the burn, and the wind was blowing the smoke e right at us the whole time. After the east line burned to black we mopped up by moving burning logs a chain (66feet) into the area, spraying water on flames too close to the edge, and mixing the water, and spreading the embers to put out the smoking embers too close to the edge. When we finally went home we were soo exhausted!
After a week spent in Leadville it was amaxing to return to my bed in Lake George! The “girls cabin” in Leadville was an unfinished cabin that had little more than a bathroom. The beds were rickety bunkbeds that were nailed together out of driftwood. Needless to say the ricketyness forced Noel and I to move the mattresses onto the floor, and have a slumber party. Our room looked like we broke into the cabin and were squatting in our room. We had our backpacks half unpacked, computers plugged into the wall so we could take care of paperwork and watch movies. The mattressed felt like they were made of cement, and encased dead bodied. We didn’t really get a good nights sleep that whole week, so I am psyched to sleep in a bed!
In Leadville we spent the week cutting down lodgepole pine trees to fight the mountain pine beetle infestation. Brendan and I had a good time Thursday, putting targets where we wanted to drop our trees, and making as many pairs of legs as possible. We made the legs out of trees with school marms (one base, which then splits into two trunks), and chopped off the trunks and stump the base.
Friday, April 23, 2010
4/23/2010
4/23/2010
This week we have been working in Kansas…doing a landscaping project that mostly involves clearing the Tunnerville Work center of tumbleweeds. There has been some limbing and cutting, but mostly we have been herding tumbleweeds. When I use a pitchfork, I imagine I am a giant eating giant dry Ramen balls using a giant fork. Needless to say my imagination has been running rampant with the tedium. Yesterday Russ found two baby rabbits under some tumbleweeds. The guys wanted to feed them to the snakes they found, but Clay released the rabbits near a den he found.
Yesterday and today, after lunch we loaded up in the trucks and went to a “fire.” There was a private prescribed burn next to the Cimarron land and we were going to go watch the guy light the field on fire. However today it didn’t happen, and yesterday as we were driving to the site there was a brief thunderstorm with hail, which extinguished the fire before we got there. It was almost very exciting.
There have been no tornadoes. However I remain hopeful that we will see one. Not to worry, Mom, there’s a well in the backyard we can jump into if there is one. Just kidding. The forest service guys out here say if there is a tornado they’ll come get us and take us somewhere safe.
This week we have been working in Kansas…doing a landscaping project that mostly involves clearing the Tunnerville Work center of tumbleweeds. There has been some limbing and cutting, but mostly we have been herding tumbleweeds. When I use a pitchfork, I imagine I am a giant eating giant dry Ramen balls using a giant fork. Needless to say my imagination has been running rampant with the tedium. Yesterday Russ found two baby rabbits under some tumbleweeds. The guys wanted to feed them to the snakes they found, but Clay released the rabbits near a den he found.
Yesterday and today, after lunch we loaded up in the trucks and went to a “fire.” There was a private prescribed burn next to the Cimarron land and we were going to go watch the guy light the field on fire. However today it didn’t happen, and yesterday as we were driving to the site there was a brief thunderstorm with hail, which extinguished the fire before we got there. It was almost very exciting.
There have been no tornadoes. However I remain hopeful that we will see one. Not to worry, Mom, there’s a well in the backyard we can jump into if there is one. Just kidding. The forest service guys out here say if there is a tornado they’ll come get us and take us somewhere safe.
4/19/2010
4/19/2010
Today we drove from Lake George to the Cimarron Grasslands in Kansas. We are staying about 3 miles from Elkhart. LOVE LOVE LOVE it here! The drive was about 6 hours long, and we took a reststop in Sringfield (the closest town to the Comanche grasslands, where we worked last spike). Elkhart is a small town. Springfield is a ghost town. Noel and I brought our bikes down here, and I am sooo glad! After we unpacked the trucks we went for a ride into Elkhart. Its beautiful here! It is warm and light. The air smells good, there altitude is gone. The town feels comfortable and the roads are easy to ride. No longer do we live in a black pit of despair. We live in the glorious Elysian fields, where sunshine rules and joy abounds! Its after 8oclock, and its still light out! And its warm. GLORIOUS! We are going to take nice rides after work. We could easily do distance rides and be back before dark.
Today we drove from Lake George to the Cimarron Grasslands in Kansas. We are staying about 3 miles from Elkhart. LOVE LOVE LOVE it here! The drive was about 6 hours long, and we took a reststop in Sringfield (the closest town to the Comanche grasslands, where we worked last spike). Elkhart is a small town. Springfield is a ghost town. Noel and I brought our bikes down here, and I am sooo glad! After we unpacked the trucks we went for a ride into Elkhart. Its beautiful here! It is warm and light. The air smells good, there altitude is gone. The town feels comfortable and the roads are easy to ride. No longer do we live in a black pit of despair. We live in the glorious Elysian fields, where sunshine rules and joy abounds! Its after 8oclock, and its still light out! And its warm. GLORIOUS! We are going to take nice rides after work. We could easily do distance rides and be back before dark.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
4/16/2010
Today we finished cutting and piling the tornado blowdown area that we’ve been working on. We finished around lunchtime, then in the afternoon Russ took us on an “adventure.” We drove along some forest service roads until we came to a section blocked by trees that were knocked down. Then we got out of our trucks, fired up the chainsaws, and cleared the road. Monday we travel to Kansas!
4/13/2010
Today we worked with Robbie (who took the chainsaw class with us back in January) building a fence. We dug holes, put up posts, and strung barbed wire completing a lovely fence that stupid demon deer will undoubtedly run into. Have I mentioned the demon deer before? There are a whole herd of them that live around our house. Their eyes are completely black, and they watch you with these soulless eyes. They follow you, watch you, and even if you are inside the house, they will move from window to window in their quests for your soul. We had PT with the seasonals this morning (they started yesterday). It was a good workout, running with pushups, pull-ups and squats integrated into the run.
4/11/2010
Today was a gorgeous day of sunshine and warmth. Yesterday I got the second clipless pedal installed on my beautiful bike and today I did a leisurely trip through Eleven Mile canyon, then a quick trip to Florissant and back resulting in an exhilarating 30 mile ride. I’ve been letting Clay use my bike, and the pure adrenaline bliss has begun the beginning stages of converting him into a biker. After that I spent time relaxing in the sunshine reading “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and listening to “Zombieland” as Liz watched it on her portable DVD player.
Yesterday I finished my ISP hours with a “kids in the kitchen” event, held by the Junior League that taught kids about exercise and healthy eating. It was a fun event. We were stationed at the fruit table, right next to the smoothie table. So we spent time chopping fruit, and enticing children into making “fruit kebobs.”
We have one more week here at our beautiful Lake George home before we travel to the Cimarron Grasslands in Kansas. This past week we have been cutting and piling trees that were blown down in a tornado last year, and the last part of the week we worked with the Woodland Park fuels crew because Russ had a fews days off. We’ve been doing PT at Woodland Park as well, utilizing their weight room and the P90X workout videos. The Plyometrics DVD was particularly challenging, and the night after that I went on a killer bike ride, but my thighs and butt were sore for DAYS!
Yesterday I finished my ISP hours with a “kids in the kitchen” event, held by the Junior League that taught kids about exercise and healthy eating. It was a fun event. We were stationed at the fruit table, right next to the smoothie table. So we spent time chopping fruit, and enticing children into making “fruit kebobs.”
We have one more week here at our beautiful Lake George home before we travel to the Cimarron Grasslands in Kansas. This past week we have been cutting and piling trees that were blown down in a tornado last year, and the last part of the week we worked with the Woodland Park fuels crew because Russ had a fews days off. We’ve been doing PT at Woodland Park as well, utilizing their weight room and the P90X workout videos. The Plyometrics DVD was particularly challenging, and the night after that I went on a killer bike ride, but my thighs and butt were sore for DAYS!
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