Fall Trip with Dave

Dave wanted to do a fall trip, and I am always looking for some excuse to go to the property. There is always work to do and fall just seems to be the best time to work with the cooler days and chilly nights. I figure the ticks have gone down into the leaf matter and starting to become somewhat dormant for the winter.

There were a few smaller things I just wanted to get done that don't ever seem to rise to the proper level of importance. First, I wanted to put a floor in the "garbage can rack" structure I had built in the first two years. I had built a rack to hold five garbage cans to use to store some things so I didn't need to haul them back and forth. This worked for a few years, but once I had the Bravo trailer to hold things, I really did not need this any longer. We still have a few garbage cans to hold Envirolock bags and spikes, but it has transitioned to be my "drop off the stuff out of the truck for easy unloading/loading" rack. So, putting a floor in would make this more useful for that purpose.

I have a lumberyard at my home. I don't get rid of lumber because I will always find a way to re-purpose it. I consider it a win anytime I can repurpose a board that I saved. With Covid lumber prices, and with the most recent Hurricane Ian that did immense damage in Florida, lumber has become a valuable and expensive commodity. And, I am glad I have a bunch of it. So, I took some of the treated deck boards that lined the sides of my pool, and they were perfect to re-purpose to this flooring I needed.

The two picnic tables, which had been at the property since the first few years of us owning the property, had become somewhat loose and needed a good tightening.

And then there is the Derecho damage. It will take us a few years to get that all cleaned up, so staying after it whenever we can keeps eating away at the elephant.

It was only going to be Dave and I on this trip. The great "tick drama" had its impact, so it would just be the two of us. We departed a bit before 7:00 AM and arrived before noon in Black River Falls after a few stops, including stopping by Ski Hi for apples and donuts.

After setting up camp, we got to work on both the storage rack and the picnic tables. Then it was blowing pine needles off of the stairway. Outside of that, it was some relaxation. It was a bit warmer, so I did not want to start into the thick woods to begin cleanup of downed trees/limbs. While I will call it "tick drama", the ticks this year are a bit more plentiful due to a wetter season. So, I would rather do deep woods work in the chilly morning than the warm afternoon.

Good chili for supper. Early darkness. Chilly evening. Good conversation. A good night of sleep.

The fire felt good in the morning after the temps dropped to around 37 degrees. A heater in the camper sure keeps the edge off of the chill. Burritos, donuts and hot apple cider started the day off right. Then it was "get to work" time. I worked on debris in the woods, carrying it out to Dave to cut up further to feed the fire. We worked until noon and made a good dent in the debris towards the south.

We rested a bit, and then decided to make a run to Oxbow Pond. Once again, the fishing was non-existent. So why do I keep going back? It really is a cool beautiful place and I just like it. When the fishing is on it is good, but just being outdoors works also.

Instead of our steak dinner, we decided to just go in to get Rozario's pizza which is always awesome.

A good night of sleep, breakfast burritos in the morning, and off to head for home.

I always enjoy Dave's involvement in this adventure. He is always willing to go on a trip and to do some work. His influence on the development of the property is priceless. And, best of all, we sure have a ton of great memories!

PS..... I started feeling something not-right on Saturday night and felt the same on our trip home on Sunday. Turns out I had Covid. Fortunately, Dave did not catch this from me on this trip.