Thursday, May 31, 2018
One More Thing Off the List
Got the new generator hooked up and the propane tanks redone on the new pad which were previously sitting kind of haphazardly.
More Nursery
Went over to Last Hurrah and just as I got there they were finishing drinking out of the pond.
The Spot
This is kind of fun. A couple times a week guests ask me to drive their car over the top of Hurrah at a rough spot that is developing. Sometimes I take the side by side up, sometimes, I hike and wait for them. I get to drive a couple of new types of cars every week. Only for about 30 seconds but it's still fun. San Juan County called me yesterday in response to my calls to them about the road and said they are buying a rock crusher to deal with the spot at the top but it would probably be end of June before they can get out here.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Michael BMW 1200
The day before check out Michael mentioned he didn't enjoy the road that much on his street bike. I said "I'll drive it out for you." He said "Ok."
Sunday night lying in bed thinking about how to keep that 650 pound machine from tipping over and mapping out the route up Hurrah in my head I started trying to remember how many years it's been since I drove a street bike. Then I realized it was probably my 1973 Kawasaki 500 that weighed in at 450 pounds. I had never driving anything like this. That's when I got nervous.
Still, I had made a commitment and Michael seemed pretty happy about it. After he showed me how to start it and what the gear selection was I teetered down the drive way and hit the sand at the bottom having to drag my feet for the first hundred yards. But I'm a trials rider and I know the road. Once I got a little speed going it felt good and my confidence was growing. I didn't really have any issues until that last part at the top. I had decided I was just going up the left side no matter what but about half way up a rock ledge broke and spun me at a right angle. I gave it the gas hoping to get out of there before it fell and trapped me under it. The front end came up and I threw all my weight forward trying to keep it down. I bounced over the ledges partially out of control. Just before I crashed into the Hurrah Pass sign I got it back under control, packed brake and it began to fall over to the right but the right handlebar landed exactly right on the big rock like I'd put it there on purpose to lean it up against the rock. Linny and Michael came up behind me in the truck and I was looking all calm and collected like there were no issues.
Linny said "Is the front end suppose to come up like that?" Michael came over and said "That was some pretty impressive riding. You want to ride it down the other side?" Before I could think my mouth said "Yes. For sure." Thanks Michael.
Sunday night lying in bed thinking about how to keep that 650 pound machine from tipping over and mapping out the route up Hurrah in my head I started trying to remember how many years it's been since I drove a street bike. Then I realized it was probably my 1973 Kawasaki 500 that weighed in at 450 pounds. I had never driving anything like this. That's when I got nervous.
Still, I had made a commitment and Michael seemed pretty happy about it. After he showed me how to start it and what the gear selection was I teetered down the drive way and hit the sand at the bottom having to drag my feet for the first hundred yards. But I'm a trials rider and I know the road. Once I got a little speed going it felt good and my confidence was growing. I didn't really have any issues until that last part at the top. I had decided I was just going up the left side no matter what but about half way up a rock ledge broke and spun me at a right angle. I gave it the gas hoping to get out of there before it fell and trapped me under it. The front end came up and I threw all my weight forward trying to keep it down. I bounced over the ledges partially out of control. Just before I crashed into the Hurrah Pass sign I got it back under control, packed brake and it began to fall over to the right but the right handlebar landed exactly right on the big rock like I'd put it there on purpose to lean it up against the rock. Linny and Michael came up behind me in the truck and I was looking all calm and collected like there were no issues.
Linny said "Is the front end suppose to come up like that?" Michael came over and said "That was some pretty impressive riding. You want to ride it down the other side?" Before I could think my mouth said "Yes. For sure." Thanks Michael.
The Nursery
Every couple days the Nursery of big horn, two babies, two carrying heavy, and two juveniles come to the pond next to the Main House and hogans to drink.
Monday, May 28, 2018
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Courtesy Linda
Have a new wood guy, takes a third of the time to load and cost about half as much. Second time I can think of we ever had a cat stay here, and the Pot Ash plant in the distance.
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Some Stuff
Linda has been here this week helping Linny and we're catching up. I'm way behind on maintenance but chipping away at one or two things everyday. Each evening I fix the front porch and that night the raccoons dig it up again trying to steal skunk hot dogs. I don't fit it and they leave it alone.
It's almost time for babies, for everyone. I was over at Last Hurrah a few days ago, without my camera, and there are two new baby big horn. So cute. They came down to drink out of the pond even with people there. Fox, raccoon, and skunk will be showing up with their babies soon. Little bands of three to five coming to the Kit&Kaboodle bowls. The evenings are cool but the days hot. I put air conditioners in the rooms the other day. The coolers on the roof hoses keep breaking so at the moment though it would be a savings on power I'm not using them.
A month or so ago a side by side showed up and said they had lost an expensive bag of clothes out Jackson Hole somewhere but couldn't find it. Linny and I dying for a chance to get away from the lodge knew we could find it and took a side by side out to Jackson. We didn't find it either. The people thanked us and headed out. A couple weeks ago, in the mail, I got a package and it said "Thanks for helping us look for our bag. I noticed you were putting lotion on your feet when we were there so I bought you this Miracle Foot Repair lotion." Thank you. All the guests are parking with their engines facing the open parking lot away from where the bushes and the squirrels are and easier for Jax to spot when he sleeps in the window of my office with one eye open and on the parking lot. We've had one vehicle that a squirrel had just started to chew on a wire when Jax found him and that's been the extent of it this year. If you don't know some spark plug wires and starter wires are made of vegetable derivatives, and since all our rock squirrels have long criminal histories it's up to Jax to keep them under control. He takes his job seriously and with enthusiasm. Last nigh sitting out on the porch feeding critters a newly checked in guests brought me something with a lot of value they found hidden in their room and I've notified the last several people that stayed in there to see if they are missing anything. We rarely get bad guests or meet bad people. A few crazies. Usually Hurrah Pass weeds out all the people without heart.
Last evening I was pumping water at the main house next door. It was quiet. Just the bull frogs bellowing away in the pond. Waiting for the last holding tank to fill up I sat back in the side by side and laid against the head rest. The moon was bright but still the stars were amazing. I thought about how just a 15 year old and myself are running the whole operation on 145 acres with 10 rentals and lots of camping. Linny is pretty incredible to be this mature at 15 and blessed with such a strong work ethic. I saw a couple of large passenger jets at 35,000 feet blinking over with little noise. All the people in the planes from one destination to another with mostly hurried lives. I've had hundreds, if not thousands of people tell me how lucky I am but it didn't feel like luck working hundred hour weeks for 25 years and putting everything you have at risk over and over to make the business at the time successful. It didn't feel lucky driving around for 15 years off and on in the boonies looking for what I finally found. Still, that work eventually fed and led me into this and for that I do feel fortunate.
It's almost time for babies, for everyone. I was over at Last Hurrah a few days ago, without my camera, and there are two new baby big horn. So cute. They came down to drink out of the pond even with people there. Fox, raccoon, and skunk will be showing up with their babies soon. Little bands of three to five coming to the Kit&Kaboodle bowls. The evenings are cool but the days hot. I put air conditioners in the rooms the other day. The coolers on the roof hoses keep breaking so at the moment though it would be a savings on power I'm not using them.
A month or so ago a side by side showed up and said they had lost an expensive bag of clothes out Jackson Hole somewhere but couldn't find it. Linny and I dying for a chance to get away from the lodge knew we could find it and took a side by side out to Jackson. We didn't find it either. The people thanked us and headed out. A couple weeks ago, in the mail, I got a package and it said "Thanks for helping us look for our bag. I noticed you were putting lotion on your feet when we were there so I bought you this Miracle Foot Repair lotion." Thank you. All the guests are parking with their engines facing the open parking lot away from where the bushes and the squirrels are and easier for Jax to spot when he sleeps in the window of my office with one eye open and on the parking lot. We've had one vehicle that a squirrel had just started to chew on a wire when Jax found him and that's been the extent of it this year. If you don't know some spark plug wires and starter wires are made of vegetable derivatives, and since all our rock squirrels have long criminal histories it's up to Jax to keep them under control. He takes his job seriously and with enthusiasm. Last nigh sitting out on the porch feeding critters a newly checked in guests brought me something with a lot of value they found hidden in their room and I've notified the last several people that stayed in there to see if they are missing anything. We rarely get bad guests or meet bad people. A few crazies. Usually Hurrah Pass weeds out all the people without heart.
Hurrah Pass and SUVs
For the fourth time this year (out of hundreds) I had guests that turned around and went back to Moab saying their SUV wouldn't make it to Base Camp. They were very gracious and apologized for not being able to get here and said how badly they wanted the experience but were going to stay in town. It was all good, it happens. But twice this year I've had guests that couldn't make it return to Moab and either call me or send me a scathing email about how I lied to them and it's impossible to get here in an SUV (Jeep Cherokee one time) and you need four wheel drive.........After they're done it's always nice to go out in the parking lot like last night (just in case) and take a picture to send to them. No explanation needed.
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