The Weekend

So much to do to catch up and then get ahead and prepare for the next season.

The skunks have dug a tunnel under the foundation to the front porch where I put their hot dogs so they don't have to exit the back porch and walk around where they risk danger from other critters. In the process they've almost filled up the area where I put their food with sand so time to take the porch apart, dig out the sand, and use it for another purpose.

A few years ago after I'd taken Kobae to San Diego for the winter I didn't block the entrance to his home and one day I looked out the office window and saw a badger come out, yawn, eat some snow, and come to the porch for food. He/she looked pretty comfortable. In time we named him Zorro.

A few years earlier than that I had an insurance company that liked signs and they insisted I put up some signs around the property. My favorite was putting "No lifeguard on duty." at the beach on the Colorado River. The next year I changed to a different company and remember thinking "Well that was stupid. I'll never use those signs again." However I was wrong. After I take Kobae to San Diego turn them standing up and put dirt and mud on them.

The cows will be showing up any day now. Usually around 400 of them. If I don't keep them out of the critical areas they eat everything. I walked up the hill and closed off the upper gate.

Walking back down the hill I notice the #8 basket on the original course had fallen over so get the shovel, post hole digger, and post hammer and fix that.

Back at the lodge I'm checking all vehicle tires, batteries, oil, and water levels, then filling them appropriately. Not counting wheel barrows which are always flat and have to be turned upside down so they don't rust out when it rains I have 32 tires before we go through all the other stuff on vehicles that needs to be looked at. I hear somebody to the south east call "Tom". I haven't seen anyone all day. I yell back and get no response.

After I've filled all the tired and gauged them I turn the air compressor off and immediately hear somebody yell "Tom" again. I can't drive a truck, a jeep, four side by sides, and four dirt bikes every day so some of them develop low batteries or tires, or other issues. There's a lot of land to the southeast so I take the Jeep in that direction to see if I can find where my name is coming from. I go to the first call before echoes. Dogs always go to the last echo so you ever lose your dog out in the echo boonies don't call for your dog very loud or you'll be getting the opposite effect of what you're trying to do. No echoes. I head out to the east and southeast and find one set of side by side tracks on the road from Hurrah Pass and nothing else.

All water issues are completed. Holding tanks are full, pond is full, cisterns full, reserve tank at the lodge is full so I head over the Last Hurrah and drain the pump and disconnect the hoses from the river and to the pond to keep them from freezing when the day comes and it will. With no guests for two weeks I lock up the gate at Last Hurrah.