September 19th
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| Corn turning |
We are busy getting things ready for our trip South. There are lots of things to do, some repairs to make and lots of packing to be done. Hopefully we don't get into the same state as we did last year where things just didn't work out according to plan and we ended up not leaving for several days after the planned departure date!! So far so good.....we are on schedule. I have a few more shifts to put in at the home but once that is done we should almost be ready to go down the road.
We did manage to get a few more rides in to see the Fall colours and they did not disappoint.
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| Down in the Block |
The yellows from the poplar trees were vibrant and with the sun shining on them, they were even brighter. I love our Fall colours.
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| Leaves on the ground |
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| Deer Lake |
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| Mr. Cow, chilling by the trail. |
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| A Corridor of Colour |
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| Slide Out |
We headed down into "The Block" on this particular trip as Casey and I had found a perfectly good Coleman cooler on the trail earlier this summer and ended up stashing it in the bush along the trail to be picked up later. Well, today was that "later"!! We travelled the trail enjoying the outdoors, came across a cow who also was enjoying the beautiful Fall weather and easily traversed all the mud holes in our path.
It took me a minute, but I did manage to find the cooler (I had stashed it pretty good) and then we turned around to head towards home. We had stashed to cooler beside a huge and rather deep mud hole as that is where we had found it. This hole was not a problem for the quads as Casey and I had driven through it twice this summer. There was a trail around the hole but of course Casey was not one to go around!!
John and I had gone around the hole this time and had no problem getting to the other side. Coming back however was another thing. The mud was so slick it kept pulling us into the very deep ruts. If we got into those, we would most definitely be high centered and require the winch to get us out.
I told John to get over a bit and unfortunately we were sucked into the great abyss of the mud hole and we ended up on a terrible angle. Not a good place to be and of course....all the drama was happening on MY side of the truck!!
The winch was definitely in need. Unfortunately, I could not get out the door so had to crawl through the back and out the rear window onto the trail.
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| Danger zone |
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| Winch time |
While I was hooking up the winch, I heard some quads coming so waited until they passed not to obstruct the trail with the cable. As soon as they came around the corner, we had an audience!! They wanted to watch us get out. One guy offered to help but John assured them that we had LOTS of experience doing this sort of thing!! And you know, we do!!
It wasn't too long before we were out and on our way. We did however have to take a pic of the tilt-
o-meter just to show everyone that we were in the "danger zone" for a roll over and that would not have been good. I would have gotten real muddy then and I am sure neither John nor Hogan would have been impressed by that little situation!!
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| Up at the tower |
The climb to the tower was uneventful and although the initial part is quite steep, the Sami made it without a hitch. It climbs like a little billy goat. The view from the top was incredible as the Fall colours were awesome. It was closer to sunset so the sun was not shining on the trees as much as I would have liked but the view was awesome none the less.
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| View from the tower |
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| Beverage break at the Tower |
Once down from the tower, we continued back along the trail snapping all sorts of pictures. I got some great pics of the reflection on the lake and also of the sunset. Wow...we truly do live in a wonderful part of the country.
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| Reflection on Deer Lake |
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| Sunset on Deer Lake |
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| Awesome Picture!! |
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| Reflection on pond |
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| Reflection of sunset and a few ducks in the pond by the trail |
September 21st
We decided to head out to 8 Mile Trail today and give Hogan a bit of a run for some much needed exercise. Of course there was the usual muddy spots but Hogan has now learned (after all these years) to finally go around and not through!! He seems to stay cleaner that way!!
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| 8 Mile Trail |
The trail offered numerous photo ops with all the colours again and eventually would connect us to Eddy's Trail which would eventually pop us out onto the East Grid and make for a quick and easy trip home.
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| Hogan getting some exercise in front of the Sami |
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| Lots of leaves on the ground - it smells like Fall |
There were lots of puddles, most of them little but there were also a few large and very muddy ones along the trail. Fortunately, we were able to go around those ones and only once had to go "off road" to get around one particularly nasty one!!
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| Sunset at the gate on Eddy's Trail |
We arrived at the gate along Eddy's Trail just as the sunset was offering some great photo opportunities. Not one to miss this, I managed to get a few good ones.
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| The "Little White Church" at sunset |
Our final stop for this trip was the "Little White Church". It looks wonderful as the sun was setting and I managed to get an awesome pic of it as it stood peacefully, awaiting the quiet of the night. It was so peaceful here on this night. The only sounds we heard were the far off drone of a working combine and the occasional flock of Canada Geese flying by as they get ready to make their way South.
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The can tabs we and our neighbours have collected over the summer.
These will be taken down to Arizona where one of the fellows down there takes them
to Ronald McDonald House where they are used to help alleviate some of the medical costs incurred by
his grandchildren. |
September 24th
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Blue Jay sitting on the bird house |
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| Blue Jay and Crow |
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| Heading towards Chitek on the Railroad Right of Way. |
Tonight we decided too see how far we could get along the railroad right of way towards Chitek Lake. The ties have all been removed so the going was pretty smooth. What a wonderful trail. We passed alongside several big bodies of water and the waterfowl were very busy. They too are getting ready to make the flight South, away from the cold and snow.
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| Eagle nest....perhaps |
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| The "bridge" over Big River. |
We travelled as far as the bridge over Big River. The Railroad has removed it thus putting a rather abrupt end to this trail. Now what a shame that is. This trail would give us quick, awesome access to the trails around Chitek - of which there are plenty. Unfortunately, unless the snowmobile club takes a stand and attempts to negotiate with the railroad, this trail ends here. One would have to to back out to the highway and work their way around to access the right of way on the other side and THAT is what John and I did.
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| Totally awesome sunset |
The trail continued with a few berms here and there but we had to turn around and head back home as it was getting late. The sunset tonight was once again......awesome!!
September 29th
It is the 30th anniversary of my 29th birthday today so John and I have decided to take one last trip out into the forest before we pack up and head out. The leaves continue to turn and many more have floated down to the ground making for a crunchy carpet under our tires. Ohhh, the sounds of fall are just as important as the sights!!
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| Now that is one huge beaver lodge. |
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We found some good logs along the way and filled the back of the sami so Hogan
had to ride up front .....on me!! |
It was a short trip but we managed to find a few good sized logs so decided to put them in the back of the truck and get a head start on the wood supply for next spring!! Of course that meant that Hogan had to ride on my knee for the 13 mile trip home!! He is one heavy sucker and likes to hog all the room!! We did make it home (I only have a few bruises on my legs) and enjoyed the rest of the evening with refreshments in the man cave. Life is good.
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