The Great Outdoors

[Hauler]

Love finding stuff like this...

Foundation stones from an old structure long since deteriorated. Or burned. Or just removed. There were these 3 taller stones and then 3 stones adjacent to these that were pretty even with the earth. Entire structure would have been about 12' x 24' based on the foundation layout.

 

[Howard Moon]

@BirdWatcher saw I was going camping this weekend and asked me to post here. This is from last night on Gull Lake in central Alberta. The burbot are coming into spawn and the action was great.

 

[La Paix]

@BirdWatcher saw I was going camping this weekend and asked me to post here. This is from last night on Gull Lake in central Alberta. The burbot are coming into spawn and the action was great.

Catch anything? What's the temp?

 

[Howard Moon]

@BirdWatcher
We caught lots and lots of burbot, some walleye, pike and perch. The whitefish were around, but we couldn't hook any. Fuckin' whites, dontcha just hate 'em? 😉

We actually ended up pussying out on overnighting. We were all set up, but a blizzard rolled in and we decided we'd caught enough fish for the weekend. It wasn't that cold, only in the minus teens C, but the wind and snow made it unpleasant.
One friend was driving back to Calgary, a two hour drive normally, but it took him 4. He said traffic was crawling, but there were still lots of vehicles in the ditch. Heading north to Edmonchuk wasn't as bad, but still sucked.

This was our 11th annual on-ice get together. It's one of my favorite weekends of the year, even when the weather doesn't cooperate. 😀

 

[Howard Moon]

One from earlier in the day:

 

[Hauler]

One from earlier in the day:

I've never been ice fishing, but every time I see pictures of people doing it I remember the scene from Grumpy Old Men.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EwgvDvtqQs&t=0m21s

 

[Howard Moon]

@Alco Hauler Yeah, we don't do that very often(not wise when most of us have a rifle or two in the truck 😉 ).

It's mostly fishing, smartassery, and for those that indulge, a wobbly pop or 10.

 

[Hauler]

Took advantage of a 65 degree day and did some hiking today.

Nice path led up a hill to the top of a ridge. It's a pretty steep drop on either side.

Decent view. Very windy up top. That's the Ohio River - Kentucky is on the other side.

Found a super old cemetery. The dates were all from the 1800s.

Moss covered meadow at the bottom

Spring is almost here. I believe this is periwinkle - but I'm not that good with flower identification.

That's it. Felt good to get out.

 

[Grateful Dude]

I went on a killer mountain bike ride yesterday. We've been getting lots of rain so the trails were muddy and the roots/rocks were slippery. But I say fuck it, I'm not a fair weather mountain biker. Muddy, sloppy rides are a ton of fun. Although I did have to spend an hour or so cleaning my bike up afterwards and getting everything oiled up so shit doesn't rust. Totally worth it! We ended up getting about a 16-mile ride in, and nobody crashed too hard, so it was a good day. Beats the hell out of riding a road bike 😀

 

[sparkuri]

Went on the trail today, took some pics juuuuuuuuuuuuust for this thread.

 

[Howard Moon]

@sparkuri Cool shit!
Your Spring is way ahead of ours.

What kind of tree was this stump?

 

[sparkuri]

@sparkuri Cool shit!
Your Spring is way ahead of ours.

What kind of tree was this stump?

I'm totally guessing, but by the size of the base I'd have to go with Douglas Fir.
Growing out of that looks like pine.

I girl died on this trail a few weeks ago.
17 yo, she went on a hike with friends, and a tree came down and crushed her.
There's a gofundme setup at the trailhead with candles and flowers.
Park rangers have now cleared many possible hazards/trees.

This walk is really scenic and great for beginners on up.
It's only a mile and a half one way, but ends on the beach. Perfect for cardio, steep switchbacks.

 

[Hauler]

@sparkuri Cool shit!
Your Spring is way ahead of ours.

What kind of tree was this stump?

I had the same question. Very cool. I've seen cedar trees get that look to them. That is likely very, very old.

 

[sparkuri]

I had the same question. Very cool. I've seen cedar trees get that look to them. That is likely very, very old.

I wanted to say Cedar, that's generally what it looks like.
But we just don't get them quite that big in this area unless it's in an area attuned for them.
This area had more firs, maples, alders, and some madrones.
There are a few Cedars, so that being as old as it is, it's definitely possible.

 

[Hauler]

I wanted to say Cedar, that's generally what it looks like.
But we just don't get them quite that big in this area unless it's in an area attuned for them.
This area had more firs, maples, alders, and some madrones.
There are a few Cedars, so that being as old as it is, it's definitely possible.

You might not have any cedars there anymore - but 100 years ago they might have been everywhere. Cedar is very rot resistant, which is why it is used in exterior wood applications.

 

[Hauler]

Regardless...great pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[sparkuri]

You might not have any cedars there anymore - but 100 years ago they might have been everywhere. Cedar is very rot resistant, which is why it is used in exterior wood applications.

I think you're right.
My first thought was red cedar, then thought...nah too many Doug. Firs.
But @Howard Moon , I'm gonna have to change my tune and agree with @Alco Hauler that it is indeed an old giant red cedar stump.
I was fortunate enough to grow up with these, and rape-raped many a girl inside the center of these natural forts.
There are still many, many in the area, but no one lets there trunks reach 10' anymore.
There is place not far away that makes homes almost entirely of cedar because of the longevity alco hauler mentioned.
I did work for the founder, and now get all my wood from him on a weekly basis.

Here's an interlocking beam they use for the exterior.

The glue used is eco-friendly with no toxic fumes, and can be burned in the fireplace/woodstove.
Which is great, because it literally drops my electric bill $100 a month.
And I prefer to burn.

 

[Hauler]

The glue used is eco-friendly with no toxic fumes, and can be burned in the fireplace/woodstove.

Good deal. Doesn't it pop like crazy though? I love burning cedar but I do it outside - when I've used it in my fireplace it pops coals all over the place. Haha. But I'm burning kiln dried 1x material so maybe it reacts differently than what you are using.

 

[Hauler]

How thick is that @sparkuri? Looks like 2" net - if not more. I've never seen a double t&g like that. Pretty cool.

 

[sparkuri]

How thick is that @sparkuri? Looks like 2" net - if not more. I've never seen a double t&g like that. Pretty cool.

That is just over 3 1/2".
5 x 5/8 cedar planks.

Regarding burning, definitely goes in the woodstove.
When it's closed it doesn't pop too much because of the thickness and enclosure.
But when open, the temp. difference gets it very active.
I wouldn't dream of burning cedar in a fireplace, jeebus!

 

[Hauler]

I wouldn't dream of burning cedar in a fireplace, jeebus!

I was a youngster trying to get it on with this sweet little thing. I had no clue what I was fucking doing. Lit some candles. Bought some red wine. And lit a fire. The candles ended up being scented and they smelled like laundry, the red wine I had was dry as fuck and nearly impossible to drink. The cedar I tossed into the fire started popping like crazy sending coals everywhere so I had to shut the glass to keep from catching the house on fire.

Still got some though. Probably out of pity at that point. 🙂

 

[sparkuri]

I was a youngster trying to get it on with this sweet little thing. I had no clue what I was fucking doing. Lit some candles. Bought some red wine. And lit a fire. The candles ended up being scented and they smelled like laundry, the red wine I had was dry as fuck and nearly impossible to drink. The cedar I tossed into the fire started popping like crazy sending coals everywhere so I had to shut the glass to keep from catching the house on fire.

Still got some though. Probably out of pity at that point. 🙂

Ha, fucking classic!

 

[La Paix]

Fuck I forgot about this thread, good bumping.

We got our camping for the first time this year on Easter weekend. We went to the little town of Hedley in southern BC. Crazy weather we had. In the span of about 5 hours we'd get sun, rain, snow, hail then back to sun. Highs around 14°C lows at night were -6°C. We're right on a river which has great fishing but it's was super fast during our stay.

I took my dirt bike out the first day but riding passenger the next day was a blast. We had 7 side by sides in our group.

About 1.5 hour climb with us breaking trail half the half to get up here

Favourite picture from the weekend

This home built 2WD is insane. He could climb up places I had trouble hiking up for real. Snow's it's weakness we found out.

Not too shabby

Deelish

 

[Judobill]

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[Judobill]

We just bought a travel trailer and when we aren't pulling it somewhere, it will be parked about 35 min from our house right next to Devil's Lake in Wisconsin. There is a bunch of stuff for the kids to do and some great places to hike and kayak. I just built the fire-pit the other day and can't wait to use it.