Exactly 5 years ago today (November 21, 2003). We don’t have any snow today, and there isn’t enough in the mountain yet to go skiing either. The little old trailer had long since been sold down the road. And you can see what used to be some of the old falling down and dangerous fencing that we have removed.
Almost...
I am somewhat furiously scurrying around trying to get packed and ready for the upcoming Buck Brannaman clinic this weekend. The trailer is almost completely loaded; just need to have Paddock Boy help me put the dividers back in and make sure I have all of the buckets and feed loaded. I need to trim Buena’s tootsies later tonight or sometime tomorrow. And I need to get my clothes packed into the camper, as well as any food and beverages I might need.
I don’t know how ready we are for this clinic, but we’ll be fine I suspect. This year hasn’t been the best one for riding. Kind of a let down after last year’s awesome time, capped off by that week in Wyoming.
We may struggle quite a bit at times in our class, but oh well. We’re at where we’re at and if I have any problems, the help is right there to guide me if I need it.
I probably won’t have any pictures from this clinic to post, but if anyone is in the area, you might want to swing by the Tacoma Unit Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday and check it out. You probably won’t be disappointed and you can sure learn alot from Buck by just watching. I’ll try and post my ride report(s) after I get back on Monday night.
Ride on!
The walls are done and the mats are back in! All that’s left, for now, is the wiring and to reinstall the deep cycle battery. Oh, and to fill the tack room with the rest of my stuff. I will be selling the tack truck that was in the trailer originally. I never used it and it just got in the way. I posted it in and a few other things to my new Sale Barn.
We got the floor boards all in and screwed down today. Not an easy task as the pressure treated boards are just a tad bit wider than the boards we removed. Paddock Boy used the sawzall to trim the first one on the left side. He switched to the planer for the one on the right side. It worked better, but made a bigger mess with the chips from the pressure treated boards dumping everywhere. Not something we want the Little Cowboy to be playing with. I really wish there were some more environmentally sensitive ways of doing projects like this.
Also got mats cut and set in the tack room. They were recycled from the mats I removed from the walls.
The Herculiner has been applied to about half of the necessary area. Paddock Boy used the full gallon and we purchased another gallon this evening. May even need more for an additional coat to go over the first. This is nasty stuff. Sticky, smelly, nasty and not something you want the dog or kid messing around near. Yet another thing that isn’t exactly “green,” but in the name of physical safety, it is something that needs to be done. Paddock Boy said we're not doing this again (implying the next trailer will be a new one < vbeg >).
There are small houses and then there’s an 84-square-foot house on wheels in Olympia that Dee Williams calls home. Click on the image to be linked to the video segment from King5’s Evening Magazine.
If you’d like more information about Dee’s little house, send her an email at Dee . boxcar @ yahoo . com (remove spaces).
For more resources, check out these links that Dee sent to me to share with folks:
To borrow from Bob The Builder...
Here is the progress today. Boards purchased. Old boards removed. Rust scraped. Rustoleum Gloss White partially applied; ran out after 4 cans, need more. Do-it-yourself Herculiner roll-on bed-liner purchased for putting on trailer walls.
Considering the rot I found at the back of the trailer and around a few screws in the boards was the worst of it, we’re probably doing a job that didn’t quite need to be done yet. However, the few holes that I have found and the amount of rust that I have encountered makes me think that better now than after a serious problem shows up. Once we get this all done then it’s time to tackle the wiring, but we’ll leave that to the professionals.
Sunday is a day off for the most part as we are heading into town for a Mariners game.
I didn’t focus on the floorboards today. Today was the day to finish removing those wall mats. My trip to the hardware stores (yes plural) eventually provided me with that illusive T25 star bit for the power drill.
In no time I carefully removed the screws holding up the mats and used a vise grip to pull the mats of the walls and out of the trailer.
Then I removed the vinyl and padding from the center dividers. All of the above exposed areas of rust and “cancer” that was starting to get out of hand. I even punched through the skin on a few places; most of them aren’t of major concern, but one or two are.
The eventual goal is to get the rust treated with a solution which prevents it from getting worse and then primering and hopefully having Rhino Lining Tuff Grip™ applied to the interior of the walls. The result would be strength and dent prevention and also a reduction in weight of the trailer due to not reinstalling the mats that were the original installation.
Here are the pictures of the floor boards after I did my poking and chiseling of the dry rot yesterday as well as the mat and padding removal today.
Wednesday is empty the tack room day. Not sure if I will get to the point of pulling out the carpet and the tack box, but I hope that I get that far. It has to be done before we pull out the boards since I am pretty sure they run the full length of the trailer.
There are always projects awaiting around here. Some are more pressing than others, but they all need to be done.
We have our old camper, nicknamed “The Casa Siesta” that we have decided to part out and junk. It is 31 years old and has seen better days. Paddock Boy and I honeymooned in it. It was our $400 wonder. We got lots of good use out of it, but its most recent occupation was growing mushrooms. Not good. Now we are taking it apart piece by piece attempting to recycle as many parts as we possibly can. So far so good.
My other major project that needs to be done is to put a new floor in the horse trailer, and get the removable dividers back to being removable! We have had it for a few years and it has its original floorboards.
On our recent trip around Montana I just never was comfortable with some of the squeaking I heard in the floorboards. We only had Buena in there, but still, I had minor panic attacks flashing through my head. I pull up the mats at least yearly to check the boards and I knew there was a little rot going on already. When I started taking out mats and checking the boards yesterday not much was a surprise. I don’t like seeing any rot, but the wood in the floor isn’t pressure-treated so some is expected since the trailer is 14 years old.
During my dismantling I broke a star bit on the power drill. Off to replace that today. And I also stripped the manual version of the star bit on the screwdriver. Rusted screw heads and too much strength/torque I guess. :)
Pictures and progress reports to come.
Oh, and one set of used HiJacker camper jacks are for sale. Make me an offer.
Livingston, MT to Sheridan, WY
I started the day fairly early. I had set the alarm for 6, but it didn’t go off because my cell battery was getting low. It beeped incessantly for about an hour before I decided to roll out of bed. Uncle T had been up and gone early to go to Townsend to buy a new ATV and I had heard him get up. I dressed and packed up my stuff and the horses buckets and went and caught up Buena. I tied her to the trailer and went and caught up Mercy. Did a little, and I mean very little, groundwork and went straight to the trailer. We had a few discussions about forward and leading up. Eventually she stepped in. It was pretty much the same as the day before. She’s reluctant to lead up on that initial feel. I got her to lead in further and further each time and eventually she let me feed the lead up into the tie ring. Amazingly, or maybe not, she stayed when I moved the divider over and she only attempted to push on it once and instead of leaning back into it and charging out, she leaned forward and took a small step. I got the divider secured. All of this WITHOUT Aunt M’s help with the back door. It’s improvement!
I had Aunt M hold the trailer door while I secured Buena and within 20 minutes I was on the road. I stopped for diesel before I got on I-90 around 8:15.
At 12:35 I rolled in to Buck’s ranch at 12:35. Thanks to Uncle T, I took a frontage road from Garryowen, MT down to Wyola, MT. Problem is I should have taken it all the way to Ranchester, WY. I was SOOO done with hauling up and down hills on the interstate. One the return trip I will make sure I take the RIGHT road the WHOLE way.
Buena and Mercy are settled into some end pens under the corral shed. They were content to be munching on their hay and sipping their water. Buena was rather insistent that she have something soft to pee in. She was pawing the ground, which is a bit hard, and one I put a small pile of bedding down she happily peed. Mercy, on the other hand, couldn’t wait and peed in part of her hay, at least it was my hay and not the expensive stuff from the feed store!
There are a wide range of folks here. Some from Montana, a couple from Ohio I think. And there’s a woman from Washington who recognized J from K’s back in Yelm, WA.
Ch, J and I ran into Buck tonight and he said the group should be a nice one, and small (only about 13 or 14 people). There is LOTS of work to be done bringing in cattle and possibly retagging them all before they ship. He said the evenings after dinner could be spent doing a lot of roping. I just laughed at that one.
Today was a lazy day. I woke up at 8 and didn’t get out of bed until 8:45. The horses didn’t even barely make a peep when I went out to feed. I am sure they were happy to be lazy and not have to ride in the trailer. I fed them mashes and tossed out a few flakes of hay. It was already warm and it was only going to get hotter. I was still not feeling so hot. All I had eaten for dinner the night before was soda crackers. I worked on rearranging the tack room a little and cleaned out the poops and pee spots in the horse compartment. Gave the horses a shot of fly spray as they were getting pretty bothered by the flies on their stomachs. The horses spent most of the day scritching on each other; quite cute. I should have probably gone for a ride, but I was feeling quite weak from not eating any real food. I managed to down a sandwich around noon and spent a lot of time reclined on the couch. Oh, and I checked some e-mail since I could. Aunt M made a nice pasta dinner and I ate again. Tasted good and my stomach is feeling much better.
I did have a loading session tonight with Mercy and it went OK. Luckily, I will have help in the morning with the door. Mercy still won’t respect a hand smack on the butt to go forward, so I will have to have Marje hold the back door for me like Cathi did in order for me to get the divider over, etc. We’ll get it done, even if it isn’t pretty. And by this time next week it will be 100% better.
The plan is to be up and out early so I can get to Buck’s and get the horses settled and then GO SHOPPING.
Awoke at 5:30 and looked out the window at 5:45 to see Buena making love noses at Mercy’s window. Got up about an hour later and went out to check on Mercy and give her a bucket of water. Proceeded to practically dump the bucket on myself while losing my balance on the wheel well. Buena almost got her nose popped by the window dropping down, but barely hit the end of the lead rope. Mercy looked wide-eyed, but stayed calm.
Uncle C helped me get things reloaded and organized and also held the door while I secured Buena’s lead in place. I pulled out of the driveway around 8am. Stomach churning after having had a couple of waves of nausea.
I rolled into the Missoula Les Schwab to have that brake check done. Took about an hour, but they replaced the left front caliper while I ran across the street to Quality Supply. Once back on the road I topped of the diesel and was heading east on I-90 again by 10.
I stopped at a rest area between Missoula and Deer Lodge. Stopped again in Deer Lodge at Safeway to grab an icy soda. On the way out of Deer Lodge I chatted with Ben and then a bit later Cathi. No more stops until Bozeman where I decided I needed some more salty fries and another soda. Traffic in downtown Bozeman sucked because of construction (I guess it’s been like that all summer). Drove up Fleshman Creek Road to the 2B Ranch at about 3pm local time. It was HOT.
Aunt M was still at work and Uncle T showed up about 20 minutes after I did. He was in town getting parts. I have already put the horses in the pens, but hadn’t located a turn-on for the automatic waterers. Uncle T pulled out hoses and we ran it from the house and I filled the large buckets I brought. The horses both drank well. I was spent. I took a shower and laid down for about 2 hours. Fed the horses and separated them into 2 pens since Buena had still been herding around Mercy a bit. They did scratch on each other a little, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
I hit they hay around 10 and slept until 8 the next morning.
Enumclaw, WA to Alberton, MT
C arrived around 7:45 or so to help with last minute packing and loading of the horses. My intended departure time was 8am, but I was not holding fast to it as I was going to wait until Little Cowboy was up before pulling out of the driveway. Got all the last minute details taken care of (mostly just clothes) and C helped by gathering and cleaning buckets for me. Buena and Mercy stood tied at their respective stations. Mercy, to the tie post and Buena to the trailer. Both were happily munching/slurping on their hay pellet mashes. They both knew something was up. Buena was a pill about being caught. Mercy was just antsy while being tied before she got her breakfast.
We commenced with loading Mercy around 8 or so. It was a bit hairy at first. I didn’t even go near the trailer, just did some groundwork. Very UP and very back, but not much forward. Once the forward came, then it was time to attempt the trailer. Just walked with intent up into hoping that Mercy would just go on in. Front feet got in just OK, but that was as far as it got. Cathi drove with a little bit of body energy and Mercy flew backwards. C then went and grabbed a lead rope for reinforcement. In the past, I had tried using a flag with Mercy and I didn’t think that would be a good idea. The lead rope worked and she got better. We did lots of in and out and eventually more in than out. Time for the door. Mercy is real pushy with her hindquarters and every time I would wiggle the divider she would blast backwards out. If the trailer door was there, and closed or held firm, then she would eventually come forward off it. That worked this time. And eventually the wiggling divider didn’t cause a panic reaction. We went in and out a few times. After about the 4th or 5th time, I decided that it was good enough and we secured her in and then loaded Buena. Buena wanted to be nosey over the divider so I ended up tying her shorter than I would have liked, but better that than an agitated Mercy.
Said my good-byes to Little Cowboy and Grandma Montana while the horses hung out quietly in the trailer for 20 minutes or so. Ariel was eventually quiet until I drove past her paddock.
I pulled out of the driveway at 10 after 9. Stopped in Four Corners to top off the diesel. Said my good-byes to C and thanked her for her help (and for the chai) and hit the road.
I made really good time for the most part. I had to stop at Indian John Hill Rest Area to pee because of all the chai I had that morning. I stopped again at Schrag RA to stretch my legs and pee. And grabbed a bite in Ritzville from a burger joint. My appetite wasn’t that great, but I at least needed some fries and more soda. Stopped again at the Flying J in Post Falls, ID to fill the tank. Getting decent mileage considering the load. And made good time over Fourth Of July Pass and then Lookout Pass. I stopped at the RA just on the Montana side of Lookout. The truck got warm and so did the tranny, but not bad. What concerned me more was having to put on the brakes coming down the pass and having it pull pretty hard to the left. There is lots of construction and narrow lanes on the highway, so I needed to get that looked at on Wednesday in Missoula if possible. That was my last stop before arriving in Alberton, MT.
Mercy got the privilege of staying in the trailer and Buena was tied outside. Worked perfectly. I wasn’t sure I’d get Mercy back in or not, so it was better to play it safe. She ate PLENTY of hay overnight (and wasted some onto the floor) and drank a little from a bucket when offered through the drop down feed door. Buena was pretty much quiet and did her usual good camping tied to the trailer right outside Mercy’s window. She spend a good portion of it making snuffling noses at Mercy through the open window.
I slept maybe 4 hours. Nerves were setting in big time already!
