I have much to cover in this post from my 3-day weekend trip to The Lot, September 22, 23, and 24.

In my last post I’d mentioned I would be doing some maintenance chores on The Box; replacing damaged vent covers was one of these tasks. I did get all 3 covers replaced. The new lids are substantially thicker than the original units. This is a mixed blessing; they should stand up to weather (including hail) better than the originals but they do not let in as much light.

Another maintenance chore was to make sure the bottom-of-the-trailer sheets, which look sort of like cardboard but are made out of heavier plastic, were in good shape and would not allow rodents to enter the trailer over the winter. Basically I added fender washers (larger than standard) under the heads of the screws that hold these sheets in place. This prevents the sheets from sagging and opening gaps where mice could enter.

Although I was not planning this last item — emptying the holding tanks — I really had no choice as the kitchen grey water tank was full and the sink would not drain. I got out the ‘honey wagon’ gear and emptied both grey water tanks and the black water tank.

Given that my fresh water level was low I also had to make a ‘water run’ to get some water for showers and cleaning. I didn’t pump a full load, just enough (around 15 gallons) to get through the weekend’s demand for showers and general cleaning up. (We use bottled water for drinking and most cooking.)

Then it was on to other tasks.

Last time out I had trouble with the chipper; it would not start due to carburetor flooding. I had brought along my tools and a few spare parts, hoping I could repair the carb on-site and finish chipping some piles of brush.

I removed the carb, repaired the float holder (a screw had come loose, causing the flooding) and reinstalled the carb on the chipper. The engine started right up and I was back in business.

I chipped no fewer than 6 piles of brush, one Saturday evening and the others Sunday morning. While I was one tired guy, I am very pleased to get the Aspen Grove brush chipped. (Spreading the chips will be the main task for the next visit.) Photos below document the before-and-after appearance of this area.

Before chipping

After chipping

The activity resulted in a large pile of chips to be spread on a future trip:

Chip pile along the path

From last week: chips spread on path up to Grassy Ridge:

Chips spread on walking path

Here is an over-all shot of part of the area that was cleaned this year:

Cleaned Aspen Grove

Here is a “work in progress” shot of the same area taken earlier this year:

Brush and log piles in the Aspen Grove

Skipping ahead a bit: Monday morning I loaded the truck with another load of ‘burn pit’ wood and prepared the chipper to tow it home. I had to wait out a couple of rain showers while doing this but the moisture is welcome.

Chipper heading home from The Lot

After all the work was done I planned to treat myself to an ATV ride in the general area of Sanderling, either at Hall Valley or Webster Pass. Both are in the same neighborhood on the east (Denver) side of Kenosha Pass, which is itself several miles east of Como. I have ridden this area before and knew the Webster Pass route generally had good fall color views. I loaded the ATV in the back of the truck and left The Lot.

Traffic was fierce on Highway 285 heading to Kenosha Pass. In fact, it was stop and go traffic many miles away from my turn off. Since it was already afternoon (and I didn’t think I had the time or patience to wait in traffic) I changed plans. I turned around and headed to Fairplay, then turned north to Mosquito Pass. Mosquito Pass is another area I have ridden before, but at least there was no traffic.

This ride was disappointing as it appears the Mosquito Pass mining area is under new ownership. Routes to the historic buildings and mine sites of North London Mill and South London Mill are now blocked off. Without these routes there is not a lot of reason to ride there. I’m glad I was able to visit these sites in the past and get some photos, although my visit to the South London Mill took place on a rainy and dreary day; I had hoped to get a better set of photos this time around.

I did see something I rarely see in the high country on this trip, though. Pussy willows!

Pussy willows in the mountains – a rare sight

At the top of the pass is this marker:

Father Dyer memorial stone on Mosquito Pass

Heading home after my ride I found traffic on Highway 285, which I needed to take to get back to Elkhorn Ranch Road and The Lot, had gotten worse! Traffic was backed up to the east foot of Red Hill Pass, several miles from Elkhorn Ranch Road, and traffic was virtually at a standstill. Accident, leaf-peepers, campers…I still don’t know the reason why the traffic was so heavy but I was determined not to stay in it.

So…I made a U-turn and headed back to Fairplay, then took Highway 9 south to Highway 24, turned east on 24 to intersect with the lower end of Elkhorn Ranch Road, then north up to The Lot. At least I made it back in reasonable time.

Now this tale gets even stranger. Just after I had parked on the Sanderling driveway and unloaded the ATV, I received a visit from a Sheriff’s Deputy. He was asking questions about Greg, our new neighbor, who has not been sighted for several weeks (although his tent is still in place.)

It appears Greg is an alias and not his real name, and the officer found “drug paraphernalia” in his tent. Given that marijuana is legal in Colorado this may not be a crime, but if it involves other drugs then “Greg” could get busted for drug abuse.

I gave the officer what information I had (make, model, color of car, description of Greg and his dogs) and kept the officer’s card. I promised to notify him if I saw Greg again. The officer thanked me and left.

It was a strange afternoon all around.

What lies ahead? This coming weekend I have a wedding reception to attend on Sunday so will not be back to The Lot. I hope to make it back to Sanderling the weekend after next and it will be a busy visit as I will have to bring home the ATV, generator, and chain saw as well as the rest of the food and linens plus drain the holding tanks one last time. RV anti-freeze must be put in all the water lines. There is still much to do to shut down The Box and get it winterized. (Forecast low for Tuesday, September 25th, is 34 degrees up in the high country.) And I hope to get the large pile of chips spread on the path. (This would be optional, depending on how long it takes me to get the other chores done.)

There have been a couple of very busy weekends, with at least one more to go, before the RV is “shut down” for the winter. Two things that are final; no more wood cutting or chipping this year! Our friend Kathy picked up the bulk of the cut firewood on Saturday that was stacked along our driveway here at home. She’ll stop by for the remaining wood this coming Saturday, so that’s the end of the wood. The chipper is home from The Lot and waiting for me to do routine maintenance over the winter, so it will be ready to go next spring.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Pam’s Two Cents Worth:

Lovely, crisp nights and warm days have begun.  One of my favorite times of year.

(Internet graphic.)

Happy Trails.