Sunday, January 10, 2010

Jan. 2 to Jan. 10, 2010

Saturday, January 2, 2010

            It was windy with gusts to 15 mph and snowed much of the day, finally stopping around 3:30 and the sun actually showed its face. Zack loves to play in this type of weather (actually, all kinds of weather) and we played several times before he had dinner.

            I spent most of the day working on projects, sewing Zack’s disc, which turned out to be a dismal failure. I am sure it takes a special machine to sew right next to the surgical hose that forms the outer ring, because I kept breaking my thread and still couldn’t get right next to the edge. We took it out to test it and after about five throws, the edge of the new rip-stop material pulled out. From now on, I am just going to sew small patches of material over holes and hope to make them last longer.

          

Sunday, January 3, 2010

            This morning is one of the warmer ones with the low 23 degrees at 11:15 last night. Even with my bedroom window wide open, I had to throw off a quilt to keep from being too warm. I am outside enough in this cold weather that my blood has thickened and what would seem really cold to you in warmer climates, seems warm to me.

            The day was consumed with removing the Argo tracks and switching wheels, so I have good tires in the front and rear on each side to drive the snow tracks. The day warmed to 36 degree with full sunshine, so after checking with NWS and seeing that they predict 70% chance of snow for tomorrow and the next day, with the highs of the day in the teens, I decided today was probably a good day to work outside.

            I cleared the snow from the area just outside the Argo shed and backed it out. I removed the right track and then jacked up the front. I pulled the bad tire off the front and switched the second wheel to its place. I had to deflate that and the rear tire to reattach the snow track, which was more work and effort than I hoped for. The sun was racing to hide behind the mountain, so I hurried to remove the left track, removed the rear wheel with the bad tire and then took the second wheel off and put it in the rear. The reason I did that was that the third wheel was also flat and I didn’t want to take a chance that it wouldn’t hold air and recreate the problem.

            I managed to finish the left side in about half the time it took to do the right side and the sun had just disappeared when I finished and put the tools away. I switched out an empty propane tank with a fresh one and then played with Zack before feeding him and the cats, calling it a day. It started snowing shortly after dark.

 Notice the missing wheel




Monday, January 4, 2010

            It is still snowing this morning and NWS indicates that it will snow through Wednesday night and then clear, with the high temperatures being single digit.

            I spent most of the day cleaning up my hard drive, deleting old stuff and consolidating others and then worked on projects inside, playing numerous times with Zack outside. I had to re-shovel the path to the generator shed as the snow had filled it in with about 2’ of new stuff.

            The afternoon brought heavier snowfall and the temperature stayed right at 31 degrees all afternoon. I had all the fixings for my recipe of seafood chowder, so I prepared it for my dinner, with plenty leftover for the next few days.

            This being the beginning of a new year, I am surprised that I haven’t heard or received emails on New Years Resolutions. I have never made resolutions and while I have general goals for the year, I don’t make promises that I will only focus on those goals, that way I never get disappointed. Have you made resolutions in the past? How about this year? Let me know.



Tuesday, January 5, 2010

            Still snowing and now NWS has posted a storm warning with predictions of a possible 20” of snow in the next 24 to 48 hours. This is a wet snow, with the temperature at 33 degrees and a faint hint of the sun shining through the snowstorm.

            NWS is predicting the storm passing on Thursday, with high temperatures being only single digit, so the arctic front is passing through behind this storm.

            With as much snow as I am getting, and as wet as it is, I am concerned about the weight load on the roofs. I am not worried about the cabin, but the garage and Argo lean-to haven’t had this much weight on them since I built them. All I can do is hope they hold up.

            I spent the morning and part of the afternoon researching home made wind generator, watching videos on them being made. The rest of the day I worked inside on my projects and played outside with Zack, while Rusty and Zoey came out to watch. I had the sunroom so hot, I had to leave the sliding door open for almost a half an hour to cool down.

            The rest of the evening followed my usual routine and we all enjoyed a warm fire while the snow continued to fall.



Wednesday, January 6, 2010

            Before 8 PM last night, the outside temperature dropped below zero and stayed there. I awoke this morning to a clearing sky and bright sun. With all of the new snow and now the sunshine is causing me to go snow blind. It was still below zero at 10 AM, and has slowly been climbing into the teens, with a noon temperature of 18 degrees.

            I spent the morning shoveling my path to the shed so I could service and start the generator. I also took lots of photos to show the snow loaded trees and landscape. I then worked on projects and enjoyed my amazing view in all directions. It is truly a winter wonderland scene.

            By two O’clock, the sky was completely clear and the air calm, inviting me outside to take advantage of the perfect photo opportunity. Zack and I headed outside and I started the Argo to let it warm up. It was only 18 degrees, but with no wind and the sunshine, it felt warm to us.

            The Canadian company that makes the Argo, Ontario Drive & Gear, has a contest for photos of Argos to use in their yearly calendar, and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for some great shots. I had wanted to get a good photo with the Argo sitting on top of the Divide, so after taking a few shots by the Christmas tree with all of its snow, we headed for the Divide.

            Crossing the creek was a bit precarious as the snow builds a two-foot drop off into the water. Once across the creek, I thought if I could get up the hill I could get a great shot of the cabin from above. It was not to be as the Argo was pushing three feet of snow and the tracks couldn’t climb above it, so we continued on. While my previous tracks where completely covered with new snow, the piles on the sides from me plowing a couple of weeks ago were still visible, so we stayed within them and made our way to the spring with little trouble.

            Once we passed the spring, the area is more open and the snow was heavy, being 2 to 3 feet deep, or deeper, so the Argo was pushing the loose snow in front of it as the tracks propelled us forward, at least for a while. As we got to the steeper portions, the Argo once again was pushing a wall of snow in front of it and the tracks couldn’t gain any traction.




            After several attempts, I got out and shoveled the snow in front to see if I could climb above it. Several more tries and the Argo simply couldn’t overcome the deep loose snow. I ended up having to turn around and retrace my tracks to where the actual road turns to traverse the side of the mountain up to the Divide.

            As we made our way, the Argo was in its amphibious mode and was literally floating on top of snow, which was about 6 feet deep. When the tracks lost traction, I would have to turn more towards the downhill side to make additional forward progress. I ended up zigzagging up the slope until I was on the Divide, but several hundred yards further south than where my road joins the Divide road. I turned and keeping on the edge of the Divide road was able to make my way towards the road going down to Marysville.

            I stopped to take several photos and because the sun was low in the sky, I couldn’t get a shot of the Argo looking west, which is what I wanted, so settled for several shots looking east and south.






    I decided that it was early enough in the day, so we headed to Marysville to make sure there weren’t any surprises. We continued on and literal plowed through deep snow getting to the county road. Several snowmobilers had been up the county road and you would think that their tracks would provide a decent surface to drive on, but snowmobiles leave moguls that violently jar the Argo with no suspension. I stayed to the side of the road in the softer snow, and just before reaching the road that is plowed, I ran out of gas.

            I always carry a gallon of gas for such occasions and also have a gallon of gas substitute in my emergency box. I poured the gallon in and the Argo started immediately, allowing us to finish the trip to Mary and Guy’s.

            Mary and Guy were out walking the dogs and soon arrived back at the house. The sun was now on the other side of the Divide and the temperature dropped quickly towards zero. Guy offered me some gas and I refilled my gallon container and poured about another gallon into the Argo, not wanting to take all of Guy’s gas. He has a snowplow on his ATV and a snow blower, so needs gas for them.

            After a short cold visit, Zack and I headed back up the mountain for home. I come and go over open land between the plowed road and Mary and Guy’s house, so when I came to the road I had to climb up and over the mountain of snow that the snowplow leaves along side the road. The Argo made it up and then slid to the side, getting high centered on the mound of snow. I got the shovel and began digging it out when a young guy approached and asked if I wanted him to pull me off with his truck. It would certainly be faster, so I said yes. He had been trying to load his snowmobile into the back of his truck when he saw me, so I after he pulled the Argo off the mound, I asked if I could return the favor and help him.

            He couldn't get his snowmobile into the back of his truck, and he had no ramps. He was trying to back the truck into a snow bank and drive it in, so I helped him, slipping on his truck bed liner and whacking both shins bloody when I tried to climb in the bed of the truck. We finally got it in and then visited for a bit. His name is Vince and he is around his mid to late 20's. He works off shore jobs, meaning anything out in the ocean. He finished the crab season in Alaska, and is now working on a tug doing salvage around the world. Interesting guy.

            We headed on up the hill and I tried to go the short way up the power lines, but couldn't get up the steepest part. I backtracked and started taking the long way when the Argo started acting like it was running out of gas. The engine would only rev up a little and then bog down after we moved a few feet. We crawled up the road at about a half a mile an hour, pushing deep snow in front of us. The engine die twice, but starting right away each time. I thought maybe the fuel filter was clogged but after struggling all the way to the Divide and starting down the other side, it dawned on me that the gallon of gas I put in before getting to Guy and Mary’s must have been old and caused the problem. After it died again, I dumped in the fresh gallon Guy gave me and it started running normally, getting us home at dark. For a few moments, I thought Zack and I would have been hiking home.

            I will change the fuel filter and fill the tank with fresh gas before leaving for town tomorrow. Upon our arrival, the temperature had dropped to eleven below zero and the fire in the sunroom had trouble keeping the temperature up. I stoked the fire, adding more wood, but it just wasn’t putting out much heat. I played with Zack, even though it was now dark, and then fed all of the animals. I sat down with my V-8 juice and tried to warm up, but the sunroom was still at 54 degrees. Due to the temperature difference and the fact that the sunroom had been allowed to cool down, it took two hours for the room to become comfortable. By then the outside temperature had plummeted to -20 degrees.

            After warming up the room, all the animals napped in the warmth of the fire and I watch some television before going to bed at midnight.



Thursday, January 7, 2010

            I was -20 when I got up at 9 AM this morning. The air is calm and the sky clear, so as the sun peaks over Greenhorn Mountain, it should start to warm up. The lowest temperature was at 8:40 this morning; being 21.9 below zero, and yesterdays high was 20 degrees.

            This is the third arctic cold front to move through the area this winter and usually I only get one with temperatures below zero, so I hope this one passes quickly.

            I had my morning coffee and then got ready for our trip to town.

            I played with Zack to help calm him down a bit and then started the Argo to warm up, only it wouldn’t start. It was -11 degrees and the battery was growing weak. I set up and started the propane jet heater to warm the entire Argo shed and the insides of the Argo, then sprayed starter fluid down the carburetor and after a couple of more attempts, it finally started. I let the engine warm up while I loaded the two wheels and 3 empty 5-gallon gas cans. The trip to Marysville was unremarkable and we easily followed our tracks from yesterday, making it to the Divide and down to Marysville.

            It took us longer than usual to get to Helena as I had about 14” of snow and then ice on the Jeep.


Once in town, I hurried from place to place, hoping to get back home before dark. I dropped off the Argo wheels to have the tubes installed first, and then ran my errands and got gas and groceries before returning to pick up the wheels. I stopped to get my mail and took that opportunity to retrieve my phone messages.

            I had ordered four additional house batteries for the cabin and thought they would be delivered today, but a phone message informed me that the freight driver called me on Tuesday and because he couldn’t reach me, didn’t even bother to try and deliver them to Guy and Mary’s address in Marysville. These batteries are 130 pounds each and come on a pallet, so there wasn’t any way I could get them into the Jeep with three gas cans, two Argo wheels and all my groceries. I called them to see if I could have someone else pick them up, thinking my friend Joe might do it with his truck on Saturday. I was told that they are closed on the weekends, so that option was out. I guess I’ll need to make a couple of trips to town to haul them back to Marysville and haul them to the cabin in the Argo.

            After that, we immediately headed back to Marysville, arriving at about 5 PM. I transferred everything to the Argo and after a brief visit, headed for home. When I went over the pile of snow left by the snowplow, I broke the rear right drive chain tensioner and the thing began making one hell of a racket. I stopped to try and determine what exactly broke and if I could fix it, but I would have had to remove EVERYTHING from the Argo to remove the floorboard. My flashlight was weak on power so I decided to try and make it home at a crawl and hoped it would make it without doing a lot of damage.

            At a slower than walking pace, we made our way up to the Divide and down the other side. All of a sudden, the noise of the drive chains got very quiet. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop but it never did and we made it all of the way home. Looks like I'll be doing more work on the Argo before I can make any trips to town.

            After all of that, I was exhausted, so I unloaded everything from the Argo, put it away, played with Zack in the dark, built up the fire, fed the animals and sat down with my V-8 to read my mail. After resting for about an hour, a hot shower and dinner finished off the day.



Friday, January 8, 2010

            It isn’t quite as cold this morning, with the low being -17,2, but after the sun came up, it rose to a warm 17 degrees. It is partly cloudy, with a promise of sunshine and temperatures in the high 20s. Snow is predicted for the weekend, but the temperatures are expected to be above zero, so that arctic front is moving on, thank goodness.

            As the sun warmed things to the 20s, I donned my work clothes and headed out to shovel snow from around the wood splitter while playing with Zack. I split some more firewood and still have plenty left, plus my extra supply against the cabin. I then removed everything from the Argo and pulled the floor out. I was absolutely right about the chain tensioners breaking. Both of the right rear tensioners broke into two pieces and it was a combination of the chain hitting the broken pieces and dragging on the frames cross members that caused the noise.

One of the broken chain tensioners and the other is still lodged in the chain towards the top of this photo. This photo is taken from the rear looking forward.




            I immediately emailed the supplier to order new parts as if I wait, I won’t be able to order until Monday. I then cleaned out the broken pieces and thought about a fix. I rummaged around my Argo parts and found some rub blocks that I had ordered previously, measured and cut a 1x4” piece of wood to the correct dimensions, put a rub block on top and forced it under the chain. That took up the slack and should work for a few trips to town and back. I still need to make a second block for the forward chain, but that shouldn’t be a problem.

            Back in the house, I had replies to my emails about the parts and they are shipping them second day air today, so I shouldn’t have any problems installing the new parts, making the Argo reliable and hopefully I will be able to get my additional batteries up and installed.

            Playtime with Zack, built up the fire, fed all the gang and sat down to update this. It is now dark and I will take a nice hot shower and then have a bite to eat, settling in for the evening.



Saturday, January 9, 2010

            It was a mild night with the low being only around 18 degrees as I didn’t clear the night before, so I am not sure. It is overcast today with NWS saying 30% chance of snow this afternoon and tonight.

            After my usual morning, but before noon, I started a load of wash and began cleaning. I ended up doing five loads of wash, which included my two comforters, which constitutes a load by themselves. I cleaned and mopped the kitchen and bathroom, vacuumed everything but the upstairs, which I’ll do tomorrow, and put things in order.

            It is now 6 PM, and I am quitting for the day. The last load of wash just finished drying and I’ll make up my bed with fresh everything, and then shower and have some dinner. I fed the crew already and tired Zack out playing catch in the deep snow.

          

Sunday, January 10, 2010

            It is still overcast this morning and I only got a light dusting of snow overnight. The temperatures are in the high 20s and low 30s, so if the sun makes its appearance, as NWS says it will, it should get nice enough to do some work outside.

            I worked on building the front chain tension block and after installing it, backed the Argo out to put the wheels back on. I started with the left track and could not get anything to cooperate, but finally got the wheel on, refastened the track, with much trouble, and then added Slime to all the tires and aired them up. By the time I finished, it was getting dark and cold, so I decided I would leave the right side until after I went to Marysville for the chain tensioner parts. I needed to move the Argo so the Slime would circulate inside the tires, so I drove to the garage and both of my jury rigged blocks broke and became useless.

            I will now need to spend tomorrow making stronger blocks, using 2 x 4s instead of the 1” material I used. If I can complete the task early enough, I’ll try to get to Marysville to pick up the replacement parts, but if not, I’ll make the trip on Tuesday.

            I am suffering for my labors of today, so after playing with Zack, feeding the crew, building up the fire, I sat down to have my V-8 and finish writing this. The day turned out nice, with a high of 46 and no wind, so working outside wasn’t too bad, except for standing in the snow.