I have a neighbor down the road that has been doing fire mitigation on his 600 acre property for a few years now. He frequently stacks nice seasoned wood on the side of his private road for me. I went and picked up a trailer load with my son two days ago. He was "helping" me load the trailer. My boy loves to go scrounge wood with me - and I love that he loves it! I need to trim most of these rounds down a bit, but I just can't turn down free firewood. This is about 90 percent Douglas Fir and the rest is Ponderosa Pine.
I would certainly take free Douglas fir and ponderosa pine if it was on the side of the road close to my house!
Good times! He will remember these days for the rest of his life. He doesn't know it but he's learning a lot of life lessons too! We used to live in a Ponderosa forest, its good wood! We would also go a little higher in elevation and get Lodgepole. Smells like a slice of heaven. Nice score! Brad
Thanks, Brad! I have very fond memories of gathering wood with my dad as a very young child. So, I hope he's soaking it up! I do love Lodgepole Pine as well. There is a ton of it around here. Here is a truck load of seasoned Lodgepole I grabbed in October. I grabbed this stuff at 10,000 feet.
Nice grab and even nicer neighbor. Cash junior reminds me of myself when i was a kid. I absolutely loved cutting wood with dad. I can see why cutting wood to the correct length is your least favorite task. Any chance of him leaving it longer for you cut yourself? "Free wood" are my two favorite words?
Great wood score Cash. I too have memories of getting wood with the family during my youth. There was nothing fond about it, sadly.
I’ve asked, but the guy is a little salty. He has a very particular way of doing things. So, I don’t complain. I’m happy to have the wood. It’s still easier than me hiking into the woods, cutting the trees and hauling them to the road.
Can I ask why they are not fond memories? I have the best memories of “helping” my dad as a kid. It mostly involved me eating sunflower seeds and chasing frogs and grasshoppers. I’m sorry you didn’t have a similar experience, friend.
I had a wonderful childhood so no need to apologize. Tons of great memories. But.. firewood was all work and no fun. Never got to do anything but carry and stack wood.
Cash, nice take. Where does that load put you in years of cordwood? I figure my cord/years on colder temps, hopefully Im stashing more than I need per yr. I too recall wooding as a kiddo. Somewhat fond memories. It was work, but not overworked. With my own kiddo, it was work, but we took the time to enjoy the progress through the day and week. Food and rest, goal setting were always a welcome step back when working. We also danced around the fire. American natives danced, demonstrated and discussed their adventures around the community fire. Tales were regaled, memories shared, acheivements honored.... At the end of a day or weekend of work, with whomever worked with me, we'd recap the size of the pile left, the splits stacked, the next chore, how much wood that was, any great moments, any goals exceeded for the day. I've called it dancing around the fire, and it has become a valuable motivation for all of us. But, resting, eating and shooting the breeze have been important. When work trumps relationship, work becomes a grind. The kiddo has caught the wooding disease at this point. I hope he has a wood stove someday. His 'daddo' will bring loads of wood over to be sure! (All the reason to for me to hoard hard......!!!)
Great post, my friend! I go through 4-6 cord per year, depending on how hard the winter is. So I’ve probably got 2.5-3 years of wood saved up. About 85% of what I’ve got saved is CSS’d. I agree with you. Firewooding was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. Like I said before. I chased critters and ate snacks. When it was time to load the truck and trailer, I’d clock in and help my old man. I’d load two splits for every 20 that he probably threw in the trailer. But I always had a smile on my face, and so did my dad. We’d always grill up some burgers or dogs at the end of the day. We’d bonfire off the slash and bark piles while we were eating. Those are some of my favorite memories with my dad. As I grew older, I became more helpful. I learned to run the hydro splitter when I was 8 or 9 years old. I was always a strong little sucker too, so I was also good at moving heavy rounds. I also learned to drive my dad’s truck and back a trailer long before I was a teenager. My older brother never had any interest in firewooding. So those were rare and special one-on-one times with my dad.
Man that some memories!!! That'll inspire you to be a great dad too. Ours is 19. Enjoy all the time you can bro. It is worth it. Sca
Maybe once a month. Sometimes twice. He’s a dusty old cowboy. His property is a labor of love. His horses are his real passion though. So cutting wood is done in his spare time.
