I was in a summer slump the last 2 months afa firewood gathering. The fantastic weather the last few days has me enjoying the outdoors and getting some work done. Yesterday I cleared about a 1000 yard tractor path thru the adjoining property that was recently timbered. They had cut decent roads thru it but they dropped poplar last and left the tops across the paths. I can now go from end to end with a 4 wheeler or tractor and with some work on a dry creek crossing I'll be able to drive a pick up truck thru it. A lot of the tops are covered by new growth so I'll wait until fall for them but I found 3 nice sized red oak (not black oak) tops next to the path with easy access that I'm going to start on today, looks like close to a cord. I really enjoy being in the woods and doing it this time of year is a bonus only thing I don't like is the gnats and mosquitos but Off helps.
Chilly August ahead for eastern two-thirds of the US | Daily Mail Online Looks like Fall is trying to come early, and setting us up for a cold winter-
Rather than Off I do really like the Thermacell units. The cool weather we had last week was really super nice. It appears we'll be around the 80 mark again starting tomorrow here and that is forecast for the next couple of weeks. I'd much rather have it cooler.
I got 22 16" rounds off the big log that went from about 14" to 18" diameter, I didn't count the smaller rounds but it was about the same. This was a perfect job for my go-to 026. There was a knothole near the middle with some pith and ants in a few rounds. The photo showing the uncut wood is another pile of red oak and something else that I couldn't identify from a distance, it will be next but not today as it was in full sun when I finished the 1st pile. I have another pile not shown but it's a mess with green underbrush and small branches and looks snakey, I'll get it after we get a frost. I also took a photo of the dry creek bed . I think I can level it a little with a blade and drag some of the flat rock on the banks where the road will be. .
Nice score. I have been moving some wood the same way. I'm thinking about trying to hack a log arch together to move logs not rounds. Then cut the rounds close to the splitter.
I may have jumped the gun clearing a path on the honey hole on the adjoining property,. I'm hearing chainsaws and machinery working over there today.
I took a ride thru the property this evening and I was surprised that the roads are better and wider than before and no tops blocking them. They are cutting sycamore and it looks to me that there is nothing left for them to cut on the part closest to my property. I didn't know there was a market for sycamore. The good and bad of it is the road is better but the sycamore tops cover some of the oak and walnut tops.
Hey bang, I was thru your part of the country a couple of weeks ago. Came back from Cincinnati thru southern Indiana. Stopped in Bloomfield for a bit to look up some old family history. You mentioned the sycamore in your area, I saw an old photo in the Bloomfield library of 2 men flanking a sycamore tree that must have been 9-10' across at the base! Neat old picture. Spent the night in a little cabin outside of Lyons then made our way NNW toward home. Had to stop in terra haute for some Yengling beer to take home . Southern Indiana has some pretty areas.
I love southern Indiana and the White River Valley. You need to see it when the trees change color. There is a great view on rt157 just north of Bloomfield looking east you can see for miles and miles. I read the other day that the longest train tressel in the country is just east os Bloomfield. Lyons has flat terrain but it's a nice small town. Those small towns will suffer some with I69 now open diverting traffic from rts 231, 67 and 57. I'm located about 40 miles north if Bloomfield and about 60 miles ese of Terre Haute .
High of 90ºF today and cloudy with a chance of rain tomorrow. We were expected to experience a 97% eclipse tomorrow but with the clouds and rain we have in the forecast it won't be ideal for viewing. I guess I can watch it on TV like people do that are far from the path. It would be a 3 hours +/- drive to get directly on the total eclipse path but with the rain being predicted and the potential traffic issue for viewers, I think I will just stay home.
Looking forward to some nice fall temps myself. Although I can't really complain about the summer we had.
Just an update on the activity on the 60 acres being logged next to me. There is a 2 man crew working separately cutting and hauling logs all day. It's sad to see a woods that was full of hardwoods and nut trees look like a tornado aftermath. It was so dense it was total shade in summer, now parts of it are full sun. I estimate 20 acres of the valley is accessible to me and enough hardwood tops to last me 10 yeas or more but I'll need help to get it out of there. I'll probably team up with one of my neighbors and hire a young man that lives close to get as much out as possible this year. I've cut some in the evenings after the crew leaves, mostly just the dead logs and tops suitable to burn this year. The property was very lightly timbered about 4 years ago and some of the logs and tops are still usable.
