Hooked Up And Ready To Roll

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At Last
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A Note Of Encouragement From My Stepson

Q: Dave, Again your narratives on this blog are fantastic! I look forward to staying abreast of the details of your progress and/or setbacks with your plans on the new place (typically Mom's details leave more questions). I hope that you have a safe trip to NM, further hope that your new "toys" big ole truck and trailer measure up to your expectations you have in mind.Bryan

Asked by Bryan Griffiths

A: Thanks Bryan, and thanks again for your help in sorting out the trailer systems. I put in the new batteries yesterday and replaced two more fuses. Now everything works as good as new including the front electric jack, and the freezer is actually freezing. I also picked up a new spare wheel and tire at Walt's RV in Fontana for $60.00. They have a mountain of good stuff cheap.

I'm running more than a day behind schedule, so I now expect to leave super-early Friday morning. The weather looks good enough so I will go through Flagstaff on I-40 instead of taking the I-10 all the way out to the south end of I-25, then north to US 60. That will save almost 200 miles of drive time and a little over a half tank of fuel.

I had the Dodge completely serviced yesterday; full lube, radiator flushed, engine, transmission, transfer case, and both differentials oil drained and replaced with full synthetic. Shifting from 2nd to 3rd had been a little scratchy, but the new oil took care of that.

If I have no problems on the road I should sleep Saturday night on the ranch.

Ask David a question.

Returning To The Ranch

An exchange of notes with my friend Master Chief Bobby Mercer, USN (retired):

Hi Dave

Thatr’s one smart DAWG. How did you ever train it to shoot the model 870 and .45 auto.

If’n you was to just teach that thar dawg to shoot the bulls, then you could deny all responsibility for their demise. After all, it would be just one critter taking another, “Law of the wild!”

I heard, once upon a time, that “free range bulls” are purty good eatin, if’n you cook the meat real slow on a smoker (bout 14-16 hours for a good size roast) but then I didn’t see a lot of firewood in the pictures U sent.

Is this Hardin feller a descendant of the infamous John Wesley Hardin? If’n he is maybe you oughta git him to deal with those disreputable fence builders!

Should I ever find my way out to your ranch, I’ll make sure I telephone, write, and email you first. My rig will be lighted up like a Xmas tree. And I’ll be playing DIXIE on the horn, as soon as I leave the highway. Don’t want to get crosswise that thar dawg, or that Hardin feller!

AND HEY, remember that you are retired. I hope that you have a great summer, and that you get all your planned activities done. But, if it gets too hoar, take a deep breath, relax, the you and Brandy get away and do something fun for a couple of days.

That RV trailer is looking mighty nice!

Probably the easiest thing you could do to keep it cool is get one of these large canvas portable garages, or a car port style structure to park it under.

If you do add to the roof insulation, make sure that you provide drainage paths for the roof air conditioners, you don’t want the condensation puddling in the unit(s).

Bobby

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Hi Bobby,

Well, the .45 was easy. I had to put the first round in the chamber, and leave it in "condition one" cocked and locked, and pretty soon he was double tapping like a pro. The 870 was a little tougher, but once he learned to set the butt on the ground and rack it with both front paws it was dog-gone impressive. Only problem is they won't sell him ammo down to the gun store. Some BS about him not being of legal age!

By the time I re-read my blog and saw the syntax error it was too late to change it. But I have gotten back some good humored commentary.

Tim Hardin and I are both related to John Wesley Hardin. He is a direct descendent, and I am related through my father's mother's side, the Hardins and the Hicks. Makes us distant cousins. We discovered that fact within minutes after we met. Nothin' quite like "blood kin" to red-neck good ol' boys like us.

Every one of those Juniper, Cedar, and Pinon Pine trees you see in the pictures comes with it's own supply of firewood. As the trees grow the branches closest to the ground die and dry out to "standing dead wood". A chain saw and tractor-loader is all you need to produce a mountain of it.

I like the car-port structure the best as summer time shade for the trailer. The sun and wind deal very harshly with cloth or canvas. They become temporary at best. By the time it gets warm enough to worry about I'll have some good shade built.

After getting up high enough to see the full layout of the trailer roof I realized I couldn't add enough foam area to do any good. "Bad idea".

Finished my taxes last night so as to be free of the "Dark Cloud" during my first few weeks back out at the ranch. Me not working sure made a difference in our bottom line.

"Being retired" is just like having a different job. I gain weight and start to feel old when I sit around too much. That ranch is going to extend my useful life by twenty years at least.

My best to the boys,
Dave

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I figure to leave Fontana on or about the 18th of March, pulling the trailer, and get to High Boondocks Home around the 20th.

We have enhanced my wife's security this time by getting a new dog (not nearly as friendly as Brandy was), and by teaching her how to use my short-barreled 12 gauge Remington 870, and my tuned-up, laser sighted, .45 auto. Believe me, coupled with the new alarm system, and the dead-bolt locks she will no longer be alone and vulnerable!
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This time at the ranch it will be, "hit the ground running". I've made arrangements with my neighbor to the South, Richard (Hogan) Falk, to finish the fence line on both the North and West boundaries. He will start that even before I arrive. The new fence will enclose Wendy Andersons and Tim Hardins 57 acres with our 40 acres, so we can run horses on the whole place and they can water at a tank near the well on our place. It will also provide safe grazing for some goats and a few weaned calves (NO range bulls allowed).
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If anyone out there in Mountainair reads this, I want everyone to know that I intend to deal fairly with the men who started the fencing job, but never finished it, even though they have had since last summer to do it. They did set a lot of posts and stretch one strand of wire to define the line, but they did not finish the braces or complete setting the posts. Some posts on Wendy and Tims West boundary are out of line and will have to be pulled and reset for the fence to be properly stretched. So I will pay them the going rate for the work they have done. We will work it out. I want no hard feelings to mar the pleasure I feel in anticipation of having our new home in the country. As you all know the secure fence is needed to keep out the cattle and the range bulls that do so much property damage for which the owner, hiding behind the "Free Range" law, refuses to take responsibility. As it is now I can't stack building materials or accumulate piles of top soil (for fill) without the cattle stomping them flat! The cattle have a need to climb on top of anything more than a foot high. Then they fight for the high spot.
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I already had Frank Sedillo (Price Right Electric in Belen, NM) run a 50 amp service 310 feet over to the green shack so I can hook up my self-contained travel trailer, and have power to a shop space.

The most important priority now is to get the metal 30x60 building put up so we can have protected storage for our household goods and my power tools during the transition. Since I have not been able to find a reasonably priced contractor, I will do the grading, foundation forms and pier walls myself, then build and set the forms, and pour and finish the concrete slab myself (probably in 10x10 squares), with locally hired help. As it is to be an "Agricultural" storage building and tractor garage, the finish quality of the slab is not super critical. I am looking forward to accomplishing a great deal more this year than last.

Our goal is to have a modified Karsten model 27 house ready to live in before Thanksgiving 2009, and to complete the transition to the ranch by late spring of 2010. Four years in the making, but well worth the wait. We have made the tentative decision to rent our house (with all that entails) rather than try to sell it in this market.
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On the trailer I have installed and tested the propane bottles and rung out the electrical system. The refrigerator needs servicing as it just barely gets cold, but that's not really a big deal. Heat is important and that works fine, both gas and electric .

Yesterday I installed a new trailer brake controller in the Dodge truck and last Wednesday, just to be on the safe side, I had four new rear tires installed at Sam's Club. I wanted to wait and have them installed by my friends in Mountainair, but I decided it was prudent not to take the chance. The only thing left to do on the truck is to change the oil and coolant, and service the differentials and the transfer case. Oh yes, and put on the wide towing mirrors.

I have complete faith that this truck will pull our trailer with no strain, and serve for many years as our main "Ranch Truck". Next year sometime I'm thinking of converting it to a 10 foot "stake bed" for better materials handling. Discussion is invited if anyone has any ideas about that. Since I have no intention of ever selling it, resale value is of little concern to me.

No pictures for this posting, but expect to see a lot as the fence goes in and the metal building goes up.

See you at the ranch.
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Working Out Ways To Beef Up Trailer Insulation

Q: Not really a question although I'm sure I could frame it as one if needed. Dennis Fulfer has been working out ways to beef up trailer insulation. Maybe you could compare notes.

Asked by Vanessa Vaile

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A: I am very interested in that subject. In the Northern states I've seen many over-roofed and super-insulated fixed mobile homes. They do benefit from the added external insulation. The aesthetics are certainly not improved, however, except where owners have fully enclosed the home.

For a travel trailer like mine I have been thinking of adding a two-inch layer of foil-faced rigid foam in selected areas (foil face down) and over-coating it with three or four coats of HENRY'S white polymeric roof coat. That would not add greatly to the weight, would add about R5, would not be too terribly ugly, and would not interfere with relocating the trailer when required.

I count several engineers and builders among my friends, some of whom may have relevant experience and/or ideas about improving the QoL (quality-of-life) in their travel trailers. Discussion is invited.

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Ask David a question.

Travel Trailer and Truck Work

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This is our newly acquired travel trailer which will add comfort and warmth to my "Boondocks" experience in the coming months, and add to the future guest accommodations at the ranch.



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When we first got the trailer there was a lingering odor of cat urine. The carpet had to be torn out completely to begin the remediation. After all the carpet was out, I gave the bare sub-floor two very heavy coats of white polymeric roof sealer. We decided to replace the carpet with a medium quality laminate.


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I completely removed and rebuilt the support frame for the couch, raising it two inches to improve the storage space under and to better fit my seating height requirements.

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I closed off the outside hatch, (it's the open one in the second picture above), and insulated the wall with 1 inch of foil-faced foam board. Then I coated the area with a polymeric vapor barrier and carpeted it. Afterwards I wainscoted the wall next to where I will sleep for a little more warmth.

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Here the floor is almost all installed and awaiting the newly stained trim.

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The couch/bed back in place ready for use. The empty box under the left end is typical of the boxes that will be used for storage. It's the same size as a Xerox box.

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My wife has been encouraging, and ever so patient throughout this entire mess. She has a very good eye for living space, and I have been grateful for her help and impressed with her suggestions.

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This is a pretty good shot of the fabric we found to reupholster the dinette and couch cushions.

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In this view the slide is all the way out. We were able to get the trim on the slide and the floor to compliment each other very well. With the carpet removed the slide glides silently in and out. It used to groan and hesitate.

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This is the alcove at the rear door. I guess two doors are nice to have, but that 4 square feet might have been added to some more functional space.

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The rear door alcove is a natural hanging locker so I added a clothes rod stained to match the "decor.

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I used a combination of 1/2 inch quarter-round and 1 1/2 inch door casing for the trim. It seemed to blend the floor and the cabinets well.

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After the stain mixture had been tested for color, I wiped down all the cabinet and drawer fronts with it. It covered the wear and oxidation of accumulated years of use and made a nice fresh patina.


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And this is the 2001 Dodge 3500, 4WD 5 speed diesel we bought to pull it with.


Sharon was having difficulty getting in the truck, so I installed these steps on both sides to make it easier. Turns out they make it much better for me too. In the picture they look a little too far forward, but they are exactly where they need to be. They are 20 inches wide and centered at the front of the seat.

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SCHEDULE CHANGE:
My plan now is to pull the trailer out to the ranch about the third week in March. I know I am a glutton for punishment and the weather might not be ideal (windchill), but I am anxious to see my friends and check on things, especially the fence. Hopefully there will be enough mild days to allow some progress to be made.

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Going Home For The Winter

This will be my last week here for this year. My next blog entry will be a recap of what I have managed to get done, what failed, and what is planned for next Spring. It may take a few hours to build the blog but I will get it done. Look for it next week sometime.
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The following was added March 14, 2009:

Here's a bunch of pictures and text from October 22, that I had not been able to post before.


The normal way to get an in-ground tank to withstand the load of backfill is to fill the tank with water first, but getting 2500 gallons of water delivered to our Boondocks location was iffy at best. The "empty" in-ground storage tank installation pit could not be "quickly" back filled without the tank collapsing under the load, so after first digging by hand down to the bottom of the tank all the way around I used the old tried-and-true method of corrugated roofing applied over 1 inch thick foam insulation to obtain the necessary sidewall rigidity. Plus I used the tractor loader to fill the pit evenly with rock-free fill dirt to keep from tipping or moving the tank. Since there was no way to mechanically fasten the foam board and the corrugated roofing to the tank I used most of two rolls of Gorilla tape to hold the stuff in place until the backfill could be dumped in around it. It worked and it looks okay. A lot more shovel work will be required to shape the berm evenly all the way around. Next year will see the final result.

When ever a large deep hole gets dug in this rocky ground, never fill it in without putting a post in it. You may not have an immediate need for it, but out here something will surely turn up. What, you might wonder, are the four massive pressure treated posts for? Not for the strength of the water tank, although they are very strong. They are the vertical supports for an octagonal 12' diameter gazebo/deck which will eventually be part of our outdoor living space. It will have a very nice view of both the mountains to the North and the valley and ridge line to the South.

While I was working the wind was blowing 20 to 25 mph, with gusts to 35 mph. Not hard as New Mexico winds go, but sharp edged roofing is nasty in any wind. Even though I was wearing gloves and being cautious, the sky gods decided to exact a few extra drops of blood in return for the success of my efforts (see the picture of my right wrist. And my Tetanus shot is current). Not only did I get nicked and scraped, but I suffered the added indignity of being knocked down and thrown into the pit with the water tank. While I was still trying to figure out if anything was broken (specifically me) my dear wife called with a banking question. Now anyone with a sense of humor would have to see the irony in that. All I could say was, "I'm down in the hole!" and of course I answered her question laying flat on my back. (She was not aware of my situation.)

The Hut is coming along nicely. Mondays heavy rains and strong storm winds proved it to be tight and dry. The roof sheathing has been covered with Elastomeric coating for added weather proofing and it stood up fine against the elements.





















This rainbow touched the ground right by my cube shack. I ran down there to snag the pot of gold, but I think the IRS must have gotten to it first. You know how they are.
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Wet And Windy

Just a couple of pictures taken on highway 47 south of Belen right at sundown on 11 Oct 2008.



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T' Storms, Main Gate And The Cube Hut

Sunday afternoon around 4:30 this boomer of a thunder storm came barreling east on highway 60. I had been working with the tractor, grading the approach to the main gate and I didn't see this monster until it was almost on me. I high-tailed it for the shack and got there just in time to avoid a thorough soaking. It dumped close to 2 inches of rain in four hours, and for the first time since last June there was water standing in puddles this morning. Usually the rain soaks right in.

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This is the main entrance gate to our 40 acres. I built it in June of 2006, and until today it couldn't be used because of the fence posts and barbed wire and the ditch that used to be there.

Now we will be able to bring in the sections of our house without taking down the fence and trucking the house cross country to the building site. The gate is 20 feet six inches wide (two ten foot green field gates). When we move in I'll change it to a single 20 footer with a support wheel and a remote electric gate opener.

I had quite a time learning how to make a surface this smooth with the box blade. I used the loader and the scarifier teeth to remove the top soil and get the rough (very) gradient and then with the blade set to about a quarter of it's depth capability I began grading in a long "X" pattern passing through the gate each time in a squashed series of about 50 figure 8 laps, working closer and closer to the gate as I gained confidence and control. You can see the tracks of the "X" pattern in the picture above.  Each time the surface was a little smoother. And because the tires follow the convolutions of the ground, the smoother the ground, the smoother the results of the blade. There is no substitute for patience in this process.

I have no clue why the above paragraph turned blue and underlined itself. It defied all efforts to correct it, so I left it alone fearing the whole blog would capsize if I messed with it too much.

In the next picture you can see the gentle slope I was able to make with the tractor. Less than three gallons of diesel fuel were used in about two and a half hours.

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The rain soaked my building site, costing me a day which might have seen the place under roof. Oh well, tomorrow is forecast to be clear and dry, with no more rain until next weekend. Fly rafters and roofing tomorrow. 

It was fun making and putting up these small classic gable end rafters. Each is 70 and 1/2 inches and easily one-handed into position. The power panel is not really out of plumb as it appears in the picture. That is a photographic effect known as "Rising Front Distortion".

The header on the left wall is for a 24 inch wide door that leads to the WC where my small composting toilet will reside. This small room (4x8) will also offer warmth and privacy for bathing. It will be a shed roofed attachment to the main building and have a pressure treated wood floor supported on posts and beam. 

The front where the gray door is will have a 6x8 covered porch and since it faces east it will be a shady place to relax on future Summer days.

Windows on both the east and west walls are vinyl, low "E" units, warm in Winter and cool in Summer. The window openings are not large, but they are sufficient for good ventilation and, at the same time the small openings are more secure.

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