Blue Crayfish, Salamander Rescue & A New Friend In Myrtle The Turtle

This past weekend, I was back to the Cabin in Southwest Virginia for my main pastime of late...mowing.

I spent most of the week at St. Clair is doing something around mowing (weed-eating is part of that, too). That wasn't the only thing I ended up doing. Dad and I decided to clean out the spring water tank. It is where the water from the spring collects and is pumped to the house. This meant I had to climb into the tank to sweep the mud and suck out as much as possible. While there, I did rescue an orange salamander. While he wasn't in the tank, I also spotted a Blue Crayfish, also known as Monongahela Crayfish. Finally, I made a new friend who was around all weekend...Myrtle the Turtle!

Close Calls With Tractor's & Drone's

I was in Scott County, VA, at the Cabin this week, but I wasn't there to mow but to move the tractor so it could be taken to get repaired. 

The old tractor in the barn has been down well over a year. That Bald-Faced Hornet nest above where we worked on the tractor this time last year. So, the plan was for a guy to come in with a rollback truck and haul it out. Well, the road to the Cabin is a rough one mile, but the barn is even harder to get to even with a 4x4. When the guy got his truck up there, he said he couldn't reach the barn. Getting stuck just before the Cabin might have colored his opinion. So, we would need to get the tractor down from the barn to the truck. We pulled it out with the backhoe enough so gravity could take over and the tractor coasted down to the truck. The tractor needed a pilot, and there was only one person for the job...no literally I was the only person. I wasn't a pilot, I was hoping not to crash it. We did finally get it to the truck, and best of all, no one was harmed.

That was just the first of some close calls as I had one with the drone. I had it up to watch the sunset, but clouds, so I decided to take it over the ridge, which I had done before. However, this time, a warning of a weak signal, and then the screen went to black-and-white. That means I lost contact with the drone...which I thought meant disaster. I will admit I did panic, but it was that which might have saved my drone. While I tried to bring it back, I hit the up button instead. Because of this, the line of sight improved, the screen popped back on, and the drone went into auto-return mode. I was able to reestablish control and landed it safely. 

Buddy Sighting On Mowing Trip To The Cabin

 

Early this week I had to travel to the Cabin in Scott County, Va to do some mowing and I got a surprise...a visit from Buddy the Bear.

This was overnight that had a quick turnaround. I got over just after lunch on Monday and left Tuesday morning. With the new mower, I got that done with no problem. I had to cook dinner and got some drone time. 

Early the next morning I was loading the jeep and I looked down the road and spotted something black it didn't take but a few seconds to realize it was our resident bear, Buddy. I thought I might have caught a glimpse of him while mowing, but this was him right there in the road. I decided to run in and get my camera (you never have it ready when needed), but I thought he probably would head into the woods and I would miss him. But low and behold he was just sauntering down the road. Yelled, "Hey bear" and he stopped and look back. I did it a second time and again the same result. However, on the third he just ignored me and he disappeared down the road. What a way to start the day! 

SmugMug Photos

Two Cabin Trips Rolled Into One

This blog will cover not one but my two most recent trips to the Cabin. The reason is I'm behind on blogs and two to celebrate the end of my mowing migraine. These trips were just under a month apart with the first in mid-May and the other just a little earlier in June. In April I barely got the lawnmower to run, but finished the yard as the belt broke. When May came around we still hadn't gotten a new mower for the Cabin, but the problem with that was the Spring explosion had happened, so we had to piece together that Crappy Craftsman Mower. It mowed most of the yard but finally gave up the fight, this time it was done. So, on the return in June, a wonderful thing happened...we finally got a new mower. Yes, it took some time, but we unloaded the new Husqvarna. I won't get into too much detail, but let's just say it was such a relief to just mow and not have to spend a day working on a mower. Also, I was able to mow the road two the second fence because it really needed it. I also decided to get some miles out of the Worx's batteries I bought I took the overmatched weed eater to the Cabin to always have one here.

Out with the old in with the new.

Of course, I did get a chance to run the drone. I will say it is over at the Cabin that I test new stuff I learn or just try out stuff I might want to work out before doing it somewhere it might be harder to recover the drone if something went wrong. One more thing there were plenty of wildflowers.

(Clockwise) Deptford Pink, Common Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Long-Stalk Crane's-Bill

Young Red-Tailed Hawk

Above the Cabin...

...May...

...(A) June. (BT) May Sunset & (BB) June Sunset.

Only Cabin Blog Needed Courtesy Of The Hiking Machine

Well, Peteoholics I'm back and it was a trip to the Cabin in Southwest Virginia. When I'm on the trail here it is mostly a training session for the Hiking Machine. First off, I didn't think we would make it because "Big Red" barely got us to Fort (Blackmore). It didn't matter as there was no hiking on Wednesday because the Lummox was struggling to get that piece of s**t lawnmower going. Well, that changed 

Thursday morning as it was time to hit the trail. Yes, it was 4/20 and I get my high smoking trail. Some have referred to me as Crazy Pete and that is what I become when I'm not let loose to crush trail like a crazed creature! While I wanted to go up my knob the nob that's the Lummox wanted to look for (morel) mushrooms. Like a Bigfoot or alligator, the Lummox saw the same thing...NONE! You know he would want to send up the drone. Well if it gets me on the trail I don't really care. We did see some wildflowers, including Bear Corn, but the Bruins themselves didn't show. I would have body checked them off the knob! 

On Friday, we did a mile going down to catch a ride back to St. Clair. I made the Lummox take a detour. He whined quite a bit until he spotted some wildflowers. I got in another mile which is better than no miles at all. Well, with that, you know what's next, I'm out...BITCHES! 

The Hiking Machine Is Back In The Saddle Again!

Finally! The Hiking Machine is back in the saddle and back on a trail! While it was just a trail over at the Cabin, I will f***ing take it! I know all the Peteoholics are having withdrawals from not reading of my exploits. Well, there is a reason I haven't had none! If you have seen the posts and blogs from the blockhead known as the Lummox, you will know that the idiot caught COVID from a bunch of mouthbreathers! Now, besides the fact I continue to mask (yes, I have questioned the Lummox about his masking habits), my constitution is just too strong for the virus to take hold, unlike the weak and puny Lummox. So, I have been on the sidelines chomping at the bit while that wuss recovered. Finally, this past week, we finally got out in "Fort Blackmore" and I finally could get some trail time in. I wanted to go up my Knob, but the Lummox was too weak. If I had let him, we would have just gone to the barn and back. So, we compromised on the Superloop, but the hard direction (down the road and back). While I was fine shredding trail and crushing the miles the Lummox, predictably, the Lummox struggled. I thought I would lose him at the other barn, and we still had the big climb. Let's just say I had a sore back. We got a break when we got to the top of (Wood Booger) Ridge as he wanted to run the drone. If it gets him out on the trail then I'm fine with the damn thing. It also made my trip back easier because the Lummox wasn't all the dead weight after the break. 

After we got back, he relaxed by the fire, and I thought about my next outings. Oh, I forgot there were some guys putting in fiber optic or something like that. The Lummox asked about the internet, and I was like, "HELL NO, I will never get him on the trail." Well with that there is one more thing...wait for it...I'm out BITCHES!!!

Hornets, Mowing & A Beautiful Sunset At The Cabin

As Pete so abruptly said we went to the Cabin early last week for three days of rain, mowing, and hunting hornets but unfortunately no hiking. 

Anyway, the two reasons for the visit were mowing, again, and doing something about the Bald Faced Hornet problem in the barn. I talked about it when it was the size of a softball, but now more like a basketball. I went up after dark on Sunday and set off one of the large foggers I ordered from Amazon. The next morning they were still flying in and out. Since it was a little rainy, I hit it with foaming hornet spray. Then Monday evening I emptied another can and set off the other fogger. The next morning the hive looked quiet...so we will see.

One other thing of note...on Sunday evening I didn't plan to run the drone, but at sunset, the colors were too good to resist. To make a long story short, it went up. Well, that was the first part of the week, the Smokies were to come...

Photos: SmugMug