Changing things up and playing in the snow

Life is going great on the Chatanika, working hard, but also taking some time to play too. We recently got about 6 inches of snow here in the valley, so in the middle of my work day I took the snowmachine out and went for a little joy ride! Doug's snowmachine is not really meant for going out and tearing up the trails but with high and low gearing it still gets up and goes pretty good. Since the lake is located off the river trail not many people know it's there and with a couple feet of untouched snow it makes for a great playground.

I was also thankful for the snow because the trail up from the river to the cabin was in need of a fresh layer of snow. Using the trail almost everyday, sometimes a couple times a day, really wears it out, especially when I'm hauling heavy wood loads.

A few days ago I had my first visitors of the season. A couple of guys on big go-fast machines with huge paddle tracks were just out exploring and made there way up the hill. I could hear them coming up the hill and by the sound of their machines they were doing quite number on the trail. I was a little disappointed about the trail destruction since the trail just got repaired from the snow fall, but it was nice to have some visitors. They had no idea someone lived up here and when they first saw me standing in the yard they stopped dead in their tracks so I had to signal them it was ok to come the rest of the way up. After their brief visit I decided it was time to put some type of sign on the trail down buy the river to welcome visitors, but also to warn people there is a steep hill climb and not to shred the trail.

Depending on the weather I also have been changing up my daily routine so I'm not doing the same thing everyday. The temperature outside has been the warmest I've seen since I've been taking care of Doug's cabin, about 20 degrees. At that temp I was able to let the geese outside to get some fresh air and stretch out their wings. I'd have to admit it was nice to hear the geese honking away while I was working around the cabin today. I snapped a couple pics of them in the yard enjoying a nice snow bath.

I also took a photo of myself prepping to do some wood cutting, toting my trustworthy and powerful Husqvarna chainsaw.

The video today is a follow up on the winter electrical system setup. It shows the setup in the generator building and what else is stored in there in the winter. The generator itself is what heats the building and even when it's 20 below outside I still have to have a door propped open a little bit to maintain 70 to 80 degrees inside when it's running. When the generator is not running and I have the door shut tight the massive 16 inch thick walls help keep the temp above freezing for as long as 10 to 12 hours.

Evening Entertainment

I may spend most of the day doing work around the cabin and off in the woods but I also like to have some down time and lounge as well. After most of my work is done for the day I usually spend my time watching movies or surfing the web just as most people do. I do read a lot too but that I save for bed time when I share a king size bed with 2 dogs and 2 cats.

The first pic is of my "lounge station," two separate LCD TVs. Both are wired into the satellite and I have my DVD player hooked up to the large screen. The small TV is used the most because of it's small power draw and can remain on for many hours without the battery bank needing to be recharged. The large screen on the other hand takes a lot more power and requires a constant charge from either the sun or the battery charger run by the generator.

Another factor that determines what appliances I can use at the same time is the inverter. To avoid putting too much strain on the batteries and inverter I usually only run one large appliance at a time, not including the fridge/freezer combo which stays on all the time. This means I'll either use the internet and small TV at the same time or turn off the internet and fire up the big screen for movie time.

The second pic is of Doug's computer work station. I love having the two screens to use especially when I'm editing pics or video for the blog. It is an older model computer so it does suck lots of power so I can't use the big screen TV at the same time.

It may be hard to tell what the third photo is. It is a pair of flying squirrels in the the bird feeder outside the living room window! They don't visit every evening but it's pretty cool when they do. On several occasions, out of the corner of my eye, I've seen them launch off the roof of the cabin and glide down to the woods below.

In the evening the animal activity is not just limited to the outdoors. Once or twice a day I let the three ferrets out of their pen to run free in the cabin and to blow off some steam. They are quite entertaining especially since Aggie, Doug's little husky, likes to play with them. Unfortunately Sammy doesn't care for them too much an hides out while they're running around. I shot a short video of the ferrets and Aggie playing. You never know when their going to play and have to be at the ready with the camera to capture the fun, that's why the vid is so short.