The Buckeye administrative area. Due to the remote location this area was the result of great ideas unrealized. In the last two years a new campground was constructed around the reservoir, and other improvements have been made. Due to some of the progress it is hopeful that this area will be better improved.
Kigalia Garage. The door still works and the Garage still serves as a storage facility for different projects, mostly range improvements.
Kigalia Guard Station. The guard station was burned down. The subject of reconstruction is sore among the district staff. It was originally constructed in the 1930's, and went through years of use and non-use.
Little Gooseberry Guard Station. This is the building on the South. It is described as a region 4, plan 4 design. It was constructed in 1935. There was a telephone line that connected Gooseberry to Kigalia Guard Station.
Big Gooseberry Guard Station. This building was moved from the Baker Administrative area in 1967. This building was a Region 4 Plan 7 building, the same as Kigalia, and Warner. It was orginally constructed in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corp.
This is a box of dynamite that was discarded near the opening of a mine shaft. Be careful if you find dynamite in the wild, it is unstable and more dangerous within a 50' radius than a pack of angry bears.
This is an abandoned Uranium mine. Be careful and don't go inside, it can be more lethal than dynamite.
The wood for the man-cave. Presented in this picture are (120) 2x4x8 boards, (16) treated 2x4x12 boards, (16) 2x4x12 boards, a new dewalt compound miter saw, an air-compressor, nail gun and nails. Pending approval of a city building permit I will start framing.

North Cottonwood Guard Station

This fixer upper on the forest that is little known, remote and hard to access. In the last 10 years it has been partially remodeled. The potential is unlimited, the work required is extensive, but it has good walls, roof and foundation. All the access trails were washed out last year making the trip in an adventure on Motorcycle and ATV, impassable for truck.

The following is part of the history published on the Manti-La Sal history "Sheep, Stations and Shacks":

"One of the earliest La Sal National Forest structures, the North Cottonwood Ranger Station was a two-room sandstone building constructed around 1912. An executive order issued on March 3, 1913, by President William H. Taft withdrew the site for administrative purposes. Historical records indicate that the USFS intended to utilize the site year round, while also developing a nursery. The USFS purportedly expended "considerable money" on a stone house, fencing, dams, ditches, and reseeding. By 1940, however, the station was described as "one of the most dilapidated areas on the forest."

The North Cottonwood Guard Station is my favorite spot to get away in the area.

Man Cave Ideas found on the National Forest nearby.

This is a range cabin found on the Elk Ridge. The cabin is authorized under a range allotment permit. If I could build a version of this in my basement/backyard without getting in trouble with my wife or the city I would. I may incorporate the cedar style siding into one of the walls of the mancave.


This is the Warner Guard Station. History: The Warner Guard station was built before 1935. It is a Region 4, Plan 7, two room dwelling with a Plan 24 garage to the north. It was used primarily as a summer station. Both structures are still standing. The guard station appears to be under renovation. The guard station is available for rent to the public by the Moab Ranger district during the summer season. The history of the forest can be found at the hyper-link. I like the simplicity of the interior and exterior.

This is the Mesa Guard Station, it was built before 1921. It was built as a guard station, downgraded to a guard cabin in the 1930's when the Warner Guard Station was completed and by the 1940's it had gone into a state of disrepair. The building consisted of three large rooms and a store room. It is still standing today, but is a couple of heavy snowfalls from becoming another pile of wood. I don't think that it would be repairable given the damage to the foundation. I do like the natural stonework around the foundation and want to incorporate the appearance of natural rock work into the decor. The site is still withdrawn as an Administrative area.


This is at the Mesa Guard Station, of note is the rock walk-way. I am thinking of using slate tile to mimic stone for the floor.

Big old blue dart.

I posted these in the wrong order, oh well. This the the newly named "big old blue dart". Note it is not in the garage anymore.... It got outside on its own power thanks to some help from my dad and an morning of wiring, cleaning, trouble shooting, carpet laying, etc. I took the family on a quick drive around the block and it works. Now for the little stuff to be finished so that I can register the beast.

The inside: the carpet is new, the dash is in, the wires disappeared and the seats are hideous. Off to wal-mart to buy some cheap seat covers.


I took my Dad, my family and some friends on a really long ride to the doll house ruin. It is in its original condition, looks like it was built last year not 700+ years ago.


The sprinklers are in. The fence is up. The Blazer is out of the garage. A few more things to do and I will be getting the Man Cave under construction.

I have been busy and out of town for a while and have put some projects on the back burner. Note the newly tilled side yard... Yesterday we hauled 40lbs of seed home from wal-mart. I have some pipe and plans to get the trench-digger to install a sprinkler system on this side of the house. After observations this year we determined that the north side of this area(the left of the picture) would be a good place for tomato plants. I will be plumbing the water to include a valve to water the plants, a line with a tap attachment, and another valve to water the grass.

I constructed this pad with the left-over cement (fence posts). Wal-mart was clearing out their grills. Our last one died a windy death in Eagle Mountain and was brought here in a state of misery, the kind that normally is resolved with a pistol. This one has a dedicated shelter and a cover to preserve it for a few years. If we have a repeat monster snow year I will have to shift the grill to a better, more wind proof location.

Believe it or not this is progress. Remaining are the stereo and speakers. The gauges, switches, engine-thingy's, and lights have been wired. Luckily most information about wiring old trucks can be found on the internet. The beast will be hooked up to the battery soon and hopefully there will be no unintended fire, sparks, smoke or explosions.

This is a peek into the new wiring nest... All of the old wires were removed, everything is replaced. I don't know what will happen when it is hooked up to a battery, I hope only good things.

Besides work, the yard projects, the garage projects, the blazer project, the garage cleaning project and the hope of a man cave, I am working to get into school this winter to finish a Bachelor's Degree. I left the military with such haste I didn't get all my GI Bill information recorded. Once that is done I will be signing up for classes.

I got a new 5.8 gallon gas tank and front tire for the motorcycle so that now I will be able to travel 200 miles without a fill up.

This year we have been blessed and I fear that the girls are spoiled. I hope that over the next few months I will be working less and spending more time around the house and having fun.

Below is a link to a song on You-tube that a buddy of mine posted on his facebook page.

Shrek Song

Update for "Waylon"

Waylon is coming in up on 40000 miles. My not so trusty steed hasn't let me down, just likes to complain. We took the wagon (camp trailer) on the trail across the state. Had to get the whip out on I-70. Waylon has the ability to pull, just got to rev him out to get over the San Rafael Swell.

When we got home the transmission was acting up. I unplugged the battery for a few minutes and now things are right again.

At 30k miles I re-shoe'd him. The BF Goodrich KM2's did very well. Road manners were decent, tires were quiet and off road was impressive. KM2's weren't available so the new Shoes are Nitto mud tires. They are a 10 ply tire which means higher load rating and ability to run over 70 psi. Waylon's pressure light had been stuck in the on position because the tires weren't rated at a high enough pressure, problem solved with the right tire. Road manners are a little worse than the KM2s (noise and vibration), but they are impressive off road. With 10k miles I haven't noticed any irregular wear. We will see if they make it to 30k. Overall Waylon serves the purpose, just wish there was more room, no speed limiter, and that I could drive with the lights out...

Finally done with the Fence

I showed you what 450 feet of fence looks like on a trailer, this is what it looks like on 2/3 acre. I got tired of dragging this project on and took 4 days off from work to get it done.

As you can see, I started tilling up the lot. When I get another couple of hours the tilling will be done and then we can take a break from the yard project. This fall sometime I need to get a trencher and run the pipe for the irrigation water. We will get some trees from the nursery when they go on sale and try to get the lot looking more like a yard next year.

I was planning on being off for 9 days but got sidetracked by work and ended up in Cedar City for a week. After the holiday weekend I will be out in the garage to finish the Blazer. On the 6th there is a mudbog here in town and I want to enter the blazer. I will probably need to work on it at night to get it finished.

Da Bears

Yes, there are bears in Utah.

This is a pic from Jim's trail camera. Without measuring I would guess that his guy is as tall as me.

If the trend from last year continues into this year, I expect to have alot of bear complaints/sightings. My favorite phone complaints are of the "I saw a bear in the woods" variety. My response "did it chase you? eat your picnic? eat your dog? stick it's tounge out at you? etc.." Which is usually followed by "no, he just ran away" after which I congratulate them for seeing a bear in the woods and surviving.

The bears in this area are pursued/hunted by hounds for two months in the spring, pursued by hounds 2 months in the summer, and hunted on a limited basis in the fall. Whenever they see a person the PTSD kicks in and they usually run away. If your camp is filthy with food and trash everywhere, they will come by for a snack, there is no maybe because of the bear density. They will come by if they smell food. I have heard estimates on the La Sal's of between 150 and 300 bears. On the Blues I would estimate that the numbers are similar.

Some un-official advice:

Keep your camp clean.

Don't leave garbage around your camp.

Don't feed/lure the bears in.

Don't sleep with your food/ put food in bear proof containers (like your car).

Don't play tag with the sleeping bears, they don't like it.

Don't think that your .22 cal. 9mm, 40 S&W, 45 APC pistol is going to stop the bear from eating you. All you are going to do is provide the bear with a full stomach before he dies.

2011 Ford F250 vs 2006 Dodge 2500

I figured that I should start writing reviews about some of the equipment that I use. Last fall I got a new truck (the Blue Oval "Waylon") and I think that I have spent enough time and miles to compare the two. I have blocked out the emblems and other identifying features to ensure that it is clear that my opinion is not official and does not represent my employer's.


First the Billy Goat ("willie"): 345hp Hemi V-8, 4 speed automatic transmission, 4wd, quad cab 3/4 ton. When I got "willie" in 2009 he had 40000 miles.

For the most part he ran well. I had 33" tall firestone mud terrain tires and overall I was satisfied with the truck. The tie rod did come apart while I was driving and nearly caused me to lose control.

One of the biggest dowsides was that the bed was not long enough to carry a 2008 Honda Rancher ATV. Initially the bed was about 2" too short. After some hard use the headboard bent and the 4 wheeler fit. I did knock out a couple of rear windows because the front of the ATV was too close to the window.

Willie had a ton of torque. It seemed that he was quicker than the other 2500 trucks and his top speed was governed at 117mph, he was capable of this speed even with the wheeler riding in back.

There was enough space in the back seat to carry all of my equipment efficiently. Willie offroaded well and with the right tires would go most anywhere, but the limited slip rearend didn't offer enough traction at times and speed was necessary to get through some tough spots.

Willie had over 100k miles when I turned him in and was definately showing his age.
P.S. be carefule when you buy surplus trucks, they might have been driven by me!

"Waylon" is a 2011 Blue Oval F-250 extended cab, 4wd, 390+ hp V-8, 6 speed automatic 3/4 ton . Initially Wayon had some problems that included the transmission, and the traction control system, the computer and the battery. After a few trips to the dealer and 25k miles, the problems seem to be worked out.

I immediately set out and replaced the 31" street tires with some 33" BF Goodrich KM2 mud tires. The suspension components are built very well. Even with some of the places that I go I don't expect any premature failures.

The ATV fits well in the bed with a couple of inches to spare. My dad had some metal left over and he constructed a headache rack that protects the rear window from incidental ATV contact. The rack works very well.

Waylon has a lot of horsepower, but not as much low end torque. Off the line he just doesn't have the pep. The other downside is that his governer kicks in at 97mph. Acceleration is very brisk from 40 through 97 but it hits the governor and loses its hp advantage.

There is no room in the back seat. I have some new equipment and along with the cage there is no possibility of having any passengers besides the front passenger seat and the special seat. Consequently the special seat is reserved for my favoritest friends. Waylon does have an electric locker. The advantage off-road is amazing and I have yet been denied on any road/trail.

I can't get the dealer to eliminate the governor, turn off the running lights or reset the tire pressure sensor from 80psi to 40psi. If I could get these things fixed my only complaint would be the lack of interior space.

We had a tractor come by last Saturday. With all of the excitement of a small town, we had spectators, lots of em', then for the whole week we had gawkers, lots of em'. Today we went out and got rid of some of the rocks. Some neighbors and friends that came over for popcicles were put to work.

These are the rocks that were removed and piled. It is hard to get an idea on how many rocks this is by the pictures, but it was two longbed pickup trailers full. There are still more but the future garden area was hit pretty hard and after adding topsoil the garden should be ready.

We ordered two 18 wheelers of dirt, arranged for a local tractor operator to come by and smooth it out, and arranged for someone to come and drill holes with his auger to place the posts. Hopefully all this will be done this week and by next weekend I can have the posts in place and ready for the final installation. We will see.

Work and than more work.....

Easter Jeep Safari went off with very few problems. Other than a couple of minor violations it seemed that the party sceen has found a different location to spend Easter.

Easter Sunday was spent first in Church (now 9:00!) than for a 4 hour "jaunt" to Fillmore to see a puppy, a very expensive puppy. We managed to spend a little time with close family before making another 1.5 hour drive to Orem to spend the night at my parents house.

The above picture is what happens when you buy 450' of chainlink, (42) top posts, (36) line posts, (13) corner posts, (56) 80lb bags of concrete, (3) walk gates, (1) 10 foot drive gate, some other doohickies and doodads used in construction of a chainlink fence, then toss on a big flatbed trailer, throw on a wheelbarrow to get the job done than drive 240 miles back home. That was a long day. No room on the trailer for the mancave lumber, maybe next time.

Note the nearly completed Blazer sitting idle in the background.

I contacted a local tractor owner and hope to have the lot plowed and ready next weekend for the contruction of the silver woven kid trap.

After getting done with my ?days off? I went back to work and headed into Hammond Canyon for an overnight surveying trip.

I am not a cowboy, the horses know it. For some reason horses see me and develop an attitude. Maybe it's the prospect of packing around a 250lb Ogre, maybe it's because my feet drag on the ground, whatever the reason, horses don't like me. We spent two days laying down the survey marks for an old homestead. Hammond canyon is full of archeology and consequently more work for me.

Progress on the Blazer

Today I got the ignition wired, the guages wired, the light swich ready, just have a couple of things to button up like the winshield wipers and my new stereo; and the wiring will be done. I am trying to get the Blazer out soon so that I can focus on more important things like the man cave and airplanes.

I am trying to get my chores done, or create more chores depending on how you look at it. The tractor is coming soon to plow the lot hopefully this weekend I will be getting a couple loads of dirt on so that I can get to work on installing the fence.

Spring is on in San Juan County. Half of the county is out looking for antlers, the other half are hunting either turkeys or Bears, some of the multi-talented ones manage to look for antlers while hunting bears and turkeys.

Amy is getting excited about the new dog she is getting next month. Another girl in the house, as if I wasn't outnumbered as it was. She wants me to name the dog but I am sure she will carry the veto vote if she doesn't approve of one eyed bart, bevis, or any other fun name.

Man Project Status: stagnant

Last Sunday I was out working and took this picture. This is at the edge of my patrol area looking west. This weekend my parents made the trip to Monticello and my dad and I got some of the projects done around the house in yard, they aren't Man-projects (clean the floor in the garage, dig a post hole and cement the clothesline pole, build a shelf in the pantry, and haul a load of junk to the dump). The blazer project is barely creeping along. My lack of motivation is the biggest obstacle.

Blazer still in the garage.

The Blazer is still in the garage, the suburban is still in the driveway. Until the Blazer is rewired, I am not going to start any of the pending projects.




The yard:

We bought the lot behind us, it will need to recieve dirt this spring to level out. We will be buying a fence soon after the leveling project to corral the kids. I will be moving the playset from the grass to a soon to be designated spot on the back lot.

The Airplane:

I want to build an ultralight airplane, cause I think it would be fun to build and I would like to fly. I have decided that I want to build the Legal eagle XL.

The man cave:

Still planning, I will be framing as soon as the Blazer moves outside.

Hopefully I will get some time this week to finish wiring.

Pending project: The Man Cave. Up next after wiring the blazer I will be framing my version of the Man Cave. For those of you that "ask what is a Man Cave?" or "why do you need a Man Cave?" Here are your answers in reverse order:

I live with 4 daughters and my wonderful wife, my house is full of all kinds of girlness, I am looking for a place where I can be close to my family but in my own space.

I haven't quite decided what my version will be. I know that I want to have a woodburning stove, thick soundproof walls, and that the colors won't include anything that sounds like bottany beige, yellow lotus, windmill wings, or posy pink. Not that there is anything wrong with those colors, just not in my cave.

The only casualty from building the cave besides the money is that the girls will no longer have 1500sf of basement to ride their bicycles, jump on the mini trampoline, or throw balls in the wintertime, I will be limiting them to about 800sf.

Current project: Rewire the blazer. There is a little bit of history in this truck. My parents worked hard when I was growing up, they didn't have a whole lot and when they did make purchases it had to be something that they thought about long and hard. My dad always wanted a 4 wheel drive and he bought this 1980 chevrolet blazer in 1985. When I was 10 I learned how to drive while deer hunting in this truck and in my grandpa's green 1974 pickup. He loved this truck and sold it to my uncle Brad when he bought his black 1990 suburban. Uncle Brad parked the Blazer in front of his house from 1992 until 2006 when he got engaged and the future wife said to get rid of it. Brad really loves his wife and I really loved the old blazer so I tried my mom's patience and my dad and I moved the truck into my parents garage where it sat while my Dad and I worked on it during our lunch brakes for a long time. We took the 427(big motor) out of my grandpa's truck, bought some heavy duty axles off of KSL.com classified for $300, replaced the floorboards, and put on some $400 military hummer tires that I bought off of Ebay. Finally after a long cold winter and making my mom scrape her windows (thanks mom) we finished the project in 9 months. On Sunday during Memorial day in 2008, against her better judgement, I talked my smart wife into going on a drive in the foothills with our three little girls. Long story short the truck caught fire when electricity and broken fuel line met. Since then I have been nervous about fires with the old wiring that had been rigged and re-rigged many times. Last summer I bought a new "EZ wiring harness" off of Ebay for $150 and have been in the process of removing all of the old wires, removing the interior, and rewiring for the last 6 months. In all I have probably worked on the truck for less than 30 hours but haven't done it consistantly. My wife is getting a little impatient with having to scrape windows on the Suburban (my work truck and the minivan get 2 of the 3 spots in the garage) and would love for me to move the blazer back outside where it belongs. Hopefully the weather will warm up and I can finish putting the insides back inside the truck.