Logging or Maybe Former Logging Community Life

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I saw a guy riding a bicycle with a shiny old Mac T hardhat on yesterday. Not sure if it was for rain protection or was his version of a bike helmet. It was shiny and showed up well.

I ride a bike for exercise, but unfortunately, in this area, bicycles are stigmatised because most riders are people who have suspended driver's licenses and have most likely been caught a few times driving while license was suspended.

Such is life in what was once, a logging community.
 
I ride a bike for exercise, but unfortunately, in this area, bicycles are stigmatised because most riders are people who have suspended driver's licenses and have most likely been caught a few times driving while license was suspended.

I thought that is what mopeds were for.... Ride your bike, but as with logging, get a good helmet (with a chin strap. :msp_wink:).
 
Unfortunately it's very true about no license and bikes. Right now in a crew of six there are only two in our crew. Two guys do ride bikes to where we pick them up. Corks and hardhat in tow. It shows the lack of quality of people who are headed to the woods looking for work. There are some good but you have to sort through alot of not so. The last chaser was caught huffing starting fluid. Real great.
But then again I have coffee with an old logger that rides his bike to the store mainly because he says gas costs to much to drive a mile to BS and have coffee. Occasionally he walks.
 
Unfortunately it's very true about no license and bikes. Right now in a crew of six there are only two in our crew. Two guys do ride bikes to where we pick them up. Corks and hardhat in tow. It shows the lack of quality of people who are headed to the woods looking for work. There are some good but you have to sort through alot of not so. The last chaser was caught huffing starting fluid. Real great.
But then again I have coffee with an old logger that rides his bike to the store mainly because he says gas costs to much to drive a mile to BS and have coffee. Occasionally he walks.

Yup. I'm working up to riding to the post office, which will be around 14 miles, round trip. I can do 10 now or maybe later--gots a very sore shoulder for some reason.

I even thought about an After Forest Service Retirement job as an emergency driver. If the one licensed driver couldn't make it to drive the crummie, call me. But there's not enough going on around here anymore.
Crummie Chauffeur. I like it. I could even hold the doors open and shove the passengers in. :msp_smile:
I'd hand out Skin So Soft bug repellent. :msp_biggrin:
 
Yup. I'm working up to riding to the post office, which will be around 14 miles, round trip. I can do 10 now or maybe later--gots a very sore shoulder for some reason.

I even thought about an After Forest Service Retirement job as an emergency driver. If the one licensed driver couldn't make it to drive the crummie, call me. But there's not enough going on around here anymore.
Crummie Chauffeur. I like it. I could even hold the doors open and shove the passengers in. :msp_smile:
I'd hand out Skin So Soft bug repellent. :msp_biggrin:

Okay, that's not a bad idea. But when you got the crew to the woods what would you do with the rest of the day? Borrow the water truck and the fire hose and sluice out the inside of the crummy? Unkink chokers? Bump knots on the landing? Can't just stand around, ya know.
 
I saw a guy riding a bicycle with a shiny old Mac T hardhat on yesterday. Not sure if it was for rain protection or was his version of a bike helmet. It was shiny and showed up well.

I ride a bike for exercise, but unfortunately, in this area, bicycles are stigmatised because most riders are people who have suspended driver's licenses and have most likely been caught a few times driving while license was suspended.
That is only true with the younger people. The older more seasoned drunks with suspended drivers licenses drive there lawnmowers to the tavern.

Such is life in what was once, a logging community.

:hmm3grin2orange:
 
Okay, that's not a bad idea. But when you got the crew to the woods what would you do with the rest of the day? Borrow the water truck and the fire hose and sluice out the inside of the crummy? Unkink chokers? Bump knots on the landing? Can't just stand around, ya know.

Yup, that was another problem not figured out. I have seen a loader operator napping through the whistles. But he was also the boss/owner.

Lots of hitchhikers around here too. Must be the price of gas plus suspended license?
 
I always wondered about the older folks are age, and up who ride bikes, and you can tell it's not for recreation, but actual transportation. What you guy's say makes sense. Tell ya the bikers who bother us are the racer type, who think they own the road, and don't share it.
 
Yup , I don't like dtunk drivers . Not a bit . I see lots of commercial fishetmen ride bicycles
They tend to be pretty , less than top shelf . Commercial fishermen that is . And longshoremen . They ride bicycles . Lots of Union Laborers too . Blows me away how many laborers can't work on a powder crew because they are fellons .
 
I rode to the Post Office, Friday. I took the lightly traveled county road instead of the highway. I still have to ride about 500 feet on the highway. Instead of prices going down, like they were everywhere else, the local gas station bumped their price up 13 cents!

I have a 10 year old 24 speed mountain bike that I really like.
 
Mountain bikes are the best way to hunt in alot of places . Up here anyway .. . But they are kindof fragile
And I need tougher tires than what usually come on them . Front shocks are a pretty good invention also . I've had deer that were sleeping just off the road jump up and run by me 10' away . Works good if your handgun hunting .
 
Well, it is the big money maker weekend in the former timber town of Packwood. They make money by renting out spaces to vendors and charging shoppers to park.

The town used to have a mill that was tooled for the large old growth timber. Now it has empty mill buildings. The Forest Service folks were combined with those in the neighboring community. The Packwood FS buildings were sold last year.

This is the former elementary school. Kids are shipped down the road to Randle now. The building is a sheriff substation.
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Looking west.
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This is the former Tatoosh Pharmacy and also was a small grocery store. It is now a thrift shop run by a church. The nearest pharmacy is 34 miles west.
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Looking east.
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When riding on the highway stay as far to the right of the fog line as you can. If you look back look over left shoulder. This generally takes the bike to the right. Away from traffic.
 
When I was in New Zealand a few years back most of the guys were on everything they could lay their hands on. Crystal meth was the hard stuff, and used during working hours. Most of the guys were also using other stuff recreationally after work - nitrous, pills, pot, plus plenty of booze.

Substance abuse isn't especially frowned upon in forestry in NZ. They dont have medicals or testing, and generally so long as the numbers are getting put up on the board the guys who are in charge turn a blind eye to it. If work suffers or gear starts getting broken, or someone is obviously going to hurt themselves, then someone gets pulled aside.

I think part of the problem is that the industry doesn't pay any more than other types of hard labour... often less. Plus it's dangerous to boot. That makes it not a brilliant career choice. So we seem to attract guys who love it, and guys who don't have any other options. Being tougher on the issue would sort it out pretty quick, but I think it would thin out a lot of crews.

Shaun
 
Jani and I went down to Packwood and met up with Patty for the giant shindig. Lots of junk and some treasures to be found. Jani bought a "Fro" you want to talk about a converation starter wow must have talked to ten people about it, People asked what it was, couple guys told me how much work I was gonna have to do until I explained to them it was Janis I jst do the buckin. Made my day when a lanky 20 somethin kid stopped me to ask where we got it, it was cool that a kid his age knew what it was and wanted to get one and he looked like he prolly knew ho to use it.
We bought some prints from a fairley famous wildlife photographer he asked with genuine concern how Jani was doin and evn got a tear in his eyetalkin to her. It was cool to see a stranger who cared that much.
We bought a couple saw blade paintings that are really cool one is from a saw mill bandsaw blade. Jani has some of the big round saw blades and the lady who made the paintings is gonna make a her a painting in exchange for a couple blades theyre about 30" in diameter. We took pics but I cant get them to load into the puter Ill try again.
Had a great time hangin with Patty

I got the pics up loaded
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