A New Holiday Passage….

Today we took a ride up the mountain with the goal to blaze a new trail up to the top. The new path began at the end of an old logger road, a path we had not noticed before due to all the downed trees. We would usually make a right and head up at this point but instead we managed to pass thru with not too much effort, but soon after it got a bit rougher than we expected; as you can see from the photo, there were plenty of tricky obstacles. Big Loo took another hit to the body (of his quad) blowing out a section of his rear right fender (another battle scar trophy). We never got as high as we wanted to, so on New Years Eve Day we will once again attempt to complete our journey. We will begin where we left off today.
Cheers!....

Many Thanks….

Thanksgiving weekend was filled with family, fun and friends:
- B-Man and family took their Annual Thanksgiving Day Nature walk in the woods.
- Big Lou had family up for the day and had the chance to bring his dad on a ride up to the hut.
- G-Man had his entire family home for the Holiday, pictured here in the hut with son Michael.
- And the Weave got to bond with the newest member of his family; his blue 1986 Honda 350 Foreman…. and his new winch.
Yes, Much to be Thankful for,
Cheers!...

A Rose By Any Other Name….

Q: What would drive a man to such extremes, that he found himself so utterly obsessed that he needed to rip apart his perfectly fine Red 1986 Honda Fourtrax Foreman, 350cc ATV?

A: He wanted it Blue.

Sure hope he gets it back together…

We Played ‘Til The Dawns Early Light….

If Some of those faces in the photos look a bit tired it’s only because, THEY ARE! Last Saturday night was the third Poker Night & Drinkfest up at the Manhut. Action started around 7:00pm and didn’t finish up until after 6:00am! Yeah, 11 straight hours of five-card, seven-card, etc…. With no breaks except for a quick bite or a quick pee. By the end of the night the game of choice was five-card, Jacks or better to open and Three-of-a-kind or better to win. I do admit, in the end I was the only loser, meaning that everyone else who walked away did so with my cha-ching in their pockets!... That Hurts.

Some of the evening’s highlights include:
- PW’s delicious venison chili… Pure perfection.
- Mrs. G’s Sausage and peppers… So good I took home the leftovers!
- A beautiful Padron 1926 Maduro N0. 2… May favorite cigar.
- Johnny Walker Green… That is some good Scotch I tell ya.
- Weave is the luckiest poker player I ever saw!...

Cheers!...

Poker Night & Drinkfest III…

Just a reminder for invitees; Our 3rd Poker Night & Drinkfest will be taking place this Saturday night November 14th 2009. Gaming will begin at 7:00ish with pre-game activities starting whenever you get there. Invited guests are asked to bring:
- A bottle of spirits (your beverage of choice)
- Smokes (smok’em if you gott’em)
- Cash (no IOU’s, checks or credit cards will be accepted)
As far as food goes, we want to keep it simple as space is limited; PW is whipping up some chili for one of the stove burners leaving the other one open for another hot entre, please email if interested in cooking something. I’ll bring all the odds and ends.

NOTICE: All uninvited attendees will be politely asked to leave.
Thank You
Management

PS- Please sign in at front desk.

Ramping Up For Winter!...

With fewer outside working days left before the winter chill, the Boyz thought it a good idea to get one more big exterior project done. With memories of our bruised butts from last winters Icy climb up the rock to the ManHut door; the decision was made to work on easier & safer access. Big Lou consulting with Grizz drew up plans for a “dock style” ramp leading to a landing outside the Huts front door. With plans to start building Friday at 9:30, Lou got out earlier in the week to buy the lumber, bring it up the hill and stack it… All by himself (Thanks Big Lou).
Construction day temperature was a crisp 41 degrees and we finished up around 4:30… I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking.
Cheers!...

Happy Birthday Hut Wench!...

Shout-Out to my favorite Hut Wench on her BIG BAD BIRTHDAY!…. I aint saying how old she is, but trust me it’s a BIGGY!
The Gang had a great time celebrating KK’s milestone day in a very interesting and different way. It started with a very snooty warm-up brunch with fine cheeses, fruits & nuts, dried sausage and caviar. Beverages included fine Champaign (Veuve Clicquot and Moet & Chandon) and an awesome Russian vodka called Zyr (best I’ve ever had, you should try it).
After about an hour an 18 passenger white stretch Hummer pulls up, we all get in and we’re on our way for a full day of wine tasting and lunch on New York’s Shawangunk wine trail. First stop is Palaia Vineyard, a funky little winery with a nice atmosphere. Next was Benmarl, we liked this one best; great atmosphere and great wine. We ate lunch here (3-foot Italian sandwich, salads and LP’s amazing home made stromboli), as we tasted wine overlooking a beautiful view of the Hudson River and valley. After that we finished up at Adair and Whitecliff Vineyards. On the way home we picked up Chinese food and continued laughing, eating and carrying on (I myself fell asleep on the Weaves couch…. Wine does that to me).

Cheers to a Great Time, for a Great Gal on her Special Day!

*Special thanks to the Weaves for their help and hospitality.

Happy First Birthday ManHut…

WOW!... I just realized that today is the Birthday of our Man Hut. Exactly one year ago today, ManHut was born (see October 21-22 2008 postings for the story). Weird, feels like it’s been around a lot longer than a year, yet it feels like it just happened yesterday. Man we’ve had a good time this past year and I know that there’s a whole lot more good times ahead of us in our little retreat in the woods. Coincidentally, today I picked up my new quad; A 2004 Fourtrax Rancher ES. I loved my 1986 Honda Fourtrax, but I’m happy to say that it’s staying in the family as The Weave is taking over the care and feeding of this awesome beast… I’ll miss her. I decided to name the new machine Kitty because she really purrrrrrs.
Last weekend the insulation was finished in the ceiling of the hut (thanks Grizz & Todd), one-inch black rigid foam core board between all the joists. We tested it out and it makes a big difference. With the outside temp at 41 degrees we were able to get the inside temp up in the 70’s-80’s and that was with the propane heater on low. This should make a huge difference on those sub-zero days in the middle of winter.
For those who were there Sunday let me just say that behavior like that is not condoned on a school night… You know what I mean.
So Happy Birthday and Cheers to our awesome ManHut!....

Sweet Setup Gents…

Picked up the chairs and table yesterday. Guy who sold them to me up in Connecticut was a pretty good guy too; he even threw in an extra chair. Big Lou and The Weave helped bring it all up to the hut. A definite sweet addition for the comfort of the hutsters. The setup seems perfect; right size, right heights, and good comfort… Unlike the old shortened table and slinky crappy chairs. Plus with the Grizz’s garage sale folding poker tabletop will make the next poker outing really great…

Cheers For The Chairs!…

Yeah Baby!... No more uncomfortable evenings in Soccer Mom chairs up at the Hut! Last night I was the winning Ebay bidder (and only bidder) for the six maple chairs and table you see pictured. Only $50 Bucks!
Cheers!...

Hut Chores Was A Fun Day…

Saturday was a big day for making a few home improvements at the Manhut. The guys got the insulation up and most of the plastic in place. Grizz added some weather stripping and a drip edge thingy to the windows. Should be a major improvement to the warmth factor for those late night poker games. I’m having some additional thoughts on how to stop the heat exiting through the ceiling while still keeping it open looking… I’m thinking some rigid foam fit between the rafters, at least through the winter months. Saturday was a long day with a couple of grilling sessions (dogs & burgers), PW’s dogs with her awesome toasted potato bread was a big hit. Fun day for all.
Later….

Labor Day Excursion…

It’s been a while since the Quadsters all made it to the top of the mountain but this past Labor Day we decided to take ourselves a ride. We figured it was the perfect time for an outing since any “Camper” activity would be over and we could have the woods all to ourselves. The accompanying photo is a shot of Max’s Pond, last time we saw this it was solid ice… Everything up top looked different with all the leaves and greenery.

This coming weekend the Boyz are planning to do some chores up at the Manhut to get ready for winter. Finally going to get around to insulating the floor and calking the walls. If time allows perhaps we’ll get to a few other activities. Stay tuned….

FLASHBACK: Redneck Lawn Care…

Finally getting around to posting the only known photos of the infamous “Redneck Lawn Care” afternoon. Here’s the story; for months I was complaining about the laborious task of raking out and replanting my shady moss covered lawn. For those same months I resisted Big Lou’s insane urging for us (the Quad Squad), to rip it up 1-2-3 with our ATV’s.
So one bright Saturday afternoon I stroll out to the lawn with my shiny new tools and I see Lou who calls me over like he needs a hand with something. Instead he tells met that he and The Weave are hanging poolside and downing some brewskies. My face dropped, I knew I was in trouble. As I reluctantly catch up with them beer for beer the thought of all that work plus the urging of my pals plus the brews took hold. I would not do the work, I would not rake my lawn, I would do something insane. I finally agree.
Like a bullet my two buds shoot up from their chairs and within minutes the three quads are ripping through the turf. The sound was deafening like a NASCAR race. Neighbors began to gather. The quads moved like an insane mechanical ballet hitting each patch of ground and at times almost hitting each other.

In the end Big Lou was right, the yard was churned up better than a whole day of raking and the lawn is now coming in fine. What you see here in the video are the only images from this interesting day (courtesy Grizz and his honey who enjoyed the event from the comfort of their lawn chairs from their driveway).
Enjoy…

How To Spit Roast a Suckling Pig…

Everyone loved how our suckling pig came out on the spit, so, I figured I would post here how we prepared and cooked it.
1. Get a suckling pig: 20-30lbs, gutted and cleaned.
2. Brine the pig: Get a big plastic container w/lid to hold your 20-30 pound pig. Into it add 3 gal water plus 1 gal water heated to blend 4 cups sea salt & 2 cups brown sugar. Put liquid in bin. Add to liquid; 2 qt vegetable stock, 3 heads garlic (halved), 1 head celery (rough chopped), 5 sprigs each of parsley, sage and rosemary. Add 1-2 bags of ice. Place pig in bin with liquid. Place an unopened bag of ice on top of pig to hold it down and keep liquid chilled. Add additional full bags of ice as needed to keep temperature around 40 degrees farenheight. I added bags every 4-6 hours. We brined ours for only 12 hrs, I think 24 would have been even better.
3. Prep the pig: Remove from brine and rinse. Make sure any remaining guts are removed. Rub the outside and inside with good olive oil. Rub on a small jar of minced garlic. Rub on one 3 oz of McCormick’s Grill Mates Pork Rub (this rub is made up of Chili pepper and herbs including red pepper, brown sugar, garlic salt, onion, apple cider vinegar). In belly, insert 3 heads of garlic (halved), 5 sprigs each of parsley, sage and rosemary before stitching it up. With a knife add cuts to skin to prevent it from popping when cooking.
4. Attach to spit: This is the best site to see how to truss and attach your pig:
http://www.spitjack.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=SJ&Screen=TRUSS
5. Cooking and Basting: Cooking will take 3 to 5 hours depending on strength of heat source and distance of pig from the source. So you’ll want to baste often to keep moist. Here’s my basting solution; in a pot on low heat and blend together 4 sticks butter, 2 cups olive oil, 2 cups vegetable oil, 2 tbl spns garlic powder, 1 oz of the McCormick’s pork rub, 1 oz Essence of Emeril, 1 tbl spn each of salt and pepper. Use a brush and dab onto pig 10-15 minutes. Remove pig from heat when inside temp reaches around 165 degrees farenheight. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Hope we do this again soon,
Cheers!...

B-Mans Birthday Bash & Pig Roast!...

It was a celebration yesterday as the Manhut buzzed with good friends, good food and good cheer as we celebrated the B-Mans (that’s me) birthday, inaugurated the new park style B-B-Q grill (bought at Sportsmansguide.com) and used the new picnic area for the first time.

Although there were many highlights throughout the day, the focus of the event centered around the roasting of our first suckling pig. This 27 pound beauty was brined, seasoned, prepped and spun on our battery operated rotisserie for most of the day. It was the first attempt any of us had ever tried to cook a whole pig, yet everyone was in agreement that the results were awesome! Nicley flavored and soft as butter…. We WILL be doing this again.

A few other highlights:
- 3 hut virgins.
- Mrs. G-Mans slaw.
- PW’s Jello shots.
- Where’s all the Tequilla?
- You people need a better knife.
- Stella!!!!...
- Really cool gifts for the B-Man (thanks friends).

As night fell and the crowd thinned out, the torches were lit, a bon-fire was set and a bright July moon streamed through the trees. Grizz pulled out the old 12-string as chorus after chorus of Neil Young echoed down the mountain…… So nice.

Cheers!...

Does A Bear Poo In The Woods?...

So we’re thinking maybe that a bear might also do it on our lawns (see photo). This morning both my garbage pail and the Louster’s was knocked over. Very odd, last time that happened to me there was a black bear eating my trash. Also, an odd pile of poo was spotted by Mrs. Weave on there lawn… So the question is; is that a pile of black bear poo? The photo of that pile was taken this morning on the Weave’s lawn… Can anyone identify it as true black bear poo? Let us know.
Thanks
Cheers!...

Summer-Ready At The Manhut…

Hi campers, it’s been a while since the last entry. So much has happened (all good) since last post. Spring has been really wet up here and when it’s not raining everyone has been scurrying to get all the yard work and outside projects finished, so very little been going on at the Man Hut. Sooner or later I’ll catch up with some of the interesting things that have happened or are about to happen, including:
- Lou’s Big Ride
- Redneck Lawn Care
- A Report from Americade
- The Block Party
- B-Mans Birthday Party Bash At The Hut
Anyhow, check out a couple of the recent improvements up at the Hut (see photo). A six-foot pressure treated picnic table and park style B-B-Q grill. Everything is green and in bloom up on the mountain and these little improvements are going to make it even better this Summer. Until next time.
Cheers!.....

A Spring Evening…

It was 69 degrees last night (71 inside), a beautiful evening for a couple of beers at the manhut. With Spring in full bloom and so much to do, we had not been up there in weeks. I tell you it was nice… Had the windows and doors full open, a fresh battery for light and plenty of beer (note garbage can).
Cheers!....

Let There Be Beef!...

Saturday was the first weekend day that really felt like spring; sunny skies with temps in the mid 70‘s. What could be better than an impromptu get together up at the manhut. Me and The Weave took the MG to the market for some fresh butcher cut sirloins and a mini-keg. When we got back Weave welded 1” square stock as legs to an old unused BBQ grate that I’ve had for a while (for a grill I have since thrown out). I got up the mountain first and started a fire in the pit with twigs. When it got going we threw in about half a bag of charcoal and the newly crafted grill. We popped the keg, threw on the meat and kicked back. Big Lou, G-Man, Grizz, The Weave and B-Man enjoyed the evening…. Only downer was that Bobo couldn’t make it, but we’ll do it again real soon that’s a promise…. This was really just practice for the official “Man Hut Beef Steak Dinner” coming soon. Stay tuned.
Cheers!...

Big Lou Hits The Big Five-O!...

This weeks ManHut entry is dedicated to our good friend, Hut Man, Quadster and neighbor BIG LOU!
The Big One made hit the big fifty this week. On Saturday there was a smashing party in his honor. Needless to say IT ROCKED!... It’s taken me most of the week just to recover! Family and friends from near and far where all there for the event. The Beer was flowing, the food was awesome (provided by Penny-Poo Catering, Inc.), and the music was ON FIRE provided live and in person by none other than the famed Good Rats (complete with legendary front man Peppi!).

Some other highlights include the Yellow Flower dance-off complete with butt stickers, Mrs. Weave amazing biker themed birthday cake and a special Pilsner, brewed and bottled in the Louster’s honor (brew provided by The Weave, Bottles by The Grizz and fancy labels by the B-Man).


PS: Mrs. Big Lou did one HELL of a job putting on this soirée…. Haza!

Cheers!...

The Big Ride Dux!...

Yesterday the Quadsters took to the Mountain once again in pursuit of the ever-elusive “Big Lou’s Watering Hole”. As you may recall, earlier this month the Squad tried but failed to find the elusive wet spot. But this time it would be different since we had a plan, a Google earth printout with coordinates and fresh batteries in the Weave’s GPS thingy…. Excitement was in the air!
We took off at 8:00am passed the Man Hut, Burning Bush and to High Point in under a half hour. First time I’ve been back since we conquered the mountain back in February (I was sick last time). It’s really beautiful up there. After a brief break we took off to complete phase two of our trip; getting to the water. Note the photo of a confident Big Lou pointing due west as he examines the coordinates and we get ready to go.
We get going and all of a sudden as we pass through some light brush on top the summit, my trusty 1986 Honda Fourtrax 350 just dies. I mean really dead. It just would not turn over. With no success foreseeable I start contemplating the hassle of towing the quad down from the highest point and toughest terrain on the Mountain. On closer inspection Lou notices a wire hanging from below my seat. It was the wire from the spark plug. A branch had inadvertently pulled the wire from the stem and luckily had not broken it. A quick reconnect and the machine turned right over and we were off again. Ten minutes later we were at the lean-two’s and then off to the power lines where all the homework, maps and coordinates would payoff leading us straight to “Big Lou’s Watering Hole”. After a few minutes we get to what we believe to be the pre-determined point that indicates a sharp right turn to go due west. Unfortunately this turns out to be the roughest brush, mud, streams and ruts we have ever encountered on this mountain. After about 45 minutes more of map, GPS and compass checking we end up at a large swamp (see lower right photo). We name the swamp Gore Bog since I insisted that we do not violate the pristine condition of this wetland (I am a tree hugger). As it turns out we had headed west too soon and were a considerable distance north of the watering hole…. IT HAD ELUDED US AGAIN!
It was around 10:30 and since the Weave had an appointment with a dental drill that he had to keep, we decided it would be best to try again another day. We got back to The Manhut, enjoyed a refreshing beverage and plotted our next journey.
Cheers!

Spring Is Coming, Can You Feel It!…

The Quadsters and the Hutsters have been busy with “things” this weekend, most of them having to do with the coming of spring. For example, Big Loo & Co. took to the road for their first bike outing. G&L were off on the retiree’s version of spring break… Myrtle Beach. Bobo’s job has him working extra hard on some big projects that have to get done before the end of spring. Grizz also spent his never-ending weekend tinkering on things. And everywhere Christmas lights were coming down to get stored away.
As for me, well I finally got back my ride back! Yes, after 7 months in the shop (and a small fortune) my MG is home. To me, nothing says spring more than tooling around town in a little British roadster. So with temperatures in the 60’s what could be better? Now my only problem is getting it in the garage. Seems that after 7 months without a car occupying space, the garage has mysteriously filled up with stuff causing me to spend a good part of my weekend doing some spring-cleaning.
Cheers!...

Poker Night & Drinkfest II...

We couldn’t have picked a better night to have our second Poker Night & Drinkfest. It was an unusually mild March evening having reached the 70’s during the day and still in the 50’s when we finally called it a night at an amazingly reasonable 12:30am. With the door and windows wide open all night we could really get a sense of what Spring will feel like on the mountain and at the Man Hut. The festivities started at around 7:00 accompanied by a freshly brewed keg of German Alt that the Weave just tapped plus assorted snacks. I enjoyed a little Jameson with my beer along with an Acid Deep Dish cigar that burned a long time. The poker action was brisk with several amazing come from behind victories from a couple of the guys. In the end no one won or lost too much (always a good thing).
Cheers!...




Okay... I'm busted. This photo is from our first poker night. No one took any pictures last night.

The Big Ride Revealed!...

Welcome today's guest Blogger to the Manhut Blog... Big Loo!
 
Well the day came for the "BIG RIDE" and it was one of the most beautiful, sunny days so far. Sounds good?...You bet your ass is was. 35-38 degrees and no snow and ice...at least by the ManHut. Up the mountain was a different story. With exception to one of our brethren Quadster, The B-man who had taken ill and  was not able to ride along, The Weave, Bobo and myself gathered in my driveway to warm up the Quads and go over a mental checklist of items to bring.......Water?..Check!, Rope?..Check!..Bow Saw? Check!...Chainsaw?.....Food?.... Check!...(My wife "our very own Lady Quaster packed me some PB&J sandwiches Ain't she grand). Check Check...Check Check Check and on and on until we were satisfied we had everything we needed. Hell, we we're only going on a 3-hour tour. Oh Shit!!.....I seemed to remember what happened to that last bunch that went on a tour. MaryAnn was always my favorite....but that's another story. I would like to mention before going on that for all the environmentalists out there, is that the Bow saw and chainsaw is for emergencies only or to move a felled dead tree. We DO NOT cut down tree's to make a path!!  Ok, enough said about that.
 
This trip will be the second run up to Broken Pines and High Point for Bobo and myself, but the first time on a Quad for the Weave. He and Brad actually walked up it........Naaa what a waste!!. Points after "High Point" to "Lou's Watering Hole" remains a mystery other than Longs & Lat's that I had planned for us. What terrain we would encounter was anyone's guess at that point. So we made our way up to High Point and asked the Weave to break-out that trusty GPS since all my coordinates is in Longs and Lat's.... Yea right!!.No sooner than he got a satellite signal the dam thing went blank.........Why you ask?? Good question....DEAD BATTERIES!!..We all looked at each other and had a few laughs, but that didn't dampen our moods because we were so focused to make this trip. Beside, you really don't know dick until you get up there and see for yourselves.
 
Our start was short as we ventures forward and came to a sudden drop-off on all sides. A little backtracking and inching down the slopes, thru fallen tree's and over boulders we continued on out way. Move forward a little, stop, get off and move fallen logs, limbs, branches etc. Get back and keep going. and going and going. Sure wish we had those energizer bunny's...Sorry Weave, couldn't help myself with that one. One thing is certain: When riding the mountains, once you feel like you have it down and don't respect the machine, your dust!!!..Did I mention Beautiful scenery, sunny weather?...We continued on and since we didn't have GPS, I used the old way of sight triangularization. Get two fixed points, making yours the third and keep track of your movement. Works every time. Anyway, we all came up to what we thought was a house in the woods. A house?? No way, we we're to far in for that. Bobo was point man and went ahead to check things out. The Weave and I we're moving the last fallen tree limb and we were soon to follow. When Weave and I approached, Bobo was sitting in what was to be a lean-two having a smoke break. What a find that was because we now knew there we're paths somewhere that we could take advantage of. We hung out a bit, Bobo was crowned "King of the Mountain" on that hugh bolder and then we went on our way. We found the path and instead of trying to get to "Lou's Watering Hole" we decided that since B-man wasn't with us, we would just check it out the trails and next time when all of the Quadsters are present, we would all make the journey to the watering hole together. Somehow it just wouldn't have been the same without the B-man.
 
Well, by know we're into the ride for a few hours. I looked at my gas gauge a saw 1/2 tank.. I said to myself....SELF, if this is true, I'm reaching a point of no return since I left the house full. We agreed to head back the way we came. Now we all know that the woods look totally different when you turn around so we had another challenge ahead of us. We moved so much shit our of our way, weaved in and out so many times your head would spin, and went up and down the mountain side that you could very easily get turned around... Well, we didn't of course, not the experience Quadsters that we are. We may have had to back up a bit but for the most part we we're dead nut's on track out as it was on the way in. Amazin I guess. Well both Bobo and the Weave had commitments to do so we didn't stop in at the ManHut to pound our chest and complement each other for being the "Masters of the Universe", that phrase was taken from a movie, so we said our so longs by the ManHut and Quaded ourselves home. Take a look at the pics attached and it should give you an idea of the ride we had. Once we all make it to and back from "Lou's Watering Hole", B-man has our next ride in the works already. can't wait for that one too.
 
Until next time and always remember- Live to ride, ride to live.
By: Big Lou

Qaudsters On The “Run”…

Well yesterday The Big Ride happened, but without me. I had some kind of bug that kept me home, running between my bedroom and my bathroom all day… But that’s a story for another time.
So the guys went up without me, and although I was hoping that one of them would do this blog entry I got no takers. So here’s what I can surmise from the limited bits and pieces: Once passing Highpoint, the gang continued SE until running into a couple of old lean-two’s which seem to get them very excited. Terrain was rough and one of the quads got caught up in some brush. At this point they should have gone east to hit Lou’s Watering Hole, but instead went due south coming to a stop. So they came home.

To Be Continued…

PS – It’s Official!... The Second Official Poker Night & Drinkfest is Happening this coming Saturday Night. Be There!!!

Cheers!...

There’s Excitement In The Air…

Can you feel it!... I SAID CAN YOU FEEL IT!!!...Excitement is in the air. This coming Saturday The Manhut Quadsters will be once again hitting the mountain. This time to go where no man has gone before. To Highpoint and beyond!

Invitees; By invitation only… You know who you are (sorry all others, just us guys).
The Goal; to land at Big Lou’s Watering Hole. Followed by fish stories and drinks at the man hut.
Instructions; Start time 0900hrs, be there with warm clothes, full tanks, refreshments, energy bars, stuff that cuts and lots of energy.

Stay tuned campers for more on The Big Ride later.

Cheers!

Ramblings On The Road...

I left the house at 7:00 this morning and If I’m lucky I’ll be at the hotel by 8:00 tonight. As I write I am sitting on board a Continental-737 35,000 feet up and headed for California on biz. I’m on flight 1702, 11:20 departure to San Francisco which didn’t leave until 1:00pm due to the obligatory flight delay. With 5 more hours of air between the left coast and me please allow me to ramble a bit...

Last week was a long workweek and I was really looking forward to a Friday evening retreat at the Hut with the guys especially since I knew that Saturday and Sunday were commited for. But alas none of the Hutsters were around to play with so it was just me and the Manhut for a smoke and a cocktail.

When I got up there around 8:00 I got the heater blasting and quickly knocked the 23 degree chill out of the air. Music was cranked up with my favorite Tom Waits tunes from the Small Change album (good thing I was alone cause no one else I know likes him). I burned a Padron 1926 No.2 maduro (1 hour, 10 min) my favorite cigar. Had a Jameson scotch whisky neat in my favorite glass and a frosty cold bottle of Yuengling as a chaser (nice).

A good time was had by all,... well actually just by me. Cheers!

We Have Reached The Summit!...

As you might remember, the Weave threw down the gauntlet (see January 4th entry), challenging the Man-Hut-Quad-Squad to reach the top of the mountain with our machines (altitude 1,247 feet). Well yesterday WE DID IT!!!!. It was our most awesome ride to date. Little did I know yesterday morning when we met up in my driveway at 8:00 am, we would be on a journey to reach the summit. Before leaving for the woods Big Lou went back to get his chainsaw and other miscellaneous cutting utensils. Starting out for the mountain it was my turn to take the lead with Bobo behind and Big Lou bringing up the rear…. Big mistake, I started by taking us off in the wrong direction before we left the Manhut (seriously), and it only got worse from there. When we finally got to Burning Bush Landing, Big Lou took lead and brought us to V-Ledge. This is where we ended our journey for the mountaintop last time (see January 24 entry). But this time was different, we were prepared, the snow was mostly gone and we were ready to go with a nice early start. And so we began, cutting and clearing the dead trees and limbs blocking the visual path between us and the top of the mountain. As we cut through we moved the quads up behind us. It felt great as we made progress and got higher and higher, the view becoming less and less obstructed. It wasn’t long before the chain saw blade was spent and we had to resort to hand saws and pure brute force. I could tell we were getting close to the top when I started to see the treetops sheared off, a distinct feature of the Broken Pines landing that the Weave and I had hiked to in January. As we got to the last 100 feet we all started to take our time, none of us wanted the journey to end. So we took our time clearing the path even more thoroughly than we needed to. In an instant our three quads roared to the top. We paused. Had a cheer. Took in the view. And enjoyed the moment.

Once we got to the top at Broken Pines, we walked along the ridge to the next high spot. Here we found the stone monument you see in the photos. We also found an old fire pit obviously unused for years. We have named this spot High Point as it appears to be the highest point of the mountain ridge, (duhhhh). On future trips we plan to run the length of the ridge and see what waits on the other side. Stay tuned.
Cheers!

Air Max!...

Huge shout out to our lady quadster for achieving maximum air on her 1988 Honda 350 Fourtrax.
Nice one PW…..

Okay, we know you can do it so don’t do it again…. Please.

Cheers!

Happy Valentines Day!...

This is the burning question on this cheery Valentines Day afternoon; has the Man Hut turned into the “Love Shack?” Sources say that late this afternoon one of the guys (I aint sayin who), and their significant other (I aint sayin who), were seen sneaking up to the Man Hut on this fine Valentines Day.
Aint love crazy!.... (I aint sayin who).
Cheers!

Saturday Night...

It’s been a few weeks since the guys got together for a few drinks and a couple of laughs, so last night was an unexpected pleasure. During the day Big Lou had cut some good wood for a bon fire. Bobo installed a knotted rope to prevent us from falling down and I picked up a few provisions (Grizz we need more shelves).

It was a perfect night. The moon was so bright in the woods that flashlights were unnecessary. The temps which had been in the single digits for weeks was a balmy 40 something degrees. And the snow was still on the ground making everything look pristine…..Nice.

So we smoked, we drank, we talked, we laughed.

Cheers!

PS: Thanks for the pasta LP!

Man Hut vs Man Cave.....

According to Wikipedia a Man Cave is defined as follows :
“A man cave is a male sanctuary, such as a specially equipped garage, spare bedroom, media room, den, or basement.”
A Man Hut is similar but not the same as a Man Cave, although it does serve the same purpose, “A male sanctuary”. Unlike a Man Cave a Man Hut must be free standing and detached from your house, preferably as far away as possible. The differences are important; In a Man Hut your wife and kids can’t yell down the stairs to tell you that the toilet is over flowing or that the dog just ate the bird. But then again, a Man Cave is likely to have less creature comforts like a pool table, big screen TV and an actual toilet…. I guess they both have their benefits….
<<< These are photos of the Weaves Man Cave.....
But today is Super Bowl Sunday and since our Manhut buddy (The Weave) has invited us all over to his Man Cave to watch the big game on his big screen who can’t resist (especially since he’s also got a bar and pool table). Check out the photos… The Weave is a lucky man, he has a ManHut and a Man Cave.
Thanks to The Weave and his wonderful wife for a fun evening.
Cheers!

PS: Between all the office pools me and my Mrs walked away the big winners with a big $1,405 for the evening… Not too shabby!..

Man Hut Meets Google Earth.....

I spent a little time the other day exploring the terrain surrounding the manhut to see if I could identify an ATV route to the top of the mountain. Check it out; I plugged in the longitude and latitudes of the Hut, Burning Bush Landing and Broken Pines at the mountaintop. I adjusted the angle of the sun to highlight the mountain ridge from Burning Bush to the very top. I placed markers to create a path. Longitude and latitude at each point can be followed using the Weaves hand held GPS thingy. I’m feeling good about this theory since this is a long gradual path and might have the best potential for getting us up there.
FYI: The Man Hut is located at 590 feet whereas the top of the mountain is at 1,246 feet.

Side Note:
Ok, so if you haven’t tried it yet do it now! The newest version of Google Earth is just awesome. Type in pretty much any place on the planet and the satellite driven software zooms in to that exact location on a topographical overhead map and that’s not the coolest part. Once you start fooling around with the control buttons, sliders, gliders and settings the fun really begins. Mess around with the controls and you can zoom around in a 3-D setting that displays the relationship of surrounding heights, distances and perspective. You can change the angle of the sun based on the date and time of day to increase and pronounce the shadows, features and highlights on the ground. Place markers to set points of interest….. So much more you just got to go check it out.

A Good Day.....

The Quad Squad met up at 8:00 a.m this morning for a ride in the woods. Four of us this time, a first. The purpose was to see if there might be an easy way to the top of the mountain with the machines. We did this in response to the Weaves challenge to get the quads all the way up (see Jan. 4th entry). After a quick stop at Burning Bush Landing, we swung over to the spot where Weave and me started hiking from the last time. This rocky ridge has now been officially named; it is called V-Ledge in the abbreviated form. Everyone scouted around but there was no easily accessible way to get up…. Maybe when there’s less snow on the ground we’ll have a better shot.
We did however find the pond that Max had seen on Google Earth, had been looking for but not found. He’ll be pretty happy to know that it’s a really nice spot. It’s probably up higher than where he was looking. We’re calling it Max’s Pond. We rode around up there for hours before retreating to the Hut for a pit stop. All in all it was a good morning.

Oh The Humanity!.....

Nothing makes a guy sadder than the senseless and avoidable waste of premium beer and wine. You’d think one of us brainiacs would have thought to remove the cases of beer and bottles of wine from the hut when temperatures threatened to hit new lows. So the question of the day is, ”At what temperature does beer and wine freeze?”

According to Internet sources wine and beer (depending on variations in sugar and alcohol content) will both freeze in the low 20’s (wine generally at 22 and beer generally at 24).

Other unanswered question about our frozen provisions:
- Why were some beer bottles frozen solid and others (randomly in the same case) not frozen at all? (same with the two wine bottles of the exact same wine; one frozen with cork popped the other fine?)
- Why would a liquid bottle of beer become frozen once the top was popped? (my theory is that it was like making those super saturated solution experiments in High school) Any thoughts?
- And lastly, is anyone going up there to rescue what’s left of our precious beverages?

Please post your answers and concerns.
Thank You

On A Friday Night...

This was the first week back to work after a long holiday break…. Man, this week felt like a month.What could be better than a Friday night impromptu trek to the Manhut for a few beverages and a stogie or two. Bobo was there, The Grizz showed up and Big Lou brought Mrs. Big Lou who told some old stories... A good time was had by all.

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown...

Little did I know when I got up this morning that the Weave would throw down the Gauntlet. I mean sure I knew he wanted to do a quad ride up the mountain using Bobo’s vehicle since he’s away in sunny Florida this week. But man, I was unaware that the Weave was obsessed with getting to the very top of the mountain! I took him up as high as Burning Bush Landing, BUT NO!... HE WANTED IT ALL! He was simply not happy until he got to the top. I told him that no one had made it to the very top of the mountain with a quad, but he didn’t care. Fine I told him you take the lead, and so he did. After reaching a few impossible passages with the machines we parked the quads and he made us walk to the top. Do you believe it, WALK!... I mean come on I got a quad so I don’t have to walk! But no, he insisted…. As we began to reach the summit the air must have been getting very thin since I was continually running out of breath as we hiked the steep inclines. After about 20 minutes of hiking we got to the top. The Weave pulled out some sort of GPS thingy which showed the altitude to be 1,247 feet. I have named the summit Broken Pines since that's all that's up there (actually they were broken cedars but that doesn't sound as good).... Plus an awsome 360 degree view of all the other mountain tops. Once we hit the top that's when the Weave made his challenge to the Quad Squad…. If you don’t believe me see for yourself; play the video.

Reflections On A Winter Day…

It’s January 1, 2009. Last night was a great New Years Eve spent with good friends. But today is New Years Day, a fine, cold, clear winter day suitable for enjoying a brisk ATV ride on the mountain. It was 9 degrees Fahrenheit this morning and around 20 degrees when we left at around 2:00. The ground was covered with a couple of inches of snow left from yesterday. This made for a more challenging ride than usual due to the slickness of the snow and all sorts of hidden obstacles. We headed for the top and got there pretty quick and then decided to blaze a new trail. Big Lou lead the way with me and Bobo following. We cut through some pretty rough terrain muscling our way through creeks, over logs and rocks and traversing some challenging angles. When we got back to the Man Hut at 4:00 I was absolutely beat. After sitting for a few I could hardly stand up.

What a great way to begin the New Year.