Google Manhut…

Yesterday I typed “Manhut” into Google Images just to see what came up. I instantly got 4,310 hits in 0.10 seconds. It was pretty amazing to see how many hits I got (none of them were of us), but still it was kind of interesting to see what other people consider a manhut. I put together this compilation photo together from some of the shots I found there. I even found a bunch of guys doing the kind of stuff we do in New Zealand ( capitalquadatv.org.nz ), check out their photo album.
Cheers!....

It Snowed Yesterday…

Yesterday the Northeast was hit with yet another snow storm/blizzard. The forecast was so severe offices around the area were closed for the day…. Including mine.

See photo….. Nuf said!

Cheers!...

A New Direction….

Just a quick update on our quest for a new route up to high point. Last weekend me, Loo and The Weave went back to the point of “most resisdence”. This is the spot that I flipped my quad and the others needed to be roped down because of the steep slope. The three of us faced our fears and went back to continue the quest for a new path up the mountain to High Point. I admit, I was a little apprehensive going back to the place where we all faced some of the toughest challenges on the mountain, but we all succeeded to face our fears and continue our quest. We got to the point where Loo and Weave needed to be winched down on that snowy New Years Eve Day ride and realized that without snow, the path was much more approachable (note to self: going up steep mountain slopes in the snow is stupid). We passed that point and cleared log blocked paths with the chain saw for several hours until we landed at a place we named “The Fish Bowl”. Loo coined this name observing that we had reached a flat landing surrounded by steep slopes….. We where close. We were probably 100 feet away from reaching the top of the mountain. From this point we could see the scruffy pines that marked the beginning of the original High Point route. But the way up was still hidden and we were exhausted. Loo walked the slopes and over a dry streambed to find a route which might be passable…. But my friends this is a story for another day. We ended our trip happy to have gotten as close to the top as we did. We will come back another day to the Fish Bowl and begin where we left off….. This was a great ride!
Cheers!....

Happy New Year Ride!...

Well Happy New Year Everyone! What an eventful end and nice beginning to another year! First, on New Years Eve Day the Quadsters took a long awaited ride up the mountain. As we grouped in my driveway for the morning ride, the snow was coming down fast and heavy but we were not deterred. We began our trip where we left off last time; blazing a potentially new route up to High Point Mountain. The snow was coming down fast and things were definitely getting slippery. Reaching the far point from our last trip, we realized that there was no easy way to go from there. Looking for alternative paths up, Weave and Loo decide to deal with a steep winding curve while Bobo and I dealt with a longer less steep route with ruts and some lateral sloping. As I attempted to cut through a left pass the sideways gravity and an unseen snow and leaf covered ditch were just too much for the machine and me. Bobo watched from behind as I tilted right past the point of no return flipping the quad and ejecting myself to a safe landing right on my feet. A tree had stopped the quad from flipping more than once and within a few minutes all the guys walked there way over to help right the machine… It started right up and neither of us had a scratch. The snow was really changing the dynamic of the ride now, so after my little episode Weave and Loo were starting to fret about getting down from the steep winding perch where they had left there machines. We decided we would play it safe, tie on ropes and ease the machines down using trees as pulleys and muscle power. Once down we made the decision that today was not a good day to blaze new trails (Duhhh) and instead we should continue on our old familiar route up to High Point. A great ride and all went well until we got to the last 500 feet. At that point there’s a steep portion and between the snow and ruts Bobo was having a struggle. He re-started a couple of times until a slippery rut got the better of him; he gunned it but the gravity and speed couldn’t overcome the slippage and the machine tipped up backwards going completely vertical. I mean really vertical straight up like a bowling pin. Boobo climbed out and was just fine… We think it was his hard shell Tamarack storage bins on his rear rack that held the machine up and prevented it from flipping backwards end-over-end. Using the winch on Weaves Fourtrax his bumper behind a tree as a chock, the quad was pulled back horizontal (the weight on the bumper broke a weld). Within a few minutes, the quad started right up and neither machine nor Bobo had a scratch, we were back on our way. We made it to the top quickly. We drank a toast to the New Year over High Point Monument…It was beautiful as always. We returned to the Manhut for a few libations (of course), but most of the time spent was reminiscing over the day’s trip - These are our stories of which our legends and myths are made.

The second part of the day was equally as cool with a Grand New Years Eve party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Grizz. There was food and drink and lots of high energy song singing as Grizz and his Bro made merry sounds with their geetars!... It was 3:15am before we knew it. What an awesome way to end a year and start a new one!
Cheers!....

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!....