Blowdown and Earthquake

[slowp]

We had a wind event last night. I woke up around 11PM hearing the wind blasting outside. We came through OK, The Used Dog's bed blew off and got wet. Our power stayed on, no trees were lost.

So, I went to work and we had an earthquake. I didn't feel it, but others did. It was a 4.2 and I guess it knocked loose a chimney 15 miles west of here.

We had reports of trees across roads, a lot of roads, and hunters stuck behind the trees. Twinkle and my presence were requested. We ended up working with a road crew guy on a main forest road--two land paved.

I was in the midst of cutting a bigger tree that had broken partially through and was on a cutbank. Twinkle got pinched and I uttered the :censored: word. (this has happened before). I turned around and an older man and woman were standing right behind me. I turned off Twinkle. They said, "We never seen a woman running a saw before." and proceeded to question me.

Finally, my partner arrived. He is running a truck with a blade and shoving the chunks off the road. Also cutting when he catches up. They left. Soon Twinkle was spitting out dust, so I filed the chain. It looked like I had hit the pavement, which I'm sure I did.

I was climbing up a cutbank to cut an end off, and along comes a familiar pickup and stops, It is one of the better fallers around here, and he yells, "I'm gonna watch YOU cut that." I'm always watching them cut. So he did and everything went well. He commented on how sharp my chain was, I didn't show him the burrs and chips on it. Earlier I had pinched the Stihl bar, and the chain wouldn't go around so I pulled out a brand new Oregon bar and slapped it on. I asked the faller if the Stihl bar was bent. It wasn't but the sprocket was stuck. So, he did a "delicate adjustment" ran it along on the pavement until it started to turn. I guess I need to do a bit more adjusting on it. By then, it was starting to get dark. Twinkle and I have been asked to work again tomorrow, and we will.

The firewood cutters are failing us, and staying home. I don't think Twinkle looks as stylish with the Oregon bar on, but I'll have to live with that for a while.

No pictures, it was dark today and we had to push to try to get work done.

 

[Cedarkerf]

An eventful day for ya. Our power went out about 9:30 last nite came on around 10 this morning. Glad I thinned the branches on our biggest Doug fir a few weeks ago. Had to check a couple things out side solid wall of watr instead of rain drops looked like a classic movie storm scene.

 

[bitzer]

Sounds like a good time to me. How come you didn't just winch em off the road? ha. ha.

You may have pinched your rails a bit. Pounding and prying with a scrench in the right places might do the trick. Just make sure you stop at true. If its the sprocket you might get it to go with the chain sagging a little and a few blips on the trigger.

 

[madhatte]

Power went out at 8:30 PM here. Blowdowns most of the way from here to civilization, and then everywhere at work. 'Course, it's mostly big, rotten hulks, so it's just a sloppy mess and no fun at all to cut. Lots of work left to do.

 

[Gologit]

Slowp...sounds like you kept busy. For a while anyway.. What did you do after lunch?

 

[2dogs]

I'm glad everything went OK. I hit the pavement with my saw today too but mine was my own dern fault.

I helped mill up some pretty big Giant Sequoia today in a blacktop parking lot. I hope to figure out my new camera so I can post pics.

 

[Hddnis]

Blew like mad here. In town the gusts reached 80mph. Out on the mountain where we live the neighbors weather station recorded a gust of 97mph.

Our power flickered and cut out for a few seconds all night, but never went out. All around us was out of power. The local Home Depot had a line on the generator aisle.

I spent most of the day patching roofs. We had fourteen repairs lined up by noon. Several missing four or more squares.

Trees down on and through houses everywhere. One tall dead poplar was literally laying up over a guys house in pieces. It shattered without slicing through. He had a 30" log on one side, just sitting on the roof.



Mr. HE

 

[Humptulips]

Odd, hardly blowed at all here on the west side of the Olympics. I didn't feel the quake either.

 

[slowp]

Odd, hardly blowed at all here on the west side of the Olympics. I didn't feel the quake either.

That's because the weather forecasters predicted it for you, and not us.

The timber faller and family spent a nervous night in what they figured was the safest part of their house. He said they could hear the trees going down nearby. We have not heard of any campers getting hit, although I saw one close call.

 

[slowp]

Another day, no M&Ms, just coffee and a sandwich. The weather is wintery--miserable and we covered ground. Here's the big tree of the day. I only ran and got wedges. I videoed this, hoping to get the deep chunking noises that such trees make, but the noise can't be heard. The tree was talking even when the saw was out. Up where he cut, the wood was clear of the rot that was in the butt. My guess was a 4'8" diameter where he made the first cut.
Boy did that tree smell good and the pitch was running out pretty good.

He's using an old saw (044) that he found tucked away in a corner of the shop. It has the standard 32 inch bar on it.
I found out that I don't get very sore when there's equipment to push the trees off the road. All I had to do was cut and do a bit of limbing, and sometimes climb a cutbank with Twinkle. We called in the backhoe for this road.

This was scary. We heard that a pickup was smashed and nobody had checked to see if anybody was inside. Nobody was. This is at a hunting camp that was left vacant. The tree is a cedar.

Finally, Twinkle's new look.

I sure enjoyed doing something productive, away from the paperwork, computers and phone, even if I did get wet and cold. I think it is back to my normal job tomorrow....

 

[turnkey4099]

Wx report official weather station gust 85 mph only 13 miles S of me. They reported it as a force 4 hurricane power. Power out at 1 a.m. back on about 11. My area ws reported as steady 40 gusts into the 60s.

Not many trees down. Mayor of Albion (very small town) got wiped out by two trees, one big one down in my town, a couple in Pullman. Very lucky that all the leaves were off the trees. Had they been leafed out there would have been bunches down. I found only on 2ft tip of a branch from a big Birch at my house.

Bad Karma for one family in Spokane. Big tree blew down during the night but went away from the house. Then a gust came through this afternoon and put its companion down on the house. House "officially not habitable at this time".

Harry K

 

[RandyMac]

We have had mild and sunny California weather over the last few days, a little rain at the moment, a bit breezy. I'm sure we will have our turn, we always do. 194% of normal, got a good start.

 

[Gologit]

We have had mild and sunny California weather over the last few days, a little rain at the moment, a bit breezy. I'm sure we will have our turn, we always do. 194% of normal, got a good start.

Same over on this side of the hill...sunshine and mild all week. That changes Friday. Two big storms headed our way, lots of rain, wind, and the snow level will be down to 3000 feet.

The woodshed is full, the freezer is full, we're stocked up on books, popcorn, and gas. Bring it on.

 

[slowp]

Snoqualimie Pass (I90) closed on the westbound section last night. Right now the TV is showing whiny truck drivers putting chains on.

I like my house, but the driveway is treacherous. It can get your heart rate up when the Subaru slides a bit on the outslope section. I may be parking at the bottom if things get bad. I have a sled and a big dog.

Just looked out and there is slush on the deck.

 

[Gologit]

Snoqualimie Pass (I90) closed on the westbound section last night. Right now the TV is showing whiny truck drivers putting chains on.

I like my house, but the driveway is treacherous. It can get your heart rate up when the Subaru slides a bit on the outslope section. I may be parking at the bottom if things get bad. I have a sled and a big dog.

Just looked out and there is slush on the deck.

Might be a good time to get that Toyota 4x4 pickup you've been wanting. Any pictures of the Used Dog pulling the sled?

 

[2dogs]

Snoqualimie Pass (I90) closed on the westbound section last night. Right now the TV is showing whiny truck drivers putting chains on.

I like my house, but the driveway is treacherous. It can get your heart rate up when the Subaru slides a bit on the outslope section. I may be parking at the bottom if things get bad. I have a sled and a big dog.

Just looked out and there is slush on the deck.

Is the Subaru all wheel drive? I am looking around for a used Suby, prices are so low it's funny.

 

[slowp]

Is the Subaru all wheel drive? I am looking around for a used Suby, prices are so low it's funny.

Yes, and I'm taking it to the doctor on Monday. I'm hoping to get through another winter with it. It needs to be ski hill worthy.

 

[Hddnis]

Woke up to an inch of snow and it was coming down heavy. No problem I thought, I'll take the truck down the mountain to work. Well, two hours later when it was time to leave there were four inches of very heavy snow. It was just the right temp to make it pack under the tires and be slick. There was just enough on the ground to keep the tires from contacting the gravel. Our hill is very steep, so I put the chains on, drove a couple of miles to the paved road and then took them off.

Once I got to town I stocked up on 12" rubber load straps to tension the chains. I never seem to have enough of them.



Mr. HE

 

[Greystoke]

Nice old growth fir!

 

[flushcut]

You PNW guys have all the fun!