Nor Cal & North SF Bay GTG (November 11-14, 2022)

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Does that park have a firetruck?
I'm making a deal on this one.

firetruck.jpg
 
Randy are you serious? That's a SWEET rig. Calistoga is only a few miles north of the park. That'd be perfect.......and would net you a nice tax writeoff.:cheers:
 
Tell him the truth Jon. It hasn't snowed where you live for 50 years! Mike

Not enough to hinder my comings, and goings. However there was that December storm three winters ago when we got 6-8 inches of the fluffy white stuff. It sure made all of the 4 way stop signs pretty entertaining from a safe distance.
 
That old Ford is up here, about 25 miles out of town, the owner had it gone through and it has sat ever since. Their property is for sale, it needs moved, might be able to make a hand shake deal on it.
 
If you can get that truck, keep talking to us. We might be able to work something out?
 
I will go out and see it, soon probably. I called the station where it came from and will talk to the Chief tomorrow, it would be nice to get some information on it.

Transport is the problem, if in good running condition, it would burn a gallon every 3-4 miles and max out around 55-60mph. If it needs more than I can do, it will need trailered.
 
Sounds like a great idea and I'm hoping to make it there to meet some fellow saw addicts. Planning on bringing a 039 and 028. I haven't seen it posted yet, so I'll ask the ridiculous question. Do they allow chainsaws to be operated in the state park campground, or will that be happening at another location? Seems every campground I've gone to in the past 2 years has banned their use within the campground and I've had to travel to cut camp firewood.
 
Sounds like a great idea and I'm hoping to make it there to meet some fellow saw addicts. Planning on bringing a 039 and 028. I haven't seen it posted yet, so I'll ask the ridiculous question. Do they allow chainsaws to be operated in the state park campground, or will that be happening at another location? Seems every campground I've gone to in the past 2 years has banned their use within the campground and I've had to travel to cut camp firewood.

we are going to be sawing (Bruce, correct me if i'm wrong) less then 100' from a couple camp sites. so yes we will be running saws inside the park, the only resion we can do this is we know some people high up:)

your only bringing two saws? i'm bringing some mystery meat saws (not telling anyone what they are to make it more fun):msp_rolleyes: and some other everyday saws...
 
Yeah, two should do it. I don't have anything special, or modded. My 028 Super does have a stock Stihl "Jungle" muffler though. The 039 will be more to see how it stacks up against Stihl's rival saws in it's class. May modd the muffler before the GTG. My other saws are pretty much non-controversial. Too bad the Sawtroll lives on another continent.
 
Good

We're planning to allow operation of equipment, but we'll have to work out the wrinkles with management...

See, this is what we need. Details on what you all want?

Then we have stuff to put into the "event" and we can get it clarified. Good show, keep it coming :)
 
GTG ??? What's the general theme ?

I have not had the pleasure of making it to any of the GTG's but have read alot of threads on GTG's from all over the country. They all look like fun but there's alot of differences,could some of you more experinced folks chime in with what might be the going's on. I like the fast driving & kidnapping stories but hve not heard much about events and such. A campfire and tellin lies is fine by me but I don't want to show up with my ported 026/28" lightsaber to saw on some RandyMac old growth.
Ken
 
I have not had the pleasure of making it to any of the GTG's but have read alot of threads on GTG's from all over the country. They all look like fun but there's a lot of differences, could some of you more experienced folks chime in with what might be the going's on. I like the fast driving & kidnapping stories but hve not heard much about events and such. A campfire and tellin lies is fine by me but I don't want to show up with my ported 026/28" lightsaber to saw on some RandyMac old growth.
Ken

Well since this is the first of what we hope will become a annual event, it's pretty much wide open. What do you want to do? We'd like to do an antique (or modern) saw show and swap, maybe a look-see up the canyon about what you folks can tell us about how it was logged? We can probably drag down an old fir log so folks can show off their saws making some cookies :)

Specifically, we'd like some of the old time loggers to come look at a few trees. We have in mind gettin some folks in costume and dropping a tree or two. Not at this years GTG, we don't have the planning in place and won't until we get opinions and advice. But either off-line after the GTG, or as a function of next years GTG, we'd like to have a felling and bucking demo in period costume using period gear for 1870's, 1900's, 1940's (WW-II), and maybe 1965 or so, just before it became a park.

The reason is, we'd like to record these events to show the kids that come through the Visitor Center (VC) what logging was like back in the day - pick your favorite time period. It's a way to get modern kids exposed to woods work on a rainy day when they are in the VC learning about animals and "green issues".

As background, Dr Bale who built the Bale Grist Mill (now an operating historic park just down the road), also owned a saw mill on the Napa River down toward St Helena. We suspect he took trees near the valley floor that they could handle with oxen during his ten-year around 1870.

Since we know the place was logged, we want to build out the interpretive program covering that subject. We'll be taking ideas about scripts for period correct shows or demos around camp fire programs, or during Nature Camp. Or just telling stories about logging and woods work. We'd love to have some "living history" oral interviews with the folks who did it and are still walking and talking.

We'll be asking for photos (with copyrights retained, or released) for possible display in the VC at different times of the year. The best photos would be something in the immediate area. But we know that isn't likely to turn up. Next best would be ones that show work going on like what must have happened here ...

But, that's what we want - what do you'all want ...
 
Well Bruce between what you layed out, and the obligatory sittin' around the fireside and telling lies thing.............I think we'll be doing well. We'll need more than a few logs for people to make cookies out of. Some big Doug fir for the big 'uns, and a lotta smaller stuff for the fast guys.

I just 'spent' 1000 of my 'hard earned' credits (LOL) and this thread is now a 'stickie'! Hopefully the powers that be will leave it sitting at the top with the other 'unmoved' stickies until after the GTG date instead of moving it to the 'stickie dungeon'.:D
 
Made my day

Boy Eccentric you just made my day, I was begining to think I had the wrong idea of a GTG. I really think the historic and educational values of logging and the the area it self is very important to record for future generations. The knowledge that we have in AS is unbelievable and should be shared but we may be putting the cart before the horse. The basics of a GTG is people and what draws us to "get together" SAAAAAAWs lotsa SAAAAWs big SAAAWs fast SAAAWs old SAAAWs broke SAAAWs any SAAAWs
The saws will get us together and hopefully keep everyone coming back year after year. This all may seem silly to some, but to some members reading whats been posted may feel like it's just a small group who all know each other . To everyone working on this GTG your doing great, I am just trying to open things up a bit to members like me who don't post alot (type to slow to be effective 47 min on this post)to make a little drive, see SAAWs,touch SAAWs,run SAAWs,talk SAAWs,swap SAAWs and help Broc with some historical stories(old Lies)
IT'S AN ADDICTION Ken
 
We need to put some time frame to this with who is going to do what. Saturday and Sunday could use tenative activities and a clue for food. I would not want to be around this group after a couple of meals are missed. Will we have electricty at the camp sites? Is there a large cook/bbq area? Picnic tables? Water? Car/truck access? Shade? Cost of sites?
 
Frank, you touched on important stuff ...

Eccentric and I will sit down with Management (one of whom recently had a heart attack, so bear with us ...) and work out the details.

Yes there is a "group camp" area that will accommodate up to 25 or so IIRC ... I think (I'll check) that it's like $60 night.

There is a Ramada and other pic-nic areas. The Ramada will accept 25 or so for cooking and washing. Don't know the fees on that.

Regular Park camping is available, w/o water or power. The sites have tables, fire rings with partial grates, and tent spaces. Some parking spurs are big enough for a mid-sized motor home, most accept a pick-up and camper fine or a car and trailer up to 25 ft.

The sawing area will be arranged and we'll post the details when we know them. I'm not sure we can have races this round. We are just trying to get this thing going in this round. Maybe we can do races next year, but we'll ask...

If we have enough interest, and we can get reimbursed though some sort of ticket sales, we might also be able to book the Tucker Farm Center next door. That venue would be off of State land, so it would be a free'er location to do things that the State Park system may not allow (they still own the underlying property and buildings at Bothe) ...

We'll get the rules and procedures worked out and post that ASAP. I'm going to ask Ranger Sandy Jones to join this discussion at some point as we are asking questions outside my expertise.

Aaron, will you please see if you can talk Rob Grassi into joining AS so he can be part of this dialog? He's the park maintenance person and a ex-farm boy, a practicing Mill Wright, an old machine enthusiast, and a Nor Eastern wood cutter - now out on the Left Coast. We'll need his help in co-ordinating some of this to get it to work right.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top