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

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The way the BBQ was handled last year was great. If possible I vote for the same as last year.

To everyone, make sure you bring wads of cash. I have at least one and probably two saws for sale and a bunch of bars and chains.
 
Ranger Sandy says this year is Chilli and Corn Bread. If you want more, you'll need to add to the pot-luck feed :) We're moving the venue to the area nearer the Visitor Center (VC). Better to gather the public as they enter and catch their attention. Food will be on pic-nic tables around the VC front lawn.

So we got our official Hazard Tree Inspection a week or so ago. Something like 25 trees identified. Some will be quite technical. So part of Saturday will be the pro's going out with Rob and Ranger Sandy to look over the the most challenging ones ... While the rest of us play :)

This years play saw log is Oak.

We'll need to set up a saw safety talk. Bring your safety gear for field and stationary cutting if you can ...

CDF is thinking about bringing a crew/truck to be ready to talk over their style of forestry/fire management for the public ...

Some of our old antique saws need to come out for display as Ranger Sandy wants us to focus on Interpretation & Education this year. That was one of our goals all along. Now that we've had a few years to figure out how this goes, we'll have to move along in that direction. Anyone want to volunteer to talk old logging, maybe around a camp fire? Anyone want to do any video?

Anyone want to volunteer to find a partner and run their two-man saw for video? Old timey costume or clothing will be great :)

If you have unique or old logging gear that can be shown or discussed, that would be great :) Things like spring boards, spike sets, old falling wedges, marking chains, anything you can think of to share about the pre-harvester days would be really good.

Hoping that the Make-and-Break boys come over the hill. Unfortunately the fellow that had the drag saw passed away. He was great resource. He'll be missed and a hard one to replace ... Stuff like drag saws or PTO saws would be good to display :)

We have one fellow thinking about a black powder splitting demo for one of our future GTG's :D But that will take a fair bit of pre-planning with the "officials" ahead of time, so that's a future exercise ...

Bring gas, oil and spare chains if you are staying until Sunday to fell (non-public). It may be a busy day :)

Swap meet area will be up by the shop on tarps :)
 
Thanks for your hard work and dedication Bruce. I will bring a big bowl of cold macaroni salad for lunch to share. Everyone should bring their own table settings I assume.

The "costume" you like us to wear is what (at least) Bob and I wear day to day. It makes me laugh when you say costume.
 
I will bring some of my old saws for display if you like. This year my wife is coming so I'll be able to cut while she watches the boys. I wasn't planning on bringing the old one because this year I can work but it sounds like it will help with what you would like to do. I hope there are some people that can talk to them. I am very interested in what they have to say too.
 
I have some old gear I can bring. Certainly some old saws. Might even have a couple of things to sell. I guess the limiting factor will be space in the car, as I won't be driving the truck this time. Cruise control is just too nice for drives over six hours. Technical removals, you say? You have my interest.
 
The "costume" you like us to wear is what (at least) Bob and I wear day to day. It makes me laugh when you say costume.

When I hear the word "costume" I think about this:


I looked everywhere and I can't seem to find one of those Elmer Fudd hats. :laugh: I do have a couple of the old white cloth hats but they're pretty scroungy.


Bruce...we'll bring Cly's famous five-pound meatloaf. If Sandy would like me to come down a couple of days early...before the GTG...I'll probably have the opportunity. It might save us some time if we could plan out Sunday's work a little in advance.

We're in the process of moving to the coast, doing lots of running back and forth, and a few days cutting at the park would be a welcome diversion. I have some old tongs and a couple of other tools I'll bring and if the park can use them I'll leave them there as a donation.

As far as "old logging methods" go, 2dogs, Slowp, or RandyMac would be good sources of information. I'll add what I can.

I missed 2dogs safety class last year but I heard it was a good one.
 
I need some encouragement. I'm going through the yes, go and no stay here argument. Gas is cheap, and I have the costume of the lowly PNW rigging rat, although I've not gotten my boots repaired. I guess I could rassle in my old growth weighs a ton rusted up choker....owie. That's old equipment now. Thank goodness. It's a "demonstration" of yet another reason there are so many older gimped up guys with bad backs around here.

Will there still be showers available or is the water non-existant?
 
Patty you have to come down! You bring s sense of calm and a voice of experience. Of course you may as well bring some huckleberry goodies too. And Benjamin could catch a ride with you, if he kicks in a little gas money.

And about the water situation, I guess we can spare a couple gallons each day for a shower. The park probably has those 1/2 GPM shower heads that just give out a mist. Don't worry about that choker, too much hassle.
 
Let's see - replies: Showers available, we have water, but Ranger Sandy will be having folks maybe camp in a couple of areas, so there might be a bit of a walk or drive ...

The food all sounds good, I'll pass that along. Macaroni Salad, and Meatloaf - mmmm... I'll see if my wife has any home made jam for the cornbread ...

The costumes I'm referring to are the cloths traditionally worn by loggers pre-OSHA. That would be all wool with hob nails from the 1800's to tin cloth for climbers and toppers to felling suits worn by pto sawyers ... Stuff that we could do some still's of near a big tree and then maybe a short audio about why folks used to dress like this ... When we build teh slide show for teh kids for teh VC, if we don't have any of us in action we can substitute file photos in B&W of fallers and buckers and mule skinners and such, but they never show color or explain why ...

Old gear: do not strain yourself with big stuff owned by the tract or the mills. Just the stuff you as a worker were expected to own, carry or supply when you went to work. Slowp that includes your stuff :) Stuff like Axes, saws, pikes, wedges, spikes, rigging gear, etc. The stuff you can explain for the enlightenment of all about how it used to be for the woods worker. The intent is to get the personal side of this photographed/recorded before we loose too many of the older knowledgeable guys who might have inherited some stuff form their dad's and grand dad's and know what it was and how it was used ...

Dimensional cutting - has not come up but a few times with Rob. I'm sure they will be interested to hear what could be done, especially for making maintenance lumber for the Bale Mill in historic dimensions from local trees. It's a topic to bring up and start the dialog. We have an historic steam mill running occasionally over in the Sonoma area, so it's possible to have pieces made ... But it might be a great idea to set up a portable mill or an Alaska Mill to make stuff on-site if the trees are right and the need is there. We'll talk this year and see what comes up :)

2-Dogs: On the safety talk, I know it will be repetitive for some, and if they were there last year and are on a list we still have (?), they can skip it, but for the "new" folks it'll be a cornerstone of the program moving forward. You did a great job last year.

As this event grows and eventually becomes more "new" publicly involved, we hope to be able to gather the curious and the weekend back yard'ers who come, to actually hear what safety means in the woods. It's a "product or service" that the event can offer that exactly matches the "education and outreach" goals for the Park System. It is one reason we have the event. Right now the GTG is still small and mostly us, but in a few years when the announcement is in the big papers and we have our game down more firmly, it'll be advertised as one of the "things to do" when the public comes to see and hear.

By then I hope we can do a separate saw log for just antique equipment. Really loud, noisy, cranky, slow, heavy, stuff that we'll think we had a great day to get two cuts and crowd of a 100 to watch :D

A few years after that, we may add hot-rod saw racing, but that's quite a few years out and it depends on "the organic evolution" of the GTG and what we all want... This GTG's doing great as a event that started as loose idea a few years ago to now becoming an actual informative and productive party for us with food and camaraderie and some challenging experiences :) We did not know if it would even work a few years ago? Now we seem to have a better handle on what we can, and cannot do well ...
 
Ummmm we still wear tincloth up here. I'll bring my tin pants. I don't have a paint gun--which was/is the most used tool of a forester, but an aerosol can will do.
I have D-tape, Spencer tape, and flagging.

Sad news. The huckleberries were non-existent this year. I'll take inventory, but I don't think I have enough. Maybe apple?
 
Ummmm we still wear tincloth up here. I'll bring my tin pants. I don't have a paint gun--which was/is the most used tool of a forester, but an aerosol can will do.
I have D-tape, Spencer tape, and flagging.

Sad news. The huckleberries were non-existent this year. I'll take inventory, but I don't think I have enough. Maybe apple?

We still have 2 jars of huckleberries that you gave us. Dutch oven huckleberry something?

I'll bring the tongs and my peavey. If you want to bring that choker that's on the side of the well house it might be a good display item.
 
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