October Vaca, BK6, Amidon Hike (Photo Heavy!)

The Warrior

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Left last Friday for the cabin, to start our long awaited vacation. Rained on us all the way there, but, it happens. Stopped for supplies, unloaded, and headed to the firewood gettin' place. Bought a face cord/rick/rank for $45. The same amount is $85 here.

It got us this:



And this. Nice to not have to worry about cutting down, bucking, splitting, and stacking:



Stopped raining around 4 pm. A little color, but still drab out:



Installed the wood stove back in, and used the 4 for the prep:



First indoor fire of the season:



4:



Drank a rum and coke, and smoked a gar...



...while the wife was making us some patty melts:









We actually went to bed at 7:30. That was the end of Friday.

Saturday morning was foggy, but ended up being a beautiful day:



The wife's moccassins, haha. Complete with sheath:



Used my well loved 4 for the prep again:



Had to lay some bark down since everything was so saturated:





Sun out strong:



A stroll to the river. It was calm as can be:



Had the 4 with me:



Back up. Charging the overhead light, and the wife's Fire pad:



To be cont...
 
After sitting by the fire for awhile, we headed to a local town, to do some antiquing. Had a lot of fun, and it was nice to get out. Came back to some pretty weather. Heard an eagle, looked up, and there were two bald eagles flying by. Always difficult to get the camera out in time, this time included, haha. Really wanted to get a shot of them though. Anyways, liked the way the evening sun was coming through the trees:



Had a cocktail and a smoke, while the wife looked up a squash recipe:



Got a fire going again. Needed to use some coals for the grill:





Steaks about done:



Grilled steak, teriyaki noodles, and butternut squash, sauteed in butter, with a little brown sugar added at the last. BK11 to the side. Damn fine meal:



Steak was juicy:



Spent the rest of the evening by the fire:







Sunday was another beautiful day. Sun coming up over the valley:



Used the niner to get the morning fire going:



Old school:





Went to another nearby town, to visit a store that has a bit of everything. Wasn't thinking about it being Sunday, and they were closed. (Went back Monday, and I scored a like new jean jacket. It was a XXXL, and I wear an XXL, but it fit like it was made for me. $10!)We ended up driving to Caledonia, to visit an old mercantile store there. Returned, and of course, got a fire going again. Used the niner once again:



Was very windy that night:



Had a little excitement that night, as there was an animal walking in the woods. It was very close, but never did see what it was. There's lots of animals in the area. Coyote, bear, deer, bobcat, and on super duper rare occasion, mountian lion. Of course, there are smaller animals there too, opossum, armadillo, racoon, etc. Wasn't taking any chances, and had my shotgun ready. Only a little .410, but with a deer slug, it can do some damage:



Monday morning was another gorgeous day, and definitely time to break out the BK6. Some glams:







To be cont...
 




Next to the 9:



Random shot:



Any of you that are familiar with 91bravo's edges, will know what I'm talking about when I say this thing is scary sharp. Not only will it shave the hair off your arm, the skin cells get shaved off too, haha. Sun shining off the edge:



Makes my hand look small:



Trying to show the texture from sandblasting:



Pointing out the slice I made in the sky ;) :



Proud of that number:



Few more glams:





Let's use this thing! First photo kind of blurry. Getting the small limb out of the way. Had to be careful here, as the ground is mostly rock. Don't wanna chip that edge:



Starting the kerf:



A little wide, haha:



Nice bite!





Just about down:



Down, but doesn't look like it for the trees it's caught up in:



Delimbing:





To be cont...
 
Get the main two top branches off:





Love how deep she bites:



Success:



Take the main piece to the chopping block:





Gotto love the big pieces:



Chop, chop:





Fly chunks, fly!





Through:



Start the next cut:



Perfect chunk. Notice some of the other chunks in the photos:









Different angle:







To be cont...
 






Aaaand another angle:









Success:



Batonning:











Liking the user marks:





The Beckers I had with me. Bk6, BK4, BK2, BK9, BK11, BK1, and BK7. Lean your head slightly to the left for a level photo, haha:



Went into Ironton for a pizza at the Iron Mule. Damn good pizza. Came back, another fire, cocktails, and a fine cigar:







To be cont...
 
Tuesday morning. Yet another fine day weather wise. Was overcast, but at least, not raining.

Get that morning fire going. Use the 6 again:



My prep:



Easy to get a fire going when newspaper is a convenience, haha:



Light it all around, and have the Pocket Bellows handy:



Easy fire:





More battle wounds:



Kind of a diffused sunlight that day:



Leftover pizza for breakfast. Fine by me:



We knew it was supposed to rain Wednesday and Thursday, so we decided to get out and do something. Came across this lookout tower in Perry county:



Looking up:



I went to just above the treetops. The wind there would about knock you over. There were four or five more platforms above me, but this was good enough for me:





Next stop was the Amidon Memorial Conservation Area, to see the Castor River Shut-Ins, and for a small hike:



Start of the trail:



Doesn't take long to get there:



Start of the shut-ins:



The small, uneventful Castor River:



Then it starts through the chutes, aka shut-ins:





To be cont...
 
I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Sunlight would have been better, but it sure was beautiful anyways. We went there once before in the summer, but it was very crowded with people swimming/wading:









































To be cont...
 


Stopped at The Pig for BBQ on the way back:



Spent the rest of the evening drinking and smoking by the fire.

Woke up to 60ยฐ weather Wednesday morning, but rainy:



Rain knocking a lot of the leaves down:



Get the wife's morning started off right:



Didn't want to stay in all day, so we went for a long ride. Ended up stopping at the Iron Mule again, for pizza, again. This photo was actually taken with my phone the last time we stopped, hence why it's sunny:



I wish the sun would have been out, it was very colorful out:



Anywhos, back at the cabin with the goods:



Temps starting to drop, so I used the 6 to get the prep for the woodstove:









Rain, rain:



Went outside for a smoke and a few drinks:



We ate that pizza, and I slammed down a few rum and Cokes. Later on, we came in, and started watching "Rambo: First Blood" on my phone. I kept nodding off. Finally, I nodded off for awhile, but when I woke up, I started getting sicker than a dog. I don't know if it was the combination pizza/drinks that did it, or if I drank too fast, but I was sick. We were going to go home Thursday, but waited until Friday because I wasn't feeling good.

Thursday morning, it was still raining:



Went out for the morning smoke:



Crappy out, so I came in to read the latest Mother Earth News:



Wife kicked my ass at Yahtzee, haha:



The rain finally went down to a drizzle, so I walked down the lane a bit. Snapped a nice tree photo:



To be cont...
 
Walked back up the lane to my driveway, turned around, and spotted something in the lane:



A small deer:



Went back to the cabin, to tell the wife about the deer, and it ended up walking up the hill on our property. Always fun to see the wildlife. I was feeling better by the evening, and we went into town, to the Dairy Bar for a burger.

Friday morning, a whole week. That's the longest one time stay we've done there.

Woke up to a crisp, foggy morning. About 37ยฐ out, but not windy at all:





One last fire. The 6 sure does bite deep:



The prep:



And the fire:



Fog lifting as the sun rose over the valley:









Split the remaining pieces from the tree I chopped down earlier:



Took one of those pieces for a feather stick, but it didn't work very well. Oak, with a curvy grain structure:



You can tell it would have worked great with the right wood. Fine feathers:



A few parting shots of the 6:





Cumulus clouds started to come up over the valley. Although pretty, I was hoping it wasn't a rain front:







Damn, it was, haha:



Packed it all up, and headed home. Drove much of the time in the rain, but a little after we got back to Illinois, it stopped.

Had the best time ever. Usually when you go on vacation, it flies by. Not so this time. Went by nice and slow, and enjoyed every minute of it, except for the hangover part, haha. This is my last vacation of the year, but will have another in January.

My feelings on the BK6. Love it! Awesome blade. I love the sound of it swooshing through the air while chopping, and really love the bites, and chips flying I was getting. Did everything quite well. Was a lot of fun to use. I also like the micarta scales. I wasn't a micarta fan at all, but 91bravo sanded these to fit flush, and added something to them, but I forgot what he told me, haha. Really nice feel to them.

@91bravo, and @Tanker 1/66, thanks again guys, I really do appreciate the generous gifts. Will certainly come in handy, and you know it will be used. ;)

Thanks for looking.
 
Outstanding pics! Thank for sharing your experiences and pictures...I think Iโ€™m more relaxed now just reading through this post!
Thanks man, we sure did have fun.
 
Wow! Great Pics as always! The pink rocks , the fall colors very Cool! The 6 looks Sweet :thumbsup: Glad you two had an AWESOME time and Thanks for taking all of us with you ;) Excellent :thumbsup:
Thanks man, appreciate it. It was hard to come home. Love that area, lots to see. Lots of trails we haven't hiked yet.
 
Awesome thread, Dubz! Sounds like you and your wife had a great time, Iโ€™m glad. Welcome back, brother! :)

Great pics Dubz!
Thanks for posting.
Looks like you two had a great time.
Thanks gents, we sure did. Wish I was there now, but it's raining again, haha.
 
I like that you put the PM through its paces. You mentioned @91bravo โ€˜s sharpening skills. Itโ€™s funny how insanely sharp these blades can get. My 29 came from and was sharpened by @Bill Siegle. He crafted a beast of an edge, far beyond my present skill set. I was thoroughly impressed when I first used it.
 
I like that you put the PM through its paces. You mentioned @91bravo โ€˜s sharpening skills. Itโ€™s funny how insanely sharp these blades can get. My 29 came from and was sharpened by @Bill Siegle. He crafted a beast of an edge, far beyond my present skill set. I was thoroughly impressed when I first used it.
The 6 was a blast to use, really enjoyed it.

A sharp edge makes all the difference in the world. :thumbsup:
 
good stuff!
you were pretty close to Tradewater's stomping grounds, too - he's about 30 miles East on hwy 60, just over the Ky border.
Thanks man. Yeah, he's not far away at all.
 
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