Yesterday morning, I stepped out on the porch and saw an antelope running full speed down the valley past the cabin. I figured that I spooked it. Wrong. A few seconds later a coyote came along running full speed chasing the antelope. That was different.

A couple miles north of the cabin there was a herd of about a dozen elk cows with about a dozen new calves near the creek. I did not have a camera with me.

Yesterday evening, there were four turkeys that went up the valley in front of the cabin.

Yesterday morning, I worked more on the narrow spot on the road up the Tio Grande. It was hard work using a pick and shovel for 2.5 hours. Here are some pictures that show my work, the narrowness, and the drop to the creek.

I also cut off some limbs on pine trees that were rubbing against the top of the vehicle.
In the afternoon, I drove over to road 133 on the east side of Broke Off Mountain to the Lucero Lakes area. I was going to hike over to where the Petaca Land Grant marker for mile 7 was placed in 1878. However, thunderstorms came in forcing me to abandon my hike. Out there I  ran in to a fire fighter for the Forest Service named Joshua who was checking out the soil. We hiked back to our vehicles together and the rain and thunder began a few minutes later.

Today, the forecast was for early thunderstorms, so I did not travel far from the cabin. I went up the Tio Grande and wandered the hillside where the 2-mile marker for the Petaca Grant was placed in 1878. It is like looking for a needle in a needle stack. The surveyors placed a stone 18x10x10 inches on the side of the hill. Well, there are hundreds of stones in that area. I need a better idea of the location to have any hope of finding it (if it still exists). I am hoping to find a marker on the east side of Broke Off Mountain where the ground is less steep and less forested. From such a marker, I will know where the east-west line is located making it easier to locate other markers. Of course, this is assuming that the markers are still out there.

Just a note about the survey markers: In October, 1878, the surveyors went back to find the northwest corner marker they set in May of that year. They did not find it. So, they could not find a marker they set a few months earlier, and I am looking for the markers 138 years later without surveying the line.  Maybe it is hopeless.    

Wildlife report: an antelope has been hanging around the cabin in the evenings and morning, and I saw a lone deer up the Tio Grande.

I thought I should get some more pictures of the cabin with the new roof. The one below is from the hill across the meadow using a telephoto lens. I wanted one from high enough to show the porch roof.
I did some more caulking around the chimney, but I need to do more before winter to prevent water from being caught then freezing.

I finally got around to sighting in my rifle. I moved the target to inside the fence so the cattle could not get to it. The distance from the porch is 55 feet. Below is a photo of the group after adjusting the scope. Pretty good. I used a log on the cabin as a rifle support to get good shots.

I spent most of today on a trip to Espanola. When I got back I put up No Trespassing signs at the three gates to make me legal in that regard. See below.

  I spent some time seeing if there is a way to bypass the narrow place with the steep drop on the road up the creek. I found where I can cross to the east side of the creek, but what looks like the place to cross back is washed out. So, for now the only way to drive up the creek has a very narrow spot with a steep drop on one side and a steep rise on the other side. Here is a photo of the spot. The photo does not adequately show the spot where the road has eroded with a very steep drop to the creek. The Wrangler fits, but it is a scary move.

Today's wildlife report: three antelope, one coyote, one turkey, and a lot of fish.

Yesterday, my cattle ranchers Matt and Jonathan, and I put a new roof on the cabin. It is a metal roof. I ordered the material last week from an Amish company in Colorado, and we picked up the materials two days ago  and brought it to the cabin. It took all day for the three of us to put on the roof. We were interrupted a couple times in the afternoon by thunderstorms. The metal became very slippery in the afternoon and we discovered  that there was a thin film of yellow pollen(?) that had dropped onto the surface. Since we no longer had traction on the metal, we tied a lariat to Matt as he walked the metal surface putting in screws. Here are some pictures. First, a couple pictures of the cabin with the old roof.

Here are a few shots putting on the new roof, including the necessary rope.

Here are a couple shots from this morning with the new roof on the cabin.

I still need to do some caulking on the chimney and the top of the front porch. Hopefully, this roof is good for twenty years or so.

A while back a guy flagged me down when I was on my way out to help get him unstuck. It was about 15 miles up the road nearly to Lagunitas. Here are a couple shots. He was really stuck. It was the first time I used the winch on the Wrangler.

It has been mostly all work the last few days. Over the weekend, Matt was here to work on fences. In one place, the road up the creek is too narrow for the Grand Cherokee, so I spent several hours working on widening it. The road is about 20 feet above the creek there and has a very steep drop to the creek on one side and a very steep hill up on the other side. It was a lot of work to make it just barely wide enough for the Grand Cherokee. We need to drive up the road to repair the fence. I don't want to do that again because it is easy to drop a wheel off the edge. The Wrangler is narrower and shorter, so it is not as dangerous. Here are some shots showing the road problem before I worked on it.

Today, the exterminator was here (Garret). He spent the day sealing gaps and spraying. He doesn't know what is eating the boards around the windows. He took some pictures to research it. I don't remember if I have posted a photo, but here is one. What is eating my cabin?

The only wildlife around the cabin the last few days has been a lone antelope. 

The cattle can be a big help. I have a .22 rifle that I haven't used since I was a teenager. I bought a cheap scope for it and need to sight-in the scope. Yesterday evening, I  set up a board with a paper target about 180 feet from the porch and began taking shots and then looking to see where they hit. The cattle came over to help. They came right over to the target, knocked down the board, and ate the paper target. Since it was getting dark and the cattle were still there, I quit for the night. This morning I set up a larger board with three logs and a new paper target. Before I got off a shot, the cattle came over, knocked down the board and ate the paper target. Below is a picture of some of the cattle at the target. I guess I need to fence in a larger area.

I met another neighbor yesterday. Steve has the second cabin downstream. He has been here for a long time and has lots of information. Like: my cabin was built around 1967; he has an irrigation ditch that runs water from my property to his (it needs work); he says we each have 50% water rights; he says there have been robberies in the past (mostly ten years ago or so) where even large items (a stove, a desk, an ATV) were stolen from his and my cabins. He said he has no problem with the Forest Service passing through his property and improving the road. His cabin is large and was built in the 1990's. It has no electricity and the well is a hand pump on the porch. His property was a 320 acre homestead, but back in he 1990's they sold 160 acres to the Forest Service. He owns the property with his sister.  

I climbed Broke Off Mountain yesterday: up the northwest side and then down the west side near the middle of the ridge. I found no trace of the 1878 survey marker for the Petaca Land Grant, just a 1935 USGS brass cap at the highest point. Here is a photo of my property from up there (1,100 feet up):

This is the area just south of my property. It is known as Valle Grande.

There were a couple antelope up there. The top of Broke Off Mountain is mostly not treed with a slight slope.

Here is one more photo. It is from yesterday afternoon. (Good sky, huh?)

I used the Grand Cherokee to bring up my camping trailer loaded with clothes and supplies. The trailer has a seven inch lift on it, so the road is no problem.

I have been at the cabin for several days. The rancher brought in the cattle the day before I came up. There are 28 including a cow and young calf. The elk came down to the cabin the first evening I was there (they were leary of the cattle at first), but I have not seen any elk for three days. The fence is up to keep in the cattle, so that may be causing the elk to go elsewhere.

I put a shelf up in the kitchen which gives me a place to put food instead of the floor and counter top. I brought up a microwave oven which is nice. I fixed the screen door. Critters had put a large hole at the bottom. I put a dresser in the bedroom which gives me a place to put clothes instead of a suitcase on the floor. I  hung framed maps and the original homestead patents on the walls, I have set up a television, Blu-ray player, and small stereo. With the internet connection I can even stream shows to the TV (at least for the next month or so when the internet contract is over).
I still have a bunch of projects  to do....

I met the cabin neighbors the other day. Pat and Gary have a cabin down the creek from me. They have about ten acres. Their cabin and mine are an interesting contrast. Their cabin is newer and better finished, but has no plumbing (just an outhouse), no water, and no electricity. They do have propane heaters. My cabin is very old and in rather bad condition. However, I have electricity, water (toilet and shower), internet, and cell-phone service. My heat is from a pellet stove.

Here is a shot of the cattle up the Tio Grande valley.

This is the well-protected young calf.

Adding the shelf in the Kitchen was a big help to remove clutter.

A shot of the elk in front of the cabin.

This shows the elk keeping a little distance from the cattle.

A morning shot of Broke Off mountain from the cabin. Note that the aspen trees are leafing out. And the dandelions are flowering.

This is the fish barrier on the Tio Grande about 100 yards south of my property. It's purpose to keep out the non-native brown trout and rainbow trout. The upper creek is nearly pure Rio Grande cutthroat trout and the Forest Service is trying to keep it that way. 

Okay, caught up on posts:

Saturday, May 21, 2016:
I spent the morning cleaning the pellet stove. I should have cleaned it earlier. It was a mess. The combustion chamber had a big block of crud. The stove should operate better and be more efficient.
Today was the first warm day of the year: 72F degrees. A little windy. I went exploring in the afternoon. Downed trees blocking the road prevented me from reaching the top of Broke Off mountain. I also explored to the east in the area where is the northeast corner of the defunct Petaca Land Grant. The land grant was surveyed in 1878 and some day I am going to go looking for the survey markers they made.
On the ridge above the cabin there were a couple elk and at least six turkeys that all ran off when I got close. There was a tree that had fallen in the last week blocking the road. I pulled the tree out with the Jeep Wranger.
I got a couple calls asking to buy my elk tag. I had already agreed to sell it to someone else for $1,700, but one of the callers today offered $2,400.  I hate to break the first deal, but I have not yet received his payment and today's offer is for considerably more.

I took a picture of the cabin early this morning:

I checked out the fence at the south end of the Tio Grande. It looks like there is some work to be done:

Continuing the post blast:

Friday, May 20, 2016:
Going back to the cabin was easier today with the Wrangler: 4-wheel drive and mud tires. It was still a little slippery. I got a late start as the blower I ordered for the pellet stove was to be delivered today by Fedex and requires a signature. They said it would not be available until late afternoon, so I will get it next week.

Thursday, May 19, 2016:
I was just going to run out to the post office in Tres Piedras today. It was to be a trip of about 1.5 hours. Well, because I had dad's pickup, it was exciting. The road was wetter than I expected. Several times I nearly slid off the road when there was a big drop, or nearly slid into a ditch, or nearly got stuck. I did not dare try and go back to the cabin once I made it out. Thus, I had an unplanned trip to Albuquerque for the night. I will go back up tomorrow with my Jeep Wrangler.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016:

I am snowed-in for a few days. There is about five inches of show on the ground. That in itself is not such a problem, but it is melting and the cabin road is impassible when wet, especially without 4-wheel drive.

I spent the day installing a dead-bolt and door latch on the front door of the cabin. It had only a board you spun around to hold it closed when you were inside, and a padlock on the outside to hold it closed and to lock it from the outside. There were old horse shoes used as handles. It was rather crummy. One really bad problem was the door would not close tight when you went out. It came out really well. The door closes tight when latched, and the dead-bolt opens and closes smoothly. 

No elk today, but nine deer hung around the cabin all day. They are the first deer I have seen.
Here are photos of a strange one a a cute one:

Tuesday, May 17, 2016:

I spent much of today with a home inspector. I have an escrow account with the previous owner to fix problems found in the inspection. He said it will be a few days to get the report.

The elk cow herd (about 20) spent the evening in front of the cabin. Interestingly, there were coyotes stalking them. They have a remarkably loud howl.

It snowed this evening and during the night. Check out the elk herd;

Monday, May 16, 2016:

I went to the post office in the morning so I got a late start going to the cabin in dad's pickup. It is 2-wheel drive with highway tires. I needed to get to the cabin before the road got wet and before the furniture in the bed got wet. I was really rushing on the forest roads because it started raining of and on around Tres Piedras. As I got higher, the rain turned to a heavy sleet storm. It was coming down hard when I reached the cabin. Fortunately, I got there before the road was very slippery.  

Sunday, May 15, 2016:

I loaded my dad's pickup with some crud furniture that my sister Brenda was giving away. The furniture has been in her driveway all winter, so it is in bad condition and dirty. I figure I can clean them up and make use of them at the cabin. I also have seven sheets of 2-inch thick Styrofoam. I plan on insulating the windows and the well pump hole.

Saturday, May 14, 2016:

I have been very unimpressed by the efficency of the pellet stove. I finally found the owners manual and see that it has a blower. Well, it has not been blowing any air. Yesterday, I opend up the cover and saw the blower. It had dead insects and crud in the fan blades, so it obviously has not been turning. I spun it by hand and found it was hard to turn and made a grinding noise. This morning, I made a video of the blower not turning when the stove fire had been going for quite some time. About 30 minutes later, the blower suddenly started up. A bunch of crud came flying out the front of the stove and the fan was making a loud grinding noise. Well at least it works. Over time, the grinding noise went away, except for a loud rattle from inside the stove.  

I have not been making posts the last couple weeks, so here they are in a couple blasts:


Wednesday, May 11, 2016:
The former ranch manager and I spent the day repairing the water system. We did further bailing to get the water level a couple inches deep. The outlet was not providing electricity, so we replaced the electrical outlet. I discovered that the outlet is on a 20amp breaker in the electrical shed. For some reason (stay tuned), water was not flowing from the original pump that was submerged. We put in a new pump and the water still did not flow. I suggested that the pump might be turning backward if the electricity was backward. A test showed that was the case. He had miss-wired the outlet causing the pumps to run backward. Once the outlet was rewired, the water system was up and working okay. I can now take showers and use the toilet. It snowed hard all afternoon while we were out working on the water system.
I have been able to get remote videos from the porch camera using the Lowes/Iris system. Today, I upgraded to the their next generation hub and it all came to a screeching halt. The new hub does not support a web interface, only a mobile-app interface. When I tried to load the app to my phone it said that the app does not support my device. Ugh. I have a tablet in Tucson that I will try in a couple weeks. Until then, no web cam videos.
No elk today.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016:

This morning my local cattle rancher dropped by. He is going to be grazing 30 head of yearlings, and one cow, on my property starting in June. Our deal is that he pays me for the grazing, and I pay him to take care of the fence. It will probably even out. 

One of my biggest issues is that I get no cell phone signal here at the cabin. My carrier is AT&T. The rancher suggested trying Viero. I spent the afternoon messing with a cell phone signal booster device I found in the closet (left behind by the previous owner). Magically, I found one particular location and orientation for the antenna that gives me a 4G signal strength of four bars on AT&T. Amazing! I can do texts, voice, and, very importantly, internet. I can use my phone as a wireless internet hot spot for my computer. This means that I can drop DishNet internet that is costing me $80/mo.   

The elk are out in front of the cabin every morning and evening.

Monday, May 9, 2016: 

I spent the morning with the Forest Service Fisheries guy. He brought  a UTV for us to drive up the Tio Grande valley. Mainly, he was looking for a fish barrier on the creek that had not been inspected for about ten years. We found it about twenty yards beyond my property line in the National Forest. He said that it needs work to be more effective. The purpose of the barrier is to prevent non-native species (brown and rainbow) trout from getting upstream. They are trying to keep the creek's population of Rio Grande Cutthroat trout as pure as possible. The road up to there on my property is pretty crude, and dangerously narrow with a drop off in one place. He said they woul have to do some road work to bring up their trucks. I said that would be fine. There is also a culvert at a creek crossing that is not good for creatures going up and down the creek, so they may want to improve that too. We found an elk antler and brought back a hand-held plow that I spotted yesterday. 

I realized that the reason the well pump hole was flooded was due to drainage routes and the low spot at the well hole. The top of the culvert (that contains the pump and pressure tank) has a moat around it about 16 inshes deep. The drainage from the back of the cabin and the hillside runs right down to the low spot which is that moat. I spent the afternoon improving the drainage near the well hole to help prevent it from flooding in the future. I am digging three different ditches and filling in the moat around the well hole. 

Sunday, May 8, 2016:

Drove up to the cabin after being away for a month. I discovered that the well hole with the pressure tank and booster pump was about three feet deep in water. The pump and pressure switch were completely submerged. The electrical outlet was above the water but it was evident that it too had been submerged. I spent about four hours bailing out the hole (it is about six feet deep with a concrete floor and the side is the cylinder of a steel culvert four feet in diameter). I did not dare plug in the pump, so I am going without water until Wednesday when the ranch manager of the previous owner is coming. Everything else seems to be okay. I have a couple gallons of drinking water and camping toilet bags, so I can survive for several days without the water system. 

Before dark, I drove up the Tio Grande a little way and walked around the property some just to have some fun for the day.

May 1: snow day. I hope that there will not be much snow and it melts and dries up in the next few days as I hope to get up to the cabin later this week.

The camera has an interesting view of a snowstorm at night.

Elk again tonight when it was nearly dark.

I have been seeing the elk cow herd on the web camera at the cabin the last few days. Here is a shot from today. I will add the video as well for those who can view it.

The web camera in the kitchen quit three days ago. Next time I am up there I will investigate if it is the camera, electrical, or the internet connection  that has failed.

Almost miraculously, almost all of the snow melted yesterday. It was all white at noon and clear by 5pm. Here is a shot now. (By the way, I have nott seen any elk the last week or so.)

I updated the communication hub firmware on the solar system (Outback Mate3) a couple weeks ago. Now I get valid data for the solar system displayed on the web site. Here is an example for the last three days. In the chart, the green bars show the solar panels providing power. The yellow line is the battery voltage.