No, the surveyors weren't out there lmao.

But I wasn't really looking for them.  I need to get more exercise, more often.  Sitting in that truck is definitely not good for you and there are diseases that prevail amount truckers. Obesity is the most obvious one, diabetes is also another big one.  High blood pressure is also up there.  And some sore of embollism that is related to not moving around enough. 

So I tend to do at least some walking, but I have really been trying to go on more hikes, more frequently ever since this 25 acres came into the potential reality of obtaining it.  

To that end, we went on the longest hike yet. We being Me, myself, I, Addler and Aspyn.  As a kid, I used to talk to myself.  Lots of people do it, I don't answer myself back, lol, but I can talk out loud to no one for long periods of time in having a "conversation" about things going on and what course to take.  Hence, the me myself and I bit.  There aren't 3 of us, lol, it's just me.

I did take the hunting camera this time and got it hooked up to a tree. I was going to put it near where I found the bear dung but I thought twice about it after getting back in there. Will I ever be able to find it again? Probably, but with a lot of trouble I imagined. So I doubled back about 100 yards to where there is an old, falling apart, home made deer stand replete with home made feeder nearby and set it up in an opening in that general area.  

I knew I could find that area, I pass through there every hike I make back in there.  I'll leave that up for a week or so and then remove the memory card from it, bring it home and see what there is to see on it.  I'm guessing deer since whoever put a deer stand up in there.

I went clear back to the back of the property again, this time I found a stake in the ground with a pink ribbon on it.  This was an old stake, not part of any current survey.  I then looked at GPS to determine where I was actually at and was surprised to find how far east I was of where the county appraisal map shows it. At least 100 feet if not 200.  I then looked at the appraisal map again, perhaps I was at the wrong place and well off the property?

No.  There are no other properties besides the one next to me and the one behind me.  It's either the survey is off or the appraisal site is off. I'm guessing the appraisal site.  It was interesting to find that there to say the least. I knew  - or thought anyway - I was off the parameters of the property, I was trying to find some way to get to the other side and the only option was to go well out of the way around the thick underbrush.

I will say here that I had quite a bit of blood on my arms after this hike was over.  I was getting eaten up by thorns pretty bad in my thirst and quest to get to the other side.  Anyway, I eventually found the fenceline - it's old and mostly fallen onto the ground, but it's barbed wire so it's not really going anywhere.  That was about 300 feet to the west of the stake I had found and it was right in line with the stake. I had set a marker on my GPS to keep track of where that stake was at versus where I am at along the fenceline.  Anyway, I got to the stream and that's where the trouble is.  It's so thick with underbrush.

I stood there quite a while wondering how to get through there, the dogs getting restless, staring at me - where are we going next? We aren't just going to stand HERE all day are we" was the look I figured they had on their faces.  Well, I found a way over the creek and started climbing up the hill on the other side. Pretty steep, actually.  But the further up I got, the more it started to level off.  Along the way, Addler was jumping over a log and apparently went down into a hole.  I heard a "ooomph" coming from him and wondered if I would have to get people back in there to haul him out of there?  

Thankfully, no, he got up and started running like nothing happened. But, he's a tough dog and he seems to ignore pain, I'm going to be watching that leg for any signs of muscle or ligament injury.  Regardless, there were no further incidents besides me getting torn up by thorns.  I have huge, long scratches on my arms this time, they went deep and drew some blood this time. There isn't any pain now, but it doesn't exactly look appealing.  

I followed the fence line - as best as one can anyway with all that mess in there - and finally got to the other side and to the west side easement! Yayyyy!  I was delighted to have finally made my way over there.  I got out into the easement - at that point there was nothing but some grass, no small trees and no thorn bushes.  Looked back to the north - towards the front of the property and knew I wasn't going back through there. First you run into all kinds of small maple trees growing and then....you run into those nasty thorn bushes.

Can I say here that if I do end up with this property, eventually every last one of those thorn vines and bushes will be cut down and burned?  Or even plowed under?  I have visions of just cleaning out the entire forest back in there of all of the undergrowth.  It adds nothing to the scenery and makes it a pain to get through anywhere.  Clear that ALL out of there it would be 100% nicer back there.  Just leave up the bigger trees, let some sun get to the forest floor and dry it all up. 

Okay, so I started making my way back to the front along that side.  I hoped to find a way out of there - and hence - a way back in there without having to go clear to the other side, all the way to the back, all the way to this side to get over here. Along the way, I was looking for potential camp sites.  Primitive sites, just tent camping, no RV's.  I found several places that could be cleared out, cut down some trees, put in some grass and put in a picnic table and a fire ring.  That's my style of camping. I could rent those out $15 per day and people that like tent camping really could have a good time back in there, at least from my perspective of tent camping. 

Well, maybe $20 per day.  I dunno, but that's low maintenance.  I've definitely come to the conclusion I'm going to need some part time employees to help run the place.  Cleanup after each camp site is vacated - clear out the fire rings, clean up any trash/waste, make it good to go.  I wouldn't mind having a large trash can at every site.  More work, but less work for the trashy people that just don't care.  Here, dude/dudette, is a trash can RIGHT AT YOUR SPACE. Please use it, don't be throwing trash on the ground.  Yet, you know some people are like that and they will chuck their trash on the ground anyway.  Of course if this thing ever gets up and running I will work full time there and won't need much extra help.  At least, not for the existing campsites.

Anyways, the tent campers would be well in the rear of the property and well away from the RV'ers.  RV'ers apparently don't want to be around tent campers and tent campers the same.  I get it. If I'm camping in a tent, I don't want to be around anyone.  I've tent camped hundreds of times, at least, maybe over a 1,000 times in my life span and we mostly stayed away from people.  We don't got out there for a social gathering, we go out there to get the feel of nature.  The back of that property? Oh yes sir, you are going to get nature.  If  that's what you want, that is definitely what you're going to get.  

I could see some primitive cabins back there in the future.  It's too far to run electricity back there, it would cost a fortune to run a few thousand feet of electrical cable underground.  There are no power easements running through there that I could see, either.  The only utility is natural gas and that is a gas main, not something you would run residential use off of.  Primitive cabins are just a small cabin structure with bunk beds, a table and chairs and not much else.  

I will, however, be looking for any power easements running nearby.   I know, it's not the old ways of camping. Some people are still into that, many people still want power at the very least.  Put heating and cooling into those primitive cabins and they'll come year round.  

I know, I said I wasn't going to get this involved with this property  until after the closing.  I can't help myself.  The possibilities with this property are far greater than Finklea. It's 12 acres larger, the front portion is perfectly designed for an RV park, the rear is perfectly designed for nature buffs.  I don't even care about the gas well now.  That's just a small thing in the way, I'll get around that.  The title came back through clean, that was the biggest roadblock and the only thing really, in my mind anyway, that would have held up the closing of this property.  And anyway, regardless of whether it becomes mine or not, it has been interesting to go hiking back into it and observing nature in al of its mostly untouched glory.  There's no trash laying all over the place, it's pretty clean as far as human interference goes.

I will, however, want to put someone to work cleaning out the brush in the back and I have a solid candidate in mind. 

Got back from that adventure, took a shower, cleaned up the scratches on my arms and went to a new Irish pub/restaurant that opened up in town.  They failed on that one. Not because it's in a hotel, but because it doesn't have the feel of an Irish pub at all. They took over the hotel lobby to build their restaurant. They don't have the nook and crannies Irish pubs do for the eating "rooms".  There is no traditional wood anything. It's all modernistic and simply doesn't look like a pub.  Pricey, the food is ok but not worth what we paid for it.  You pay for the experience as well as the food in a pub like that, the experience didn't exist.  I don't know what they were thinking, they should have bought or leased their own building. They have a pub in a town north of here, that is a real pub atmosphere. We won't be back. I doubt I'll leave negative reviews, just wait and see what everyone else has to say about it.  

And now? We are all taking afternoon naps.  I slept soundly last night but woke up in a fog.  Too much sleep, I had to force myself to get up and go on that hike.  I either sleep too well or get too little sleep, there is nothing in between.  Then it's time to get up and clean the large throw rugs in the kitchen. They have become stained and dirty and need the carpet cleaner on them. They're too big for the washing machine, my favored way of cleaning rugs.  

If there's time, get the canopy up over the pond and transfer the fish from the aquarium into it.  If not, it will have to wait until I get back from the next trip, which I "assume" is tomorrow. I haven't received anything yet, but I'm not working today, I need to work tomorrow.  A good 3 day run would suffice.  The older boy was asking if I would be home when he gets here tomorrow - Wednesday, today is Tuesday.  Mom said "I don't know".  I'm saying hopefully not.  The boys have been gone 2 weeks and they are getting very homesick and not having contact with the people they are normally around, which is mom, dad and me.  Oh wait, I did receive notice from dispatch today that the loading plant is mandating everyone wear masks. 

I think I have a mask in my truck.  I threw those things out.  I am done with masks.  But not done, apparently, I will wear one in there to keep my job.  If I'm "forced" to start wearing one in places like supermarkets, I'll have to pick my battles. I do not like the idea of the government or even private enterprise telling me I have to wear a face diaper.  If you don't have a problem with them, fine, that's your prerogative.  I don't like them and more so, I don't like being told I have to wear one.  

Well enough of this, g'day.