How'd it go today?

[cory]

-Retired my butt,I've always got something to do .

 

[flushcut]

You rest you rust

 

[Burnham]

Truth, Al...there's always stuff on my list.

 

[Fiddler]

Flooded out at work yesterday & today...too wet for the machines. At least I got my place mowed.

Spent an hour pulling buried golf balls out of the mud yesterday but that's it until things dry out enough to mow.

Tried some new type strings on my fiddle...so far they suck...hoping they improve after a "break-in period...

Front steps fell apart on the house. Figured up the material list this morning.

 

[SeanKroll]

Took down a crusty tree at my house yesterday. Bigleaf maple damaged by fire a long time ago. Fungi since then.

I need a bandsaw mill. This maple looks interesting.



My neighbors just put their house on the market, so I'm trying, more than usual to keep things tight and clean. Burned a brush pile, and chips a couple accumulated piles, trailers unloaded, larger trailer and mini-loader at my neighbors for service, lawn mowed, some privacy fencing started to compliment my privacy trees, in consideration of my neighbor's sale, and my own interest.

Weekend with the kid. Going to build some planter boxes and plant seeds for the first annual garden. Carrots, Cucumbers, giant pumpkins, flowers, something else. We'll get some 'starts', too.

Going to work on 2-wheeler skills. She's about there. I let go a few seconds at a time. Riding slightly uphill helps. Being able to instinctively-balance while pushing pedals and wiggling one's body, without accelerating too fast, is good. Practicing a lot on braking. A bit of hand-brake while pedalling downhill helps.
I built the first sanctioned-US Forest Service Log Ride on a mountain biking trail, I was told by the USFS engineer. My boss, the engineer, and I had to do a test run, for safety sake, on the whole trail. The engineer taught me that log-rides are way easier while pedalling and dragging a rear brake. Like magic.

 

[MasterBlaster]

As long as they can't sue you!!!

 

[SeanKroll]

I worked for a conservation organization building that bike/ motorcycle trail, amongst others. Can't remember if its the Warr trail in South Lake Tahoe. I have no personal liability. That all US Forest Service.

 

[Nutball]

I'd think you'd use more energy dragging the brake

 

[squisher]

It's worth the effort. It's a learned technique,not to much just enough to help stabilize.

 

[Nutball]

In what way? Is this for muddy trails where one might have the front wheel slip out or the rear slide around? Would you use this technique everywhere or where is it best for?

 

[Mellow]

Busy day today. My grandson's First Holy Communion this morning. My son's college graduation ceremony this afternoon. Then dinner for 20 at a fancy Italian restaurant this evening. Good thing I'm a wealthy tree guy!

 

[Bodean]

Nice sounds exhausting.

We went to a hotel overnight... to get away.... and foind the water.....

I quit.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hahahahaaa - lordy!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Ouch. Hit the wine

 

[Burnham]

I worked for a conservation organization building that bike/ motorcycle trail, amongst others. Can't remember if its the Warr trail in South Lake Tahoe. I have no personal liability. That all US Forest Service.

That perception died many a year ago, Sean. These days, personal liability insurance is a common thing for people working in fire, any training situations, any engineering and construction fields, law enforcement, even straightforward public contact positions like GS-3 or 4 front desk clerks.

The USFS has abandoned employees to civil and criminal court actions from public sector litigants.

Of course, the US Forest Service is not the only federal agency to do so...

 

[squisher]

In what way? Is this for muddy trails where one might have the front wheel slip out or the rear slide around? Would you use this technique everywhere or where is it best for?

Dragging a rear brake adds balance and stability. It's easier to do/use than the front brake for the same purpose, especially at low seeds. It's a super common technique for bikes from mtn, dirtbike, to street. Front braking can have the same affect and a combination of the two has the best effect at speed. Trail breaking.

 

[Nutball]

I know I've dragged the brake a lot, usually the front (not sure if it's because the front is more useful, or if its because the brakes on this bike are on opposite bars from what I'm used to) but I do use it to stabilize myself usually at extremely slow speeds where I'm more balancing than riding. I assume too that braking allows you to load your legs a bit which might allow for more precise variations in pedaling since they are already moving under load.

 

[squisher]

Try the rear at low speeds. You won't be disappointed. Take the drag off your steering axle. Just a light drag that you can pedal through for low speed technical stuff.

 

[SeanKroll]

This was for log-rides, in particular. Mt. Tallac Log Ride...points right toward Mt. Tallac.


Interesting, B. Are you saying that trail users can sue trail builders who are employees of the USFS, following instructions (the log ride didn't have blue-prints) from FS engineers?

I was another layer deep, under a Not-for-profit conservation org.

I don't loose sleep over it. Never given personal liability for trail building a thought, honestly.

 

[Burnham]

I think the odds are well in your favor for being insulated from legal action, Sean. If you can prove in court that you did exactly what the engineer directed you to do. That may be a hard pull if the engineer says otherwise, I dunno. The FS engineer wouldn't be as insulated as you, most likely.

Frankly, anyone can sue pretty much anyone, we all know that...what has changed in the last 20 years or so for USFS employees is that it can no longer be assumed that the Forest Service will undertake to defend an employee who gets sued for something done in the course of their job, even if they were doing work as assigned. In the past, the agency defended itself and the employee as if they were one and the same entity legally...that is no longer necessarily the case.

 

[SeanKroll]

That sucks. The rest of the trail was engineered on paper, and in the field. Nobody told me how to do it. I ripped it down the length free-hand, then realized 'that's not very good traction'. Went back and cross-hatched it. I imagine I should have kerfed the snot out of it, 1" dead, then busted off the tops with a pulaski. Rode fine, without cross-slope.

 

[stig]

Burnham, in my book, that REALLY sucks.
Not standing up for your employees.............................................what the hell?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

My fun today and a couple more. Have to haul the wood out.
5 over and in between sheds. Plumbing, fence. And one lone tree.

Lunch break.....

 

[MasterBlaster]

Easy-peasy!!!

 

[Burnham]

Burnham, in my book, that REALLY sucks.
Not standing up for your employees.............................................what the hell?

No argument, brother.

People like me, who put untold and largely uncompensated effort into peer safety training and certifications imo ought not have to fear a lawsuit...but if we did a shitty job, and a student got hurt of worse because of our mistakes...maybe we should be held liable. I dunno...I know of one climbing instructor whose cert. to instruct was pulled due to lax attention to the established USFS standards, out of more than a hundred and eighty certified instructors that I worked with over those many years. I motioned for and then voted that unprecedented removal, btw.

But folks just doing their jobs as directed, like Sean described...that should be fully protected by the employer, in this case the US government. And for the most part, it is still that way. I may have overemphasized the rare situation in my earlier post.