This photo was taken at about 6:30am, on the highway a few kilometers outside of Robb. I couldn't believe how rich the colors of the sky and woods were this morning.
Once again, waiting for a train outside of camp.
Andrew, Colleen, & Crystal.
A view of block 3-20-1818. Although it doesn't really look like it from the photo, this was a pretty nice block, and the stream at the bottom of the hill was certainly appealing.
Having breakfast at 6am.
Checking the oil in the morning.
Getting ready to pull Greg's truck out of the mud.
Adding oil to the quad engine. The spout (from a jerry can) makes it far easier to add oil without spilling it on the ground.
One of the nicest blocks on the contract. Unbelievable flat, and not much grass.
One of the main caches on Greg's block.
On the way home from the block one day, we suddenly got hit with an unbelievably strong rain & hail storm. This photo was taken with the windshield washers going at full speed.
Shelley, getting bowls of salad ready for supper.
Christie, laughing at the rain.
Christina.
Tina, looking a bit uncertain about her feelings about the weather.
It's still raining and hailing pretty hard in this photo taken in camp about twenty minutes later.
Less than an hour later, the storm has passed by, and now we just have to wade through the puddles for a few hours.
After the storm, there was about eight inches of water in my truck. I dropped the tailgate, and it was like a mini Niagara Falls. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me at the time, so most of the water had already poured out the back by the time I grabbed the camera.
The access for the past couple days has been pretty bad into a few of the blocks. It's hard to keep the trucks clean. This one is normally white.
Pulling out of camp in the morning, through our mud-pit driveway. I sure wish we could get several loads of gravel spread out on the driveway.
Mike, Joanne, and Jackie.
I saw a bench and this sign near staging when I was flying around in the chopper, so after we landed, I walked over to find it and see what it was all about. It commemerated West Fraser's 100 Millionth tree, planted in 1999 (they were Weldwood of Canada at the time). The sign and bench were in a small block in front of the Gregg Creek Cabins campground.
A plaque nearby.
Another plaque on the same rock.
Our helicopter.
A box with a bad bottom. All of our summer trees came in this kind of a box, which sucked, because this particular nursery uses boxes with folded bottoms, not stapled bottoms. When the boxes were all sitting on the ground in our shade cache, the rain would fall each night and soak the bottoms and the ground, and then when we started to try to move trees around on the quads and in the helicopter and trucks, the bottoms kept breaking we were losing bundles on the ground everywhere. West Fraser is looking into a remedy for this problem for next year, so the foremen don't lose their minds (although it is probably already too late).
Here's Travis, looking horny.
Shelley, making sausages and baked beans for breakfast one morning.
French toast.
A photo taken in camp one morning. The sunlight, which is starting to hit the tops of the trees in the background, was brilliant this morning.
Mark, shaving in the window of the camper.
Adam and Dirk, relaxing after dinner.
Moving the First Aid Trailer after the hitch got ripped off in the camp driveway.
Glen "Lightning" Beatty.
Glen & Kristin, walking into their piece.
My work boots. Despite appearances, you would not believe how comfortable these boots are. I could sleep in them. And with the huge holes in the sides and back, they are always so nice and cool when I walk through puddles.
Duct tape fingers. These offer much more flexibility than wearing work gloves, but at the same time, they protect your fingertips when you're shoving trees into the dirt all day, so your fingertips don't get ripped to shreads on the gravel and broken rock. The only drawback with using red duct tape is that I frequently find I'm pulling my fingers out of a hole and I catch a glimpse of red and I think that it's blood after I've sliced a finger open again. So I'd suggest staying away from red. The best common duct tape to use is Intertape. Don't get the WalMart brands - they don't have enough glue and just keep falling off all day. One you get good at taping your fingertips, you should never have the tips fall off during your planting day, but at the same time, you shouldn't have to cut off blood circulation to your fingertips.
A mushroom.
Kristin.
Scooter. Yes, I still plant once in a while just for fun (when time permits), to help out the crews if I'm supervising a group of people and they are trying to finish up a block.
Most of the people in camp, on the last afternoon of the West Fraser contract.
I've always liked this billboard, located just outside of Edson.
Some of my most awesome planters.