11/17-19/09 I went up to Camp Serendipity for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

There was new snow going over the pass above 1400 feet but there was only a little bit of slush on the road. Just before I arrived, I passed and greeted Marsha who was out walking their dog, Brass. There was about 9 inches of snow on the ground but it was deeper near the gate where the snowplow had made a berm. I pulled up perpendicular to the gate with my front wheels buried in the berm and got out to lock the hubs on the truck and open the gate.

Just as I hopped out, Marsha and Brass came by and we started chatting. Then Paul Gray came down the road in his truck. There was enough room for him to pass behind me but he stopped and chatted with Marsha and me for a while. I explained that this was going to be the first real test of the 4WD on my truck since I got it fixed. I have had a low opinion of 4WD up to now because, unknown to me, it was not working on my truck. Now this was going to be a good test.

After Paul and Marsha moved on, I opened the gate, got in the truck, engaged the 4WD and slowly drove into the snow. It worked like a charm. I didn't need to get a run at it like I always did before. I just drove slowly and deliberately all the way to the trailer in one shot. And there is a pretty steep incline as you get to the trailer. I was impressed, and I now appreciate the value of 4WD.

I turned up the heat in the trailer and then went up to the cabin and started a fire in the stove. Bert and Ernie showed up while I was getting firewood and I gave them a big round of hugs. They evidently lost interest because they were gone before I went back to the trailer. They didn't get their usual biscuits.

After lunch, I went to work and took down the gate. I also backed the screws out a little that are holding my house number sign to a tree. This allows for the tree growth so it doesn't suck the screws into the bark like it did the nails on the bat houses I put up.

I had brought 14 new 1/2" x 12" carriage bolts with me. I took them up and installed three of them in the second tread replacing the allthreads that were temporarily holding the tread. I was really happy with how those first two treads looked and felt when you stepped up onto them. They are solid.

Next, I sanded both treads and the top of the stringer between them so they are ready for the next coat of varnish. Finally, I dismantled the tread-holding jig so that I could rebuild it for the next tread. My leg was really bothering me so I went in a little early. The stress of carrying the scaffold frame up and down the hill to take down the gate was probably what hurt my leg. I am a little concerned about my leg because it feels almost exactly like it did a year ago before the knee surgery and all the recovery problems after that. I wish I knew what was wrong with it.

On Wednesday I went right up and started another fire and this time Bert and Ernie showed up for both hugs and biscuits. After breakfast, I went up to work. I rebuilt the tread-holding jig to hold the third tread at the proper height. Then I chiseled the notch flat in the third tread, planed off the underside of the tread, and brought it inside.

I decided to weigh the tread just out of curiosity and just as I went down to get the scales, Larry showed up. I showed him what I had been doing and I rigged up the scales and weighed the tread while he watched. The tread weighed 35 lbs. It seemed heavier than that when I lugged it around, but then again, I'm getting older.

I also mounted the tread in the jig while Larry watched, and positioned it on the stringer to see how it fit. I had adjusted the sawing jig so the notch wouldn't be quite as deep as before, and this made the tread fit a lot better. It still needed to be cut down a little more, but that was to be expected. The notch was still pretty rough.

With the tread held in position, I took a picture of it with Larry and me. Then I demonstrated to Larry how I use Rasputin to work the notch down so that the tread will fit perfectly. By that time it was lunch time so I walked down to the trailer with Larry. He left and I had lunch.

I was too excited to install that 3rd tread so I skipped my usual nap. I am now in mass production mode for installing the treads so I went through the processes that had worked before. I used the square against the mark on the floor to make sure the nose of the 3rd tread was lined up properly. Then I placed the drilling jig on the tread, lined it up with the center line on the stringer, and clamped it in place using two clamped-together 1x2s running from the log wall above the window and down to the drilling jig. Then I drilled the three holes, driving an allthread into each hole after I drilled it to hold the jig and tread in place while I drilled the next hole.

These holes did not go all the way through because the drilling jig takes up so much of the augur. So after all three holes were drilled, I removed the clamp and lifted the drilling jig up over the allthreads and off. Then I finished drilling each hole, but this time I installed the final carriage bolt in each hole as I went. To install and remove those allthreads, I chuck the allthread in my cordless drill and use the drill to turn the allthread in or out of the hole. It works slick. Again, I was very happy with how the treads looked.

Next I took a rope sling and went to the woodshed to get another tread blank. While I was out, I went into the woods to check on the sequoia trees. More snow was forecast and I figured that this might be the last time this season I could check on the trees. I was happy to see that all of them seemed to be happily thriving. Bill is still the smallest, but even that one was nice and green and looked good.

When I got back, I dragged the tread blank to the cabin and used the porch crane to lift it up and onto the tall sawhorses. By the end of the day, my leg was hurting pretty much again.

On Thursday morning it was snowing and there was about six inches of new snow. I was looking forward to backing the truck back down to the road. It is downhill but the snow was a lot deeper.

Bert and Ernie came around for biscuits again while I was building the fire. They really seem to enjoy the snow. They romp in it like little kids. They roll over in it, lay spreadeagle in it, scoop it up and eat it, and generally look like they are having fun in it.

I started working by planing the top surface of the 4th tread and fashioning the nose of the tread. Then I put the blank in the sawing jig and with first the Skilsaw and then the big crosscut saw, I cut the kerfs for the notch. Then with hammer and chisel I roughed out the notch.

By that time it was 11:00 which was my target time for starting to varnish. I brought the tools in from outside and then varnished the three treads. They look wonderful when they are all shiny.

While I was cleaning out my brush, two gray jays came by a few times for peanuts. It was good to see them again. I left for home at 1:30 and had no trouble backing down the driveway. I had to use 4WD to get over the pass so I was glad it is finally working correctly. Maybe I am done putting chains on.