Yesterday I spent pretty much all day in the drizzle cutting hedge. And by hedge, I mean hedge row, which is much different than bushes. Hedge row is mainly made up of Osage Orange, which a really hard wood. And it can be pretty thorny, like almost impossible to touch thorny. The is a saying about an Indian would trade two horses for a hedge bow. Shows how much they valued that. Anyway, it is really hard, like sparks fly sometimes when you cut it.
This project really started Monday when I drove out to Tonganoxie Kansas, which is an hour Northwest, to deliver a table to Vincent’s mom’s which I’ve had for the past couple years. The table is giant and is 100 inches long, which barely fit in the van with both rows of seats. Vincent’s mom is from Holland and, of course we had to stay and have lunch.
Then we went to Lawrence I and borrowed my team leader’s, Matt, dump trailer. It is awesome and holds a ton. Plus it hydraulically dumps, which is key.
Then to cutting. I left my good Stihl MS200t chainsaw in Ames a couple weeks ago, so borrowed Matt’s, self admitted, junky Echo saw. And it is junky. Buying a chainsaw, if you’re going to use it for a lifetime, then buy a good one, like a Stihl. Home fix-it store saws don’t stack up. I actually have all the parts to assembly another Stihl arborist’s saw, I just haven’t put them together. I’m not sure if it is going to take an hour or a day, so I’ve sort of avoided the project.
Anyway, the hedges were an effort. Lots of vines growing between them, which made it cumbersome to remove. And then the thorns, ouch. I had to partially mulch the trees in the trailer to get them all in. And they aren’t all in. I ran out of light, having cut for over 6 hours.
I probably only cut for 5 hours, since I spent an hour screwing with the Echo saw and then the downtime waiting for Trudi as she borrowed Bill’s Makita chainsaw. I had never heard much about Makita saws, but Bills seems pretty good.
I was wearing work boots, with steel toes all day and my Achilles tendon had been aching since the cross race on Sunday. Since I haven’t planted my right foot onto the ground at 20 mph, it probably shocked my whole leg. At least my tendon and knee a bit. The work boots weren’t optimal for this issue. It isn’t like my tendon hurts, it feels more like my sock is bunched up and rubbing on it, even when I am barefoot. And not all the time, just every once in a while. Pretty weird symptoms.
I talked to Stacie and she seems stumped. I’ve been icing it, ibuprofen and Flector patches. This small things scare me nowadays. I guess it is better to be cautious than not.
We’ve been riding on Mondays and Wednesdays at dark, on the rail trail, which is primitive, with lights. It is pretty dead flat, but is actually turning out to be a pretty good workout. Riding at night, on a tree lined trail, seems so fast. As soon as we are going over 20, it seems like 30. Plus it has been pretty windy each time we’ve ventured out. The trees provide protection, but it is still hard. Guess this is my cyclocross training for the week.
The wind is blowing right now already. I got a text from Vincent and he said that it is the windiest that he has ever felt in Arvada this morning. Like he can’t stand up in it. Street lights down, trucks overturned in Golden, the whole deal. I have to admit, the wind on the front range near Denver is out of control sometimes.
Anyway, I’m back to tree and bush removal this morning. It is chilly, in the 40’s, plus the wind. Not the best day for it, but I don’t get to pick that. I have a couple more days of this scheduled, so I’m going to say it is cross training for cross.
Table delivery.
Little lunch.
Flexor patch on my tendon.
Got the trailer at Matts.
Job.
Partially done. Couldn’t take a finished photo because it was dark when I was mostly done.
Steve, If you have any osage staves, (Maclura pomifera) 4ft or longer I would buy them for bow wood. I have made some Native American bows 45-65 pounds, out of osage orange and it is fantastic wood. I will be teaching kids Native American crafts next Spring and could use some more osage orange. As you well know, it doesn’t grow in northern Wisconsin.
Will those stumps grow back? Or do you want them to?
Randy and Paul got stopped by the police or Shawnee County Sheriff for riding the Landon Trial at night. Randy said the officer followed them all the way back to Capp’s.
Why not just cut those shrubs down to the ground? They sure aren’t pretty.
Will you be going to NC to tear it up in January?
Euro-It is a quandary. The house is thee original farmhouse in the area, built around the turn of the century. The hedge row is probably the original. It is wild and a hassle, but I don’t have the heart to just eradicate it.
CC-I was just testing the waters to see if I can race cross. Now that Master’s World Championships are rumored to be in the US a couple weeks after Asheville, I have more more interest in the cyclocross season this year.
That’s ridiculous. And how did he follow them on the trail?
stumps don’t look large enough diameter to be very old (50+). They will grow back. Hearty plant with established root system.
biscuit – They have to be older than that. I’ve had the house close to 30 years and rode by it for years before that. They keep the trees cut to a hedge height, maybe stunting the truck growth? That is all I can think of. They grow back with a vengeance in the spring.
Steve I’m wondering about the Flexor pain patch you talked about? I wasn’t able to find a Flexor patch but did find one called a Flector pain patch that has to be prescribed by a physician. Is it possible the one’s you’re referring to are Flector?
Thanks!
Mark-They are Flector patches and they are prescription.
Put some Tordon on your fresh cuts.
Two words: DR Chipper.
Oh boy. Doping controls for US Masters. LOOK OUT!
http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/11/news/anti-doping-is-coming-to-masters-and-amateur-racing_389517
Thank you Steve, I’ve been battling some pain on a knee that has had 4 surgical procedures on it. Most recently was scoped in June of this year and it’s been an ongoing deal. I’ll ask my orthopedist about them.
Mark
Looks like the house needs a roof too.
Just putting up a USADA tent at some races after registration would be a hoot.