Today was a busy and productive day. I got up early, as usual, and skipped breakfast since I planned to head south to the Town Recycling Center in Baileyville. On the way, I thought I’d stop at the Old School Family Restaurant in Princeton—but unfortunately, they were closed. So, no good breakfast this morning. Who closes a restaurant on a Saturday?
I continued on to Baileyville but decided to keep driving so I could make a couple more stops—first to Hammond Lumber to check on prices, and then to the Package Depot, a place that receives packages on your behalf. I used to use the Waite General Store for that, and this works similarly. It’s $3 per package (up to 30 lbs), with rates increasing for heavier items. Very reasonable.
I also stopped at the Stihl dealer to see about getting a charger for my Stihl battery tools—chainsaw, hedge trimmer, and string trimmer—since I don’t have one up here. Then I went back to Hammond Lumber, grabbed breakfast at Dunkin’ Donuts (finally), and headed back toward the recycling center. About halfway there, I realized I’d forgotten to stop at the Package Depot—too late to turn around, so I just continued on. I called them later in the day to set up an account. Very nice folks.
The recycling center is very similar to the one we had in Glen Burnie—simple but sufficient. I’ll be able to take pretty much everything from here. The main challenge will be getting it all to the truck.
Back at the cabin, I got a lot done—cleaning up and reorganizing. I moved a lot of tools and gear into what used to be the bunk room, now designated as the future bathroom. That really opened up space and made the cabin feel roomier. I also hooked up one of my LED panel lights—what a difference! Even during the day, the cabin is so dark that you need a flashlight. The panel light throws off a lot of light and uses very little energy. It’s just leaning against something for now, but even so, it’s already a game changer.
Later, I went out to work on creating a path to the wetland area. Last year’s windstorm had knocked down a lot of trees—big and small—completely wiping out any trails. I spent quite a bit of time clearing that and made it to the wetlands. I even began forging a path across them, though that’s going to be tricky. The wetlands are spongy and uneven, with elevation differences of a foot or more. Might be possible to walk across, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get the big wagon through.
I’ve put in a call to a lumber yard that sells large timbers (8×8, 10×10, or 12×12) in long lengths. The idea is that the heavy timbers could eventually settle into place across the wetland and serve as tracks for the wagon wheels. It might just work.
All in all, an exhausting but productive day. Tomorrow, I’m renting a U-Haul trailer to pick up the farm gates I bought on Facebook Marketplace. The seller says he’ll be available. I’m not sure how I’ll get the trailer down the road to the property—it’s rough, with deep ruts and a high center. Last time, the enclosed trailer’s axle was only six inches off the ground and wouldn’t have made it. Hopefully, this utility trailer sits a little higher. We’ll see. Another fun challenge ahead.
Have a good day, everybody.