My mushrooming trip.

[purplepickup]

While I was up north mushrooming yesterday I ran across a '34 Chevy 3 window abandoned in the woods with no rust or bullet holes.  It looked like it had been streetrodded back in the '60s.  It had cadillac tail lights molded into the trunk, a 283 with the valve covers off, stock parallel spring frontend, motorcycle fenders bolted to the front backing plates, small flat sheetmetal rear fenders,and a 57 chevy rearend.  Three of the tires still had air in them.  There was some rotted plastic sheeting thrown partly over the engine. It was parked out in the middle of nowhere along with a '68 442, a big van type truck full of car parts, some bath tubs, woodstoves, and other junk.  Everything looked like it had been there for at least 4 or 5 years. I thought I was on state land but I must have wandered onto someone's back 40. There wasn't a house in sight.  Next trip up I'm going to see if I can find out who owns it.  

I came home because the mushrooms weren't out and there were real hard thunderstorms all night and day.  I figured I would save a vacation day for something better and come home early.....and I didn't really want to miss episode 2 of the trailer build.    

It was nice sitting on the front porch at night in the rocking chair, drinking beer, and watching the thunder storms tho.   Here's a picture I took inside the cabin at about 2am after I got buzzed up.  I was sitting on the woodstove.

[40]

Now that is a CABIN!! Please fill us curious ones in on the details.Did you build it?On the lakeshore?Are the fish biting? No electricity or indoor plumbing?Over the years I have had several places on a lake or river that I called "the cabin" but in reality,they were vacation homes....someday I want to build a "real cabin" on a lake or river.Thanks for sharing that photo!

[slocrow]

WOW, groovy, farm out. The name of your thread gave me flash backs. Nice looking digs George. At first I thought you were pulling our legs about roughing it with that side by side Cold Spot fridge off to the right rear and then I realized it was a slider.....(chuckle). Ketchup, Doritos, what else does a guy need.
OK, OK, I'm leaving in 20...........Frank

[SKR8PN]

I would give a (insert body part) to have a place like that.
My major dream..............

[58 Yeoman]

Geez Loweeze, George, all I ever find when lookin' for 'rooms, is in the pix below. Nice cabin, BTW!

[chopped]

[George, I had to leave all that stuff when we moved from Grayling, you can have it.  Skip

[phat46]

I agree, THAT'S a cabin. I'm assuming you're off the grid, which seems odd in the Lower Penninsula.  Maybe that place would be a good gathering spot for the Michigan RRTers; well maybe some northern Ohio ones too, since we did once own the Toledo area....We could all help you drag those things outta the woods since they're on state land    I'd rather find that stuff than fungus anyday.  

[purplepickup]

Now that is a CABIN!! Please fill us curious ones in on the details.Did you build it?On the lakeshore?Are the fish biting? No electricity or indoor plumbing?Over the years I have had several places on a lake or river that I called "the cabin" but in reality,they were vacation homes....someday I want to build a "real cabin" on a lake or river.Thanks for sharing that photo!

I might have a gaudy purple truck that doesn't fit any mold but I do know what the word traditional means.  

The cabin is a traditional log cabin that I built myself from trees that grew right where it stands.  I cut the first trees in '79 and finished the cabin in '82.  A guy helped me for three weeks but the rest of the work I did completely by myself.   I didn't use any power equipment other than a chain saw to cut the trees down.  I did haul some logs to a sawmill down the road to have rough cut into some dimensional lumber.  I peeled the bark by hand, notched each log by hand, dug the notch into the hill where it sits with a shovel, chinked the logs, and drove my well by hand.  I set a 40 foot maple gin pole in the middle of where the cabin would be so that I'd have a way to hoist the logs into place.  Just cutting that pole and getting it set took over a week.  The pole had a pulley at the top with a cable running thru it.  The cable had a hook on one end and a winch lag bolted to a tree on the other end.    Everything done there was done by hand.  Some days' progress was measured in inches and sometimes I'd lose weeks worth of progress in an instant, like the day both gables fell as I was fitting the ridge log.

It's located in the northwestern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan on a 12 acre piece of land that a stream runs thru.  There's no electricity available which is why I picked that piece of land.  I didn't want the gold chainers to build around me.  It's got an outhouse and a pitcher pump out in front.

When I got out of the army in '70 one of my dreams was to move to British Columbia or Alaska and homestead some land.  I think the movie "Jeremiah Johnson" had a lot to do with that.  I've probably watched it 20 times.  Unfortunately I was too indoctrinated in 20th century life to actually make the move so this was an attempt to at least capture some of the blood, sweat, and tears of what life was like before it became influenced so much by money.  It's undoubtedly the most meaningful accomplishment I've had in my life.

Oh, Tony there's been plenty of burpin', fartin', spitin' there.

Heres a couple more pics.

[40]

That is an AWESOME accomplishment!.....You should be damned proud! I have built several homes and businesses over the years that have been very complex and difficult to complete,and have gotten somewhat of a sense of satisfaction...but...Nothing compared to the satisfaction you must feel every time you walk up that path! I think it was a wise move that you tackled that project much earlier in your life Really enjoyed the photos of the differant seasons.

[Sean]

I think the movie "Jeremiah Johnson" had a lot to do with that.

So have you got your .50 Hawken to go along with it? That is a good movie, so is "The Mountain Men".

Nice looking place George, it should still be there 100 years from now...

[phat rat]

* George that's great.  I envy you. Didn't know you were into the mountain man thing (well sort of).

[phat rat]

good job George.

I worked up a sweat reading about the construction of the cabin.  I remember you saying you built it yourself , but gosh really by hand

I was 26 in 1980 , I might have been able to do that.... mayb!  

I gotta go look for  my large jar of  muscle / joint  ointment

Young Pup!

[Sean]

Young Pup!

Young Pup? Old Fart is more like it, I was only 11...

[Bob K]

WOW that is awsome George. When you said cabin up north. I alway thought you meant the UP.  Great job.

B B

[purplepickup]

This has kind of turned into a post about my cabin so I'm going to bare my soul a little more.   I was in a real bad motorcycle accident in May of '79 and broke my left arm in 33 places with lots of nerve damage, broke my hip, pelvis, left wrist, and a bone in my ankle.  The Dr that bolted me back together hated motorcycles and didn't have any respect for those of us that ride them.  Not for one minute did he show any compassion for my pain.  In fact he was real disrespectful whenever we talked and he told me that my arm was in such bad shape that he almost cut it off and probably should have because it would never be of any use to me in the future.  Well, I've got quite a rebellious nature and that, along with my fantasy of being a self-sufficient homesteader, made me decide to build the cabin.  Looking back on it I often wonder if maybe what I thought was a disrespectful Dr wasn't really a smart man that knew what it took to motivate a person like me.  Whether it was intentional on his part or not, I was out to prove that I could still kick butt in spite of what had happened.  The first trees I cut down with my left arm still in a cast. That determination (probably obsession) to prove something to myself is what kept me going thru the three years it took to finish the cabin.  

Please don't take this as bragging.  I didn't do it to prove anything to anyone else.  I had to prove to myself that I wasn't down for the count.  I'm posting this now to show what a person can do when faced with obstacles.  I've seen too many people fall into a self-pity existence when something happens to them.  It's like whatever the problem is in their life, it becomes their excuse to take easy, dead end paths.  It just doesn't have to be that way.  There's always more than one way to look at what life dishes out to you and deal with it.  

For me, that cabin is much more than a place to go to get away and relax for a little while.  It's a reminder to me of what can happen when I choose to take the paths in life that lead somewhere, even if they aren't the easiest paths.


And Sean, no I didn't have a .50 Hawken but I did have a Thompson Center .54 cal Renegade.  I never saw the movie "The Mountain Men" but it sounds like I should watch it.

Here's a picture friends took when they dropped by on a holiday weekend.  It shows the truck I had like yours Sean.