Captain is going on a road trip...

[Captain]

...to Missouri over the holidays.  I'll be leaving early on Monday the 26th.  My basic route is as follows:

I 495 N to I 90 W to I 84 W into NY state and PA.  I 80 W into Ohio, then I 76 W to I 71 S and I 70 W.  Continue into Indiana, Illinois and into Missouri for I 55 S, then SR 67 S, sr 72, SR 21 into Ellington.

Any Forestry Forum Folks want to make my trip more of an event??  I'm not sure how long this is going to take, but I've got all week to get there and back.  Pray for good weather

Captain

[Kirk_Allen]

So is this a cutting trip or mill delivery/training?

Since you coming across I-70 you will be about 5 miles from my place once you hit Marshal, Illinois. 

Still got a couple whoppers that need cutting ;D  Part Timer was going to come last weekend and cust some but weather changed things. 

[Bro. Noble]

I don't know if it would make your trip more of an event,  but it would sure brighten my holiday if you were to go just a little farther SW from Ellington ;D

My family are all going to be gone to Wisconsin and they're leaving me with the stupid cows :(

[Jeff]

A visit with Noble is a trip to remember. Just take boots. I sure want to get back there. I miss his shiney nose... :'( ;)

[Paul_H]

My family are all going to be gone to Wisconsin and they're leaving me with the stupid cows :(

Cows must have drawn the short straw  ;D 

Lo siento----schuse me  :D

[Captain]

Well, its a repair trip for a desperate customer in Missouri, whose mill has some kind of physical damage.  It is also a trip to see Baker products about some things...more on that later!!

Ya know, Kirk, i was in hopes to reach your area on Day 1.  Just may have to stop in monday evening.

An Noble, I would be glad to stop in for a visit as my repair job is south of Ellington.  I'm working out the details. 

Great, now I'm looking more forward to this long trip  ;D

Captain

[Part_Timer]

Craig

I'm about 2 hours north of 70 just off of I69.  It'd be out of your way down but might not be comming back.  Let me know.

Kirk just don't give up on me yet.  I'm on call this weekend and the next weekend.  We'll just have to watch the weather.   :D I so need a road trip.  :D



Tom

[Bro. Noble]

;Noble,  I didn't say that at all--------that old Paul_H is just making that up.  That old horses's osso >:(

You would think that this close to Christmas he's learn to be nice :

[Paul_H]

I apologize for the oso la mio comment that Noble made up but stand by my "short straws" comment.Keep up the good work Paul!

I agree Noble.The day isn't half over and that Mr Clean has already taken a swipe at us two outstanding members who are just here to learn something and maybe even better themselves.

At least he apologized.

[Bro. Noble]

Captain,

I hope it works out that you are able to come by.  You would probably want to leave out from here going strait north to I-44 into St. Louis.  That Jeff musta meant to bring your boots so you could help milk ???  He musta forgot his when he was here cause he just slept while I was milking :D :D

Who the heck is that Mr' Clean anyway------where did he come from?,  where did he go? ???

[Paul_H]

No one has ever seen him, they just hear his mating calls in the night.

[Jeff]

Oh no, I wasn't sleeping.  ;D

[Minnesota_boy]

I'm only a little out of your way if you're going to Noble's.  Just a bit under 1000 miles.  I can show you how my mill looks when it's covered in a sheet of ice.  Bring your boots to wade through the snow to it. :D

[Captain]

Well, shoving off all.  Looks like a stop at Noble's and perhaps on the way back to see Kirk.  You bet there will be pictures.

Captain

[Bro. Noble]

Well, its a repair trip for a desperate customer in Missouri


An Noble, I would be glad to stop in for a visit as my repair job is south of Ellington.    

Captain

Well,  Captain just headed north after spending the morning with me   I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did.  He beat me to the milkbarn this morning.  Sorry I was so far out of your way,  Craig :D :D-------I'll let him tell that part of the story ;)

[Kirk_Allen]

Captain called about an hour ago and he plans on stopping for breakfast tomarrow. Not sure how much time he has but will meet for breakfast at 6:30. 

I think I will surprise him and bring Jim with me ;D

[Captain]

Well, I'm back, safe and sound as of a few minutes ago.  1420 miles sincle Noble's place yesterday.  I'm beat.

I had to cancel on Kirk this morning (I left him a message).  After the call from my son last night (he's 5) I knew I had to get home.  I pushed up to Indianapolis last night and tackled the rest today.

Pictures and stories later!!

Captain

[Kirk_Allen]

3:09 AM Central time - Phone Rings.

I am out of it after a day of milling but do manage to grab the phone and open it, thinking its 5:30 and time to start breakfast.  Look at clock and realize, that was not my alarm.  Some knucklehead just called me at 3:09 AM ???

Put my head back to the pillow and at 3:10 AM Central Time phone rings AGAIN.  Wife wakes up and tells me to get the phone.  No one there, its a voice mail message notification.

3:12 AM Central Time I check my voice mail, which is a real trick half asleep :D

Message from Captain letting me know he drove RIGHT BY my place and stopped east of Indy and wont be able to meet for Breakfast.

3:15 AM go back to sleep

4:30 AM Rusty decides its time to wake up.   Rusty is our prize Rooster >:(

Got up and cooked breakfast. 

FRESH Brown Eggs, Sunny side up
Hot Breakfast Sausage
FRESH buttermilk Bisquets
Starbucks Coffee

Captain, you missed one of the best breakfasts this side of the MS!

Glad you made it back safe and sound.  Hope all is well with your son! 

[Ga_Boy]

3:09 AM Central time - Phone Rings.

4:30 AM Rusty decides its time to wake up.   Rusty is our prize Rooster >:(

Got up and cooked breakfast. 

FRESH Brown Eggs, Sunny side up
Hot Breakfast Sausage
FRESH buttermilk Bisquets
Starbucks Coffee

Captain, you missed one of the best breakfasts this side of the MS!

Now Kirk,

How's this breakfast one of the best without having GrItz on the menue?  At best it's ranks 5th maybe 6th..... ;) ;)




Mark




Mark

[Kirk_Allen]

I should have said it was one of the best North of the Mason Dixon line.

I figured Captain being a Yankee and all he would not eat any grits and I didnt want to spoil his breakfast with me eating grits. 

Rest assured I thought about.  My schedule was limited by time and I DONT COOK instant Grits.   ;D

[Captain]

As time is short since I got home, and there is much to tell of my trip, I'll have to recount the trip in a few installments.  I left on Monday morning at 5:13 AM.  I did not get far before I realized that I had left without the padlock keys for the trailer, only about 20 miles.  Turn around...get the keys...get Mrs Captain out of bed...back on the road with a 50 minute delay.  :

I made it out to the west side of Indianapolis on Monday, and finally had to pull over for a few hours aof sleep at 10PM.  I was back on the road at 5AM, and headed for Illinois and Missouri.  I arrived at Baker Products in Ellington, MO at 10:40 AM.

While at Baker Products, I saw SAM (Samantha Baker) and TOM FROM MISSOURI (Tom Stout) in the office.  I met up with Clyde Reed to work on some business and get a tour of their manufacturing facilities and Ed Baker's pallet mill, where it all started.  To give a bit of history, Baker's primary products are band resaws NOT sawmills as I had thought.  It seems Ed Baker was in the pallet industry and wanted a band resaw.  He had some ideas on how it should work, and approached a major portable bandmill manufacturer to build it for him.  They were flatly not interested.  He bought one of their bandmills, and fixed the head with a conveyor underneath it, and the first Baker Band resaw was born.  Ed prototyped his own reasws, and the business has grown to what it is today with approximately 90 employees manufacturing resaws, bandmills, edgers, and a host of other equipment for the wood industry oh and yes, pallets.  They have a sprawling compound of buildings full of the latest technology in CNC, laser cutters, computerized presses, and an impressive array of talented craftsmen building their products.  Anything that they can dream up or conceptualize on a CAD program, their people can make up in prototype just minutes later with their advanced equipment.  The tour also included the pallet mill, their best equipment proving grounds where I saw their products in action.  Also noteworthy is their use of any and all wood that comes in to the property, right down to the heating of their facility with large outdoor boilers for waste scrap.  Everything that they need is literally made on site, right down to the dumpsters , racks and blades.  Truly impressive.

I left Baker's at approximately 2:30 PM and headed for my next destination in Southern Missouri...more on that tomorrow.

Sorry, no pictures while at Bakers.....the digital camera battery was dead. Oh, and what did I get there?? Well, I'm afraid that is classified information right now, but it may come out in the future  ;)

Captain

[Captain]

Just before leaving Baker Products, my wife faxed me a set of directions to go to a customer's place in Southern Missouri.  David had spoken with me a few times about some trouble he was having with his sawmill over the last few months, and he called me a few days before Christmas to discuss options to get the mill to me for repair.  When I told him that I was coming to Missouri in a few days, he about fell off his chair and was thrilled that I would come to his place to have a look at things.  David manages 4500 acres of property for an individual there and caws mostly red and white oak for various markets.  David has a pretty neat setup that can be viewed on this link below....

http://www.watersheds.org/farm/dmill.htm

I had seen this link some time ago, and did not realize that this was the same place until I saw the clamping system.  The temperature had risen from about 48 degrees and overcast to 68 degrees there while on my ride south, and we worked in the evening hours after dark with a drop light.  In a couple of hours, we had resolved his issues and cut a few logs, I also bought a few gallons of gas from him (never travel in Southern Missouri into unfamiliar areas without a full tank of gas, I've learned).  When we were finishing up and I was leaving he said "hey, do you know the Barkers??"  I replied indeed I do, infact I needed to find them, but I was not sure how to do it in the dark.  He gave me directions to come back the way I came about 5 miles to the top of the hill after the low river crossing...first place on the right....I knew I was close but noth THAT close.  In just a few minutes I was on the grounds of the Barker Farm, owned by Forestry Forum celebrity Noble Barker himself.

[Norm]

I'm starting to think that Branson has some competition for out of state visitors. ;D

[Bro. Noble]

Captain was a little closer than he realized :D :D  That place that David manages used to be part of the land that my Great Grandad had and joins our place.  David lives on the far corner from us.  If you look on his website and go to home,  then 'farm and forest' and then logging history,  and then 'the big mill'  You will see a short account of the sawmill operation they had that was given to David by my Dad.  His name as well as my Grandad's was also Noble ;D  When Jeff was here,  one of the caves we went into was the source of the water for the boilers at this mill :D :D :D 

[Sam]

Hey Captain

It was good to see you! Glad you made it home safely.

Sam