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The Crow's Nest
By snowcrow, Section Diaries Posted on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 05:11:22 AM MST
A Camp way out in the sticks!!!

I buy a 11.6 acres lot in October of 2003. I've been work on clearing and building a camp there since spring of 2004 in my off time. I was just going to build a roof over the camper but, well.... you can see I've gone maybe a bit too far!!
At any rate, I thought I'd share a photo or two.
My driveway is going right here where these signs are. The road to the right goes along the top of my lot for about 300 feet. (Looking West)

As you can see I had a lot of clearing to do!! There is the first corner marker, bottom left hand corner. The another corner marks where not as easy to find!!

The driveway is in and the building is well under way!!!

I buy these two 5' by 4.5' windows for $50 each and I got about 20 double glazed windows, with storms for free. I just had to go pick them up.

This is the front yard, look out one of these big windows!!

There is still a lot more clearing to be done before I can finally put up my wind tower. I do have my Air-X flying but, its in any of these pictures. I put it up after these pictures were taken. I'll post it sometime in the near future.
Blessing, Snow Crow

The Crow's Nest | 16 comments (16 topical)

Re: The Crow's Nest (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by jmk on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 05:11:03 PM MST

Looks really good. What part of the country are you in? No snow and no crow in the picture makes me think your south. Pictures could be just old too. Looks like you have been busy. It's nice to extend when you can budget it right. Keep on building and get it dried in. It would be nice to be warmed from the wood you cut. A man who chops his own wood is twice warmed! To make it right I need to see you in a picture with snow you old crow! Ha, ha, lol.
jmk

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#10)
by snowcrow on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 08:13:00 PM MST

Thanks jmk, I'm in the northeast kingdom of Vermont, about 5 miles from the Canadian border (as the crow flies) lol. The population of the two nearest towns is about 867 people combined, and about 2000 moose.

As far as snow, I'll be taking some pictures this winter. The average snow fall at camp is 10' to 12'. All that white stuff doesn't go away until the first of May.

Well.... this old crow snowshoes in three or four times a winter to get the four or so feet of snow off the camp roof. I was surprised that the roof held up to all that weight. It will be a snap went I get the wood stove setup, just heat the place up and the snow should slide right off.

Blessing, Snow Crow

[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#13)
by jmk on Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 05:21:14 AM MST

Automatic snow removal, I like that. It looks like your going to have to have a tall tower with all those trees. Umm moose! I had moose in Utah and it was great. Are you aloud to bag a couple? You need a big freezer. I would love to have your place. I live to close to the city. I need the city to make money is the problem. What fun you must be having. You could make a vented area at the top and bottom of the roof that could be controlled with doors or sleeves to only let warm air hit it when the snow piles up. That way you can save your heat. Kind of like turning on the defroster. Actually you would just need to make a couple of accesses to your eave from to the inside wall. Just open them up when you want to.
jmk
[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#14)
by snowcrow on Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 11:47:33 AM MST

Yes, the tower is going to be a minimum of 60 feet. I do plan to log out the tall trees and maybe drop the tower to 40 feet.

In the future, when I put it the 10' wind generator, I was going to use the metal roof as a diversion load in winter, when I'm not there to keep the snow off. It will be like a big auto-defroster system. It will also help to keep my panels clear of snow, which I found that to be a problem last year!!

Blessings, Snow Crow

[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by spinningmagnets on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 06:38:32 PM MST

Great home and property, I'm jealous! Do you have a lookout spot on the top of the roof?

Back when "the ships were wood, and the men were steel" a Crows Nest was the small lookout platform on top of the highest mast.

"My formula for success is rise early, work late, and strike oil." -J Paul Getty.

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#12)
by snowcrow on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 09:09:18 PM MST

Thanks spinningmagnets, I'm finally reaching the of the building process and hope next summer to be finished. I called it "The Crow Nest" because, from the upper level you can see for miles.

Blessings, Snow Crow

[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#1)
by elvin1949 on Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 11:57:03 PM MST

Snowcrow
That is one nice camp.I hope you are saving all the cleared wood for firewood.
I need to start on mine.I have 3 acres i need to build on.
Keep having fun.
later
Elvin

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#2)
by Warrior on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 04:43:17 AM MST

Snowcrow, that's an awesome house and beautiful place!!! Enjoy it as much as you can. I am guessing you will be powering it with RE?

Thanks for sharing.

Warrior
Warrior__ "Why can't Murphy's Law be used to my advantage??"
[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#5)
by snowcrow on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 06:23:02 AM MST

Thanks Warrior, RE is the only way to go here!! The power company wanted $8,700 to run power up to my lot. I can build a really nice RE system for that kind of money!! I'd be crazy to pay that kind of money and still have a monthly electric bill!!

As it stands right now, my Air-X and single 80 watt panel give me a week's reserve for power in summer and 3 days in the fall, while running the furnace in the camper. I hope to make it a year round camp by the end of next year, if funds permit.

Blessings, Snow Crow

[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#3)
by snowcrow on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 05:49:31 AM MST

Thanks elvin, I did save a lot of stuff for firewood. I used the brush as land fill, no slash and burn here! I even sold a truck load of logs to a near by mill, the extra money from the logs helped pay for a lot of the building materials.

Blessings, Snow Crow

[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#4)
by tecker on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 06:02:30 AM MST

Looks like you've had a busy summer . Some good scrounging in there too Keep those eyes on the road .I drive the back roads all the time looking for stuff I love it for some reason . I was stopped for doing a uturn in a small town to go back for some sideing.
no big deall though I'll probably do it again . Nice place there .

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#6)
by snowcrow on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 06:53:52 AM MST

Thanks tecker, I go one step further, I've gone so far as to make a list!! Your right, you can make some great finds out there in the back country just waiting to be hauled off. I hate it when you have to go back later, only to find someone has beaten you to it!!!

Blessings, Snow Crow

[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#7)
by chadking on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 04:02:05 PM MST

Excellent setup! It does look like you went above and beyond your original plan, but that's what makes it fun. The place looks really good up on the hill with those big windows, and adding the extra level is very smart.

Keep on trucking and I'm sure you will accomplish your goals!
KingsPD - RealWorldStorage.com

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#11)
by snowcrow on Wed Nov 28, 2007 at 08:47:23 PM MST

Thanks chadking, That level above the camper makes for a great deer stand. The deer and moose come through my yard all the time, all thou firing my 30-06 from inside tends to rattle your teeth a bit, even with hearing protection!!!

Blessings, Snow Crow

[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#15)
by ghurd on Thu Nov 29, 2007 at 02:12:21 PM MST

Try .222 with proper projectiles for whitetails. If you are young, that's 'the original .223'. 7.62x39 is a quieter than .30-'06 option too, and super cheap.
The most moose, the world over (a decade ago?), go down to six-five Swede (6.5x55 Mauser), which isn't TOO bad in the house. Nosler Partition 140gr is completely unbelievable. Dandy, though a bit messy, for whitetail too.

The '06 is not that bad after you get used to it, even loaded for bear (literally). In a few years you can turn the new hearing aid off and not bother with hearing protection. It knocked dishes off the shelf when I was young and not as smart as I am now. Mom kicked my butt, but the load completely detached the opposite front leg from a black bear, so it was worth it to me.

My ol' man still tests loads from sand bags on the kitchen table.
We can't speak to each other without yelling.
Must be because he's old now? Maybe Mom's voice is going?
Anyway, neither of us can tell what Mom is saying when we are all at the kitchen table together, so we smile, nod, signal "Fingers in Ears", and keep shooting.

What? Sorry, did you say something?
G-
Ghurd.info
[ Parent ]

Re: The Crow's Nest (3.00 / 0) (#16)
by snowcrow on Fri Nov 30, 2007 at 05:30:18 AM MST

Thank ghurd, I do a lot of my Whitetail Deer hunting in the woods, so I use my 32-40, open sight for the most part. For Bear and Moose, I use my friend's 45-70. Both are great brush rifles.

Most of the Farmers here in Vermont have posted their land, so I don't do as much field hunting as I use to, back in the day. Vermont let's you hunt and fish on your own property for all that is in season without a permit. This is why most people post their land now!! The state of Vermont has already given me the go ahead to put in a pond and stock it!! Just have to come up with the funds!!!

Blessings, Snow Crow

[ Parent ]

The Crow's Nest | 16 comments (16 topical)

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