May 24, 2012

View of the day-A mighty fine looking Titan II…well cared for and very impressive, don’t you think?

Finished the canola! 

We got out to the field around 10 AM and the farmer we are working for was servicing their combines.  Al went over for a gab and found out that the combine they had rented from Machinerylink had a major problem…it had an inspection hole in the block.  A connecting rod broke and the machine was out of commission.

We finished the last of the canola at 2pm, then put the pick up head back on its trailer, then took the combine, tractor and cart the 17 miles back to Cherokee.  John gave us a ride back for the General and the Dodge, then we were all moved back.

Now to get ready for the wheat.  We put the new Macdon header on the combine…Al set the combine for wheat and it was off to the races.  A bit of a change from picking up swaths…a lot more header on the front…NOW it feels like harvest time in Oklahoma.  It seemed like we met more combine crews moving between fields than vehicles on the road…this is action!  The fields are getting knocked down at an amazing rate and with the weather holding for the next few days, we could see the end sooner than anticipated.

The first field went better than the farmer was expecting and test weight was 62.5 lbs No. 1 Hard Red Winter Wheat.  Marilyn had a co-pilot for a round of the field, Roberta…who is 88…gets her annual ride to check things out and have something to tell her friends about back in Enid.

We finished that 30 acre patch, then moved five miles south to start on another 40 acres.  Al called from the Cherokee elevator to say the line-ups were long, but he did get unloaded and by this time Marilyn had called and told him after a couple of rounds the straw was getting tough, so he decided to call it a day at 9:30.

Marilyn loaded the cart then tarped it and came in not too long after and even with the long move, we still managed to get 70 acres harvested today.

Look out tomorrow…

May 23, 2012

View of the day-The only obstacle in the field that Marilyn had to go around. They're everywhere.

Wow.  What a wind.

We had hopes of finishing the canola, so we got out to the field, serviced and got right down to business.  Al had a load to take in and we needed to ponder on how we were going to strategically park the General to tarp it with the gale force wind that increased as the day wore on.

Marilyn had been going up and back on the ¾ mile swaths and had dumped at the south end of every round.  We figured we could make use of the oil tanks that were at the north end of the field, so we got everything shifted to the other end and Marilyn continued combining.  Because of the way it worked out, Marilyn had to top the General off, so that mean parking so Al could get the tarp rolled without the wind taking it to parts unknown.

We had lots of neighbours again…she’s full bore harvesting now…and between the oil trucks and the combines on the road, there is no end of action.  And dust everywhere.

The wind didn’t die down and fortunately the canola had been swathed north and south, so the wind wasn’t bothering it at all, which was really nice.  Al kept hopping between the tractor and General…it was another nine load day for him.

Marilyn combined 123 acres today…left a lonely 30 acres to finish the field tomorrow.  We knew it would be the wee hours of the morning if we tried to finish, so we called it an early night…relatively speaking…and shut down at 9:30pm.

The weather is going to be hot and windy for the next couple days with no sign of rain. 

Perfect harvest weather…

May 22, 2012

View of the day-Our neighbours across the way…one crew of several that started to move across the landscape.

Al wanted to get out to the field and start combining by 11am, so he called for AIS at 10:15.  We hadn’t had time to get any groceries, so we made a stop at the United Food Store to pick up some necessities for lunches and late suppers.  We knew we would be getting in too late to dine out and Marilyn has to use the library for the blog, so we did a short load of grub to do us until the big Wal-Mart run over to Alva.

Once we got the groceries put away and lunch packed, we were on our way…right on schedule.  After fueling the combine, Al took last night’s load into town and Marilyn started combining…5 minutes AOS(ahead of schedule).  The wind was blowing pretty good out of the south, so there was no problem with the moisture…it was full steam ahead.

We finished the 80 acre patch that we were on, then Marilyn moved a half mile to the next field and cleaned off a spot to park the rigs, then Al picked her up and we got the rest of the stuff moved over.  This new field is 260 acres and flat as a table, so the ¾ mile run on each swath is fabulous…just over 2 acres picked up one way...up and back once and there is a hopper full for the cart.  It’s nice to start the season with the easy pickup work and the long flat runs make it that much nicer.  Marilyn will enjoy it while she can.

Just as we got finished the first field, a crew was pulling in across the road to start in on a wheat field.  It must have been plenty dry because the semis pulled in and the dust was flying.  All during the day we could see combines moving down the roads pulling their headers behind them to different fields…it is really cranking up here.  Al has been seeing more and more trucks at the elevator, too…although he is dumping in the one set up for canola.

Al came back to the field at one point to get another load…he had nine in total today…and after dumping the cart load in, he noticed a dribble of canola coming out of the back door.  The kid that dumped him had not fully latched the door and it was only being held by the latch handle and not the top and bottom hooks…he wasn’t very happy.

Marilyn came to dump in the cart, then went over to lend a hand trying to truss it up so he could get to the elevator and do some ‘clueing in’.  We found several ratchet straps and duct tape, so with a bit of weaving and connecting, we hoped we had it cased.  Marilyn didn’t dare take the camera out.  Al made it to town without incident and had his ‘chat’ with the young fellow and a couple loads later the kid apologized for his error.  Lesson learned by all.

We shut down around 10pm, put the last of the fuel in the combine, tarped everything and headed for the camper.  Al went to get fuel in the slip tank…it is absolute chaos at the pumps if you wait until morning.  At night, the only thing you have to fight is the insects.

It was a productive day, 115 acres covered and the canola was averaging close to 45 bu/ac with some places hitting over 60!

Tomorrow we hope to finish the field which will mean an early start and a late finish…

May 21, 2012

View of the day-The start to the 2012 season as Al cleans up a spot near the entrance to the canola field.

Al was up early to visit with John and find out how soon he figured the wheat would be ready.  Since it was going to be a day or two, we decided to make the move out west to start on the canola that had been swathed just before we had brought the first load down.

After breakfast at The Fat Hen…Miss Dottie’s is no more…we took the General up to Burlington to get the shop trailer removed and repaired.  We lined up to the ramp and Royce from Burlington Welding came over with a fork lift to pull the trailer out.

Right at the side of the ramp was a birds nest with a couple of eggs in it.  The next was tucked off to the side, but with the forklift taking up most of the width, Al had to stand to the side.  Just as Marilyn decided it might be a good idea to move the nest, she turned to take the two steps to grab it…just as Al was stepping back to get out of the way.  It was one of those super-slow-motion, “NOOOOOOOO” moments that you could see coming, but couldn’t avoid…scrambled eggs.

Royce got the shop trailer out and moved off the ramp, then he got some extensions and picked the trailer up from the side and moved it by the shop.  We got the tools we thought we might need, then left the men to their work.

Back at Cherokee, Marilyn worked on getting the two-way radio mounted in the combine, but without the shop trailer, we were shy of some screws.  Al had been trying to get the feeder drum raised, but he was having a problem with not having the right size socket to undo the nut.  We made a quick trip to the NAPA store for what we needed, then went back to work.  Al was successful with his job, but Marilyn had gotten screws that were too short…she didn’t want to go through the back wall of the cab, but it turns out that is exactly how it was mounted in the last cab, so now she needs bolts to get it firmly set. Because we were pretty much ready to start moving the 17 miles west, the radio was firmly wedged in the cupholder for the day.

Marilyn gave Al a ride out to the farm to get the tractor and cart, then gave the windows a much needed cleaning before going back to the camper to get the combine.  We moved both rigs over to the canola field, then John came over, picked us up and brought us back for the pickup, header and General.

We got the header on and tuned in, then Al got to make the first few rounds so he could make sure that everything was working as it should be.  Gary, the farmer, took a sample in to the elevator and it was testing 4.1%, so we were ready for action.  After Al got the kinks out and the General full, Marilyn took over combining and he went to the elevator.

It was so great to be back in the combine again, going great guns and having everything working…with the exception of the right speaker on the music radio. It was a beautiful evening with just a hint of wind to keep the dust away.  There were a lot more combines in the field today…mostly wheat, but some canola, too.  More crews were moving through town, heading south…not sure for how long though.

So, considering we didn’t get started combining until 6:30pm, we still managed to get 49 acres cleared off the 80 acre patch we are on.

Just imagine what we will accomplish when we start at 11am tomorrow…

May 20, 2012

View of the day-We made it to the end of the line. Parked on the street in Cherokee, Oklahoma.

What a crazy start to the day.  We knew that Darren, the forklift man, from Straubs International in Great Bend, wouldn't be out to move the header until after 11am, so we decided to have real eggs for breakfast...Marilyn likes to actually see a yolk in her eggs.  Now, we are in a city of 18,000, so you would think this would not be a problem...and why aren't people in church at 9am, or at the very least getting ready for church?  We tried five or six different restaurants and there were lineups at every one.  Good thing the egg mcmuffin has a real yolk in it.

We finished our 'fine' breakfast, got fuel in the slip tank for the General, so that we wouldn't have to maneuver it, and the trailers, through the pumps at the station.  While Al fueled the General, Marilyn worked on getting the backup camera and monitor wiring in place so Al could have a view of the long load he would be pulling later on.  With everything in place, we went to Straubs to wait for Darren to show up so he could use the forklift to take the pickup head trailer off the combine trailer.


We got the combine trailer unhooked just as Darren pulled up with the forklift and with a couple of readjustments, managed to get the trailer lifted, moved and set down on the ground.  His job was done and now it was time to get the combine loaded on the trailer...the good news was that this combine was the same size as the old one, so we got it right the first time.  Will wonders never cease?

After getting the header trailer hooked on behind the combine trailer, we were ready to cover the last 125 miles of our journey.  It was nice that the road construction guys had taken the day off, so there was no waiting for the pilot car...it was straight through, no waiting...except for the other harvesters that were on the road slowing things down.  We had another day of north wind helping us to make good time and it seemed to take no time at all and we were in Cherokee.


Al parked the General and its load on the street and we went over to get the camper settled in its spot before getting the combine unloaded and the trailer moved.  After getting the rest of the stuff parked, we took the combine over to the coop to fuel it up, then brought it back to the camper so Marilyn could get the two-way radio and camera set up in it before the panic sets in and we have to communicate with hand signals...and we all know how well that works.

We called it a day, went over to Pizza hut and this time had to stand in line forever to pay...and we were the only ones paying.  Guess they didn't want our money very badly.


Back at the camper, there were issues getting on the internet, so it looks like the blog will be done from in front of the library on main street again.  The cell service was a bit sketchy last year, so we are not surprised.

All in all a great day...nothing like the smell of a new combine to get you itching to get in the field...

May 19, 2012

View of the day-Al's new load on the combine trailer...since the combine is waiting for us in Great Bend.

What a whirlwind week!  We got home on Tuesday and Al gave Marilyn one day to get the camper ready to go.  We did a lot of procrastinating while we waited to get our approval for the work visas, and it came back to bite us in the 'business' end.

Al spent Wednesday getting the header trailer locked and loaded for the big trip.  This was a 'crossed fingers' kind of a deal, since the trailer tires were too far apart to fit on the combine trailer beams, it was all blocks and chains to get it fit to roll.  
Marilyn was busy trying to get the camper organized and as usual, she starts out putting things away as they get carried into the camper, but as panic sets in, there are always 10 baskets of 'stuff' that end up getting put away at the first...second...and third nights on the trip down. Why would things be any different this year? 

We got a chance to visit with friends before we left...that probably didn't help the timeline much, but you never know what the summer will bring.  Marilyn was pretty thrilled with the Saturday Night Live thermal mug that Teresa brought back from New York City for her...coffee will taste sooo good in it.

Thursday was go day and Al wanted to be on the road with his load no later than 3pm...Marilyn, on the other hand, just had to get to Carlyle before the next morning.  We had to get the shop trailer loaded in the General, then get the trailer hooked up to the combine trailer.  The shop went in without a problem and it took no time at all to get everything flanged in so Al could hit the road. Marilyn was able to leave at 5pm...not so bad after all.

This year we didn't get a chance to run the water through the camper before we left, but we knew for the first couple of nights we would be able to shower in the house at Carlyle and at the shower house in Gettysburg, so it that job was set on low priority.

Al made it to Carlyle with only one problem...the shop trailer hitch broke in the same spot that we had fixed a few years back. It had looked weak and perhaps the new pressure washer weighed a bit more than the old one and the acetylene tanks that we had removed.  We decided to just forge on and deal with the breakdown when we got to Oklahoma.   Marilyn made Carlyle and the only issue was with the bugs through the Moose Mountain park...the camper didn't fair so well.

We were going to sleep in the house, so Marilyn only put out two of the slides to get a few of the boxes emptied out.  Apparently, while the slides were out at home, about 50 or so, big moths had taken up residence under the slide awning and had become trapped when the slide was pulled in.  As soon as Marilyn turned the light on in the camper, they all came to life and started dive bombing.  Those things are irritating and found more hiding places to avoid the Raid that Marilyn had sprayed several times.

We were up early on Friday and at the border, ready to cross for the last time this month.  Marilyn was ready with her import bond, when the border guard told her she could just shred it, because they were told we don't need to use them anymore...they were just going to assume that we would be taking everything back out when we were done. 

Shut up and drive...which is exactly what we did.

We got to Gettysburg Friday night and were just parking the General and its load in the lot behind the motel when someone drove up and asked us if we were staying in the motel and if not, why were we parking there? Al was on the other side of the General fueling up, so he didn't hear the conversation...good thing.  Marilyn said we stay at the hotel on a regular basis and figured he must be the owner...until she saw him drive away.  We were parking next to the conveyor where the elevator would pile wheat...it wasn't even the motel's lot-which was completely empty, by the way.  We left the rig there and went to the city park to camp for the night.  Marilyn got several of the boxes emptied out, in between trying to get the remaining moths out of the camper.

We could see lightning in the west and during the night it started to rain and continued to do so all through the night.  This made the fact that we didn't have any water rather uncomfortable...at least for the bathroom breaks during the night.


We were up and on the road by 8am today and it was a lot longer day than yesterday...over 525 miles.  We managed to make Great Bend, KS by 7pm, parked the General by the campground, then set up the camper for the night.  This time, however, we got the water hooked up and the system flushed and ready for the season...with no leaks, so far.  We even managed a couple of loads of laundry.  

Tomorrow we get to, somehow, get the pickup header trailer off the combine trailer and load the combine on, before heading to Cherokee, OK.

And maybe see the last of those ^&%($** moths...

May 14, 2012

View of the day-Unloading at the final destination, the tractor and Freight will be awaiting our return next week.

Another early start to the day...we were hoping to make up for lost time yesterday. We left Broken Bow after grabbing a quick breakfast at McDonalds, got back to Ansley, hooked up and headed south.

The rest of the trip through Nebraska was uneventful...Sunday is a slow traffic day, even on Mother's day. We were mildly concerned about the construction we had read about that was north of Pratt, Kansas. Marilyn emailed a couple of harvesters to see if they knew of anything, but they had already gone through before the construction had started. Al called Taff, from Great Bend...since he lives interest area and had probably seen what the situation was...he had no problem getting through on Thursday. We figured we had gone through some wicked detours in the past, so we just bit the bullet and forged.

It was overcast most of the day, which meant a cool drive for Al in the Freight...a rare occurrence in May...and the South wind was so light it didn't slow us down at all. The construction turned out to be a lot of road milling and no one was working on Sunday so we sailed right through.

The crops were all over the map...some looking like it would be a month and others looked a week away. We were thrilled to see, as we got close to Cherokee, that they were finally building a new bridge to replace the half mile, one-laner that we have had to cross forever. But we finally pulled into Cherokee at 5:30pm.

We parked on the street in town and took a drive out to see where we could park.  We were hoping that we could squeeze in where we had been parking for the past several years...NOT A CHANCE!! That town has gone crazy with the oil boom.  Any spot where a camper or crew trailer could park has been filled...even the town park looks like a permanent mobile home park.  Time for plan B.

We drove out to John's farm and he had done a lot of clearing of old buildings and trees which meant there was enough room for us to snuggle in.  After finding a suitable spot, we unhooked the header trailer and went back to town to get the Freight. It took no time at all to get unloaded and parked out of the way...time to turn and burn...after a quick visit with Mike, our campground landlord. Thankfully, he saved our spot.

We took detour to stop and visit with a farmer at the field where they were just swathing some canola that we will be picking up...it was looking not too bad. The wheat that the cows had gotten into down the road was a different matter.  After we were done gabbing, we started north to make Great Bend, Kansas for the night...and made it there at 11pm.

We slept in this morning...til 7am...we knew we would make good time not pulling anything and being able to go after dark. First stop of the day?  Nope...not Great Wall China Buffet...the next best thing. We went to check on our combine which was sitting out at Straub's International, where it had been taken to get the pre-delivery inspection done. After checking in with Elwin, the service manager, we were on our way...at least out of Great Bend.

We stopped out to see Ken and Kevin, but no one was home. After touring a few of the fields, we got a call from Mandy, Kevin's wife, who told us Ken was on his way back to the farm, so we doubled back for a visit. After a chat to get caught up, we left and just as we were heading down the road, we met Kevin, so we stopped to bend his ear before taking off.


Al pulled the first shift driving, then Marilyn took over through Nebraska. It was bit warmer out and we had a south wind, although it was so light it didn't make much difference.  Just wait until we bring the high profile loads...you can pretty much count on a brisk south wind. No jinx.

We stopped in Bassett to drop off the bottle jack at the tire shop, then went out to Sandhill Equipment to pay our tab for the service call...very reasonable. After that we were Selby, South Dakota bound.

Marilyn was able to get online off and on with the MiFi...sketchy service in a lot of places.  While checking in on Facebook, she came across some pictures that a friend of hers had posted from her recent trip to New York City.  Teresa was celebrating her 50th birthday this year and had planned last fall to take this trip with her girlfriends.  Marilyn was really excited to be able to go, even though it was precariously close to harvest time...this is someplace that she has dreamed of going forever, it seems. As time drew closer, it was apparent that she would not be able to go...even though it would only be from Thursday to Monday. So now she has to make due with Teresa's pictures and stories...until next year, at least.  Plans are in the works to go early in April...this time,for sure.

So now we have gone 2035 miles and have driven for 44 hours...apparently New York is only 1953 miles from Yorkton...hmmm...