[Jim Garvin]

Mark;

I bought the aluminum channel that the plexiglass slides into from Townsend’s, in Pembrooke. I purchased the plexiglass from Beckett’s in Concord. I made them so that I could take them in and out. I simply used pop rivets to hold the aluminum onto the insides of the trailer, above and below the openings. I can get some pictures of them if my description is too vague.

Jim

[Jim Garvin]

Mark;

I’ve always been under the impression that drafty conditions are worse on a horse than mere cold conditions. That being said, when we brought our horse down from Montreal it was a cold February day and we blanketed him when we put him in the trailer. I have a 16′ stock trailer that I installed plexi-glass panels into the open areas on the sides. We stoppped in Swanton, VT once we crossed the border and checked to see how he was doing. Much to our surprise, he had broken into a sweat (maybe from being nervous of the ride), so we took the blanket off him for the remainder of the three-hour trip. He seemed fine when we arrived at home.

My suggestion is that you install the plexi-glass and your horse should be just fine whether it’s 65 MPH or 20 MPH.

[Jim Garvin]

Great article, Mark….thanks for sharing!!

[Jim Garvin]

I’ve had one on order with SFJ since before Thanksgiving. They said they were going to be re-printing them and that I should receive it by the end of January…..LET’S HOPE SO!!! They had a hard-covered version for sale at the NEAPFD, but I couldn’t see buying it ($50.00) and then getting it all dirty while working on my mower. Hope you have better luck getting your hands on one.

[Jim Garvin]

Don’t want to continue to “split hairs” on the concrete definition, but concrete is actually the finished product of mixing cement, aggregate and water. That was the basis of my original question about what was done to keep the concrete from setting up during the mule transportation process. They probably packed the cement and aggregate to the site using the mules and added the water (and mixed it) when it arrived on scene.

Geoff….you are correct in stating that Death Valley has a lot to offer (ie, Devil’s Golf Course, Dante’s Palette, old beehive charcoal kilns). Here are pictures I took of each place you described…..

The other interesting aspect of our visit to Death Valley was the annual running of the Badwater Ultra-Marathon. It goes from the lowest point in the continental US (Badwater Basin in Death Valley) to the highest elevation in the continental US (Mount Whitney). I don’t know the actual distance off hand, but it’s well over 100 miles, and they run it in July!!! I’ve also attached a picture of the temperature recorded on my truck’s outside gauge….not the kind of conditions I’d want to exercise in!!!

[Jim Garvin]

Things are going well here. We had a warming spell over New Year’s, which took most of the snow away. The mower is partially disassembled, but I’m still waiting for Lynn’s mower book to arrive (that I ordered in November!!). I’ll keep you posted on the progress. Just saw where someone from Idaho won 1/2 of the $355 million Mega Millions jackpot. If it was you, let me know….I’ll give you my home address, where you can send some sharings!!!:D

[Jim Garvin]

It’s a noble occupation, for sure, Donn. Just hope that they don’t dink around with your retirement system in NY like they have ours in NH!!

[Jim Garvin]

Forgot to ask…..Does that mean you’re done with dragging hoses?

[Jim Garvin]

That’s great news, Donn. I’m STILL:mad:waiting for the mower book I ordered from SFJ back in November (“hope to reprint it by the end of January”)!!! As soon as I figure out what I need I’ll be sure to reach out to you.

[Jim Garvin]

I’d be concerned that the concrete would set up before the mules were able to deliver it….must have used some slow-setting admixtures to it!!

Here are a couple of pictures I took back in 2009, in Death Valley, of the 20-mule team Borax operations. How many people here remember watching “Death Valley Days”? Be careful….you’re dating yourselves!!

[Jim Garvin]

“My horses aren’t too keen on laying anywhere but in the snow outside.”

If I lived in a place that had snow 10 months of the year, then I suppose my horse would get used to laying out in the snow, too!!!

[Jim Garvin]

Mitch;

We, too, have a Queen Atlantic that we use all winter to cook on and supplement our central heating system. It was one my wife’s uncle gave us when we first built our house back in 1980. When we got it, it needed a new firebox lining and grates. I was provided with a contact to buy those items by a friend of mine, who said “call Bea Bryant at Bryant Stove Works, in Thorndike, Maine”. I called her and she told me that she had purchased all the casting molds from the Portland stove manufacturing facility, and would ship the items right out to me. She was a pleasure to deal with (don’t suspect she’s still alive), but I know they’ve branched out to include a website for their business. http://www.bryantstove.com

We love our stove and can not imagine our house without it!!

[Jim Garvin]

Very nice….looks like you had fun, and it appears the snow depth is just right!!

[Jim Garvin]

Jen;

They do an ice harvest at Muster Field Farm in Sutton. I haven’t seen them do it, but my father-in-law has. In fact, he was a couple of old horse-drawn ice saws in his museum. If you have some spare time in the next month or so, take a ride down and I’ll show you them. He’ll probably be able to tell you a bit about the ice harvest procedures…..he LOVES to talk and show off his antiques.

[Jim Garvin]

Nifty looking rig. “Hauls eight bales of hay effortlessly”….of course, but all of us don’t have arms as big as country hams!!!

[Author]

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