Premix shuffled and form readied!

With gracious help from Ken R and Rich K this morning, 55 bags of premix were brought down and stacked and the forms were completed after all-thread was added.   We are now ready for the final mix party that will start at 10am Saturday morning.   

Can you help??   We're still one person short for this fun, yet rather quick job.  

The bags being unloaded and stacked on the work platform.

Mark adds the last all-thread to hold the form together.

Ken and Mark assemble the mix troughs.  It's done!

Last pour Saturday morning.

With Mark back in town, the final abutment form was assembled today.   If you would like to help at the final mix-n-pour party, it will start at 10am Saturday. Please do contact us if we can count you in.

Gromit stopped by to inspect this work as well.

Mark got busy cutting off extra rebar.

Last, he carefully measures for concrete volume.

As usual, to show our appreciation a wonderful meal with be served after the pour is completed on Saturday.

Some brushing done.

It's a tad early to start trail clearing but many walkers in the Swedetown Creek gorge had reported wasp strings in the tall grass in what we call "the dam meadow".   This is the area just upstream from the old dam.

Adam had been out earlier and got started on whacking back grass
and spraying nests.

Thanks Adam!

It's been a good growing year for grass and weeds.

This morning, Sandy and Gromit hiked by and found more wasps,
so later Sandy and Arlyn came out and cut it back further yet
and sprayed yet more wasps. 
Gromit did inspection of it. She doesn't want to get stung again!

Gravel found and moved.

Pete joined Arly on Thursday afternoon to search for gravel around the old sand pit area at the top of Sisu Hill.    Pat suggested we look east of the old sand pit.   The reason we're looking for gravel was because this needs to be used as a ramp on the abutment that we've already completed and this material will stay put, not wash way or go into the creek.

Poking around with shovels, we found some among the grass.
But how much gravel is really here? 
Mark's three point blade he loaned us goes into action.

We could only see after the humus was removed.
We didn't want dirt anyway.

 

After a area was scraped clean, we found what appeared to be nice gravel.

This looks good!

First load comes down.  This trailer was again put to serious work.

Wow, this is really some nice material!

It's pebbles, sand with some clay mixed in.

This was just the gravel type we wanted here.

By late in the afternoon, many loads, maybe 6 tons worth
had been shuttled down.

Trail leveling, help and photos.

Mark's away to Portugal on vacation so bridge work has slowed down. 
Not stopped, just slowed.  

If you would care to help Arlyn move sand and gravel down to the bridge site, that would be most appreciated.   Just let him know via arlyn.aronson@gmail.com or 370-2911.

These creek photos will give you an idea why KNSC is working
to keep these trails open.

These were taken today.

If you can't physically help, then please buy a membership.

With a compact tractor being rented.
Arlyn went to work leveling trails for grooming and
for moving bridge beams down.

This little tractor had been very, very helpful.

Friday's final footer pour.

A hardy crew showed up Friday morning to help mix and pour the last footer we're doing for this bridge.   The footer is the flat base the abutment will be later poured on top of.

Mix is coming down the chute.

Mark approves of Pete's mixing prowess.

Rain showers prompted the tarp to get set up.

Pete pours another mixed-to-perfection batch.

Ken was the official pump and generator captain.

Don pushes mix around. Almost done!

John grabs another bag while Andre keeps an eye on the mix.

Clean up time!

Nic and Noah were hunting frogs.

They found some very nice toads.
A potential prince?

Sisu is next! Footer form readied.

It was a busy week in the gorge and maybe this is a good time to announce that KNSC is preparing to replace the Sisu bridge which is in very poor shape as well.  The design for it is being done by Steve Wright PE at OHM.  Immediately below is the footer form just before it was poured.

 

Looking good and ready for a filling.

With excellent help like this, you can do good work.

Steve and Mark going over design parameters at the Sisu bridge.
Like it's length...

What's the abutment going to sit on?

The Sisu bridge is tentatively scheduled for replacement in 2017.

We love an engineer who'll come out and get dirty with us.

We also checked out the next bridge upstream.
Steve thought it looked darn good!

Do note that KNSC along with the City of Hancock is getting DEQ permits to install these bridges and doing this means we must have their designs done and approved by a PE.   This certainly costs more but they'll last for many, many years and stay clear of high water in the spring.