Yesterday was another day of dead calm out in the ranch. Nary a wind to be felt, a sky full of bright sun, and a blue that only Colorado can reveal graced the morning as I ventured down. I hesitated to go; it is eight miles each way, now fully snow laden, and it is ‘only’ the back up generator that is failing. My primary power is still fully in tact, so it is only weeks that a storm is present that I even need worry about such, but alas, down the mountain I went. Back ups are just that; I wanted mine restored.
The Jeep is parked half way down the mountain, at the Merlo and Kline junction, but it is going to be sitting there for a while longer. It still makes me smile that here, amidst all this, the orange fiber optic markers remind me of what lies beneath.
Moon Bug has a new sled (Dave) that went on his maiden voyage, only carrying trash. Saturday I must go out again for consulting gear (computers, monitors, keyboards, stands, cameras, external drives, etc.) all being shipped, so trash seemed a better test run than computer hardware to see if Dave would complain. He did not.
A successful trip, I picked up generator parts, more parts than needed, including a lot I might need. I took the opportunity to restock the fridge and produce bins, so I returned laden in much newness. It was a strange ride up the mountain. It is a mixture of pure joy, riding a track enabled snow machine across a wild mountain range, untouched by anyone else since the last snow, yet I was touched with how much weight I had with me. In the cab, in the back, tucked under a tarp on Dave…. getting home safely kept tickling the brain, amidst the fun, the beauty and the freedom. There is much to manually haul if Moon Bug fails or gets stuck.
Not only did I arrive home safely, but dusting off data gleaned from my father literally forty years ago, and voila! The back up generator is running again, performing better than it has since I arrived. Flawlessly, smoothly, ready again to recharge my batteries on demand.
A man takes much pleasure in fixing his own machines. It is not the money saved. It is not the time saved. It is the satisfaction of diagnosing, understanding, analyzing, and being able to address the problem himself. There are many far more adept men in this ranch, but thus far, I am pleased with my own self reliance, save perhaps for the broken fingers of late last year.
