This is the adventure and volunteerism log for Matthew Dexter Edmonds, aka "Treeman." Aside from Blogger comments, contact information is listed on Google+. And all places mentioned in this log are in the State of Ohio in United States of America unless otherwise stated. "The Wayne" = the Wayne NF.
Also, the motorhome mentioned is a 25ft, 1988 Itasca Sundancer, Model IF424RC with a Ford Econoline cutaway unless otherwise stated. It runs a 351 Windsor EFI V8 engine.
Search This Blog
2015/02/03
Log 2009122201
I am on a journey. 4am, I departed Painesville for Camp Asbury to continue on the Burton Section northbound. There were places, because of snow, that I almost didn't make it up.
In Burton, I had traditional American cuisine @ Cogan's Restaurant. 28 miles later, I looped back on OH-700 but had doubts. Water seeped in old boots on Mile 2. So on Mile 17, new, unbroken-in boots were changed into. I pulled into Hiram College to take a snooze. The people there very kind. 3 miles to the car @ Asbury. I'll have to muster everything that I have left just to make it.
2014/08/18
Log 2014081801
I learned last night that some of the NiMH battery cells might be damaged. And my head lamp might be having a difficult time holding each of its three cells. I found this out on an off-road hike that spilled into last night. The GPS needed a change as well. With batteries that were recently recharged, the screen would flash, but it would fail to power on.
My boots are still giving me blisters and shouldn't be. I'm using my stock insoles to cover the top of my foot along with my Dr. Shoals CF-340's covering my ankles and part of my arches. What's different this year is the use of the stock insoles. I should probably replace those.
Yesterday, I hiked roughly 24 miles around Burr Oak Lake through Burr Oak State Park, Wayne National Forest, and the Army Corps of Engineers reservation at Tom Jenkins Dam. With that being said, I covered about 12.4 miles of difficult terrain on the New Straitsville Section - Buckeye/ North Country/ American Discovery Trail. It's difficult considering that I'm from NE Ohio, so I'm a flat lander.
On a separate note, I want to say "well done" to the maintainers on those segments. The trail surface was always clear. Otherwise, there were a couple of low ceilings and a broken board on a causeway. Other than that, the trail's surface was as efficient as the off-road gets under the circumstances.
2014/03/04
Log 2014030401
A new smartphone mount with a goose neck and suction cup was purchased at Best Buy in Mentor of Lake County today and installed. It replaced a smaller smartphone holder, that didn't have grips to secure the smartphone in place. It's design was gravity based. And it's back plate didn't go high enough for the new Samsung Note 3's height. The new mount is now sufficient for my in office use.
-A new 1 liter water bottle and cage was installed on said mountain bike. A second cage is still on order and should arrive soon.
- A new rear basket was purchased from Wal-Mart in Mentor of Lake County and was installed on the back rack of said mountain bike. This will allow me to haul cargo on the bike such as groceries and supplies.
- Two new USB cables were purchased for the new said smartphone. They were intended for use in the garage where I'm currently housesitting and in my car. Well, I opened the box and found out that they were the same as the data cables for my previous cell phone. One of the boxes is now in the trash, so, I'm hoping that I that I can get my money back for the second one if I can find those other cables.
- A universal notebook charger was purchased today from Best Buy in Mentor of Lake County, but it was the wrong kind and it didn't fit my HP's power port. I hope to take it back for an exchange.
- My new 10" combat boots made by Bates came today from Dick's Sporting Goods. They'll be replacing my current boots of the same make and model. That's because part of the outer sole at the tips of my feet are starting to separate and their tread is very worn down.
- A new Otter box smartphone case was purchased from Best Buy in Mentor of Lake County. It's a rugged enclosure that protects my new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 smartphone. If the cost to get the phone at Verizon only cost me about $300 out the door and a newly activated 2 year plan, should I damage the unit in such a way that it's beyond my extended warranty, a replacement of said smartphone will cost about $750 out of pocket at its current retail price.
-The new smartphone was mounted to said mountain bike and it seems to work.
-Even a service with a superior coverage area like Verizon Wireless will loose data signal in the kind of places that I go. In the second installment of the next recreation trip, I'm counting on it. This is a 31 mile bike ride from Belpre of Washington County to Chesterhill of Morgan County on the American Discovery Trail in Ohio, while it's independent of the Buckeye Trail. My purpose will be to ride ADT's independent east arm before hiking the Buckeye Trail. This will take place on township and county roads in remote areas.
I anticipate that the smartphone's GPS won't be up to the job. Anyways, the field GPS is much more battery efficient than the smartphone. If I can run them both, using the field GPS for my odometer, navigation and the smartphone for my on-board music, it should extend the smartphone's battery life.
So, I installed a custom field GPS mount to the top bar of said mountain bike's frame with a buckle, mesh strap and four zip ties. The units belt clip mounts to one of the zip ties and the adjustable mesh strap. The other three zip ties are secured to the frame for stabilization.