It's a Gas!

It's the time of year for the Gallupville Gas-Up where antique engines, tractors, trucks, and cars abound. There are no vendors and everything is on display by their very proud owners. Unusual is normal here, and if you wonder what it is or what it does, just ask and the owners will be glad to tell and show you. Below are just a small sampling of what we experienced:

This steam driven clam shell crane is fueled with wood. The support vehicles were antiques also. One provided wood and one was adding water.

Scooping up the clay and loading up the old fully functional Mack dump truck.

Great displays of antique engines throughout the property.

 

 I would love to have this wheel in my garden!

Barn fresh '34 Ford Coupe (complete with 1934 license plate) and a Model A pick-up truck.

Pulley and toy display.

We need this gorgeous Case threshing machine steam tractor at our Rally in the Woods parties!

It was fun to watch this rock grinder as rocks were thrown in and it literally chewed them up and spit out gravel.

  

Oh Deere! Dave's favorite vehicle of the show. The wheels have rubber strips as tires.

 

 My favorite was this very simple Farmall with its aggressive wheels. You can tell that it is still in service.

 

 We're not sure what this is, but it was being driven around the grounds!

An elaborate road grader.

Look at the amount of water this little engine is pumping!

 More water pumps. There was a large display of washing machines too.

Nap time...right next to this running engine.

Asleep complete with cigar!

What a line up!

Dave contemplates what he can do with THIS piece of machinery. Sorry Dave, there's no more room in our Den of Antiquities.

Two Daveys!

More barn fresh vehicles. It was so much fun exploring, both inside and out.

This white sign would look so good in the front of our house (especially the 96 part).

 

Unfortunately the parade had to be cancelled even though some of the vehicles were lining up. I took this from inside an old gas station that is permanently on display.

What a machine and look at those tracks!

 It seemed like everyone was working on their prize possessions at some point during the day.

 We were amazed watching this 30 year old working on this steam engine. He and his father own it. Even though it looks like it is similar to a locomotive because of its stack, we believe it is a stationary engine. It sure is big...

And he got it running! This was one of the highlights of the day.

 I think this event got Dave thinking..."what can I come up with for next year?"

Junk or Treasure?

It was all treasure at some point, but now it's definitely junk! It's that time of year when the town has their free bulk pick up, making it a good time to get rid of some of the accumulations of junk around the property. This year was especially important, because we had to dispose of lots of stuff from the other property that was left behind. This week also presented the opportunity to get metal together to bring down to the scrap metal recyclers. Dave and John stripped some of the bikes of their fairings and luggage for the heap, while I got to drive the New Holland and place everything curbside.

Scrappers:

Observers:

These baby woodchucks were so cute hiding out in our pallet pile, watching us. Too bad they get to be such a nuisance when they grow up.

Soon we'll gather all this mountain of scrap metal, along with quite a bit that is still way out back in the big shed, load it up on one of the utility trailers, and see what the market is paying. Anything is better than having piles around....even if the cute critters like to make homes in them.

Rallying the Troops

The first 2014 Rally in the Woods trail ride took place on Saturday, and even though it wasn't one of our largest, it was still a great get-together. Many of the trails were cleaned up as well as the whole party area. Even the outhouse is a classy place.

 

The food at the Handlebar Cafe was superb as usual! 

Dave's Minions sit over the antique stove on their pistons, keeping an ever faithful eye on the happenings...sort of like his real 'minions' do! We couldn't do any of this without them and all their help, that's for sure.

Until about 6:30PM, Sara and I were the only females there so we had fun tearing around the property. I always drive my four wheeler, and since helmets are required for everyone, Sara and I dress ours up with pigtails (Pink Ladies still rule!).

Sara raced around on any bike she could get her hands on, and as you can see there were many classic bikes at the ready for her to choose from.

 

Did you notice our new signs? Thanks to cousin Chuck for the use of the Sinclair sign. Many years ago, Dave's father used to have about 20 of these, and Chuck was the only smart person to take one home. Since then, the rest have been destroyed. Back then we never would have guessed that they would become so collectable.

The tractor crossing sign was a must too since the Farmall has become so popular. Both Tyler and his father Kenny, got the hang of driving it quite quickly (and now they want one!).

New to the fleet this year is the pull start David Bradley. It was a big hit too, and Walt really liked it because it went just his speed.

 

 Kevin brought his usual entourage of bikes so there's something for everyone...while Jimmy keeps working on getting his going.

 

Hey Kenny, Tyler, and Tim....where's Kerstin? We missed her!

The chef took some time off from grilling to try and start the mini bike. We won't tell his wife he did this ;-)...or else that broomstick he uses to guide his grandson really WILL be coming out of his you know what!

Stay tuned for the next Rally in the Woods, because the Trials section has begun. All the huge tires, Bayliner hull, trees, etc. that we have been saving for this reason are finally being put to use. This section has been in the works for 3 years. First Hercules broke so these big obstacles couldn't be moved, and then once that was fixed, Dave broke! Now everything and everyone are up and running...or at least walking again.

 By the end of the day, the campfire was red hot and the branding iron saw some action. If your name starts with 'P', you too can have anything you want branded.

 The best part, besides the camaraderie, food, and stress relief? We get to do it all over again in another few weeks before the summer heat really kicks in.