Last trip to the Ranch 2014-Shooting Excursion

Bathrooms

This summer we received a very generous donation to help build the bathroom.  We have had a lot of work done.  Here are some of the pictures we have.

There is even more done now.  I just don't have any of those pictures.  Please send any of them to ranchw8@gmail.com

Thank you

Summer 2014

2014 at the ranch was a great year.  A lot happened and we had a some pretty amazing experiences this year.  Wards, scouts, young women, and friends were all able to enjoy the property this past summer.

We had a lot of family go up this year as well.  We were able to see Grandma and Grandpa Weight up there again.  The Girauds were able to go and have part of their family reunion up there.  They even helped cut some hay.  Eric Weight and his family had a family reunion up there as well.  A lot of family went up there and enjoyed the property in 2014.

Here is a brief recap of pictures and experiences we had while there.

In the early summer Tucker proposed to Jen Bell on Hill Cumorah.  He involved nearly his entire Weight family.  It was pretty fun.  He did great and it was very romantic.

 We went up several times in the fall and one time we went up to go shooting with the kids and just hang out for a couple of hours.

It was a great year in 2014 and we hope for an even better 2015.  We have a lot of work to do still but we will have a lot of fun.  Come enjoy anytime you can.

Winter is Still Here

Wednesday 3/12/14

Tucker, Dustin, Libby, and Toby went up Wanrhodes to see how The Ranch is doing after the winter.  We were able to get all the way up to the gate between the Child and Miner properties.  We parked the truck there and then walked the rest of the way up to the ranch.  There is still about 2 feet of snow in a lot of places.  We were able to go by the cabin and then up to the Flat Iron field.  It was very quiet and peaceful.   We left at 8:15 in the morning and returned before 11:00, just a quick trip up there.

Here are some pics that can explain our trip better than words. 

 

The cabin bench is still there!!!

 

You can see the top line of the fence is at Tucker's knee, that makes the snow about 2 feet deep.

 

This is the flat iron field, still covered in snow.

Tucker next to a pine tree Valerie planted up at the ranch several years ago.

 

2013 Bathroom Update

Well, we were able to do a lot at the ranch through the fall.  Sorry there were not more updates but hopefully I can get us caught up on everything that happened there. 

Due to several very generous donations we were able to get a lot of work done on the bathrooms.  We finished the under ground plumbing, the foundation and the cement floor both inside and outside of the bathroom.  We still have a lot to do though.  We need to finish the construction of the walls with cement blocks, do the roof, and then finish the interior of the bathrooms.  I will make a list of the items we still need and the items that we have been able to collect from donation. 

Needed:
Cement blocks
Exterior doors and frame (2)
Shower head (2)
Sink Faucet (2)
Shower Partition
Interior plumbing pipe
Tile
Corrugated Steel Roof
2X6 boards for the roof
Water Heater
Exterior Finish
Glass Blocks (for the windows)

Have:
Vanity and sink (2)
Toilet (2)
Tile (4 boxes???)
Corrugated Steel Roof (pending donation)

This is just a rough estimate.  More things may come up as we are finishing the construction of the structure.  We are hoping to re-use the old Septic Tank from the old Cabin so we can save quite a bit of money on that.  We estimate that we will need between $2,000-$3,000 to finish the rest of the bathroom.  We know a lot of people have already donated a lot and help get to this point but we would love any additional help.  Hopefully we can finish the bathrooms this summer for EVERYONE to enjoy. 

2013 in Review

What an amazing and productive year we had in 2013.  We were able to get a lot done and hopefully we made it more comfortable and enjoyable. 

We started the building of the new bathrooms.  Prepared a spot for the pavilion.  Prepared the big cottonwood field for Alfalfa.  Built a new trailer pad near the fire pit.  Laid cement around the fire pit.  Eric started a new campground at a beautiful lookout over the entire ranch.  Started a park for the kids.  Moved the interior East fence and closed that road.  We also have prepared for a lot of other additions we can start in 2014 when we finish the bathrooms.

We had a lot of fun.  We have been able to watch our children spend their summers up there and enjoy the outdoors in a safe and private environment.

We will let you know as soon as we can get up there this 2014.  We will be working on getting the fences repaired quickly so we can get working on the rest of our projects.  Any and all help will be welcome, even just the moral support.  Don't worry about driving up there.  The roads are better than they have been in the 8 years that I have been driving up there.  You can also get a ride with any of us going up there.

Also, if you have a group (besides a Weight Family group) that would like to go up for a campout please let Jared or Eric know so we can get it on the calendar.  We are still asking for groups to pay when they go up there to help cover some of the expenses it costs to maintain the property.  Since the bathrooms aren't finished we have been charging groups of 15 or less $25 per night or they can do a service project.   If it is a group larger than 15 then they can talk to Jared or Eric about a price and arrangements.  This includes father and son outings, scout campouts, girl camps, and any other non family activities up there.

Foundation Blocks in Place

Last night Jared, Tucker, Dustin, Libby, and Toby went up to the ranch for the evening to finish laying the blocks on the foundation.  Jared taught Tucker and Dustin how to lay out each of the bricks and get them in place and how to apply the mortar. 

We were only up there for a couple of hours but we got a lot done.  We saw several deer and Libby and Toby had a fun time trying to sneak up on them while eating alfalfa. 

We also noticed that the spring that feeds the cabin is not providing any water right now.  It has been a very dry year and that is a sign of just how dry it has been up there the past 2 years.  Jared said that is only the 2nd time he knows of that spring going dry. 

Here are some pics of the work we finished.

2013 Summer Events

A lot has happened over the summer and a lot of family and friends have been able to go up to the ranch and enjoy everything it has to offer. 

Dustin took his 11 year old scouts up to do the Zip Line and have a hot dog BBQ.

Tricia took her young women up to enjoy the zip line, dutch oven cobblers, and have a spiritual devotional.

Tucker went up with a friend for the deer hunt and saw a Cougar (Mt Lion) this past weekend. 

Please try to get up there before the end of the summer and fall and see some of the progress we have made and enjoy everything up there. 

Bathrooms-2 8/17/13

Eric, Jared and families went up Saturday morning and started laying the bricks for the foundation of the bathroom walls.  They had to use a bond called Type S Spec Mix to cement the bricks and the footings together.  They were able to finish all of the corners and the bottom row.  We ran out of spec mix right as it started to rain and so we had to leave.  Jared is planning on going up sometime this week to start laying more of the bricks. 

 

 

Thank you to everyone who has helped donate funds to build this bathroom.  We are being as careful and diligent with those sacred funds as possible.  We search for the best price of products and borrow any equipment we can to get the work done.  We have used all of the funds donated and we will now just be doing everything we can to come up with the needed materials to finish the project before winter if possible.  We are doing a lot of work and trying to show as much progress as possible.  I apologize for not updating the blog more frequently and will try to keep it updated.  

Bathrooms

The bathrooms have come a long way since I last posted.  We went up on 7/27/13 and took up cement to lay the footings for the bathroom.

 

 

 We had to get the cement out of the mixer and move it to the desired areas.  Jared would then smooth it out with his trowel (not sure if I spelled that one right?)

 The kids were all there to help!

 Jared had to double check and mare sure we were level all the way around.  We used a laser level from Eric the night before to put in some rebar to make sure we were as level as possible.

 Jared and Tucker finished up the cement while Trent cleaned out the mixers.

 

We had a little bit of cement left over and so we decided to use it around the fire pit.  We used the fire pit since then and it has made the area much cleaner and safer.  

W8 Reunion

At the end of the Family Reunion a lot of people were able to either hike to the ranch or drive up there.  It was pretty neat to see so many people together on the property.  We had a lot of help bailing hay and stacking it.  Everyone also had a great lunch there.  Thank you Valerie for getting that ready for everyone.

Those who went up also got to see where the bathrooms will be and where the pavilion is going to be.  The following posts will show some of the updates on the bathrooms. 

Here are some pictures of everyone up at the ranch and the hay we bailed.

 

 

 

Pavilion, Bathroom, and Trailer pad

Jared rented a Mini-X on Friday night so we could start building the pavilion and bathrooms.  We were able dig all of the footings for the bathroom and get the pavilion area leveled out.  Check the pavilion page for more details and some pictures. 

We also worked on the new trailer pad and got all of the trees cleared out.  It was an amazing weekend and we got a lot done.  Jared was there with Valerie and Tucker and Kerri took Dustin and kids up there.  Trent also went with his 3 kids.  Tricia showed up on Saturday to play with the kids in the hammocks Valerie set up.  We had both tractors and the mini-x working most of the day Saturday.  It was pretty cool to see the end result.

We got everything we wanted done.  This was the most dirty I have ever been while up there.  I had dirt all over my chest and back even though I was wearing 2 t-shirts.  It was a great time and hopefully, when we get the grass planted and growing, it will be much cleaner and more enjoyable.

Thank you Valerie for all of the awesome pictures.

 

Also check out this giant root ball we ripped out, Tucker was pretty excited about it.

 



Cutting down trees

This past Saturday Jared and part of his family along with Gable went up to The Ranch in the afternoon after the Art City Day parade.  We had lunch up there and then we started working on a new project we have.  We began to cut out trees and make an area for Jared and his family to camp and park trailers.  This will make it possible to begin work on the pavilion.  Plans have been adjusted a little but the pavilion we be even better and a little smaller so it is more affordable and easier to build.  We were working on the area just above where the pavilion has been planned to be built.  We had to cut out a lot of trees which took us the entire afternoon to do it.  We filled up 6 truck loads of trees and still have a pile of cut trees sitting up there. 

This is a picture of us just getting started, we should have taken a before picture but didn't think about it.

We were able to use the tractor to start to level out a lot of the area.  We still have a lot of work to do but we should get it done this weekend.  We are renting a Mini-X to do the work which for those of you who don't know, (I didn't know until just recently and am 28) it is just like a small back hoe.  Here is a picture below of what one looks like. 





We finished as much as we could with the tractor and chain saws and just everything by hand and now we need the mini-x to finish the rest of the work and also we will be getting all of the area ready for  the pavilion and to start laying the water pipes and the footings.

 

We will be going up Friday night and Saturday to finish the work we started.

 

 

We then had a delicious peach cobbler dessert after a chicken salad dinner.  It was an amazing time up there and we are getting a lot done.  It was nice to relax for  a few minutes and just have a hot treat.

 

Enjoy this video of us working.  For those of you who missed out on Tucker working you can get a small snapshot of it here.

This one is of my son Toby enjoying The Ranch.  It was a pretty awesome moment this morning when I say him playing in his room with his trucks and talking about the work he was doing with them at The Ranch.  Both of our kids love The Ranch and get excited every weekend we are going camping there.  We hope they are learning some important lessons while we are there and we hope they can love it in the future as much as we do. 

 



 

June is Here

Jared and his family along with Kerri and her family and Tricia tagged along for the evening.  We were able to get a lot done.  We had an amazing dutch oven dinner which Kerri made.  It was an amazing Chicken and Rice in one dutch oven and rolls made in another dutch oven.  We made a mistake and burnt the rolls a bit but it was still really good.  Email the ranchw8@gmail.com site it you want the recipe. 

We hung out that evening inside the trailers and just played games because it was a little colder than usual.  We got up in the morning to a classic camping breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes (along with Valerie and Kerri having hot chocolate). 

After that we got right to work.  Kerri started to mow the field above the camping area and got rid of the tall weeds there and hopefully a few people can camp over in there now.  We then planted a few more potatoes that Jared and taken up and then Jared an Valerie had to go back home for a work lunch. 

 

Tucker learned how to plow and plowed the old potato field.  He also worked on the field by the cottonwoods.  Meanwhile, Dustin and Kerri took their kids up to the West fence to put in some dancers.  We were able to do a few of them before the kids got hungry and we had to meet back up with Tucker for lunch.

After lunch Kerri and the kids took a nap while Tucker and Dustin went up to the West fence to finish the dancers we had already cut for the West fence line.  We were able to finish that and then we walked back the North end of the fence line and found just one broken line that we had to fix.  Everything else was pretty good other than a few loose cedar posts that we had to try to tighten up a bit.  We then went and worked on the fields with the tractors which we are trying to prepare to plant some more alfalfa seed on this fall. 

Jared and Valerie then met up with us again in the evening for some hot dog dinner.  They took their trailer down and we all headed down right before it got dark. 

Cattle are now on the property so if you are up there and see them in the fields let Jared or Eric know so we can get them out, or get them out if you know how.

Eric's new road!