I started working on my condition inspection last October. It has been 14 years sense the little 503 Rotax had new seals and being that Rotax says you must replace them every 5 years I decided to take it over to Arlington Wa to Aircore Aviation and have it done. I finally got everything back together last week.
All winter long and this spring I have been hearing chainsaws working somewhere on the hill next to where I live. I couldn't see anything going on up there so decided to find out what they're doing up there. It was time for my annual spy plane mission to see whats new in the kittitas valley.
First, here's what the chainsaw noise is all about. The brush that looks like sage is bitterbrush. It burns like a good grade of kerosene. Those windrows, they have cut and hand piled the bitterbrush along the ridge top and have started chipping it. The land owner has built a multi million dollar house off to the right side so must be a fire break.
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These folks are cow penners. Not the same as the guy building the fuel break. The center section of the big barn is 160 feet X 80 feet. They practice inside during the winter.
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A new house. It is built Fire Lookout style. My wife loved this picture. She put herself through College working on a Forest Service Lookout 20 miles to the west. The fence behind the house is the Elk fence on the LT Murray state wildlife area. Behind that is the Okanagan/Wemnatchee, National Forest. Behind that is the Mt. Baker/ Snoqualmie NF. Their closest neighbors to the west would be in Seattle.
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The ranchers are burning their ditches.
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Mt. Adams. See the horse, center top of the mountain?
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Mt. Rainier.
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The Stewart Range. They don't slant up to the right, I hit a bump as I pushed the shutter button.
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Close up of ditch burning.
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Kitfox is fun flying.
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