Aerie Report, April 06, 2012

A somewhat productive day here at the Aerie.

I had plugged the battery charger into the ATV last evening in anticipation of getting the thing up and running today. The charger accomplished its task and told me the battery was at 100% this morning so I turned the fuel line to on, adjusted the choke, turned the key and pushed the start button. There was a feeble attempt to turn over but no vroom, vroom!

I drained some gas from the carburetor and saw no signs of water, so I pulled the seat off and opened up the air filter and sprayed in some starter fluid. Pushed the start button again and not even a cough to indicate the starter fluid was accepted.

O-kay. I pulled the spark plug and saw there was some moisture (gas) on the tip. The plug was only finger tight--which could have been a problem--but with the plug out but connected, I pushed the starter button again. No visible spark.

Soooo, off to the store I went. Auto Zone was able to provide me with what I needed including the proper sized socket wrench for the plug. (I also got a grease gun and grease but that's for a different project.)

Back home. A little squirt of starter fluid in the cylinder, the new plug in place and hooked up, choke out, key turned, starter button pushed and...VROOM! Success! It died a few seconds later but started up again right away.

I let it run with the choke out until it started to race and then pushed the choke in and let it run for another five minutes. Then I shut it off, crossed my fingers and pushed the start button again...VROOM! It started right up. I turned it off, put the air filter back together and the seat in place. Pushed the button again and...VROOM! It started right up again. I expect, as in past years, it will be just fine from now until put away for next winter.

Now all I have to do is get the air compressor out to inflate the soft left front tire and check the pressure in the others. Then I'll be ready to do more yard work and do some logging and hauling here and at the Bolt Hole.

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I spent an hour filing some bills and clearing my desk. Not as much fun as working with the ATV, but also a little less stressful as these bills had already been paid.

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I did get some true fun time in as well. Last summer I had bought a new PSE compound bow but, when I wracked up my knee, I never even took it out of the case for the fall deer season. (I was just barely able to get out during the rifle season.) Today, I opened the case, adjusted the position of the sights a little (it shot 2" to the right at 15 yards when I bought it) and went out behind the house to shoot a half dozen arrows. It's set up at 60 lbs. but has a 80% let down once you've passed the break point. It was a bit tough to draw, but once I had it back I could have held it for five minutes.

The peep sight on the string is new for me. I'm used to anchoring my arrow's nock in the corner of my mouth and using just the sight pins on the bow. With the peep on the string, the anchor point is going to be different--and less important. Now it's more important to sight through the peep to the pin.

Shooting at 15 yards, four of my six arrows hit the three inch circle. The other two were just outside the mark. I was pleased, to say the least. Now I have to go out and shoot more and from further distances. More to get the routine down and muscles tuned up for the 60 lb. pull. Further to see just how far out I can be consistent in--and confident in--my accuracy. With my old bow I was confident out to about 30 yards. The new PSE is a bit faster and flatter shooting so maybe 40-45 yards will be my new range.

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Tomorrow is our first official bird walk at Hills Creek State Park. The Tiadaghton Audubon Society leads walks at the park every Saturday in April and May. Last week's return of cold weather brought a fall out of water fowl to the lake. Hopefully some of the grebes, scaup, Bonaparte's gulls, mergansers, etc. will still be around. We haven't exactly been inundated with woodland birds. The warblers haven't yet come north and even the sparrows aren't yet here in abundance. The early morning (8 AM) temperature should be around 30 degrees. We shall see what we shall see.