Friday was ATV Tire Day on Pentoga Road

April 26, 2014 – Saturday

32 degrees/clear/calm

Pentoga Road

The heat from the wood stove feels mighty good this morning. Friday’s siege of heavy squalls blowing in from Lake Superior reminded me of those we used to get in Sitka, a mixed bag of weather, heavy rain, followed by warm sunshine, then a return of heavy rain and wind. Today’s forecast is for sunny and warmer conditions.

Deer grazing on the athletic field in downtown Gaastra, Michigan

Pentoga Lake continues to grow and I find myself wishing it would hang around for more than a month each year. Currently, it’s just a few feet from the back yard and I picture how it would be to have a permanent two-acre pond, fifteen to twenty feet deep, outside our back door. Maybe we can someday after we win the lottery.

I walked my usual five miles on Friday then called Yooper Brother Mark to be sure it was okay to bring the ATV tires in to have them removed from the rims. He said to come right ahead.

They were stubborn buggers, those tires. With the help of a couple of employees at the plant, along with that of Mark’s, they were finally freed. I’d like to say I got right in and helped, but mostly, I watched and cheered those three youngsters on.

A part on the tire changer broke while trying to remove a tire. The guys had to weld the break before they could resume.

Back home, I left the tires alone and got busy grading final projects, finishing three hours later. As of now, I’m officially caught up. No doubt, there’ll be some stragglers coming in over the next week, but by and large, I can begin to think about drawing this semester to a close… and that’s a good thing. The summer session begins in less than three weeks.

It was time to put the tubes in the ATV tires. Since it had been so difficult to break the beads, the boys had only removed one side from the rims. I would have to squeeze the tubes along with my hand into some very tiny spaces, be sure the inner tube wasn’t pinched, and work from there.

To make room for the tube and my hand, I used a wood clamp. I don't believe it is in the tiring-changing handbook, but it worked well.

It took some time, but after a couple of hours, all three were successfully seated and inflated.

The essential Pentoga Road tools for installing inner tubes. One of Dad's old files, covered in duct tape on one end to prevent gouging the tube, Grandpa Reinhardt's large screwdriver, Dad's large screwdriver, a pair of pliers, and a spray bottle of hot, soapy, water, to allow the tire to slip onto the rim easier.

I gathered the mail, brought in wood, and called it a day.

Sargie was home fairly early last night and we had a good evening of watching television and talking. She opens today, should be home early this evening, and has tomorrow off.

I’m going to walk this morning then work outside. If it continues to dry, there are sections of the yard that definitely need raking (most of it). I also want to get the old blue ATV running and switch the wooden rack from the new ATV over to the blue one and take the snowplow off the red four-wheeler. I may have to make a jaunt to town to do some banking before noon. Somewhere along the way, I want to think about assembling the large trimmer mower, the one I purchased last January. It’s still in a shipping crate in the garage. It’s going to be a busy one on Pentoga Road today.

But then, I’m not surprised. After all, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…