Great photos Mindy. If it weren't for logging trucks & FSRs I wouldn't be able to go for the odd ride on my motorbike in the summer & check out some great backcountry ski touring in the winter. Amazing the FSRs these rigs are able to negotiate, especially in the winter.
I purchased a VHF radio a few years back for the sole purpose of being able to communicate with the truckers (& truckettes?) when I'm headed for an FSR about an hour north of Vernon (near Malakwa) in the winter. There's a great spot up there for some fine skiing if there's active logging in the winter & road is ploughed. A licence is required to own a VHF radio & I've been keeping it current with the annual fee. It comes in handy on the highway some times as well, with the truckers providing heads up on any road hazards etc. Also hear a few life stories on that radio... like you mentioned, I guess driving these rigs day in, day out can get a little boring.
About 3 or 4 winters ago, I was on the way up the Gorge Cr FSR, reporting my position every Km as required when a loaded rig came tooling around a bend and I had to take the snow bank to avoid getting smacked. Luckily I didn't go too far in & was able to easily back out & continue on my merry way. The driver of the rig, "Sharkey" came on the radio reporting to base that he had just put a Toyota into the snow bank & that he hadn't heard any radio calls. Also said "I think he got out ok." Base replied "Yes Sharkey, he's been calling his position every Km." I didn't hear any calls from Sharkey that he was coming down the road either. Hard to say whether Sharkey was zoned out & honestly didn't hear my calls, but those one lane FSRs in BC are super twisty and while VHF radios are pretty good, they still work best transmitting line of sight, not that good at transmitting through mountains. Mine is also a relatively low power handheld. In any case, I have a lot of respect for the driving skills of you folks.
Here are some pics of my adventures on local FSRs.
Photoshare link of summertime trip on local FSR, Aberdeen Plateau above Kal & Wood Lakes:
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/78203...79-42652/7820/
Another photoshare from trip on FSRs north of Vernon I explored. Also includes a fall hike into Boulder Hut for a work week:
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/78206...02-86864/7820/
Here's Km 13 of the infamous Gorge Creek FSR 30 Jan 2008. This is a good location to park & where the good skiing is to be had. I think Sharkey almost took me out at about Km 7.
Nice view of the cutblock which provides a good reference as a return point from ski touring:
The reward, plenty of untouched champagne pow:
End November 2009, my ski partner Glenn. Always a good idea to travel in the backcountry with at least one other person. Amazing amount of snow this early in the season:
Last one, yours truly. No active logging the last couple of seasons so FSR wasn't ploughed & since I have no sled, no way to get up there:
Hope this doesn't constitute some kind of thread hijack, but hey, it is about logging in a small way....