Yesterday, we biked the North Branch Trail System from Golf Road to Chicago Botanic Gardern. This was the second time we biked this trail but it is only now that I was able to take a video.
The North Branch Bicycle Trail is a Class I bicycle trail and starts at Caldwell and Devon Avenues in Chicago, and continues north approximately 20 miles to Lake County, Illinois.
The trail winds along the North Branch of the Chicago River and the Skokie Lagoons, providing access to various picnic groves, golf courses and also the Chicago Botanic Garden.
I biked around the neighborhood last Saturday and there were several garage sale. Most are selling clothes and kid's toys so I didn't bother to look around. However, one guy was selling interesting stuff and I ended up buying the items below for 9 dollars.
The axe and the saw are very rusty so when I saw a WD40 on the shelf I asked if it was for sale but the guy was kind enough enough to give it to me for free because the can is only 1/3 filled. I thought I had a good bargain, went home and cleaned the items I bought.
After cleaning the axe with sandpaper and WD40 ...
... and after sharpening with a bastard file.
I found out that the axe is the official axe of the Boy Scouts of America. To find out more about the axe, I googled for it and I saw one on sale at eBay for $54.00, used with a sheath. Well, I really got a good buy isn't it?
And that's not all, the old gun tacker is also on sale at eBay for $24.00.
The items all cleaned up. I bet I'm gonna be going to a lot of garage sale. It's profitable you know.
I saw this first in one of the videos of Ghostkamo and I thought it would be a great back-up knife. I checked on eBay for the price and that what really made me decide to buy - $11.95 + free shipping. That was cheap!
It comes with a firesteel and a nylon sheath.
7 1/4" overall length, 3" blade made of stainless steel with black coating. Handle cord wrapped with shoelace like string. The jimping at the back of the blade can be used as striker for the firesteel.
A close-up of the tanto blade shape.
The firesteel is the same diameter as LMF Boy Scout model but a little bit shorter. The firesteel alone could cost $5-6 if you buy one with the same specs.
The knife and firesteel inserted in the sheath. Very compact and low profile design. Definitely, it will be in one of my kit.
Whenever I go biking or hiking I always see to it that I have enough water. Most of the time I carry about 1.5 liter of water for a 10 mile bike.
I carry 1 liter water bottle in my backpack.
And 1/2 liter water bottle in my bike.
I cannot overstress the importance of drinking water during strenous activities because of the danger of dehydration. Dehydration can occur when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount of water being taken in. Dehydration when left untreated can result in heat stroke and that is a more deadly situation.
So always carry sufficient water. You don't have to buy expensive and fancy bottle containers, you can make one. Here's how.
Wrap 2 layers of duct tape around the bottle to make it stronger.
Then attach a water bottle carrier that can be purchased from Walmart. If you do not have a bottle carrier you can improvise by tying a cord on the neck bottle with a loop for attachment to your belt.
I always carry a Bic lighter in my fire kit. For me, its an easier way of making fire compared with using a match or a firesteel. But what will you do when your lighter fuel is gone? Convert your disposable lighter into a sparklite.
Here's how to do it.
Remove the child-proof metal shield, chimney and plastic cam in that order using a long-nosed pliers. Be careful not to pop the striker wheel out or you might lose the spring and flint.
The child-proof metal shield, chimney and plastic cam removed. At this point the lighter can already be used as a sparker. But if you want to go on and remove the inner parts you can do so.
First, remove the striker wheel carefully, again taking care not to lose the flint and spring.
Then remove all the metal parts that you can see except the flint and spring chamber. This is how it should look like after the metals parts have been removed.
Here comes the tricky part. Replace the spring, flint and striker wheel and you're done. You've got a sparklite.
The photo shows the sparklite throwing a lot of sparks. All you need now is a suitable tinder and you'll be able to light a fire. By suitable tinder I mean, petroleoun jelly coated cotton balls, charcloth, bird's nest, dryer lint, fatwood dust etc. It's an efficient means of making fire and could cost you nothing. Most of my sparklites are made from lighters I found while walking in the park.
I am not an expert on knives. When I want to buy a knife, I rely on reviews on Youtube and knife forums to help me make a decision. But if the knife is priced relatively cheap, I just go on and buy it. And I don't care where it is made.
Just like this knife that is made in China, $12.79 and free shipping from CockDeals.
Pocket clip and safety lock.
440 stainless steel, liner lock, 3" blade, 4.52" closed. Very sharp - see my Youtube video on this.
I have been using this knife for 6 months now and it still is working fine aside from scratches on the blade and wear on the handle coating. It may not be as durable as the highly priced knife brands but for my intended use, I am very satisfied with its quality.
Located in Schaumburg, Il this 9 mile paved trail loops around Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, passing through scenic forest areas and meadows. It is quite similar to Busse Woods with some moderate up and down grades.
