The Lane County Events center, also known as the fairgrounds, is just about six blocks from our house, and we cut across its overflow parking lot regularly on our daily walk. As I approached one day in February, I was greeted with wall-to-wall pickups. Whoa!
That included this nice vintage Ford crew cab, a pioneer of all the 4WD crew cabs to be seen as far as the eye could see. Ok, and Escalade slipped in.
There’s probbaly one or two cars buried in these rows somewhere. So what gives?
It was the 80th annual Oregon Logger’s Conference, the largest of its kind, and a regular annual visitor to the neighborhood. All the latest logging equipment, which slowly gets bigger every year, is on display.
Logging has of course become highly mechanized, and the equipment becomes more and more productive.
There were even a few genuine logs here.
Was there a chainsaw competition? Are chainswas even used in logging anymore?
No log-rolling competitions though. Yes, logging has changed a lot since this film was made.
The late ’70s Ford crew cab may have been the oldest one there that day but Dodge had a crew cab that was relatively popular a decade earlier. The rear door window frames were the same as the front door window frames which made for an unusual look from the side. Considering how handsome some earlier and later Dodge trucks were it is a bit surprising that this one was so awkward, even in regular cab guise IMO.
Exner’s last gasp, perhaps?
The trees around the parking lot must have been quaking in their roots with all those loggers there. 🙂
All of the trucks seem so light duty now. But I suppose they can be with all of the other equipment that was never available before.
“The trees around the parking lot must have been quaking in their roots with all those loggers there.” Yes, I had the same thought. That little tree in the foreground of one shot looked nervous.
Good to see all the heavy equipment. Though like farming, I’m sure that as the capital equipment cost goes higher and higher, only the biggest operators can afford it.
It’s been like that for years. Practically all second growth is mechanically harvested, even with large timber such as on the coast of British Columbia. Old growth is so valuable it is often removed by helicopter.
Doing it the old spar-tree way caused way to much breakage and way, way, way too many fatal accidents.
I thought it was the Ag fraternity at Cal Poly
Alpha Gamma Rho! That is pretty much how their parking lot on California St always looked…
Ha, looks like any given parking lot on any given day here in flyover California.
Herewhileback, when walking my son’s dog twice a day for a couple month babysitting tour, I searched in vain around my neighborhood for a single eco type car. Nada. There are, however, 32 pickups in a one block radius of our house.
24 of those are Chevy/GMC products. 2 Toyotas. One Nissan. 2 Rams. 3 Fords.
Also not any Subaru wagons to be found for love nor money. But half a dozen Chrysler 300s are easily spotted in my hood.
Eco type car as in…hybrid? Electric? Or just a relative gas-sipper?
And, my oh my, that’s a lot of pickups. We have quite a few in my ‘hood but that’s just absurd.
My part of Richmond has a (now somewhat outdated) reputation for being predominantly white working class. As such, you do see a lot of pickups and American cars, more so than in other parts of town, and a distinct lack of European vehicles. But even we have quite a number of Prii, and a number of Japanese/Korean subcompacts.
I can think of one or two modern Foresters and Outbacks, but it’s debatable whether you can actually call that a wagon or not.
All those logs lined up were for the Log Loading Competition. If you saw groups of High School kids milling around, one of them one of them came down from our Forestry Program. Yes, we still have one, and the kids also compete in Logging Competitions throughout the state. My oldest and youngest both lettered in Forestry Competitions when they were in HS.
Note the overwhelming number of Ford PU’s in the parking lot. This is Ford Country up here, with a fair representation of Dodge and GM trucks. Tundra’s and Titans are almost strangers.
“High School kids milling around…”
I see what you did there!
I also see some of my own handiwork in a few photos…. (c: Forestry equipment is pretty cool stuff.
All wimpy little toys compared to the CRABLOGGER!
http://thunderbirds.wikia.com/wiki/Crablogger
Without much exaggeration, the first shot could be an outer-suburban school carpark in Oz, albeit all of the Ford Ranger size rather than US fullsize.
The Hilux and Ranger respectively were the first and second-best sellers here in 2017, with Mitsubishi and Nissans efforts in or near top ten.
Buggered if I know why. I wouldn’t drive such a thing for quids. The roads actually used by them are all made. And the logs pretty-well all cut, come to that.
Makes Mr Lost-in-Suburbia feel like he isn’t, I suppose.
The Loggers’ Conference sounds keen and all, but did you happen to catch the 30th annual Jello Show at the Maude Kerns Art Center this past Saturday? Art made entirely of Jell•O. No foolin’! Friend of mine put in a big installation with lights and motion and stuff.