New job, headed to the north woods...

Well it sure has been an interesting last few months.

The project I have worked on for the last 4 years is finishing up. I was very pleased with how much we learned and how the engine ran but after our main sponsor got bought out it was decided not to extend it past its original finish point by their new owners. Which happened so late in my tour that long term funding could never have been found to replace it in a timely manner. Lacking that I had to find new digs.

Job hunting sucks. Let's not beat around the bush. It sucks. The whole process wore me out. The applications. The phone interviews. The flying around to interview at all these far flung places. In the end though I am pleased as punch with my new job. I ended up with several options but chose to go back into engine design and away from pure research. I will be moving about 40 minutes north of Minneapolis to work on engines for a well known maker of 4 wheelers and snowmobiles.

The area is country through and through and just beautiful. Tons of great lakes and streams to fish in. Public hunting reserves larger than most of the counties where I grew up. I honestly cannot wait to get up there and do some exploring. I've lived in cities for so long now that I'm not sure that it won't be a bit of an adjustment! But one I'm looking forward to making.

I know Madison was noticeably colder in winter than Chicago. My friends from up there tell me Minneapolis is noticeably colder than Madison. My truck may need a block heater. :)

Will

Congratulations!
Sounds like a much better life, then you've been living.
Didn't know you are in Wi and Ill territory.

Been there several times south of Madison and just across the Illinois border.

Again even though it was a pain, looking for another job, sounds like you found a better deal. :D

I need a new side by side. Free if possible.

Thank you.

(Seriously, congrats, and glad for you......I'm sure you are in demand!)

(I also used to be able to rattle off the name of your Master's Thesis............such a COOL title.........but alas, senility has ensued).

Yep, Sunshine I've been in Illinois for 4 years now. I really loved Wisconsin but never really felt the same way about Chicago. Too big, too busy, too rushed. TBH I am really looking forward to moving some place where there are more deer than people.

Bucky, I am really looking forward to getting into some of these things and twisting their tails. They have a huge test trail right beside the engineering center and apparently encourage folks to take their "special projects" out and rough them up a bit. And apparently after one year of employment you get a new 4 wheeler or snowmobile of your choice free for two years. After that you can buy it at a steep used price discount or just trade it in for a new model. How cool is that?!

Will

Congrats Willie! I can relate to the suckage factor of job hunting. Glad you found a nice place to land, though.

Bucky, I think it was Master of Things That Squirt Stuff in to Other Things That Like, Explode it.... and Stuff (do with that what you will, Jimmy)

I'm guessing.....Medina?

And is that pronounced 'Madeena', as christian folk would say it, or is it 'Ma-dinah' (rhymes with vagina)?

Just wonderin'.

Congrats! you'll love it up there!

BKB

I'm not surprised he cannot remember the title Len. Hell I wrote it and I can't even remember it. :)

It was kind of long and involved but for the life of me I can't remember it.

Will

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Originally Posted by BarryBobPosthole

I'm guessing.....Medina?

And is that pronounced 'Madeena', as christian folk would say it, or is it 'Ma-dinah' (rhymes with vagina)?

Just wonderin'.

Congrats! you'll love it up there!

BKB

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Not sure Barry. The name of the town is Wyoming Minnesota believe it or not. I thought that was a riot when I found out, lol.

Will

Ah, when you said ATV and snow machines the first thing I thought of was Polaris, which is in Medina about 40 miles from the Twin Cities. There's Gander Mountain right off of 35 just south of Wyoming!

I'll be passing through there. Maybe we can stop and have a lunch or something on one of my passes through there. It'd be great to meet you.

PS.....stock up on orange golf balls.

BKB

Well I will be working for Polaris but I'll be honest and tell you I haven't a clue where all of their facilities are. But their engineering center is in Wyoming. I know they have a snowmobile factory in Wisconsin. Osceola I think.

I'd love to meet up with you. I should be moved in and settled by the end of August. Just in time to enjoy the last month or two of summer.

I wonder if the squirrels up north taste good or if they eat a lot of pine nuts and stuff which would make them taste funny.

Will

The females are not bad, but usually a bit much for just one meal.

The squirrels up there are pygmies. And I'll bet they taste like an odor eater, the one or two bites you'd get. Loud little effers though.

Polish up your gopher cooking skills. there's a jillion of them.

BKB

Whoosh.

~snort~

You're probably right Barry. Wish I still had my beagles. Always wanted to take a stab at those bigass snowshoe hares. I'd guess the deer up there are pretty big too.

Have to learn how to lake fish. Never really had the chance to learn how. Everything around me growing up was small fast running streams. But I love walleye and would love to learn how to catch some of them.

Will

Wow! That sounds great Willie ... well, except for having to live amongst all those Yankees. ;)

Good luck with it. It's good to have a job you're actually looking forward to instead of one you just had to take out of necessity. Just promise not to forget about us here and stay in touch. Send pics!

Man, the summers up there are the best weather in the US. The other three season, maybe not so much.

BKB

Congrats to you Penguin and don't listen to what all those southern dufes say about the cold and snow...we only have that for 6 months of the year except for the occasional times we have it for 9. :)

I assume you will resume your trips to the Devils Lake area now come waterfowl season?

Anyway, welcome new neighbor.

Waterfowl season? Now there's a thought. I have to admit that we didn't have any of that in WV growing up and in every area I have been in since it is a high dollar pursuit that I didn't have a chance to get into. I didn't even think of duck hunting till you mentioned it Bwana.

I imagine my waterfowl hunting knowledge would provide almost as much comic entertainment to a seasoned pro as my duck hunting marksmanship. :)

Will

Guess this is where I have to admit I mixed you up with another gent who used to be on here that used to go waterfowl hunting in the northeastern corner of ND. Was thinking it was you but now I know better. Oh well, not the first time I was wrong and won't be the last.

As for things in the area close to your new residence, we took a family vacation out that way a couple of years ago where we canoed down the St. Croix River and then hit a place in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere that had go-carts, a water park, and a concrete luge-type thing that was a blast to ride. Can't recall the name of it but it was a lot of fun.

I would think your new area might provide you with a chance for some big deer, maybe moose, or even the chance at a black bear or wolf if you are lucky though I have to admit everything beyond the deer is a wild guess on my part. As for waterfowl, I'm pretty sure there are NONE in Minnesota as it seems like they all come to ND when that season opens not that it really bothers me though as I have not really hunted waterfowl for a fair number of years. Keep saying I need to get back into it but there always seems to be other things to do instead like kid's football or chasing pheasants or killing deer or calling coyotes...

Anyway, my bad on the mixup but best of luck on the new job.

I think you're talking about Major Point, Chad, from Michigan. Wonder where the Chad is hanging these days? Pun intended!

BKB

Detroit.

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Originally Posted by BarryBobPosthole

I think you're talking about Major Point, Chad, from Michigan. Wonder where the Chad is hanging these days? Pun intended! BKB

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Last I heard, Florida. ;-)

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

He's in Ann Arbor. His folks still live here in Near me and Hotshot, but Chad's all uppity and won't get with us when he comes back.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bwana

Guess this is where I have to admit I mixed you up with another gent who used to be on here that used to go waterfowl hunting in the northeastern corner of ND....

~snip~

I would think your new area might provide you with a chance for some big deer, maybe moose, or even the chance at a black bear or wolf if you are lucky though I have to admit everything beyond the deer is a wild guess on my part. As for waterfowl, I'm pretty sure there are NONE in Minnesota as it seems like they all come to ND when that season opens not that it really bothers me though as I have not really hunted waterfowl for a fair number of years. Keep saying I need to get back into it but there always seems to be other things to do instead like kid's football or chasing pheasants or killing deer or calling coyotes...

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Don't worry about the mixup. Hell there's so many conversations and people and locations in this joint that a man needs a program to know everyone who pops in from time to time. No offense taken, not even a little bit. :)

You want to know something crazy? I've been cooped up in cities for so long that the idea of just grabbing a handful of shotgun shells and heading out to hunt squirrels or rabbits on a saturday morning sounds like heaven. Jeez I'd have to drive for two hours from my current place just to get into the woods legally! Actually having the chance to chase deer without a 10 hour drive hasn't been an option for more years than otherwise since I left home.

The hardest part of this move is that it takes me even further from my home. It will be a 16 hour drive from my new digs to my hometown. With mom and dad getting a bit older that is something I had hoped to avoid. But that aside I'm excited. Ready to leave.

Will