#10 Saltery Bay SCT parking lot & kiosk Winter 2013

About 300 m east of the Saltery Bay ferry terminal the new Sunshine Coast Trail trailhead parking lot is taking shape in January of 2013. Terry makes sure any traffic going past will be aware of the track hoe working on the side of Saltery Bay Mainline.

Jimmy volunteered to operate the track hoe and Mark donated the use of the machine to level the area for the parking lot.

Trucks bring loads of crushed granite which Jimmy distributes with the deftness of an artist.

The job is done. We have a fabulous parking lot that can accommodate about a dozen cars.

Next step is the pre-manufacture of the trailhead welcome and information kiosk. Jim and Richie do a dry-fit of post, beam and gusset.

Craig, Terry, Richie and Jim receive a visit from Xinmin Yan, a journalist from Beijing writing a story about the Sunshine Coast Trail.

Craig uses his electric chainsaw to rough in the holes.

Terry and Richie fine-tune the holes with chisels.

Action back at the parking lot: The four footings have cured and are ready to be built on. Earlier we built forms and and poured the concrete. Here the crew is enlarging and flattening the area around the kiosk location, and spreading more gravel that was delivered on that day.

Bill, Richie, Terry, Scott and Dipper are finished with spreading the gravel forming the floor of the kiosk that will emerge in the ensuing weeks.

A look eastward: the footings indicate where the welcome kiosk will be located. Beyond there Saltery Bay Main, also called Rainy Day Lake Main heads up to the left, while the spur to the right leads down into the bay at the mouth of Saltery Creek. There a foot bridge spans across the creek and the trail begins its winding 180 km toward Sarah Point in Desolation Sound.

Back in town a few weeks of pre-manufacturing the timber structure has been complete and the crane loads all materials onto the flat-bed. Then the truck transports them out to Saltery Bay, and lifts the timbers into place.

With help like that the crew is making rapid progress in the erection of the timbers.

Jim makes sure the post is plumb while the crew is joking around again.

The first beam is fitted onto two posts.

Don guides the cross-member into place.

Dipper helps guide another piece of the puzzle.

Craig and Don fit the king post into the holes.

It's not even lunch yet, and things are shaping up.

Now the ridge board  is up.

And before you know it the rafters have been installed.

The first tongue and groove 2x6 are nailed to the rafters.

Richie is drilling a hole for a dowel.

The crew has accomplished a lot for this day...

...and after cleaning up the site they pose for a group picture.

On the next outing the sheet metal gets screwed down.

Ray donated his time to get the roof up...

...including all the trim.

Soon the display case and a new map with trail information and pictures of the huts will be installed as well. The welcome kiosk can also serve as an emergency shelter, in the event it is a rainy day and someone is waiting to be picked up.