I'm a OK guy

Finished

2012-01-28T02:59:00.000-08:00

Finished the kitchen, now I haven't a clue what to do with my free time. I'm happy with the outcome, there are always things that could have been done better, design flaws, and a few mistakes but not too many on this project. The corner of the sink cabinet and the Lazy Susan cabinet was set a little too tight and the door pulls do not work well together....fixed by setting the hinges on the Lazy Susan door on the opposite side. The trim over the sink and the stove could have been better planned, not as clunky and the dish washer opening is about 3mm or 4mm too big on the sides. There are some workmanship flaws and a few dings but again nothing major and most just add a little character.

The good things: The "pull down" shelf is great, the open cutting board storage works even better than I thought it would, the new sink is perfect, I love the look of the granite, and the extra 25mm of depth in the wall cabinets adds just enough extra room.

Saw Sharpening

2012-01-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've always sent my saws out for sharpening, problem is I can not find a local sharpening service for back saws. Damn, what an excuse to buy some more tools. After weeks of looking and reading all I could find on the techniques and tools for sharpening hand saws I decided "what the hell, might as well". A saw vice was needed and there are just a few chooses, new (Gramercy tools), used, or make your own out of wood scraps. The good used ones are too expensive, make your own looked like a PIA to use, so that left new. Ordered one from Tools for Working Wood http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com//Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=GT-SAWV&Category_Code=TS plus the files and a saw set.

I finally got it all set up and sharpened the first saw last night.....not bad, did a rip cut 14 tpi on an old Frued back saw and it cut fast and almost true first cut out off the vice. After dressing the high side a couple of swipes, it made beautiful straight saw dust, saws better than any saw I've got back from a sharpening service.

Now I'm wondering why I didn't do this years ago.

The photo is of my sharpening area, plane irons, chisels, saws....now it makes no never mind.

2012-01-02T03:16:00.000-08:00

Looking at some of the older posts, I realized that the photo of the bike's farkle shelf is out of date and things have been added and moved. Anyway this is the latest version.

Almost There

2012-01-02T02:46:00.000-08:00

I hung the north wall doors yesterday, just the east wall upper and lower doors and the lazy susan door to go. All but two of the remaining doors are ready for paint, one of the unfinished doors had a brain fart cutting mistake and I had to glue-up a new panel, the other was also a brain fart but on one of the rails. I'll paint the finished doors tomorrow and deal with the brain fart ones once the others are hung.

Rode the bike to a RTE on the 31st, beautiful day to ride. It was good to air out the Dirty Fat Girl, for the last six months about all I've done is work on the kitchen redo except for a couple or three RTEs. Of course the three RTEs were good ones, the first was a run to Jackson Hole to meet a couple of friends for a hamburger. The next one was a Bum Burner Gold (1500 miles in less than 24 hours) for some Texas BBQ and the last was a run up to Cedar City, Utah for dinner with some riding buddies.

Union Hardware Chisels

2011-12-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I bought some Union Hardware Chisels from EBay. I didn't think much about them, in fact I didn't even sharpen them for several weeks after they came. I used the 1" one several times to clean glue lines and other chores, not quite for paint can opening but close. I kept picking it up for odd jobs because it fit my hand so well and was really comfortable to use. It was looking pretty bad with dried glue stuck to it so one day I did a quick lap of the back and a bevel grind ending with a short polish on the hard Arkansas. No real effort but it was sharp for the first time. I was still using it as before but also doing a little clean up and pairing just because it was close and handy, and now sharp. It has taken awhile for me to realize it but damn it is a nice chisel, takes a really sharp edge with little effort, holds the edge well and fits easily in my hand. One of the really nice features is how thin the blade is, it's hard to find newer chisels with thin blades, most seem to be 750 knock-offs.

BTW, picked up a couple Union Hardware Chisels yesterday and I'm on the look out for more.

180 Shop

2011-11-26T06:52:00.001-08:00

As posted, my hand tool shop with a band saw and maybe a jointer and planer did a complete 180. It is now a full power tool shop. Now that the kitchen is almost finished, the hand tools will take over for the most part but except for the room required it is nice to have a full complement of power tools when needed.

Forgive the mess, ah hell, who am I kidding it will always be a mess.

Almost Finished Kitchen Redo

2011-11-26T05:03:00.000-08:00

Last T-Day MsOK and I made a Texas run to see the kids and pick up my tools. Ken M had kept 'em in his barn for the last 15 years, they were in reasonable shape, it's good to have friends. The machinery was long gone and my plan was to set up a hand tool shop with a good band saw and maybe a jointer and planner for dimensioning rough stock. All I really wanted to do was turn large pieces of wood into smaller ones and have an excuse to buy old chisels and planes. It didn't quite work out that way.

On the way home MsOK decided our next project was to redo the kitchen (we had just finished painting the outside of the house), that was OK with me, at least it wasn't painting and someone else would be doing most of the work. Time to cut to the chase.

After several weeks of looking at what was available at the Orange Store and the Blue Store and the cost of installing it, in a moment of shear stupidity, I said "fuck it, I'll build it myself". Almost one year later, at the cost of a Pentagon weapons system and a total 180 on my shop, I'm almost finished. All that is left are 14 doors and a little finish trim work. Most of the doors are cut, just need to finish glueing up few more panels and get 'em painted and hung.

Here is a photo of the almost finished kitchen:

RAT

2010-05-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

I Just signed up for the MTF's RAT (Ride Around Texas) http://www.mctourer.com/rides/2010/FoundersFeast/RAT.html. Been down all the roads but not in this short a time, should be a hoot.

Farkle Shelf

2010-05-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

I finally got enough of the 50CC acquired bugs off so you can see the shelf. It worked great for the MTF's 50CC as is, the only two things I wish I had had time to add before leaving (and will add before the Utah 1088 ) were a reading light and some kind of writing table/shelf with clips. I'm not sure how I will do it but I'm looking around for something that will work. It has plenty of room for another GPS and a Spot, I expect they will be coming soon as well.

It was great as a dinning table and/or junk holder when stopped, because of that it made the gas turns easier and the ride a little faster. Of course I'm pretty slow, I can't pass a Iron Butt Motel with out stopping for a quick nap, guess I'm getting old .

2010-05-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

On the just finished a 50CC across the southern US, I rode for two day with LDComfort riding tights and turtle neck shirt under my mesh riding suit. The temps were from very cool (needing electrics) to 95F with 80% humidity. I was comfortable at all times, no monkey butt, no pressure points, not too hot when it was hot and not too cold when it was cool. Really comfortable riding gear but what convinced me was after riding in the same gear for two days they were pretty ripe and I didn't have time to wash 'em out before heading home. So I went back to my old riding gear for the first leg of the return home. Now I had covered almost 3000 miles the previous couple of days in the LDComfort riding gear in a very comfortable fashion, in the jeans and UnderArmor after 200 miles my butt was screaming "No Mas, No Mas". I shut it down in Pensacola, washed the LDComfort gear in the sink, wring it dry as directed, hung it up and it was ready to wear the next morning. Wore it the rest of the way home, no pressure points, no monkey butt, comfortable when it was hot, comfortable when it was cold.....great stuff, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

More 50CC

2010-05-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

I started the 50CC with a big sleep deficit. That is not too unusual for me I have a hard time sleeping most days. My usual sleep pattern is 4 or 5 hours a night with an occasional 6 hour night, I can go forever with that pattern. Needless to say it didn't happen on this ride. Part of the reason I missed sleep Monday night was beating up on myself for being a dumb ass and playing the "what if" game in my head. I know counter productive but what the hey...that's me.

I'll cut to the chase....Monday night was a little less that 3 hours from the last time I looked at the clock till the alarm went off and I had to go to work. After work Tuesday, I had to take care of a couple of last minute things I had missed Monday, finish packing the bike and go by AZDMV to get a new plate sticker. I didn't make it to San Diego until about 2200 and I still had to eat, turned out I made it to bed a little after midnight and I had to be up no later than 0330 to meet the witness at 0400 so I could start the ride at 0430. It didn't get any better.

I rode all day Wednesday, with stops to check into the Iron Butt Motel, making it to San Antonio 0215 Thursday morning and leaving the hotel at 0645. Can you see a dumb shit pattern here? From Monday night to Friday morning I had at best 10.5 hours total sleep, throw in a max of 1.5 hours of power naps at the IBH and I was in major sleep deprivation.

It gets worse . I arrive in Jacksonville Beach a little after 0200 Friday morning go to check into the hotel and find the reservation is for the wrong day, there is a major golf thingy going on and there are no rooms. I beg and plead, threaten to us his check-in desk as a IBH and promise that I will be out of there by noon. I finally get a room, go out to the bike and have another dumb ass moment....I can't find the sheet with the name and address of the ending fuel station. I go back in, ask the desk clerk if he knew which station was being used and he said "I believe it is a Gate station". Back out to the bike, look for nearest Gate fuel station and it is just around the corner. Someway manage to keep the bike upright, get the ending fuel receipt at 0252 my time (0552 EDT) go back to the hotel and fall into bed. I can't go to sleep, I stink so much from the heat and humidity I'm keeping myself awake, not only that my riding clothes smell even worse. I get up put my riding clothes in a plastic laundry bag, seal it and hop in the shower. Finally I go to sleep. My phone rings about 2 hours later, "where are you, I'm waiting at the Gate station to sign your witness form". We finally figured out I had gone to the "wrong" Gate station and he asked me to meet him in the lobby so he could witness the end of my ride and take photos of my time line and receipts. By this time it was almost 1000, I had to be out of the hotel by noon and Doug was still several hours out. I loaded up, someway managed with several stops at the IBH to make it to Pensacola, saw a LaQunita and bailed out.

After a good night's rest, food, and water the ride the next day from Pensacola to Junction was one of the best ever.

50CC in May

2010-05-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

I Left SD at 0430 local to start my 50CC, rode to San Antonio the first day. I hit Van Horn just as the sun set, can you say worst timing you could have, except for hitting Pascagoula,MS just as the sun sets . Two nights of riding some of the most deer infested roads in the States will kick your butt. BTW, I don't know if the 4G's are a good deal or not. One thing for sure You can see the deer, I thought about turning them off because while I would know the deer were there, I wouldn't "know" the deer were there. Both stretches are close to 500 miles and I couldn't force myself to run over 65 mph on either. Makes a real long night.

Traxxion Mod

2009-08-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

I decided to do the full Monty Traxxion Mod to my 'Wing. I called around and JBK Cycles in Santa Ana, CA seemed to be the best place to have it done.

I was pretty skeptical going in that it would make a big difference but I figured it couldn't hurt and worse case I would end up with a $3000 head bearing change, which the bike needed anyway. As a good friend likes to point out I'm not overly fond of my money anyway so what the heck....sounded like a good deal to me.

The ride home from L.A. after the Mod was installed was all on the Slab and a little anticlimactic, the bike rode a little "plusher", tracked a little better, but all in all not a $3000 improvement, oh well, I've thrown more money than that away before.

Last Sunday I had time to run US 191 from Morenci to Alpine (did the Tucson-Alpine-Show Low-Tucson loop...a little over 500 miles of mostly good motorcycle road). I didn't time the Morenci to Alpine portion but the whole ride took just under 10 hours. All I can say is the Traxxion mod was worth every penny. For the first time running US 191 I did not drag any of the hard parts, not on the 1st gear hairpins or the medium and/or high speed sweepers and I was riding as fast as is prudent on a public road, well maybe just a little faster than prudent. Once the chassis was stable the bike was rock solid and road imperfections had little effect, I was able to roll on power earlier because I could trust the bike to hold what ever line I set. There were no bar shakes or wobbles, the bike felt wonderful, it is still a 900 lb. bike but damn it will eat the road. I don't think the Harley guy at work believed me when he asked how the ride was and I told him I did the loop in under 10 hours.

I had one interesting situation, coming around one of the blind high speed sweepers, just as I was rolling power in for the exit, I found a car in my lane backing up. I haven't a clue why, he just did it. I grabbed a hand full of brake and put the ABS to test, BTW ABS is worth every penny as well.

The IBA rally is going on as I type. It is held every two years, I plan on doing the next one, 11,000 miles in 11 days, it should be a hoot.

Road Trip

2009-08-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

I love to hear those words. Long story short.....a buddy of mine (lives in Granbury, TX) called last Thursday and said "I can get away for a few days, would you like to meet up some place and ride around"? I scrambled around at work changing schedules and was able to put 5 days off together, Friday, the weekend and Monday-Tuesday. Next was deciding where to meet and where to ride. Well I had heard stories that Sturgis, SD was going to have a big T-shirt sale over the time I had off....sounded like a good place to go, so done deal. We picked Ruton, NM as a good meet-up point, from there it was a easy stroll up I-25 and then east to Sturgis.

We pulled into Sturgis late afternoon Saturday. We bought a couple of T-shirts, BTW while the selection was good they lied about 'em being on sale , and had a good hamburger in the "Knuckle" before calling it a day.

Sunday, we did the tourist thing and rode around the Black Hills with a few thousand of our best riding buddies and then late afternoon headed south to Lusk, WY for a RON. Today we will ride to Las Vegas, NM for another RON, my Texas buddies will split off from there and I will ride to Tucson Tuesday.

My buddy and I traded bikes a couple of times, his is one of HD's with batwing fairings, all I can say is my hat is off to him, 2600 miles on that shaking POS and I wouldn't be able to walk.

BTW, someone once said 'there are no bad roads out of Sturgis", I believe him.

2009-07-08T19:05:00.001-07:00

We made it to Paso Robles for the night, the next day Blythe, CA for a RON and then home to Tucson.

I'm not sure how many miles we did but I did the 4000 mile oil change just before leaving home and the odometer had 11,200 miles showing when we pulled into the driveway.

One last photo....just because:

2009-07-08T19:00:00.001-07:00

The next day we rode down US101to Leggett, CA where we joined CA1 to Gualala, CA. What a great motorcycle road from Leggett to where CA1 joins the coast, it's pretty good once on the coast as well . The hotel in Gualala was the nicest we stayed in. I can't remember its name but it is on the south end of town and next to the Road House Cafe.

The next morning we continued south pass San Fransisco and Monterrey, once we were south of Monterrey the horse to the barn syndrome kicked in and we headed east for home.

2009-07-08T18:58:00.001-07:00

Our first day's ride south took us as far as the Oregon/California border. We RONed at the Harris Beach State Park outside of Brookings, OR. Harris Beach became a favorite of Ms.OK, beautiful setting and a very nice camping area.

"Short Beach

2009-07-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

We had to visit "Short Beach" once more, by this time I was ready to throw a leg over the bike and ride .

More Vacation 09

2009-07-08T18:54:00.000-07:00

We had made it to the Oregon Coast and spent a week camping and visiting old haunts, it was time to start moving toward home but first we needed a night in a hotel to do laundry and recharge all the batteries. We stayed in the SurfRider just outside of Depoe Bay, OR. Nice place but the dryer quit working before the laundry was dry.

2009-07-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

What can you say about the Oregon Coast other than it is magical, what a special place. When we lived in McMinnville, OR I believe Ms.OK walked almost every inch of the coast. I missed most of it because I was always gone on a trip to BFE, The Sudan or some other place half way around the world.

Low Tides

2009-07-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

The tides were the lowest of the year and people were out in droves to walk the beaches and to harvest shellfish.

Made it to the Oregon Coast

2009-07-05T20:50:00.001-07:00

From Hood River we rode through Portland, OR then OR6 to the Coast. We set up base camp in Cape Lookout State Park. From there we took day trips up and down the coast and each evening returned to camp for dinner, a campfire, wine, beer, and martinis. I took one day off to have the OEM Dunlops replaced with Metzeler Marathon 880's. The Dunlops still had a lot of miles left but the Metzelers made all the difference in the world when riding in the rain. I wish I had done it earlier.

Photo of Oceanside, just north of Cape Lookout.

Lolo Pass

2009-07-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

We left Butte on I-90 for Lolo and US12 to cross over Northern Idaho. Lolo pass was a highlight of the trip. The only negative, the OEM Dunlops do not handle rain well and a couple of times the bike got a little squirrelly going through Lolo pass. We made it to Hood River, OR where we shut it down for the night.

Lake Jackson

2009-07-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

After Grand Junction we cut across Western Colorado on CO139 to Vernal, UT to spend the night. I've ridden or drove most of the roads in the western US but this was my first time on CO139. It was a pleasant surprise, I wouldn't say it was a great motorcycle road but it was much better than expected. The next morning the plan was to ride to Jackson, WY to spend the night and the next day do Yellowstone NP. We had a couple of ways to get to Jackson and I picked the eastern route over the western one because of WX. It turned out to have been a good chose. We watched rain to the west almost all the way into Jackson and only had to put our rain gear on about 50 miles south of Jackson.

Yellowstone was pretty much a bust, too damn many people, RV's, cars and road construction to enjoy the park. I almost lost the bike and trailer going over several of the road work areas. The mud was really slick. We exited out West Yellowstone and rode to Butte, MT for the night. The ride up US287 to connect with I-90 was one of the prettiest of the trip. After the crowds of Yellowstone it was most enjoyable. BTW, this part of the the trip, from Jackson, WY to Lewiston, ID was mostly in the rain. All I can say is thank you Frogg Toggs and Shoei, they kept us dry and comfortable.

On the Road to Silverton

2009-07-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

After Red River we rode to Durango, CO to position ourselves to do the Durango-Silverton-Ouray (US550) ride the next morning.

One of the advantages of traveling on a bike is people will stop and talk to you, other bikers as well folks in cars, trucks, and RV's. We met a woman just out side of Durango who had been riding solo for 6 weeks. She was from the Seattle area and had lost her job. She decided what better time to see the USA on her Harley Soft Tail. We rode together for a good part of US550. She is on the left and Ms.OKGuy is on the right.

Last for now

2009-07-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have not a clue what they were doing

2009-07-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

Four bikers

2009-07-05T12:37:00.001-07:00

Rambling on ROT

2009-07-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

ROT as usual was a blast. There is not much to be said other than it is totally tasteless and tacky....but what the hell, tasteless and tacky is usually fun. I didn't spend a lot of time on the parade route this year so I really can't say if there were more overt sexual activity this time or not. For the record I only saw one guy getting a blowjob and one gal the first night being eaten out on stage. Anyway I will attach a few of this year's photos without much commentary.

More Vacation 09

2009-07-05T12:27:00.001-07:00

After ROT we spent another day in Austin visiting with our girl child and her SO and short visit to Hippie Hollow. We left Austin early Tuesday AM and rode to Amarillo, TX before we shut it down for the night. The next morning we did the short ride on to Red River, NM and camped by the river.

Red River is still beautiful and not too overrun with people. It had been over 30 years since my last time there and there were a few changes but even with the new development it was one of the best places we stayed on the trip.

09 Vacation

2009-07-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

I left Tucson June 11th for Austin, TX so as to meet friends at ROT. Ms.Bubba was in Scotland visiting family and would meet me in Austin for the final day of ROT, after that we planned to ride to Oregon, with many stops on the way, to spend a week camping on the Oregon coast. we needed to be back in Tucson no latter than July 4th.

That's the back story, as always, when I get on or in a traveling machine I tend to do lots of miles with few stops for pictures or much of anything else. Ms.Bubba is more of a smell the roses kind of person so most of the photos are hers .

The first image is of ROT, let me tell you it was great tacky and tasteless fun

Good Weekend

2009-05-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Ms. OK and I loaded up the trailer with camping gear (new tent, never put up....big mistake) and headed for the White Mountains for a Saturday camp out. We had a great ride up US 191 and found an empty camp site a little over a mile off the main highway. Long story short...one of the main tent pole attachments was defective and after several attempts at a "work around" we gave up, packed the camping gear back into the trailer and rode to Show Low for a good meal and a night in a hotel. Oh darn . The next morning we were up early and headed home through the Salt River Canyon where we stopped for a river side picnic.

Monday Ms. OK had to work so I left the house about the same time she did for a ride. As I went out the door I thought about a comment that US 191 South from Alpine to Clifton is different experience compared to running the road north. Doesn't take much to get me to ride US 191. Normally I ride it north bound but this time I turned off US 191 at AZ 75 so as to join US 180 near Pleasanton NM and then north to Alpine so I could ride 191 south to Clifton. It started raining just before reaching Alpine and by the time I was a couple of miles south of Alpine it was a heavy downpour with pea hail. Thank you Frogg Toggs and Shoei Multitec. After running the fastest part of US 191 in the rain I passed a passel of HD riders in their usual riding outfits headed north into the rain, must say that image brought a smile.

I made it from Alpine to Clifton in a little under 2 hours, including a stop to take off the rain gear. Not too bad considering the fast part was in a heavy rain. Door to door, about an 11 hour day. What a great weekend, I got to run US 191 twice, once two up pulling a trailer and the second time solo. Each had its charm.

Camping in the White Mountains

2008-08-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

Ms. OK and I did a trial run with the bike and all the camping gear that we need to take with us on vacation. We finally made it out of Tucson around 1330 Saturday afternoon and headed east on I-10 to join up with US 191 and on to our planned stop at Hannagan Meadow. After riding through rain and just missing snow (still on the roadside), we made it as the sun was setting and had to set up camp in the mud and dark. The sleeping pads and bags worked, the tent for a small backpacking model had enough room and was easy to erect. We warmed a can of Pazole on the auto gas camping stove and got a good night's rest. The next morning, after coffee, we broke camp and rode through the cold for several hours and then decended into the Arizona heat for the last leg before home.

Once home, martinis and the pool to end a perfect weekend.

On the Road

2008-08-12T03:26:00.000-07:00

Ms. OK was having her morning tea and said the magic words...."I would really like to go on a long bike ride this morning". Damn I love that woman.

Before she could change her mind I was dressed and had the saddlebags packed . We went north with little plan other than to ride by Lake Roosevelt. We ended up continuing north through Payson and Show Low before turning south for home. The photo is at the last stop before home, we had been on the road for 9 hours with 1 more to go. This was the longest Ms Bubba had ridden in one day, before on the VTX an hour to two hours was the max she could set on the back. Not only do I love that woman, I love my V2K. What a road machine.

New iMac

2008-08-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

All the computers died last week. I got the POS HP laptop up and running but the Mac is still in the shop so there was nothing else to do but buy a new 24" iMac. I'd thought about it for awhile as I'm no longer traveling so there is no need for a laptop or even a "lugable".

I've geeked for the last couple of days getting everything set up, still not finished but about 90% there. Damn, it is nice to have a full sized keyboard and big screen to work with....I'd forgotten how nice it is.

Once the Mac laptop returns I will post some bike photos.

The Righr Side of the Dial

2008-07-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

The big Kawi likes to run. It is so smooth and stable if you don't pay attention she will be over 100 mph before you know it. I was watching the world go by with the BrakeAway Cruise control on when I looked down to see we were going around 110 mph. I had to make a photo before slowing down.

Sunday's Ride

2008-07-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

I rode north out of Tucson through Globe to north of Payson. I made a few photos of the the route, this is one made in Globe.

Motorcycle Photos

2008-07-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

I have not photographed, worked on making "ART" for several years. The reasons are many but mostly because of changes in location and work the time and interest were not there. Over the years my photographic work revolved around my neighborhood. I was connected to my neighbors and felt a bond with them that I wanted to share. When I left Ogden Street I lost that connection to my daily life and also lost the need to document my surroundings.

During the last year I've joined a new community, Motorcycle riding, and I'm feeling the need to share the joys of that life. I'm working to find a voice and I'm feeling I've started to do things that are interesting. Not all the images "work" but more and more satisfy me and I will be posting those images as I make them.

I guess mostly what I want to say is: This Blog is moving in a new direction and you can expect to see more frequent posts and most of the posts will be about riding and or photographs of bikes and riding.

2008-07-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was the first day in several weeks that I had off and nothing pressing. After sending Ms. OK off to work I headed out with no real plan, I just knew I wanted to ride.

Ended up running east on I-10 about 90 miles to 191 North so I could ride my favorite Arizona day ride. The route runs North on 191 to Eagar then West to Show Low and from Show Low South back to Tucson. Highway 191 is a great motorcycle road, between I-10 and Eagar, AZ, it has everything a rider could ask for: first gear hairpins, slow sweepers, to fast ones. The road passes through beautiful high desert, mountain pine forest and meadows, and even about 10 miles of Moonscape as you ride through a open pit copper mine. The road from Eagar to Show Low runs through the White Mountains and then between Show Low Globe you ride through the Salt River Canyon. None of the road is boring, none of the scenery is boring, it is just a great ride and today was special.

The day had everything, I got hot, and even cold for awhile in the White Mountains, and then hot again. I was rained on a half dozen times, met several folks while fueling, one couple was on a V2K pulling a trailer. They were on their way to California to ride the Coast road to Seattle. Another couple were on their way home from two weeks riding around Colorado. I even watched a beautiful Sunset as I rode back into Tucson. Twelve hours, a little over 500 miles, home just as Ms. OK came in the door, a Martini and the Hot Tub, life doesn't get any better.

Ride to Carlsbad, CA

2008-07-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

I had a few days off over the 4th. and Ms. OK is in Austin visiting the girl child so I had to find ways to entertain myself. After dropping Ms.OK off at the airport Thursday I thought "Self what would you like to do"? Well I hadn't stuck a toe in the ocean for almost a year and San Diego is only 6 or 7 hours west.....hummmm can you say road trip?

I threw a couple of changes into the T-Bags, hung 'em on the big Kawasaki V2K and headed West. I ended up in Carlsbad, CA, stuck a toe in the Pacific (yes it is still cold), watched a beautiful sunset as I ate fish and chips, and drank a couple of cold ones. After a good night's rest I rode the coast road to L.A., hung a right on I-10 and rode it like I stole it all the way home. Made it in time to see a great Tucson sunset, I'm not sure which sunset was better. They were both pretty spectacular.

The heat On the California trip was a killer both ways through the desert. I stopped about every 100 miles to cool my core and rehydrate. The photo was made just west of Phoenix, one of the last stops on the way home and by then I was pretty beat up, having a ball but beat up.

Then the next day work called and said my "line" for the week had canceled. Damn the fridge was empty so there was nothing else to do but ride up to Globe for lunch. The Globe, Superior, Winkelman ride is a great bike ride, mostly fast sweepers through beautiful red rock, high desert. Sorry no photos of that part, I was having too much fun riding.

Rode a HD Electa Glide Screaming Eagle

2008-06-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Back in May I wrote a post about my new Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 Classic LT, said it was the best bike I had ever ridden. That statement still holds after riding the HD Electa Glide. The HD was a nice bike but it felt like I was sitting on top of a toy instead of riding in a real road bike. It handled very nicely, quick in the turns and easy to ride slowly but no comparison to the V2K for smoothness and control on the road. We didn't do any "roll on" trials but I don't think that even with the "Screaming Eagle" mod the Electa Glide could stay with me. Lastly while the engine smooths out at speed it still has more vibration than the Big Kawi and there is no way I could ever get use to the engine trying to jump out of the frame at idle

It's a nice bike but it's no Vulcan 2000.

OK Guy at ROT

2008-06-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here I am; dead man sleeping Saturday afternoon after two days and nights of riding, drinking beer and enjoying the show.

Still more ROT

2008-06-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

More from ROT

2008-06-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Ranch-Mobile trolling for beads.

Images From ROT

2008-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Biker Bar-B-Que in Leakey, Texas.
Lunch while doing the Three Sisters

Home from ROT

2008-06-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Republic of Texas Rally may be unique because its venue is set away from the public. All the activities (other than a few rides) take place inside the Austin Fairgrounds away from public streets and normal folks. Austin is a pretty laid back place anyway but for ROT it is hands off, if a bunch of suburban housewives and other assorted freaks wish to act out their wildest fantasies so be it as long as no one gets killed. I've been to most of the big "zoo" events, the infield of the Kentucky Derby, NASCAR, the 500, Mardi Gras, you name it, and none match ROT for shear craziness. It is over a hundred thousand people living Caligula, Dante's Inferno, and a Bible Thumper's vision of Hell all rolled into one alive, pulsating mass of humanity, with rock music blaring, naked women (and men) dancing, squids doing burnouts, HDs with V&H pipes running on their rev-limiters, going around and around the parade route, all day and all night for 4 straight days and all this packed into a few acres.

What can I say: Beer, boobs and motorcycles, does life get any better?

New Scoot

2008-05-26T05:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I made the mistake of setting on a Kawasaki Vulcan 2000....."just to see how it felt"......BTW, it felt damn good. Long story short, after weeks of reading every thing I could find about the V2K, several more trips to the local bike shop to look and wish, and even a few sleepless nights browsing the web for V2K pics and stories, I brought one home.

What a beautiful bike, rides like a dream, has torque out the kazoo, in short the best motorcycle I've ever ridden.

Home from Texas

2008-04-06T06:21:00.001-07:00

just made it back from Texas, three days, two nights, just over 2000 miles. I had a blast....Sunburned, tired, dirty, can't hear, with bugs stuck in my teeth and a grin from ear to ear. Anyway I'm home and after a martini and the hot tub I'm catching up with my email and doing my three turns around the nest.

What could be better: Three days of riding through some of my favorite country, eating great Mexican food, having steak and beer after a long day's ride, Texas Hill Country Bar B Que (not Luling Meat Market but still good), a night in a great hotel and a walk across to the Cadilac Bar

BTW, I did the SS1000 reverse order: I rode a day and a half from Tucson to Laredo, spent the night and early the next morning I hopped on the Slab and "rode it like I stole it" all the way home. Had a close one between Fort Stockton and Van Horn, It is about 140 miles between them, because of head winds I went to reserve at 105 miles. Slowed the scoot way down and made it to fuel (I believe I put 4.5 gals in).

Today I have to clean all the dead bugs off the scooter.

IBA Certification

2008-04-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

Received my certification for my Iron Butt SS1000 I did the first of March. I'm now known as IBA Member 33312.

I'm leaving on another SS1000 tonight/early AM. This one will start in Tucson, go to San Antonio via I 10 then end in Laredo. 1030 miles according to MapQuest. I will spend Friday night in the La Posada Hotel. I should get there in time to walk across the bridge and eat at one of my favorite places. Saturday I will do an easy day to Alpine or Marfa for a RON and Sunday finish up in Tucson.

Iron Butt SS1000

2008-03-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

What a day. I’ve been planning and working on doing an Iron Butt certification ride for a couple of months. The Iron Butt Association is clearing house and certifying agent for long distance motorcycle rides. The shortest qualifying ride is the Saddle Sore 1000 or SS1000 for short. The SS1000 requires you to ride your Scoot 1000 miles in less than 24 hours. You need time stamped fuel receipts for the start and finish as well as ones at the “corners”. All the documentation is sent to the IBA for confirmation and if confirmed you are rewarded with membership.

I did my first SS1000 Saturday. I departed Tucson early AM for Deming, NM, Albuquerque, NM, Flagstaff, AZ, Phoenix, AZ and then home. 1079 miles on the Scoot’s clock and 19hours 15 minutes latter I was home in hot tub with a martini. What a hoot. It was planned as a 65th. Birthday present for myself and I must say it was the best B-Day present ever.

Will I do it again? You bet, in fact I’m already planning another SS1000 to this summers ROT in Austin, Texas.

Iron Butt

2008-02-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

I may do an Iron Butt ride sometime in March….kind of a 65th B-day gift to myself. If I do it, it will be a Saddle Sore 1000 (!000 miles in 24 hours). I have two routes planned, one is a round about from Tucson to Deming, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Phoenix, and back to Tucson. The other goes from Tucson to Pecos and back to Tucson.

I’ve been trying out equipment for the last couple of weeks. I have most of the bugs worked out and should be ready to go anytime after next week. It’s strange the things you find on longer rides that bug the shit out of you….if I don’t put my helmet on just right my hair gets caught in the padding and it’s like someone put itching powder in my hair or the ear piece of my riding glasses will drive me crazy after 20 or 30 miles. Anyway I will try a do-rag this weekend to see if it will take care of the itching.

BTW, last weekend I rode to Show Low, pultzed round there for a while and then rode home, a little over 400 miles total for the day. It was a good ride, the day started off in the high 30’s, warmed up to mid 50’s by the time I went through Globe, then back into the 30’s in the Show Low area (about 7000’ MSL) with heavy snow on the ground, then back up to the high 60’s by the time I made it back to Tucson. All in all, a good test of my riding gear.

New Scooter

2008-01-13T19:02:00.002-08:00

I'm a biker guy now. A couple of months ago I bought a '06 Black Honda VTX 1300S. Someone said a new bike is just a down payment on the accessories, I can testify that it is true. Anyway I'm through adding things for awhile, now I just want to ride.

We did a short ride yesterday, went south of Tucson to a crossroad cafe for a steak and then home. Today I did a couple of hundred miles solo, went north to Globe for some bad Mexican food and a cruise of the canyons.

Move to Tucson

2007-10-19T03:46:00.000-07:00

I've retired from flying the line. Starting August 3, 2007 I donned the gray pants, white shirt, red tie and blue blazer; drank the Kool-aid and begin a new life. So far it is good. BTW, I did the change with style, my last flight was a reverse of my first flight for Evergreen, kinda fitting in a way.

The whole trip was typical Evergreen, total FUBR. First Evergreen tried to fuck me on the airline ticket to Abu Dhabi. We had a policy, it had just been agreed to, that on long international flights it would be "business or better". The day before I was to leave I discovered they had stuck me in steerage and to make it even better they had bought the rent-a-pilot going with me a business class ticket. What a way to ensure employee loyalty, back out of agreed policy and then to top it; stick the employee in the back and the rent-a-pilot up in business. I had nothing to lose, for the first time with Evergreen I said "enough is enough" and refused to go unless it was via "business'. In typical Evergreen fashion they grumped and tried to pull the guilt trip about how when "they fly, they ride in economy"....Bull Shit.

Because Smith wanted it, the LearJet, in McMinnville "now", "today is too late", it was hurry, hurry, got to get there and get the airplane back to Oregon No one would tell Smith that the Lear was not ready to fly. I knew it was not ready because I had talked to the mechanic the night before.

To be continued........

BTW.....life is good in Tucson. The photo is of the delightful and very delicious Ms. Okguy in our pool.

Glasgow

2007-07-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

I’m on my last trip for Evergreen; the mission is to ferry a LearJet 35A from UAE to McMinnville, OR. I’ve been gone for two weeks and still no end, I may end up flying commercial home. We left Dubai a couple of days ago and made it as far a Glasgow, UK. During the pre-flight walk around the pilot flying with me found a loose wire next to the left engine fuel shutoff valve. We found a mechanic to work on it but so far he has not found the correct “pin” to replace the defective one.

I’m like a horse with the smell of the barn, all I want to do is strap the Lear to my ass and fly. If we get out of here this afternoon I expect it will still be a couple of days before I’m home. I’ll give it one more day then I’m pulling out the AmEx and buying a ticket out of here.

Goodby Evergreen

2007-07-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have posted my resignation letter. I’m on what I expect to be my last trip as a corporate pilot and boy did I pick a dozy. I’m bringing a LearJet 35A back from UAE to McMinnville, OR. So far we have made it from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. We have been in Dubai for almost a week and I do not expect to leave here for a couple more days. I expect once we are moving it will only take two or three days to finish the trip. The good news, by the time I make McMinnville I will be through flying for Evergreen.

My new gig will be teaching. Life many times comes full circle; this is one of those times. I started flying so I could teach. That was all I wanted to do. The realities of life soon convinced me that I would have to find another way to earn my living or starve. As they…. who ever they is…. say the rest is history. I’m looking forward to the opportunity of returning to the classroom and to the Sim.

Hard time off had a little to do with it as well.

What a Company

2007-07-12T20:53:00.001-07:00

A friend wrote the following in response to one of my emails:

“What an amazing company, but I have a feeling we have no idea what goes on behind the scenes that make your missions so unpredictable. They are tied into a lot of situations we will never know about”.

Oh how I wish you were right. I fear it is nothing but incompetence and ass covering. This trip is a prime example.....Smith was on my boss’s ass "I want my airplane here now". So JK is on the mechanic's ass in Abu Dhabi. The mechanic in Abu Dhabi tells JK that the airplane will be ready last Sunday even though he knows there is no way in hell it will be to get JK off his ass. JK then tells Smith the pilots are on their way to Abu Dhabi on Saturday to pick up the aircraft so he gets Smith off his ass. I know it happened that way because I was sitting in JK’s office while all the conversations were taking place. When I had talked to the mechanic about the airplane the night before he had told me it would not be ready before mid week at the earliest. Pure ass covering, so I get to lay around a J.W.Marriott for a week ($500 USD/day/room) paying a contract pilot $1,000 USD a day just because no one will tell Smith the truth. The only reason the company makes money is because of Crony Capitalism, we suck on the government teat. It always amazes me how many right wing nutjobs owe everything to fucking the government but if you were to ask Smith or any of his kind they would tell you government was the problem not the solution. That it is all those welfare queens and immigrants that are sucking the US dry.

Pubs

2007-06-03T05:15:00.000-07:00

I love Scottish Pubs.

Farm House Stay

2007-06-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

We stayed with one of Pat's friends from her middle school days. She and her husband live on a small farm outside of Sterling. They are rebuilding and adding on to the original farm house. The house still uses most of the old walls which must be 30 or more inches thick. The view out the windows is beautiful. The attached photograph is out one of their windows.

It is so easy to photograph here, every place you look is just as or more beautiful than the last. Here is a quote from the folks we stayed with "Thanks for
the lovely photograph - is that really the view? We just take it for granted after all these years!"

I shake my head :-) ,

Aberdeen

2007-05-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

We are in Aberdeen.

The night before we left Kilmarnock for Aberdeen we went to see one of Pat's nursing school roommates and her husband. Their home was beautiful, set high over a valley with a wonderful view. They also had a full kitchen or maybe a better way to put it was a kitchen with States sized appliances. I haven't seen many like it here. Pat was a little envious, can't blame her, it was a beautiful 100+ year old home in a spectacular setting.

The super markets here are running the small shops, the butcher, the green grocer, the fish monger, out of business and what to me is very strange is how every thing in the super market is pre-packaged and how many items are pre-prepared. You can find bacon cooked and ready for the microwave, green beans are cut and wrapped as are the peppers, carrots and almost every thing else, few of the veggies are loose. I guess if I had to work in some of the kitchens I've seen I would want things ready to heat and eat as well.

From Scotland

2007-05-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Pat and I are in Kilmarnock visiting her folks.

My vacation was to start on the 16th, on the 16th I was still in Africa. We were scheduled to leave Portland at 07:45 on the 17th and catch a connecting flight out of Newark to Glasgow. I spent the night of the 17th in the Canary Islands, no way to make the Portland flight. Luckily the GIV was booked to go through KJFK and spend the night before going on to McMinnville. I hoped to make it to KJFK on the 17th in time for me to jump off and get to Newark to meet up with Pat on her flight to Scotland. We left the Canaries at 10:00 local, with the time changes after 7 hours of flight we arrived in KJFK at about 13:00 local. I changed into my jeans and grabbed a cab to Newark getting there just in time to catch up with Pat and board the 19:45 flight to Glasgow. I had a whole 30 minutes to spare. Talk about working without a net.

We haven't done much yet other than visit and catch up on sleep. Today we walked around the city for several hours and I even had time to make a couple of images.

Notes from Vacation

2007-05-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

I’ve been on a long road trip. One of those if this is Tuesday then we must be in Italy types. We had just landed in Kuwait City and made it back to the hotel from the Afghanistan day trip and were looking forward to our first day with out a flight or a bag drag since the start of the trip, our ass was dragging, when the phone call came. "We have a Lear in Abu Dahbi that we want you to move to Kuwait tomorrow". It gets worst, they wanted us to catch a 04:30 flight with two of the Principals, wait in Abu Dahbi while they finished up their meeting and bring them back with the Lear. We put our foot down and said "no way Jose", we will get some crew rest, take a later flight and initially only I would go so one of us would be rested for the next day’s flight to Egypt. After I started planing the flight I found out the crew member in Abu Dahbi they wanted me to use didn't have a U.S. fixed wing pilot's certificate. After much thrashing around it was decided that my co-captain would have to go anyway.

We get to Abu Dahbi in the early afternoon load the aircraft, BTW it is my favorite Lear in our fleet, a really beautiful airplane. I let the other pilot take the left seat even though it was my leg because he has very little Lear time (< 200 hours) and I figure it would be a good time to do a little instruction. Little did I know how much instruction I would have the opportunity to do. Just after rotation, as I called "positive rate" the left engine shot craps and rolled back. Once I got the airplane cleaned up and we were climbing, my first thought was “why in the hell did I pick this time to teach”. The obvious good news is he did a OK job and we made it around with out bending anything or hurting anyone.

As it turned out the biggest problem of the day was when we tried to get on the airliner to fly back to Kuwait.....our passports had been stamped out and we didn't have a stamp back in...try explaining that to Passport Control.

Khartoum, Sudan Date 11/26/2004:

2007-03-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

It's Friday and apparently a High Holy Day. Our driver was late (called to let us know) because he had to go to prayers. When he showed up he was in a white dress?..robe?...whatever they call it but he also had one of his giveme caps on. No flying yet, we are still working on Sudan permits, so most of the day was spent finding things to eat. I never thought I would find such joy in finding a jar of mayonnaise for sale or for that matter yellow cheese. Still no joy for pinto beans or corn meal. The meat here is very good, no pork but nice chickens and I bought a whole beef tenderloin for almost nothing. The veggies suck big time. Not a clue how I'm going to work around that other than keep looking for other sources. One thing I've found is the stores do not all carry the same thing so maybe there is hope. BTW it is really hard to de-glaze a pan and make a decent sauce with out wine, I'm getting there with other acids but damn I miss my beer and wine.

I am not a mathematician so I do not totally understand the Theory of Chaos but to drive in Sudan is, from my understanding of Chaos Theory, a demonstration of the beauty of chaos in nature. Stop signs, it is as if they do not exist, roads...maybe we stay on them ...maybe not, roundabouts are a thing of beauty, all of this going on with an amazing density of vehicular and pedestrians traffic on and along side the road, crossing it, coming on and off buses and private cars and trucks. Add in the donkey, jitney, and donkey cart traffic as well as the number of people living by the roads, some with herds of goats, it is astounding that traffic moves at all. But the reality is that it moves with what appears to be great efficiency. Go figure.

Khartoum, Sudan Date 11/20/2004:

2007-03-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

Our apartment is on the third floor. It is large with three bedrooms, one bath, a kitchen, and a very large sitting area. It is almost clean, with a combination of English, French and Middle Eastern wall plugs. The best you can say about the bath is it will get you wet enough to soap and with effort you can rinse. The stove is small and the pots and pans are barely usable but I’ve managed to feed us so far. We are close to the airport and in a "nice part of town" but that is all relative. There is an ever present dust haze and traffic is unreal.

I went to the UN this morning to get my ID badge. For the return home instead of our regular driver I used one from the UN. What an adventure, “yes, yes I know the way” almost two hours later and at least six stops to ask directions we found it. The traffic is insane, it is total chaos, there are ¾ finished buildings everywhere you look, men in white robes riding tiny burros, herds of goats on many of the vacant lots, and people moving, standing, talking, and sitting on rugs under any shade they can find.

This is not a place I would vacation but if you were intent on seeing the world it would be a fascinating country to visit and I would guess a must stop if for no other reason than the mix of cultures. I'm trying to learn how to recognize the different cultures and ethnic groups but for now it is very confusing. Each has different ways of dressing so in time I will get it sorted out.

Khartoum, Sudan Date 11/19/2004:

2007-03-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

Poor is poor the world over. Khartoum could be anywhere in the third world. It really reminds me of some of the places I've been in Mexico but here many of the men and women wear long white outer garments and there is not a beer to be found. There really is great cultural diversity, I've seen Arabs, Blacks, what appear to be tribes men with ritual scarring, and modern clothing, close to the full range of dress. I'm having visual overload.

Khartoum, Sudan Date 11/18/2004:

2007-02-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

The trip over went well. We traveled for 4 days... the first day was short just one leg Anchorage to Edmonton, next day two legs Edmonton to Thunder Bay and then to Goose Bay to position for the flight across. We were very lucky for the crossing the MNPS had not been approved for the aircraft so we were limited to FL270 for the crossing. With no help we would have had a large "wet footprint" and might have needed a stop in Greenland. As it happened we had 140 knots on the tail almost all the way across and good Wx in Iceland, sure decreased the pucker factor. After Iceland we flew to London and spent the night. What a lovely place. The next morning we left for Crete to grab a drink and then on to Sudan. Because of time changes we finished the trip at 21:00 local time. We were met by the UN folks and our local Evergreen rep to speed our way through Customs. All in all a easy trip considering we crossed 12 time zones and almost 50 degrees of latitude.

First Day

2007-02-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

Date 11/14/2004:
I finally made it out of Anchorage. We flew to Edmonton last night. The departure from Anchorage was hectic with pulling together lots of loose ends at the last minute. Anyway we departed about 4 hours late so I didn't get a photo of the crew and aircraft before departure but I will get one today. You should see the airplane, packed to the gills with barely enough room for the mechanic, we have to fly about 2.5 hours after takeoff to get down to landing weight there is so much junk packed in the cabin. I hope to make either Goose Bay or Gander tonight. The reason I don't know which one is that Goose did not have any rooms the last time dispatch checked.

The airplane seems to be a good one. It is the youngest Lear I've flown a high 500 serial number, certified RNP and RVSM with all the bells and so forth. It even talks to me, on final approach it tells me when I'm 50 feet, 40 feet....I think down to 5 feet but I'm usually too busy to hear it then.. The FMS is impressive and it is an early generation FMS. If you let it you could punch on the autopilot once the wheels were in the well and never touch the airplane other than the thrust levers and a mode change button or two until just before the wheels touch the landing airport. I expect I would be lost all the way if I used it like that :-) . Even stranger for an old Lear pilot the autopilot flys better than I can. This modern world (mid 1980's technology combined with current RVSM air data equipment) is amazing.

On a personal note I packed a big can of peppers and the biggest bottle of Louisiana hot sauce I could find so I figure I can make anything they serve me in Sudan eatable. We hope to be there in about 3 maybe 4 days but the way things go who knows it could take a week or more.

One more thing, I'm saddled with a weak co-pilot. He's trying hard and I think he wants to learn but he's older so it may be a lost cause. I will say this for him by his 4th position report last night (after much coaching) he got it right. We will see if he remembers how to do it today, that will be a good indicator if there is hope. Today's job is to work on his general radio phraseology. The proper form is always "who who where what what" but it is really hard to get co-pilots to reply in the correct order. You should see the blizzard of charts and papers on his side of the cockpit, like I said he's trying hard :-) .

A Brief Journal of Flying in Sudan and Afghanistan

2007-02-26T21:47:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago I was living the old Chinese curse "may you live an interesting life". I had two companies shut down on me in one year, one employed over 120 souls and had been in business for 30 years, the other was a start up so it wasn't much of a surprise. Then in October of 2004I went to work for the third company that year. I expected to be based in Oregon. The day I finished my indoc training and returned to Houston to load the truck for the move to Oregon I received a call requesting that I leave the next day for Anchorage to pick up a LearJet and ferry it to The Sudan. The company was starting a new U.N. contract in The Sudan and the Captain hired for the contract was not able to do the job. Long story somewhat short... a little over a week later after ferrying a LearJet 35A from Anchorage to Khartoum, Sudan I'm flying all over Africa on a U.N. contract.

What follows will be a journal and some of the photographs of the 4 months I spent in The Sudan and Afghanistan.

Flying the Line

2007-02-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

I’ve had a long couple of days. We had the APU go tits up Monday morning. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good and Monday was one of those times. We found a “huffer” cart that worked so we could start the GIV and we had one available at the other end. With minimum monkey motion and a short delay we were airborne and completed the planned trip on time. We had a day to fix the airplane before we were scheduled to depart for KJFK and then to London. The shop finally received all the needed parts around 21:30 and had the airplane ready to go by 22:30. We still had to fly it back home and get it ready for a two week trip before the 08:30 departure. With lots of help from the third pilot we made it.

Only one more problem New York WX sucked. They were having their first major snowstorm of the year and the forecast showed us arriving just in time to enjoy the full effects.

Our luck was holding, by the time we arrived in New York the worst of the storm was over. It was still cold and windy but the ceiling and visibility were pretty good. When we landed at KJFK the wind was over 20 knots almost directly across the only open runway and the whole airport was a sheet of ice, what a ride. Landing wasn't too bad other than sliding down the runway with the nose cocked about 30 degrees to the direction of travel several times while trying to stop but the taxi to our ramp was a bitch. It took almost 3 hours from the time we landed to taxi, put the airplane to bed (put on the covers, pick up the trash, and remove all the liquid stores), and get ground transportation to the hotel.

The hotel is another story; I need to do a photo series on the Five Towns Hotel. It is aviation flop house. Most of the locals think it is a "hot sheet" hotel and in a way they are right but it is just pilots using it, not hookers. There are no check-in checkout times. The maid service works 24 hours a day; your room gets cleaned before you check in and after you check out but not while you are there. Coffee and cake are always in the lobby and the airport shuttle runs every 30 minutes 24 hours a day. There are always crews in the lobby, eating cake and drinking coffee, waiting to check in, waiting for the shuttle, or just bored and wanting company. Check in, at least for our company, is just sign your name and give them your employee number they throw you a key card and that is it. God I love New Yorkers :-) When you check out they give you a slip showing the number of days you stayed. I will say this for the Five Towns, it is clean, the Internet works, the beds are good and it is in one of the few areas near KJFK where you can walk out of your hotel at night.

A couple of days to enjoy the Five Towns and then on to London.

Airport Bums

2007-02-04T23:04:00.000-08:00

Last one for tonight. The little airport where I'm based is a throw back to an earlier time. There is always a fresh pot of coffee and someone to either tell you a "there I waz" story or to listen to yours. They could care less about the Lear or the Gulfstream but they sure love the Pacer.

FL450

2007-02-04T22:49:00.000-08:00

Another one from FL450. We were on our way to Belize and having a great time. Flying air ambulance can be the best job in aviation, this one was. Shame it had to end.

Russian Cargo Plane

2007-02-04T22:38:00.000-08:00

We were in El Obeid, Sudan for several hours, while there we visited with the crew of a Russian four engine cargo plane. The Russians were flying for World Food for Peace, we were flying for the U.N..

Another From the Day Job Series

2007-02-04T22:33:00.000-08:00

A quick look in the back at FL450.

More Photo Book

2007-02-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

This is Isam our driver in The Sudan. This was my first day in country and when I asked Isam if I could photograph him this is the pose he assumed.

Photo Book Project

2007-02-04T22:13:00.000-08:00

I've been invited to join a group of photographers in a self published book. We will each be able to contribute 3 to 5 images. Over the next few posts I will show the images I plan to use, all are from my Day Job Series.

The first is of our cook and station manager in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Iraq

2007-02-04T10:40:00.001-08:00

I have only one question for either party. Who will step up and tell the U.S. how and when we will get out of Iraq, not a year from when he is elected, not even 6 months later, but how he will get us out of Iraq starting the day he/she takes office.

Once that question is answered the others will follow. What a fucked up mess we have to face, I hope the country and our politicians are up to the challenge. The place to start is a complete de-bushifacation of the government and the Republican Party. Everyone and every origination that had anything to do with the last six years, from the illegal installation of Bush in 2000 to Iraq, must be removed from power and the leaders must be made to stand trial. We must not allow this attack on our Constitution and our Government to be covered up. When we let the last bunch criminals off the hook after Nixon resigned they came back like the living dead. We can not let it happen this time. May their souls rot in hell.

Caravan

2007-02-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

Pat and I parked the caravan in a State Park near Lincoln City last week. Pat was able to spend most of the week there and I drove back and forth. The WX was beautiful, clear skies, cool, and very little wind. It couldn't have been better or come at a better time. Oregon winters can be wet and gray with few breaks, when the WX is good you have to take advantage or you will be nuts by late spring early summer when the skies clear.

We didn't do much but we did see a couple of great sunsets, built a big bonfire, walked on a some beautiful beaches, ate good seafood, read and played cards. I tried to take a break from the political world,but Molly Ivins death brought it all back. I did find one of her books in Goodwill the day she died, damn the world will miss her.

Eating Babies

2007-02-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

This is how I feel talking to the local wingnuts.

Low and Slow Along the Oregon Coast

2007-01-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

The local WX this weekend was beautiful, clear skies, temps in the mid forties, a little windy but not too bad. The wind was just strong enough and coming across the runway enough to make flying the Pacer interesting for an old guy that hasn’t flown tail draggers in more than 30 years.

Pat did her first flight lessons in the Pacer on Saturday and Sunday. I used the time she was practicing to sightsee. Saturday we went up the coast to the north and Sunday we went south. The Oregon coast is a magic place; I never get tired of seeing it.

Strange how as we age we return to things of our youth. I don’t really think I’m trying to slow aging or even trying to recapture youth. It is more a return to the basic things that give pleasure, a return to the reason I chose the road taken. Low and slow with such a feeling of freedom, knowing that the whole world is open to you, that you control the most amazing machine made by man, yet such a simple machine, one that could be built with simple hand tools and by almost anyone.

BTW, teaching Pat is part of the joy, watching her struggle, then understand and gain control. To see the same feeling of accomplishment I had when I first learned to fly. For someone with itchy feet there is nothing to compare with the joy of learning to fly.

Our little Churchills

2007-01-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

A must read post from Glenn Greenwald....." We've now arrived at the point where the White House and its followers reflexively characterize any criticism of the Leader's war of any kind as aid to the Enemy and an attack on our troops. They don't even bother any more to pretend that some types of criticism are "acceptable." It is now the duty of every patriotic American to cheer enthusiastically for the President's decisions. Anything else is tantamount to siding with the Enemy...."

SOTU

2007-01-22T20:23:00.000-08:00

It is time for the Asshole from Midland to go.

Blog for Choice Day

2007-01-22T19:11:00.000-08:00

Some Personal History

Abortion choice is as important for men as for women. Just before Roe became the Law of the land my future wife became pregnant. We were young with almost no money. She was in Nursing School; I was working two jobs, nights at a hospital lab and days turning wrenches at the airport, to pay for my flight training. We didn’t have the money to go to NewYork for a legal abortion and there was no way we could have a baby and have any future. By chance one of my jobs while I worked my way through college was Medical Sales and one of my customers was a “Dr. Brown”. I never met Dr. Brown but it was understood that he provided abortions for the wealthy and well connected of Texas. Someway we scraped together the $500 needed to have Dr. Brown end BJ’s pregnancy and we both went on to have productive lives. Most in our situation at that time would not have had our options. Their choices would have been have the child and who knows what would happen to their future, give the baby up for adoption, or have an illegal back alley abortion. We must keep Choice.

Why

2007-01-22T06:12:00.000-08:00

That's Shrub ..."Second, and more impotant, nothing we have seen or heard from this President in his public appearances and utterances over the last six years supports the notion that he is anything other than an inarticulate, illogical and muddleheaded thinker who is incapable of putting together an honest, realistic and coherent assessment of anything as complicated as Iraq..."

IED

2007-01-22T05:57:00.000-08:00

The photo is of an IED found on the Kabul, Afghanistan airport. It couldn’t be simpler, a large pressure cooker, some explosive, a little wire and a motorcycle battery. A few dollars spent and you have the potential to kill and maim many and to destroy multi-million dollar equipment.

Back for a Post or Two

2007-01-21T21:51:00.000-08:00

What a year.

Can Shrub fuck up Iraq any worse that it is? Knowing his history I don’t want to know the answer.

I’m now the owner of a 1954 Piper Pacer. It puts a smile on my face every time I see it.

The GIV has new paint and carpet……looks pretty good. I will post a photo later.

China

2006-04-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

This was like many of our oversea trips...a blur of loading bags, unloading bags, taxi rides, crashing in your hotel room trying to recover from a 20 hour + day only to get up early the next morning to do it all over. Long story short...we flew to Anchorage for a meeting, then on to Khabarovsk, Russia for a tech stop, and Beijing for a RON. After a night in Beijing we flew to Macau for a day meeting and then to Hong Kong to spend the night. The next day we went to Xiamen for a meeting then back to Hong Kong so we could fly to Taipei (Mainland China will not allow flights to Taipei from their airspace) for a RON. The next day we were to come home but...when the boss showed up at the airport he "wanted to stop short and spend the night...somewhere..." The scramble to find a place to stop, to get permits, to set up hotel rooms, to get landing slots, started. BTW, we told him his best option would be to go back to his hotel in Taipei and we could start early Saturday morning for home. Nope, he wanted to do a short leg and then go home the next day. At this time we had been on the airport 6 hours with the APU running most of that time...the short part of the story...after almost 5 hours of work putting the permits and flight plan together at a cost of around $??,????USD...just as the "handlers" were walking up the air stair with the overflight permits, the landing "slots", the flight plan, just as we were less than 5 minutes from cranking our engines....you've got it..."we are going to spend the night here and go home in the morning". The bottom line...after 12 hours at the airport, Mucho $ for handling fees, and 2000 lbs. of kerosene burned we were back where we started...still 12 hours of flying from home...another unloading and loading of bags, a 1 hour cab ride on rain slick streets, two ways, and two very exhausted pilots that still needed to get a new set flight plans and permits. The good news...we left Taipei on time the next day, Saturday morning at 11:00 local, after a tech stop in Petropavlovsk, Russia we made it to Portland, OR at 09:30 Saturday morning. Did you notice...we made it home an hour and a half before we started :-) ...BTW it was a hell of a long ways to go for a bowl of noodles.

A couple of observations from someone that really didn't get to spend enough time in any one place to learn much but that has never stopped me from having an opinion or expressing it :-) ...we (the USA) are in deep dodo...the Chinese have their shit together. The place is clean and modern, the infrastructure is in very good shape, the people are smart and educated, and there are a ton of 'em, and we are shipping our money over there as fast as we can. We are screwed unless we get our act together much faster than I think we can.. Hong Kong is another world...I would love to have some time to spend there...it is also an example of how to make things work...money has been spent on the infrastructure, it is maintained, and there is an investment in the future...something that has been lacking in the States... our roads and public buildings are falling apart. We are not spending our money or our public capital wisely....maybe because our sense of community, of common cause has eroded, as we have been distracted by side shows and red meat thrown to the rubes. Whatever the reason...the result is our pockets are being picked and our country is falling apart compared to what I saw in Hong Kong and China.

NOT JUST INCOMPETENCE

2006-02-24T05:39:00.000-08:00

From Kevin Drum

Michael Hirsh has a decent rundown in Newsweek today of how badly George Bush and his team have botched the war on terror...The damage that George Bush has done to the United States is going to be with us for a very long time.

IN KTUS

2006-02-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

We are in Tucson. Interesting trip down…neither of us had flown for several weeks and the rust showed. There was nothing unsafe but at times it was like a couple of monkeys trying to do a basketball in the cockpit. Funny now but not while it was happening.

We stopped in Santa Monica for a couple of hours before flying the last leg of the day to KMZJ. KSMO has very strict noise regulations, to comply your takeoff path is Runway heading at 1000’MSL turn right to 265, climb at V2+10 to 3000’ MSL. The KSMO-KMZJ leg was mine. We were light with only 12,000 lbs of fuel…All I can say is “WOW” what a kick in the ass. At our takeoff weight we were only about 2 lbs of airplane for each lb of thrust. To hold V2+10 required over 20 degrees of pitch up…we went up like a rocket.

We ran into an old friend at Flight Safety TUS, while talking he reminded me of the time we were in Reynosa and I bought “pussy for the bar” with the company AmEx.

It Has Been Awhile

2006-02-19T23:12:00.000-08:00

Well I'm back...maybe.

What a busy 6 months. I received my GIV type at the end of Sept and almost the first trip out of the box headed for Kabul via Iceland and Turkey. Following the Afghanistan trip I have been to Denmark a couple of times, London, Canada, and all over the States. The time really flies (sorry), it is already time to go back to Savannah for re-current.

The image is of the entryway to our compound in Kabul.

Open Letter to Republicans

2005-09-15T02:40:00.000-07:00

Sir;

Why did you vote against forming an impartial, independent commission to find out the truth about what went wrong with Hurricane Katrina? Why do you put your party over your country? Would you rather have America unprepared for a future chemical, biological or nuclear attack from Al Qaeda? If we don't know why we were unprepared today, we will surely be unprepared tomorrow.

An investigation run by the Congress itself, an investigation where the investigating committee will be made up of a majority of Republican congressmen, a partisan investigation of one of the largest disasters in American history will not hunt.

I want the truth, you and your party want a whitewash. Quit playing politics with our lives.

Kenneth M. Hatch

Impeach Bush Now

2005-09-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Has there ever been a worse Administration than Shrub’s? Will the U.S. recover or is this the end of the American Experiment? I wish I knew the answer to the last question I believe I know the answer to the first.

During the 2000 campaign I was somewhat indifferent as to the out come…I knew the States would be better off if Gore won in the short term but if Bush won it would not be the end of the world. I figured he couldn’t do too much damage and with the expected down turn in the economy maybe the Republicans would for once be blamed for their sins.

When I fuck I fuck up big time…at every turn Shrub has been a disaster. If someone tried to come up with policy decisions to ruin the economy, the armed services, our foreign policy, the environment, or any area of government they could not top this group of goofs. There are only two possible answers to why that is so. Either this is the dumbest most incompetent bunch of idiots ever to have power in the United States or the really scary one is they know what they are doing and they are on a mission to destroy the United States. Whichever answer is correct we must act now to remove them from power before they can do more damage. I join in with Brad DeLong in calling for “Impeach Bush Now”.

More GIV

2005-09-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today was good day in class. The more I learn about the Gulfstream the more impressed I am with the capabilities of the airplane. The avionics are most impressive and this package is mid 80’s vintage…it will be interesting to see how the G550 compares.

Pat called from a beach north of Lincoln City…said the sand was warm and everything was beautiful. She and puppy were having a great time. That is the best news this week…she has been wonderful during the move but she has not taken any time to enjoy life for weeks. Last weekend I dumped her and everything we own in McMinnville and left town for 3 weeks. Not fair but it had to be done. And I wonder why pilots suffer from AIDS (aviation induced divorce syndrome).

Click this one

2005-09-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

A must see video

GIV School

2005-09-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

I’ve been in Savannah for two days. Gulfstream GIV initial started Labor Day and will run for 21 or 22 days depending on when my type ride is scheduled. The first day was spent doing paper work and going over an overview of the aircraft. Today we started working on the meat…all day was devoted to getting the FMS (Flight Management System) up and running. The avionics are so tightly integrated with the airplane systems once you know how to program and use the FMS the rest is a piece of cake.

The class has 18 souls, about half are “Netjets”; the rest are US military types with a few of us corporate drivers thrown in to complete the mix. As with every Flight Safety class I’ve attended, with more than two pilots, there is the class "asshole”, he has flown higher, faster, and farther than anyone else in history and always has a story where he is the hero. My question as always is: “If you are so damn good and know so much how in hell did you get in that mess to began with”. I never receive a good answer.

The other thing that always startles me is how reactionary pilots are. Out of any group of pilots 90% will be so right wing they could fit right in with members of the Midland Petroleum Club. Strange…apparently no one has told them they are working class, the boss may pat them on the back and call them by their first name but the bottom line once they are not useful Mr. Big will not even remember what they look like. Times are changing a little, this class has one woman, no blacks, Hispanics, or others. I guess I should be happy that at least we are letting a woman into the club.

Bats Left Throws Right

2005-08-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

http://doghouseriley.blogspot.com/

T.Bogg is on fire, even for him. Same with Wolcott. World O'Crap continues to hide her subtle brilliance beneath her overt brilliance with Wingnut Island. Tom Burka says everything that needs to be said with a headline. Fact-esque is on top of everything. Patrick Smith, Salon's Pilot you can Ask, shows just how sloppy and hysterical the mass media are even when there's no reason to be.

Chris Clarke brings a tear to my eye, and then he does it again, and then Professor Bérubé does it for good measure, all in a twenty-four hour period.

And one brave woman in Crawford, TX, reduces George W. Bush from a prick to a pinprick.

Me? I'm crackin' wise about Fried Twinkies and tossin' paperwads for a kitten.

I'm too old. I'm too comfortable. And I've got the love of a woman too good for me. I grew up in the birthplace of the John Birch Society, reading the crackpot-before-its-time Puliam family newspaper. I had tracts and letters from the corpulent and hate-filled bully Gregg Dixon, one of the founding licensed beggars of The Moral Majority, stuffed in my mailbox at the school newspaper on a weekly basis because I wrote against the war, against racism, and for rock and roll. I watched the descent of network news, the willful choice of comforting fiction over complex and mystifying fact, the ready acquiescence to the idea that reality needed to be balanced by appending the thoughts of the unhinged to every topic. I watched the glorification of a second-rate actor and dim-witted phony the way Ionesco watches his fellow citizens in "The Rhinoceros". I saw the shitty Soviet Heroic-Realist scupture the Right insisted on erecting next to The Wall because fake piety is preferable to real piety in its book.

Special pleading? Well, TBogg is nearly as old as I am, and he still walks into that alley every day to take on the likes of Malkin and Goldberg and Coulter. God bless 'im. But I'm just too tired of these fifteenth generation photocopies, they and the sorry gas-filled lawyers and basement dwellers who've turned xenophobia and poor potty training into a political crusade, who will gladly fight to the last drop of someone else's blood, who bravely pound the virtual lectern so long as they believe there's a mob at their backs to do the dirty work.

Well, it only takes one strong man to face down a mob. And today her name is Cindy Sheehan.

States Tonight

2005-07-31T00:45:00.000-07:00

I’m out of here!

My Sudan Tour is over. Tonight I board a Lufthansa flight that will take me to Cairo, Frankfort, Chicago, and finally Portland. The “Truck Shop” will pick me up for the final leg by van to McMinnville. I leave a little after midnight and will arrive in McMinnville some where around 21:00 PDT. With time zone changes it will be over 30 hours standing around waiting to board something or having something strapped to my ass. I expect to be dead but not know it once the Truck Shop drops me at my home. My only hope is that there is room for an up-grade out of steerage for one or more of the legs.

That is the good news, the bad is I left in such a hurry because of the lost passport and visa that my house is a mess. I doubt it will make much difference tonight but once I recover I have to face trying to pick up and organize the mess I left plus deal with 6 weeks of mail and who knows what else.

Skype

2005-07-31T00:18:00.000-07:00

If you travel internationally this is a must. Once on your computer you can talk via the Internet to other Skype computers or call traditional phones i.e. landline or cell. Calls to phones are charged at rates determined by the country the call is to. I have spent the last 6 weeks in Khartoum, Sudan my total phone costs for this tour was less than 20 Euro. I paid AT&T over $4500 US for my last 6 week tour in The Sudan.

BTW Skype will work with dial-up, not as well as with hi-speed but it will work. There will be dropped calls and some distortion on many of your calls when using slow connections. Broadband computer to computer is the best, better than either phone to phone or computer to phone.

http://www.skype.com/helloagain.html

Flour Tortillas

2005-07-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

I’m in The Sudan with a South African and a Zimbabwean as flat mates. Neither had eaten tortillas of any kind before last night. I can’t find Masa Harina to make corn tortillas but flour ones are almost as good and better for some things such as Tacos al Carbon. The meat and fresh chilies are available and we even found some avocados, they are still too hard to eat but at least there is hope. Damn I miss Texas. As backward, crazy, mean and reactionary as it is there is something about the place that holds you tight like a first love.

worst president ever

2005-07-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

Google bomb time;

worst president ever

Slow week in Khartoum

2005-07-11T03:27:00.000-07:00

One of the advantages of the Khartoum base is the almost daily flight schedule. It make the time pass quickly. You get up in the morning, shower, put on the monkey suit, go to the airport, fly your legs, go back to the flat, check email, have dinner, go to bed, get up the next morning and do it all over once more. Before you know it the tour is over and you are standing at the airline counter trying to upgrade out of steerage and paying for your overweight bags. The last two weeks haven’t worked that way…flights have cancelled or not booked and we have been sitting around the flat staring at the walls. Not a good way to pass the time.

Computer Woes

2005-07-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay...My computer crashed while I was in Abuja. Talk about being helpless, in Africa without a working cell phone, a dead computer and not a clue how you are going to get it, the computer, fixed.

The good news, I found a guy just down the street from our flat in Khartoum that worked on HP computers. Three days and $200 US later I'm on line. He didn't know how much he could have charged me...Can you say priceless.