Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

01 Oct 2014
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World of Speed 2014

The call of Bonneville.

The call of Bonneville.

The World of Speed event at Bonneville is run each year by the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association, and participants were able to run what looked like their choice of 3 or 5-mile courses laid out on the salt. That’s much shorter than they would like, but current weather conditions dictate how much of the track will be dry enough to run on. Most of the vehicles don’t need any more distance, so only the big boys had a crimp put in their style.

Yes, this mini-belly tank racer is just a toy, and yes, it's cute! Racers of all kinds tend to have a sense of humor.

Yes, this mini-belly tank racer is just a toy, and yes, it’s cute! Racers of all kinds tend to have a sense of humor.

I attended one day when the weather looked most cooperative, though I did have to wade the big Ford s-l-o-w-l-y through nearly a mile of brine to get there. I ferried the Evelo Aurora and trailer across in the front bike carrier, and then broke it out to tour all around the dry pits and racing area. Considering my phobia about splashing salt on the underside of the pickup truck, the decision to attend was no small one. Looking at upcoming weather, I had a gut feeling that this one day might possibly be it for the season, so it was either go, or gamble. The depth of the water between Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Tourista! and tagged , ,
30 Sep 2014

Taking Cheapskate Seriously

Yowza! A customized old Toyota pickup goes streamliner for mileage, not speed.

Yowza! A customized old Toyota pickup goes streamliner for mileage, not speed.

Riding the Aurora e-bike on the way to Wendover, Utah one day, I came across a streamliner of sorts, parked at the Sinclair truck stop at the fringes of the Bonneville Salt Flats. It differs considerably from other streamliners in two respects. First, it is streetable, if impractical. Second, this streamliner is not built for speed, but for fuel mileage.

Based on an older Toyota T100 pickup truck, its owner has made serious modifications to its body. Functionally speaking, it is no longer a pickup truck, but a car. He was at Bonneville to hopefully wade through the brine and make a run on the salt, but that isn’t as exciting as it seems. Its little four-cylinder engine can, given enough distance, push this newly-slippery shape along at just over 100 MPH, if it has to. That may be fast for a stock T100 four-banger. I don’t know, but I assume it is. Pickup trucks are bluff boxes that force

Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, Mod Squad, Tourista! and tagged , , , | Leave a comment
28 Sep 2014

Are We Marooned Yet?

In general, the water running down vast slopes collected and concentrated in flow so that few side trails were left untouched. This shot is taken at a point up Leppy Pass' long upward climb, and was possible for me only because of the bike's electric motor to help me get up there.

In general, the water running down vast slopes collected and concentrated in flow so that few side trails were left untouched. This shot is taken at a point up Leppy Pass’ long upward climb, and was possible for me only because of the bike’s electric motor to help me get up there.

I took the Aurora e-bike out on a trash run this morning to have a look around the area, looking at the end effects when weather has its way with desert that has miserably sparse ground cover.

I'm standing on Leppy Pass Road looking uphill. It's a nice paved two-lane, and I suppose still is, under all the mud and rocks that charged down along it and across it during the rainstorm.

I’m standing on Leppy Pass Road looking uphill. It’s a nice paved two-lane, and I suppose still is, under all the mud and rocks that charged down along it and across it during the rainstorm.

It turns out that the recent rainstorms were about as destructive as they were last year, but Leppy Road’s shoulders were in better shape to start with, and suffered less spectacularly as a result. If you’ve suffered through this blog for long, you’ll recall that last year, a deep new gully did its best to swallow a road grader. There is now one section carved down about four feet deep, but it’s quite short. My trail branches to intersect Leppy Road at two points, and both junctions are damaged enough that a mindless exit would, at best, firmly ground out the low-slung Defiant. At worst, the Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule and tagged , , | Leave a comment
27 Sep 2014
2 Comments

Learning Comparative Weather

Looking out the port-side living room window while the solar panels are battened down.

Looking out the port-side living room window while the solar panels are battened down.

When we live in houses (assuming that they are sturdily-built houses), we tend to consider weather as something that happens “out there”. I’m still in the process of learning the fact that I’m closer to living “out there” than I used to be. At this camping location near the Bonneville Salt Flats east of Wendover, Utah, weather is quite an issue at times. The paved road I’m near, Leppy Pass Road, had its shoulders severely washed out last year. That’s because this whole area is basically one vast surrounding slope from several low mountain peaks down to the flats. Here, a tenth of an inch of rain is significant, and any gathering runs of rainwater become interesting.

Rains a week ago wiped out any chance of late September or October land speed record attempts. I did manage to attend one such event before that, and will post it soon. But heavy rains became redundant the evening before last, as a cool front moved in. Cool fronts bring high winds here, and they often start banging around in

Read more…

Posted in Campsites and tagged ,
12 Sep 2014
17 Comments

The Wendover Air Show

Reenactments Gone Wild? A sign reads, "Welcome to Palookaville" at an entrance. This display was charming, though the Friendly Ladies looked out of place to me. but not that many theatrical costumers or hairdressers moonlight for free at volunteer air show events, so ya gotta go with what ya gots! The tent, table and uniforms made me smile, and as long as you don't kick a bomb on the ground, you'll be fine!

Reenactments Gone Wild? A sign reads, “Welcome to Palookaville” at an entrance. This display was charming, though the Friendly Ladies looked out of place to me. but not that many theatrical costumers or hairdressers moonlight for free at volunteer air show events in sparsely-populated towns in remote areas, so ya gotta go with what ya gots! The tarp, table and uniforms made me smile, and as long as you don’t kick a bomb on the ground, you’ll be fine!

I was wandering into the local grocery when I noticed a small poster on their bulletin board. Wendover Air show in just a few days! I guess in the past they had current military aircraft on display, but this year would only be vintage WWII and acrobatic aircraft. Good enough for me. Even though the first successful day of land speed record runs would begin the same day, I decided to take my chances and see the air show instead.

One more shot of Palookaville, looking a bit more period at the moment.

One more shot of Palookaville, looking a bit more period at the moment.

I packed up the trusty Aurora and its trailer with camera and videocam equipment bags, water, and my vintage lawn chair, and biked the eight miles to the historic Wendover airfield. The air show volunteers even let me Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, Tourista!
08 Sep 2014
2 Comments

The Aurora Frankenstein

 

The stock Aurora, as originally delivered. From here on, it's just a myriad of bolt-on details.

The stock Aurora, as originally delivered. From here on, it’s just a myriad of bolt-on details.

[Boredom alert: This post is an incredible 8,900 words long, which may induce coma in certain persons. The first half consists of much whining, and relates how the various modifications to the Aurora came about, as a methodical ordeal. The second half gets down to the specific parts used, with links. So feel free to skip on down to the subtitle “Modifications Parts List” if you find your eyes beginning to dance around in your head. Or, just look at the pretty pictures. Gearheads will want to saw all the way through, if time allows.]

Turning a more powerful Evelo Aurora into a rough approximation of their more practical Luna model is not necessarily an easy thing. In my peculiar situation, it’s difficult, even if you restrict the types of modifications to the “bolt-on” category. After all, there’s no place inside my dry trailer living space to work on it, and it certainly can’t be left disemboweled outside in Midwest thunderstorms. Tain’t the kind of project that can sit around unused for weeks or months, either. It needed to have new parts grafted on and be put into service, pronto. With just two months to order, receive, and then modify to completion, I was on the clock. It appeared to be difficult, but do-able.

The principal difficulty is certainly not bolting the parts on. It’s finding parts that will both do the job and fit first time, out of the box, sight unseen. The assortment of frame styling oddities that define the Aurora’s unique appearance also work against accepting many conventional bicycle accessories. (And yes, I’m still receiving unsolicited compliments about the Aurora’s appearance.) Evelo Customer Service can help resolve some compatibility issues, but it’s a big accessory industry out there.

If you haven’t been following this series, you may ask why I’d choose this e-bike in the first place, then. You need to go Read more…

Posted in E-Bike Pack Mule, Mod Squad and tagged , ,
28 Aug 2014
2 Comments

A Change in Operating Philosophies

Children tend to see more solutions than problems.

Children tend to see more solutions than problems.

Changing how you approach different events or circumstances in life is never easy. When your livelihood is based on the Marine-style necessity of “improvise, adapt, overcome”, it’s pretty difficult to change mindsets later, in the Autumn of one’s years, so to speak. The saying that “when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” applies to the perception of obstacles or problems. But there are times to kick the walls down, and times to go with the flow, and learning to sense which is which can be a vague, touchy-feely puzzle for those unfamiliar with any alternate approach. There’s no imperative to change mindsets of course, but as the physical and emotional energy resources to back up a “kick-the-walls-down” approach begin to gradually drain away, it can become a good idea to learn to discern and prioritize. Persist And Pursue on some things, and let some things percolate out – or not – on their own. As the old country song goes, “know when to hold ’em, and when to fold ’em”.

Many – probably most – people already know these things by rote, and learned early. I never caught on, myself. Child or adult, the only way anything ever seemed to work for me was to take a brute force approach. Brick wall? Push through, find a way over, under, or find a way around and go on to the next. Nothing ever seemed to come easily. Paths choked with difficult obstacles. Persist. Find a way. The needs of food, housing and family merely motivate one to shove harder or pursue more doggedly. As a technique, it can work. At a price.

This approach was magnified by my choosing to Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, Navel Gazing and tagged , ,
23 Aug 2014
19 Comments

The Cheapskate’s Dilemma

A pickup truck wades out toward the dry part of the salt flats used as the race course.

A pickup truck wades out toward the dry part of the salt flats used as the race course.

Something I hadn’t banked on from last year’s all-or-nothing weather at the Bonneville Speedway was that part of the salt flats could be dry and usable for speed events, while the rest could be terminally underwater. It’s a fairly common situation, as it turns out. The endpoint of the access road to get there is nicknamed the “boat ramp” for just that reason. Right now, it’s under what I’m guessing is 9″-12″ of water, depending on the path you take. It was much shallower on Friday morning before a passing thunderstorm dumped more water on it. The track area apparently survived, while the entrance did not.

The two techniques used: on the left is the wader, rolling slowly through so as to limit splashing of the saltwater. On the right is the impatient hard charger, who must have a rental or leased car, because no one would do this to a personally-owned vehicle, would they?

The two techniques used: on the left is the wader, rolling slowly through so as to limit splashing of the saltwater. On the right is the impatient hard charger, who must have a rental or leased car, because no one would do this to a personally-owned vehicle, would they?

Beginning this weekend and running through Thursday, the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials are taking place. The water entrance hasn’t proven a problem at all for the racers and hangers-on. They just dive right on in with whatever they have.

I find this impressive, but less so after I think about it. These guys make

Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Daily Life, E-Bike Pack Mule, Tourista! and tagged , , ,
22 Aug 2014
2 Comments

Damage Control! Report!

Solar panel #4 safely on the ground after being found hanging on one hook.

Solar panel #4 safely on the ground after being found hanging on one hook.

RVs are heavy – ask anyone at a fuel stop. But they also have a very large sail area, a trait which rarely works in their favor. They are highly subject to bad weather and, out west, there’s plenty of that to go around in the late summer.

A couple of nights ago, a very high wind came up in camp, one that wasn’t in any forecast. The forecasts said current wind was and would remain at 6 MPH. Night winds haven’t been unusual here in Wendover, blowing in well after sunset and rotating around in all directions for an hour or so. Often, it’s like throwing a switch on a fan.

Well, this one was a doozy. The good news was that it decided to blow in pretty much straight from the nose of the trailer, which poses the least threat to the Kleenex box aerodynamics of the Defiant. Wheel locks between each pair of trailer tires work quite well to resist any movement.

The wind had started in as usual, but didn’t let up this time, and I stayed up just short of midnight just to Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Daily Life, Mod Squad and tagged , , , ,
18 Aug 2014
12 Comments

Friendly Fire

Barnyard Commandos toy from the 1980s. It was a flop.

Barnyard Commandos toy from the 1980s. It was a flop.

In reviewing the thread of my life over the years, I’ve discovered that I’m the kind of person who prefers to find common ground in relationships, and to work in harmony in order to reach common goals. It’s not unlike how daily employment or work is supposed to be. Cooperative relationships, common goals. All else are details that must not detract from the whole, or eventual disaster follows. Notice that I said “supposed to be”.

When you have friends, you accept that they may not share all of your convictions or viewpoints, but you mutually gravitate toward relating to each other on the remaining common ground and take it from there. Thus you can have relationships with many different kinds of people who are not “in your camp” on some basic issue or other, but who are intimates of some degree nonetheless. You affect others not like you, and allow their lives to affect yours.

This can be dicey ground in reality, but in principle, the differences serve merely to allow you to learn things you hadn’t considered, question your own convictions, and to either reinforce your own views or make you reconsider them. At times, I’ve had to widen my views of things considerably after playing Read more…

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged

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