I have to comment on this past week's travels. I left on Tuesday from home to go to Spokane. I ascended Steven's Pass in a snow storm, and managed to do so with the M&S rated tires I bought a year ago. They made the trip, although they were slippery and I had to be very careful. Once over the pass things were dry and clear and the way was fine, but the memory of the slippery trip was on my mind.
On Wednesday I returned, also over the pass. This time, with a passenger, the trip was more treacherous, and the tires were more suspect. From the actual pass I called my Snohomish Les Schwab tire retailer and and made a reservation to have the tires chaged to Toyo Blizzak snow tires that same afternoon. It took about an hour, and I was now clad in actual tires made for the snow.
Thursday I was off to Kamloops BC over the Coquahalla Highway. It was snowning harder than ever, and we were stopped by the traffic authorities for over an hour just to be sure that the cars and trucks that ascended the pass were capable to making the trip. My Prius was doing fine, and we jumped to the top of the pass without issue. In fact, after going over the top and making our way along the highway for a while, I noticed that these new tires were kicking up quite a tail behind my car. They looked like the rooster tail that forms behind hydroplanes and the trail was fully as tall as the car. I was so proud! The Prius is front wheel drive and the spray we were creating was from the back tires, where there was no power to do the kicking up! It was strictly sympathetic grip causing the spray. I live for such moments....
Friday was worse in terms of weather and road conditions, but I was bold and fearless. My Prius was solid and reliable on the return trip. The Traction Control light never came on. We sped douwn the hghway wihtout issue and without fear.
Overall, I drove about 1,350 miles over the 4 days this past week. I should be a travel agent!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Government Subsidies for Energy
My business is booming. The companies I work for supplying energy to utility companies that are responding to state mandates for renewable energy. Renewable energy is generally considered to be wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, and biomass. There are others, but they are pretty minor.
An article in the Seattle Times today talked about the crazy way government subsidies have screwed up the energy business when it comes to things like solar energy in California. A $1.6 billion project to install solar panes has been installed, and this will serve some 100,000 homes. That is a trival amount of power for so much money expended. Not to mention that fact that it doesn't help them at night!
I have a series of project sactive in CA just now to convert coal power plants to biomass. Just to mention it in passing, coal is cheap, abundant, and available. Still, coal is OUT for the USA, and biomass in IN.
Anohter segment of my business is in building ship loaders at ports. That part is booming, too. I'm working on bidding a coal loading facility in Louisiana currently. I don't know where the coal will come from, specifically, but I beleive it will come down the Mississippi River from Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, and elsewhere. Plants in these states are changing from coal to other things, and the coal companies are trying to find markets for their product.
Here is Washington there is a plan to export coal from Wyoming and ship it to China and Korea. There is a opposition from locals who object to coal trains, and perhaps to coal in general. Washington has one coal burning power plant, and it has signed an agreement to convert to natural gas by 2025. Until then, the coal trains will roll.
An article in the Seattle Times today talked about the crazy way government subsidies have screwed up the energy business when it comes to things like solar energy in California. A $1.6 billion project to install solar panes has been installed, and this will serve some 100,000 homes. That is a trival amount of power for so much money expended. Not to mention that fact that it doesn't help them at night!
I have a series of project sactive in CA just now to convert coal power plants to biomass. Just to mention it in passing, coal is cheap, abundant, and available. Still, coal is OUT for the USA, and biomass in IN.
Anohter segment of my business is in building ship loaders at ports. That part is booming, too. I'm working on bidding a coal loading facility in Louisiana currently. I don't know where the coal will come from, specifically, but I beleive it will come down the Mississippi River from Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, and elsewhere. Plants in these states are changing from coal to other things, and the coal companies are trying to find markets for their product.
Here is Washington there is a plan to export coal from Wyoming and ship it to China and Korea. There is a opposition from locals who object to coal trains, and perhaps to coal in general. Washington has one coal burning power plant, and it has signed an agreement to convert to natural gas by 2025. Until then, the coal trains will roll.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Surrey BC: My Week
There is a group I belong to called the Forestry Resources Association. This is a national orginization with regional associations. I attend the twice-annual meetings that held in the PNW region, and this week it is in Surrey, BC. It starts tomorrow, Tuesday.
For the first time ever I am going to participate in the Golf Outing part. There is also a Sturgeon Fishing part being held at the same time, which I am going to skip. Anyway, I am placed into a group of 3 others and we will see how I do when we actually keep track of the "real score". The bad news is that today it is quite rainy, and this will make the ground soft and keep my ball from rolling into the hole. Tomorrow it is supposed to be drier, with only 30% chance of rain, so we will see if it is better.
I get home on Thursday afternoon. This place is only 120 miles away, so it is not too far.
For the first time ever I am going to participate in the Golf Outing part. There is also a Sturgeon Fishing part being held at the same time, which I am going to skip. Anyway, I am placed into a group of 3 others and we will see how I do when we actually keep track of the "real score". The bad news is that today it is quite rainy, and this will make the ground soft and keep my ball from rolling into the hole. Tomorrow it is supposed to be drier, with only 30% chance of rain, so we will see if it is better.
I get home on Thursday afternoon. This place is only 120 miles away, so it is not too far.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Translating Passion Into Action
I am reading "The Pedouins" currently. This is an account of a middle-aged guy and his younger wife, and their three young children, as they ride a specially-built 5-person bicycle from Kentucky to Alaska. I'm about half-way through the account, and so far they are in Florida (yes, they didn't take the direct route). He has introduced the players, set up the conditions of the outset of the trip, and highlighted several incidents along the way that show the character and nature of our country, and the diversity of people that inhabit it. Adversity, perseverance, compassion, support from people they meet, problems with the bike, triumphs of the spirit, and determination shine through the tale.
The sheer audacity of the undertaking jumps up at every turn. The three kids are really young: 2, 5, and 7. The 2-year old has a seat but not pedals, if you are wondering! They are experiencing America in the first person, and the parents are using the experience to teach them things that stay-at-home kids would never learn. As I read this account I think of my own experiences in riding, and riding long distances. Their short daily rides are, I'm sure, limited by their riding experience, and by their perspective that they are in for a long ride, that will take a long time, and they are in no hurry. And, I think, the great weight they are trying to push along the highways of America. They camp at night, carrying an REI tent that they set up along the road, at campsites, and in parks. The kids play, as kids do. The parents plan the next day's route, talk about the state of the trip, and assess risks as they can.
Passer's by ask about the crazy bike and what they are doing, and in getting the story are told that they are trying to be self-supporting along the way. The passers-by go and get food, sit with them to eat it, and generally participate in the journey.
It is a tale of triumph of spirit, of support from unexpected corners, and travelers being welcomed as in times of old. I met a woman from Denmark several years ago in Lewiston, ID. I had ridden up the Lewiston Grade, an amazing road of some 10 miles length carved into the side of a giant hillside. It carves from the top of the ridge to the bottom of the valley in un-countable switchbacks and curves, at a steady grade up (and an amazingly fun ride down). After the ride I crossed over the Clearwater River and rode down the bike trial to the confluence of the Snake River, and then up the Snake a bit. She was camping in a park along the Snake, and was setting up her tent and sitting on a picnic table. She said she had originally come on a 3 week vacation to British Columbia, and was planning to ride the Lolo Pass to Missoula, and then beyond. She had come from Granger that day, down a long and winding road into the Snake River Valley. She said that she had been camping in parks and public places, and had been having a generally good time of it. I was surprised, honestly, since the Redneck inhabitants of these areas I thought might have hassled her about simply camping out, but she said she hadn't had any problems. She was concerned about the road to Lolo, and I told her that this was a narrow and winding road, and that she should be careful. I hope she was.
The connection here is that both The Pedouins and this Danish woman were living their dream, and their dream was seeing the world from the seat of bicycle. THAT IS MY DREAM TOO! I've been slow to ride even across Washington, and that is EASY in comparison to what these guys are doing. I need to step up my game and get with it. The idea of carrying the gear you would need and camping along the way is attractive to me. Self sufficiency, pushing along as fast and as far as you like, stopping along the way, meeting people, having adventures, and meeting the challenges of the road are what I would like.
After reading this book I am tempted to write a sort of composite summary of the several STP rides I have done and trying to make a composite narrative of them. What I know about riding with others, monitoring my own hydration and nutrition level, and those around me, and recognizing Bonking when it happens, I think I may have something to add to the body of literature that exists on this subject. Is there a body of literature on Bonking? I'm not sure...
The sheer audacity of the undertaking jumps up at every turn. The three kids are really young: 2, 5, and 7. The 2-year old has a seat but not pedals, if you are wondering! They are experiencing America in the first person, and the parents are using the experience to teach them things that stay-at-home kids would never learn. As I read this account I think of my own experiences in riding, and riding long distances. Their short daily rides are, I'm sure, limited by their riding experience, and by their perspective that they are in for a long ride, that will take a long time, and they are in no hurry. And, I think, the great weight they are trying to push along the highways of America. They camp at night, carrying an REI tent that they set up along the road, at campsites, and in parks. The kids play, as kids do. The parents plan the next day's route, talk about the state of the trip, and assess risks as they can.
Passer's by ask about the crazy bike and what they are doing, and in getting the story are told that they are trying to be self-supporting along the way. The passers-by go and get food, sit with them to eat it, and generally participate in the journey.
It is a tale of triumph of spirit, of support from unexpected corners, and travelers being welcomed as in times of old. I met a woman from Denmark several years ago in Lewiston, ID. I had ridden up the Lewiston Grade, an amazing road of some 10 miles length carved into the side of a giant hillside. It carves from the top of the ridge to the bottom of the valley in un-countable switchbacks and curves, at a steady grade up (and an amazingly fun ride down). After the ride I crossed over the Clearwater River and rode down the bike trial to the confluence of the Snake River, and then up the Snake a bit. She was camping in a park along the Snake, and was setting up her tent and sitting on a picnic table. She said she had originally come on a 3 week vacation to British Columbia, and was planning to ride the Lolo Pass to Missoula, and then beyond. She had come from Granger that day, down a long and winding road into the Snake River Valley. She said that she had been camping in parks and public places, and had been having a generally good time of it. I was surprised, honestly, since the Redneck inhabitants of these areas I thought might have hassled her about simply camping out, but she said she hadn't had any problems. She was concerned about the road to Lolo, and I told her that this was a narrow and winding road, and that she should be careful. I hope she was.
The connection here is that both The Pedouins and this Danish woman were living their dream, and their dream was seeing the world from the seat of bicycle. THAT IS MY DREAM TOO! I've been slow to ride even across Washington, and that is EASY in comparison to what these guys are doing. I need to step up my game and get with it. The idea of carrying the gear you would need and camping along the way is attractive to me. Self sufficiency, pushing along as fast and as far as you like, stopping along the way, meeting people, having adventures, and meeting the challenges of the road are what I would like.
After reading this book I am tempted to write a sort of composite summary of the several STP rides I have done and trying to make a composite narrative of them. What I know about riding with others, monitoring my own hydration and nutrition level, and those around me, and recognizing Bonking when it happens, I think I may have something to add to the body of literature that exists on this subject. Is there a body of literature on Bonking? I'm not sure...
Golf? Really?
I wanted to note for my readers that I have been trying to improve my golf game in anticipation of a couple of BRUKS Rockwood company events that will be happening in October. On Oct. 10 I am participating in a Golf Outing in Alpharetta where customers have been invited and I need to be at least OK. Then, on Oct. 21 and 22, I will be playing in the company "tournament" in Destin FL. This is a time of great razzing and hazing, and comporting myself well at this time will mean a lot.
Anyway, I have been playing as often as I can in anticipation of these outings, and I credit David Oldham, my golf partner in Snohomish, with improving my game tremendously. I am now shooting in the mid to high 80's, and this is a great improvement for me.
I also want to thank Chief for sharing his hybrid clubs with me. I have added literally 30-45 yards to the length of some of the short club shots I make (my 9 Iron shots have been about 100 yards, and now they are 135-145 yards, for example). And my accuracy has improved.
The one bad thing is that I shared Chief's putter with David, and he has improved his putting incredibly, sinking putts from 30-50 feet! And he doesn't miss the 6-10 foot putts anymore! Yikes! I was beating him because he 3-putted, and now he is 1 and 2-putting! HUGE DIFFERENCE!
Maybe I need to ask for the putter back?
Anyway, I have been playing as often as I can in anticipation of these outings, and I credit David Oldham, my golf partner in Snohomish, with improving my game tremendously. I am now shooting in the mid to high 80's, and this is a great improvement for me.
I also want to thank Chief for sharing his hybrid clubs with me. I have added literally 30-45 yards to the length of some of the short club shots I make (my 9 Iron shots have been about 100 yards, and now they are 135-145 yards, for example). And my accuracy has improved.
The one bad thing is that I shared Chief's putter with David, and he has improved his putting incredibly, sinking putts from 30-50 feet! And he doesn't miss the 6-10 foot putts anymore! Yikes! I was beating him because he 3-putted, and now he is 1 and 2-putting! HUGE DIFFERENCE!
Maybe I need to ask for the putter back?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Dikinetic Existence is Killing Me
My life exists in two basic forms. One is the common sitting position with a keyboard in front of me, staring at a screen. The second is running around doing something that is akin to exercise, such as basketball or golf (admittedly golf is less a sport than a way to walk around or drive a cart around while drinking beer, but stick with me on this). When exercising I feel good and there are few problems. When sitting there seem to be little aches and pains that creep into my joints and various muscles. My right hip has been sore for about 10 years, ever since I figured out how to kick that damn red ball 60 yards for the dog to chase (throwing out my hip in the process). Now my left forearm is sore from golfing. After a lifetime of not using my left arm for anything more important than balancing the active right side of my body, it turns on me when I need it most. Rotten appendage. Ungrateful, that's what it is!
I should point out that chasing the ball has not turned out all that well for the dog, either. Riccia is now almost 13 years old, and her right hip joint is worse than mine. She can hardly walk. She hasn't swum for several years, and even just getting around in the house is a challenge. She used to run like the wind and never stopped. Now she can't get up. When she goes outside to pee we have to help her get back into the house by lifting her hind end up the 2 short stairs. I am just glad there is not a quick brown fox around.
Interestingly, bicycling makes my hip feel better. OK, it hurts at the start for the first 3-4 miles, but soon the pain subsides and I can ride fine and I feel good at the end of the ride and all the next day. The limited motion apparently releases the needed endorphins, which work better than any oral medication I've found (and I have not looked much at all - I don't like taking pills).
On another front, we are now starting to actively look for another large black cat to adopt. I stopped by the Snohomish County adoption society yesterday and they had two, but neither was the perfect one. One was kind of scraggly-looking, and the other was a Siamese-cross sort of cat with blue eyes. I liked this one better, he was 16 pounds and built like a brick, and very friendly. I think he would be the kind of cat that will talk with you, once he settled into his home situation. However, we are looking to add this cat sometime in October, not in August, as we still have some traveling to do this fall. I'll keep my eyes open and see what we can find.
I should point out that chasing the ball has not turned out all that well for the dog, either. Riccia is now almost 13 years old, and her right hip joint is worse than mine. She can hardly walk. She hasn't swum for several years, and even just getting around in the house is a challenge. She used to run like the wind and never stopped. Now she can't get up. When she goes outside to pee we have to help her get back into the house by lifting her hind end up the 2 short stairs. I am just glad there is not a quick brown fox around.
Interestingly, bicycling makes my hip feel better. OK, it hurts at the start for the first 3-4 miles, but soon the pain subsides and I can ride fine and I feel good at the end of the ride and all the next day. The limited motion apparently releases the needed endorphins, which work better than any oral medication I've found (and I have not looked much at all - I don't like taking pills).
On another front, we are now starting to actively look for another large black cat to adopt. I stopped by the Snohomish County adoption society yesterday and they had two, but neither was the perfect one. One was kind of scraggly-looking, and the other was a Siamese-cross sort of cat with blue eyes. I liked this one better, he was 16 pounds and built like a brick, and very friendly. I think he would be the kind of cat that will talk with you, once he settled into his home situation. However, we are looking to add this cat sometime in October, not in August, as we still have some traveling to do this fall. I'll keep my eyes open and see what we can find.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Idaho, Georgia, and Rain in Washington
The trip to kellogg was as good as expected. It was sunny and wrm during the day, and cool at night. We rode bicycles, hiked in the mountains, toured the mines of Kellogg, golfed, and generally had the fun we planned to have. It was a great vacation and only dissapointed in that it didn't last longer.
We stopped off in Spokane to visit Mark and Anne on our way over. Mark's healing leg was looking a bit stiff but he is now able to hobble around on it. The casts were off and the wound was in plain evidence. It didn't look at all bad, I thought, and I am hopeful he is able to get back on the golf course ASAP. Mark made me a wonderful gift of his old driver, a true Loaf Of Bread On a Stick, which I made good use of in Kellogg and since. Apparently he didn't get rid of all the bad shots it held inside itself, but I am exercising these demons as often as possible. When I hit it straight the ball really flies, and I thank him again for this wonderful gift (or is it a loan?). Anway,I hope to show him how I have mastered it soon.
One bad thing happened on our vacation. No, I'm not talking about Shannon's multiple crashes on her mountain bike while descending Silver Mountain on narrow mountain trails at high speed. No, Iim not talking about Judy's harrowing adventures on the recumbent bicycle on the Tour de Couer d'Alene's Trail's many miles of open air riding and Moose Viewing. I'm talking about my catching a cold. Yuk. I didn't let it slow me down, but now that the manditory 2 weeks of suffering are over, I'm glad to report that I feel better.
Actually, Judy has really taken to the recumbent and is going great on it. She has mastered the "Getting Started" procedure, and goes straight and fast on the straight parts of the trail. She doesn't like tight turns, and up hills she is definitely slow, but she is getting used to the ride, and likes it. Click here to see a video of our bicycling trip.
We returned home on Saturday, late, and I took the midnight flight on Sunday to Atlanta. Inursed my cold through the week until it finally has cleared up, just in time for a rainy and cool day here today, the first one in a month! I guess Summer is Over for Washington!
We stopped off in Spokane to visit Mark and Anne on our way over. Mark's healing leg was looking a bit stiff but he is now able to hobble around on it. The casts were off and the wound was in plain evidence. It didn't look at all bad, I thought, and I am hopeful he is able to get back on the golf course ASAP. Mark made me a wonderful gift of his old driver, a true Loaf Of Bread On a Stick, which I made good use of in Kellogg and since. Apparently he didn't get rid of all the bad shots it held inside itself, but I am exercising these demons as often as possible. When I hit it straight the ball really flies, and I thank him again for this wonderful gift (or is it a loan?). Anway,I hope to show him how I have mastered it soon.
One bad thing happened on our vacation. No, I'm not talking about Shannon's multiple crashes on her mountain bike while descending Silver Mountain on narrow mountain trails at high speed. No, Iim not talking about Judy's harrowing adventures on the recumbent bicycle on the Tour de Couer d'Alene's Trail's many miles of open air riding and Moose Viewing. I'm talking about my catching a cold. Yuk. I didn't let it slow me down, but now that the manditory 2 weeks of suffering are over, I'm glad to report that I feel better.
Actually, Judy has really taken to the recumbent and is going great on it. She has mastered the "Getting Started" procedure, and goes straight and fast on the straight parts of the trail. She doesn't like tight turns, and up hills she is definitely slow, but she is getting used to the ride, and likes it. Click here to see a video of our bicycling trip.
We returned home on Saturday, late, and I took the midnight flight on Sunday to Atlanta. Inursed my cold through the week until it finally has cleared up, just in time for a rainy and cool day here today, the first one in a month! I guess Summer is Over for Washington!
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