Baby got new shoes

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Waldo

After 14 years I think I’ve worn out my cycling shoes. I’ve nursed them along with gorilla tape and new holes for the laces for the past few years and now they are heading into retirement. I bought the same brand and size (EU 43) to replace them, but the shoes are nowhere near the same size. I ended up going two sizes larger (EU 45) to find a pair that fit. Seems like the EU is shrinking*

I also semi-retired my old hydration pack which has lasted 15 years so far. The main compartment zipper had a work related injury about 5 years ago and never recovered. The other zippers are getting hard to zip so when I found a new pack on sale/ closeout I ordered it. Converting to the new pack was harder than I thought it should be. Finding a place for tools and other goo-gaws was tough. The pack needs more small pockets

Another grand day on the bike! This time the new Wrangler trail

There is a new trail in the Loma area. They completed work on the Wrangler trail from the upper trail head to the Kokopelli trail head and it’s nice. I rode up Mary’s and down Wrangler as a fellow rider suggested and it worked out. I don’t think I have the strength to climb it from the bottom up, but if you do then it would be fun that way too. They also added a half-mile to Steve’s and it’s a great addition to an already great trail!

Definitive proof that Space-Time is 4-dimensional and measures 24x16x6x1

I made a science discovery this week. I found proof that Space-Time is four-dimensional! 24x16x6x1 to be exact. Take that large hadron collider! Also in the news this week was the first picture of a black hole

A little perspective from xkcd https://xkcd.com/2135/

I went riding with some people I met in the camp ground. I like riding with people I meet here. Anyway we had a great ride except for the part where Jen fell and broke a bone in her thumb and snapped the ligament. YIKES!
Even with a broken thumb she was way faster on a bike than me

A mocha colored stream on tan rocks is hard to photograph

Delightful stream in the Devil’s Canyon area

The hills are turning green, the river is turning brown

Pulled into the trail head and there are 13 new porta potties – not a good omen

(*) It’s a Brexit joke. As I write this Britain is busy shooting itself in the economic foot just because they don’t want any more foreigners on their island. Stupid British government

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Slow News Day

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Waldo

After a few weeks of fixing things in the shop and cleaning up after the campers the big excitement was getting a parcel delivered to my door! Over the winter one of the other hosts trained the UPS and FedEx drivers to bring parcels to the host camp site. The plus for them is they get to drop the package and don’t have to come back because the office is closed. The plus for us is ToYs!

Since I’m not spending $500 a month on fuel I can afford to splurge on some things. Nice
I bought new boots to hike in and new shoes to mtn bike in plus some shorts without holes worn in them. Gettin’ fancy around here. The kids are still barefoot though so not too fancy

A Honda Africa Adventure Bike. I’m planning to get on this and ride it for four days without any practice on it beforehand. Once you learn you never forget – right??

I also put down a deposit on a rental-bike for a trip this July. Planning to ride with my friend from Tennessee when he comes to Colorado to Adventure Bike in the mountains. Hope I don’t get wet!

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Spring – Sprung!

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Waldo

Nice parcel on the road to the Kokopelli trail

The first signs of spring are in the air. The water is back on at the camp sites, two days of riding in shorts, and campers in the park. (Later that same week) The temperature dropped to 25*, the water got turned off again, and it started raining and snowing. Mud season!

PFFeeww – Whirrrrrrrr
Damage control to the bridge!
We suffered a failure in our primary Dihydrogen Oxide containment system. Luckily I was in an adjacent compartment when the line blew and I heard it go PFFFffffffew, then the pump came on. I jumped into action and shut the pump off then cleaned up the mess in the storage compartment.

An increased pressure in the heating tanks caused the compression fitting to let go of the PEX tube in my handy-dandy shower hot water re-circulation system. I likely didn’t get it tight enough the first time. I corrected that oversight during the repair phase

Friend is in from out of town so we meet up in Glenwood Springs and made faces at the camera

Lets cut that open and see what’s inside!

These are Zurn water hammers. They gave their all for the cause and we cut one open to see what is inside. Turns out it has a bellows in it. Fancy

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Bomb Cyclone!

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Waldo

Bomb Cyclone just sounds cool. It’s one of the better weather-words. It ranks right up there with Polar Vortex.

Anyway as I’m writing this a Bomb Cyclone is laying waste to the country from Denver to Dallas and parts east. Roads closed, flights canceled, planes damaged, etc.

Here in Fruita we’ve been getting a lot of rain and winds gusting to 35 mph. Nothing damaging but it’s keeping me off the bike and the boys in the house

The burner on the Hotsy stopped working after a few tanks of fuel

I have been busy in the shop this week. Since the Park is getting geared up to greet visitors we have been using equipment to clean the Park and it has been breaking. So far I have resurrected two snow machines from a mouse-infested shed, fixed reverse in a Kawasaki Mule, and changed out 700-pounds of batteries. It seems every time I fix something and get it out of the shop two more things come in to replace it.

I have done a little work on Truck 2.0. The fuel filler pocket I fixed with epoxy 20 years ago finally fell apart so I taped it back together with Gorilla Tape (the filler pocket is the space behind the fuel door where the fuel cap is)

I did come here to keep busy so I guess the prophesy has been fulfilled

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Park Model

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Waldo

2018 was our big year on the road. We visited friends and saw the sights. We toured from southern Arizona all the way to Canada. From Texas to California and back to Colorado. All told about 16,900 miles, more than 300 hours of crate-time for the boys. That’s enough hours to get a commercial pilot’s license! Too bad they were sleeping and not studying

2019 will be a year of sitting quietly, working on Park stuffs, and maybe some Repairs & Modifications (Like a sky light!)

I’ll post the interesting happenings as the spring turns to summer, then to fall once again

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Gooseberry Road to Fruita

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Waldo

We left at 0-dark-hundred and arrived in Fruita before lunch. The sunrise was a very pretty event which camera’s cannot capture so I’ll save you looking at a washed out rendition of reality.

UDOT keeping it interesting out on the super-slab

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100 Posts!

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Waldo

A year into our big adventure and we have posted 100 times! YaY!

Sand Hollow State Park to Gooseberry Canyon Road
After a long day on the road we got muded out of our planned camp spot. Almost got stuck in the mud, but didn’t!

Kitty hunting big game in the Utah desert

We ended up in a nearby UDOT work yard where the boys got to play in the mud and make little kitty paw prints

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Ask Mike Moore

Pondering