Anchorage

Made it home from Alaska on Wednesday afternoon. It was a great trip. We got to see a bit of the "Last Frontier" while on the train and on the bus trip in Denali National Park. Anchorage is like most big cities, at least while we were there. I imagine it'll change a bit once the weather starts turning and the tourists go home. That'll be coming up pretty quick they say. The train will stop running the daily excursions in about two weeks and the lodge in the park will do likewise. The lodge where we had lunch on the bus ride is at the end of the road 92 miles from the park entrance. The first 15 miles are paved and then it turns to gravel. The gravel is pretty well maintained but I would think keeping it in good shape is a never ending chore.

There were shuttle busses running most everywhere you wanted to go around town, so transportation wasn't an issue. We caught the Ulu Factory shuttle right next to our hotel and it dropped us off uptown right next to the visitor's center. On the second day of the trip Cousin Kirk and I were discussing what to do next when a shuttle from the Harley dealer pulled up. We decided to give that a go and off we went with Eddie at the wheel. Eddie's a retired firefighter from Anchorage and is a couple of years younger than me. He gave us the guided tour of the bike shop and cracked jokes along the way.

The shop had some nice used bikes on display as well as the new inventory. They also store bikes for customers over the winter. The prices on the new bikes seemed higher than what you would pay here in Indiana but I'm not an expert on any of the new bikes but it would be easy enough to get the MSRP off the internet and compare. As we were leaving the HD dealership, I just happened to look across the parking lot and noticed the Motoquest shop. 

There was an article in Motorcyclist magazine about them that I had read just a few days before leaving. I had considered looking the place up and then it just fell into my lap. I ran over there and talked to a nice young lady who answered a few of my questions and put me on the e-mail list. I've never done a long distance bike tour and they do tours in 20 different countries and rent bikes for solo tours as well. I'm going to check into that and see what's available. The Missus is not real comfortable with me setting out on my own on a bike tour but I might be able to get her to buy in on a group tour. She's very understanding of my wanderlust, but there is a limit. I don't want to push that limit - there's still a few other places I want to go.

Now that I've got my laundry done, the grass mowed and the litter box emptied out, I'll post a few more photos from the trip tomorrow.

Denali

I doubt seriously we'll be able to see the mountain as clearly as this due to the weather conditions but we're planning on taking a tour bus that'll get us out on that road. Should be a great experience regardless of the weather.

We've got a couple of days here and then it's board the train back to Anchorage and home from there. 

Talkeetna

Now the real fun begins - Alaska Railroad to Denali after a stopover in Talkeetna.

Looks like my kind of town. I don't know if I could live in Alaska. There must be some attraction to it or there wouldn't be towns like Talkeetna. They say making it through your first winter will tell the tale. I could probably get a gig teaching welding some place up there if I was seriously considering moving - a gelato stand in Italy would probably be more to my liking at this stage of my life. I've always admired Richard Proenneke in the movie Alone in the Wilderness, however. If you're an adventurous soul you should see that movie if you haven't already.

Anchorage

Catching the train northbound tomorrow.

North to Alaska - I can check number 47 off the list now. California, Nevada and Hawaii are the remaining three. I might get one of those yet this year and hopefully one next year. I want to go to Bonneville which is right on the Nevada border and not too far away from Ely, where there is a steam train I'd like to ride. I'll concentrate on Alaska for the moment.

English Trials Bike

Saw this one on the Villiers Engine group on Facebook. This is the look I'm shooting for with mine. I was figuring I'd have to get a seat made up but I might be able to find something like the one pictured here off the shelf. Everything else has pretty much fallen into place now that I've got the aluminum fenders.

I finished packing for my trip after I drilled the rivets out to take the wheels and handle off. The first one was a little tricky but after I saw what I was up against, no problem-o! I put some 8-32 screws thru the holes to maintain the integrity of the suitcase and there I was - good to go. I'll save the wheels and handle to put back on after I get home.

I had a couple of more lag bolts to put in the barn veranda that I couldn't get at on Saturday. I jacked the assembly up a bit to get clearance for a drill under it and finished bolting that up. I'll see about standing it up after I get back from Alaska.

School starts at the college this week. I'm going to work one day and then call off until after Labor Day. Ordinarily I'd be ashamed of myself for something like that but the trip was already arranged before I got the call to come back to work. I'm starting to get nervous about the trip - a good nervous but nervous just the same. I've got a couple days yet to check and double check my gear as well as getting a few more things done around the shack before I go. Should be a great experience.

Veranda

Barn veranda's ready for lift off. I got a little help in the morning yesterday moving the platform out of the barn where it's been parked for about a year. Now I need to round up some help to stand it up and I'll be able to finish it. I haven't quite decided on the details of the railing but I'll come up with a solution after I get the platform up, install the flooring and the corner posts. Not quite ready to be sipping mint juleps on the veranda, but a decent step forward yesterday.

Mostly Education Post

One of my favorites from the Band as performed by Aretha. Like most of us, she had her share of ups and downs, but she had a good run.

I read in the Wall Street Journal that France is banning cell phones from schools until high school age. I personally think that's a great idea. It's hard enough to keep students on task as it is. No point in adding to their distractions. Also I read in the paper that New York University is offering free tuition to medical students. The Home Depot founder gave 100 million to help underwrite the cost. That in itself is pretty impressive. And staying in the education vein, or maybe in vain, I decided to check in on Doug Stowe at The Wisdom of the Hands blog.

I haven't been reading him of late, mostly because I'm not currently involved in education and I'm not in a position to fix any of the current problems in education, even if I was so inclined. I'm pretty happy not having my blood pressure spike reading about all the silliness that is the current state of affairs. However, Doug Stowe is always a voice of reason, offering not only well deserved criticism but excellent suggestions that would go a long way towards fixing the problems if people in charge would implement them. I should start reading him on a daily basis like I used to.

I'm going to try and get some work done on the barn veranda today. I need a little muscle moving the platform and the columns. Hopefully, I can get that taken care of this morning and I can then fasten everything together on my own after I get them staged in place. After I get that accomplished I'll need to get some help once again to raise the platform up into place. I'll finish the floor and railings after I get it up in the air.

The Missus hit me up with a job on her walker. It's a roll around thing that she bought at a garage sale or something but she needs me to modify it a bit. Depending on how the weekend goes, I might be able to get that knocked out, or at least get a healthy start on it.

I checked with the airline on the luggage requirements for the Alaska trip. The carry-on bag can be no taller than 22" x 14" W x 9" D. My bag is that size exactly except for the height. With the wheels it's 2" too tall. A checked bag is $25.00 each way. I can get everything I need in the bag except my jacket - I might be able to squeeze that in if I use one of the plastic "shrink wrap" bags on some of the other stuff in the bag. I'm going to try that first but we we're talking about taking a larger piece of luggage for the bulky items and splitting the cost. Either way, I think I'm going to drill the rivets out holding the wheels on my bag and then it'll be good as a carry-on.

Well, Well, Batman!

I picked up the rest of  the blocks to finish up the well project yesterday. The Missus suggested putting a bucket over the actual well and then fill the brickwork with dirt and make it a flower bed. That was pretty much where I was headed with this thing, so I'm glad we're in agreement there. I need to get the rest of the dirt around the well cleaned up and leveled off and plant some grass seed to repair the yard and then that'll be taken care of.

The big tall tree in the background is the willow that had the branch break off the other day. I had gotten most of the clean up taken care of with my little electric chainsaw but I still had a piece that was connected but broken about 20 feet up. Cuzzin Ricky brought over a "chainsaw on a stick" that allowed me to drop the remaining limb and trim up a couple other trees in the yard while I had it here.

I went to see the travel agent yesterday to finalize the details of the Alaska trip. Starting to get excited about that. Rick and I were talking about a couple other trips in the future as well. I talked to my boss while I was out running errands and told him if he wants me to teach a couple more classes he might have to find me a sub for a couple of days. He said no problem - he's just real happy I'm coming back. He wants me to teach the Fab class this spring semester, so I posed the idea of building a trailer in the class along with a few other things like I did last time. He's good with that as well. That's one of the reasons I like working there - everything's always so easy. No BS, lots of freedom to teach the class as I see fit.

And last but not least, I was awoken by a bat buzzing around the bedroom about 2:30 Monday night. I was just thinking the other day it was about time for one to show up. We seem to get one in the house every couple of years. I have no idea how they get in. Maybe fly through the door while we're letting the dog in or out. You'd think we'd notice a bat buzzing by one of us but I don't know. I've pretty well perfected the process of getting them back out of the house but I don't like them buzzing by me in the middle of the night. Maybe I watched too many Dracula movies when I was a kid but they're way too spooky for me.

Tenderloin!

The giant tenderloin. That bun is bigger than the average one you'd get at the grocery - more like one you'd get on a Whopper from Burger king. There's lettuce, pickles, onion, and tomato underneath there. And it comes with fries. Only in America!

Salem

Cuzzin Ricky and I went to the Silver Crown race at Salem, Indiana on Saturday. We stopped in Edinburgh for the BIG pork tenderloin sandwich on our way down. I forgot my camera but Rick took a photo of the two tenderloins and e-mailed it to me but for some reason I couldn't get it to load. Probably because it was too big - the sandwich was about the size of a manhole cover. I'll try and figure out what's going on with the photo. You really need to see these monsters.

The racing was good. I'd never been to the Salem Speedway before. It's a half-mile + paved track with some really high banking. Those champ cars really fly around there. 75 lap feature with 19 cars starting the race. Prior to the start they had the cars and the drivers on the grid and opened things up for autographs. They also had a stock car race prior to the champ cars and a some vintage cars between the races. Nice night at the track.

We took the long way home and headed west from Salem through Paoli and over to French Lick. We passed through Millersburg where my dad used to own some property but I couldn't remember where exactly it was or we'd have made a short detour and swung by. We stopped in French Lick to check out the Indiana Railway Museum, took a ride on the trolley from there to the hotel at West Baden Springs and did a bit of a walk-about. Beautiful hotel and grounds.

We headed west after the trolley ride and hit US 41 to head home so we could stop at the Big Peach for some fruit and produce and then stop in Terre Haute at the pie place for lunch. Pretty good tour of Indiana on a beautiful summer Sunday. Much more pleasant driving home on 41 than on I-65 also.

Back to work around the shack today with leftover tenderloin for lunch.

Bolts

The bolts arrived for the Rickati. I installed them where they should go to make sure the lengths were right and installed the couple I needed for the 900 as well. I probably won't make much headway on the bikes in the next few days. I picked up the blocks to finish the well job and some lumber to get the veranda for the new barn to the point I can raise it into place. I came up a couple of blocks shy to finish the well, so I need to pick up a couple more to be finished but since they're laid dry it'll only take me a couple of minutes to finish up once I get the blocks.

I've still got a bit of lumberjack work to finish up. I'm going to try and get that done today after I take the missus to the eye doctor. Maybe work on one of the bikes after supper.

Last Load

Last load for the old Dodge - license plates expired Tuesday. It's just as well. I've got a brake dragging on the right rear that needs attention. I smelled it the other day when I went to pick up the 6x6 timbers for the barn veranda. I've got to decide if I'm going to swap out the tires from the Dodge to the new Ford. They're the same size and have about the same mileage on them. The tread pattern is a bit more aggressive on the old truck - might come in handy this winter. I don't know how the short wheelbase on the new truck is going to react in the snow. I checked on what it would cost to get the tires swapped out. Just need to decide if I feel it's worth it or not. If I decide to go ahead, I'll pull the drum off the old truck and see what's going on inside there while I've got the wheel off. Obviously I don't want to spend any money on the truck but I wouldn't want it to lock up on someone when they were driving it home either.

I picked up some blocks to build a protective wall around the new well when I got the timbers. I need to decide if I'm going to get a few more blocks and square off the corners or get enough to go all around it like it was a real well pit. I'll ask the Missus and I'm sure she'll say go all the way around. I'll see about picking those up in the next couple of days. I'm also going to make an herb garden using the little patch on the other side of those stones in the top right of the photo. That'll also give the cat some more dirt to roll around in.

While I was contemplating where to put the timbers, I heard a big crack and turned around just in time to see the big willow branch come down on top of the truck. Fortunately, it was mostly the soft branches that got the cab. The big piece just missed the hood. I figured I'd get over there and find the windshield broken but got lucky this time. Of course then I had to stop what I was doing and switch over to lumberjack mode. It's no wonder I never get anything finished. Even when I have the best of intentions, something always seems to come up to sidetrack me.

The stainless screws for the Rickati have been shipped. Not much else to report on that at the present time. Likewise, not much to report on the 900. I've started chasing wires, which is better than what I'm usually doing, which is chasing my tail.

There's a 50 mile bicycle ride that I want to do coming up in about a month. The only problem is the county decided to tar & chip all the roads by my house. Not bicycle friendly at all. Or motorcycle friendly either. Or friendly to someone with a new truck that he doesn't want to get all dinged up either. They just paved a section that I usually travel on my way to work and I'll bet even money they're going to cover up that lovely new black top with the crappy tar & chips. Looks like I'm going to have to start training for the bike ride using my mountain bike or throw my road bike in the truck and drive somewhere to ride my bike. How asinine is that? Oh well.

Jesus Saves

From Here

.... but Mikata gets the rebound.

Stan Mikata passed away yesterday at the age of 78. As a kid growing up in the Chicago viewing area, I listened or watched Cubs and Sox games in the summer and Blackhawks games in the winter. He was a household name for many years. I'm not one to buy a lot of team clothing or memorabilia but the one piece I do have is a Mikata jersey. Another of my childhood heroes gone.

Rest in Peace Stan.

B-25 Mitchell

I completed the hat trick of bomber flights yesterday with a ride in the B-25. Much different airplane than the B-17 and B-24 I went in previously. Sort of like the difference between a sportscar and a semi. Nothing I'd want to be in when the shooting started, just the same. This one was originally manned by a crew of eight. I would assume some of the crew would only have been in their late teens - meaning only a year or two older than the guys I used to have in my high school classes. It still amazes me that it's possible to fight a war with guys like I used to get in class, or still do, for that matter. In fact, the top photo is where I'll be reporting back to in a couple of weeks.

The plane in the bottom photo takes passengers on rides as well. This was the first time we saw this one. If it comes back next year we're planning on signing up for a ride. The cost is about the same as a ride in the B-17 or B-24. It ain't cheap but I am back working again. Besides, you only go around once, can't take it with you and all that.

Went to the wedding of my saddle pal/running buddy on Friday afternoon. I've been to a lot of weddings over the years but this was the first one I had to go through a metal detector to attend. The wedding was held in a federal courthouse and presided over by a federal judge. Small wedding with just a few close friends and family. I felt honored to be included. Her and I have known each other for 20 years now. Ours is a rather unusual friendship but one that I value highly. She married a very good man and I hope the two of them will be very happy together. 

Didn't get anything done on the projects this weekend. Temps climbed back into the nineties and I didn't really feel like doing much after the gym on Saturday and the plane ride yesterday - so I didn't. Some times I act just like a retired guy! Not for long though. Planning on getting some progress in the shop and around the shack this week. Need to finish up the Rickati to the point I can send the motor out and make some more progress on the 900. Got the Alaska trip fast approaching, so I'd like to have a few more things around the shack taken care of also.

Have a good week, get some exercise and save your money. You'll thank me when you're my age.

Fenders

Busy day yesterday. Cuzzin Ricky bought himself another truck to add to his fleet, so I went with him to bring it home. It was worth a free breakfast and tee shirt, so that wasn't too bad a deal. By the time I got home the UPS man had been there and my fenders and tubing were waiting for me.

I took the old Preston Petty off and took a look at what it's going to take to mount the new one up. There's a bracket under the seat pan that will work. It was just tacked on so I put a couple more tacks on the front side, cut the tacks loose on the back side and then whacked it with a hammer until the angle was about right. I can move the fender forward a little bit yet but not much without hitting the battery box. Likewise I can shorten up the leading edge and rotate it around so I don't have quite so much sticking out the back. The frame loop around the back doesn't seem to look quite as "dorky" with the new fender but I'm going to bend up a new piece with a radius that will match the curvature of the fender and see how that looks. I'm sure it will look better as long as I do a decent job of bending it.

Not sure what I want to do with the front fender yet. I can mount it off the fork legs or off the bottom of the lower triple clamp like what you see on the cover of the AHRMA program Speed & Sport included in the box with the fenders. I'll keep working the back end and when I've got that dialed in I'll see about the front. Might want to consult with Surly before making any bold moves. One of these days this thing will be his anyway.

I am glad they threw the program into the box. It describes the various classes AHRMA runs currently. There have been some changes since I was a member, as you would expect. It does have the trials classes listed, so that's a plus. My original goal was to hook up my little trailer and head out to a few events after retiring. Throw the trials bike in the back of the truck, compete in the trials, enjoy the vintage road racing, and then come on home. If I keep moving forward on this project, that could be a reality for next year.

I've got another busy day on tap today - take the dog in for a haircut and then a wedding later in the day. It'll be a small ceremony in the afternoon and then dinner afterwards. I've got some things planned already for the weekend as well. August looks to be a busy month for me.

Tooth and Pie

I got the wisdom tooth pulled on Monday - went about like I expected it to. The dentist pulled and twisted until the top of the tooth broke off and then he drilled and pulled and twisted some more. He put a few stitches in me and then sent me on my way. He wrote a prescription for some pain pills that were a blessing. The pain woke me up about 3:00 in the morning, so I got up and took a pill but that was the last one I needed. So Monday was basically a washout, other than the fun time at the dentist.

Yesterday wasn't all that productive either. I did get a few chores done around the house and spent a little time in the shop. The metal and the fenders for the Rickati are both scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. I'm going with Cuzzin Ricky to check out another truck tomorrow as well, so that'll shoot the majority of the day in the fanny. I did find a couple of places online that sell stainless metric hardware. I'll try to get my order placed today for the Rickati bolts and a couple of other bits and pieces I need as long as I'm placing an order.

The Missus has been moving around a bit better of late. Good enough to bake a blueberry pie at least. Just can't beat a good home made fruit pie. Comfort food for guy with a sore jaw and a hole where a tooth used to be.

Saw this on Facebook. There's a BSA group on there that posts lots of nice bikes, as well as old stuff and technical information. Good place to get some ideas if a guy was to be contemplating building a BSA. I like the looks of this one quite a bit. Non standard front brake which might be the best way to go. The one on my brother's old bike will hardly stop you while you're pushing the bike around in the garage. I've heard it's possible to get the stock brake to work properly - have to cross that bridge when we get to it. Hopefully not too much longer. I think Surly has the plan all worked out. One of these days I'll start working on the sidecovers and start ordering in some pieces. Need to get a little farther along on the Rickati and the 900 before I pull the cover off that one. Only so many irons in  the fire at one time.