Moving....

Packing for a permanent move is a bitch. I think Im gonna just shower, get dressed and go. With the dirtbike of course.

Water....

Comic of the Day....

I just found this guys website. Hilarious!

Odds and Ends....

While I was out mapping I saw this interesting thing....

Whether you believe it or not, thats an inflatable dam. Going ALL the way across the river. A kayakers nightmare.

Big Move....

With the action in the sights, I prepare. First is the Nissan....if you want it say so, otherwise day by day Im taking it apart, listing parts on ebay, and at the end of the month whatevers left goes to the recycler. Stuff like, radiator, engine, tranny, wheels, seats....all of which is in good condition minus the leaky tranny.


Also ready to go is the KZ550, Justins Virago in the background there can go too. I have a pile of stuff that my mom is keeping for god knows what, mainly assorted dining sets from around the world (after she realized a couple years ago that entertaining is too hard). I have some more clothes Ive been keeping from gradeschool and highschool. Some misc whitewater gear. Hopefully in the end I can get back some of what was raped from me by the mechanic in salida...asshat.

Jetty Jacks....

They are ugly. Once put in for erosion control, now being taken out for safety hazard. Im mapping em.


Heres what something like that looks like:

Left Unspoken....

From the Vault....

A long long time ago, Kim and Keith decided to trade pants. That belt is from my 2nd year in college.


Just so you know, Kim is Garretts sister. I have an amazing ass.

Steam Powered....

Since I got back from Tennessee, which was most amazing btw, Ive been piling up the projects and knocking them down before I run out of any kind of motivation and before I move to California, which, again, is another matter completely (six commas, one sentence). Allow me:

Ordered some glass doors for the fireplace, and installed them.


Put a new starter in the Apocalypse.


Wiring that inverter in is always a treat, s'been mounted for over 6 months now.


Regluing the rearview mirror to the windsheild, fell off in Nov.


Testing a new jacket for Outside, havent taken it off yet, slept in it once already.


Installing new shocks all'round, and painted them too. A total bitch in the front, ugh.


Warrantying most of my gear and sending it back.


Pretending I didnt cut off access permissions to ALL my files on the server. Im special like that. If you know how to fix that please do tell.

Lappy Mount....

How to build a car laptop mount in a few easy steps:

1. Find wood in yard.
2. Sand it.


3. Drill strap hole, sand some more.
4. Varnish a couple of times.


5. Wire in inverter for constant battery power.
6. Strap on armrest, use it.


I personally like the wood grained mouse pad, ftw! This thing is way more stout that I thought it would be, by a long shot. And the dog, I like her too.

You might be wondering why I do this? Well Im doing some major river surveying in Abq and will be spending 2 weeks ground truthing some imagery. This way I can map objects of interest real time while driving the access roads.

Quiz....

Can you name these feet?

You Cant Fix Stupid....

Yesterday afternoon I did something stupid. On the one day where I had a pile of things that I HAD to do I decided to go up to the mesa in search of a festivus log. I swear, less than 35 min into the adventure I was stuck in thigh-hip deep snow. 5 hours of digging and rigging JBobb shows up to pull Pete and I out. Lucky for us there was an emergency stash of Busch Light in the back.


Note the awesome curl the tow hook did to the push bar. I was more than impressed to say the least.


More pics coming--->

Automatronics....

It sucks sometimes that I thought I enjoyed mechanical work. Now Ive figured out too much to go back. I sat with a beer in front of the stove for an hour

Last night I replaced a failing starter (new one sounds rad like transformers!). Replaced steering dampers. Got ready to replace front shocks, later.

Recently Ive upgraded the trackbar, wheels and rims, valve cover gaskets, fog lights, jack and mount and other stuff.

Rebirth....

Found this old nasty rusty skillet, and since Ive been looking for a skillet for some time now I was pretty stoked to begin the procedure. Rebirth:

The initial part was bad looking. So I took a dremel brush to it.

Right after the heavy brushing. Im adding some olive oil to make a rusty paste and then continue dremeling the hell out of the inside.

Give it a huge cleaning with oil and paper towels a couple of times and then fry up some old bacon grease and cook some more rust out.

Preheat oven to 400 and grease up the pan for hearty seasoning with some crisco. leave in there for at least an hour and let cool in oven.

Look at that amazing nonstick surface! Rust be gone.

Just to test things out I fired up some grilled cheese. Works like a charm! (whatever that means?)

Recipe of the Day....

When I woke this morning I had intentions of cooking. I had been to the store and come home with crackers, bacon and kale the day before. Digging through the cupboards I finally had a roster of my potential ingredients. After making some paint-removing coffee and eating some toast with egg fired in the middle I started the 5 lbs bacon. Then came out the crockpot.

Bacon, potato, mushroom, and green leech soup!

-Cook up all the bacon and remove as much fat as possible.
-Fire up the crockpot on low with about a liter of water and big helping of seasoning salt.
-Cube 4 potatoes and add em in
-Add cooked bacon
-Add 3 cans cream of mushroom soup
-Slice up an onion and toss it in too
-Add an unhealthy portion of chicken bouillon
-Toss in a can of peas
-Chop kale and chard and add near the last couple of hours (looks like green leeches!)
-Serve with buttered toast for dipping



Freak out as you slurp the leech like kale in your mouth and enjoy this craziness to the very end.
My portioning made about a weeks worth or enough for 6 people to have double bowls

Road Trip, Post Haste....

The NW adventure pre GC was a complete success. I covered in excess of 5000 miles in 4 weeks. I tried to make a map where the lines are colored relative to their elevation, but didnt quite work as expected. Oh well.

Pro Deals....

I remember when I was in college all I wanted was a prodeal. Now that Ive been guiding for 7 years I finally get em. But how is the funny part. After seeing a friends Marmot pants on the GC (which he never took off) I commented on how awesome they must be and he agreed. When I returned back to the world of internets I spent considerable time researching gear. Thats when I noticed that I cant afford any of it. About that same time I noticed the link for Pro Purchase programs. I started applying to every company I could think of and then, amazingly, I start getting emails back that Im approved! Being a downtrodden underpaid river bitch has finally swung back in favor. Stoked. So far, I have these great deals that I can flaunt but not share: Marmot, Cloudveil, Columbia/Mountain Hardwear.

Will somebody please give me a job now?

Big Ass....

Replacements....

If I remember correctly, the sixth trackbar is waiting patiently in the back of the truck. But, weather dependent, in two days is the arrival of the cure, a dual heim joint trackbar and relocation bracket. Apparently this is gonna actually fix the problem of premature failure of the ball joint. I have heard nothing but good things about it so I had to get it.


I also have to get the link arms at some point bc after 200k miles I have noticed that the original rubber bushing material is disintegrating and falling out.


If you have a dodge, heres your fix. DT Profab. There will be a full writeup on the installability and driveability of the kit, so dont worry. Funny thing is that the day I was leaving for the Grand Canyon, the intake heater relay got stuck on and almost caught the engine on fire. Fuck.

$$ I need a job.

Other potential projects of note:
-5 speed tranny swap in the yz450
-grouting the fireplace tile
-rebuilding (repair) my bike collection
-learning to spell (spellcheck)

All of the above and more are in need of assistance, so come on over.

Something I learned on the month long NW roadtrip: On Demand Water Heaters are the shizzle. Get One!

Life Above Lava....

Just got back from rafting the Grand Canyon yesterday. Life in the canyon is amazing and re-entry to society is not recommended for most. Its cold. I want to go back. pics on the way.