October 2018 Vacation

Englewood, Colorado to Ely, Nevada. The San Rafael Swell along the way.
Stayed at the Hotel Nevada in Ely.
A day exploring Great Basin National Park.
Travel from Ely to Parowan Gap Petroglyph site.
A Wintry Cedar Breaks National Monument.
Bryce Canyon.
A pleasant drive on Utah scenic highway 12.
Capitol Reef National Park.
Colorado National Monument.
Glenwood Canyon (along Interstate 70).

Great vacation!

FUN ON THE TRAIL!

The Jeep trail we took this weekend was part of a series of trails above the gambling cities of Blackhawk and Central City. It was hot in the city and this was a great way to escape it.
I have 2 hobbies now-a-days; they are the DJI Mavic Air and the Mighty YJ. The Mighty YJ is an overbuilt 1993 Jeep Wrangler. The other is a drone.

I really appreciate the other people on the trail that showed patience as we set up the drone to film the Jeep.

The fun part of the ride?
There was a group of 3 or 4 cars taking their cars on the trail. None of the cars were built up in any way, but there was a white Jeep SUV with a driver that wanted to drive the obstacles.

We showed patience with them as they negotiated their way over a minor obstacle below us. We talked with one man from the group, discussing how trails are run and how to get more information. We helped with that. Then it was mentioned that a real obstacle was just above us.  Once they cleared all of the vehicles from down below; the guy with us asked if we would be willing to assist with the ‘real’ obstacle. We agreed.

We turned our Jeep around and followed their group. Unknown to us there actually was a ‘go-round’ for the obstacle we were approaching. Two of the 3 cars went that way. That left us with the white Jeep.
The obstacle had some large rocks, some deep groves, and some pumpkin catching pointy rocks. I walked up to watch. The man we were talking to was on the obstacle and explained how he was planning to ‘spot’ his friend through. I listened, made some suggestions, and then headed back down.

“Could the bearded gentleman come back up here?” was the call I heard, so I headed back up. The white Jeep was entered into the fray already. He was about halfway in and was feeling the pressure of negotiating it. His front driver side tire was on a high shelf rock at about 18” high. He told me he didn’t think he could go much further. I looked at his situation and smiled. I think the smile disarmed him a bit.

 I told him to move forward, to expect a bump. The bump was his back tire touching the rock. He couldn’t see it and was worried. I told him to back up, hit it harder, and turn sharply to the passenger side.

Almost all of the people who spot that I know, refer to ‘turn left’ becomes ‘driver side,’ ‘turn right’ becomes ‘passenger side.’ Many drivers can find panic in an obstacle negotiation. In a panic, they may forget left & right; but it is hard to forget where the driver or the passenger side is. It is more instinctive and easier to follow.

He bumped the rock with his back tire. It stopped. He tried to power it up but had little grip. He looked at me and there was puzzlement on his face. I told him to back it up again a bit further, and guided him back to a ‘power point.’ A power point is a place where your tire (your rig) can start with the power needed to keep going forward. It will give you enough forward momentum to get over what you need to. As that back tire touched the rock, I told him to power it over. He did that well. I stopped him and told him to turn it hard passenger. I started him out again. With just a subtle suggestion here and there he made his way out of the obstacle. When I got back to his side of his Jeep, he was a grinning guy. I did not know that there were 2 ladies in the back seat. Those two were even happier than the driver. There were high fives and cheers going on.

The driver looked at me and thanked me. He told me that he was sure his Jeep would be able to do it. When he did do it, he felt confident in his ability. I told him that another person may have given up on it. I told him that I was glad he did it. I said that many quit but that I know one guy that did not. He smiled again. I shook his hand and walked back down to my Jeep.
I heard them talking about people who help others and how they can motivate. They called me a great guy for helping them. I told them that is the off-road code. Help is always there.
I know I will see them on the trail again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG2BJKNpIJY

Peru Travel

Speaking of Changes!

I've moved my blog.

As this blog was not available for so long, I went and purchased my own domain. A friend is hosting it.

If you would like to visit it, you can click on the following link -
www.cewtwo.com

Things Can Change So Quickly…

And things did do that for me yesterday.

My best friend died yesterday. I’m talking about Molly, my Australian Shepard. It happened suddenly. She had a carcinoma (tumor) on her heart that had burst. The sack around her heart filled with blood. The pressure was stopping her heart from beating properly.

We got up at the regular time and found Molly to be listless and lethargic. She was coughing and had little energy. The day before she was fine. As the day progressed, she was getting worse. I got a feeling about her late in the afternoon and called my friend, Tom, to check her out.

By the time we knew what was happening and got her to a Vet, she had almost no blood pressure. Her Vet told us that the help she needed was only available at an emergency clinic. She was rushed to one immediately.

They did tests and the diagnosis was the carcinoma, but there were unknowns. They were able to tap the fluid from around her heart. She responded and improved, but only to a point.

Around 11:15 PM, we got another call from the Vet. The fluid had refilled the sack and she had to be tapped again. The Vet said that the leak was bad. We decided to go to the emergency clinic.

We talked to the Vet. The prognosis was not good. As the leak was so bad, she would probably have to be tapped two more times in order for the Cardiologist specialist to see her in the morning.

Molly was dying.

We made the final decision. She had suffered enough and we did not want her to experience anymore discomfort.

We went in to see Molly. She perked up when she saw her ‘pack!’ She got up and was seemingly ready to go home. But, She was so tired and lay back down. There was a sparkle in her eyes but there was also a sad dimness to them. My heart went out to her as I realized that the correct decision had been made.

We gave my special friend hugs, caressed her and said our goodbyes. I laid her head in my lap, as the Doctor came in and prepared to do his job. I kissed her head and petted her neck and head as the Doctor did his job. Soon, it was over and Molly found her final peace. The Doctor told us (when all was said and done) that we had really made the right decision for her situation.

Keep in mind that I am sad now over the loss of a good friend. She was my constant companion for more than 10 years. We played Frisbee, played ball, ran together, went jeeping together, took vacations together and many more things. She thought that she was the consummate taste-tester and often assisted me in the kitchen. As a matter of fact, we spent the last week vacationing together, jeeping in Moab, Utah.


I will so miss my friend, Molly!

Rest, my friend! Rest in peace!

How Far Have I Run?

I never thought that I would have come as far as I have with my running. It has been an amazing journey. I want to thank all of you that have encouraged me along the way. Don't think you're done, though. I still need all of the encouragement I can get!


Running -
So… What have I accomplished so far in 2009? Not as much as I wanted to, but I have been running. So far, it has been treadmill running. I’m used to it and it is easily accomplished. I'll be out more and more as the weather clears in April.

I seem obsessed on my 10K run coming up on May 9th. I know that I have been ignoring the half-marathon coming up on May 17th. I really need to start increasing miles now so I will be able to run it!

This is my running statistics chart for 2009.


I still have my cough. I keep telling myself to go back to the Doctor. I believe it is related to the blood pressure medicine that I am taking. If I could clear that up I could breathe a lot easier and get more accomplished.


The Recent Denver Snow Storm –
Well, you’ve heard about it. An almost blizzard! The, all of a sudden, it tapered off and just slowed way down.



Other stuff –
I am still going jeeping on a regular basis. After all, you need to do something (fun) on your day of rest.

Here are some videos if you are interested –

Running a steep hill covered with snow. Will he make it in this Bronco?


Now, let’s try it in the Mighty YJ!

(oh well, you can’t have everything!)

What happens if get up there and then get stuck?

Things & Stuff!

Running!
Yes, I have been running. So much that I felt last week should be an easy week. That was the plan, but you know how these things go… I ran 26.1 miles. All on the treadmill. I seem to be getting faster and faster…

Here is a chart to track some “Progress.”


Improving? I think so!


Home Theatre PC
What is a Home Theatre PC (HTPC)? An HTPC is a computer built to handle a household’s entertainment from a central location; music, pictures, audio and video.

I’ve had an HTPC before but decided to rebuild it. Before it had a TV Tuner, and the purpose was to serve as a secondary DVR (Digital Video Recorder). It had SageTV for the DVR software. I removed the tuner card and the software.


The build is almost finished!

I kept the motherboard, AMD duo-core processor, 1Gig of RAM and the 400 GB hard drive (re-formatted). I bought a new case, power supply, and video card. I had already added a HAVA Titanium HD Video server for my home network.


The case has a flip up cage for the peripheral devices.


Never as easy as it could be, I had to use an EIDE DVD-Rom drive to load the operating system.

The HAVA unit takes a video signal and transmits it, either via Ethernet or wireless or even from the internet. So, I take the HAVA signal and use the HTPC to act a second TV in the lower level entertainment center.


In place! No separate DVD unit or receiver amplifier now!

I am also using BOXEE and HULU as sources for the HTPC.

Now…What does this have to do with running? The lower level of my house used to be a Mother-In-Law apartment. I have the treadmill down there. It sits in front of the HTPC entertainment center. So, it is all to keep my mind as busy as my body during my runs!


The Treadmill and I are satisfied again!


Finally…
Ever get splashed while running? This Jeep is going to do it now!