Piss and Moan

Ethanol gasoline has finally eroded various rubber components in my Mitsubishi Might Max carburetor and it won't pass emissions.

A local shop also sells landscaping equipment and used motorcycles so has two techs who know carbs. One hour labor to swap out. OK, find a carb. Price seems to run in the $350 - $450 range!

Partial rebuild kits, which doesn't include a needed solenoid, can be had for around $75. Do I want to tackle a rebuild with my 75 year old fingers with some carpel tunnel problems?

I'm keeping the truck. It has been the most reliable, trouble free vehicle I've owned. 

Colorado has made it difficult, and expensive, to register a vehicle outside the areas requiring emissions. Doable, but a pain in the ass.

For sure, this gives Sisty another over thinking subject to bust my balls.

Having another vehicle for a daily driver helps. The Mighty Max bumper hides the date decals effectively but any traffic stop is trouble.

Oh well, it isn't like I haven't been a lifelong scofflaw. That won't change.

Pathetic

Seems most of the blogs I read have received the same spam comment.

 AUTOMATED TELLER (BLANK ATM CARD)

I haven't, and I feel slighted. Guess my scribbles are too pathetic to even attract spammers.

Well Shucky Darn It (Updated)

Monday drove to Pine Bluffs, WY to see the UP 4014 Big Boy going east for a Midwest tour. Out of a half dozen memory cards for my camera, I picked the one that is “corrupt”. Hence, no pictures.

There is time, Indian time, and Union Pacific Steam time. Scheduled to come through Pine Bluffs at 0930, the train didn’t leave Cheyenne until 1130 or so. It needed some last minute repairs. Since the engine is 78 years old and extremely complex, can’t find fault with the UP.

Actually watched it pass at Burns, WY. While waiting, I looked at some property in the area with an eye toward COLOEXIT.

When it came by, it was very quiet. Cheyenne is 6063’ ASL and Sydney, NE, the next scheduled stop, is 4088’ ASL. Going downhill it wasn’t working too hard.

The UP is frugal. May be why it has lasted 150 years. In addition to the usual cars, the Big Boy was pulling 20 or so bulk carrier cars.

All along the tracks were clusters of die hard steamer fans. Not like the trip last month but probably in the hundreds altogether.

At Pine Bluffs, curbed my usual smart ass response to stimulus. At the Sinclair gas station a cluster of older motorcyclists with Marine Corps club vests were next to where I pulled in. Several had rank insignias, one an E-8. I needed to pee so refrained from making Jarhead comments. When I came out, they had departed. Just as well. As my sister points out, I don’t move as fast now as in my younger years.

Some random observations.

 Many of the GM products seen had only one functioning daylight running light.

The further out in the sticks, the greater the difference in cattle behavior from scattered in the pastures near town to tight herds with the babies in the middle and the mamas on the outside in the wide open prairie. Coyotes.

Lots of green. The grass along the highway shoulders is waist high and the state is busy mowing.

Saw one severely neglected property. One pasture was loaded with more tansy than I recall seeing. A pretty flower in a garden, tansy is poisonous to livestock and crowds out desirable forage.  Once heard a rancher describing a new neighbor as, “Keeps his fences fixed, his tansy picked, and does more than his share on the ditch committee”. Good neighbor.

Lots of petroleum development with new pipeline construction. Saw two gas facilities with flare stacks going. Gasp! Carbon pollution.

The Midwest tour schedule is here.

https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm

The return is August7/8. An overnight stop in Sydney is scheduled on the 7^th and on to Cheyenne  the 8^th.  I plan to be there. Sydney is about 135 miles and 2+ hours driving time. Plus, the original Cabella store is there. Bass Pro Shop now owns Cabella and is closing the distribution center in Sydney. My understanding is the store will remain open. I’ve always found something to warm my cheap ass heart in their Bargain Cave.

ADDENDUM. 

Found on YouTube. In the distance beyond the grain elevators is a silver painted signal tower. I'm using it as a brace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0VTNL9s5Fc

Lightning

Church, 2 miles from my apartment, hit by lightning and set on fire. Services were underway when it hit. No one was injured.

Last night we had cloud to cloud lightning and the sound of thunder went on and on.

I blame all the wind farms for disturbing the normal airflow. Hey, as "scientific" as most of the climate change bullshit.

Off To The Races

My sister, the insurance adjuster, was a guest of the July 5th race sponsor and dragged me along.

We had great seats and amenities but not a great place for taking pictures, hence none of my very amateur snaps.

We were sitting in front of the Beer Garden. 

Fun to watch races until lightning starting cracking around the venue and the spectators were asked to leave the metal bleachers. Racing was to resume but Sisty and I elected to leave. Right and proper thunderstorm hit as we were exiting and Sisty had her wipers going full blast.

Headed North just a sunset (which lasts for awhile at our latitude) we were enthralled by the colors breaking out around the various cloud formations. Once again, a privilege to live in Colorado.

We suffered the tradition of the crackling public address system as the Anthem was sung. Must be a law.

Over the years I've enjoyed watching small venue car racing and don't know why I stopped going. May change that.

Good news! No lightning strike deaths or tornadoes from the thunderstorms in the area. Further East towards Kansas there was some flooding. 

Barf Days

Suddenly the Democrats are ranting about the “deplorable conditions” detained illegal, repeat illegal, immigrants face in custody. Questions?

1.  Who invited them.

2.  Why is it our obligation, as a country, to provide Holiday Inn Express level accommodations to those breaking our laws.

3.  Who stopped the flow of money to the agencies responsible for housing these illegals .

4.  Who created a situation where the managers of these facilities have been forced to spend funds allocated for other purposes to keep even a modicum of safe holding conditions.  The same managers theoretically face charges of breaking laws by moving these funds.

5.  Who believes these Democrats give a rat’s ass about the “plight” of these illegals beyond providing television sound bites.

The Democrats fight any kind of immigration reform.  Why? It might help President Trump. He along has showed a wiliness to tackle really tough problems. Witness prison reform at the federal level that he has pushed through.  He is perfectly willing to tackle immigration.

President Trump is hated because he is an outsider, and doesn’t give a flying fuck about all the carefully constructed norms of the swampers. Want a small but telling example? His 2018 White House budget was $22 million less than the preceding year. The First Lady has a staff of four. Lots of rice bowls being threatened.

Readers of this blog know I don’t like him on a personal level which means jack shit compared to his performance as President. Over the years I’ve work for, and with, many individuals I loathed personally but admired their ability to perform their jobs. (Surprisingly, some of them didn’t like me!)

My hope is these (P)regressive Democrats mouth’s have overloaded their asses and voters will send them packing in 2020.

YMMV

ADDENDUM: Swiped from a FB posting.


No one mentions that illegals are free to

 leave detention centers anytime to go back

to mexico. They aren't our prisoners.

Simple Pleasures

A big thunderstorm rolled over the WSF’s senior slum building last night. At times, counting the time between lightning flashes and the thunder sound was “one one thou……”. No hail, but buckets of rain.

DrJim lives about 20 miles NNW of me and reported only sprinkles.

http://every-blade-of-grass.blogspot.com/2019/07/lots-o-lightning.html

After the cell passed, I opened all exterior doors and windows and let the fresh washed air circulate (aided by two ceiling fans) in the apartment. A simple pleasure to be sure, but I enjoy it.

As I get older I take these moments whenever I can.

Depending on the source, Colorado is #4 or #5 in lightning kills nationwide. My mother was struck twice. Her sisters never developed dementia but she did. No proof that being struck by lightning was the cause, and no proof it wasn’t.

My sister lost a valuable American Saddle Bred horse to lightning. He was a superb jumper.

Gaia has her ways, and mere humans won’t change that.