The Great Trout Trip Recap

Someone forgot they turned the camera on standby and let the battery run down. But at least I managed to get this.

Well, we survived. I got at least 100 bites... all mosquito. If I start walking like an Egyptian it must be the West Nile.

Let me just say that Colorado is some of the most beautiful country I've seen and they do a great job getting you access to it. All the fishing we did was from State Wildlife Areas that were well planned and maintained... kind of. The one we kept going back to had a fairly steep incline down to the river but there were crossties embedded for steps. From there a wooden walkway took you down to the water. There were a couple spots I was a bit concerned about supporting my weight, but they did just fine with a creak or two just to add some drama.

We found an old abandoned bridge and some amazing water. Here's an aerial view. We parked at the spot to the far right. You can make out the wooden walkway. I wish we could have made it farther downstream but the brush was too thick and there is a property line you have to stay behind.:

I took a pair of waders and got waist deep in the very cold Blue River. I learned quickly that wading in the river is risky business. The current will wear you out just trying to stand still on the slick rocky bottom. When you do move around taking a step without losing your balance is hard work. Toss in a dash of mild hypothermia and you've got yourself an outdoorsy experience. I managed to not take a dunk, but it was close a couple of times. I was formulating a plan to dry out my Mercedes key with lure desiccant if I went under.

Sunday we went to Vail but the water there was way beyond our skill level. When we watched white water rafters going past us at 30mph we decided to head back to Green Mountain Reservoir. Speaking of GMR, it's home to a little old lady that owns and operates Master Bait & Tackle. I'm not making that up.

Try as we may, the fish refused to hit on anything we cast and we tried everything we had. Brother Inlaw did get a couple under sized ones that he released (16 inch limit) and I had one nibble, but that was it. Meanwhile, the fish were literally jumping out of the water in a feeding frenzy 5 feet away from me. I started to take my net and just grab them midair.

Even though the Trout won this skirmish, I vow my revenge will come. I shall return! I just won't be so cheap and will break down and hire a guide from Cutthroat Anglers next time...

A couple travel notes. Do NOT take US287 to Denver, take US87/64 through Raton, NM instead. Much better road, higher speed limit and less traffic. Also there is major construction on I-70 in both directions near Idaho Springs. After mocking everyone sitting in traffic going West, it took us almost 2 hours to drive 10 miles going East. Karma.

Those are some huge forest fires in SW Colorado. We were still seeing and smelling heavy smoke in NE New Mexico. We also ran across some National Guard soldiers on the way to the fires to help relieve the local authorities with things like traffic control so the locals could be freed up for evacuations.

Here's a view from the Space Station.

So Much For That Sopranos Movie

James Gandolfini -- who famously played Tony Soprano on "The Sopranos" -- died earlier today in Italy ... TMZ has learned.

Gandolfini is believed to have suffered a heart attack. He was 51.

Gandolfini was in Italy to attend the 59th Taormina Film Festival in Sicily -- and he was scheduled to participate in a festival event this weekend with Italian director Gabriele Muccino.

Gandolfini is survived by his wife Deborah Lin, who gave birth to the couple's daughter in October 2012. He also has a teenage son from a previous marriage.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/06/19/james-gandolfini-dead-dies-italy/#ixzz2WiGk1Dsc

Samesies

Blatantly stolen from one of my favorite bloggers. Mild NSFW warning.

Johnny Fed Up?

Apparently life is not a bowl of cherries for Johnny Football:

He quickly deleted the tweet (not before it had been seen by approx 360,000 followers) and put this up:

I'm sure that instant celebrity status is hard to deal with, especially as a 20 year old college athlete at a program like A&M. They have rules about rules concerning rules that you have to put up with (all while they're making Millions off you). Just because you are suddenly a big shot doesn't mean you don't have to adhere to those rules and restrictions.

Perhaps he could use some guidance from a few players that have walked in his shoes and come out smiling. RG3 and LaDanian Tomlinson are a couple recent Texas athletes that come to mind. Both were under heavy NCAA and media scrutiny, yet you never heard anything bad and they went on to big money NFL contracts.

One thing strikes me odd about this. Look at the timestamp of the tweets. The deleted message is marked 45 minutes before the "walk a mile in my shoes" tweet that came after. Only thing I can think of is they were taken in different time zones which would make them 15 minutes apart.

I think he's serious this time...

I caught this over at Bag Of Nothing and I have to agree with Keith's assessment. I'd follow this man into Hell and back. He's addressing a sex scandal that was just discovered in his ranks. Would be nice to see our leadership be as upfront and in charge as Lt. Gen. David Morrison.


The man never blinks... not once. I think he means what he says.

The Great Trout Trip of 2013 is GO!

Well the plans have been finalized and a buttload of money dropped at Cabella's. Colorado here we come. I'm really looking forward to this trip, but it's going to be shorter than I would like. Personally, I'd like to spend a week or more but the people going with me have work commitments and I completely understand. A weekend in the mountains is better than not going at all.

I originally wanted to stay in a fishing camp/cabin but the prices were outrageous. Sorry, but I'm not paying 5 Star hotel prices for a 2 Star cabin. A hotel room would have been more economical, but I've been told I snore like a Peterbilt riding the Jake Brake down Monarch Pass so 2 bedrooms was a necessity. I also wanted a kitchen so we can cook our catch. Both of those ruled out a hotel so I searched Trip Advisor for vacation rentals and found a condo that fit the bill for $90 a night. Not a bad price, IMHO. It has everything we need and then some. Plus, it's centrally located to multiple fishing spots so we have options instead of being locked into one place to fish.

I went to the Fly Shop at Cabella's and took advantage of their Father's Day sale, picking up a pair of fly fishing rod & reel combos for $39 each. I lucked out and a guy that just got back from the part of Colorado we're heading to was there shopping and gave me some very good tips on what type of gear/flies we would need. I soon learned the rod & reel were the least of my expenses. After adding all the flies, leaders, and assorted accessories it quickly went from cheap to not cheap at all. We will still need to buy more stuff when we get there depending on what the fish are hitting.

Hopefully, I will use all this stuff more than once. This is a learning expedition after all. I'd like to spend a whole summer camping up there after I trade my RV for a trailer.

Speaking of the RV, the buyer that came unannounced wasn't impressed and passed after I turned down a low ball offer. To be honest, I really didn't want to show it to them because I had done zero preparation. It was dirty and nothing was working because the batteries were dead. But I did and now I'm sure they've told everyone locally what a hunk of junk it is. It's really not, but they caught it on it's worst day and that's my fault. I should have paid more attention to it while it was parked and refused to show it before it was ready. I still haven't listed it for sale yet.

Just Plane Awesome!

Talk about cool, this just about tops the list.

A 4 engine RC B-17 with a 19 foot wingspan and weighs 187 lbs. As complicated and time consuming as it was to build, I can't imagine taking the controls and risking all that work becoming a very expensive lawn dart. Multi engine flying is a completely different kind of flying... altogether! Doing it remote controlled is just crazy.

But kudos to the pilot, he did a fantastic job even after losing an engine in flight and makes a perfect landing. I wish I spoke German so I could understand what they are saying, but I pretty much got the gist of it. Kind of odd, Austrians building a B-17. What's next, a Japanese RC B-29?

Got Verizon?

Verizon is giving the feds phone records for all of its US customers

Of course if you have nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about. Right?

The National Security Agency is gathering telephone records of all Verizon customers — who number in the tens of millions — in the U.S., a bombshell report revealed Wednesday.
The top-secret court order, obtained by the Guardian newspaper, requires the carrier to hand over information regarding phone calls — which does not include actual conversations — on an “ongoing, daily basis” to the FBI.

Joe Duty's days may be numbered

Chicago Sun Times Fires All Its Photographers To Replace Them With iPhones

In a shocking sign of things to come one of the nation's major newspapers has fired its entire photojournalism department and replaced them with reporter's iPhones.

An internal memo reads:
The Chicago Sun-Times is training its journalists in iPhone camera work to replace its staff photographers, who were all laid off last week.

The training commences on Friday and will include “iPhone photography basics”, as well as capturing and editing video on iOS, and uploading it to the appropriate social sites, according to a staff memo leaked by Sun-Times stalwart Robert Feder:

In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be working with all editorial employees to train and outfit you as much as possible to produce the content we need.

These sessions will be mandatory and will concentrate on several areas:

iPhone photography basics
Video and basic editing
Transmission and social media

… Suggestions on topics, in particular, are definitely worthwhile.

I decided not to fight the law because they would win.

I got it on very good authority that, believe this or not, almost every DOT officer in the state of Texas will be in Wise County Roadcheck 2013 takes place on June 4, 5 & 6th. They will be doing an intensive sweep inspecting 18 wheelers, dually pickups and ANY vehicle pulling a trailer.

That means if you are Jimmy Joe Bob Nobody driving down the road in your dually to get a burger at Chico Mart, you are subject to being stopped for absofreakinglutely no reason other than the private vehicle you are driving has extra wheels. If you're driving a car pulling any kind of trailer, expect the same. If you happen to have a CDL you get the whole DOT enchilada with extra sauce even if it's your private vehicle.

(Guess who's not driving the F350 next week!)

This "fund raiser" has prompted many companies (all of the ones I contract with) to plan on shutting down during their 3 day sweep. Of course there will be plenty of out of state truckers to feed the Kitty off of, but the lack of local trucking participation will increase the odds of smaller vehicles pulled over. [cough]But there's no ticket quota.[/cough]

Trust me, if they pull you over you will get a ticket. I once had a Texas DOT Trooper tell me he could write at least a dozen citations on a brand new truck or he wasn't looking close enough.



UPDATE: You probably noticed the edit above. My source was a wee bit off on the facts. It wasn't a sweep on Wise County, it was a nationwide sweep.

Bored, bored, bored, bored bored

Did I mention I was bored? 

It's been painfully slow around the South 40 lately and my feet are starting to itch. No, not a fungus among us. I need to get outa Dodge. The latest destination that sounds enticing is Colorado trout fishing. It's something I've never done and always wanted to try. Seeing as how I've been whittling away at my Bucket List, it kinda fits right in.

I actually lived in Colorado for a few months after I was discharged from the Coast Guard, but it was in the metro Denver area and I ha-ha-hated it. The cherry on top was when my Suzuki GS-750 was stolen leaving me afoot. I couldn't get a plane outa there and back to Texas fast enough.

As much as I hate Denver, I really love the mountains. My favorite part of trucking was driving thru the Rockies. It's amazing scenery, but unfortunately you don't get the chance to stop and explore. Then there's the hauling 40 Tons down the side of a mountain thing that kinda distracts you. All in all, not the best way to take in what nature has to offer.

This time I want to trek into the mountains and work my way thru the fishing hot spots. Although it might be pretty ugly because I've only fished for bass and catfish with a Zebco, not including the one deep sea trip I took in Belize. Fly fishing is an entirely different kind of fishing, altogether.



I've been looking at the Colorado Fishing Atlas and think the Fairplay and Snowmass areas might be pretty cool to check out. Seems to be quite a bit of public access with good fishing reports. The scenery ain't bad around there, either.

I do have a few hurdles to overcome before I can do this. Not the least of which is my RV. I don't want to drive it to Colorado and back. Plus I would be pretty much stranded once I got there since I don't have a tow vehicle.

May the Schwartz be with you.

When I bought Eagle 5 I had planned to only use it at Texas Motor Speedway on race weekends and didn't need an extra vehicle. What I need to do is sell it and buy a 5th wheel camper I can tow with my F350. If this goes as most wheeling and dealing does, it will take some time.

Guess the first thing I need to do is give the old girl a good scrubbing inside and out, make sure that everything is still in tip top shape then put it on Craigslist. Next I've got to find a 5th wheel in good shape that doesn't cost and arm and a leg.

Like I said, hurdles. By the time I get all this accomplished there will probably be 15' of powder covering everything and I'll be covered up with work. But that's my gameplan and I'm sticking to it.

UPDATE: Holy cow word travels fast. I casually mentioned it to one person yesterday and I've already had somebody show up out of the blue to look at it. I haven't even started cleaning it up yet (which it needs worse than I thought). Guess I'll be doing some scrubbing tomorrow.

Okie Spirit

Saw this on Facebook. Man, you gotta hand it to Okies. They may be down, but they're not out.

On The Radar: We're The Millers

Jennifer Aniston plays a stripper. Chance of me seeing this film, 100%.

RIP Ray Manzarek

Keyboardist and founding member of The Doors has passed away. Ray Manzarek was 74.

This Really Happened

As long as we're getting musical...

This Ol' Cowboy

No particular reason to post this other than I really like the tune. Pretty sure I'll get a thumbs up from The Don.

Only time will tell.

"Missed it by that much!"

The tornadoes that swung thru Southern Montague and Northern Wise counties last night narrowly missed The South 40. In fact there's a picture of a tornado on the ground about a mile from here on the Messenger website. It was close enough I could hear the roar, but luckily no damage.

The folks at the Top O' The Lake Country Club at Amon Carter Lake just north of me weren't so lucky.

Where's my truck?!?!

A former Team Manager for Jennifer Jo Cobb's NASCAR Nationwide Series team apparently stole her transporter. He claims innocence but tweeted "Today she was the windshield & I was the bug". I'm no simple country lawyer, but I think that was probably a bad idea.

The Test

Keith at Bag of Nothing recently brought up Scott Pelley of CBS News. That made me recall my "Brush With Greatness". Back in 1983 I was a long haired street urchin (a/k/a DJ) at KWCS-FM. I also worked as a stringer (freelance reporter) for WFAA-TV. It was a particularly slow news day, but there was a huge tire fire just outside Bridgeport so I called it in to Hugh Scalon that ran the newsroom. They sent "Telecopter 8" to cover the story with a news crew led by an up and coming young reporter, Scott Pelley.

It was after dark by the time they reached the fire and the pilot was worried about trying to land near power lines and small trees. Hugh called me back at the radio station and I wound up being a Forward Air Controller via relay. I told them about the only helipad I knew of at the old Bridgeport Hospital but the pilot couldn't locate it.

"Do you see the Dairy Queen sign? Go 3 blocks west."

With that problem solved, now they were over a mile away and needed ground transportation. Being a responsible employee entrusted with watching the transmitter and programming, I naturally turned everything on automatic and left. I had about 90 minutes of music and commercials if nothing screwed up. To be honest, I did call another employee that lived next door and asked him to monitor the station for me, just in case.

I hopped in my tiny Dodge Shelby Charger 2.2 and ran into town. It was the pilot, a 3 man news crew and their ENG (Electronic News Gathering) gear jammed into my little sports car. Cameras, portable VCR's and their batteries were huge back then. The sound guy was forced to ride in the hatchback. We drove out to the fire with Scott asking me questions about the area all the way there.

After they got what they needed we headed back to the helo. When they got out I apologized for the cramped ride and told them I had to hurry back to the station before my tapes ran out. Scott walked up to me, shook my hand and thanked me for all the help. The other guys said thanks and waved but, Scott took the extra step to shake my hand and look me in the eye. That always stuck with me. He was genuine, the real deal and not a whiff of BS about him. Definitely not your typical "TV talent".

I knew from that moment that Scott Pelley was going places. I had no idea it would be Walter Cronkite's seat. But if ever there was anyone worthy of continuing the tradition of Murrow and Cronkite, it's Scott Pelley.

In 2009 Scott was asked to give the Commencement Speech at Texas Tech. Being a native of Lubbock and a former Tech student (he dropped out to take the job at KXAS) he proudly accepted. His speech was moving and inspirational. He's the same genuine, no BS guy. He is indeed the real deal. It's well worth 20 minutes of your time to hear him speak about "The Test".

UPDATE: Seems my opinion is shared by those that matter. Scott was just named recipient of the 20th annual Fred Friendly First Amendment Award.

Reason #23 Why Not To Piss Off Your Neighbor

He owns a bulldozer.

PORT ANGELES, WASHINGTON — A Port Angeles man angry with his neighbors was arrested Friday after a rampage with a bulldozer-like logging machine that damaged four houses, numerous outbuildings, a pickup truck and a power pole, knocking out power to thousands of people.

One of the homes was knocked off its foundation.

Barry Alan Swegle, 51, was booked into the Clallam County jail for investigation of malicious mischief in the first degree, a Class B felony, with no bond set.

Authorities reported no injuries.

Clallam County sheriff's spokesman Jim Borte said investigators were told that Swegle and his neighbors had a long-running dispute, although he wasn't sure what it was about.

Phil Riley, a neighbor who witnessed the destruction, said a property line dispute between Swegle and property owner Dan Davis, whose two properties were severely damaged, “had been brewing for some time.”

Keith Haynes, who lives near the badly damaged homes on Baker Street in the Gales Addition area east of Port Angeles, said his neighbor “just went nuts.”

“He took a skidder and took out two houses,” Haynes said. “I mean demolished.”

A skidder is a bulldozer-like device used in logging. Haynes said Swegle owned the equipment. Borte said the machine was an International Harvester TD-25, similar to a Caterpillar D-9. 

A Barry Swegle logging company is listed as having been founded in 1997. The phone number has been disconnected.

Pushing The Envelope

The sad news that British sailor Andrew "Bart" Simpson was killed during practice for the Americas Cup came just a few days after I saw a report on either 60 Minutes: Sports or E:60, I can't remember which it was. Either way the report was on the US team that was using the same type of catamaran hydrofoil. Instead of a traditional 12 Meter yacht, teams are now using high tech catamarans that rise out of the water and ride solely on 3 tiny underwater blades. You can see them in the picture above.

While this setup greatly reduces drag and increases speed, it exponentially increases instability. Imagine using bicycle tires on your SUV. As long as everything is in your favor (wind/momentum/gravity) you can go really fast. As soon as you have to turn, or are hit with a crosswind it all goes to Hell in a handbasket in a split-second. Luckily that never happens sailing on the ocean. The USA Team has already had a similar accident in San Francisco Bay that injured multiple crew members, but fortunately everyone survived.

I'm all for advancing technology in a sport, but is this truly yacht racing? Remember the hubub in 1983 when the Australians developed a new type of winged keel? That's when they abandoned the 12 Meter rule and came up with the IACC Class that let this type boat compete.

While I'll never condemn anyone for advancing a form of racing, maybe they should reconsider the safety factor when allowing new vehicles to compete much like other forms of racing do. When you increase the speed you must increase the safety factors as well.

On The Radar: Alpha House

With the success of Netflix's House of Cards, Amazon has decided to enter the direct to consumer original series playing field. They are also giving you a say in which shows make it and which shows don't, which is pretty cool in my book. You are in control of Pilot Season. There are 8 comedies and 6 kid's shows up for your votes.

There are some hits and there are some misses. Far and away the cream of the crop is Garry Trudeau's Alpha House about a group of Republican Senators sharing a house in DC. The story may seem implausible, but it's (very) loosely based on a real group of roommates in DC that Trudeau lampooned in Doonesbury.

The writing is brilliant. The ensemble cast anchored by John Goodman, is excellent. These guys have chemistry and with names like Goodman and Trudeau they can pull in some quality guest stars  The first 3 minutes had me literally laughing out loud. If this is what we can expect in future episodes it could become an instant classic.

I expect to see a program of this quality on HBO or Showtime, not direct to consumer. This is the definitely a shift in how shows get to viewers. House of Cards broke the invisible wall. Alpha House may be the permanent bridge to online broadcasting of quality programming.

I'm sure Alpha House will catch plenty of flack from conservatives since the characters are Republican and will be another example of some "war on" something to them. Take a deep breath, let it out slowly and remember it's not real. All I saw was a very funny show about politicians being politicians.

Check out Alpha House and the rest of the Amazon Originals for free online during Pilot Season on Amazon Instant Video.

I Need to Stop Making Things "Better"

Spent part of yesterday afternoon installing a new pyrometer on my F350 so I can monitor the EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) of my Powerstroke. Since I tweaked the programming and do a lot of towing it's important to make sure I'm not melting things under the hood. Plus I'm in the "more is better" group. I like having lots of gauges instead of "idiot lights" and the stock gauges on Fords are nothing more than fancy idiot lights. They don't give accurate readings. Not even close.

Installing the probe in the cast iron exhaust manifold was a breeze. I drove over to Brother In-Law's shop and let him do it! Hey, he's the expert on all things metal and I'd hate to crack a manifold. When in doubt, see a professional. He did a perfect job as usual.

Next was installing the 1 x 2 digital gauge in the dash. I ran into 1 slight hiccup when my Dremmel caught traction and dug an extra 1/8th of an inch farther than I wanted to go. Now I have a visible gouge in the dash that I'm not too pleased with, but at least it's tiny.

4 quick wires and Viola! new pyro. Now I have something new to worry about while I'm driving down the Interstate. The peak EGT listed by Ford is 900°. I hit 1350° just by flooring the pedal for 5 seconds. Back to the internets to do more research and I find several different opinions on Powerstroke peak EGT.

Where Ford came up with 900F is a  mystery since there is no EGT sensor anywhere on the engine. Then there is the placement of the probe. Manifold, pre-turbo or post-turbo. I chose manifold after asking and getting an almost unanimous response on Ford message boards. Manifold gives you the highest reading. So after more questions and answers I've come to the conclusion 1300° is where you should start thinking about taking your fat foot off the throttle and let the engine breathe or prepare for some serious repairs.

Now all I can do is sit and wait until I tow a load and see what things look like. But at least I'm reasonably happy with the installation. It's out of the way and easy to read without being distracting. It also has built in alarm for max temp, which I've set for 1300° and a max temp recall so you can see how hot things got.

Yes, my truck is filthy. But it's a work truck, deal with it.

A Sidepaddle Aircraft Carrier?

I consider myself a sightly more informed than the average bear when it comes to military history, especially when it involves naval vessels. But I was stunned to find out there was not one but two sidewheel carriers in the US fleet during WWII. The USS Sable and the USS Wolverine were both converted commercial passenger ships that served as training ships on The Great Lakes. President George H.W. Bush trained on the Sable before shipping out to the PAC Theater.

Sadly, after the war both ships were scrapped and the only sidewheeled carriers in the history of the US Navy were lost forever.

The steamship Greater Buffalo

The converted USS Sable

The steamship Seeandbee

The converted USS Wolverine

There's tons more pics and info here. Thanks to the guys at WIX for their efforts in getting this info out there.

Bonus footage! : 

Deadwood's Legacy

One of my all time favorite shows is HBO's Deadwood. It's writing, cast and direction was far and away the best ever assembled, IMHO. Unfortunately as it is with most ground breaking shows, it was ahead of it's time and didn't garner enough audience despite critical praise.

Fortunately, from it's ashes several careers took flight to the next level. Most notably Timothy Olyphant who continued his borderline law enforcement career as Sheriff Seth Bullock with his highly acclaimed role as Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens in Elmore Leonard's Justified on FX. But others have seen their careers head skyward as well.

John Hawkes who played Sol Star has landed roles in American Gangster, Winter's Bone, Lost, Contagion and Eastbound & Down.

Paula Malcomson has landed roles in ER, the short lived John from Cincinnati, Sons of Anarchy and Caprica. She was Katniss' mother in The Hunger Games (and in the upcoming sequel) and has a leading role role in the new Showtime original series Ray Donovan.

But one that really surprised me was finding out that Ray McKinnon, who turned in a fabulous performance as Reverend H.W. Smith has gone on to become the creator of the new Sundance original series Rectify.

Rectify is about a Death Row child rapist/murderer that is set free by a DNA test, but has not been exonerated of the crime. It comes from the same production company as Breaking Bad and so far is dreadfully slow paced. But they are laying a foundation episode by episode and I'm willing to give it time to spread it's wings because the storyline has so much potential.

Personally, the lead character Daniel needs to integrate into society a bit more rapidly. It's holding the show back. Use flashbacks if you need to, but move it along...

I was a fan before and I'm really a supporter of the show now that I learned it's Ray's project. Hopefully it will gain traction like Breaking Bad and be equally as entertaining and not melt into it's own subplot like John From Cincinnati.

South40 Slim Strikes Again!

I went to Winstar World Casino last night to see Terry Fator. It was a great show and I snagged 3rd row center seats! Terry won America's Got Talent 4 years ago and hasn't looked back. He puts on a great family friendly show. If you get the chance to see him, don't pass it up.

After the show I headed over to Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar" for dinner. I was less than impressed, but I didn't set a high bar for the bar. The food was passable, but overpriced as you would expect.

After eating I headed to the Poker Room and joined a $5-$10 Texas Hold 'em game with $400. The cards were ugly for about 30 minutes before I decided to make lemonade. I bluffed 2 hands in a row and was playing it cool. 1 guy got upset when I mucked my hand after he folded. I told him he didn't pay to see them and that didn't set well with him.

The next hand I got pocket Kings and the flop was King, Ace, Jack. The turn was another Jack and the River was a 7. I was sitting on a Full House and went all in for $750. The pot was around $500. The guy that I had just beat called. He had 2 pair, Aces and Jacks.

He paid to see them this time... Read 'em and weep. Full boat, Kings over Jacks.

I tipped the dealer, stood up from the table and headed for the cashier. That guy REALLY doesn't like me now.

"Do you believe in miracles?"

Earlier this week I told you about Al Michaels getting arrested for DUI. As always he was classy about it and I expect a commensurate punishment. Not because of his celebrity status, but because of his demeanor.

It was a pure coincidence that Stars had Miracle scheduled for this weekend that features his historic play by play call. It's the theatrical version starring Kurt Russell as Coach Herb Brooks (there was an ABC Movie of the Week starring Karl Malden) of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team and their underdog victory against the USSR. Not many people remember that it was not the Gold medal game, but an elimination round.

It didn't matter.

That was such an iconic moment for our country. We were going thru a very rough patch with the economy and the Iran hostage crisis, gas shortages and the Soviets invading Afghanistan. But a simple game of hockey would forever change our national morale. The chant of "USA, USA, USA!" started there and will forever be heard in times of victory.

They were a bunch of kids thrown together to play a kid's game on ice against hardened professionals who'd trained together for 10 years. David vs Goliath. Great moments are born with great opportunity.

Sometimes miracles do happen.


I also was pleasantly surprised to notice Noah Emmerich as Assistant Coach Craig Patrick. He's currently playing FBI Special Agent Stan Beeman on The Americans. I knew I recognized him from somewhere.

If you haven't seen Miracle, I highly recommend it. If you have seen it, I highly recommend watching it again. This is simply a great story and a great performance by an ensemble cast. The best part is it's a true story.

I love this film and I don't even like hockey. But that's not the point. Watch it and you'll understand. I challenge you not get choked up. It was a lot more than a hockey game.

Life

Get Outa The Way!

I'm not the greatest Ornithologist but I'm pretty sure this is a Peregrine that was defiantly blocking my path while I was plowing today. He's hard to see because it's a bad cellphone pic, but he's in the upper left about 10 feet in front of me giving me a "Go To Hell" look.. It started out with one, but before the day was done there were more than a dozen that were looking for an unearthed meal and were equally as surly.

It was an impressive sight and I wish there were better pictures, but I had shit to do and time was wasting.

I plowed 40 acres of The South40 yesterday with a tandem disc (Don't to the math because it won't add up) and replowed 60 acres today with a tandem disc and a roller today after we put out fertilizer. (See? I told you!) But the Peregrine decided to dine on the newly served worms, bugs and other subterranean delicacies today and were very defiant in giving up their turf when I drove past.

2lb Bird vs 4 Ton V8 Massey Ferguson diesel. You know who won that battle, but the birds were beautiful. Their defiant attitude was actually an inspiration to me and I wound up with Tom Petty stuck in my head for the rest of the day which in it's self isn't such a bad thing, especially when you don't have a radio in the tractor.

I also went thru a selection of John Phillip Sousa marches in my head, but he doesn't have any hip videos. Being in the World's Largest Non-Nuclear Coast Guard Marching Band will do that to ya.

After finishing up with the plowing I had more STD (Shit To Do) on the agenda. Last week I sent the FICM (Fuel Injection Control Module) on my F-350 off to get repaired and upgraded by Ed at ficmrepair.com. Ed is the hands down #1 guy to repair your 6.0 Powerstroke FICM. There are many who do the same work, but none of them get the praise Ed does from his customers. Not even close. It came in today's mail and I needed to re-install it to be ready for a trip tomorrow.

After several scarred knuckles, which come way too easy now that I take blood thinners, I managed to get everything plugged back in and secured. Hit the key and it busted right off just like it was supposed to. (Thank you, Baby Jesus!)

There are 2 computers on a Powerstroke and the FICM is the computer that control the fuel injection system on Powerstroke engines. The other computer controls the rest of the engine and the transmission. I've already upgraded that computer, this was the final seasoning to the entree. Now I should have more power when I need it, easier starts and an increase of 3-5mpg in fuel mileage if I can keep my foot off the throttle.

It's a bunch of technical gobbledygook, but it acts like an afterburner on a jet and adds more fuel after the combustion has occurred in the cylinder. Basically throwing fuel on the fire. End result is faster throttle response and (if you keep your foot out of it) increased fuel mileage.

We'll see. I have a run to Louisiana tomorrow and I'll compare this trip vs previous ones to see if it was worth the extra $140 for the FICM tune. But initial results show a tendency of the rear dual wheels breaking loose at any time I desire. Kinda cool seeing a dually leave a long burnout from the stop sign without really trying.

So much for that increased MPG...

New Season of Celebrity Rehab in the Works?

If there's not, maybe Dr.Drew should rethink it. This weekend legendary sportscaster Al (Do you believe in miracles?) Michaels was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint in Santa Monica, blew a .08 on the ol' breatharooskie and was arrested for DUI. He also blew a .09 on his second chance. Sorry Al, no miracles today. But the authorities said you were very cordial.

Then on the other hand we have Reese (Do you know who I am?) Witherspoon and her husband Jim Toth. They were pulled over early Friday morning in Atlanta after allegedly weaving in and out of traffic. While they were arresting her husband (who wound up blowing a .139), Lil' Miss Witherspoon got out of the car and apparently had a few herself. She started harrassing the police and played the celebrity card. "Do you know who I am? You're about to find out who I am ... You are going to be on national news."

It backfired on her. After being told to get back in the car and stay there, she got out of the car again and was rewarded with some new bracelets.

Well she was 1/2 right. Somebody was going to be on national news. That's 1 DUI with a side of Disorderly Conduct and a room for 2 at the Crossbar Hotel... a/k/a The Whiskey Tango special.

I'm really disappointed in Reese. I always thought she was a down to earth kinda actress. But it just proves you can take the girl outa Tennessee, but you can't take the Tennessee outa the girl.

Now the big question is who will complete the coveted Impared Celebrity Trifecta? Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan are not eligible. They are professionals and this is strictly an amateur competition.

Freak Coincidence

Check the date...

WTF Were You Thinking?

Just a question for the terrorists that attacked the Boston Marathon. As of now we don't know who you are. But I want to know WTF were you thinking?

First you attack the point with the most trained and concentrated medical personnel on the course. Response was swift and effective.

Second you attacked Boston. Have you ever been to Boston? The last people you want pissed off at you is a bunch of Southies. You also attacked them on a holiday. They don't take it kindly when you screw up their day off.

Obviously you didn't think this out. Now you have a bunch of wicked pissed Southies that want payback and the rest of their American brothers have their back.

WTF were you thinking?

RIP Jonathan Winters

Until Robin Williams came along nobody could make me laugh harder than Jonathan Winters. I remember watching his old TV show where he would just wander around a room full of props and ad-lib his way thru the whole show. He was a genius at improvisation and had me literally rolling on the floor convulsing in laughter.

You never knew what he was going to do or say, but you knew it was going to be funny.

He didn't tiptoe a fine line between genius and insanity, he drove a Mack truck thru it blindfolded at ramming speed.

RIP, Johnathan. You will be missed.

Shaving Yourself Is For Suckers!

I recently became a fan of Community. I'm late to the game on this one, but it's a great show. A recent episode featured Jeff (Joel McHale) spending time with Pierce (Chevy Chase) whom he can't stand, but needed to keep away from the study group.

Pierce takes him to Silvio's Barber Shop and introduces him to the lost art of the straight razor. Check it out above. I skipped ahead to the pertinent part. It's a great episode and it really hit home with me. I'd never had a straight shave in my life. I'm an old school kinda guy and that just didn't sit well with me.

I'd already invested in new suits, tailored shirts and Italian shoes. But I hadn't invested a penny in what would be displaying them. I did a search on Yelp and found the #1 Barber in Las Vegas by far was Elliot & Co. I arrived a bit before noon on Saturday and walked in with no appointment. Normally that would have been the worst possible time, but Elliot had a no-show for 11:45 and had the rest of the afternoon off because his Father was in town.

When he asked me what I wanted I told him, "I'm the canvas, you're the artist."

He proceeded to give me the Ultimate Series (Signature Cut/Ultimate Shave/Beard & Moustache trim). The hot towels were borderline hot as I could stand, but they worked their magic. After a few minutes a hot lather and Johnny Cutthroat went to work.

A straight shave is a unique experience and a lost art for men. But Elliott Chester is the undisputed King. He's also very dedicated in helping young barbers and reestablishing the men's barber experience. He teaches classes after work at regional barber colleges.

Elliott is a genuinely nice guy that is dedicated to his craft. He's also originally from Tyler which brought up Earl Campbell. We had much to talk about and I promised to send him some of Earl's Hot Links. He also got a kick out of my explaining the inspiration from watching Community. He'd never heard of it but loved the premise of the skit.

After the shave he applied a mud mask and more hot towels, then shampoo and cut.

Somehow he managed to make my grizzly old mug attractive. I got several compliments that night and I owed it all to Elliott & Co. The man is truly an artist.

Bottom line is guys, it's time for men to take back the Barber Shop. No more Supercuts or hair salons. We're men and we deserve a manly experience. Put a straight razor to my jugular and make me like it!

Shaving yourself is for suckers!

Photo Beatdown

I promised you'd get hammered with vacation pics and here they are. I broke them into 3 sets. Please click on the full screen option for the first two. The small version just does not do justice to the natural beauty before your eyes. My photo skills are lacking as well, but I tried my best to capture what nature had created.

First up is the Petrified Forest/Route 66/Meteor Crater and it's pretty long. I had all day to wander about the park and it's very auto friendly. I also became mesmerized by the wood and it's beauty. It had been thru an incredible journey starting as an equatorial rain forest. After floods, volcanic eruptions, continental drift and millions of years it wound up where it is today.


The second slideshow is the Grand Canyon. This set is much shorter for 2 reasons. I only had 3 hours to explore and it was all hiking along the canyon rim. I simply forgot to shoot more (I thought I had taken tons) because I was sucking some serious wind along the steep trail trying to hurry and make it back to the train on time.

The Visitor Center has some amazing presentations including a 3-D globe screen theater and a full screen theater. Both are not to be missed. They also have free shuttle buses to transport visitors throughout the park.


This final set is very short and were taken with my phone, but I wanted to share a bit of the best meal I've ever had in my life. Choosing Roy's on Flamingo for my Birthday dinner was an excellent decision. The Hawaiian fusion cuisine is out of this world. The staff was the best I've experienced as well. As the maître d' showed me to my seat a passing staff member that came from the other side of the restaurant casually greeted me by name as if I was a returning long time customer. She had never laid eyes on me before in her life. I was taken aback and thought that was a very nice touch. It set the tone for the evening.

I started with a vodka martini to clean my palate, then was treated to complimentary a sushi appetizer that I did not understand the name of and some edamame. Both were simply delicious. I ordered the crunchy golden lobster potstickers with togarashi misu butter sauce as my appetizer. Out of this world! I even managed to use my chopsticks without sending food flying thru the air or into my lap. I was quite proud of myself for accomplishing that. It was here I suddenly realized I needed to take some pics of this wonderful meal.

Next was the Lilikoi pear salad with candied macadamia nuts, smoked gouda cheese and Asian pears. The flavors that came together in that salad were magic. My main course was the Polenta dusted U-10 scallops served on a bed of mushroom risotto. This was the best thing I have ever tasted in my life. The scallops were huge and perfectly cooked. The first bite was sheer ecstasy. I chose a glass of Caymus Conundrum to go with this and it was a perfect pairing. I never knew food could taste this good.

For dessert I had a moist, delicious, fresh baked chocolate souffle' with homemade vanilla ice cream. To cap the meal off, a glass of 18 year old Macallan scotch.

Yeah, I went for the full Anthony Bourdain treatment and I don't regret it one bit. It was a foodie paradise.



Much to my surprise I learned Roy's has a location in Plano at 2840 Dallas Parkway. I will be visiting them and I highly recommend you do so as soon as possible.

They Call The Wind Maria

How do you like the slight breeze today? I'm not being sarcastic. This is NOTHING to what it was like across Arizona, New Mexico and The Panhandle.

I-40 was closed from Twin Arrows to Winslow because of the wind. They reopened the road after winds dropped below 60mph. When it was behind you it made for great fuel mileage, but when it suddenly shifted or the road curved it made for some intense moments. Visability went from miles to nearly Zero and back again in seconds as the waves of dust, tumbleweed, rocks and airborne small animals crossed the Interstate.

During the Zero portion you are trying desperately to hold a straight line and not drift off the road. You also do not want to suddenly slow down driving thru it because the guy behind you is driving 75+mph and is pissed off because he had to sit on the side of the road for hours. We all know how physics work.

In case you haven't guessed I didn't stay for Rickles and blew off The Rockies because of the winter storm. I also managed to go thru Albuquerque after dark (Thanks, AZDOT!) so no Breaking Bad photo spread. But be prepared because the photosplosion is a comin'.

Stay tuned...

Mike & Teller

What a nice guy.... Hey! Where's my wallet?

Entr'acte

This was the first song on the radio as I hit the road. It must be in high rotation on XM Classic Vinyl because I've heard it every day of the roadtrip. It's apropos.

All Aboard!

I had a great time at the Grand Canyon and taking the train was a perfect way to go. Well, almost perfect. It is expensive as all get out and they feel a need to have the staff become performers to justify the $150 price tag. I could have done without the constant bad jokes over the intercom, but the view riding in the dome car was pretty damned cool and the musical performers were good.

Aforementioned cool view

One thing about taking the train is you have a short 3 hour window to explore unless you plan on staying overnight. It only makes 1 run a day and they run on schedule, with or without you. Miss the train and it's a $170 cab ride back to Williams, AZ.

 The train does not run thru the Grand Canyon, it follows the old Santa Fe line to Grand Canyon Village. It's a short (but steep) hike up to the Rim Trail. From there you are treated to a fantastic panorama and walking tour with your cell phone. I thought that was a great idea and it was free.

Notice the tiny bronze markers in the pavement. 

Each one marks 1 Million years in the Canyon's history.

The only view of the Colorado River from the trail. 

(It's in the center of the pic)

Breathtaking!

After returning to Williams, I pushed Westward and decided to stay in at Aquarius in Laughlin, NV. To my surprise it's a sister property to Stratosphere and I was able to get a great deal on a room. 2 nights for less than the cost of 1 night in Williams and about 40% cheaper than a room in Kingman. It's a much nicer property to boot. There just happens to be a vintage airshow going on here this weekend. Win/win.

I've got hundreds more Grand Canyon pics, but I'll wait until I get home and can post from my PC. These wireless hotel connections aren't the best and I don't have all my photo editing software on this laptop. That would have been something fairly important to check before I left the house.

Stay tuned.

Arizona, Take off your rainbow shades

Well plans got rearranged  I left home later than planned and hit Albuquerque after sundown. Not the best time to be taking pics. So possibly we'll do the Breaking Bad tour on the way back. Yeah, it's a limited appeal thing, but I think die hard Los Pollos Hermanos fans will dig it.

Instead I pushed thru to Grants, NM and spent the night. That set me up perfectly to spend all day at Petrified Forest National Park, which was a very good thing. It's a tiny National Park as National Parks go, but very high quality. Nature only took about 225 Million years to turn a equatorial rainforest into a southwestern US masterpiece.

The park was much (I mean about 20 times as much) busier than I expected and the majority of visitors seemed to be from Germany, Norway or some Scandinavian/European country that doesn't "speaky the English". But, they were extremely friendly. There was actually a crowd at most of the pull outs along the 26 mile drive and I had to sit and let a few waves go past just so I wouldn't be jammed among the masses trying to get a good photo angle and wind up like Veronica Corningstone at the San Diego Zoo.

Watch "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" if you don't get the reference.

To be honest I was happy to wait. Did my heart good to know people traveled half way around the world to look at one of our National Treasures.

The Painted Desert 

The remains of Route 66

After spending most of the day there I cruised a few remaining sections of Route 66 including Winslow, AZ. I didn't see "the girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford" but I did see the famous Wigwam Motel and the actual 'Mater.

Next a quick haulass down I-40 to Meteor Crater before they closed. Note to Chevrolet, the Z-06 Corvette will not outrun a C300 Mercedes. At least he wasn't trying very hard to anyway. Pretty sure if we pushed it to top end he would have smoked me, but under 140 I was a huge PITA to the Chevy.

Sorry no pics of that, I was a tad busy.

The previous paragraphs may or may not have actually happened and can not be used a evidence in a court of law unless you have dashcam footage. But I do have a pic of Meteor Crater which is the result of a... wait for it... meteor impact. It's over 4000 feet from rim to rim and over 500 feet deep.

In other words a big ass hole in the ground and they have the scientific evidence to prove it!

Scientific proof of meteor impact

Actual big ass hole in the ground

After Meteor Crater I decided to bail out at Williams, AZ for the night. Tomorrow I'll be killing 2 Bucket List items at the same time. I'm taking the Grand Canyon Railway to... wait for it... The Grand Canyon. I've always wanted to take a train trip and while this is a short ride, it does qualify. I've also never been to the Grand Canyon before, ergo 2 birds in 1 very overpriced stone.

I'll have more pics after I get to a hotel that doesn't have wireless slower than the time it took to create the Petrified Forest. Unless the antique train falls into the Grand Canyon and kills us all.

Stay tuned...