Last Rides

[Mad4TheCrest]

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[oldironnow]

Damn, ffb....
That is a beautiful story! Written so well!

Thank you!

I learned so much about your area and DNT/Feed Mill. The cool flow of history. The excellent roads. The arc of your life.

The Canvas and the power plant - "Pigs on the Wing."

Your story of that day, sitting here now, just makes me wish this could all go on forever.

[Allred]

Excellent ride report FatFat, and great accompanying pics, also love the route map!

If anyone cares, the power plant featured on Pink Floyd's album is that of Battersea Power Station, a well known London landmark. So the next time you are in that area FatFat you can imagine yourself looking over the River Thames when viewing those chimneys!

[Fatfatboy]

Mad4TheCrest wrote

If you like curves that will put gees on your butt, man do I have a few for you to sample out here.

 

I do hope to one day make it out to your area and ride some of the roads you have told us about. The Crest is one in particular that is on The Bucket list.

[Fatfatboy]

oldironnow wrote

I learned so much about your area and DNT/Feed Mill.

Your story of that day, sitting here now, just makes me wish this could all go on forever.

Something I learned about that TNT plant a few years ago was my grandfather was a pipe fitter there when it was being built and after it was in use.

Every few years he would get check for $10k because of a class action law suit from when the pipe fitters Union brought up a law suit against the chemical companies.
Another expense of war.


Yes, I too wish days like that could go on forever.
I had another of one of those again today.
I played hooky and went riding with Doughboy, AKA T-34 from the CW forums and friend Nate.
Took about a 400 mile route through the Ozark hills.
Got completely soaked but still had a awesome day.



That’s Nate’s beautiful Bandit and Doughboys seriously ready to ride black Sporty



A couple photos from Doughboy





Hey Walt,,, recognize the logo on my shirt?

 

[Fatfatboy]

Allred wrote

If anyone cares, the power plant featured on Pink Floyd's album is that of Battersea Power Station, a well known London landmark.

Great information. I never knew that was a real place on that cover.

Thank you.

[Mad4TheCrest]

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[oldironnow]

EPIC ride, Mad'!

[Fatfatboy]

A 300 miler. That’s a great day. Nice pics.

[Mad4TheCrest]

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[Fatfatboy]

Yikes,, sorry to hear about this. To be honest I quit watching the news so have not heard of this.

Good thoughts for all that live near the flames. I hope you all are not affected.

[oldironnow]

Physically okay.

I was out and about for 16 hours yesterday, and when I came home, my hair was matted so thickly it was if I had managed a large biker bonfire all night.

I live in a city that's surrounded by large areas of plowed ag fields. That should keep us from going the way of Santa Rosa and Paradise.

The smoke has been relentless.  A lot of it down low, tight on the ground or even on the water over the bay.

This huge dome of high pressure is creating the heat and then the high dry lightning as the hurricane remnants went up and over the high pressure bulge. And around here, this high pressure has stalled the steady afternoon winds that surge in from the ocean to the Big Valley.

If that wind kicks up the Santa Cruz CZU Lightning Complex (imo) could blowtorch its way over the mountains to the backdoors of Stanford and Apple.

[oldironnow]

https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/sector_band.php?sat=G17§or=psw&band=GEOCOLOR&length=96

[oldironnow]

The Mt. Hamilton Observatory made it.
So has the Junction Restaurant.

https://www.facebook.com/ucobservatories/videos/time-lapse-video-created-from-our-live-webcam-from-our-live-webcam-stream/305077770703107/?__so__=permalink&__rv__=related_videos


https://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=545307&highlight=Junction

The eastside of Mt. Hamilton is ashes, as is the run east from The Junction Restaurant on Mines almost all the way to Patterson.


https://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=69fca73a82df4fefa7c0e48b66d0899d&extent=-123.2395,36.6849,-119.5618,38.1032

In Santa Cruz County, Empire Grade has been burned over, with the Valley that holds Highway 9 threatened from above. I took a case of water, two tents and a pile of my wife's hygiene stock to the evac center today. Tomorrow I'm going down there to try and be helpful.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f0121f7f2f0941afb3ed70529b2cee75

[Fatfatboy]

Jeez loueez,,, it looks like the whole state is on its way to becoming charred.
Stay safe, man. I hope some downpours come your way,, without the lightning.

[Mad4TheCrest]

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[Allred]

No fires threatening us right now, but everything is covered in white ash. I've given up cleaning the two vehicles that we do keep outside because the next day they are just covered in ash again.

We didn't used to get fires like this, a fire is only caused by:

1) Lightning strike (rare)  
2) Foolishness of human activity. illegal camp fires, mowing dry grass, discarded cigarette, downed power line, etc.  
3) Arson.

I blame the increase in recent years almost exclusively on arson.

.

[oldironnow]

Long story, short; I saw that lightning come in from the south.

The clouds were so high, I could see the huge strikes from 40 miles off.

I thought the storm would arrive soon, from my midwest upbringing, so i dashed up on the roof with a small bottle of whiskey to catch the show. But it was nowhere near me. The cells were marching north waaay out over the Pacific. Weather radar said they would land in the Santa Cruz mountains, and I had the fear the entire S.F. Peninsula would be set on fire. I was partially correct.

I was up there for nearly two hours. Dead still warm air, but was finally chased off the roof when the wind picked up and blew my glass away and down to the driveway below.



https://www.flickr.com/photos/14019225@N04/50257798426/in/dateposted/


https://www.flickr.com/photos/14019225@N04/50257799581/in/dateposted/


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[Fatfatboy]

The whiskey glass leaving the roof video made me giggle.
Sorry.

What is it about hanging out on the roof?
It’s such a peaceful spot.  

[oldironnow]

Fatfatboy wrote

The whiskey glass leaving the roof video made me giggle.
Sorry.

What is it about hanging out on the roof?
It’s such a peaceful spot.

Oh I laughed, too. In fact, thought it quite hilarious.
Loved the accidental nature of the video. The pause in flight before the shattering.

I agree on the peaceful aspect. Maybe it's the rising above the everyday world of the house? Like a motorcycle ride, it expands the horizon and helps one think of 'further.'