again in Castle Valley, Utah with the Trek full suspension e-mountain bike turning 3,000 miles on today’s ride. Since September 2020 the cumulative mileage on all my eMTBs comes to 14,357 miles (23,110 kilometers), or 57.6% of the Earth’s circumference at the equator. I’m feeling a bit like Forrest Gump during his running phase.
An incredibly green and groomed launch site...
serves as the venue for the well-named Sod Blaster VI, an annual event held during Labor Day weekend at a sod farm near Pasco, Washington. More than 100 rocketry nerds gathered to launch low- to high-power model rockets during the four day-long event. It’s fair to say that everybody here has a blast!
T-minus five days until Sod Blaster VI...
in southeastern Washington where I hope to earn my Level 1 certification in order to purchase and launch bigger rocket engines in my larger/heavier model rockets. I will fly the 56 inch (142 cm) tall Aerotech HV Arcas for the certification flight, a 60% scale replica of the actual high velocity Arcas sounding rocket historically used for atmospheric research.
Based on simulations using OpenRocket software that utilizes basic physics, aerodynamic principles and the standard atmospheric model, the HV Arcas model rocket should soar to a half-mile high apogee in a flight lasting two minutes long on a “H” rocket engine. A Jolly Logic Altimeter Two will be onboard during the cert flight in order to record flight data.
Links: Sod Blaster VI and OpenRocket software.
Two aging geologists slowly undergoing fossilization...
met for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant last week. Emeritus Professor Ernest Gilmour (below left) was the chair of the department when I was hired as a fledgling assistant professor in the summer of 1984, a full 40 years ago, and he remains a good friend and valued colleague. We’re both retired from the university today, but he’s still doing active research in paleontology and publishing on bryozoans. It’s a scientific fact that fossilization is delayed if one stays active, both mentally and physically!
The northern rocket arsenal...
is ready to fly, but with all the burn bans currently in effect in eastern Washington that’s not going to happen anytime soon. The HV Arcas model rocket will be used to obtain my Level 1 certification from the National Association of Rocketry at an event later this month. I’m leveling up to higher power rocketry. It’s important to pursue goals in retirement.
Link to Sod Blaster 2024 and the Level 1 Certification Process.
Passing another milestone...
on the journey to ride around Earth at the equator, or at least accumulating the equivalent mileage of such an endeavor on my stable of eMTBs. The 3,000 mile (4,800 km) mark was indicated on my Trek Powerfly hardtail during my ride in the coolness of the early morning, putting me at about 70% of my goal.
There's a cool temperature window...
in the early morning when one can still get out and ride on even the hottest days. It was quite the nice 17 mile (27 km) ride this morning, especially with the additional cloud cover, and I call this spot on the singletrack Ephedra Gardens because of all the Mormon tea.
The Kokopelli mountain bike trail...
runs 140 miles between Fruita, Colorado and Moab, Utah. My neighbor and I rode our eMTBs on the segment that mostly hugs the Colorado River between Dewey Bridge and Cisco Landing today, 20 miles out-and-back. It was moderately technical in spots with steep climbs on loose and bouldery slopes, but overall it’s a magnificent ride on a beautiful day.
It may look menacing...
but it’s just a model rocket, albeit a very big model rocket. The HV Arcas by Aerotech stands 56 inches (142 cm) tall and is mounted on a rigid rail used for launching high powered rockets. I will seek Level 1 certification this coming summer from the National Association of Rocketry in order to fly this impressive projectile on larger engines to several thousand feet in altitude. It’s important to have goals in retirement. Go big or stay home.
"Rocket Men"...
reliving their childhood, featured in this week’s Castle Valley Comments. The young lad pictured below plays a leading role.
Lift-off...
of several model rockets this afternoon, with a digital flight recorder onboard. The rocket engines have gotten a lot bigger, and the gadgets have gotten a lot cooler, since I was a kid. Fun beyond words.
A Christmas launch...
of a model rocket, my first in 55 years, went off with a satisfying woooooosh! Just as I remembered it as a fledgling rocketeer in my youth. Priceless.
Relatively dry conditions...
this autumn have kept the trails in a very rideable and enjoyable condition in Castle Valley National Park. Where is everybody?!
UPDATE: I rode 118 miles last week and hardly saw a soul, except for rabbits, mule deer and birds.
Stacking firewood on a warmish day...
ensures that a little extra heat will be released when burned in the woodstove later this winter, or so I’ve been led to believe.
The ultimate eclipse-viewing perch...
near the centerline was claimed at Muley Point on Tuesday by this determined correspondent, expecting other friends to join the camp later in the week. And indeed they did, and the astronomical show that followed on Saturday was grand.
A kinematic triptych...
of large, metal wind-driven sculptures are now spinning and twirling at my red rock retreat. I have long admired the beauty of Lyman Whitaker’s wind sculptures and decided to indulge myself. They’re mesmerizing and hypnotic objects of art as they silently rotate on multiple axes! Put simply, they’re lovely to watch in motion and they bring me great joy.
Link: Lyman Whitaker Studio
A significant milepost was passed...
without me realizing it a few weeks ago. Since September 2020, over the last three years, I have ridden 10,188 miles, the cumulative mileage from my stable of eMTBs. That’s 41% of the Earth’s circumference! Yep. They’re big fun.
The Buckhorn Wash pictograph panel...
ranks among my top five in Utah, and I visited it the second time this year as I dash into the San Rafael Swell for another night of astrophotography.
Attaining the summit of Bald Mountain...
in the western Uinta Mountains of Utah is a moderate but rocky hike, and is also a lung buster if one is not acclimated to the high elevation. The trail steadily climbs 1,250 feet in 1.5 miles to the 11,943 foot (3,640 meter) summit where there are expansive views into four drainages.
A quiet evening at Pintler Lake...
at the edge of the Pintler Wilderness in Montana, my first stop on my drive south.