Arizona Motorcycle Tours -- State Route 87 and the Mogollon Rim.

I've been wanting to get out for a motorcycle ride for quite some time -- and my friend Linda has a "new" bike too, and she was game...  so yesterday (08/15/10) we hit the road early (kind of) and rode up SR87 to Payson, then across the Rim to Camp Verde, and back home via I-17 super slab.  Any highway is great for motorcycle riding, but these highways are incredible (a word I do not use too often).



The Route

We left my house at 0900, and stopped long enough to check the tire pressures.  We left Paradise Valley on Shea Boulevard, and picked up the Beeline Highway (SR87) at Fountain Hills.  I wanted to get some photos of road signs for my classes (I'll slip them into the "answers" section for the signs test), so as we entered a construction area out by the Four Peaks (Mazatzal) turn-off, I anticipated the "End of Work Zone" sign and pulled off on the shoulder to snap it -- but I anticipated too soon.  It wasn't the one. 

So we took off again and I stopped long enough to get the right one about 6 miles further along!  There was no one working on Sunday though...  The ride to Payson was a series of these kinds of misadventures!

I hadn't taken the Blue Beast (a Kawasaki ZZR-1200, God's gift to horizontal rocketry) on any highways like these before -- it really wasn't a good road machine for me until I had the bar risers installed.  But since I did, I wanted to get out on it and see how comfortable it is now.  They still are not high enough, but I think I can live with it.  Any more modification would require a lot more work and customization, so I will try to live with things as they are.  I did OK yesterday so I think it will be bastante bien.

We zoomed up the Beeline!  Well, I zoomed and Linda "motored stately." The road as it winds through the Mazatzals (past Sunflower, Mt Ord and the Tonto Basin) rises and falls dramatically and the curves are wide and multi-lane.  Some of them are tighter than they look at first, but it is a good high speed road for letting the ponies loose -- as long as you don't get carried away.  Quite a few four-wheelers got in the way and interfered with my ability to ride it as fast as I really wanted to, but it wasn't too bad -- the traffic was fairly light. 

Bob's Rant #547: What is it about Americans that never get the idea that normal driving is to be done in the RIGHT-HAND LANE?  We drive like a bunch of amateurs in this country -- and the USA has always had a love affair with cars and driving.  I don't get it.  We all ought to be driving like pros out there.  My father used to say that on the Earth, there were only two commodities that were universal -- hydrogen... and stupidity.  Yup. You want to see an exhibition of that concept -- just get out there and watch how people drive!  If you are not passing someone, get the hell out of the left-hand-lane!  Savvy?  Anyway, I'd zoom ahead for a few moments, negotiating my way through the idiots, then back off and let Linda catch up, as she kept her speed constantly at a more reasonable limit. (By the way... yes, I do realize that not all of those that drive or ride slower then me are idiots! It is not illegal to drive the speed limit.)

We made pretty good time to Payson, despite my stopping occasionally to take sign photos. Linda called her sister and brother-in-law, and we met them for lunch at the Mazatzal Casino south of town.  After talking with them for quite awhile, we said our goodbyes and our next leg was north to the Tonto Natural Bridge.  We got there about 2:30 or 3:00 (or so).  When I was there a couple years back with Mom, there were javelinas milling about, nipping off the grass and luxuriating in the sun like a bunch of sluggish goats.  Yesterday, unfortunately, they were not about.  So I will toss in a photo of the ones we encountered a few years ago for your edification. 


Happy Little Piggies

Linda and I hiked down under the arch -- and then followed the Pine Creek Trail back along the canyon floor and up to the parking lots from the east side. The hike down to the arch or "bridge" is fairly easy the way we went -- and while we didn't hike all the way to the falls -- we hiked far enough under the arch that we had a great view of almost everything and nice shade to sit in and relax. 

I believe this arch is the largest known travertine arch ever discovered.  It cannot be completely appreciated from above -- despite some great viewpoints. So, I suggest taking the effort and time to hike down below and look up at it!  It is not long -- but it is a bit on the steep and difficult side if you are not in too good a shape -- as I am not. 



Tonto Natural Bridge

But I huffed and I puffed and I got there with only a few heavy sighs and minimal complaining otherwise. It would have been easier had I had better clothing for hiking (my jeans didn't flex or give well-enough for the extreme bending and flexing that rock-scrambling requires), although the flip-side of that is that they did protect my legs -- shins and knees -- from getting banged up. And the importance of good hiking shoes cannot be over-stressed!  I wore my motorcycle boots and that made this excursion a MISERY (and even a little bit dangerous in spots).  But we made it, and in the end I wouldn't change it (except for the pants and boots).  It was worth the effort and the discomfort.

Linda relaxes under the Bridge!

Once we got our fill of relaxing in the cool under the travertine bridge, we wanted to hike out along the "easier" and flatter Pine Creek Trail along the canyon "floor."  I mean, that sounds really GOOD, right?  Ahem.  The State Parks Dept should be FLOGGED for calling it a trail!  You know what that "trail" consists of?  It is a jumble of river rocks and boulders, along not only the floor but the SIDES of the canyon bottom, with little painted arrows on the rock faces here or there to indicate the general direction of the route. It is not a trail at ANY point along it's 1/2 to 1 mile length!  But once on it, I kind of felt committed, you know?

The problem was (except for those little yellow arrows) I wasn't really sure we were even ON a trail -- and once you are headed that way, there is no confirmation or information of ANY kind of where, exactly it is going... those little arrows might have been pointing us straight to hell as far as I knew. So we scrambled, and rock-climbed, and huffed and puffed (yes, more huffing and puffing) and just about at the point where I was really starting to doubt the plan -- Linda spotted a ribbon marker that showed where the ascent of the hillside began and we made our way up and out... with more huffing and puffing.


We walked over to the gift shop looking for cold drinks and rest rooms, bully-ragged the rangers for a few minutes, then sat outside in the breezy shade having some cold water.

By then it was closing time.  So we got ourselves together and loaded up the bikes, and headed up and out of the park.  From there, we rode north to SR260, the Crook Trail, and rode west to Camp Verde.  We got rained on for a few moments out of a sunny summer sky -- an Arizona summertime treat!  We stopped and took a break along the top of the Rim east of Camp Verde, decided our next stop would be Sunset Point, and then headed down the road to I-17 at Camp Verde. By now my southern anatomy was starting to feel the effects of a day in the saddle as well as the physical exertions of the hiking and rock-climbing, and I squirmed around on the saddle and thought about stopping and stretching. We made it down to Sunset Point though -- at just about sunset -- and relaxed there for 30 minutes or so.  Sitting on those hard concrete picnic table benches actually felt good!

Next stop was just a few miles down the road at Black Canyon City for supper -- my thought was great Amish food at Byler's -- but alas and alack, they were closed.  So we went on to Rock Springs and had a great burger there (their food is getting a little better than it was a few years ago).  There was no room for dessert and I think their pies are way over-rated anyway (so it was easy for me to decline) -- and we moseyed down I-17 in the Sunday evening heavy traffic toward Phoenix. 

I led our little procession most of the day and somewhere around New River, I lost my companion!  I checked the mirrors -- and no Linda.  So I slowed down a bit, and eventually, a motorcycle came up on my stern and maintained there -- so I thought all was well -- but it later took the off-ramp at SR74 and now I freaked out!  So I pulled off, and after what seemed like a LONG time, Linda finally caught up -- she had run out of gasoline and it took her a few moments to switch over to "reserve" and get rolling again.  We stopped at Happy Valley Road for her to fill -- and that's about where we parted company -- the remainder of my ride home was fairly quick around the loop and she went the other way toward Glendale.

Once the bike was curried and blanketed, I took myself a nice cool shower for the refreshment value -- and settled down in my chair to wind down.  I seriously thought about going out on the bike again today -- it was so much fun.

08/16/2010

The most beautiful aircraft ever built.

The other day when writing about the new Boeing 787, I wrote about airplanes as art. After I wrote that, I started to think about making a top-ten most beautiful airplane list... so…these are my thoughts of the most beautiful aircraft ever to grace the skies. This list is by nature very subjective; I certainly would not expect other airplane aficionados to agree with either content or ranking...

My criteria:

Makes aviation-types light-headed just looking at it.

• Weight proportionate to height... and span… ;)
• Makes lift look easy.
• Sleek
• Graceful
• Pretty
• Tough (looking)
• Curvaceous and aerodynamic
• Makes me want to go flying right now.

I think I may sometimes confuse the concepts of beauty and lust...

Bob’s top ten most beautiful airliners

#10 Douglas DC-7C “Seven Seas:”
Sleek "classic lines" and those wicked turbo-compound engines with air scoops all over the nacelles. Very romantic in a trans-oceanic sort of way and very modern-looking for her time because of the pronounced dihedral, the tapered wings and "squared" wing-tips.  Her panel also had a clean, modern look to it.

#9 Bristol Britannia:
The Brits have designed and built some of the ugliest airplanes that ever took wing. But the Britannia wasn't one of them... she looked awesome and powerful.  She was a true, heavy-duty he-man's machine. I really love looking at photos of the big Bristol.

#8 Tupolev TU-114:
The monster Tupolev with the largest turboprop engines ever built amassed a great safety record although her main-line career was comparatively short. But the TU-114, like her sister the TU-95, just looks dangerous in a sexy-sort of way and that will suck in an aviator-type every time. You'd think she would have been quite the fuel hog with those massive contra-rotating propellers and huge engines, but she was known for better fuel economy than other early jetliners. Go figure. And she's still a beautiful machine today -- very tough-looking like the Britannia.

#7 Concorde:
Another European beauty. The sleekest of all airliners, ever, and an awesome sight on take-off with those mighty Olympus engines on afterburner.  A British Airways Concorde came to town once and I just HAD to go see it.


#6 Sud Caravelle:
This French bird was very pretty. The curves, that perfect nose, the exquisite proportion of wing to fuselage, tail to length. She was a thing of beauty both airborne and on the ground. I've only seen one, at Phoenix-Goodyear Airport in the 1980s. She was probably 15 years old at least and still looked factory-new, in glistening blue and white, and polished aluminum that looked like chrome; I just love a French lady...

#5 Boeing 727-200:
This second-generation Boeing jetliner was nearly perfect with her beautiful sweep and three-engined swept t-tail. I always loved to watch the 727's as they departed, flaps and slats deployed for extra lift. As she climbed away, silhouetted by the evening sky, the high-lift devices were raised in sequence, until only the tab-slats on the outboard wing leading edges were visible - then those too were smoothly retracted leaving a perfectly clean, knife-edged wing, as she transitioned from initial climb to cruise-climb airspeed. Beautiful symmetry, beautiful flying machine. I could watch them all day.


#4 Boeing 707-720B:
The first Boeings still hold a special place in my affections, especially the 720B. The first airliner I remember being aboard (in July 1965), I still love the onboard memory of looking out the windows and seeing turbofan engines everywhere! The 707 was an almost perfect nexxus of design, proportion, shape and purpose, but looks aside, the 707 is my favorite airliner of all time so perhaps I am moved by my biases.

#3 Martin M-130 “China Clipper:”
Ah, the lovely Martin flying boat. I almost weep whenever I see this 1935 photograph of the first "China” clipper as Captain Musick climbs her out over San Francisco Bay on her inaugural trans-Pacific flight to Manila. I love the grace of her hull and sponsons, the overhead motors and that beautiful braced tail. If I could choose one airliner to fly on today of all those gone before, it might easily be the M-130.  Alas, there are none in existence; all three were eventually lost.


 

#2 Convair 880 and 990: 
While both models of the Convair four-holer's look almost identical, the 990 was the prettier of the two with those graceful aerodynamic "speed pods" atop the trailing edges of the wings. These were the fastest subsonic airliners ever built and I can still remember the TWA "Starstream" 880’s rocketing off the Phoenix runway in a glorious cloud of black smoke -- which then marked their path with a smudge for at least 30 miles until they disappeared somewhere off to the east of town over the Superstition Mountains. They were the fighter pilot's airliner... and they have some of the prettiest lines on a big jet I have ever seen -- provided you could see them at all through all that trailing smoke... I so love the smell of burning jet fuel!

And finally, the most beautiful airliner ever built...

#1 Lockheed Constellation:


The Breitling Connie at Fairford in 2013

The graceful curves of the Super Connie are unmatched by any other. The beautiful triple tail, the upward curve of the fuselage, those round-tapered wings with the tip-tanks... Howard Hughes was definitely an airplane person, no matter what else he may have been... he has two airplanes on my lists. (And of course I know Mr. Hughes did not design the Connie, but he did have much influence over her design). Anyway, 1950's American airpower is more clearly symbolized by Connies (and DC-6s and 7s), than by anything military. Just my opinion.

Honorable Mentions

Some others that almost made the list... This shouldn't surprise anyone -- in a near-century of aircraft designing there had to be more than ten beautiful transports, right?

 

The Douglas DC-3:

On the 32nd anniversary of the Wright Brothers 1st flight, the aircraft that would revolutionize the air transport business flew for the first time. In her time, the DC-3 was a gorgeous bird and when cared for, still is, especially when she presents herself sans paint in simple polished aluminum. She kicked the fledgling airline business into the big business it became and lured the American public into the sky -- and should I see one tomorrow it would bring tears to my eyes (probably from prop wash and dust, of course). A DC-3 sitting on the ramp on her conventional gear always appears to be yearning toward the sky. Classic, classic, classic.

Vickers VC-10:
Another beautiful Brit. Never made much of a success of herself -- she was expensive to operate and maintain. But she was definitely a beautiful and tough-looking machine with all of those motors hanging on at the rear and that beautiful t-tail! British aircraft, especially the ones on my list here, just seem to exude confidence and competence.


Boeing 377 Stratoliner:
The Stratoliner was a piston behemoth whose size belied her grace. Part of her appeal was the luxury of her accommodations. While she was huge and bulbous in shape, everything seemed proportionate and cohesive. Her career was shortened by the problems and expense of those troublesome turbo-compound engines. I often think that if the age of large reciprocating aircraft engines had lasted a few more years, they'd have designed the bugs out of these complex rumblers. Who knows! I used to see the military version of this bird when the Arizona ANG flew them back in the 60s -- and I really never appreciated this ship's beauty back then. Wish I could see one now.

Boeing 747-400:
Boeing's Queen of the Skies was sublimely beautiful in 1978, and she is just as beautiful today with her exquisite grace. Every time I see one I watch her out of sight and feel like I've had a great day! How presumptuous of Airbus to even begin to think they could replace her with that monstrosity of an ugly duckling A-380. Not gonna happen, not for me anyway. (Are my biases showing?)

Douglas DC-8:
Like the 707 and the Convair 880/990, the four-engine Douglas first-generation was all symmetrical grace and loveliness. I only ever rode one once, a stretch 60 series with Delta. It was a short hop from Atlanta to Savanna, but it was awesome. The climb-out from Atlanta was nothing less-than spectacular - something like being on the Space Shuttle on launch I think -- near-vertical and noisy as hell.
 

L-188

Lockheed L-188:
The Electra was another one of those pilot's airplanes. The wings looked too short to hold those big Allison turbines and 4-bladed propellers (14,000 HP!) while still leaving any wing-area for developing any lift -- but once they got rid of the harmonic vibration problems it proved to be a great and reliable airplane. Watching an Electra fly was always a joy -- it seemed effortless and like she belonged in the air, wanted to be in the air. And even though she appeared a bit stubby, it all seemed to work together and she was a pretty aircraft in spite of herself. The advent of the jet-age shortened her service life -- it was thought that pure-jet was better than turbo-prop (which we have since decided is not always true), and the Electra was relegated to freight service in the dark before some of us were ready to see her go -- and where she served long and hard. Even today, we can occasionally see her on some lonely ramp in an out of the way place -- or her sister, the even prettier Orion at a Naval Air Station. One of my best airline memories was a flight from San Diego to Phoenix on a Western Airlines Electra in 1965, floating and banking around and among the tops of many dozens of cumulo-bumper clouds in a serene ballet! The L-188 is still one of my all-time favorites and one of my best memories in aviation.

Ilyushin IL-86 and IL-96:
The IL-86 was the first Russian jumbo, I think, and she (and the newer quieter IL-96) really is an impressive bird -- and beautiful.

Tupolev TU-134:
This little twin looked a lot like a DC-9 (at least in basic conformation) -- and in my opinion is a shade prettier than the little Douglas (which is no wallflower either). Her higher stance contributes to her good looks, and her flight deck "treatment" makes her look a little less-stubby than the similar Douglas.

Saunders-Roe SR45 Princess:
I had forgotten about this huge flying boat, the only one of her type ever built, until I saw a photo today on Airliners.net. Gargantuan ship though she was, the Princess was very beautiful. Looking somewhat like a Boeing Stratoliner fused onto the top of a (made-larger) Boeing 314 hull, and looking pretty perfect regardless, she came too late to participate in the seaplane era -- very poor timing. But the British utilized seaplanes to an even greater extent on their long-distance routes -- perhaps more than did the Americans. This is a fact not much remembered by us Americans these days and perhaps it was natural that they were late to realize the day of the mighty seaplanes had (regrettably) passed.

The 12 most beautiful aircraft ever (other than airliners)

I whipped this list off the top of my head -- there were a couple of aircraft I wanted to put on the airliners list (the Beech 18 and the PBY) -- but they aren't thought of as airliners so much, except in weird circumstances. So this list came out of wanting to talk about some of those other favorites. But even as I write these down, I can think of others whose beauty might belong among the top ten most beautiful aircraft of all time.

#12 Cessna 310/Skynight:
Every Saturday morning, I'd watch the CBS black and white television in the living room to see "Sky King" fly the "Songbird II" to the rescue! The sleek, rounded cabin and canopy and the wing tip tanks made her distinctive and the 310's high stance on her gear made her look like she was always ready to spring into the air. The C310 and the similar Skynight are both still a common sight around executive terminals. Of all the aircraft that it would be possible for me to own, this one would be a top choice.

#11 Piper Comanche:
Perfect in proportion, pretty in execution. The Comanche was one of the sweetest aircraft I ever flew -- light on the controls, sure in the air, and for her class (at 260 hp), faster than a cheerleader at a drive-in movie -- she was a joy to handle. The beautiful laminar-flow wing with a seeming forward-sweep was a particular joy (it really wasn't a forward sweep, it just looked so because of the line of the trailing edge).


 

#10 Lockheed Jetstar:
The most beautiful executive jet ever built I think, although the pretty Lear 24 was also on my mind as well as the exquisitely beautiful Dassault Falcon 10. The Jetstar was larger, and more James Bond-ish, and nearly intercontinental in range. This was another design with four engines mounted on the tail -- very tough looking. The modernized version (1970s) with Garrett 731s was even prettier I think.

Aerostar

#9 The Smith Aerostar:

Still the fastest light-piston-twin ever produced, the Aerostar looked like she was doing 600 mph just sitting on the ramp. The slender fuselage, the tight fit of her cockpit ("You don't get into the aircraft son, you put it on" - Tex Hill), the sweep of her rudder, this is another pilot's airplane. I guess that is exactly what this list is about though, isn't it? Planes I would like to have flown!  (Alas, my flying days as an aviator are over, and it is on to other pursuits.)


 

#8 Consolidated PBY Catalina:

This one is on here partly for sentimental reasons... The lovely parasol wing, the wake and waves trailing her when she's on the step... the bubble canopies at the waist... a prettier amphib was never built. It is evocative of some of Anthony Fokker's work with fully-cantilevered airfoils back in WWI days (the Fokker D-VIII comes to mind). What a lovely sight she must have been to those downed aviators, lost at sea during the war, when she arrived to rescue them from those vast expanses of ocean.


 

#7 Convair B-36 Peacemaker:

The B-36 was unquestionably a beautiful giant. Part of it is the slight, beautiful sweep of those massive wings and the many, many motors. She has simple looks and lines and I think that is a plus in her case. I remember B-36's passing overhead when I was a boy. The propellers were so large that you could hear her coming from 50 miles away -- they just throbbed and I am convinced I could hear individual prop blades beating the air. While she was huge -- her simple lines were trim and sleek in proportion. The bubble canopy added to her mystique and made her look wicked. She was simply awesome and (for an American bomber) nothing has ever matched her in that way since -- only the B-52 (and to a lesser extent, the B-47) have ever come close.


 

#6 Martin B-26 Marauder:

Sleek and fast, did her job and forced her pilot to be on his toes (and with a nod toward those wonderful WASP's, "her" toes as well!). No good pilot could resent that. While the Marauder was a challenge to fly well, and dangerous if you didn't fly her well, Glenn Martin made her very, very pretty at the same time, with that exquisite streamlining and the upswept stabilizers; so if a pilot died, he at least died happy and in a plane that he wanted to be seen in!


 

#5 Beech Model 18 Twin: Another Beech design where everything works together to look perfect. The Model 18 out-Electra'd the early Electras (thinking here of the Model 10 like Amelia Earhart flew, not the L-188) -- and this is another aircraft that seemed to jump at the chance to go flying. Those big round motors and that double-ruddered tail -- everything worked toward the good of the whole! I second-seated on a D-18 a couple times on some sky-diving runs back in the 70s; what a lovely machine she was – those were red-letter days. There are still lots of these flying around. Not enough, of course, but a fairly frequent pleasure for me. This is one of those aircraft whose distinctive sound tells me what she is before I ever look up.

#4 Convair B-58 Hustler: Can a bomber be beautiful? Yes, Virginia, she can. The B-58 was all the future and looked like Star Wars before George Lucas was out of short pants. There was just something about a Convair I guess...

Jim Wright and his Serial No. 2  H-1 Racer

#3 Hughes H-1 Racer: Sleek, beautiful, powerful... A few years ago Mr. Jim Wright built this almost-exact replica of the H-1.  It was exact enough that the FAA awarded it H-1 Serial Number 2.  Seeing it fly was about as close to the mile-high club as most sane pilots ever get; seeing Jim Wright fly his beautiful, beautiful aircraft was like being transported back in time to the golden age of American aviation. The aviation community lost him and the aircraft in a Wyoming crash while they were flying home from Oshkosh in 2003, reportedly when a counter-balance on the H-1's troublesome prop failed. So the only one we can see now is the original, in the National Aerospace Museum; and Mr. Wright flying his in this picture, of course. In Memoriam for Mr. Jim Wright.

#2 P-51 Mustang:
The 51 is still a gorgeous machine -- and the sound of a Merlin winding up for take-off makes me weak in the knees. Watching a Mustang on a high-performance upwind is like watching a homesick angel.  Thrown together in a hurry in the heat of a war, North American’s designers pumped out a classic beauty.

Staggerwing!

#1 Beech Model 17 Staggerwing: The 1930s oilman's personal flying machine is probably the most graceful and sublimely beautiful aircraft of all time.

Then there was the lovely Lockheed P-38, the Bell P-39 and the DeHavilland Mosquito and beautifully handsome DH-C Beaver... Maybe I should create a list of the top 100 most beautiful aircraft of all time?

Then... we could talk about the Lockheed Vega and Sirius, the beautiful Beech Debby, the sleek Fokker D-VIII, the capable-looking Cessna 195, Kurt Tank's FW-190 and North American's F-86 and F-100. We could mention the Dornier 328. Then there's the Windecker Eagle, the Bellanca Skyrocket, any one of a number of different Wacos or Great Lakes... even the Ford Tri-Motor was pretty in a paleolithic sort of way... sigh.  Oh wait! What about the incomparable Supermarine Spitfire with her elliptical wing... the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter... Oh well, I give up. 

Moseying amongst the red rocks

Grand Staircase-Escalante Natl Monument

Sitting beside the roadway, on the Capitol Reef National Park scenic drive, I watch a play of sunlight on the multicolored but mostly-some-shade-of-orange-red-or-charcoal rocks, as it highlights the visible sedimentary layers. The layers themselves I can imagine looking like this forever; their presence measures the years of geologic time, a rock cadence of eras.

The rangers say that most of these layers, long buried but later exposed when the “reef” thrust itself up into the sky eons ago, were witness to the dinosaurs. That means the dinosaurs were here – alive on the earth – for a very long time. The fact they are now gone leaves us with the impression that they weren’t successful here, but these rocks say otherwise. We homo-sapien-sapiens should survive as long.

The shadows of the afternoon clouds create a drama of alternating dark and sunlight on the rocks towering over my head and stretching off into the distance. The “Capitol Reef” (or Waterpocket Fold) is over 100 miles long. On an NPS informational plaque I learn that early prospectors were often former seamen and with their nautical frame of reference, they called any landform impediment to their passage a “reef.” In this case, the light grey or white Navajo Sandstone formations that intermittently cap the reef have eroded into the shape of domes (like the Capitol dome in Washington, D.C.) – hence “Capitol Reef.”

The Capitol Reef

I often find myself giving advice to other travelers on how they can get through many miles on a road trip, as if driving were the point instead of the means. I do this myself. My natural inclination is to drive -- I love to drive -- as far as I can in an allotted span of days. On this day, the fact that I am sitting beside the road in Utah soaking up this view is the result of several unwanted, but afterward deemed fortuitous, errors.

First, this was supposed to be a motorcycle ride; instead, I am traveling in a pick-up. My motorcycle is being held hostage by a mechanic who failed to order a part which is now being “shipped” from somewhere far away. Second, my first road trip day began in a too-leisurely way; I didn’t get on my way from Phoenix until noon. Then, I discovered that a portion of my first day’s route was a graded dirt road, 46 miles long. It was a road I was not willing to forego and which took almost three hours to navigate (to see the Grosvenor Double-Arch). Therefore, I arrived at my destination in Torrey, Utah, very late -- ending any possibility of exploring Capitol Reef National Park that evening. This snowballed into further delay the next day.

Grosvenor Arch

The next morning, over breakfast at the Capitol Reef Inn in Torrey, I consider my options. I had had plans for this day, but I had driven State Route 12 the evening before in the dark. SR12 is a magnificent road, worth seeing. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, it connected the then still isolated town of Boulder to the world, via the "hog-back" -- a ridged escarpment with stunning drop-offs and scenery on both sides -- you drive atop the "spine" of the hog's back with hair-raising precipices on both sides.

Continuing on according to the original plan and driving through some combination of the San Rafael Swell (or Reef), Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Valley of the Gods, Natural Bridges State Park and Monument Valley meant I would miss the scenic beauty of State Route 12 and the hog-back in daylight, plus I’d be assured not to see any of those other places either; those that I could get through at all in one day would be nothing but a blur at seventy miles per hour or more.

Instead, I decide, I will take my time at Capitol Reef, and then retrace my route and “mosey” back down SR12 through the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument. I will perhaps see a little of Bryce Canyon National Park at sunset before heading south to Kanab for the night. Remembering earlier very pleasant experiences with moseying, I toss the original high speed plan and choose moseying for this day.

Near Park Headquarters

So I sit beside the road soaking up this place. This is a luxury. I recommend doing this solo if you can. It is a brilliant thing to be alone with your thoughts in a place like this, where the grandeur of creation wraps around you with tangible warmth. I have spent the past several hours on a round trip of a mere ten and a half miles of National Park Service roadway. The rest of the plan can wait, even the abbreviated one I have settled on for today. I drive a little. I stop to take a photo or two. I write some. I stay a little longer. I pick fresh fruit off the orchard trees within the Park. I won’t make it to Bryce Canyon today.

Robert Schaller
Summer, 2005

The Cookie Man Makes Ginger Creams

Photo by Uncle Bob

So sometimes you've just got to have a cookie, you know? 

I've been thinking about making these for a couple of weeks -- I found and (slightly) adapted this recipe used by a now-defunct American Bed & Breakfast, the Combellack Blair House in Placerville, California.

I think they're worth making again -- so here's the recipe if you are interested!

Ginger Creams

½ cup sugar
½ cup dark molasses
¼ cup butter, softened
1 egg
½ cup hot water

2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
2 tsp cocoa powder

2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 TB butter, softened
3 TB milk
½ tsp vanilla

• Combine the dry ingredients and spices. Mix well.  I use my fingers to crush the little clumps of cocoa that don't break down.  Crush them like little bugs and blend them in with a whisk!
• Cream the sugars, butter and egg. Mix well with a hand mixer.  Blend in the hot water.
• Add the ingredients all together. The batter will be thin.
• Drop by scant teaspoonful onto a prepared sheet ( I used Pam and it worked better than shortening), 2 inches apart.
• Bake at 375 for 10 to 15 minutes. These cookies were done in my oven at 10-11 minutes.
• Remove from the sheet almost immediately or the cookies will be difficult to remove. This is especially important if you make them larger. Once they cool they will break apart as you try to remove them from the cookie sheet. Place on a cooling rack.
• Combine the frosting ingredients and frost the cookies when they are completely cooled.

Notes:

1. This will make 2 to 3 dozen cookies depending on how big you make them.
2. Caution – these cookies spread quite a bit while baking!
3. I made a ¾ batch of the frosting and it was enough.

Bob sees the newest Boeing jet -- the 787-8 comes to Yuma!

The second-off-the-line Boeing 787-8 is undergoing hot weather testing at Yuma, Arizona. I’ll bet yesterday was a wasted day though (7/31/10) because it wasn’t all that hot in Yuma. There were cloudy skies and all things considered, it was actually quite pleasant. So I don’t think any plans for hot weather testing carried out yesterday would have proved much.

As I drove past the Yuma airport at 6:30 am yesterday morning, I was thinking about it being there and was looking for it – I finally spotted it from a distance, parked down toward the southwest end of the field all by itself. So later in the day when I had some free time, I went looking for it to see if I could get close enough for some photos. My first impression as I drove up was its size – my thought was that it was between the 757 and 767 in physical size, but checking Boeing's web site for the numbers showed the 787-8 is almost identical to the 777-200 in dimensions and weight so it is larger than both the 757 and 767.

N787EX at Yuma, AZ - 07/31/2010

I was able to get within a few feet – separated only by a chain link fence and airport security. I got a couple of photos as best I could, and talked to a Boeing employee, who was arriving at the site while I was peering through the fence. She asked me if I had any questions about it. I wasn’t expecting any hospitality – I thought it more likely that I’d get arrested for trespassing, so her friendliness was a bit of a surprise.  All I could think to ask about was why the trailing edges of the engine bypass fan shrouds were scalloped. She said they were cut that way for noise abatement. After I drove away I thought of about one-hundred more questions I could have asked, of course -- including "was it going to fly today.."  It would have been worth a wait if a flight was scheduled.  There wasn't -- but checking on Flightaware.com later showed a flight on Sunday that spanned southern Arizona almost as far as Tucson in great big lazy loops.

I mentioned I didn’t like the shape of the nose, as it wasn’t “Boeing” enough. Boeing should not be allowed anything new – they should keep designing the same jetliner shapes they have since 1955… so traditionalist viewers like me won’t be offended. I have to say though that this bird is magnificent – and the “new” nose is growing on me in bits and pieces. It is also true that the nose treatment of the 757 and 767 wasn’t the same as the original 7-0, 7-2 or 7-3 series either (which were all three virtually identical), so perhaps I am being overly sensitive about this… The young Boeing person told me that the composite construction is plainly visible and would have been obvious if I could have seen the ship without her paint -- this one was already resplendent in her blue and white ANA colors.

The fact remains that I am extremely partial to Boeing products, and I don’t care at all for some of Airbus’s homely jets, advanced as they may be (like the A380). They're not as pretty when parked next to a comparable Boeing, not to mention the sublime beauty of a Convair 990 or a Super Connie from days past... about the only Airbus product that I think is even close to being beautiful is the A330/340. I just can't respect (the looks of) an aircraft with a bulbous nose like the A320 (although the head-on view isn't bad).  About the best I can say about the A320 series is that they are "handsome."  I was looking at a photo of an A340 on takeoff with the larger engines and I would admit that it was beautiful, but like I said... Anyway, if you want to see what I think is pretty, take a look here.

No... it’s Boeing for me, now that Lockheed, Convair, Douglas and McDonnell-Douglas no longer exist as builders of American heavy iron (a fact which causes me no small amount of distress, by the way).  I don't mean to denigrate others -- I have seen some very beautiful Tupolev designs in particular, and who could say that the Concorde was not one of the most aesthetically pleasing aircraft ever --  there are even a couple of other beautiful British jets -- but none of these are common around here so they are not available for me to ooh and ahh over. Here, it is Airbus or Boeing, and as I said... I think Airbus's offerings are somewhat misshapen in terms of beauty. Don't think, all you airlines flying A320s, that this is not important! I actually pick my airlines of choice by the brand of aircraft they fly (among other considerations) -- whenever I can.  I want to fly on an American jet. Long live Southwest Airlines!

The 787 “Dreamliner” is revolutionary in so many ways – it is as new and aviation-world-changing as was the DC-3 in 1935, the 707 in the late 50s, and the 747 in the 70s.  Outside of music and film, the art encompassed in the design of beautiful airplanes (and motorcars and cycles, etc) is some of the only art I really care about.  So I cannot wait to personally see this beautiful new airliner fly -- and to fly on it.  It may be the last really new airliner I ever see; another thirty years from now I would be 87 and I seriously doubt I will live to that advanced age -- one can only hope and eat more fiber...  So seeing this graceful new beauty was pretty exciting for me and I am hoping for a long romance between us.

Update December 2014: The 787 has had a bit of a troubled history so far.  Here's hoping Boeing gets those bugs worked out and the aircraft has a long and illustrious service record.  I have every reason to believe that they will.

Whole Grain Cracked Wheat, Nut and Seed Bread

This is a variation on a hazelnut-cracked wheat recipe... It is a beautiful and tasty bread. I developed this recipe today from another one that I've been making with some success.  It's dangerous to tinker but I'll let you know how it turns out...

Later that same day... Mmmm, this one's a keeper!   The texture is like a soft cracked wheat, but with lots of crunch from the nuts and seeds.  Here's what the finished product looked like.          

Ingredientes

- ¼ cup cracked wheat, steeped for 10 minutes in ⅛ cup boiling water
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 TB gluten
- 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
- ⅛ cup honey (or packed brown sugar, or molasses)
- ⅛ cup softened butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1¾ cups (222 grams) white bread flour
- 1 cup (130 grams) whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup (34 grams) 10 Grain flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
- ⅜ to ½ cup of chopped hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, & flax seeds
- Egg wash (whites only, yolks, mixed, your choice)

Preparación

• Prepare the cracked wheat (as noted above)

• Place the yeast, honey and gluten in a small mixing bowl, pour the warmed milk over. Stir together and let dissolve & proof for 3-5 mins.

• Add salt, butter and about ¾ cup of the white flour.

• Blend until moistened then beat for 2 minutes on high speed.

• Add the whole grain flours and the prepared cracked wheat. Stir together then add in enough of the remaining white flour to make a good dough.  A bit more flour might be necessary while kneading.

• Turn the mess out onto a half sheet and knead for 5-8 minutes until a smooth, elastic, but still-slightly-tacky dough has developed. Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl, roll it over to coat it and then cover the bowl – let it rise in a warm draft-free place for at least 45 minutes or more until the dough has doubled in size.

• Fold the dough down. Sprinkle the dough with the nut and seed mixture, and knead it into the dough. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Form into a round or a loaf – cover loosely* and let rise for about 45 minutes. If using a loaf pan or other containment, grease it well. Prior to the last rise, brush the top of the formed dough with an egg wash, and sprinkle with any remaining cracked wheat and seeds, etc. I slash the dough diagonally with a sharp knife at this time also.

* Cover loosely means don't cover it up so tightly that it interferes with the rise. I lay a piece of Saran Wrap loosely over the loaf pan, and adjust it (lift it gently) as the dough rises to keep it from sticking to the dough and retarding the rise.

• Preheat the oven to 375 and bake the loaf for about 30 to 35 minutes until the internal temperature registers at 190 degrees or above. Cool on rack. Makes one loaf, great for sandwiches or toast, french toast, you name it.

• Notes: For the 2nd rise particularly, do not overdo the rise time – only long enough that the dough has almost doubled. If you let it sit too long, its structure will weaken and your bread will collapse in the oven.  I typically use a 9x5 loaf pan and this dough will usually rise about 2 inches or so above the rim at 45 mins (these are my results given the conditions in my home -- I let the dough rise in a room that is uncooled, with no drafts, and is usually 85-90 degrees F).

Also, it is important to use all ingredients at room temperature – not cold from a freezer or refrigerator. About 75 to 110 degrees -- optimum conditions for growing mold and fungus, because that's exactly what yeast is... :)  No need to melt the butter, but softened will help in blending.

Update 2013:  I've developed a dislike for hazelnuts -- so I don't use them in this recipe anymore.  I would still use other varieties though.

The dangers of living to eat

Some would say that what I eat is garbage but I disagree (vehemently)! I only eat good stuff! Like today for example...

I started with a 1/2 roast beef sandwich on my own fresh whole wheat sourdough, with a tomato slice and my home-made cholesterol-free mayonnaise, with a glass of vegetable juice! Then later, I ate an apple and a banana... gotta have my fruit you know. So far so good right?

I struggled with what to get for supper... I was going to make a chile relleno casserole the other day, and I got a bunch of chiles but burned them to cinders because when I put them on the grill I forgot to take them off again... After 45 minutes.... heavy sigh.

So today I thought maybe I'd do that, but then I ran across my recipe for REAL chile rellenos... and I thought... you know... I never made THOSE before and I DO have a little time today so...

I got five more fresh un-charred green chiles down at Eddie's Place and I roasted them for a reasonable amount of time. I stuffed them into a paper bag and let them bask in their own steam for a time, then peeled and cut them each slightly and tried to get the seeds out at least. I de-stemmed all but one -- I thought it might be easier to handle that way.

Then I made little cheese torpedos out of cream cheese, shredded cheddar and jack, and inserted one torpedo into each chile -- dusted the little puppies with flour and put them in the freezer to get good and solid (15 minutes). Meanwhile, I mixed up some egg yolks with flour and salt, and whipped the whites into a frenzy until they just wouldn't frenzy anymore (stiff, stiff peaks!)  And I heated up about 3 cups of canola oil in a cast iron pot.  You dip the almost frozen stuffed chile into the combined fluffy egg batter, coat it muy bueno, then deep fry 'em until golden.

I served them atop some smoky white beans simmered with tomatoes, onion and garlic, with sour cream and chopped cilantro on top. I ate two of the damned things. So much for limiting quantities today. And I was doing so well, too. But they were SO good!  The egg batter fried up very light and the sour cream on top with just a touch of fresh chopped cilantro -- I am convinced that in a former life I must've been a Mexican farmer (although I doubt they had chile rellenos like these).  There's always tomorrow I guess. Guess I shall go wash all the dishes I dirtied up...

Hmm. I was looking at what I wrote here. I am always struggling with my diet -- I live to eat you know, rather than eat to live. Just eating to live would take some of the fun out of living I think. Maybe if I put this where I can see it on my blog whenever I look at it, it can be a reminder of "My Struggle."   I really need to get my diabetes under control.  I didn't mention I had some home-made vanilla rum pudding too...  Sigh.

By the way, los rellenos can be reheated the next day in a toaster oven -- and they're great the 2nd time around too!