Hobo Jungle

[Del Mar]

I'm beginning to think we really did'nt win the war after all.

harbor bombers are gettin' even with us.

San

[2railjon]

Here's another nice piece that was "slipped" into my luggage up in Pennsylvania!!! Thanks, Bro!!

[Tramp]

Jon, unusual car. Tell.

[MartyE]

Did I miss beer thirty? We've been at the truck all day getting AC service on a leaky system. They think they got it fixed. I hope so as we head to vegas next week and I'd love to have 'em all going.

Jon that's a great looking car. I'm probably going to be aquiring a new MTH PS2 Steamer in the upcoming weeks as well. Just not sure what it will be yet.

[2railjon]

Tramp, It's a coil car. Under the lid it hold rolls of sheet steel. I'll post a shot with the lid off. I see them all the time here on the KCS. Nice treat Hev, thank you.
If all goes well tomorrow I should be heading to the coast to pick up Pete's lantern and return Sunday. I'll keep you all posted.

[webenda]

Hmmmm. Ya got me thinking. I guess I meant to say lightening bug.

[webenda]

Coil cars move through Tucson all the time, headed to Mexico.
The sheet metal returns as automobiles on three level car carriers.

[Del Mar]

Beer tastes good in warm weather, doesn't it?

You got that right. Been hill climbing on the road bike. Half for the challenge of it, half to get to that sweet spot when you are one with the machine, in motion, and the scenery rolls by. This bike is on old friend. A tricked out 1988 Klein Performance with flat blade radial spokes and aero rims. It moves. Click click click. Running a cross pattern on the front and rear derailer to maintain cadence on the hills. Late rains have kept the scenery green and the scents of coastal index species are in the air. Sage, mustard. The live oak flourish inland, thin, and give way to the Torrey Pines and coastal lagoons. You can see a lot on anywhere from a five to 20 mile ride. It's all good. Now that I've earned it, the amber fluid goes down smoothly. The burn in the muscles slowly recedes and is replaced by calm.

San

[2railjon]

Sounds like a well deserved brew, San!! Myself, I'd have a hard time keeping up with you. I'm not getting on anything more complicated or faster then this:

[Del Mar]

Gotta love the front fender ornament.

San

[webenda]

I know what you mean San. I road my Diamondback DBR through the Tucson Mountains this morning at 7 Am before heading to the Gadsden-Pacific Division train show at 9 AM. Once over Star Pass, it is a different world. The desert is blooming again. The Quail have little button size chicks running behind them. (Why do they run down the center of the trail in front of me?) The Gila Monsters have calmed down since being rousted out of their homes by urban sprawl on the other side of the pass a few years ago. They no longer hiss in defiance as I pass by. All is tranquil again.


I can imagine a bicyclist at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter, to bicyclest, “You have been a good person. You may enter. You will find everything you need here. The bicycles at the bicycle store are all free and all the bicycle trails are down hill in both directions.” Bicyclest to Saint Peter, “Uhh... Well can I get a weekend pass to Hell to practice uphill riding?”

[Del Mar]

Well, Wayne, you inspired me to get out for some good dirty fun. Lubed up the Salsa (mine is a 1986 ala Carte with dropped bars and stem shifters), inflated the tires, and headed out back of the house in the bordering preserve. Two flats (don't ride on old rubber) and two (count'em) rattle snakes later, I had worked my way down from Del Mar Mesa to one of the stables on the far side of the preserve (about four miles). Watched two foals (actually about eight months, I'd guess) in an exercise yard prance around and gradually work up the courage to come over for a nuzzle. The Roan mare gave me the evil eye the entire time. Worked my way back up to the preserve and across back to the yard. A hot shower, a good plate of pasta (linguine, pancetta, onion, garlic, and baby spinach, hand grated Romano, Asiago Cheese bread), and I am ready for a few tubes of the amber fluid. Life is good.



San

[J-TRAINROBBER]

THEN AFTER I ATE,I HACKED UP A LUNG,I FOUND OUT THE PASTA WAS ROTTEN,SO I JUMPED IN THE 5.0 PALE HORSE AND WENT TO THE NEAREST SANTE FE,I ORDERED 3 STEAKS AND 2 LOBSTERS THEN PROCEEDED TO ROLL A SOUR DEZIL BLUNT.GRABBED A WAITRESS THAT ADMIRED THEE,AND SHOT THE COOK WITH THE SIG SAUER P226 WITH THE 31 SHOT CLIP,BECAUSE HE OVER COOKED THE STEAKS.WE BOTH LEFT SHOOTING UP THE PLACE,SHE QUIT,I LAUGHED.

[P&R Pete]

LOL!
(Sounds like the 'morning'after' the 'night before')
J-T, OK, you're on the lam, what happens next?

San, love the bike stories. I have a Windsor 10-speed, on which I used to head out into the Pennsylvania farmland on a day off. I even rode it to California one day! (California Pa, that is, an 8-house-town about 15 miles away, LOL). As I can see you grok, it's not just the work-out and melding with the machine, but the thousand smells and sounds, the happenstance you can come upon, the ability to stop on a dime and stick your dogs in a stream, warm sun and cool wind, long downhill glides, cloud shadows marching across open fields, all the things you can't see from inside a cage at road-speed.
The difference between a sailboat/canoe and a motorboat.
A motorcycle can approach this.

I rode that bike in the relative-flatlands of Union County. It's way hillier here in Columbia County, and I now need something with way lower gearing. WAY, y'know?!

BTW, did you bring one of those rattlesnakes home? Interesting house companions. Matter of fact, I married one once, my first wife.

[hev52]

Ok, Started yesterday morning early with a big-ass Pa Dutch breakfast and then went to to my steam class and found that the State of Pennsylvania had put an Out Of Service tag on the engine I wanted to use.............. ( Needs some repairs done on boiler) hope you enjoy the pictures:



So, had to use another engine. First, we had to clean out the tubes, oil and grease engine and check things out.. Also make sure we had a full tank of water.



Next was to build a fire using newspaper and kindling wood. Once it was going real good (about 1 1/2 hrs later) we added the coal.





This is the engine ready to run. We were the first group to git our engine steamed up and the first to blow the whistle








Here we are steamin' around ......





And finally we got our certificates......... Not bad for a Birthday present........ ..Yes, it was my Birthday yesterday....



And finally, here is a Springfield Buffalo Steam Roller. Kinda neat.......





Later,
hev