Swimming the Dogs

Summer hit will full force this week with temperatures climbing into the triple digits for the first time this year. Jo and I decided to escape the heat and take the dogs swimming. Doing that in Boulder where every inch of open space is micro-managed down to the blade of grass would be impossible. Instead, we headed into the foothills to the South Platte River in Buffalo Creek.

The South Platte River

The South Platte Hotel

It was perfect! The water was crystal clear and there wasn't another soul in sight. We waded in a flat section and the dogs were in heaven. Even Diogee, who prefers to harass the other dogs from the shore went in over his head.

Molly Can't Wait

Jo Cooling Off

Nana

Even Diogee Got In

Next I tubed the Chute, which is normally a class III. I won't lie, even though it the burly rapid was down to a trickle I was scared. It's called the chute because the entire river narrows to just a few feet wide with steep rock walls on either side.

The Chute

Ready for Action

Bliss

Not having our fill we decided to float a half mile down the river with the dogs. We were worried about Diogee since he would be forced to swim. It was hilarious because his herding instinct over came his fear and he was forced to nervously swim the river with us.

Video of Swimming with the Dogs

(It's hilarious)

It was the most fun dog outing I've ever had!

FIre Bomber Crashes in my Neighborhood

In late June lightning started a forest fire in Rocky Mountain National Park. The National Forest Service responding by dispatching several of its fire bombing aircraft to Rocky Mountain Regional Airport (about 2 miles from my house) to fight the fire. On Saturday June 26 one of those aircraft, a Lockheed P-2E Neptune, suffered brake failure while taxing into the ramp and crashed through the airport fence onto 120th Ave. There were no injuries, but one of the engines did catch on fire. As if this wasn't interesting enough (nothing happens in my neighborhood) my friend Mark was there to capture it. His resulting image was then published on Airlines.net!

P-2E Crash at Rocky Mountain Regional Airport

Photo by Mark Swanson - well done Mark!

Originally developed for maritime / anti-submarine patrol, the P-2 first flew in 1945. It was later one of the few aircraft fitted with both piston and jet engines. The P-2's 18 cylinder radial engines make a very distinctive sound. I was working in my garage on the day of the crash and when I heard it overhead I dropped my tools and ran out into the street to watch it fly over.

A P-2 on Submarine Patrol

(you can see small jet engines outboard of its radial engines)

I was recently in Missoula, MT home of the Forest Service fire bomber headquarters and noticed a BAE-146, also known as the BAC Jet in fire bomber configuration. It was interesting because the BAC Jet was employed by several domestic airlines for regional service well into the first part of this decade. The medium-sized, all-jet fire bomber was a stark contrast to the majority of the Forest Service fleet of piston or turbo prop P-2's and P-3's.

The BAE-146 Bac Jet

The BAC Jet wasn't the first four engine, jet fire bomber. Evergreen's 747 has it beat by a few years and is a brilliant example of the evolving topic of this post - Fire Bombers are Cool!

Evergreen 747 Fire Bomber

Flatirons Photo Shoot Recon Mission

Earlier this month I set up a photo mission to shoot the Phoenix Multisport hang glider over the Flatirons in Boulder. The day before the mission I took Rourke up in the Mustang II to scope the area, find target altitudes, and plot glide ratios to several LZ's I had secured. We flew over his dad's house then climbed up to 10,500' over the Flatirons. It was super cool to see the mountain biking trails at Walker Ranch, Dowdy Draw, and Betasso Preserve and Sugarloaf Mountain.

The Mustang II

(click on each image to see it larger)

Rourke's Dad's House

(if you look closely you can see him in the driveway)

Climbing up to 10,500' east of the Flatirons

On Station at 10,500'

Eldorado Springs Canyon

The Railroad Route Over the Continental Divide

(of you look closely you can see a pusher engine on the back of the train)

Dowdy Draw and Community Ditch Trails

Looking North Over Dowdy Draw

Sugarloaf Mountain and its Pyramid Shaped Shadow

Downtown Boulder

Flying from the Right Seat - Mission Complete

In the end Boulder's anti-hang gliding sentiment along with a raptor closure at low altitudes over the Flatirons caused me to push the photo mission north of Boulder Canyon. Even without the rocky spines of the Flatirons we got some spectacular shots. Stay tuned, I'll post them when the time is right.