Golden Gate Jumpers

It's time the Lee-Side got a something beyond my biking, hang gliding, and car fluff. Doug forwarded me an article from the New Yorker and it provoked a few thoughts that are blog-worthy. It's about a 10 minute read, but worth the time.

Read the article before reading on by clicking this link - Jumpers.

I've spent my life jumping off of things. As a child when I stood on an overlook or tall structure I fantasied about what it would be like to jump off. My intentions were never morbid or fatal, I just wanted to fly. I wanted to be released from the two dimensional prison in which all earth bound creatures are trapped.

When I lived in the Bay Area, the Golden Gate Bridge was one of my favorite icons. Every morning I would awaken to its distant sharp lines breaking the foggy western horizon. I've flown, ridden, walked, hiked, driven, boated, photographed, and climbed over, under and on top of it. I have fond memories of looking down at the red beacons of the towers as they peaked out from a grey sea of marine layer clouds whose whisps lapped against the red iron like ocean waves. Or driving with my brother northbound through the tunnels below the towers with the top down in my old TR6 on a warm January day. Or giving visiting friends a terrifying, million dollar view as we did steep turns at night over the christmas tree lights of the bridge below.

The news media downplay of jumpers was in full effect by the time I moved to the Bay Area and I rarely heard official news of a jumper, although there were a few I vaguely remember. Every time I crossed the bridge, especially on foot or bike, I pondered what people must think before and just after they jump off. I wondered what it would be like to stand on the edge, looking down with fatal intentions into the cauldron of blue and black waves below. Did the grander of the majestic scenery somehow justify an ugly, selfish act in the minds of those who had lost the desire to live? If so it would be a tragic paradox. The two jump survivors quoted in the article both said they immediately regretted their decisions to jump. I would imagine the 4 seconds it takes to fall 300 feet to the Pacific are an eternity of regret for most.

Later in life I found myself looking down into a different abyss with intentions of jumping. My motives weren't fatal or suicidal, but those of living dreams and fulfilling fantasies. The cliff was three times taller than the deck of the Golden Gate and the abyss was one of red rock instead of blue Pacific Ocean. As I walked out to the edge I took a few seconds to take in the scene. The only sound was that of rocks crumbling below my feet, but the beauty of the moment was deafening. I was at peace with the world and with wing in hand I readied to take my step. One step was all that was needed, gravity would to the rest. As I fell and then flew into the abyss, there was no morbid paradox, only the joy of living a dream. As my feet reunited with the earth there was no regret, only gratitude for life and dreams. In a perfect world I would love to take potential jumpers for a "dry run" and possibly change a few minds...

First Ride 2010

It's been 6 weeks since my knee surgery. Doctor Paul and John my Physical Therapist both encouraged me to get back on the bike, but just to mobilize it, not load it up. 20 minutes at conversational intensity,nothing more. I hate riding on the trainer and have a only ridden the Ritche Break-Away Cross bike once, so I planned a perfect mission for my first ride of the year. An epic 2 mile jaunt home from Costco where I dropped my truck off to get the tires rotated!

I spent an hour the night before fitting the Break-Away to my bike fit dimensions down to the millimeter. Then I added a much needed accessory for this time of year - fenders. I used to heckle people that rode with fenders, but at the end of the day their ass was dry and mine was wet. Before I left my house I taped a hot pack to my knee to keep it warm and help it stay mobile.

Fitting the Break-Away Cross



Fenders





Knee Heater



To keep a conversational pace I had to avoid the "bump" a steep hill on the normal route back to my house. Instead, I took the bike path, which was covered in tacky wet snow. I had to load my knee slightly in the snow, but I downshifted into my granny gear to keep it light. I actually got passed by a runner! Once I was off the snow I kept my discipline and spun the remaining mile home lightly.

Snow



Knobby Tires



A Dry Seat



Almost Home





It was a short taste of 2 wheeled fun and good to ease back into saddle. My knee hurt later in the day so I decided to give it a few days before I head out again. The Break-Away ran like a champ, I can't wait to ride it more.

Flying Lawnmower

Okay it's not really a lawnmower, but blog-worthy none the less...

Flying Lawnmower

W.O.W Fan | MySpace Video

Tim's Mustang II

It's been a hectic few weeks with the holidays, going back to work, and setting up a new computer. I'm back online and have some good stuff to put up on the Lee-Side.

During a break in Colorado's Arctic weather I met up with Tim who took me for a flight in his Mustang II experimental airplane.

Tim's Mustang II

The Mustang II is a kit build plane, hence its experimental designation. It was developed from the the Midget Mustang and Mustang I in the mid 1960's by Robert Bushby. Since then over 400 Mustangs II's have been build. It is a high performance aircraft with a laminar wing capable of 215mph and 9g's. Other than its laminar wing design, it resembles the original P-51 mustang with a bubble canopy, stubby empenage, and tail-dragger landing gear. You can read more about the Mustang II Here.

The Mustang II in Flight

(from mustangaero.com)

Tim's Mustang II is a well sorted example with a hand carved wooden prop, airfoil cowling, fuel injection, and FADEC engine controls. It was a beautiful day to go flying with light winds, clear skies, smooth air, and relatively warm temps for the winter. We took off out of Erie Tri-County Airport and headed west towards Boulder and the Flatirons. Tim let me take the controls for a bit and I was impressed with how balanced and nimble the Mustang II was. I'm usually squirming in my seat when I get in a small plane because they are so much slower than I'm used to, but the Mustang II was a fast enough to keep my squirming to a minimum.

The Cockpit

Hand Carved Prop

Experimental Placard

The FlatIrons

CU Stadium

After a brief tour of the Flatirons and a circle around University of Colorado Boulder we headed North to Fort Collins-Loveland Airport for some touch and go's. Tim showed me the landing technique which was completely different than the Piper Cub I used to fly. The short wheel base required wheel landing and holding the tail off for better rudder authority.

Headed to Fort-Love

Base to Final at Fort-Love

When we were done the flight back to Tri-County was a quick jaunt due south along the Front Range.

Long's Peak

Final at Tri-County

It was a great time and I was very impressed with Tim's Mustang II and how fun flying a small plane can be.

Wildlife in Mark's Backyard

Mark Windsheimer runs Airtime Above Hang Gliding, he's the go-to guy for lessons, parts, wings, and repairs on the Front Range. I spent quite a few afternoons at his place in Evergreen this fall getting my Talon sorted and had the opportunity to take in the wildlife in his back yard. Every time I turned around there was a different cheeky and mischievous animal and except for a timid black bear.

Furry Antlers







Hairy Woodpecker









Cheeky Pine Squirrel



This was the first bear I've seen in Colorado. Jo, Mark, and I were hanging in his front yard packing up my glider when Jo noticed the dogs were completely quiet and fixated on something in the woods. Nana barked a bark we had never heard before, it was quiet and muted, almost under her breath. Then Jo spotted a small black bear at the edge of the woods. I ran for the camera and stalked closer to get a good shot. The bear was shy and wouldn't let me get close, the best shot I could get was him running away.

Bashful Black Bear

M Coupe Makes Jalopnik's Best 10 Cars of the Decade

Jalopnik's Best 10 Cars of the Decade
From Jalopnik.com, Link

The criteria:

"Leave the minivans to the buff books, the sales stars to the wire services, and the hybrids to the green freaks. As Best10 week continues, here's Jalopnik's Best10 of the past decade.

Before putting together a list of the cars we dug the most — the stuff from the past decade that most represents Jalopnik — we decided to put down some ground rules:

1. This ain't Jalopnik Fantasy Garage — the car has to be attainable for an ordinary person, or perhaps an ordinary person who has mortgaged a kidney and inherited half of their hometown. MSRP is capped at $200k.

2. No matter what it is, the vehicle in question has to have made us cackle the first time we drove (or, in some cases, saw) it. Fuel mileage and practicality matter, but they aren't what gets us — or, we assume, you — in showrooms. Yes, we're admitting a bias toward the impractical. If you don't agree, come up with your own damn list in the comments.

3. To make the list, a car or truck has to be sold in the United States between 2000 and 2010. It has to be available to the public through an ordinary, open-door dealership. No gray-market imports allowed. No kit cars. Production must exceed 1,000 units per year.

4. Some of these cars are blindingly fast, but this isn't meant to be a list of salt-flat options. Nor is it a list of cars that made a difference in the industry. More than anything, these machines are what motivate car-obsessed freaks like us to find a way, any way, to justify a purchase. (In other words, no one buys a hybrid in a fit of passion, so those are automatically out.) "

I'm not sure if there is a hierarchy, but it's the first car on the list:
Link

BMW M Coupe

"Years Produced: 1999 - 2002
Base Price When New: $45,990 (2002)
Engine: 3.2-liter I-6, 240 hp, 3.2-liter I-6, 315 hp
Curb Weight: 3230 lb (2002)
Power-To-Weight Ratio: 10.25 lb/hp (2002)

This is it, propellerheads — this is the last of the nuthouse BMWs, the last car Munich built where the loonies were in charge of the asylum. Step one: Take a Z3. Step two: Graft a steel roof onto it, increasing structural rigidity threefold. Step three: Add a version of either the E36 or E46 M3's in-line six. The Z3 M Coupe is as unhinged as BMWs come, a rolling testament to the fact that the company once gave a shit about the die-hard enthusiast. Every BMW since has been too ordinary, too dull, and too fat by comparison.

M Coupes made in 1999 and 2000 featured a version of the E36 M3's 240-hp S52 six-cylinder. These are nice cars — and they're far cheaper than 2001-2002 models — but something is missing. We prefer to think of that something as "batshit crazy."

What You Probably Didn't Know: The M Coupe's semi-trailing-arm rear suspension effectively dates back five decades; BMW first used this layout on its 600 microcar, produced from 1957 to 1959. The Z3 and Z3 Coupe were the last production BMWs to use a similar design. (The same setup was also found on Munich's legendary 1600/2002 and E30-chassis M3.)

What You Probably Didn't Know, Short Wheelbase And Big Power Doth Not Always Equal Hoonage Edition: A stock Z3 M Coupe understeers like mad, the victim of liability-focused suspension engineers and a heavy nose. Add some roll stiffness and shuffle the spring rates, however, and that sucker will dance."

Knee Pain Update

It still hurts... Like this...

M Coupe Run in the Apsens

Fall didn't really happen this year in Colorado. It went straight from summer to winter back to summer and now winter again! Last fall I took an run in the M Coupe with Kevin another M Coupe owner to check out the aspens as they were near peak yellow. BMW only made 690 S54 powered M Coupes and Kevin's M Coupe is more pristine than mine, a later build '02 with only 14,000 miles. It was a great drive along one of my favorite routes. We met in Lyons, rallied up Left Hand Canyon, hooked up with the Peak to Peak, headed south through Nederland and back down through Golden Gate Canyon.

The Clown Shoes



Left Hand Canyon





Aspens Yellow and Orange



The Town of Ward





Landscapes Were Everywhere



Kevin's Coupe





Details







M Coupe Butt



Peak to Peak Highway North

Peak to Peak Highway South



Looking Down on Left Hand Canyon





High Speed Sweepers









Golden Gate Canyon