Triumph Tiger 800 XRX

Time to move on to something to divert myself from the virus lockdown: some observations on my Triumph 2017 Tiger 800XRX pseudo adventure bike. There are many variations on the Tiger, but this version Tiger was biased toward the street, and I have the factory lowered version.

I am nearing the end of my motorcycling life due to arthritis and other problems, but I wanted one good bike before I quit. It was going to be the Yamaha FZ800. I modified it per most of the Cycle World recommendations, but there was one problem I couldn’t fix. On 100°F days, which are common where I live, the saddle became so hot I couldn’t sit on it. I investigated this as much as I could, but could see no ready remedy. I tried a new saddle and added insulation to it. I tried fans. Nothing worked, and I finally gave up. I checked forums and some other owners talked about this problem, only to be ridiculed by macho idiots. I especially remember a rider on the distaff side who wasn’t believed. I’ve ridden across the country, up to Alaska, and Newfoundland, so I think I know what I’m talking about and don’t have an abnormally soft butt. I put in about 250,000 miles on BMWs, plus more on a Suzuki V-Strom, and GSX-650F. It was time to sell the bike.

My biggest challenge when shopping for a bike is saddle height, and I want a centerstand. I compromised on the latter, and was almost ready to buy a Kawasaki Z900 which had a surprisingly low saddle. No centerstand and no room for luggage, but I knew the day of long trips was over. Almost ready to close the deal when the dealer said that the fork seals on my trade-in Yamaha were blown and they would ding me $600. They claimed that if I let it go the bike would ultimately collapse on its suspension, which was total nonsense. I killed the deal there. I checked and the seals were notblown; they just needed cleaning. I’d bought several bikes from that dealer and felt betrayed.

I ended up selling the Yamaha at Next, and went shopping. By chance I found that Triumph had a low version of their Tiger, and the local dealer had one. This bike had no centerstand, but it looked like one could be installed. At one time I would never have imagined buying a Triumph, but I remember asking a couple of Triumph riding Germans in Switzerland and they had said that everything had been going well with their bikes.

The Triumph was a year old and the dealer took my offer, maybe a little too quickly so I probably bid high. Initial impression was that the bike handled really well and was pretty user friendly. I could get my feet on the ground and the ergonomics were good for me. Handlebar position was right and the saddle was much better than most stock ones I’ve encountered. Ergonomics were about right for me (5’5”) and no problems reaching the ground since it’s a low version. The saddle was much better than most stock ones I’ve encountered. There are some nice touches such as braided steel covered brake lines.

As one should expect from a Triumph, the handling is good. However, the forks and shock could be better. Fortunately, aftermarket shocks don’t seem to exist, so I am safe, and I don’t feel like having the forks reworked, but I have to watch out for the suspension bottoming out. I made the mistake of looking up operating instructions online since I was too lazy to dig out he paper user manual. This was a bad idea since Triumph has drastically changed the user interface in the past while keeping the same display and controls.

The wind screen is small but performs better than it should, although I did add an extension eventually. I added Triumph crash guards and Givi saddlebag racks. These bolted directly on to tapped holes without the need for any clamps. Givi is not supposed to be the most robust solution for real adventure riding, but I’m not going to be doing any of that. I mounted repurposed Pelican bags that came from other bikes. One used a Caribou mount and the other the discontinued Twisted Throttle mount. The Caribou needed some spacers. I mounted a Givi trunk that dates back to my belt drive BMW. I repurposed a Caribou general purpose mounting plate with a lot of spacers (actually oversized nuts).

I made the jump and decided to mount a Triumph center stand on the bike. It bolted on except I had to make a bracket from strap aluminum to support the stop (rubber bumper) bracket. Unfortunately, I have become too frail to use the center stand even using a wooden ramp, although I may work on a better ramp. The center stand will only be used for major service. This meant lubing the chain would still be a problem. One solution was to use a hydraulic jack on the right side of the bike (using the center stand as the hard point) to get the rear wheel off the ground, as advertised by certain gimmicky (I’ve tried them) stands. This works fine if you get a short jack (Amazon) and I can even carry it in a saddlebag, weighing in at 9lbms. However, I decided finally to go with a Scott Oiler, sincethey have an electric one that can be adjusted with a remote display. I’ll have to see how that works out in the long run. Too bad I didn’t have that in my touring days.

Other small changes were replacing the headlight bulbs with LEDs. This took a couple of iterations until I found a recommendation in a Triumph forum online. They fit and work pretty well. I also repurposed my LED aux lights (SuperbrightLEDs.com) using a mounting bracket. from Twisted Throttle. This is where I found a mis-tapped hole on the Triumph. I didn’t feel like doing a lot of disassembling to get a tap in there, so I let it be. I had to rework the aux light housings with a Dreml tool to get the aux lights to depress far enough to be useful. 

It became clear that the bike’s first gear is way too high even for the street. I’d had to think what it would be like off road. I did invest in a 1 tooth smaller countershaft sprocket which is a big improvement, but It could be even lower. This has not affected fuel mileage in any noticeable way. Another issue was that the front brakes lacked authority. I had the front pads replaced and this helped. The tiger received a major model update about a model later year later, and upgraded front brake calipers and a lower first gear were included. 

I was stupid and dropped the bike, smashing the left turn signal and the clutch lever. I decided to get the fancy Triumph lever with click adjustments and I replaced the stock hand protectors with more robust Barkbusters. Barkbusters have a real aluminum bar for protection. Unfortunately, I got to test it, and verified they work. I learned that you have to order Triumph replacement parts by VIN, not by model year. I never did get quite the right replacement turn signal, but I did get one that had enough internal volume to swap in an LED. When locating a place to mount the ballast for the LED, I found the lower inboard portions of the fairing were missing a couple of fasteners. I was able to order these online.

At least the bike doesn’t leak oil from the engine cases, and the electrics work. However, if you let it sit for a while, it is hard to start. I’ve had good luck with Li+ batteries on my GSX-650F and FZ-800, so I got one for the Triumph. To be safe, I still store the bike on trickle charge. The taillight is anemic, so I transferred the big LED assembly I got for the GSX from Twisted Throttle to the Triumph. Now, drivers at night have a nice, bright target to aim for.

Ride reviews note that a lot of heat can come up from the engine, although nothing like the FZ800. The heat is tolerable even on 100°F days. I don’t notice the handlebars buzzing while I’m riding, but sometimes after a longer ride, I do notice a tingling in my hands, so there is some kind of high frequency shake coming through. I do have extra foam sleeves over the stock grips.

Haven’t managed to go a full day trip, yet, but the bike feels like it is capable of touring. Just wish I had it when I was younger.

Some thoughts on Covid 19

Below are some edited emails I wrote to friends in response to questions about what I thought would be happening. The location is Inglewood, CA and viewpoint is that of a senior citizen.

March 22, 2020

As an amateur historian, among other things, I am now immersed in history, I’ve been driving around to see how society is changing. After the initial panic buying, things seem to have settled down and it is possible to get basic groceries again, although some are rationed such as dairy and fresh meat. Toilet paper is still sold out and people are waiting in lines to buy bottled water for some strange reason. The taps still work and you could get some water jugs to store it if you need to. I have my earthquake supply of water on hand if I need it, plus water filters.

Now, for some speculation on what is going to happen:

I was wrong, the Spanish Flu lasted 2 years, coming in 3 waves and mutating to a deadlier strain along the way. Spanish Flu is a different bug from Covid 19, but it does illustrate what happens when public officials refuse to impose strict lock downs. Even in the US we have major chunks of society that are refusing to isolate, especially in red states. We still have leaders who are saying we shouldn’t change anything. [still holdouts at this time]

A major problem is that our medical system has no surge capacity. Most hospital beds and ventilators are in use. We have a “just in time” medical system and the current federal government has been pushing to eliminate medical services and reduce coverage. At least in LA they are rushing to get closed hospitals back into operation.

if our lock down lasts for even a couple of months, it will change our society in drastic ways. A lot of smaller businesses, and airlines, live hand to mouth and will go bankrupt. Many will not survive at all. Amazon will be selling everything and everyone will work for Amazon, if they have a job. An exaggeration, but retail will change and delivery systems will have to evolve to minimize physical contact. Critical parts of the supply chain will have to become domestic, but that is not easy. At the very least we will have a recession, and we may go into a depression, especially with a lack of leadership at the top. This is Andrew Yang’s moment. We desperately need a negative income tax.

The market was already overpriced and some of us were saying that we were overdue for a recession. That also means our economy has very little resilience, and many companies have too much debt. With all the un-financed government spending being proposed to save the economy, world-wide, there is also going to be a big credit crunch, maybe even a bank situation as in 2008 according to one article I read. Collapse of our financial system?

So, start planting your victory garden in the park, but there is already a long line for vegetable plants, just like for bottled water, guns, and webcams.

How long will this shutdown last? China was shut down for 2 months before they stopped manifesting new Covid 19 cases, but they had a much tighter and effective lockdown than we have. I figure that our government will relax things in 2 months anyway just to save some part of the economy. Even if the infection slows down for a while, it can come back.

According to a Science Friday podcast I was listening to while walking around the park, Covid 19 can be spread by people with no or few symptoms. In fact, they may be shedding more viruses than those with symptom. So, you have to assume that everyone, including yourself, is a carrier. In that case, wearing a mask is a good idea, not to protect yourself but to protect the herd. WHO and the CDC are wrong, we should have a big push to manufacture enough masks so that everyone can wear them whenever they are around other people. Kind of like a flu vaccination: you get it not for yourself, but to protect other people.

My private theory is that Covid 19 is spread by children since they socialize together in day care and schools, while experiencing no or few effects. [this is orthodoxy now]

I read that Italy has such a high fatality rate compared to advanced Asian countries mainly because their population is so much older. Italy had more medical surge capacity than we do.

Hope I cheered you up if you got this far. Too much time on my hands so I can research these things, but please look up these topics on your own and see what you conclude.

 

March 28, 2020

So, you wanted to hear some good news? Well..

Check out CNN article on improved air quality in the US:

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/23/health/us-pollution-satellite-coronavirus-scn-trnd/index.html

I’ve read similar articles on Europe and Asia, Today I could clearly see the Hollywood sign. However, the price we’re paying for this, human lives, is too high.

Some writers are worried that pollution will zoom up again when (?) the COVID 19 panic is over, or Trump wills it over. I don’t think so, which is good and bad news. The economy will be hard to restart since many businesses will have been mortally wounded and our financial system (2 trillion + of new debt) may be damaged or worse, COVID 19 is now thought to be capable of causing long term damage to victims, so a portion of the workforce may be compromised.

Speaking of which, on the good side, the government is allowing in more foreign agricultural workers since it’s thought that our food security may be compromised by ill workers. [turned out they can’t get here because of the closed border]

Releasing inmates from prison to prevent infection is a good thing since there are too many prisoners who are there for minor drug infractions. [judges say no]

It is to be hoped that for the same reason ICE will start releasing inmates from their detention centers. Unfortunately, Trump got his wish to close the border fulfilled, although some Mexicans are starting to think it’s a good idea.

Andrew Yang’s negative income tax is actually getting a chance to be put into practice. I predict it will have to be made permanent since the economy is not returning to normal anytime soon. Depression? On the other hand, AI is fighting against the virus as our ally, Maybe it’s just trying to sucker us in:)

Working at home and tele video conferencing everything is getting an acid test. The virtual classroom HAS to work if we’re not going to lose a class of graduates. If this can be made to work, it opens up higher education to many students who can’t afford college.

Permanent wide spread tele commuting and conferencing also opens up the possibility of again reducing pollution after the crisis. LA was on the verge of gridlock before this happened.

Some scientists think COVID is here to stay. It has a perfect delivery system since it’s spread by carriers with no symptoms, especially children (experts are starting to believe that they are the major vector). It is thought that the virus can proofread, so it won’t mutate much. Although this means it can’t too much more deadlier, it isn’t going to become much more benign. It also seems to be perfectly happy in hot weather. [as in Australia and Singapore] This might mean a future of fine dining take-out. As you noticed, wholesalers who supplied restaurants are starting to market directly to the general public (or go out of business). We’ll now have access to the high quality meats, fruits, and vegetables which were previously restaurant only.

Crowded factory floors are going to become even more obsolete than they already are, since they will be dangerous. Learning to program these factories will become more and more important.

Since everyone is at home and the streets are empty, burglary and street crime have dropped by about 15%, [even more, now] depending on the location. Unfortunately, it is thought that domestic abuse will zoom up. [actually went down locally?] Cyber crime may also grow, since thieves will have to do something. I have noticed a large increase in phishing attacks since March 1.

At least in some parts of LA kids are getting free computers to learn from home. It is to hoped that there will be a big push to get everyone on the internet since that will be a key to survival in this brave new world. it’s becoming more like science fiction the more I think about it.

The strain on the economy, financial, and health systems may cause structural changes. Maybe people (the GOP to be precise) will realize that universal healthcare is needed to fight pandemics. Those who live in states without the Obama Medicaid expansion will be financially ruined by medical bills if they catch the virus and survive. That on top of possibly losing jobs or businesses. With unemployment nearing Great Depression levels [some predict worse, some less] , the social safety net will have to be rethought. Maybe socialism will stop being a bad word in some camps.

The numbers in NY are mind numbing, and they say that is just the beginning.

Well, don’t know if I cheered you up, but it’s time to wash some viruses up. Maybe I’ll restart my blog. [as I have]

April 5, 2020

Science fiction authors always wonder what does it really take to keep a society fed and functioning, at least sort of. We already know that the production of food requires a very small fraction of the documented population. We are finally being forced to admit that a good portion of our food production requires undocumented labor. Even though the government is allowing in more “guest” agricultural workers, they cannot get here due to the closed border and fears of infection. I’ve listened to interviews with farmers who are complaining that their crops are going to rot in the fields. Americans (me too) refuse to do this kind of work no matter how long they have been unemployed. Instead of hoarding bottled water, maybe people should be stocking up on food, but not before I get my share

There have been various unemployment projections, but a CNBC article projects 32%, which is worse than the Great Depression. We are in bad shape to deal with that since our debt was already so high, thanks in part to the great MAGA un-financed tax cut. As happened during the Great Depression, we could be heading for violent social instability. The US was already considered on the edge before Covid 19, due to the great inequality in wealth. Locally, grafitti is up, usually a sign of gang activity.

The Fed may move adroitly enough to save our financial system, and if central planning (as during World War II) can be implemented to shift labor to medical manufacturing and care, as well as new distribution systems, unrest may be kept to acceptable levels. It will be the end of portions of the service economy as we currently know it. Jobs and services, and industries that provide touch care and hospitality may disappear. If you have hotel stocks and the like, you may want to re-evaluate them. Market forces will not act quickly or efficiently enough to make these changes before we have a revolution, soft or hard.

Services that can be performed online will survive and probably thrive, requiring a better educated workforce than we currently have.

It has been predicted for a while that there will not be enough jobs to go around, and this may finally be catching up with us. Covid 19 only triggered this conversion. Andrew Yang was basically saying that we need to create a system where wealth is not distributed based on work performed. Karl Marx and the rich have already figured this out. In addition, to fight pandemics even if you don’t believe in the humanitarian angle, healthcare must be made universal and not controlled by market forces. Market forces led to not having enough beds and ventilators to go around.

Andrew Yang will probably be unhappy that we will need much more AI to keep the new world working, especially in the case of robots and tele-services to handle the sick. Since Covid 19 can proofread and doesn’t mutate quickly, it probably won’t become benign anytime soon. Plus, the bats are probably incubating even better viruses. Experts have been amazed that we haven’t had more Spanish Flu type pandemics since 1918.

There is probably enough wealth to go around, but it has to be redistributed, something that will be fought tooth and nail (no new taxes per Grover Norquist). Somehow the moneyless world of Star Trek was achieved, but in their universe it required a cataclysm.

Sorry no good news tonight and I kind of rambled. If you want to be cheered up,  google the Shedd Aquarium video on the penguins and Beluga whales becoming buddies.

Time for my beer, now,

April 7, 2020

Well, things don’t seem to be getting much better in terms of our nation’s response to the crisis. Clearly a lack of leadership at the top, and some shameless behavior. We need more heroes such as Captain Crozier, who are more interested in saving lives than their careers, just like Teddy Roosevelt and Yellow Fever.

A lot of misinformation is in circulation about vaccines. Typically, new vaccines take 10+ years to get delivered to the public. With new technologies and the current motivation, it may be faster, but it won’t be 18 months. That would only be possibleat at a breakneck pace and if there were no hitches, per a Guardian article. People who are going to wait for the vaccine to restart their lives are potentially fooling themselves. We need to start adapting now to a changed world.

There is a good reason for not rushing vaccines. Google the Cutter Incident for one, which crippled and killed. More recently there was the 1976 Swine Flu epidemic and the Guillainn-Barré syndrome. What happened then was complex both in terms of causation and decision making, but illustrates the difficulty of rolling out a vaccine. Vaccines can be dangerous if not properly vetted. I do get my flu shot every year.

Drugs that can suppress cytokine storms (google that one) may be of help in certain extreme Covid-19 cases, but are not a “game changer” and should not be given for prophylaxis, as one certain politican has recommended, since they work by suppressing the immune system, which could be very bad at the wrong time.

There are currently no miracle cures per my research and reading. Wear your mask and social distance. Just to make you feel better, some researchers think 6′ is inadequate in some situations-it might be more like 24′.

Pause for a moment on the keyboard in memory of all who have passed due to the pandemic, and cheers for all of those who are directly fighting it and those who are keeping our society going at great risk themselves.

On a side note, for your distraction, seismologists have detected the effect of the pandemic on the earth. See:

https://twitter.com/celestelabedz/status/1243306005456289792?s=20

It’s a lot quieter now.

Pancake recipe

I found this recipe somewhere on the internet (sorry, I didn’t record the location), and modified it after trial and error to make it low glycemic. No guarantees, check your blood sugar.

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup rye flour

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt (or reduce to 1/2 if you want)

1 1/4 cup soy milk

2 eggs

3 tablespoons melted butter

dash of vanilla or so

cinnamon per your taste

Sift together dry ingredients into a bowl

Add eggs and liquid ingredients and stir

Cook like regular pancakes

The Great Eclipse Expedition

I decided to see the 2017 eclipse since I’d never seen one before in my life, and I needed a reason to go a trip this year. However, this would be my first long trip in a car, by Subaru Crosstrek, instead of by motorcycle. On my 2015 trip to Newfoundland, I decided that I was cutting it too close due to the arthritis in my hands, as well as elsewhere. The plan was to car camp about half of the time, and that worked out pretty well.

Prime eclipse viewing wold be in Oregon, but I’d already heard the stories of price gouging and crowds, and I wanted to avoid that, although some of friends elected to go that way. I also had some thing I wanted to see in the Midwest, so I started thinking about Missouri since that seemed to be one of the most unpopular places for eclipse viewing, but they were putting up web advertisements to lure eclipse tourists, which seemed to be a good sign. I didn’t do a lot of up front investigating of where exactly I wanted to go, but instead reserved a Motel 6 room in the general vicinity of where I wanted to go, noting that there were adequate roads for fine tuning my location in real time.

I decided to take two different tents with me for different campsite options. One was a large 4 person REI for comfort and the other was a 2 person ultralight from Big Agnes for tight spaces and quick pitching. I had a hybrid insulated air mattress that I had used on previous car camping trips but this time I intended to use a very small and compact battery powered pump to blow it up. I also brought along my Allen folding bicycle from Walmart. I had just replaced a set of Michelins that wore out quickly with a fresh set of Bridgestones from Costco.

At the last minute I received from Amazon a small solar telescope, but along the way I received a warning from Amazon not use it and that I would get a full refund. So much for preparations. I also got a new crown that came in right before I left and I realized that I was overdue for an oil change – actually my car, of course. I managed to get to dealer (thought of doing it myself but decided that I had no margin for error since the oil filter was on really tight and started deforming when I tried to remove it) the morning of my departure and headed out of town straight from there.

My first destination was Las Vegas. I ran into really heavy rain, thunder and lightning and this was the first of many time I was glad to be in a car instead of a bike. I’d ridden through plenty of very heavy storms, but I’m getting old. Watched the car outdoor temperature drop from 104 to 65F as I drove through the storm. I stayed at eh I-15 Motel 6 which was pretty nice for a Motel 6. I tend to stay at M6s since they are cheap and easy to find. They have a national directory which makes it easy to plan ahead, and you know what you’re going to get most of the time, just like McDonalds. Never great, but kind of consistent and you’re probably not going to die.

The next day I realized that I’d forgotten my prescription drugs at home and that the hard drives for my laptop had gone bad. This prompted a trip to Costco for their pharmacy and their cheap 2.5” hard drives. The hard drives were easy, but it would take a couple of days to get my drugs. So, it was off to my first sight seeing destination, Ely, with the knowledge that I’d have to make a return trip to Las Vegas.

Ely is at 7000’ altitude so the temperature is much nicer than Vegas, although you might get a little faint at first. The scenery also improves as you get closer to Ely. I checked out the big train museum although it was closing as I got there. I learned when the train rides started and walked around the yard to plan my tour the next day. I stayed in the local KOA which was pretty nice and just a little bit out of town. I had an inspiration and visited the local hardware store to pick up a 25’ extension cord and a fluorescent drop light. Since I got tent sites with water and power, this allowed me to easily late at night, charge up my camera batteries, and power my laptop. I’d also purchased a small plastic water boiler before the trip, and this meant I almost never had to use my gas stove. Starbuck Via coffee works fine for me as well as instant oatmeal and granola. Most dinners I ate out.

The next day I splurged for breakfast at a nice cafe near the train museum, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, one of the 3 big Nevada rail museums. I purchased my train (diesel) ride ticket and enjoyed the ride. The ride drops you off at the big shed that you can only visit via guided tours. I understand that the shed was a gift from a very wealthy admirer of the museum. Some people really like trains. I had a good time walking around the yards and went on a guided tour of the big maintenance shed. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/ElyRail2017/index.html

I got done by noon so I drove out through some crappy weather to Big Basin National Park. At the lower visitor center the ranger warned me that the weather was pretty bad higher up and it probably wasn’t safe to go hiking at that time due to the lightning and poor visibility. It started clearing a little as I got to Lehman Caves visitor center and went on the short nature walk. Cave tours of course were all booked up. I drove up hight to the Bristlecone parking lot and walked the very short Sky Loop train which is mostly boardwalk. The weather was drying but it was getting late so I decided not to try any longer hikes. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/GreatBasin2017/index.html

Back to Ely and the KOA. One disappoint was that I found that I’d forgotten to load Adobe Lightroom software on my laptop before I left home and Adobe had changed its policies so that it was no longer easy to download a new copy. I gave up and decided to look for new software. I didn’t really find a good solution till I got home. Anyway, I wasn’t able to process and upload my photos as I went, as I had planned. I did celebrate the day by going to a Mexican restaurant in Ely. I have a lot of dietary restrictions so normally eating isn’t a big part of my travel experiences these days.

So the next day I retraced my path back to the Las Vegas Costco and picked up my prescriptions and made use of this delay to see the Las Vegas Obon festival which I knew about but thought I wasn’t going to attend. I was wondering how you celebrate obon (Japanese version of Day of the Dead) since normally you dance outdoors and it’s kind of hot in Vegas. I found that the solution was to use a large high school gym. Mainly cultural displays and Ondo (dancing) but there was a large crowd and I recognized people from Los Angeles. From there I took off for Cedar City KOA to get back on schedule. This KOA was right in town, but that was kind of convenient and there was more rain. Obon photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/LasVegasObon2017/index.html

I’d passed by a heritage museum on the way into town so I decided to learn a little about early Utah and visit it the next morning:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Frontier%20Homestead%20State%20Park2017/index.html

I think I was the first visitor of the day. I hadn’t planned on it, but Cedar Breaks was close by and the weather was better so I headed there next:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/CedarBreaks2017/index.html

It was a steep climb and my car barely made it. Just went to overlooks and skipped hikes due to high altitude and ominous weather. Decided to drive towards Grand Staircase National Monument, the one Trump wants to decrease in size, which I think is a really bad idea. I had lunch at 50s diner in the middle of nowhere; I liked the food. The visitor center came up early in Cannonville and decided to call it quits and stay at the KOA there, where I’d stayed once before on my earlier trip to Zion. Per advice from visitor center went to Kodachrome Basin State Park and started short hike but rain started. Got photo of very small bridge but good views:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/KodachromeBasin2017/index.html

I did go on a hike there to a small natural bridge and got chased out by rain just as I finished. Washed clothes and had two Unita beers at the KOA. They were pretty good. I had to warm up something for dinner since there aren’t any restaurants that were close by and open.

The next day it wasn ice enough in the AM, but it was overcast with storms in the late afternoon. Next destination was the the Escalante Great Staircase visitor center (different from the one I visited the day before. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/GrandStaircase2017/index.html

This is a big national monument. this time I grabbed breakfast in town on the road and per the visitor center’s advice drove to the
Anasazi State park and toured the museum and ruins. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/AnasaziStatePark2017/index.html

From there it was on to Capitol Reef with a lunch stop of tacos right outside of the park. I’d been there before but I hadn’t seen Hickman Natrual Bridge. I stopped at the Visitor Center for and info dump on Hickman Bridge. Also learned that there was a ranger talk on Fremont peoples at Petroglyph site on the way so I stopped there first. Capitol Reef is also known for the apple orchards that the Mormon settlers had planted and the trees are still producing. They were in season so I picked apples for $4, honor system. Finally I got to the trail head and packed all my rain gear since the sky didn’t look too good. i hiked to Hickman Bridge and got caught in downpour right at Bridge. Felt sorry for the people who only had T-shirts since it was pretty heavy. The bridge is pretty impressive and you get to walk right under it. On the way back I found site of a pithouse as described on the trail guide. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/HickmanBridge2017/index.html

After that adventure drove to the Green River KOA, which was on the outskirts of town and plenty of room. It was in walking distance of the very nice Tamarisk restaurant which had a great salad bar and gave KOA guests a discount. Crossed the street and read placards outside of Powell Museum which was of course closed. The placards were pretty extensive and informative. The next morning I treated myself to breakfast at the Tamarisk and went back across the street to get into the Powell Museum, which is dedicated to the heroic explorer. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/PowellMuseum2017/index.html

Next it was off to Canyonlands. I decided to skip Arches since I heard it was very crowded. I’ll save it for another day. Checked in at visitor center and decided to hike to the Bridge view and the crater. Also went to the Green River and Grand View overlooks. Impressive storms could be seen in the distance, but fortunately they weren’t headed my way. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Canyonlands2017/index.html

Drove to the Cortez CO KOA which was just outside of town. Dinner at J. Fargo’s Family Dining & Micro Brewery, which was okay. Saw signs to Hovenweep – caught that on trip home.

August 9 was a nice day and after breakfast at Dennys I took off for Chimney Rock National Monument, the one in Colorado. I noticed the signs on my 2015 trip but didn’t know what it was. I kicked myself when I found it was another Native American site. However, there was a loud bang from my car on the gravel approach road to the visitor center and a horrible screeching sound after that. No cell reception in that area, but the Visitor Center let me call AAA on their land line. AAA told me that I probably should get my car towed to the nearest Subaru dealer, which happened to be in Durango. I amused myself by watching an atlatl demonstration. Finally the tow truck (actually it was the big flatbed kind) showed up and I was hauled back to Morehart Subaru in Durango where they said it was probably just a rock in the calipers and it cured itself. These guys were great since they put my car up on a rack to inspect it and didn’t charge anything.

This killed my plants for the day so I went out of town and got camp site at the local KOA. This was the same place I stayed at on my 2015 trip. Expensive for a campground, but a bargain compared to the motels in Durango. As long as I was there I decided to do some grocery resupply and found the local outdoor shop. I needed some more tent pegs (REI wasn’t very generous in providing for their tent), a small duffle to help get organized, some other odds and ends and a long sleeve shirt since I was getting tired of spraying on sun screen all the time. This took me down to the local river walk which was pretty and under used and also to the local science center which was closed. I went to the north side of town to sample some beers and get some dinner at the Durango Brewing Company. It was okay.

Rested up and tried again for Chimney Rock the next day. Nice weather in the AM. No weird sounds and I made it down the gravel road without problems. I got there in time to join the guided tour of Chimney Rock, which is the only way to see the upper ruins. You drive up a dirt road to the upper parking lot (too far to easily walk) and group up there. First you tour the lower ruins take a break, and then start the ascent to the upper ruins which may have been some kind of observatory and of course Chimney rock. They said that the entire surrounding area is probably full of un-excavated sites. Not too bad a hike, actually, and a great view. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/ChimneyRock2017/index.html

From there it was on to the Taco Bell in Pegosa Springs with dinner at Shamrock Brewing in Pueblo, which I’d also visited 2 years ago. I went north of town to the Pueblo KOA in time for a heavy downpour after I pitched my tent. Everything was a little muddy in the morning, which gave me the idea I needed to eventually get a spray nozzle for the short water hose I carry with me. I backtracked to the Target in Pueblo to get some T shirts (another item I’d forgotten to pack) and a nozzle, and decided to do some sight seeing in town. The first stop was the Rosemont Museum which is a large mansion you can visit via guided tour. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside. I had lunch at Brues Alehouse (I liked it and the food looked healthy, and you can also get coffee) on the Riverwalk, which is quite attractive. I spent the afternoon at the Weisbrod Air Museum which was much more extensive than I had expected. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Weisbrod2017/index.html

Then it was time to head East again and I departed for Lamar. Rains, sometimes heavy. I thought it was interesting that for part of the way I was on the Santa Fe Trail by chance. Lamar was small and atypically I stayed at the Chek Inn, an old style motor inn that served my purposes. I had dinner at BJs Burgers, a local fast food place which featured intercoms for odering from the tables, but I just used the window. I cannot eat hamburgers because of the buns, but they had tacos. Should have ordered more of them.

The next day, a Saturday, was overcast, followed by light rain and even some storms. I left the Check Inn after breakfast from stores; that is, more instant oatmeal and coffee with soy milk. I continued on the Santa Fe Trail and then happened on the site of the Amanche Concentration site, outside of Granada, completely by chance. Met two couples who rode in on Harley Davidson bikes there and gave them a little talk on the Evacuation experience to supplement the signage. They were genuinely interested and disappointed, as was I, that the museum was already closed for the season. Apparently it’s staffed by local students so when school starts, they have to leave. The road wasn’t too bad up to the orientation area with the placards and picnic benches, but after that it got pretty bad so I decided to walk, since now the weather wasn’t bad. There are signs up showing the locations of various buildings, and a watchtower and barracks have been recreated. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Amache2017/index.html

I maintained my serendipity and next happened on Fort Larned National Monument. This is a pretty extensive restoration and there is a museum and various buildings you can tour. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortLarned2017/index.html

Lunch was a Kind Bar and later some Taco Bell taco. My doctor probably doesn’t approve, but tacos seem to be one of the few low glycemic fast foods. The stop for the night was at the KOA in Salina, Kansas and
dinner was at the Blue Skye Brewery downtown. ordered a humus plate and salad. The beers were okay, but on the mild side for my tastes. The KOA here was kind of on the edge of town and had a Wizard of Oz theme. I used the comfortable laundry there in the morning since I wasn’t in a rush to anywhere.

The day started overcast and then turned to sun. I splurged and had breakfast at the nearby IHOP and then drove to Topeka to see the Brown vs Board of Education National Historical Monument. This was inside of a renovated school building and mainly featured a multi media display. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/BrownvBoard2017/index.html

The next stop was the Kansas History Center. This was a pretty fair sized museum and included a system of trails around it. I took the very short one that looped around. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/KansasHistory2017/index.html

I ended up at the Columbia East (Missouri) Motel 6 and had dinner at Flat Branch Pub and Brewing. I think this was one of the better Motel 6s for the money. Usually they don’t fall below a certain level, but sometimes they can be quite good, especially towards the center of the country. This was probably the best beer on the trip, and I think the food was okay, too. A supermarket was near the motel, which was convenient since I needed some more breakfast supplies. The next day, Monday, was overcast but I was going to Cahokia in Illinois. I’d been there once before on my cross country bicycle trip in 1982. A lot had changed and there is now a nice big visitor center with lots of displays. It’s amazing how good some state museums can be. They even gave me a free pair of certified eclipse glasses. I spent a lot of time here and did a lot of walking to the various mounds. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Cahokia2017/index.html

That night I stayed at the Mount Vernon Motel 6 in IL and had a salad at the McDonalds.

Tuesday, the next day, I had to hustle because I wanted to fit in Wickliffe Mounds in Kentucky and Fort Donelson in TN. Wickliffe Mounds is small but interesting if you fit it in to the overall context of ancient Native American sites. Again, the entire area is probably full of un-excavated sites. The museum does not allow photography. In the past it was privately exploited as a sort of tourist trap, but now it is a state park. Apparently it was some kind of funerary site, like the one I visited in Newfoundland. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Wickliffe2017/index.html

Next it was a dash to Fort Donelson. I’d driven past it in 2015, but it wasn’t till later that I read about its historical Civil War significance. The regular visitor center was closed for renovation but a temporary one was open with some good exhibits. You can take a driving tour, which I did. The actual fort is now just depressions in the ground, as it pretty much originally was. However, batteries down by the river have been restored and they give an idea of what is was like. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortDonelson2017/index.html

On the journey back northwards I encountered Amish in horse carts. That night I stayed at the pretty basic Evansville Motel 6 and had more McDonalds. Traffic patterns a little difficult in that area. I did have the energy to drive to Carson Brewing which was in an industrial area. Not too bad, but I got there near closing.

The next day, Wednesday was overcast and started with breakfast at Dennys. No point in an early start since I was heading for Angel Mounds which wasn’t too far away. Angel Mounds is large with good walking; kind of a smaller version of Cahokia, including more reconstructed walls. The visitor center has nice displays. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/AngelMounds2017/index.html

Overcast, Thunderstorms in the PM. Lunch was at McDonalds: salad + oatmeal. Outside of California you cannot get oatmeal without sugar. They claim it’s all prepackaged. Also had another Kind Bar and an afternoon snack of 2 Taco Bell tacos. The evening found me at a Motel 6 in a truck stop sort of location in Franklin, OH. I dashed across the street to have a salad at Wendys for a change and it wasn’t too bad.

Thursday beakfast was at a cafe called Mom’s in a gas station. It was okay. Today was another big day since my first destination was Serpent Mound, a destination I’d thought of visiting a couple of times before but hadn’t been able to justify the side trip. Now, it wasn’t a side trip. Serpent mound isn’t that spectacular, in fact none of the Native American archaeological sites are spectacular with maybe the exception of Cahokia. They are spectacular taken as a whole and the story they tell of mostly lost civilizations that were spectacular in their own time. It also makes you aware of how much was plowed under, looted, or outright destroyed for no good reason before anyone started to value it. Even the disrespectful exploitations had some value since they did preserved the sites. Serpent Mound is important since it is an effigy site and there aren’t too many that we know of. There is a viewing tower that allows you to see that it really does look like a snake. The visitor center is small but does have some exhibits and information. Signs are up that show the celestial alignments of parts of the snake, and there are some small “sighting mounds”. The state park itself is on the edge of a Permian era huge meteor impact site. Serpent Mound is the largest serpent effigy in the world.

Overcast, hot, and then a downpour as I drove to Fort Ancient. Not much around and I was glad to be able to buy fried chicken at a gas station deli and it was pretty good. Fortunately, the downpour really came after I was already inside the Fort Ancient visitor center and museum, and there was plenty to see in the museum as I waited for the rain to wane. Another time of many that I was glad to not be on a motorcycle. The site is flat and large and driving around is a good idea. This is another place where it’s a good idea to study the maps and info in the museum since it’s not obvious what you’re looking at otherwise. A lot of the park work dates back to the Civilian Conservation Corps and not everything has been kept up. However, there are many informative signs around that try to give you a feel for where you are. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortAncient2017/index.html

I decided to make it a really busy day and made a deep dive back into civilization to see the Cincinnati Art Museum since it was open late. To get there I really had to trust my GPS and for once it didn’t drop the ball. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Cincinatti%20Art%20Museum2017/index.html

The museum was definitely worth the stop. I put together a take out dinner (no fast food placed around) from a Kroger branded supermarket cold deli. In Southern California we have Ralphs which is owned by Kroger, but this was the first time I saw an actual Kroger supermarket, but I guess that makes sense because Cincinati is the location of their headquarters. I too my feast to the Crooked Handle Brewery in Springboro OH. This is where the GPS was back to its normal tricks since it was a real pain finding this brewery, which was in a large shopping area. The beer was okay. Spent the night at the Franklin Motel 6 again

Friday was mostly good weather for the area. I made my own breakfast from stores and left the Franklin Motel 6 for Columbus. My first destination was the Ohio History Connection and Ohio village. This is a large museum and the village is sort of a small version of Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford. It contains furnished buildings with staff in costume who explain life in what I think was the late 1800s. I enjoyed it but there was no one in the bicycle shop. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/OhioHistoryConnection2017/index.html

Kind Bar for lunch again since I wanted to make a quick trip to the Air Force Museum and the newly opened Hanger 4. Some interesting things in there and I also poked my head quickly in some other hangars as I exited. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/AirForceMuseum2017/index.html

From there I headed to the Richmond IN KOA which was kind of nice. The tent camp sites were right on their pond. For dinner it was just a Wendys salad and chili for dinner but I did make it to New Boswell Brewing a little farther south on Chester Road. Even with a GPS it was a little tough to find this brewery since it set back in a parking lot, and not where the GPS said. There was also a lot of roadwork which made getting around in town difficult. It looked like the brewery was near or part of a project to improve the old part of town with a renovated commercial building housing cafes and shops.

August 19 was a Saturday and it was hot and sunny with downpours on the way into Terre Haute. Breakfast from stores (instant oatmeal and granola). I got curious and made unplanned stop at Wilbur Wright’s birthplace. This was a pretty major departure from the interstate, following a whole series of signs in the middle of nowhere. However, they did finally lead to a genuine little museum among all the agricultural fields. It was a local project but they had a whole little main street and workshop and a flyer replica, as well as a replica of the house. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/WilburWright2017/index.html

I told them they ought to make a books of all the drawings in the museum illustrating Wilbur’s childhood.

This was followed by a big traffic jam on way Indianapolis and another Kind bar for lunch since I wanted to get to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I’d been there once before, but it was another one of those deals where I got there an hour before closing and didn’t see Everything. This time I started with the Lilly (Yup, the big pharma one) house and gardens. Did a lot walking and there is a large park adjacent. There’s even a beer garden serving real beer, but it seemed to be mostly IPAs so I skipped it, plus I didn’t have that much time. I re-entered the museum through a large section that seemed to be out of use but was unlocked. Inside among other things was a nice Hiroshige exhibit. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/IMA2017/index.html

Walked in 100 Acre Park afterwards, but couldn’t complete the loop around the lake since the trail was blocked.
On way to Terre Haute Motel 6stopped at Taco Bell for dinner. From the motel for amusement I walked to Honey Creek Mall and bought 2 Nike shirts at the JCP and a long sleeve Izod shirt at Carson’s, all on sale.
Sunday was again a hot day with downpours on way into Kingdom City. Breakfast from stores. Still had plenty of Starbucks Via coffee to get me going in the morning. Drove to St. Louis without problems and had lunch at Art Museum (local beer). I’d been there once before while it was being remodeled and, again, only for an hour. This time I had plenty of time to see everything. This museum is situated among parks and I tried walking to Worlds Fair Pavilion but it was farther than I had realized so I decided to drive, contrary to my normal practice. No available parking there so I gave up and drove to Jewel Box green house. Closed, but it was a good photo op. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/SLAM2017/index.html

Jack in the Box tacos and salad on the road since signs said there was a 20 min traffic halt on the Freeway and I decided not to fight it. After that, no problems into the Kingdom City Motel 6, which I had booked months in advance as my eclipse base. Not as close to the eclipse track as I liked, but it was sitting on top of the north-south running Route 54 which could get me as close to the eclipse track as I wanted. The motel seemed to be booked full of eclipse chasers. My initial plan was to go to Fulton, and I made a reconnaissance run down there that night to check it out. The Walmart parking lot was my initial choice. There were warnings that the interstates could be jammed on the eclipse day so I didn’t want to get near them. By this time I had downloaded a couple of eclipse apps that allowed me to get a better handle on the eclipse track and timing.

Monday, the Eclipse Day, was a hot and clear day (kinda) in spite of weather predicts for rain. All along the bad weather had me worried. Breakfast from stores and I took off on a really early start which turned out to be a good thing. First, though, I stopped at a truck stop and bought a Missouri eclipse T shirt and cheese sticks. I drove to Fulton and checked out the Walmart parking lot I had scouted. I met some people there who were also waiting for the eclipse. It looked okay and I decided to get greedy and headed to New Bloomfield which was closer to the eclipse track. This was a much smaller town and after much driving through the city including on dirt roads I finally found the eclipse party at the volunteer fire house. I did drive by an open field where people were charging to park, but there were no bathrooms so I didn’t like it. I parked at an abandoned gas station across from the fire house and town park. There were other people there and some people said they’d asked the mayor and he said it was okay to park there. The park was full of people including a lot of telescopes. It was really hot in the sun so I decided to set up near the abandoned gas station where there was some shade. At surrounding houses I could see locals getting ready for the event. I’d purchased a little solar telescope from Meade via Amazon, but I had received an email warning me not to use it since they had never been able to verify its certification. I wasn’t planning on looking through it, but it did have a solar sight so I set it up and lined it up with the sun. This was basically a pinhole projection sight so there was no danger in using it. I then set up on a tripod my Yi 4K camera modified for a C mount attached to an old but f/2 200mm Pentax lens I had bought used long ago and had refurbished. My dealer said it had been used by a pro to photograph horse races. This was my first chance to ever use it. I aligned it by making it parallel to the Meade scope. I did have the certified solar glasses I’d gotten for free at Cahokia. The eclipse app on my iPhone gave a very dramatic countdown to the eclipse and I used another unmodified Yi 4K on my head (via a bicycle helmet mount) to take video of the change in illumination during the eclipse. The weather wasn’t quite perfect since the there was a very thin layer of clouds, but the eclipse was plainly visible and I got some shots with the modified Yi. Besides the change in the illumination, the drop in perceived temperature was very dramatic. My handheld thermometer told me the actual air temperature drop was only a few degrees.

Eclipse was at 13:14 local time. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Eclipse2017/index.html

Bought hot dog at fire house to celebrate.

Hot again and headed back north to Fulton where I had a 2nd lunch at Taco Bell and then washed clothes at a real laundromat since I was closer to running out of shirts than I thought. While waiting in the laundromat I looked up the Churchill Museum and realized that it was the real thing since Truman came from Missouri. Unfortunately it was closing then but I drove over anyway. As I was looking through the door a very rude man told me to get out of the way since he wanted to buy something at the shop inside. I stuck my nose inside but couldn’t conclude I’d missed something. I visited outside of Churchill Museum where there sections of the Berlin Wall (just like at home near LACMA) and the reconstructed Church of St. Mary (sort of like how they brought the London Bridge to Lake Havasu). The church can only be entered from the museum.

My last stop in Fulton was the Walmart and 5 very cheap T-shirts. Starting to appreciate Walmart. Dinner was at Iron Skillet buffet (truck stop) in Kingdom. Not too bad. Back to the same Motel 6 for the night. I had successfully achieved the main goal of the trip, so I was pretty happy at this point. Didn’t get to see the stars due to the haze, but I thought I’d seen enough to make the trip worthwhile. Before going home, I had decided to turn North and see Isle Royale.

On Tuesday there was heavy overcast in morning with drizzle following a heavy downpour overnight. I’d had enough truck stop food for the moment so it was breakfast from stores followed by driving through a lot of farm country, the kind you see in the movies. Stopped in Hannibal to get eye drops (mine had gone bad) and cheese sticks. I’d done the Mark Twain thing a long time ago on another trip so I just kept going with string cheese and Kind Bars for lunch.

The destination for the day was Dickson Mounds Museum: Interesting overview, immersive religious sound and light show. This was another example of a Native American museum that had originally been a sensationalized tourist stop that had not properly honored the dead. This had been rectified at some point and the museum buildings were actually on top of some of the mounds.The staff said there had been big cut backs and museum had recently been closed for 9 months. The gift shop had even been shut down. Half finished exhibits showed there had been some big plans at one time. The light show demonstrated that some effort had gone into the museum at one time. There were some remote buildings covering building sites that were being excavated, but they didn’t have the staff to open them for visitors. It was worth the side trip and was one more piece in the puzzle. There were more mounds in the distance, but some are on private property or there is no access.
Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/DicksonMounds2017/index.html

From there, which was pretty remote, it was on to the Moline Motel 6. Drove to nearby mall to explore it. Really couldn’t walk there since I was in an area where they didn’t believe in pedestrian access and sidewalks. Smaller than other one and really empty. Dinner at Habanero restaurant-actually quite good and got my vegetable fix. Bought another duffle bag at Dick’s sporting goods since I’d dropping things out of the Trader Joes shopping bags I’d been using to haul things into the motel rooms or my tent.

Wednesday was a really nice day and it was breakfast from stores. I made the short drive into Davenport and to Putnam Museum which was mainly good for local history. photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Putnam2017/index.html

It was a short drive to the River Front Brewpub for lunch; grade B but gave me a buzz. Fortunately, they said it was okay to leave my car in their parking lot and I walked to Figge Art Museum. Went through it pretty quickly. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Figge2017/index.html

Drove to Lasalle but made stop at McDonalds for coffee and oatmeal. KOA tent camping again; very weak wifi, but made reservations for Dearborn Motel 6. In this part of the world I have trouble getting any 4G cell access, even in any roaming mode, and I don’t stay very long so I’ve never bothered to figure it out. My remedy is to stop at McDonalds to get wifi access. Set up new VOIP software on iPhone since Skype kicked me off, at least for the duration of the trip for some reason. Found that the Corel photo software I’d purchased to replace Lightroom doesn’t support my Canon, so still not real time photo processing. Dinner at McDonalds to use their wifi.

Thursday was a nice day and the stop would be in Joliet to see their City (Route 66) museum. Pretty elaborate intro. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Joliet2017/index.html

Photos include the Prison parking lot where they have some informative signs. I guess there is talk about doing something with the massive prison, but apparently not yet. Also went to the park near the remains of the Steel Works. There is a signed tour that takes you through the site, but there isn’t too much above ground. I finally got to use my folding bicycle on a short bicycle ride path that starts by the steel works but I stopped at the unpaved section. Lunch at McDonalds which consisted of coffee and oatmeal. Finally reached the Ann Arbor Motel 6 and then it was on to the Pileats Brewing Co. I asked and they told me it’s named after the largest woodpecker. I got to see a stuffed one the next day. Taco Bell for dinner.

Friday was an nice Day starting with breakfast from stores. The project was to tour some of the U of Michigan museums. For a university campus, parking wasn’t too bad to find. I started with the Kelsey Museum of Anthropology which included a 5/6 reproduction of House of Mysteries from Pompeii. Apparently they weren’t allowed to make a full sized reproduction. I was happy to see it since it was something I had missed when I visited Pompeii on a tour. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Kelsey2017/index.html

I broke for lunch at a Greek fast food place that was pretty good and then it was off to the Art Museum. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/UMAM2017/index.html

and then to the Natural History Museum. I especially liked the early and snake like whale skeleton. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/UMNHM2017/index.html

Finally it was time to leave but there was a big traffic jam so I retreated back up north and had a real dinner for once at Blue Tractor Brewing where I had the brisket. Beer was good, too. I walked around and took the opportunity to Fedex most souvenirs home. I finally escaped the traffic and checked out the Ann Arbor REI: Arctyrx fleece jacket, socks, replacement tail light for bike (it’d fallen off in Joliet), and a battery powered Steripen for no good reason. Spent the night at the Southgate Motel 6.

Saturday was another nice day with reakfast from stores. This day was dedicated to the The Henry Ford. This was about my fourth trip and the goal was to see all the exhibits I’d missed in 2015. I hadn’t realized how much they had added to the museum itself. Had a progressive lunch first at the stand near the Wiener Mobile and then at the Lunch at Dog and Diner. They were expensive and I belatedly realized I couldn’t each much either time because of my dietary issues (tacos seem to be okay). Not their problem, just mine. Found I had some leftover time to go to the Village. Ticked off that the tea garden was opened that day but I go there just when it was closing. Hadn’t thought that one out. Can’t complain since I’d had tea in the real Lake District. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Ford2017/index.html

I left at closing time and drove to Flint stopping along the way at Taco Bell and at a market to buy bananas. No Motel 6 so I picked the Burton Inn via Travelocity. Forgot that this is the place with the water problem. Hope I didn’t drink too much there. Not up to Motel 6 standards. Drove over to a buffet dinner.

Sundaywas overcast with rain at night in St. Ignace. Drove to Mackinac & stopped to visit Fort Michilimackinac State Park at the foot of the bridge which included staff in period costume and a lot of explanatory signs. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortMichilimackinac2017/index.html

Picked up tacos at Mama Mias where the Mackinac Bridge Museum is located. Small but wished I’d had the time to watch the video about the building of the bridge. I crossed the bridge without freaking out. It would have been more fun on a motorcycle. My stop for the night was at the St. Ignace KOA where I washed my clothes. This was a huge campground but pretty empty, since I imagined it was late in the season. I also made a reconnaisdance run into town to figure out where the ferry dock was. There’s more than one but I picked the closest one with the fast boats. Also went to the market to buy soy milk, oranges, bananas, granola, and beer.

It rained overnight and Monday dtarted overcast; occasionally opened up with some sun.Breakfast from stores and I drove to the Starline dock where I boarded with my bicycle. The ferry was a fast hydropump. Landed on Mackinac Island where cars are not allowed and bought a bike map from the ferry company that included a bike map. One of the highlights was making the flat but very scenic ride around the island. Finished the ride by riding up to the bicycle parking lot for the Grand Hotel that was featured in the movie Somewhere in Time. You can only walk so far and then a young lady stops you and says that only guests can get near the hotel. I hear you can get a little closer for $10, but I was too cheap and I’d never seen the movie. Apparently there is still a fan base that come out here. Took a break afterwards at the Starbucks (think they put real milk instead of soy in my coffee that made me get sick.) I locked up my bike and walked up to Fort Mackinac State Park, not quite at the highest point. This is another pretty elaborate park with costumed docents, demonstrations, and plenty of signs. Lots to see there.

I also walked to the Fort Holmes reconstruction which is on the highest point on the island. This was a battery built after it was found that the fort below was vulnerable to an enemy hauling cannons up there, as the British did. Nice views. Walked over to the gazebo from Somewhere in Time. Might mean something to a fan. When walking, always have to watch out for horse carriages of various sizes and quality, since they are the main form of tourist transport as well as for maintenance.
Boarded ferry for return trip

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Mackinac2017/index.html

Went to hardware where I got screws for rear bike light I cannot find andanother extension cord (double instead of triple) Dinner was at the cafe recommended by the tourist office, Bently’s? Then it was back to the KOA for the night.

Tuesday started overcast, cleared around 3;00, and then the fog came in. Drove to Copper Harbor to catch the ferry to Isle Royale. One traffic delay along the way; found a way around it. Stopped at Calumetvisitor center of the Keeweenaw National Historical Park. This is actually distributed over a number of sites, but the new visitor center tells of the mining history and gives you an overview. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Calumet2017/index.html

Drove right through Copper Harbor since it was so small but that was good since I discovered Fort Wilkerson. I doubled back and finally found Fannie Hooee Campground which was really nice. Also had a nice guest lounge. I still had some time so went back to visit Fort Wilkerson State Park which fortunately had late hours. This was a real hard luck post but makes a good tourist attractions now. No docents, but plenty of displays to see. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/FortWilkins2017/index.html

Bought supplies for lunch at the General Store in town and

got a fish dinner at the stand next to the Brickside Brewery. Yes, this tiny little town had a brewery and it had a pretty good tasting flight. Back at the campground I packed for the trip. I was lucky to get a seat since they said they were booked out every day except the one I picked. Pouring rain during the night and in the morning. Breakfast from stores and no thought of bicycling to the ferry. Fortunately the parking lot was monitored and I was directed to a spot since I had a ticket. Boarded the boat for Isle Royale and the weather started to improve.

Good weather on the island. Decided to hike Scoville Point Trail; ate Baloney sandwiches on rye for lunch. Didn’t check in at the ranger station since it was jammed and so I didn’t get a stamp or any official loot. Trail was interesting and not too difficult. I got out to the plaque and decided it was good enough which was a good idea. As it was I just barely had time to buy a hat at the island general store. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/IsleRoyale2017/index.html

Back to Copper Harbor and dinner at German themed restaurant called Harbor Haus-pretty good if a little expensive (but cheap relative to L. A.) The gimmick is that the staff is forced to dance outside to greet the ferry when it returns. House wine was pretty good. Back to KOA for the night.

Thursday had good Weather but it was cold during the night night. More instant oatmeal and headed south on the road that runs along the coast. I tried to see the lighthouse I’d been told about, but it and its museum were still closed and I decided to keep going. I’d also been told about a monastery that sold fantastic muffins, but I didn’t see it and I can’t eat muffins anymore.

I did get a coffee and a very rich granola bar (probably shouldn’t have eaton it) in a Calumet cafe, but most of the in-town museums were closed. A little bit farther south I stopped at Quincy Mine above Hancock and took the tour. This is a site of the National Historic Park. I’d seen it on the way up but didn’t stop then, which was probably a good thing since you want to spend some time. One tour takes you in to see the mine hoist, which is much more impressive than it sounds. A second tour takes down into a part of the mine that was used for teaching. There’s also a museum and a partially restored miner’s house. Highly recommended. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/QuincyMine2017/index.html

Spent the night at the Motel 6 in Eau Claire and had an expensive but mediocre dinner and beer at sports bar within walking distance.

Friday, the first day of September, started overcast, but became sunny. Another breakfast from stores and then drove to Mississippi and along wetlands to Effigy Mounds. This was an especially scenic drive in places. Effigy mounds has hiking trails. Unlike Serpent Mound, there are no viewing platforms so you have to rely on the photos and models in the visitor center to believe that some of the mounds are in the shape of bears. Still I found it interesting, again, as part of the bigger picture of Native American civilization. These mounds cover a lot of territory and there is a separate site you can drive to for more, but I didn’t. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/EffigyMounds2017/index.html

Late lunch at Red Burrito/hardees and then on to the Cedar Rapids Motel 6 and Metro Buffet.

Satirday started with yet another breakfast from stores. It started getting warmer as I got into Nebraska to drive to Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/JoslynMuseum2017/index.html

Spent the night at the Motel 6 in Kearney which was frustratingly close to a local heritage museum that was closed. Restocked for breakfast at local market and Walmart.

Sunday was a clear hot day started with another breakfast from stores. Drove to Denver Botanical Gardens which I’d forgotten that I had already visited in 2015. However, there was an exhibit of Calder sculptures sewn throughout the gardens and I got in for free with my LA Arboretum membership card. Anyway, the gardens are lovely. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/DenverGardens2017/index.html

I stopped at the REI in Colorado Springs bought a Marmot Trestles Zero sleeping bag since I’d been freezing in the rectangular North Face sleeping bag I’d been using. I would use it only once on this trip, but I plan on doing more car camping, and it was worth it to be warm for once. Anyway, it was cheaper than a night at a non-Motel 6 motel. I stopped at a Perkins for dinner and then it was to the same KOA north of Pueblo I’d stayed at on the way out. Fortunately the KOA sold wings and a salad which I needed to supplement the pretty minimal Perkins dinner.

Monday started nice day but there were showers on the way into Dolores. Breakfast from stores and then a stop at the Pueblo Walmart for groceries. It was a high mileage Long Drive day including a detour to Great Sand Dunes National Park and a 1/2 mile trail walk. I’d seen the Park signs on the way out and decided to check it out this time. It is kind of weird to see these huge sand dunes in Colorado. The visitor center was good and a trail starts right from it. The dunes are a short drive but they were really crowded. I was happy with pictures and had no desire to climb them. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Great%20Sand%20Dunes2017/index.html

Tortillas, sandwich meat and Tillamuck swiss cheese from Walmart made my picnic lunch in the park. Then it was on to the Views campground near Dolores. I picked this campground since it was near the Canyon of the Ancients visitor center. It was up above town and it was pretty nice, but getting near the end of the season as the owner told me. I drove into Dolores for a tasty Mexican dinner.

It was windy overnight, but the next day was nice, hot one.

Made the short drive over to the nearby Anasazi Heritage Center and took the short trail to above center. From there you can see the reservoir that covered up a lot of archaeological sites. The visitor center was built to house what was rescued before the reservoir was filled. It’s also the visitor center for Canyon of the Ancients which is actually a series of sites. You can spend some time in the visitor center. Per the map and instructions I received, I drove to Lowry Pueblo. You can hike around it but not into it. Lunch from stores again and then continued on to Painted Palm tower; took hike to it, but couldn’t get that close. If you were younger, you might be able to scramble down to it. A tourist couple I met agreed that there didn’t seem to be an easy way down. Photos at;

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/CanyonoftheAncients2017/index.html

Then it was more dirt roads to Hovenweep National Monument, which was more convenient than driving there directly from the highwat. There is a very rewarding 2 mile loop starting at the visitor center around the nearby ruins. Very impressive towers. See the video in the visitor center to get an idea of what they might have lookedlike. There are more sites that you can drive to. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2017EclipseTrip/Hovenweep2017/index.html

Hovenweep Campground for $5 (senior pass rate) was a real bargain and pretty nice, even though there were no showers. Canned food for dinner.

Wednesday was a good weather day with breakfast from stores, of course, since I was in the middle of nowhere. I departed Hovenweep campground and headed back towards civilization with lunch at Del Taco (may have upset my stomach) in Flagstaff. I looked up the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff and paid it a short visit since it wasn’t too far off the path. It had a short little trail outside that I followed. I also visited the REI Flagstaff – I kind of like visiting the REIs wherever I go. Then it was on to the Kingman Motel 6 for my last stop of the trip. It was near the old town so I took a walk after it cooled down a little to Black Bridge Brewing and had a gyro from next door cafe. There was another establishment, much bigger that was also going to start brewing, but not quite yet. There was Route 66 museum near the motel that was closed by the time I got there. and a large locomotive on display in the park. The old town looked a little like it was trying to reinvent itself, as I had seen in a number of small towns along the way. Dinner for once was a successful celebration of prime Rib at the Calico restaurant across the parking lot from the motel.

Thursday was hot weather with showers at one spot. I fave myself a self-guided tour of Kingman following the directions I’d found online. It was a straight shot into LA and I skipped lunch since I couldn’t find anything interesting, and that’s how I wound up my trip.

It was different traveling on a car instead of a motorcycle. Now that I’m a senior citizen, riding through heavy rain and high winds doesn’t seem to be fun anymore. Except the brake problem in Colorado, my Subaru Crosstrek performed pretty well, but it was underpowered in the mountains and I could have used more room for all my toys. I decided the 4 person REI tent was too big for me after all, and it went on eBay. Rectangular sleeping bags have more room, but get kind of cold in places like Upper Peninsula Michigan so I’ll return to mummy bags, albeit roomier ones. Power cords, drop lights, and electric water boilers make tent camping more convenient, and I saw other tents with extension cords trailing out of them. It’s nice to be able to easily recharge all your gizmos and run the laptop. It was a pain that I didn’t have working digital darkroom software on the trip since I had to spend a lot of time after the trip processing software. I finally settled on pro level Capture One 10 and used to process all the photos from the trip. No more Adobe.

I achieved all the goals of the trip and more. I did get to see the eclipse and maybe I’ll go on an expedition to Illinois to see the next one. I crossed the Mackinac Bridge and made it to Isle Royale, although I didn’t see any moose (people kept asking me if I’d seen any there). I revisited Cahokia, the Air Force Museum, and the Ford Museum. I saw a lot of new to me Native American sites.

Science and Nature in Arizona

For a long time I’ve been wanting to go on a tour of the MMT south of Tucson. I finally managed to arrange it and so I on Oct. 15 I took off for Tucson, first stopping overnight in Blythe as usual. My usual approach when leaving Los Angeles is not to put in a lot of miles the first day, but to escape so as to avoid rush hour traffic as much as possible. I did take a break on the way at Coachella Valley Brewing (http://cvbco.com) in Thouand Palms, which was worth the stop. It wasn’t too far off the freeway in an industrial park.

The next day was a travel and partial buffer day so I had an afternoon in Tucson. I went to the Yume Japanese Gardens. The garden is small but worth a stop if you’re in the area. Apparently it was a private project at one time.
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/YumeJapaneseGarden2016/index.html

I still had some time so picked the Museum of the Horse Soldier as an easy visit. It is inside of Trail Dust Town which appeared to be some sort of theme park. It didn’t seem to be fully open when I was there since it was too hot. The Museum itself was crammed full of exhibits, but the exhibits could have used more captions in some cases to set the context. Near the University there is a little cluster of breweries. Somehow I found parking and went to Puebla Vida first. Finally found a Hefeweisen. Then I took a little walk to the Public Brewhouse which was kind of on a dirt alley. Expensive, but it was worth it.

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/MuseumoftheHorseSoldier2016/index.html

Finally the big day, after waiting to make this tour for decades, I’m finally on the way. An early departure from Tucson gets me to the visitor center before it opens. No problem, since there are gamma ray telescopes (four) ringing the visitor center. There was also a jungle jim type structure behind that I later learned was the structure that supported the original Mult-mirror telescope, the one I had hoped to see many years ago (1993 to be precise). The bus trip wasn’t too bad and the day was nice. Highly recommend this tour in conjunction with the Caris Mirror Lab tour back in Tucson. To book the MMT tour, you need to call in advance to make a reservation-no walk ins.

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/MMT2016/index.html

After the tour I stayed at the Motel 6 in Benson to get myself in position to visit Chiricahua National Monument the next day. This is on a sky island so the climate is markedly different from the surrounding lands, especially near the freeway. Took a short hike up to the lookout on Sugarloaf. Apparently it is no longer used but maintained for historical reasons. Next I went on the slightly longer Echo Canyon Loop. Saw a lot of good balancing rock formations, but to see one of the more remarkable ones you need to go on a longer hike. I camped overnight since I had made a reservation beforehand.

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/Chiricahua2016/index.html

Back to Tucson the next day. I had booked a tour of the mirror grinding lab, but it was later in the afternoon so I visited a couple of the campus museums. By accident I went to the Arizona History Museum, which was good since they had parking. A number of interesting historical exhibits including ones on Geronimo and the chase after Pancho Villa. After lunch I next walked over to the

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/ArizonaHistoryMuseum2016/index.html

After lunch I next walked over to the Arizona State Museum which is actually about the Native Americans. Could have lingered, but it was time to go to the mirror lab.

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/ArizonaStateMuseum2016/index.html

The mirror lab used to be the assistant coach parking lot. Now it is a very hight tech lab for casting and grinding giant telescope mirrors. Sizes that used to be impossible are now being cast there. The current mirror at the MMT was made here, replacing the original array of mirrors. After and orientation talk and some videos, you are guided to viewing platforms where you can see the automated tools used for finishing the mirrors. Highly recommended.

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/CarisMirrorLab2016/index.html

After the tour I headed to Phoenix and Huss brewing. Another Motel 6 stop. On the way home the next day I decided it was a good chance to visit the UCR Botanical Gardens. Another place where the GPS let me down after a certain point, but the signage was pretty good. The gardens are bigger than they first appear and you can go on some longer walks if you want. The centralized parking meter doesn’t seem to encourage prolonged stays.

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/UCRBotanical2016/index.html

A trip to the California Gold Country

In early September I made a return trip to Sacramento after my last trip there two years ago. This was a follow up to my exploration of Sacramento, but instead of returning to Lassen National Park, I decided to explore California 49, which I had been intending to do for a couple of decades. First, though on the way up I made a return trip to Castle Air Museum. Still looks the same but it looks like thy have some plans to work on the B-36. I last saw it when it was first reassembled there. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/CastleAirMuseum2016/index.html

Before that I tried out Temblor Brewing in Bakersfield, where I also stopped at the night since I don’t like driving very far in a day anymore.

I made it to Sacramento and stayed at the Motel 6 downtown, which is actually strategically located for sight seeing. It also has both a Starbucks and a Peet’s within close walking distance if you need your coffee. I left my car there and used my folding bicycle to explore since parking is bad in Sacramento. on the way into town from the south I stopped at Track 7 Brewing.
I first visited Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento, which is a California State Park. This is a recreation, and it’s a little smaller than the original so it could fit on the available property. Still, a fun place to visit with furnished rooms and recordings describing life at the fort. This a good place to start the Gold Country tour since it all started with poor Mr Sutter as we shall see. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/SuttersFort2016/index.html

On the same property next to the fort is the small California Indian Museum, where unfortunately photography is not allowed. Moving west, I next searched for the California Museum, whose location could be better marked on the maps. After seeing the Iowa and Oklahoma state museums. I thought I ought to check out my own state museum. This one is not impressive, but still worth a visit since it is so close to everything else, once you figure out the location. Photos ate:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/CalifMuseum2016/index.html

Nearby is the State Capitol Museum whose entrance is at the side of the State Capitol. Be warned that entry is the same as an airport security check point. Leave anything questionable, such as pocket knives, in your car, or in my case, my saddlebag. Some rooms have been set aside to be furnished as they were in ages past. You can also go on a guided tour which includes both chambers. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/CalifStateCapitol2016/index.html

I dropped in New Helvetia Brewing (name ties into Sutter’s Swiss heritage) and then went to the Convention Center past the cosplayers to the Greek Festival. This is their last year at the Convention Center and next year they will be at a new venue. Finished the day by re-certifying Rubicon Brewing on the way back to Motel 6.

The next day on my way out of Sacramento I visited the California Auto Museum which is worth half a day:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/CalifAutoMuseum2016/index.html

The other half day I spent at the Aerospace Museum of California:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/CaliforniaAerospaceMuseum2016/index.html:

Afterwards I stopped at Out of Bounds Brewing. Ask before you get the tasting flight. It had 8 (?) samples and cost $20. I couldn’t finish it since I still had a little driving.

After that I headed for the Motel 6 in Auburn, on California 49. The next day I headed northwest on 49 to the Empire Mine State Historical Park, which does take up a whole day. This site includes hiking trails, tours of the remaining mine facilities, and a tour of the mine owner’s “cottage”.:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/EmpireMIne2016/index.html

By the way, the proceeds from this mine also financed the Filoli estate which I visited earlier in the year:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/Filoli2016/index.html

I returned to Auburn, but there is more up 49 in this direction and I’ll have to come back some day. In Auburn I checked out Knee Deep Brewing where you have plenty of room to enjoy your tasting flight. The next day I started by exploring Auburn itself. First stop was the Placer County Museum and then the Bernhard Museum:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/Auburn2016/index.html

I exited Auburn on the very winding roads (wish I had my motorcycle then) towards Sutter’s Mill, or, the Marshall Gold Discovery Site. This includes a reconstruction of the famous sawmill and numerous displays in separate buildings. You can visit a working blacksmith shop. You can do a lot of walking between the sites, but I decided to drive up to the Marshall monument on the top of a hill since it was getting late in the day. The discovery of gold here led to the downfall of Sutter’s Fort since everyone abandoned it to hunt for good and the incoming miners weren’t particular about property rights. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/MarshallGoldDiscovery2016/index.html

I stayed at a nearby campground and realized that I can no longer sleep in a mummy bag. Nice campground, though.

My last day of sight seeing took me to Columbia State Historical Park which encompasses a complete town, part of which is still inhabited. There is a museum with a ranger in the center of town. You can also walk or drive up to the cemetery and see the restored school house nearby. There are various restaurants and cafes in town. On the drive in I was amazed at how far the water levels had dropped nearby. The ranger said they had dropped about 100’. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/ColumbiaStatePark2016/index.html

in the afternoon I went to the Railtown 1897 State Historical park. I was there on a weekday and train rides are available only on weekends. However, you can get a tour of the roundhouse and other facilities. Lots of stuff to see:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/Railtown2016/index.html

Finally, I left 49 at Turlock where I had dinner at Dust Bowl Brewing downtown.

What to see in London

I’ve made about 3 o4 trips to London, starting in 1983. Except for the last one, I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time in the city. Anyway, here are some things you should see and some things I’d like to see. I’ll also include day trips from London.

The British Museum
The National Gallery
Tower of London
Tower Bridge
Westminster Abbey
The Royal Air Force Museum
St Paul’s Cathedral
Sherlock Holmes Museum (only for fans)
Dickens Museum (for fans)
The British Library
Imperial War Museum
Royal Academy of Arts
Kew Gardens
Subway stations

Places I’d like to visit:

The Victoria and Albert Museum
Churchill War Rooms
National History Museum
Wallace Collection
The London Eye
Shakesperare’s Globe Theatre
Tate Britain
Science Museum
Cutty Sark (it was being restored when I was there)
Museum of London Docklands
Royal Observatory Greenwich
National Maritime Museum
Hampton Court Palace

Day Trips:

Stonehenge
Lake District
Stratford on Avon
Cambridge
Oxford
Imperial War Museum Duxford
Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
Bath (Roman ruins)
Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol (for engineer geeks)
Bletchley Park (haven’t visited, yet)
Fishbourne Palace in Sussex (Roman ruins, haven’t visited, yet))
Cotswolds
Warwick Castle

There is plenty more, but this will get you started. Remember that there is little or no subway service south of the Thames. On weekends some subway lines may be out of service. Try not to carry a backpack or knapsack on the tubes. A messenger bag works much better. Since privatization, the railroad system is not very reliable or on time. Be prepared to be flexible.

Dark Ages

Here are some thoughts on the Dark Ages. A lot of wild speculation and simplification and no references in this draft:

Historians these days don’t really like the term Dark Ages anymore.The term “Dark Ages” is now out of fashion with Historians. The current term is “Late Antiquity”. The Dark Ages weren’t that dark, and occurred at different times in the East and West, at least for the Roman Empire. Other cultures have experienced their own Dark Ages, although that may just mean that no records survived from those places and eras. In Europe the real Dark Ages lasted from about 500-700 AD. England was the first to go, perhaps since it was only superficially Romanized. The darkness moved eastwards chronologically, with the Eastern Empire (the Byzantines) not having their milder dark ages from about 600-800 AD.

The last Western Roman emperors Romulus Augustus was deposed in 476 AD, but the Roman way of life did not end at that point. The successor Ostrogothic Kingdom preserved Roman culture until it was destroyed by the Eastern Roman Empire in 554. The Byzantines (Eastern Romans) regained their empire, but didn’t have the resources to adequately garrison their territory. The plague during Justinian’s reign and the Extreme Weather Events of 535-536 did not help. Extreme cold caused by volcanic eruptions in the Americas led to famine. The Plague of Justinian resulted in the death of 25-50 million worldwide. Real barbarians, mainly the Lombards, were able to invade Italy and cause real chaos. Earlier, the Huns had destroyed key fortress cities of Italy, including Aquileia, the fortress protecting Italy from northern invasion. Even then, the Byzantines were able to maintain outposts in Italy at ports such as Ravenna and Bari for a while. 

However, technology, or at least its resilience, was probably lost when the great libraries of antiquity were destroyed:

The library of Timgad in Algeria was probably destroyed when the Vandals sacked the city in the 5th century.

The Royal Library of Antioch was burned in 363AD by the Christian emperor Jovian.

The Library of Celsus in Ephesus was destroyed by an earthquake in 262 AD, a little early for the Dark Ages.

The great Imperial Library of Constantinople was finally destroyed by Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 AD, although a fire in the 400s destroyed many volumes

The Royal Library of Alexandria suffered from fires through the ages, but was probably destroyed by Aurelian in 275 AD
The associated Library of the Serapeum in Alexandria was finally finished off in 391AD by the Christians.

By 1000AD Gondeshapur was in ruins

The Library of Pantainos, Library of Hadrian, (Athens) were destroyed by the Heruli in 267 AD

Forum of Trajan in Rome included important libraries, lasted until the mid 5th century AD
Other temple libraries in Rome may have lasted as long.

Theological Library of Caesarea Maritima was destroyed by the Arabs in 638AD

When the Byzantines triumphed over the Goths in Italy, collateral damage included the destruction of the Roman aqueducts. By that time neither the technology nor the resources existed to repair them. Even the Byzantines were losing some of their technology at this point. Famine and plague at the same time contributed.

Besides the loss of technology, economic collapse was another factor. In the ancient world cities such as Athens and Rome depended on trade to be fed. At its height Rome had a population of nearly one million. In Late Antiquity it dropped to around 30,000. The trade networks that supported everything including grain collapsed due to political instability and monetary collapse. In the late Roman Empire wealth became increasingly concentrated. The rich landowners were able to buy up and consolidate smaller holdings. At the same time the wealth bought the political power to evade taxation.  The government lost its tax base and could no longer pay the Legions. As an institution, although they suffered defeats, the Legions, such as the mighty X were not beaten; they drifted into obscurity as unpaid border guards.

As wealth became concentrated, there was less and less money in circulation since money was commodity based. As in modern times, the rich tended to hoard their wealth and not put it back into circulation. Even into modern times hoards of Roman era coins are still being discovered-these were coins that were not in circulation. The latter emperors were continuously debasing the currency. The problem was exacerbated by gold going east on the Silk Road in return for silks. The problem became so bad that the government tried to ban silk. The Byzantines eventually avoided this problem by starting their own silk industry. Trade was difficult without money. Without the import of food, cities could not maintain the population critical mass necessary for maintaining technology bases and learning. The shuttering of pagan centers of learning by the Christian did not help. In Byzantium the Church eventually embraced pagan philosophy and incorporated it into Church theology, allowing some of the classics to survive into the Renaissance to be rediscovered by the West.

The breakdown of trade made papyrus from Egypt inaccessible in the West, which removed a cheap writing medium. More expensive parchment had to be used for writing, limiting opportunities for writing.

We do know that a lot of technology disappeared in the West and eventually in the East. An often cited example is hydraulic concrete, which wasn’t rediscovered until the modern era. When the aqueducts of Rome were destroyed during the Goth Wars, the inhabitants weren’t able to repair them. A loss we didn’t know of until recently was the ability to create complex mechanisms. The Antikythera mechanism demonstrates that there was a whole mechanism technological base (machine shops, tools, designers, artisans) that was lost completely. Plumbing disappeared, maybe partly since the Christians thought bathing was sinful. Knowledge of medicine and anatomy withered partly because of early Church doctrine against dissection of human bodies and rational thought in general. (Eventually the Church would help kickstart modern science.) Specialized manufacturing disappeared. Knowledge of road making, arches, and domes disappeared. The technology of the Legions, tactical and military science, disappeared with the Legions.

While some early Christians burned books, Church monasteries managed to preserve some Classical texts. Physical security was necessary to preserve written knowledge, although the traditions (corresponding human knowledge) was lost as technical communities disappeared.

The Muslim Arabs when they overran Spain and readily adopted and adapted Classical learning and knowledge. Darkness never really came to Spain and North Africa. In fact, this was their golden age. The Arabs preserved key texts that eventually triggered renewed interest in the Classical era in the West. Many stars still have Arabic names.

The Byzantines had their own Dark Age from the mid 600s till about 800. There are almost no writings surviving from this period, so it is a blindspot. This corresponds to the period challenges from the Muslims, Persians, Rus, etc. About a third of its territory was lost to the Arabs in the 700s. However, unlike Rome, the walls of Constantinople were never breached during this period (the Crusaders would do that in 1204). The archives and the Imperial Library survived, along with the government and institutions until the conquest of 1204. Constantinople was in effect served as a giant monastery preserving knowledge. Although its population dropped, the Empire remained economically self-sufficient and the economy improved, with ups and downs, until 1204.

Some Utah National Parks

In April I decided to go on a car trip (no more long motorcycle trips due to the arthritis in my hands) to the national parks of Utah. I didn’t make it to all of the ones I wanted to see, but I got to see a lot. My first leg from Los Angeles was up to a motel in St. George in Utah to get me into position to visit Zion National Park. I learned that it was in two parts. I decided the most efficient path would be to visit the remote and unattached Kolob Canyon area. This has its own ranger stations and road into the park. Refreshed some of my water supply at the ranger station since the water tasted good there. Got recommendations from the ranger on what trail to take. Nice weather and good views. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/Kolob2016/index.html

I finished in time to backtrack and head to the main park entrance. I went to the park visitor center first to get oriented. I learned about the bus system you need to take since cars are not allowed into the park after a certain point. They also gave me a list of campgrounds. Most of them seemed to be at the other entrance which is a little drive away. There is one campground at the entrance, which is run in conjunction with a motel. At $40 a night it was a little dear, but the best deal in town. It was conveniently located near the in town bus stop which made park access easy. Zion was very crowded so this was a good idea. Parking at the visitor center can also be problematic, so I left my car in the campground. There is also a brewpub located at the entrance. It was okay but not worth more than one visit for me.

The next day I boarded the buses and explored Zion, taking a couple of short hikes. The bus system was very convenient and a good way to get around. Weather was on the hot side, but not too bad. Zion lives up to its reputation as a must see. Food and water are easy to obtain within the park, and hiking poles are probably a good idea on some of the trails. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/Zion2016/index.html

The next day I took off into the car to reach the other exit and head towards Bryce. Much of the area between the parks could rank as national parks, and some are state parks. I wish that I had more time to explore some of those areas. Bryce Canyon was cold-it never got above 40F while I was there. Another park that lives up to its hype. I took a couple of hikes, one down to see Queen Victoria and another on the Bristlecone Trail. Winds were pretty bad along the rim in some places. There is a bus shuttle within the park, but it is not mandatory. It can be a good idea since the parking lots were jammed. The buses are not as convenient or frequent as the Zion ones, so you have to do some planning and more walking. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/Bryce2016/index.html

Exiting Bryce, I spent the night at a KOA campground. My next stop was Capitol Reef which had nearly perfect weather. I picked a spot in the campground after checking out the visitor center since I heard that it fills up quickly. Capitol Reef was once settled by Mormons, so there are orchards, and old farmhouse, and blacksmith shop. I did go on the ranger recommended hike down (up?) the dry river bed in a canyon. Not a good place to visit if it looks like rain. On the way out the next day I checked out the school house and the pictographs. I decided to not try the hike to the natural bridge, one of the biggest, since it involved some altitude gain and my knees are bad. I was also recovering from some kind of injury I incurred at Christmas time. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/CapitolReef2016/index.html

My next stop was Natural Bridges National Monument. The weather was changing and the wind was really blowing-I even lost a hat! I walked to the viewpoints, but didn’t hike down since the weather looked iffy, and again my knees weren’t good. Need to go back someday. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/NaturalBridges2016/index.html

Heading towards Flagstaff I took a short cut that involved 2 miles of gravel roads on a steep decline. That wasn’t bad, especially in a Subaru, but I was glad I wasn’t on a motorcycle. In fact, I did see a guy on a motorcycle turn back. However, after that I hit all kinds of weather. There were high winds, dust storms, sudden temperature drops below freezing, and hail on the way to Mexican Hat. Things calmed down by Flagstaff, but the temperatures were below freezing. Thankfully I had a motel reservation. I did visit one brewery near the motel, but it wasn’t too memorable.

On the way out I decided to visit the Planes of Fame overflow museum at the Valle Airport. I had a little trouble figuring out where it was using my iPhone, but finally figured it out. It’s worth a visit if you’re in the area and an airplane nut. Photos at:

http://ikemi.info/Graphics2016/Valle2016/index.html

Not very eventful after that on the way home. Missed a couple of major parks due to time constraints, so I’ll have to make another trip to Utah!

Some Orange County Breweries

In Southern California there are a number of craft brewery concentrations, such as Downtown LA, Torrance, and Rancho Cucamonga. The one I am going to address here is Orange Country and Vicinity. Here are some that I have visited and liked. Breweries change with time, and some I have revisited haven’t measured up the second (or third) time around, but that is part of the fun. New breweries are popping up all the time, but here are a few:

Bootleggers Brewery
401 S. Richman Ave.
Fullerton, CA 92832

The Bruery
715 Dunn Way
Placentia, CA 92870

Bottle Logic Brewing
1072 N. Armando St.
Anaheim, CA 92806

Barley Forge Brewing Co.
2957 Randolph Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Valiant
2294 N. Batavia St.
Orange, CA 92865

Old Orange Brewing Co.
1444 N. Batavia St.
Orange, CA 92867

And some ones I haven’t been to in a while:

Alcatraz Brewing
20 City Blvd. West
Orange, CA 92868

Tustin Brewing
13011 Newport Ave. Suite 100
Tustin, CA 92780

Steelhead Brewing Co.
4175 Campus Dr.
Irvine, CA 92612

Newport Beach Brewing Co.
2920 Newport Blvd
Newport Beach, CA 92663