The Real Trajedy of Nepal.

Maybe for me having visited developing countries before it is a bit easier to understand.

A tragedy always sucks regardless of where you are in the world, however the real problem being in places like Nepal the Government is ill equipped to deal with the situation at all. People themselves will have to gather together and do their best to form rescue operations, share food, figure out water, and deal with where their sewage will go.

Here in the west it is far easier for us, we have some of the best charities in the world at our doorstep, ready to lend us a helping hand. We have all the equipment necessary to help with rescue operations and being the repairs, this is not hte case in Nepal.

Nepal like any developing country is seriously lacking in the Equipment to even dig people out. Mind you there will be an Excavator here and there but by large, rubble will be removed painstakingly by hand.

They will not have dogs trained to sniff for survivors, nor those dogs to search for dead bodies in the weeks to come. Masks will be improvised more often than not a simple rag tied over their face.

Before the quake simple things we take for granted like water, was still something treasured there as it simply does not run in every house. Buckets were used then, and will be used now regardless of the income status. Water will have to be trucked in, but with what exactly? In America there are quit literally fleets of potable water trucks waiting for any emergency. Granted those trucks are usually private contractors, but non the less they are at our disposal to insure our basic right of water is met.
In Nepal they will fill anything that can hold water, that means lots of dirty buckets and containers we would balk at in a minute in the US.

To make matters worse they have no place to go, in the west again we have massive stadiums which can hold tens of thousands of people and keep them sheltered, in Nepal, they will have to slab together whatever they can find.

The light in all this is many aid groups will come to the rescue, from the legendary Red Cross, to Religious based organizations hoping to add a few members to their group simply from showing their good will, to organizations such as Medical San Frans commonly known as Doctors without Borders who will not only help provide medical aid, but deal with helping to rebuild and upgrade the infrastructure itself.

Immediate donations will pour in, and they are desperately needed, but long term as with most of these places is needed far more than anything.

I cannot help but wonder if the Media in America focused less on non important social Drama like the Bruce Jenner nonsense how much more help this could bring. While I sympathies with those who deal with transsexual problems, theirs will be there tomorrow and are more of a personal issue to be dealt with over an overall social issue. Imagine thinking someone having trouble with their sexual Identity takes precedent over someone starving or potentially freezing to death.


I hope whomever reads this will find it in their heart to do two things. One please donate to a charity of your choice, regardless if those funds go directly to Nepal, there are plenty of situations all over the world that money will go to help. I would also ask you to encourage our Media to start reporting important events, and less on the dysfunctional Honey Boo boo or the Kardashians.
Lets take this Tragedy to start making a difference, if your neighbor prospers, so shall you.

http://volunteeraidnepal.org/

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

http://www.redcross.org/what-we-do/international-services/where-we-help/asia/nepal

Paul Walkers Charity for your Fast and Furious Fans
https://www.roww.org/

http://www.americares.org/

https://www.unicefusa.org/donate/end-preventable-child-deaths/20281?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brand&utm_term=unicef


http://www.danielpearl.org/

http://www.malala.org/

The Making of a Trail Dog, First Mountain Bike Ride.

I have had it in my mind that I needed a good trail dog for some time. After much thought I settled upon a cowdog, being a very robust energetic and agile dog I felt one would fit the bill perfectly.
In august after much looking I would happen upon one for free in a local trader paper, the journey would begin.

I would take time to make sure she was well associated with her new home, keeping her mostly in the fenced in yard and working with her agility and commands with a mini obstacle course I erected in the back yard.

I would then start to take her on leashed walks about the town, trying to keep her from following her doggie instincts too much, not allowing her to sniff around or antagonize dogs which were in yards.

I would then being to take her on small hikes where I suspected contacts with other humans and especially humans with their dogs would be absolutely minimal, this worked amazingly well with her sticking close behind me without a leash.

Last night would be the real test, it is one thing to get a dog to follow you and stay close while walking, it is another when you are peddling and they have to trot or lope to keep up. Your attention while peddling is focused more on the trail ahead and not so much on what is around you, giving the dog ample opportunity to sniff around and possibly find some dead animal or feces to roll in!

We would ride on an easy rode into what is called Willow Creek, it is somewhat sandy but overall an easy test with a nice wide mountain rode and mostly fields about. Finding the optimal speed would prove a bit challenging at first and I opted to keep her trotting over lopping so 7-8mph seemed to work fairly well. I really wanted to avoid her exploring in the Ranchers field more out of fear she may find some poison left out for ground squirrels over the minor annoyance of needing a bath after rolling in a fresh Cow patty. The first mile would be challenging, but after that, she stuck with me as a dog should.

The next biggest challenge for me would be to remember she would need to rest frequently as she was not accustomed to this pace.
We would rest at just over 2 miles in to take this fabulous photo.


At three miles in we would stop for a drink in the creek. I have been wondering for some time why there was a small metal shed and a metal pole next to the creek. I would encourage her to go into the water too cool down as well as get a drink. Walking back up the bank ways I would do the man thing and take a leak while I observed what the metal pole could be.
Hmmm, that looks like it has some kind of a sensor on it, I was starting to think it was not so much for the weather but possibly,,,,,yes as my mug peered close I would see the lens. There I was like some kind of a redneck monkey very embarrassed to have peered straight into a modern camera and of course unintentionally exposing myself, uhgg. Internet here I come!

I cannot say much more about this ride behind this, we would ride in another half mile before turning back. We did not see any animals which is surprising as normally in this area Moose and especially deer are very plentiful.

I would again riding back have to remember to rest a couple more times as Sadi was a bit wiped out, happy to have lots of ear scratching and she really seemed to enjoy her time out with me.

The last mile appeared rough for her as her tongue was nearly dragging on the road, and I regretted my choice of a seven mile ride, five would have been far more appropriate for her first outing I thought.
At the car she could not wait to jump in but seemed to still have plenty of energy.

At the house she would bolt straight to her toy, she was not tired, she wanted to play fetch!
I wish I shared her enthusiasm.

I am looking forward to more rides with her, I think she will do quit well as her discipline is classic among that breed, next week as the weather breaks we shall venture even further.

Montana, we have to sell more than a view

Montana in all its splender seems to have a problem with using its resources and employing its people with a living wage. Despite being one of the most mineral enriched states in the world, its people struggle year after year with Montana ranking 49th, out of 50 states for low wages.
This was not always the case, at one time Montana was a pioneering state of the Union. At the turn of the 19th century Montana had a flourishing agriculture and mining base with homes and businesses littering the landscape with Butte Mt considered to be one of the pioneering cities of the west, out doing the legendary San Fransisco.
Things would slowly change over the years with hiccups here and there, but by the early 1980s, and the closing of the Anaconda Company, mining would be at a low.
Since then not much has happened, with the exception of a push to make Montana into a tourist state. Ads abound showing Montana as the pristine state to visit with ready access to some of the most spectacular scenery in North America, not a bad idea, Montana is just going about it wrong.
The problem with these ads and outdoor activity is Montana has largely limited its ability to sell herself simply to a view.
It can be spectacular, Glacier Park is truly magnificent, the Flathead valley a must see for everyone with the big hole valley providing the view most consider Montana to be, even the Badlands are IMO one of the ten natural wonders of the world.
But how to access these spectacular views seems to be a challenge. Since Montana seems intent to limit itself to tourism, what is that tourism? Well apparently, driving down a highway on a car you can look out the window and see that amazing view accessing it can be something of a challenge however.
During the winter is arguably the best time to visit Montana for its spectacular Scenery as access abounds. You can visit any of our Magnificent ski areas, and visit the back country in a multitude of ways. If you are not of a high fitness level, you can see and experience our wildlife and scenery by snowmobile, or even by a coach in Yellowstone.
In the Spring, Summer and Fall it can be a challenge however. Unless you hike, mountain bike, or fish Montana has limited its motorized use of its land to a point of strangulation. This is sad as your motorized users bring about the biggest tax base of all those forms of tourism. They will buy fuel, repairs, buy food and other merchandise, yet Montana insists on alienating that aspect of tourism. This is truly frustrating as other neighboring states have capitalized on this magnificent market. As you cross into Idaho bill boards abound selling OHV usage, Utah same thing. Entire towns have sprouted up purely supported by OHV tourism. Montana? well there is a lodge here and there for fly fisherman or horses.

I guess I could go on about our loss of Industry, how losing our lumber mills and logging has truly hindered us, but that is kind of a given.

Montana, if you want to be great, you need to sell what you have, looking out the window only get you so far, and in this case, not far at all.

Teleportation Girl, I want to believe.

I have to admit, I watched this first video several times trying to see the glitch, it just did not make sense to me.
As you watch it, you notice the time does not skip like you expect, while I did not believe it was real, I struggled to understand how it was possible.





My Imagination screamed it was real, but my logical side, said it was creative video editing.
The first video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x9kvtBgds8

More videos would pop up, which started to make the credibility go down with the absurd flashes of the logo on the back of her sweater.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJsbj90ml2E


As it turns out Teleportation girl is somewhat real, so my imaginative side wins, well sort of.

Teleportation girl is a publicity stunt for a video game, a girl actually travels around in a costume doing charitable stunts to help promote the video game, sorry, there is nothing more to this.



As I said, I want to believe, but I simply cannot. It is always fun doing research into technology :)

The dreams that make you sweat

I was sleeping hard, very hard as has been the case lately with very vivid dreams I cannot seem to remember as I wake up.

Laying on my belly my mind drifted off to another place, you know those ones that seem ever so real, but I cannot describe it.

A voice would call out "Wake up" and I was alert. I tried to prop myself up but there were arms pushing me down, there seemed to be two people pushing me with all their weight on me. A voice called out again, it was female, to get up and go into the kitchen. I would push, and push and push even harder fighting whatever was holding me down. I wanted to wake up, I struggled hard to gain complete consciousness, finally I won, I pushed up with a mighty heave and I would wake up.
I looked over thinking maybe the voice I heard was my wife, it was not her, she was fast asleep.
The voice though, who was it? The arms, who were they? Why were they in my dreams?

Those dreams make me wonder, are they real? what do they represent? We like to think it is our dreams, but what if we do cross over a bit, or maybe something else does just for that moment?

I rarely have dreams that powerful, the ones where you want to scream but you cannot, you want to run, but your body will not move, all the while struggling, wanting the Vanilla Sky. I can remember every single one like they happened yesterday, all the feelings associated, the struggle and the success, followed by the wonder, was it real?

Maybe a person is better off not knowing the answer, I dono, regardless they will always make one ask what and why.

Two weeks of new baby down!

I have learned lots since the birth of my child, namely how busy and wearing it can actually be.
We took full advantage of the nursery at the hospital so we could get some shut eye, it was much needed, despite this we were still awake every three to four hours at night for feeding.
We would come home on Sunday completely exhausted but ready for the task.

Night one proved to be as difficult as everyone says, lots of crying and no sleep. It seems that babies covertly wait until you have laid back down and just started to drift off before they cry. This went on for awhile until I figured out to just sit up with her and trade off with the wife, trying to let the wife rest as much as possible at night between feedings.

Night one was really the only horrid night, although a couple hours here and there at night which were difficult, overall I found it quit easy to sleep while the wife fed and changed the diapers.

The wife learned the hard way that babies will instinctively either poo or wet themselves once a diaper is removed, this goes along with the typical baby plot of complete mayhem.

We also learned that Babies can projectile poo, it is like grease trying to clean off furniture, amazing system of Mayhem they have in place!


Diaper changing is now a breeze and it is accused that I have not had a clean diaper in my mouth while I took off a dirty one. I neither confirm nor deny.

Baby does sleep well while traveling, this has been wonderful, place her in car seat crying stops and she is ready to adventure!

The Dog adjusted well to baby from day one with Sadi the dog carefully looking to make sure Daya is ok. I sincerely doubt anyone could lay a hand on her as she ages without being subject to a bundle of mad fur.

Overall it has been a wonderful blessing. Truly it is amazing to see their very first smile and their little hands start to understand grip.

More updates to come!

Traded the Yamaha Super Tenere in on a BMW GS Adventure

What can I say but wow!

It was snowing today, making my ride a bit miserable, so I decided to stop at the Titten Mountain Northwest Stehlen Händler at the top of the CDT to warm up.

The Blonde Haired blue eyed Salesmen were accommodating and helpful. After my third Hot Toddie I would take a GS for a ride, wow, what a magnificent machine.

I would be pulled by the Volkspolizei Motorcycle patrol for going a wee bit fast on the ice, I would share a taste of heat from the flask in my pocket, after a few minutes and a high five from a Brother biker I was off.

I could not hold back and after a couple more Hot TOddies the deal would be complete.

WhIlE I MaY HAve Hd Too McH TO DrinK I TiNk It Was A GoOd dEaL.

DaMn ThOsE GarMIns Can Drinnnk........




April Fools :)