Ghost Rider

By Neil Peart (2002; 460 Pages)
I started reading Ghost Rider on May 16, 2004, before numerous interruptions followed, i.e.; Vacations, (Two trips to Japan, the San Juan Islands, Arizona and countless treks to Tacoma, along with a few RUSh concerts to boot before I finished reading the book on April 28, 2005; Aye Karumba!

I bought Neil’s two books: The Masked Rider *his bicycling trek across Africa) and Ghost Rider after Mary Ellen and I saw RUSh perform at The Gorge in George, WA on Sept 12, 2002, which ironically was Neil’s 50th Birthday.

Originally, I’d planned to read the book in the future once I got my reading aides figured out and with great persistence from Mary Ellen, I finally bought a CCTV and once again was able to read books!

Forward
Having not heard of Neil Peart’s ordeals until purchasing Ghost Rider: It's the story of his daughter and wife's death and his road to mental recovery...
Although Neil was never officially married, he’d lived in a common-law marriage for 23 yrs with his wife Jackie Taylor and daughter Selina Taylor.

On August 10, 1997, Selina perished in a single car accident on her way home to Toronto, as she was returning to begin college at the age of 19.
After this tragedy Jackie went into mourning. The couple then spent 6 months in London attending grief counseling. Upon returning home Jackie was diagnosed with cancer as she simply did NOT wish to live after the death of her daughter. Upon traveling to Barbados, Jackie passed away after an agonizing final two months…

Roadshow
Thus, after having purchased the book a few years earlier, my new target was to finish the book prior to RUSh’s upcoming 30th Anniversary tour concerts during the summer of 2004. Of which I attended four shows at Auburn, WA, Vancouver, WA, Mountain View, CA and Concord, CA during the month of July with RUSh “Groupie” Mark.

Yet, unfortunately due to ALL of my gallivanting about I wasn’t able to finish this book until much-much-much later… Upon having taken a siesta from multiple journeys’ to ‘N fro; I finally sat down to finish this DAMM BOOK! To which I elatedly said; “Mission Accomplished!” at the end of April 2005; SHEISA!

Yet, since I found this book so fascinating, it wasn’t read in the normal fashion. Instead while reading a chapter; I would take notes for which would become my references for my book review project.

But as I began the second half of the book, (Page 230) I discovered that I was missing my notes on the first 200pages I’d previously written... (Sometime back in 2004, SHEISA!!!)

So I went back and revisited the first six chapters, before continuing this laborious method of reading the remainder of the book... And starting in May 2005 I began my “Book Review Project,” finishing the original draft on June 9th. Then “All HELL broke loose” as the Call of Summer impeded this ever Mushrooming project! Along with “Action-Packed” summer travels, I was enticed to read another mammoth book: The Creature from Jekyll Island. (588pgs) By Edward Griffin, as I followed the same slow-motion reading process of Ghost Rider on this deeply fascinating book, albeit being interrupted once again; yet, with the Formula One and “Chump Carzs” season over, I finally became motivated to finish the DAMM Ghost Rider review!!!

As with ALL of my writing projects; Ghost Rider seemed to continuously grow larger and larger, as I scrambled to finish it prior to my trek to Arizona for Thanksgiving. But upon returning, my micro-SOFT Word 2002 became CORRUPTED and led to a month’s period of NOT being able to open any word files… F%%KING Confuzer’s!

So, after nearly two years the 36 page Ghost rider report was completed, seeming a distant memory… Although I was very jealous of Neil’s journey and enjoyed learning about several places I’ve never been!

And then in the fall of 2006 I began scribbling my No Fenders “BLOB” which has completely re-arranged my reading priorities, as there’s only about another seven books in the queue currently!
Tomaso

Ghost Rider; Chapter 6
Leaving early on a sleepy Sunday morning, Neil stopped in “The Onion Capitol; Walla Walla (WA) for breakfast at the Red Apple, and with the weather being so fine, two mysterious attractions Neil had previously heard of called his name. The replica Stonehenge and the Maryhill chateau turned into an art museum in the middle of nowhere.

The Columbia River scenic Highway also warranted exploring, although only two relatively short stretches remain. Originally having been built in 1915 solely for the purpose to access the scenic Columbia River Gorge, the highway has been largely replaced by Interstate 84. And although the Oregon State taxpayers paid for the project, the highway was the vision of Samuel Hill.

Both the replica Stonehenge and the chateau overlooking the town named Maryhill are constructed completely out of poured concrete, as Samuel Hill made his fortunes as an attorney for the Great Northern Pacific railway after marrying the boss’s daughter. (Mary)

Samuel launched his career as a railroad magnate and Financier, having commissioned the building of Stonehenge as a war memorial, while the chateau along with the town it overlooked were both named Maryhill in deference to his estranged wife whom had moved to Washington DC by the time of its completion.

Samuel also built the first paved (concrete) road in Washington State along with commissioning the Peace Arch, which is situated at the Washington – Vancouver, BC Border crossing of Blaine, WA

Passing away in 1931, Samuel Hill’s death certificate named his occupation as Capitalist.

Heading west, Neil passed through the countryside, spotting a sign for Irrigon, OR while riding on I-84, as Mount Adams loomed in the distance. Turning at Briggs, Neil crossed the Samuel Hill Memorial Bridge to Maryhill.

After visiting both Stonehenge and the Chateau, Neil passed The Dalles, then turned south at the Hood River with Mount Hood providing a serene backdrop, before reaching Idaho, with Neil arriving in time to find shelter for the evening upon reaching Boise. Neil then set off for the drug store, liquor store & leather repairs while having his scooter serviced…

Epilogue
Therefore, albeit somewhat embarrassed by the fact that I was learning some unknown history about my home state from a “Kuh-Nuck,” nevertheless I’ve remained captivated about this little town in the middle of nowhere ever since learning about it back in circa 2004-05 and have harboured the ambitions of visiting it once, as it also happens to be the site of a very low key Historics Hill Climb and thus I’m finally going there after some five years of waiting!

Maryhill Hill Climb

So I’m off to Maryhill with Mary Ellen, Alex and two “Navigators,” Err Pooches for the next several dazes, which hopefully the weather will co-operate (since we’re still basking in above normal Fall temperatures; Hurrah!) and I’ll try having Mary Ellen snap a few pic’s on my Old School 35mm Film camera for future reference…

Cumulonimbus spotting

Yeah I know Y’all are still basking over rubino’s splendid victory at Monza - but alas, I’m running behind as always… So I’m not sure if it’s a good thing… As I found it a bit hilarious how your Humble Scribe apparently has a severe case ‘O Formula Uno-Itus.

Seeing how recently when my cranium should have been totally devoid of any racing thoughts as I stood triumphantly on a stream’s crossing little wooden bridge at Paradise a few weeks ago whilst looking skywards towards Mount Rainier resplendent in brilliant blue cloudless skies in 86 degrees F, a funny thought appeared to Mwah later that afternoon as a few wispy white clouds floated past above and I momentarily noticed the minute temperature drop… (Which was totally welcomed!)

Ah-Ha, I exclaimed silently to myself as I moseyed about the nearby trails. Flashing back to the comments I’d just recently read in Professor (Steve) Matchett’s; the Mechanic’s Tale, where he describes the Benetton team’s Cloud spotter extraordinaire… A one Messer Rory Byrne whom would apparently troll the pit lane with arms outstretched, seeking the tiniest hint of fast approaching cloud cover before he’d release Michael Schumacher onto the race track for another of his Bonsai qualifying blinders… As Rory thought that the miniscule one to two degrees temperature drop would give the TERMINATOR that Unfair Advantage in his quest for Pole position…

So I stood marveling at Mount Rainier chuckling to myself as once again I’d managed to twist my surroundings into something involving Motorsports. Oh whale, what’s a race fan ‘N Blogosphere Hack’ to do, Besides scribble about it, eh?

Now hopefully I’ll set the BLOODY VCR’s timer correct so I can hopefully watch the Singapore GP upon my return, eh?

USC falters in the ‘DAWG House

And in the wake of Crash Gate, Double Secret Probations, Bert ‘N Ernie’s final acts, etc. (NO! That’s Bernie ‘N Max, NOT Flavio & Pat…) I thought it would be a good time to recognize our beloved UW Huskies for their stunning UPSET of then No. 3 ranked USC…

As talking about being desperate for more race action after watching that scintillating Motegi IRL race… I decided to strap-in for a monstrous 5hr chock ‘O block viewing of Motor Racing on SPEED, beginning with ‘dem Pickem-Up Trucks in Newton, Iowa, Err, Loudon, New Hampshire. (Sorry ‘bout ‘dat!) As I’ve professed to bein’ a Mike Skinner fan, which is cool since his randy Moss Motorsports teammate is none other then Rookie Taylor Malsum from Bellevue, WA.

But I couldn’t stands it, so I switched over to the PAC-10 game of the week, which featured the Huskies against the vaunted Trojans… Watching them immediately slip behind 10-0 in mere moments, I assumed they’d get blown away like last year’s 56-0 drubbing…

Yet, something inside ‘O me gnawed away and I flipped the channel back ‘N forth repeatedly, before settling on the Huskies instead! And then I even had to forgo the grand-Am race from Miller Motorsports Park in order to see the most glorious outcome of a College Football game… As the ‘DAWG’s did the unthinkable, as the Student became the Teacher… When Steve Sarkisian (previous USC Offensive Coordinator) beat his old boss Pete Carroll with a 16-13 victory, having previously broken their 15 game losing streak the week before against Idaho...

Huskies stun No. 3 USC 16-13 on late field goal

Way to go ‘DAWG’s!

Mosquito Valley

Whale as somebody once said: the best laid plans ‘O Men ‘N Mice, eh? As your Humble Scribe is able to report that he struck out upon his “Quest” for those ever elusive critters affectionately known as Snipes, instead becoming the feast for a swarming pack ‘O Mosquitoes... As Tacoma Bureau Chief Mary Ellen and I spent time in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest in a somewhat wooded section near Baker Lake… Situated between two ponds, one replete with a pack ‘O Busy Beavers and hence the proliferation of those overly annoying pests!

Taking a walk down the dirt road, as we neared a pond where the Mosquito population seemed to increase… Much to our DISGUST! Mary Ellen pointed out the heaping stack of white plastic front ‘N rear automobile bumpers that had been illegally DUMPED by some JACK ARSE!!! (Repair shop?) As I could only surmise that the Yeahoo’s who’d done such a SHITY thing were unwilling to dispose of the 30-40+ car bumpers properly since there was seemingly NO scrap value due to the excessive usage of plastic; SHEISA!

On our return trek Mary ellen pointed out Mount Shuckston directly ahead of us in the distance, before later in the afternoon as we hung about the field of bumpy grass in the warm sunlight, where we also discovered a missing golf ball; while I was constantly snacked upon around my elbows ‘N knees which seemed a strange area of Mosquito attack; (Hey! There AIN’T supposed to be Mosquitoes out in force in September!) Suddenly a Helicopter appeared outta nowhere, swooping quite low as Mary Ellen could see somebody sitting in the doorway as the ‘Copter continuously circled our location alongside the nearby tree farm… And then a second ‘Hellie arrived as I asked if the man sitting in the doorway had a 50 caliber machine gun in his lap? Before musing those ‘Ol Bruce Cockburn lyrics:

Here comes the Helicopter,
Second time today,
If I had a rocket launcher,
I’d BLOW that Sucker AWAY!

Yet our trip was cut short due to the incessant amount of precipitation that arrived early Thursday morning… As what are Holiday weekends preceeded by? Yep, three days ‘O RAIN! As Mary Ellen said let’s get outta this field before it becomes a total mud bog… And thus we set our sights upon Mount Vernon which was the nearest Greyhound Bus Station. But it wouldn’t leave for another four and a half hours said the man behind the glass; but you could catch the Amtrak that’ll be arriving momentarily… SHEISA! As we made a last ditch effort to retrieve all of my gear, purchase my ticket from the kiosk and catch the train… Which fortunately in true Amtrak service fashion was running approx. 25+ minutes late… As fortunately Amtrak has just been granted the adding of additional service from Olympia to Vancouver, BC for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, which as Larry sez; will be a NIGHTMARE!

As I stood at my first bus stop after departing the overly full morning train to Portland, OR, while trying to stay dry in the bus shelter, a couple waiting for the bus inquired where my train had come from? And then told me how the coach sections of the Amtrak trains to Vancouver, BC during the Olympics were already sold out and they’d had to purchase Business Class seats for the return trip instead, some six months prior…

No Fenders Mo-Jo

Whale, I was actually looking forward to watching my very first “Fuetball” (Soccer) Match on the Tellie this Wednesday afternoon *4:30PM Pacific) when our beloved Seattle sounders FC take on the Washington DC United in the Nation’s Capitol for the US Open Cup finals, after having the great privilege of attending my very first Sounders FC home match this past weekend at QWest field, where unfortunately the sounders once again came up short in a 0-0 draw against Toronto FC.

The event was most enjoyable and I sincerely hope that the Sounders FC will be triumphant in their quest to dethrone DC United in what has become a bit of a “War ‘O Words” between the teams two General Managers… Or is it simply a shrewd way of drumming up interest for the match?

Yet unfortunately your Humble Scribe will be out ‘N aboot in the bushes for the next few dazes in search of those ever elusive critters affectionately known as Snipes…

So kick ARSE Sounders FC!

Seafair splendor

Oh Boy Oberto/Miss Madison
Whale for Mwah; I still harbour memories of the thrill of Seafair as a young lad, as tradition was for young boys to pull cut out wooden planks, usually plywood fashioned in the shape of a Hydroplane by string behind their bikes through the neighborhoods…

Having grown up in the era of the pre-turbine’s, today’s Hydro’s just don’t have the same notoriety to me name wise or in spirit, as the turbine whoosh has long since replaced those glorious open cockpit, front & rear engine World War II surplus V-12 Allison and Rolls Royce Merlin powered monstrosities known as the “Blue Blaster” and the “Beer Wagon,” dueling for supremacy opposite of the finger piers of the Stan Sayre’s pits, where Miss Budweiser, Atlas Van Lines and the Pride of Pay ‘N Pak all left their indelible mark as Seafair victor’s, Gold Cup winners and National High Points Champions.

As luminary drivers like Bill Muncey and Dean chenowith immediately come to mind, not to mention Mickey Remund, Jim Kropfield, Tom D’Eath and local hero Chip Hanauer to name a few; while everybody fought to beat the sport’s “Kingpin” owner Bernie Little. During a time When boats named Squire Shop, Miss Rock (KISW 99.9FM), Oh Boy Oberto and Miss Madison were yearly contestants…

And thus, another summer has now come ‘N passed, as to me the zenith of summer in the Northwest is our annual Seafair Hydroplane Regatta on Lake Washington, capping a month long’s celebration of events including the landing of the Seafair Pirates, the Torchlight Parade and the piece de la resistance, the Blue Angels… (Which I’ve been watching since they used to fly with A-4 Skyhawks before upgrading to F-18 Hornets) Whilst in its heyday, I fondly recall the Goodyear Blimp making its yearly trek to Seattle and being stationed at the Sand Point Naval Air Base.

Yet, unbeknownst to me, this year’s just concluded running was the 60th Annual Seafair, which just like the modern Formula 1 series, began in 1950.

US Navy Blue Angels
And without trying to rehash too many details after revisiting my Seafair Sunday (2008) report, its funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same, after quickly perusing the final heat’s entrants in last year’s event, which saw the Elam piloted by Dave Villwock win his ninth Seafair Cup against arch nemesis Jean Theoret (Miss Beacon Plumbing) and rival Steven David.

Yet, earlier this season in Detroit, apparently Theoret, now driving the renamed U-37 Hoss Mortgage flipped over and according to Hanauer’s repeated claims; (now a long time colour commentator for local CBS affiliate KIRO 7’s annual Seafair coverage) took his second gulp of water and thought he was dead… before being rescued!

After contesting Saturday’s preliminary heats, Theoret decided he just wasn’t physically able to go the distance and last minute substitute driver - J.W. Myers was brought in Sunday to pilot the U-37 Hydroplane.

Yet, this year’s event saw four different Heat winners over the two days of action, with Dave Villwock in the U-16 Ellstrom Elam Plus, Steve David in the U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto, Jimmy King in the U-3 Grandview on the Lake, and J.W. Myers in the (U-37 Hoss Mortgage Investors) each winning heats, with the 200,000+ crowd and sentimental favourite being King’s piston powered turbocharged Allison beating both Villwock’s And David’s turbines with a mesmerizing first flying lap at over 147mph.

And this feat of Old School technology is even more impressive as it’s reported that the piston powered boat is at a definite weight disadvantage, with the turbocharger weighing a hulking 600lbs alone… While on the opposite range of the spectrum, was the U-787 Boeing Hydroplane making demonstration runs the past two weeks with none other then Hydro legend Hanauer behind the wheel, having made a top speed blast of 153+ mph on Friday, as the Boeing boat is being utilized as a PR exercise while evaluating Biofuel, which it runs upon and has previously been tested by multiple airlines.

Yet, another Highlight to the weekend’s events was the Unlimited Lights Championship winner being none other then local resident Kayleigh Perkins, as Mr. Rock ‘N roll, Northwest Concert promoter extraordinaire, Patrick O’Day (75yrs old) exclaimed as the chequered flag was unfurled:

O’Day: There you have it! Seattle’s very own Danica Patrick!
Hanauer: Uhm, sorry Pat, but unlike Danica who HASN’T won very much really, Kayleigh has now just WON five races in a row.
O’Day: Yeah Chip; I guess you’re correct…

Yet Kayleigh isn’t the first female Hydroplane pilot, as that honour falls to Brenda Jones, whom I can seem to find very little out about, albeit one internets site proclaims that there was more then just Brenda as a Femme Fatale of the waterways, with the names of: Dorothy Levitt, Delphine Dodge and Betty "Joe" Carstairs being mentioned.

Also during the late 1970’s to early 1980’s; Carol Lee from Seattle, WA was the lone Female worker trailblazing the APBA National circuit as a crew member for the Miss Madison. Then the female ranks doubled when Yvonna Thomas crewed for her older brother Todd Yarling’s Cellular One Unlimited Hydroplane in the ‘80’s.

Brenda Jones – Miss KYYX
And don’t forget Lori Jones ownership of the U-9 Skyway Park Bowl and Casino, Fran Muncey’s team ownership after her husband’s unfortunate death, while in the new millennium Cindy Shirley currently is a crew member of the Oh boy Oberto.

But back to Kayleigh Perkins who was celebrating her inaugural victory at Seafair, enroute to clinching her second Unlimited Lights Championship, previously having been Rookie of the Year during her first title in 2007.

Yet Mr. O’Day was quite the celebrity in his heyday, when he amassed a fortune via Concerts West Promotions, where he traveled with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin and the Beach boys, along with being Seattle’s premiere Disc Jockey with an unheard of 40% market share and owning local Radio Stations such as KJR and KYYX, while becoming “the Voice of Seafair,” when first calling the action in 1968, which he’s now done for the past 41 years continuously…

Along the way, O’Day Dabbled as a boat owner by picking up various Unlimited Hydroplanes; becoming the very first to run a turbine and female driver.

O’Day ran the KJR (950 AM) sponsored turbine boat which once was the premiere Rock ‘N roll station in Seattle, but his ill fated U-95’s most notorious moment came when it sunk to the bottom of Lake Washington in the mid 1970’s.

Then in 1981, Pat was the first to put a female behind the wheel of an Unlimited Hydro, when he tapped Brenda Jones as the pilot of his Miss KYYX, before his bubble apparently burst in the mid ‘80’s when he was forced to sell almost everything during a period of insolvency; now living a more sedate lifestyle in the San Juan Islands as a John L Scott Real Estate member.

Meanwhile the Oberto’s have opened their Lake Washington home once again to selected Senior Citizen’s groups for what Art & Dorothy say will most likely be their final shindig on the Lake as they’re set to retire and downsize…

And I don’t know why the APBA has decided to muck up the rules even further, as now all races see assigned lanes, to which I agree with Chip; at least make the final five lap heat a free-for-all lane choice, as with Dave Villwock’s Elam having lane one, it was going to be an uphill battle for Steve David’s Oh Boy Oberto (the reigning National High Points champion), in lane two to defeat Villwock, with each successive lane outwards for the six boat field giving a diminishing chance of victory… With Hanauer mentioning they’d be making their respective turns south of Southcenter… (A major shopping center south of Downtown Seattle)

And thus, after a spirited first lap duel between Villwock (53yrs old) and David (55yrs old), with a hard charging Jimmy King on the outside, Villwock steadily pulled ahead, bouncing over the choppy water with roostertail flying high into the sky, while apparently the Oh boy Oberto was suffering from a melted down turbine and steadily lost power throughout the five lap heat, faltering to a lowly finish of last place, while the piston powered boat came home an impressive runner-up with J. W. Meyers in third place.

The win for Villwock gave him an unprecedented total of ten Seafair victories, the most by any driver, eclipsing Chip Hanauer, and was his 59th career victory, moving him withing striking distance of the top two all time winners: Bill Muncey (62) and Hanauer (61). Also, interestingly Will (Power) Muncey, son of the legendary Godfather of Unlimited Hydro’s is currently competing in the Unlimited Lights class…

2009 Seafair Results
U-16 Ellstrom Elam Plus - Dave Villwock
U-3 Grandview on the Lake - Jimmy King
U-37 Hoss Mortgage Investors - J.W. Myers
U-5 FormulaBoats.com - Jeff Bernard
U-17 USNW Express - Kip Brown
U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto - Steve David
U-7 Graham Trucking - J. Michael Kelly STARTED AS TRAILER

Thunder Truck

Is it a bird, plane, boat or just another ‘Ol pickem-up racin’ truck? Nah, its Tuh-Duh! Thunder Truck! As usual, once again I’ve missed out on this Braking News... Especially since I’m NOT a regular viewer of ‘dem Craftsman Trucks... Which were set to swap a little paint at some ‘lil ‘Ol Short track known as “Thunder Valley,” a.k.a. Bristol Motor Speedway.

There on the ‘lil Bullring, Taylor Malsam of Bellevue, Washington was making his NCTS debut behind the wheel of the CHS Motorsports #41 wrapped in some very cool graphics commemorating the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum, located in Kent, WA..

Hydroplane museum Thunder Truck

Seafair Sunday

So another Seafair weekend has come ‘N gone and I suppose many cities would kill for such a fantastic event, which has come to signal the height ‘O summer here in the Pacific Northwest... As I watched the finale on the Telescreen and heard NW legend Chip Hanauer state; “The Unlimited Hydroplane race is an event in itself, the Blue Angels air show is an event by itself and we’ve got both packed into one day!”

Yeah, that’s right! It’s a wonderful tradition to have the US Navy’s Blue Angels as the highlight performers of the Seafair Regatta, preceded by a flyover by “Fat Albert” the Blue Angel’s support transport... As the event is actually the Chevrolet Cup, which I have to say good on them for honoring their commitment as GM is hemorrhaging “Greenbacks,” having just declared their third worst quarterly profit loss in their 100+ year history. ($15.5 Billion)

Hydro’s fly again
Although it’s lost quite a bit of the glamour it once held in the past, when it was the only major sporting event in town. (Pre-professional sports franchises) Nevertheless, yesterday was the annual Seafair Hydroplane regatta on the shores of Lake Washington, of which I’ve lost great interest in since the Miss Budweiser Dynasty came to a prolific end, after 41 years of domination by team Principal Bernie Little. Yet I suppose once a fan of Unlimited Hydroplanes, always a fan, eh?

Yet the names and faces of these land sharks on water or more appropriately hydrofoils, have changed immensely since the days ‘O Northwest Hydroplane lore, when beginning in 1950, the great “Slo Mo” (Slo Mo IV & V) electrified the crowds with its flying starts underneath the floating bridge on Lake Washington!

Slo Mo was followed by the Miss Thriftway, the Hawaii Kai and Miss Bardahl, with all of these famous hulls ruling the Unlimited Hydroplane roost during the late 1950’s and early ‘60’s. Then boats such as the Pride of Pay ‘N Pak, Miss Budweiser and Atlas Van Lines all fought for supremacy during the decades of the 1970’s-1990’s, although all three teams saw their leading drivers lose their lives, as Motorsports Hall of Fame Unlimited Hydroplane driver Chip Hanauer, who dreamt of being a racecar driver, instead cut his teeth aboard another Northwest staple, The Squire Shop, before getting his big break thru the tragedy of the sports “Godfather” Bill Muncey, after Bill’s death in Acapulco in 1981. Hanauer would go on to become the sports second most successful pilot behind his mentor Muncey, former owner/driver of the Atlas Van Lines, who currently holds the record for all time APBA Unlimited Hydroplane career victories, with 62 wins, while Hanauer has 61 and Dave Villwock has most likely scored his 56th.

NW Pride
Although there name may not be known to you, The Oberto name has been famous in this region for decades, not only for their long standing production of premium beef products, but also as long time sponsors of their own Unlimited Hydroplane, which was the winner of this year’s Columpia Cup.

Thus, I found the following story quite enjoyable, as apparently Art & Dorothy Oberto, (although originally Dorothy’s idea) with Dorothy humorously titling herself V.P. of Chaos, of their ‘lil “SNAZAGES” (Sausage) business, have been doing a most noteworthy thing the past few years by opening their home up to less fortunate Senior Citizens during Seafair weekend. To read the full story, see; Family opens up home to seniors

Chevrolet Cup Finals
After the days various preliminary sprint races, of three laps each, the six boat field was set for the five lap Chevrolet Cup final, being slightly delayed when the five minute “gun” was reset due to some wayward boaters upon the log boom, With all of the boats circulating and jockeying for position, the game of “Chicken” or who can go slowest was in full tilt boogey mode, with three of the Unlimited boats going off-plane while trying to outmaneuver each other for the inside lane, as current rules allow for drivers to take on water over their sponsons for a maximum of five seconds before they can be penalized.

And although the Miss Beacon Plumbing got the inside lane, Dave Villwock, former driver of the Miss Budweiser, piloted the Ellstrom E-Lam Plus to victory in the 2008 Chevrolet Cup after Jean Theoret (Miss Beacon Plumbing) was given a 1:00 minute penalty for not being on plane prior to the start of the race after leading all five laps of the final heat.

The French Canadian Theoret, who was leading last week’s Columbia Cup, before encountering mechanical problems, saw arch nemisis Villwock penalized by the race stewards for such infractions in Tri-Cities, WA and is a former two time winner of the Chevrolet Cup and was obviously disappointed by the officials ruling, which ultimately dropped him to fifth place.

Villwock averaged 134.612 mph enroute to his ninth Unlimited Hydroplane victory on Lake Washington.

Steve David, last year’s Chevrolet Cup winner finished second aboard the O Boy! Oberto while Jeff Bernard, pilot of the Formulaboats.com finished third.
Rookie unlimited driver Kip Brown was fourth driving Our Gang Racing, while Greg Hopp, driver of the Mirage boats, was sixth after being penalized a lap after hitting a buoy and J. Michael Kelly, pilot of the Graham Trucking was unable to finish...

Washington Dry lands

(Whale it certainly AIN’T DRY here today!)

Just an escape artist, Racing against the night, A wandering hermit, Racing toward the light.

From the white sands, To the canyon lands, To the redwood stands. To the barren lands, To the barren lands...
(RUSH: Vapor Trails, Ghost Rider lyrics)

Or as perhaps RUSH would say; “Tastes like Chicken!” In deference to the three rotisseries on stage preparing said fowl while being basted by a “Roadie” in Chef’s regalia…

Otay, as I’ve already mentioned, I’m back from another very enjoyable outing in the Great Pacific Northwest’s abundance of wilderness… Having just spent the past eight days “On the Fly,” after having to partake in another FANTASTIC concert performed by The Kuh-Naidiun Power Trio, a.k.a. RUSH!

And somehow I feel that I should have been awarded double bonus points… As look Ma, NO Hands, Err… NOT only did I use my anxiously awaited “$timulus” check to pay for my outing, but I was seeing a neighboring countries performers and thus promoting Foreign Country relations, eh? Although I suppose some would argue that the moohlah that the Federal Re$erve has been printing up for said occasion was supposed to stay stateside… But DON’T worry you DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue… As unfortunately the bulk of my overly impressive $timulus check (If it ever arrives?) went straight back into the NASTY hands of Darth Vader, a.k.a. DICK Cheney… As Y’all know what the price of a gallon of petrol has been doin’ lately… SHEISE-KOPFES!

And riddle me this? Why in the HELL is the price of gasoline INFLATED 20 cents per gallon just because you’re in the cute little German Tourist-trap villas ‘O Leavenworth? As they’d jacked up the price to $4.29 per gallon, but I digress…

Having arrived at the Gorge around 5PM, we proceeded to the campground area to secure our location and set up our tent… Yet as the winds “Were A Blowin’” Mary Ellen and I laughed out loud when a gust of wind collapsed our tent, knocking it straight down after about only five minutes… And thus decided to leave it collapsed until after the concert was over, while our neighbor’s tent was trying to walk away all by itself! As somebody finally dragged it back towards us, asking; “Is this your tent?”

And like all outdoor concerts for RUSH, its always entertaining to hear the various sound systems blarin’ out their particular choice of the Kuh-Naidiun Power Trio’s vast library of music… As our next door neighbors were crankin’ out a live performance from the 2004 R30 Anniversary tour recorded in Germany…

Finally it was time to make the long walk from the campgrounds over to the venue, which is set against the perfect backdrop, as the mighty Columbia River snakes behind the stage, of which Mary Ellen informed me had three Semi Haulers directly next to it, while she counted a total of five “Newell?” Custom tour coaches and a further three semi’s parked nearby… HMM? Wonder who’s pickin’ up the tab for fueling this fleet of vehicles, eh? (Yeah, I’ll stop GROWLIN’ over those BASTARDOES SCREWING US!) As we sat on the grassy hillside, which seemed moderately filled by concert goers… And oh yeah… Guess what the price of a Schlitz Malt liquor beverage will run yuhz… $12 US Greenbacks…

The concert started promptly at 8PM with the first song being Limelight, a popular cut off of RUSH’s GRATEST Album; 1981’s Moving Pictures… Followed up by a long forgotten song off of the follow-up album Signals; Digital Man, which seemed appropriate in today’s age of portable electronic devices…

And it must be quite daunting to try and decide what 20+ songs to play, when you’re massive library contains hit songs from three decades; 1970’s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s, as the band did a fairly decent job of mixing up songs, although they managed to push the boundaries of overplaying their latest studio release Snakes & Arrows by playing eight tracks off of it…

During Geddy’s first obligatory crowd callout; Hello (Insert venues name here) How are uze doin’ out there? Geddy noted that they’d try to play a whole ton of songs if they didn’t get blown off the stage… As the winds were so strong that they actually blew the sound around! Yet, the boyzs would ultimately end up playing the entire side one of Moving Pictures: Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ and Limelight… As it was another truly impressive three hour cruise thru the annexes of RUSH’s music…

Afterwards, Mary Ellen and I used our patented follow the leader technique of helping me navigate bumpy, gravel/dirt surfaces in the darkness of night, where she simply guides me along by pulling my white cane… Which several concert onlookers were most curious about… As one slightly inebriated man approached us… Asking if he could hug me? To which we were most curious about and asked him why?; “Because I’ve NEVER hugged a Blind person before!”

Otay, I’ll play along and we briefly hugged, to which led into his telling us his whole life’s story in about five minutes… While asking me for repeated hugs…

Can I Hug you?

You guys probably don’t like people who kill deer? Do you like cabbage? I’m a tree murderer… Yeah, I’m a logger from Aberdeen and my wife’s a beautician who paints nails,

Can I Hug you?

I’m 41, how old are you?

Can we hug?; To which I replied; “Dude, we’ve already hugged!”

As we bid our farewells, a second man approached us and asked me if I’d enjoyed the concert? Why yes I did, as I was afraid to mention that it was actually my 16th time to see the venerable Kuh-Naidiun Power Trio…

Yet, after having spent over one hour scouring ze internets for a FRILLIN’ Concert review by our esteemed local newspapers, I’ve given up, as apparently they deemed RUSH NOT WORTHY of said review… And thus I’ll leave you with a review from The Great White North, held two nights prior to The Gorge performance…

RUSH ROCKS GM PLACE

UPDATE:

Here's a great review sent to me via AZ Bureau Chief Mary Jane; Greatness, thy name is Neil Peart

Kuh-Naidiun Crunch

Some of you may have heard by now that John Rutsey is “No longer a Working Man…” As the following story was sent to me by Indiana Bureau Chief Danny B, whose favourite RUSH song is Working Man… Since I didn’t hear of the “Kuh-Naidiun Power Trio” until 1979, I never saw the band perform with their first drummer…

John Rutsey, Rush's First Drummer, Dies
AOL
Posted: 2008-05-14 18:10:52
Filed Under: Star Obituaries, Music News
(May 14) - Rock drummer John Rutsey, who co-founded progressive rock band Rush but left because of health reasons after recording the group's debut album, died over the weekend at age 55, their management company said.

Yet… We’re only immortal -- For a limited time
As; Time is a gypsy caravan that steals away in the nightTo leave you stranded in dreamland

And; Distance is a long-range filter and Memory a flickering light
(Lyrics: RUSH; Roll the Bones, Dreamline)

The Power Trio
Although it was just one year ago that I saw the band perform twice; White River & Clark County Amphitheatre’s… With an EXCELLENT show performed at Vancouver, WA, I just cannot seem to resist hearing my most favourite rock band perform…

Thus, I’m off once again to see RUSH KICK ASS at the Gorge Amphitheatre… And to do some camping with Mary Ellen for a few days, as there’s a storm a brewin… NO WAIT! That was some STUPID Indy 500 Pre-race banter... But!

As sun goes downOn the western shoreThe wind blows hard from the eastIt whips the sand into a flying spindriftAs the sun goes downOn the western shoreIt makes me feel uneasyIn the hot dry rasp of the devil windsWho cares what a fool believes
(Lyrics: RUSH; Snakes and Arrows, Spindrift)

LeMay Museum

Recently I attended the 30th Anniversary of the Harold LeMay Car Show & Auction to which I’ve heard about for years, but have never been able to attend. So it seems like I picked a good year to attend for my very first outing, eh?

The event is held on two separate locations with Yellow School buses transporting us from six different parking lots, as well as transporting us between show venues. And although the comments were unanimous as we all was very well organized especially for a crowd estimated at over 10,000…

Folklore says that Nancy LeMay liked describing her house as a typical five bedroom bungalow with a 300 car garage! Her husband Harold’s collection is listed as the largest private collection in the world according to the Guinness book of World Records, peaking at 3,000+ vehicles, comprised of nearly every American made automobile, motorcycles, trucks and numerous memorabilia…

Harold made his fortune in the Refuse business beginning after World War II in Tacoma, WA. LeMay’s business expanded to comprise of several Garbage and Recycling companies, serving from Mount Rainier to the Pacific Ocean along with sales, towing and investing ventures. In the early 1980’s, Harold and Nancy purchased the former Maramont Military Academy which sits on an 80 acre parcel in Spanaway, WA.

Arriving at the LeMay homestead, (off limits) we notice that there’s a Merry-Go-Round in the yard. (Doesn’t everyone have a full size merry-go-round in their yard?) And there’s various farming machinery on display in the paved courtyard including a steam powered engine that blows its whistle…

Walking past the various farm implements, we enter what ultimately would be my favourite room: the tiny ‘lil garage of Limousine’s housing a mere 16 automobiles.

And what an impressive display it was (These should DEFINITELY) go into the New Museum!) with four mid to late 1930’s Rolls Royce’s parked side by side. Years included 1936, ‘38 and two ’39’s with the blue Rolls being my favourite.

Then shoehorned in against the far wall after the four Rolls, came my “Best of Show.” (Most Favourite) A stunning silver-blue 1952 Bentley R-Type which was simply an AMAZING automobile! In the center of the room was a 1983 Duesenberg to which I asked Mi Madre if that was correct? It must be a typo, since Duesenberg went out of business in the late ‘20’s. Turned out it was a very nicely done replica, which explained why it wasn’t roped off. And above the cars were shelves housing various “Pedal Cars,” assorted headlights and various other automotive related items.

Next we sauntered thru the Happy Days garage which was complete with ‘50’s music playing, vintage hub caps on the wall and various period correct automobiles including the actual Dodge Desoto used on the Happy Days show.

Next was a “small” garage with various automobilia setting the theme for the six Chrysler cars parked inside. I was impressed by the vintage neon Chrysler signage on the back wall. Then a quick walk thru another garage housing various large delivery trucks of various makes including a tow truck with a Austin Healy on its flatbed, a custom one-off Ford streamlined tractor truck, various Chevy’s, etc.

At this point Mary Jane & I took a quick break for a “Ball Park Frank” and enjoyed talking to a couple whom encouraged us to go over to the main collection at Maramont for which we squeezed into another “Yellow Yellow” School bus…

And I don’t think I can even come close to doing the Maramont facility justice as there were simply TOO MANY DAMN Vehicles to see, look at and properly review… As the School bus drove up the private entryway which was off limits to all vehicles, mi Madre exclaimed, Look at ALL of the Cars!

The grass lawns were filled with row after row of car show attendees personal mounts. Surprisingly we noticed that there was even room for a pair ‘O vintage Saab’s intermingled with the various pre-war automobiles, along with a mammoth Chrysler with a hint of what was to become the era of tail fins as this boat of a vehicle had smallish fins

And we noticed a beautifully unrestored “Green Hornet” sitting alone. As I believe that mi Madre’s favourite was this medium olive green all original 1952 Studebaker Commander, of which I’d never seen before.

Then MJ pointed out one of the wackiest vehicles on display, a “Death Trap Rail.” A custom built 1960-70’s jet turbine dragster. And we didn’t even attempt going thru all of the various buildings on the grounds… As it’s simply IMPOSSIBLE to visit everything in a single day!

We scurried past the “Scooters” display (Motorcycles) in favour of my wishing to view some more of the cars parked outside. Which upon sauntering thru a row of “Musc-cle Carzs,” I checked out a few plain Jane 1960’s Ford Mustangs.

Upon noticing a single low slung race car parked underneath its own canvas tent, I took a closer look as the famous hues of light blue and orange Gulf Oil livery called my name. I stopped dead in my tracks musing to myself “It CAN’T BE!” As the GT 40 staring’ back at me was a dead ringer for the 1968-69 24 Heurs du Mans winner.

So I stood listening to a few people chatting with what appeared to be the vehicles owner. Then I briefly had a chat with him asking about the GT 40’s chassis which is a very nicely done replica imported from Australia complete with your choice of small block Ford V8. The car was built by C & G Automotive out of Oregon.

Standing there I told him I knew it could NOT be the original chassis #1075, since it’s a priceless one of a kind chassis and he didn’t have any ropes around his vehicle which people were climbing in and out of.

Then we went inside a mammoth building that’s been converted into a warehouse completely jammed packed with vehicles of every make, style, shape, etc. from an early 1990’s Hemlegarn Indy Car, Chevy Nomad, Packard’s, Dodges, Fords, etc. Along with trucks, two WWII aircraft engines (Allison, Rolls Royce Merlin), a truck hauler with a Sherman WWII tank, a truck with two trucks piggy-backed on it, a truck with an early horse carriage, etc. My mind simply became overwhelmed by the enormity and eclectic range of the collection. We walked into another packed warehouse out the back side into a small offshoot, where mi Madre spotted another vehicle of interest to me. It was a bright red Bricklin, of which I’ve only ever read about before, as I believe it was one of only 2,000+ produced.

Then after walking thru another two huge warehouses, packed with cars and too many people, I overheard a young “lad” asking his father “where are all of the Porsches?” We had to take a break, briefly resting before giving up on the Military vehicles and automobiles still parked outside, deciding instead to return to the homestead and partake a few of the structures we’d missed.

Once there I was happy to visit the Bentley R Type twice more as well as briskly walking thru a two story building filled with vehicles on both floors, comprised mostly of vintage Fords on the second floor, before we finally gave up and called it a day.

This fantastic car show offered over 800 vehicles and is part of what will ultimately become America’s Museum, as the LeMay’s have graciously agreed to donate their prized vehicles to the “City of Destiny” for a state of the art museum hopefully opening in 2010. For more about the Harold E. Lemay museum visit: America’s Car Museum..

Thailand Express

We’re on the train to Bankok… Err, the “super Slab” back to Seattle after a rip roarin two day’s RUSH-Athon!

Damn, time once again to get back to the drawing board, so to speak. As I’ve just seen RUSH twice this weekend. NO!!! It weren’t NO STINKIN’ Rush Lin-BLAH!!! It was the AMAZING Canadian Power Trio Rush. As I’ve still got the utterly FANTASTIC sounds ‘O The ringing in my head from attending two concerts back-to-back at Auburn and Vancouver, WA.

With the crooning of Geddy Lee’s signature voice and amazing bass playing, Alex Lifeson’s awesome guitar riffs accompanied by the virtuoso “Professor” on his multiple drum kits… NOT to be confused with the original Professor Alain Prost. Neil Peart Rush’s divine lyricist and drum player extraordinaire… As ALWAYS!!! This is one Rock concert NOT to miss…

While playing in the sun, wind, rain, etc. I’ve once again fallen behind on this weekend’s racing events. While leaving them to be recorded on the trusty ‘ole VCR. So hopefully I’ve managed to set the timer right and will be able to shortly view these events courtesy of the Memorex, prior to scribbling my thoughts about the Formula 1 and Champ Car races…

Although I can still hear Geddy’s voice singing in my head, the local media hasn’t printed their concert reviews yet. So I borrowed a previous review which was pretty much in line with the two shows I saw. And as Geddy sez.

“We can only go the way the wind blows…”

Concert Review