2010 Winter Olympics begin

The Winter Olympics begin today in Vancouver, BC, when the Opening ceremonies will take part in BC Place tonight, in one of the only DRY venues of the Winter Games, before the actual competition commences on Saturday, Feb 13 and runs thru Sunday, Feb 28, with the Closing ceremonies occurring later that same Sunday evening.

You can check out countless hours of Olympics television coverage upon the Peacock Network, a.k.a. NBC, now a proud? Member of the cable TV behemoth known as Comcast.

Yet I’m not terribly excited by these games which are just Up North Eh! From my hometown, as after all it was these very games which sealed the fate of a most enjoyable Temporary Street Circuit event once known as Molson Indy Vancouver… As was it really 20yrs ago that I attended the inaugural event; SHEISA!

And quick, without utilizing duh Google-monster, who was the races inaugural winner? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-ENT! Times Up! As I know the answer… It was none other then then rising Star ‘lil Al, a.k.a. Al Unser Jr. As I still DON’T get it, as residents routinely BITCHED about the noise, although leaf blowers weren’t’ a nuisance… As this event was truly a Fan favourite, NOT to mention extremely popular with the CART Drivers, as those ‘Kuh-Nucks simply enjoy their Motor Racing, eh?

Ironically, although NO official reason was ever given, if you check out the locale of the Olympic Village, you’ll notice that its located adjacent to False Creek, which is where the Champ Cars used to pound ‘round at high speeds over the bumpy streets, and I believe that the monstrous complex will then be turned back over to the city of Vancouver to become luxury Condos after the games.

And I recall on ‘Juan ‘O my last treks to the race, after its traditional Labour Day date had been changed to early August instead… I recall there being a massive 3D Diorama model encased in Plexiglas depicting the cities plans for the new race venue/city complex, a la “Monn-nocquoe” (Monaco) replete with a Pit lane ‘Walkabout boulevard As the city seeked to make its version of Long Beach a reality, yet now its simply gonna be wall to wall sky rises instead.

So although I coulda gone, and will probably tune-in to duh Peacock to watch selected events, I’ll always be just a bit jaded… Since after all we’ve LOST two great Open Wheel Racing events here in the Pacific Northwest which the Blunderheads at IRL DON’T seem too inclined to do anything about replacing… As in seriously? You’re gonna continue to SNUB the major metropolitan markets of Vancouver, BC-Seattle-Portland? As even Californians were gladly attending Portland’s race after the cancellation of Laguna Seca. Oh Never Mind!

Now where’s Eddie the Eagle when Yuhs needs him, eh? Tuh-Duh! Like I couldn’t have planned this better as none ‘utter then duh USA Today has answered my questione..

Eagle’s spirits still soaring 22yrs later

More on Moore

So recently I made the trek northwards to Vancouver, BC to visit the Greg Moore Gallery at the BC Sports Hall of Fame Museum, being Shepparded by esteemed Tacoma Bureau Chief Mary Ellen, who was my Tour guide and Chauffer for said trip, along with her trusty Canine Navigator’s & “Ferocious” Guard Dog’s…

Thus on Friday morning, Mary Ellen led Mwah & No Fenders Cub Photographer Alex Downtown on the Skytrain before a brief jaunt to BC Place, which appears to be under renovation for the fast approaching 2010 Winter Olympics; what a NIGHTMARE! That’ll be, (Larry) as it was pointed out by the Conductor on my northbound Amtrak Train that they’re increasing the number of “Checkpoint Charlie’s” (Border Crossing) stalls from three to ten at the Blaine Peace Arch, which was commissioned by Samuel Hill… In anticipation of the increased traffic flow, but I digress…

Entering the Museum, upon paying admission, Mary Ellen noticed there was a Greg Moore book on display; A Legacy of Spirit which was written shortly after his death and I’ve never heard of it before.

Terry fox
Walking thru the various hallways with photographs upon them, the first gallery we entered was for Terry fox, whom I very unwisely asked; who’s Terry Fox? What! You’ve never heard of Terry Fox? He’s only a National Hero of Canada. Having had his right leg amputated above the knee upon being diagnosed with cancer; Terry then in his early 20’s decided to create the Marathon of Hope, in which he aimed to run across the entire country of Canada in order to raise awareness (and funding) for a cure for cancer. Running with a prosthesis Terry planned to run a marathon a day in his quest to run from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans, unfortunately having to quit after 143 days when his cancer had severely invaded both of his lungs and ultimately perishing from this in 1981 at the age of 22. So I find it very cool that the “Kuh-Nuck’s” have just created a new award in his memory for the fast approaching 2010 Winter Olympics…

Terry Fox Award unveiled for 2010 Olympics

Rick Hansen
The next gallery was dedicated to Rick Hansen. (Who?) Yeah, I’d never heard of him either… As Rick is another of Canada’s National Hero’s, as Rick became intrigued by Terry’s challenge and decided to mount his own. As a young boy, Rick suffered a paralyzing spinal chord accident when riding in the back of a Pickup truck. Yet Rick, inspired by Terry decided to literally conquer the world on his Man in Motion Tour, where Rick planned to circumnavigate the globe in a wheelchair! Having set off from Vancouver, BC in 1985 to fairly low media attention, Rick covered some 40,000km over 34 Countries and four Continents and returned to Vancouver 26 months later! His gallery exhibit includes the wheelchair used for this challenge and it looks very uncomfortable! Not to mention banged-up…

Next we passed thru a small gallery with wall carvings dedicated to Aboriginal Canadians; or First Nation – Indians before getting to the marquee gallery.

Greg Moore
And then, there it was, the Greg Moore Gallery, which I’m happy to report was the largest gallery of them all and is a fantastic tribute to this fallen Hero.

After reading a few statistics revealing just how “BAD ASS” of a racing driver Greg was, as his rise thru the ranks of Motor Racing was quite mercurial, we were greeted by Greg’s Shifter Kart pointing skywards behind glass… And then the next display case featured his Junior Hockey uniform & helmet, as “The Kuh-Nuck Kid” actually played Ice Hockey with future NHL Star Paul Kariya, while I seem to recall there also being mention of Cam Neely’s name.

Then it was time to look at his ex-Forsythe Racing (CART) Champ Car chassis, which interestingly as soon as you push the button, the lights dim and the video screen behind starts playing Paul Page calling the Vancouver, BC CART Race with none other then Greg onscreen piloting the Beast!

And of course I don’t know why I was so fixated upon this aspect, but I noticed while marveling (drooling) over every inch of that wonderful blue ‘N white Player’s liveried chassis, that it was missing the ubiquitous “Pop Off” valve… (And 2.65 liter V-8 Turbocharged motor) As I’m assuming that this was due to the fact that the Mercedes/Ilmor “Lump” was leased. BUT DAMN! I’d forgotten how good those Player’s Champ Cars looked!

Next was a fantastic wall-to-wall, floor to ceiling display case chock ‘O block full of various Moore artifacts, including various trophies, awards and two beautifully deep blue (Players) “Crash Buckets.” (Racing Helmets)

There was a racing simulator game you could drive, which Alex enjoyed nestled in-between two more massive display cases, as I kept gravitating towards the display dedicated to Moore’s Indy Lights career, which interestingly had one pair of racing overalls embroidered with an USA patch sown onto it; while a second racing uniform was devoid of it.

Yet my most favourite item of the Indy Lights display was the Awesome 1/8th custom made (1 of 6?) racecar model for the winner of the Firestone Indy Lights Championship, circa 1995.

I also really liked the larger than life-size print mural of Greg with both hands overhead victoriously, along with that cheeky grin, which to me appeared to be in a golden hue, while Mary Ellen said it would make her too sad to read all of the touching comments placed around Greg, that were written by his “Posse.” (Dario, TK, Mad Max, Jimmy V, etc) As I kept walking back to look at this great mural which simply seemed to glow to me, and dare I say it? Even exuded Greg’s spirit/zest for life…

Having been told to look as long as I wanted, I made several passes thru the gallery to reconnoiter the various Memorabilia on display, which unfortunately I wasn’t able to discern any of the three (Pairs?) of red driving gloves… Of which ‘Juan even has a small sign denoting; “Red Gloves Rule!” Which Greg’s “Step-Mum” requested the Museum’s curator’s add to his display, while Massimiliano (“Mad Max”) Papis requires each racing contract to allow him to wear red gloves regardless of uniform colours…

Maple Ridge
On Sunday, we ventured over to Greg’s hometown of Maple Ridge, a somewhat nearby suburb of Vancouver, BC, which I’m happy to report he’s still well known by the “Local’s,” as we got directions to various Moore haunts from a resident Paramedic, who was very friendly towards us.

Thus, after driving down the Old Main Drag, where we didn’t spot Greg’s father’s (Rick) Chrysler Dealership, it was off to the Recreation (“Rec”) Center, which is part of a massive, sprawling complex and includes a large public library.

Popping inside the Rec Center, there was a small display case with another great Greg Moore racing helmet and small tribute/bio, as Mary Ellen inquired if there were anymore items dedicated to Moore to the nice Rec Center attendant, who directed us to check out the nearby library and Youth Center, which was just around the corner.

Youth Center
Unfortunately the Youth Center devoted to Greg Moore was closed, but thanks to Mary Ellen’s persistence, having spotted people inside and banging on the door, we were granted access to check-out the Display cabinet honouring Greg inside, where Mary Ellen read me the following statement from Richard Dean Anderson, best known as the television star “MacGyver.

Richard Dean Anderson:
“Aspiring to emulate the likes of Moss, Fangio, Brabham, Gurney and then later Senna during my driving career; everywhere I went while racing at Westwood: In the Pits, Bleachers or Paddock people would say have you heard about this young kid named Moore? As Greg was already a rising talent when I first heard of him in 1989 and subsequently followed his career.”

MacGyver has then since donated a beautiful deep blue Players liveried Greg Moore helmet, which resides in a small display case alongside Anderson’s stirring note inside the Greg Moore Youth Center… And is even more impressive as not even the next door library has any such remnants of Moore’s legacy; opting for just a baseball cap along with a nice picture of the Canadian “Heartthrob;” as next we set off in search of the town’s Mic-Dougal’s restaurant which I’d read had some of Moore’s trophies on display, but of course they weren’t at the first “Mickey-Dee’s.” And thus I was quite bemused by what another local retorted upon Mary Ellen’s inquiry at the second McDonald’s… NO! It’s gone; I mean they’ve only been there for 10yrs, as apparently the McDonald’s management had decided to not replace the Moore paraphernalia upon the just completed remodeling job, which reportedly just housed a poster, his book and other trinkets.

Yet after my enjoyable weekend of trouncing around Moore’s haunts, I was left pondering even further if Greg’s broken bone in his right hand from his Scooter incident in the Fontana Paddock, prior to being allowed to race with hand brace/splint ultimately contributed to Moore’s losing control of his racecar that fateful day on Halloween 10yrs ago.

And then there’s the irony of Greg’s car number being 99 and his death occurring in 1999…

But I strongly recommend if you’re in the Downtown corridor of Vancouver, BC and looking for something to do, then by all means check out the wonderful Greg Moore Gallery at BC Place!

BC Sports Hall of Fame Museum

Moonshot

I suppose it was destiny, eh? That the very first time in my life that I’d actually be able to see the International Space Station (ISS) would naturally occur upon the 40th Anniversary of Man landing upon the Moon…

You know the day; July 20th, 1969, when Neil Armstrong uttered those famous words: One small step for Man, One Giant step for Mankind. As I suppose it was sadly fitting that esteemed Newsman Walter Cronkite would die at the age of 92 years on the same weekend when he’d called the historic action live on TV 40yrs earlier…

And thus I set my trusty ‘Ol VCR to record the two shows being showed that Monday night on the History channel, Beginning with a 30min recap of Mr. Cronkite’s calling of the action, which is still the most ever watched event on TV, when an amazing 600 million viewers tuned-in. Or as the vigilee’s at Central Park pronounced to one reporter, they were having a “Moon-in.” Also, garnering interest from around the world, Pope John VI even went so far as to have a colour television set installed in his summer residence to watch the Moon landing, while the entire nation of Italy were still stuck with Black ‘N White Telescreens… With the half hour program being followed by the 2hr Moonshot show on how the Astronaut’s were picked and how the whole Apollo 11 mission occurred.

Yet I suppose another irony was the fact that with the Space Shuttle’s arrival at the ISS, it would mark the record for most people ever at the Space Station at one time with a total of 13 Astronauts, of which we’d soon learn that one of the two Station’s commodes (toilets) would break during this rendezvous… Not to mention the irony in just having listened to Kenny Sergeant once again dip into his bag ‘O Boyhood humour on the Speed Freaks (8/02) and dribble on about the Japanese Astronaut who just wore his “el speci-el” underpants for a whole month. BUTT! I digress…

Yet, for several years now, I’ve been most disappointed to not be able to see the various satellites screaming overhead as many Family members point towards the open skies, whilst in non obliterated areas outside the City’s overabundance of lighting. So it was with great delight while recently in La Conner, WA that I was able to pick out the whitish pebble sized object hurtling past us outta the corner of my eye as Blogmeister Miguel helped me spot the speeding hulk in the night sky before it was gone!

Of course, this in turned sparked multiple questions about said object the following morning as we drank our coffee next to the water with a pleasant breeze blowing as the sun rose. So, how high in the sky is it relative to us? How fast does it travel? What is the square footage of the living quarters, and on and on we went, even going so far as to attempt figuring out the next time it would pass by.

So thank goodness for Al Gore and his world wide web thingy, which I pestered Miguel at ze Confuzer immediately after breakfast, who found the following answers to our questions. The ISS is situated 199-220 miles above Earth and is in a geosynchronous orbit. It circumnavigates the Earth’s diameter every 92 minutes and currently has 1,400 square feet of space for its living quarters… Which makes me think it musta been extremely tight quarters with all of those Astronauts up there, eh? (I got Dibbs on the bathroom…)

So with this knowledge in hand, and the assumption that we saw the ISS at 10PM, I quickly stated that we’d see the Space Station at 11:32PM tonight… (WRONG Answer) And then for humour I sat down and attempted to write my very first story on a laptop Confuzer, to which Miguel casually noted awhile later that it looked really good, except the CAPS lock had been on the entire time, not to mention the messed-up middle paragraph, which I contemplated publishing directly beneath the posting titled Tech Trouble; when I was without my Confuzer, but back to our discussion of when will the Space Station return?

I’ll give you a hint; 24 X 60min = 1440min. Divide by 92 and you come up with the answer of 15.652173, or as Miguel said; I still DON’T know what that get’s us? So the two of us sat down and mentally counted out loud the addition of 92min for either 15 or 16 times, assuming we’d seen the ISS at 10PM the night before and came up with the answer of either 9:08 or 10:40PM. (Which I’ve done the math again subsequently and of course didn’t get the same answer)

Thus armed with this new fangled knowledge, we were poised to see if we’d even be close? And as dessert was being served, Miguel took up his position outside so we’d not miss the passing of the Station… And Holy Space-Underwear Batman! As everyone sat engorged in their three berry pie ‘N ice cream, Miguel cried out; Here it comes! Unfortunately it was at a much lower trajectory, (perhaps further away?) and your Humble Scribe wasn’t able to discern the whitish pebble object against the black sky, although everyone else saw it! As I sat in glee, laughing inwardly that Miguel & I had actually made the calculation correctly…

On a side note, I later discovered the following article in the New York Times about a side of Walter Cronkite that was unknown, that being his passion for Motor Racing, as IMS Historian extraordinaire Donald Davidson was quick to point out that Mr. Cronkite was a common guest at the Speedway “Many Moons ago.”

Cronkite; The Speed Racer

And “That’s the way it was!”

El Soundero!

Leonardo Gonzalez, No. 19; Sounder FC Defender

Hola Sounder FC Fanaticoes! As previously mentioned, I recently had the privilege of attending my very first Seattle sounders FC MLS “Fuutball” match: See No Fenders Mo Jo; as I attended the Sounders FC vs. Toronto FC MLS (Major League Soccer) game with Football Diehard Randal, who strangely has some affliction for Manchester United, but I digress…

Although the night prior to the match, Randal informed me that there were two items I needed to be aware of; First) EVERYBODY STANDS FOR THE ENTIRE MATCH! And Secondly) It’s tradition that whoever attends with him has to wear the Sounders FC Scarf given to Season Ticket holders. Uhm, Otay, I think I can handle that…

Crossing over the King Street Station railroad tracks and down the stairway towards QWest Field, I was immediately struck by the ambiance of the crowd already salivating in anticipation of the upcoming match as Randal informed me that the Sounders FC Band was playing the theme song of the original NASL Sounders along with the teams new fight song as there was a definite buzz outside of the Stadium, as I stopped for an “action” shot in front of Qwest Field.

Next we decided to enter the Stadium’s store which also seemed quite inundated with fans looking for Sounders FC souvenirs, but I decided to pass upon the $70 replica team jersey’s, before we set off for our seats…

And what FRILLIN’ AWESOME seats Randal has selected, as we were nearly at field level, just five yards shy of midfield, having stopped for another action shot ‘O Tomaso with the Soccer pitch as background, before the front row usher offered to take our picture together as we made our way towards Randal’s seats…

Over the din of the Pre-game banter, apparently Randal misheard my question as I asked him if the Sounders FC player the PA Announcer had just mentioned was a Forward? To which Randal replied: NO! He’s Black!
Which caused me to break out in laughter as I was actually inquiring about Forward Steve Zakuani, whom Randal had thought I’d asked; is he Polish?

And then it was time for the singing of the “Kuh-Naidiun” and American National Anthems… “Oh Canada!” As we simply remained standing as it was time for kickoff… As I still cannot get over the fact that everyone in the Stadium STANDS for the entire 90mins. GO SOUNDERS FC!

Even more impressive was the voracionous cheering of what I quickly nicknamed “Keller’s Crew,” referring to the Rabid fans behind what is typically Sounders FC goal keeper Kasey Keller’s box during the first half of the match, as this section would be responsible for leading ALL of the chants for the entire match… Starting off with SEATTLE as the other half of the Stadium responded with SOUNDERS!

SEAAAA… AT-TULL!!! SOUND DDDEERRRSSS!!!
SEAAAA… AT-TULL!!! SOUND DDDEERRRSSS!!!
SEAAAA… AT-TULL!!! SOUND DDDEERRRSSS!!!

As the Fans tried to excite our Homeboys who got off to a very shaky start and shoulda literally been behind 3-0; SHEISA! Thus it was even more entertaining to hear “Keller’s Crew” chant: The Ref is a WANKER! The Ref is a WANKER! The Ref is a WANKER!

As the Rabid Fans shouted their objections on questionable calls, sloppy play and handed out numerous “Air Cards,” when they thought a Yellow Card was required… As I kept mentioning to Randal how amazing the crowd’s exuberance was and how hilarious I found the sanctioning of the air-Cards to be... Whilst waiting Randal pointing out my favourite Sounders FC player: (#19) Leonardo Gonzalez; Left Fullback, as I was impressed by the Costa Rican’s *Gonzalez) willingness to come to a Foreign country and play his heart out for the Major” football league in order to get a chance at playing full time professionally… Oh, what’s that Randal? He’s really good you say? No Kidding? COOL!

And towards the middle of the second half, we began screaming BOO! BOO! BBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Booing “Del Rio” every time Toronto FC Striker Wayne Del Rosario got his boots upon the soccer ball, since apparently he’s one of Toronto’s major threats… While we also chanted Eh! Eh! Eh! Eh! Eh! Eh! Several times during the match, which although was disappointing to end in a zero-zero draw, at least it was somewhat better then an outright loss, eh?

And thus it seemed simply overwhelming that the entire 32,679 in Attendance (the ENTIRE Season is SOLD OUT!) stood gleefully thru the entire match, including the extra five minutes added for stoppage as we made our exit from the Raucous Qwest Stadium, where the 2009 MLS Expansion Sounders FC club are in quest of making the playoffs in their very first Major League Soccer season.

Playoffs
The Sounders became only the second ever MLS Expansion Team to make the Playoffs in their inaugural season, the feat having not occurred since the 1998 Chicago Fire went all the way to the finals and won the title.

Thus in their playoff grouping, the sounders hosted the Houston Dynamo in round 1 of a two game playoff match, with the first game being held at Qwest Field, where a Record 35,807 Fans attended the Sellout match that ended in a 0-0 draw.

Thus on November 8th a all or nothing Game Two was held on Houston’s home turf, where the top two defensive Teams in the League played another ninety scoreless minutes, with the two squads having completed a total of 180 minutes without a single goal having been scored!

Yet sadly in the games 96th minute, during the first of two 15min extended time half’s, Houston Striker Brian ching fired a rocketing salvo during a very brief defensive lapse, taking the shot unsighted and landing in the back of the net in which would prove to be the decisive score of the 1-0 match in Houston’s favour…

Ironically Brian Ching played his collegiate Soccer at Eastern Washington’s Gonzaga University, where he scored 34 goals for the Bulldogs before playing for the Spokane Shadow prior to being drafted by the LA Galaxy and then playing a short stint with the Seattle Sounders “A” League Team before returning to MLS action fulltime.

And this year’s Major League Soccer Championship Final, the MLS Cup was held at Qwest Field with a very impressive 41,000+ Fans attending, where some locals could be heard silently chanting Beat LA! And thus, I was absolutely thrilled to discover upon my return from Canada that Real Salt Lake had indeed defeated Messer Beckem & Donovan’s Galaxy in a sudden death shoot-out!

Yet the Sounders can be quite proud of their inaugural MLS campaign, having won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, along with Goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Freddie Ljungberg being named to the MLS All Star Team, while Forward Fredy Montero Beat out teammates Keller & Ljungberg for the MLS’s Newcomer of the Year Award.

The Sounders FC Team had a total of five members nominated for MLS Yearend Awards, with the three above and central defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado plus Coach Sigi Schmid.

Meanwhile MLS’s 2008 coach of the Year Schmid who was once again nominated for the award, has just been released from the Hospital after a bout of Pneumonia; with Sigi having now passed US National Team Coach Bob Bradley for number of All Time MLS victories with 125 wins…

GO SOUNDERS FC and Kudos Randal!

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