The Most TNR

Sometimes you think of something and it seems like a good idea. But then a while later, or even right away you begin to doubt yourself. The day began gray and cloudy and it really only got worse.

By the time I left home for the ride it was actually raining. Not drizzling. So I suited up in my raingear and headed out. Made sure I had a second pair of gloves, but all I had were double layer leather shells with wool linings. Thought it would be too warm.

Stopped and got my customary Ham Salad Sandwich and some pop and a candy bar at SuperAmerica after I topped off my tank. Still raining. But I was early enough that I didn't really want to hang out at the starting point in the rain for half an hour, so I pulled under the Lake Street bridge on the River Road and enjoyed my picnic dinner. The rain was coming down hard enough that the rain spouts on the bridge were pouring water.

While I hung out I thought about where to ride tonight. I knew it was likely to be Tom and I alone, which meant moderately fast (for scoots) bikes and the potential to go a good distance.

When he showed up at the monument I proposed going to Stillwater. He balked just a little bit, but it didn't take much before he was into the idea. It was raining, cold, and that was a hell of a long ride. Ridiculous. Perfect. He did mention that he only had about 40 miles of gas left and that we should gas up at some point. My idea was to do it after we got out of Saint Paul in case we needed a break. Yeah, I know, it's not a blister run so it's not like we'll be tired, but in that much rain and cold you never know.

The rain stopped shortly before we left the monument. Heading up Summit I was already cold and all I could think of were all the stoplights between there and Stillwater. We were avoiding large roads but wanted to get there fast. I figured Summit to downtown Saint Paul and then shoot up the old federal road from Saint Paul to Stillwater: 7th, Minnehaha, Stillwater Blvd etc. I had done that on the Vino and it was a nice moderate route. Fast for the Vino but perfect for the Stella.

I was cold and we really hadn't gone very far, which made me think (not for the first or last time) that this might have been a dumb idea.

We made good time across Saint Paul and headed into the faster roads just east of Maplewood. I was looking for a gas station but we just didn't see one. By the time we got to Stage Coach Trail just south of Stillwater, Tom told me he had already switched to his reserve tank. So we stopped to check the map and confirm our direction. By the time we rolled into Stillwater (yeah!) we were both pretty nervous. Tom because he didn't want to run his engine dry, and me because I didn't want to have to spend the rest of the season apologizing to Tom - not to mention the trip to get him some gas. But I would have done both if it came to that.

Interesting side fact: Did you know that the most popular gas station in Stillwater is closed? Gone. Empty. Another interesting fact: It was the only gas station downtown. So we putted up to the next one we saw on the map, another Oasis. Guess what? Yeah. Closed. Next? A Holiday down 36 - we're no longer in Stillwater. My thoughts of a warm coffee and a nice burger in Stillwater were shrinking to a twinkie and a coke at a gas station. No problemo.

By the time we got to 36 I think both of us were watching for his scoot to just stop. But it didn't. And we rolled into the SuperAmerica just down the road. Topped off the tank and headed back to Stillwater.

This is Tom's empty tank. We'd never seen one that empty before.

Got back into town, made our turn and cross the Stillwater lift bridge into Wisconsin. No real good place to stop and take a pic, so we headed back across the bridge after we'd hit out second state of the night. Got some nice pictures of the bridge and Stillwater from the Minnesota side.

We shot up to 96 and took it across to 61. That was a wild ride. When we got to 61 we both pulled up to the light and had the same thoughts about that road. Dark, curvy, scary, fast - awesome! Didn't ride it dangerously, but at night after rain and you're cold it really makes you aware of all the things that can go wrong. And when you conquer that and come through the other side okay it really is satisfying.

Took 61 down to Larpenteur and cross back across the cities with a slight jog to hit Pierce Butler Route for a last speed section. By the time we got to Marshall and crossed back into Minneapolis we were both cold but satisfied. My solo ride down Lake back home went quickly after our long ride.

So it was the longest TNR, the fastest, the rainiest, the most states, the closest to complete gas depletion, one of the most difficult, the smallest number of riders, and so much more. No stop for food, no beer, no chit chat. But it smelled like hot scooter engine and once I think I even saw some clear sky.

Best TNR ever. Thanks Tom!

A bit more of After You

Had a short but great day! While waiting to go off to Easter Dinner at Mom's, Lily convinced me to do a little work on the boat, so we worked on making sure all the screws were flush or better. Some of them were a bit hastily drilled so we tidied them up a bit.

After coming home from our Easter Feast I dug in and framed the bunks and managed to get the top laid down by the time I finished up for the night. Next: bulkhead and figuring out what to do with the cockpit.

After You

Kicked butt today. Lily (daughter, 7) has been helping me quite a bit. She's very excited about working on the boat and likes to hand me the screws or draw the measurement lines, etc. We'll see if she likes to sand! :)

After You

Went 3D and even got the bottom on.  A bit more internal framing and it'll be time to bring out the noxious epoxy and paint fumes!

My Current Boat Build: After You

Ok, so here's the link to the web page for my build of the boat. Link to the original designer's site, etc.

The goal is a boat small enough to trailer easily, power minimally, sleep overnight in. I want to explore the small rivers of Minnesota and Wisconsin canoe-trip style, but I don't want to camp out. So the Chugger design is perfect. It's like a jonboat with a pup tent combined in one funky looking package.

I built a Portuguese Dinghy last year and that was a lot of fun. But I wanted bigger. I really thought about building an Escargot, but that's a bit out of reach still. Once I saw the Chugger I knew it was the boat for me.

Ideally I'll be done with it by early June and can show up with it at the Lake Pepin Messabout and get some time on the Namekagon river before the summer heat lowers the waterline and adds to the rapids. The St. Croix and Minnesota rivers are also options. I'm also really grooving on the idea of having adventures on Bear Lake, where we have a cabin.

I took the design plan, broke it out into distinct steps, and printed each stop on it's own page. So far I'm almost done with the sides and tonight I cut and framed the roof and deck. I am excited by the idea that I'll go "3-d" this weekend. Once I get the bulk of the construction done the hard work starts. Epoxy and fiberglass filleting, covering, sealing and finishing. And then sanding, more epoxy, layers of paint, layers of spar varnish, etc. I think it'll be good.

I waited as long as I could before beginning the build, as the "shop" is actually my car's half of the garage. So now that the snow is gone I can park on the street and work in the garage. But now that I'm working, I remember how much I enjoy it. Popping the garage door open, catching a breeze through the shop, feeling the night air.. Awesome. I keep thinking I need a radio or something out there, but the lack of noise is so much better.

The livery/style is modeled after the european Doerak look. Utility with a touch of style.

The designer says it's for protected waters only, and the other builders of this model all agree. Apparently Lake Minnetonka is right out, but more than one has show up at the Lake Pepin Messabout over the years. Funny enough most of the builds are up here. Designer is from Iowa, the Think Pink is from Princeton MN, and another one was built in Illinois. I think it's well suited to small river travel. That said, I don't know how far down the St Croix I'd go. Any of those powerboats kicking up the huge wakes could make for at the very least an uncomfortable trip.

Nobody has done a capsize test in a Chugger, and if I can manage I intend to do one myself. I really want to know it's limits as far as tipping, waves from the side, etc.

I like it because it's a quick build, easy to customize, and has a unique look. Like all my boats it's not intended to be an heirloom, just a fun toy for as many years as it'll last. (With proper care, of course.)

After You

I have begun building the next boat in earnest.  Jill's been gone so I've been busy with the kids but have managed to get the sides cut and mostly framed.  Cut the windows just a bit ago and need to frame them.  After that I will cut the deck and roof and after framing those will go 3D.  Can't wait!

My New Boat

(some assembly required, watch this space)

2009 Walking Index:

Days walked: 180

Hours spent walking: 216

Miles walked: 648

Personal Best time: 54:55

Days pace came in under an hour: 21

Slowest Month: January

Fastest Month: May

Worst Month: May (%)

Best month: July (*)

Favorite Month: January ($)

Date of Personal Best time: July 9 (#)

% Personal best combined with high number of walk vs nonwalk days

* Most injuries, healing time, low walk vs nonwalk days

$ Hardest walk, coldest walk, no strangers around, dark, quiet, peaceful

# Best ever and yearly best!

Latest Craftiness

A collection of pictures of my latest craftiness. Most of these are from the last two months. Some are a bit older and I'm finally able to document them. And yes, the lighting is a bit moody, but it looked really good at the time. Next time going for better, brighter light.

Valentine's Day

We made "bonbons" and had a wonderful family evening watching the Olympics.

Frozen Fnirt

http://tinyurl.com/frozenfnirt

I've gone and signed up for the Polar Bear Plunge. It's to raise money for the Special Olympics. Every little bit helps. I figured this would be one marathon I could do, since it's only a minute or two long. A little chilly, however.

Really easy to pledge even just a little bit, just click on the link!

Visual Confusion

So I built a Telestereoscope once, and it kinda worked, but has always been a disappointment to me.

I've since read about pseudoscopes, and have decided I want to build one of those, as well. Funny thing about pseudoscopes is that they were invented by Charles Wheatstone, a concertina pioneer. Odd, how things come full circle sometimes.

Anyway, I pulled out the old Telestereoscope to goof around with it and somehow managed to calibrate it perfectly for a few minutes. WOW! I had an inkling of how cool it could be, but really managed to get it working quite well. I'm still going to rebuild it with an enclosed and easily adjustable system, but the one I started with can really do the job! It enhanced depth perception and makes the normal, everyday 3d world seem more.. 3d? Very cool indeed.

So the next step is to come up with a standard box for these optical jigs and start building!

Daddy's little girl

Lily is working on her first scrollsaw project - heavily supervised, of course. She came to me one day saying she wanted to scroll something. Nothing in particular. Just something. A girl after my own heart.

Nexus One Sample Picture

Scrollsaw portrait - Rodin's "The Thinker"

Tasty Tasty Head Trauma

Just before Halloween I was at skating lessons and fell backwards on the ice, hitting my head. I actually heard the sound of it echo off the walls. It was pretty cool. No bump, no blood, no dizziness or anything. Until the next day, which was horrible. But by a day or two later it was ok.

In December when we went to the amusement park at Nick Universe or whatever it's called I went on the balloon ride. It's arguably the tamest ride in the park. I got so dizzy and nauseous [and I don't get dizzy or nauseous normally] I was wiped out for the rest of the day. And I've had a few of those experiences. So now I'm to the point of not being able to turn my head quickly without getting dizzy. Quite annoying.

This last weekend I was complaining about the dizziness and my sister chastised me for not seeking medical attention. So I went today. And then I went for a CT scan of my noggin. So maybe I should have had that looked at before. I get credit for a concussion though!

Kleenex crossbow

From one of my new woodworking books, this is the first of many fun little gizmos and gadgets I will be making. And it fires quite well!