Nom de plume: Rivrdog

Rivr Logistics Division, standing down

Aye, standing down.

The Coast Fork of the Willamette River, normally a small stream, large creek really, that flows by the Rivrsis' Rivr Cottage in Cottage Grove, OR, has had a hungry eye on her place recently. Seems that the Corpse of Engineers got taken in by some failed weather models, and let the reservoirs upstream of her get too full, so they had to have an emergency max opening of the floodgates at the dam just a couple miles above her.

That raised her River to it's max known flow rate and max gage height.

Then it commenced to pour. We have a Pineapple Express in progress, it's tropical connection going straight to the coast of Vietnam. It's been SERIOUSLY raining. In the inches. The tributary streams, and there are a few above her and below the dam, rose, and contributed their flow to the river.

I didn't like the look of this after she reported the second level of her three-terrace riverside lot going under, so I put the M35A2 at her disposal, and she began to make up a list of stuff which would be dragged out of the cottage and tossed into the truck (which can handle 30 inches of water with no problems.

The Corpse of Engineers lowered the reservoir level enough with the emergency opening, though, so now they've partially shut the floodgate, and the Coast Fork is receding.

The steep climb of the trace on the 28th is when they opened the gate, the steep drop of the trace today (just 1.5 hours ago) is when they closed it....

Standing down now (and saving the 50 or so gallons of diesel it would have taken to make that trip).

 

Cool Weather movie

...not all the cool weather movies come from Storm Chasing, which has become a paid profession in the past few years.

This movie was shot from a rooftop camera in Seattle, my guess: a camera run by the University of Washington's formidable Atmospheric Sciences Dept.

Professor Cliff Mass teaches, does research and blogs from there, and he brought us this video of a Fall Pacific Cold Front moving in over Seattle. Quite dramatic, and right towards the end, you see the clouds just racing by, and indication of the strength of the pre-frontal winds at lower and mid levels. since the Front comes from the West, those winds are from the South. As the front approaches and the cloud deck is just about to drop to low-level, you can see SNOW coming out of the clouds. This front lowered the freezing level in the Cascade Mountains to 3,000 feet, dusting all the ski areas with 2-5 inches of snow

Your blogger knew this front was coming, so yesterday I broke out a new OD tarp, and tarped over the M35A2. I started about 4pm, and got finished  in darkness at 5:20 pm, 10 minutes before the first raindrops fell (we're about 160 miles South of Professor Mass, but the same front hit here just at about the same time, due to us being directly South of Seattle and the front being oriented mostly North-South). Note to self: Installing and lashing down an 18X24 tarp to cover a military cargo truck, including installing the Cargo Cover bows, is a big job for two Soldiers, and a real hustle for one. How I got that job done in less than 1.5 hours I'll never know. next time, allocate two hours or have s Second Soldier handy.

Winter has begun! (temp topped out @ 50 here today, and we had sun most of the afternoon!)

Cele-bration time, uh-huh!

Just pulled in with a pickup load of long-term food, will unload and store it tomorrow during the forecast cool, rainy weather.

Tomorrow begins the accumulation of the cash supply, to be finished by next Wednesday (don't even think about a rip-off, we're in Condition Red around the Schloss now, meaning sidearms for all and long arms no more than a few steps away, all in Condition One).

All else is in readiness, with the possible exception of a couple pounds more rifle and pistol powders I need to add to my list.

I'll probably troll through Harbor Freight tomorrow to see if I need any more tools.

Other than that, I'm set. Bring on the currency collapse. Bring on the civil unrest from the dope addicts not getting their SSI. Bring on whatever, except maybe the Zombie Apocalypse, and only that because I've not trained on real Zombies yet (but who HAS?)....

Oh, and the celebration bottle tonight is was Domaine Ste. Michelle (appelation: Columbia Valley), Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006. Very good bottle...the meal was T-bone Steak, grilled, very rare, and Pork Loin Steak, grilled, "white", together with steamed Broccoli and Spinach Tortellini, al-dente, al-Parmesano.

Now is the time to laugh at the lesser mortals, who, unprepared, go to Condition High Stress whilst I relax, having TOTALLY prepared....

Oops, I almost forgot...I could use another 10 gallons of stored DF-2 fuel for the M-35A2 to bring my bug-out plan to max range of 650 miles. Will do THAT tomorrow also (cursing at the $4/gallon he will have to pay for that fuel).

News Flash

Armed man shows up at church, driving a REAL War Wagon, and everyone cheers...

Some churches are different. Good Shepherd Community Church is one of the different ones.

Every year, on the last full weekend in June, the church puts on it's Patriotic Services, which I have been to for three years in a row now.

Of course, I go strapped to church, don't you?

This year, I also showed up in my M35A2, which, despite hip dysplasia or whatever old war-dog degenerative disease it is I've got, didn't stop me from putting in 2.5 hours washing "Adam" (the M35A2) yesterday, or boosting the Gudwife up into the Second Soldier seat early this ayem and trundling the 5 miles over to Boring, OR to the Church. At the church, Bob the Parking Marshal (who drove these rigs in the jungle in 'Nam) gave me a choice parking spot where everyone coming in to the parking lot would have to pass Adam and admire his well-preserved lines, as YOU now can:

Yep, those are Old Glory on the right, and the Gadsden Flag on the left.

Inside, at the service, we were presented the colors by an ancient Sergeant of the Army Air Corps, B-17 gunner and later electronic warfare crewman (first I'd heard we'd used EWs in WW2). 30 missions, and still ramrod-straight he was.

The Church has an excellent full orchestra and large choir, and my good friend and founder of the Gresham TEA party sang so sweetly that I was inspired to take her out to lunch afterwards! She's the one in a red blouse near the right end of the assembled choir, in the lower row:

The 5 military services are then recognized, and veterans of each service stand while their service anthem is played. The Army predominates, but my Air Force had at least 8 standing along with me. The USMC is most impressive, though, since most of that service's veterans put on their dress uniform for the occasion. Brings a tear to see all that military pride, yessir!

Before the services, slides of the sons and daughters of church members who are on active duty are shown. There are dozens of slides. The afore-mentioned TEA Party lady had a nephew, now posted to the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, and her son, two-tour Iraq veteran Cavalry guy, drove Strykers his last tour in the Sandbox, now in between tours with the 25ID up at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Both those slides were proudly shown.

I was invited to bring the M35A2 back, but I won't have to wait until next June to do it. There's a Veteran's Day service, and I'll be there for that one. I hinted that I might just be able to arange a few more military collector vehicles, maybe even one with tracks and a turret!

Where was my Second Soldier?

After the evening with my M35A2 truck in rainy downtown Portland, I came home to my darkened R/V driveway and TRIED to put the truck in it's slot. I stopped on the street, got out and placed two lights at the margins of the parking pad, at the rear of the pad. Then I backed in.

While backing in, using the lights and the mirrors, I heard a crash, stopped, got out and investigated. I had just removed half of my cedar-fence gate for the R/V pad. I moved the wreckage out of the way and finished parking. It seems I had an angle in the driveway, and while lined up with the REAR of the parking pad according to my guide-lights, I was not lined up with the FRONT of it (where the gate is).

Yesterday, my oldest daughter and her engineer hubby came over and we put in the afternoon setting a new gatepost and hardware*, rebuilding a panel of fencing and re-setting the gate. Bill of repairs was in the mid-$90 range for parts and in the mid-$70 range for dinner afterwards.

The proximate cause for all this work and expense?

No Second Soldier. I needed an assistant to park that truck, didn't have one, tried to do it myself, and failed. I also could have put the truck in forwards, then after dawn, turned it around, but I didn't do that, either.

Never over-estimate your ability, especially on something you've not attempted before (never tried night, confined-space parking with that truck before).

************

Some very smart guy is making good money on an invention. As we excavated the spot where the old gate-post had stood, we ran into a HUGE concrete footing, probably over 100#. That would have made a big problem to dig out and re-set. At Home Depot, they have a repair kit just for this FUBAR. It's a metal 4X4 socket, welded to a 24" metal stake with "X" cross-section. Using a long spade bit and a 1/2 hp drill-motor, we chewed up the remaining wood in the footing, then using a section of the old post as a drift, sledge-hammered the repair unit into place, and installed the new post on it. New fence-joining hardware stiffens the old fence panel and helps hold up the gatepost, and new gate-hardware completed the work.

Downtown...conservative invasion of Stumptown! UPDATED! BUMPED! The BLAZE VIDEOS!

Just got here, the genset is humming and I'M WARM ENOUGH, BUT SOAKED! 1615...

******************************************************************************

Vets coming out of the woodwork...M35A2 draws 'em in!

******************************************************************************

The M35 is covered with Signs of the Resistance, "We the Band" is playing Southern rock, all is well @ 1748...

*******************************************************************************

Now we're into the Great American Oratory...the Soap Box, as it were, a phalanx of Portland's Finest is on hand to keep the two detachments of the Black Shirts at bay, but the cold rain is doing a better job on the Alpha Hotels. 1844/ temp 46

*******************************************************************************

That was an interesting hour...the antis got right in my face here, so I and several others just snapped away, and PJTV will do the photo interpretation. The cops just busted the loudest of them, and she's cuffed and stuffed...just had family drop by...oratory over, now second band, more metal....2015

The above subject in the red shirt - I made him to be a union organizer. Said little, didn't chant, everyone was defferential to him, mostly he just shot video and was in the middle of the anti-crowd.

Typical of the anti-demonstrators. The usual "Little Beirut" crowd. Note that the bike cops seem fairly relaxed at this point. I have reports now that the crowd, which (as depicted in the vids) was above on the high ground, suddenly discovered the M35A2, and tried to charge it. That provoked the bike cops to do an intercept maneuver, and this is where they wound up, right outside my cab door, with only that wrought-iron railing between them and your blogger. They were content to scream and curse, though, so MY arms remained concealed. All Soap Box action, no Cartridge Box required. BTW, that "Koch sucker" sign is a HUGE insult to Hizzoner the Queer Mayor. Frankly, I hope he's seen the vids and photos...

Here are some Blaze vids of the anti-action which Glen Beck linked. Made me wish that I'd bought that Gun Ring for the M35A2...

(I've seen what waving a quad-fifty tail barbette on a B-52D at Zengunro demonstrators on Okinawa in 1970 could do to scatter THAT mob)

Captain sez 15 min to go, got to get in the tear-down mode...10-8

******************************************************************************

Wrap-up: tear-down went well, drive home at the edge of a warm front was interesting, but safe, but I FUBAR'd upon arriving home. In the dark, tried to back Adam into his slot on the RV pad, and even with guide-lights set, missed being square with the pad and knocked down half my gate, which now has to be repaired on a priority basis (means getting wet AGAIN)! (Repaired 4/16, thanx to the USMC Dau & engineer hubb).

I put out a family all-hands call at 2230 last night, we'll see how many respond today. Prolly have to reset the gate post, maybe replace it (it's not broken, but it's been in the ground 4 or 5 years, so it's half-gone). Then reassembly of the last fence section and then hang the gate, which is intact and undamaged. It's winter-soaked Cedar, and weighs about 180#, by my feeble attempts in trying to hoist it last night..

Then, there the not-inconsiderable job of stowing all the gear I'm drying out in the shed. Most of it goes right there, but has to be stowed for the shed to be useful again. Another big day breaks....0801 4-16-11

BTW, there are lots of photos of yesterday's action. I have to send them from my cell phone, one at a time, to my main puter, via email. It's very labor-intensive, so I will do that later. Got to fuel the body now and put the Carhartts on, it's gonna be a busy day...

B.A.G. - Day

FYI, I'm not buying a gun today, in fact, am about to stop blogging before 8am, a rarity. Time to complete the prep for the Tax Day M35 mission. It seems, via my TEA Party organizer friend, that the City of Portland has levied a requirement on me to provide a DRIP PAN to display the M35 "on the bricks" at Pioneer Square.

I cannot believe that anyone thinks a proper military vehicle LEAKS Fluids! They don't, because a LEAK is defined as 60 drips per minute, which would DEADLINE the vehicle for repairs. A DRIP is loss of fluid UP TO a "Leak", but not including it, and if it DOESN'T DRIP but still gets by the gasketing designed to keep it in, it's a SEEP. My M35A2 has one front axle which SEEPS (weeps) a little 90-weight, but it takes a month, in hot weather, for it to even show up on the tire sidewall. The nerve of them, thinking that I run my trucks like a logging camp...

I wish I were buying a gun, though. One of these, that Russian Cosmonauts carried on their space missions (H/T to Uncle). Actually, I've pretty much narrowed down my next gun purchase. It will be a Bug Out shotgun, a Coach Gun, or "Lupara" in 12-ga. I'm thinking of one of two Stoeger models, either the standard coach gun or this Tactical model. I'd like to get one with barrels threaded for chokes, so it could also be used for upland hunting, since ALL my shotguns are Cylinder bore, except the antique LC Smith. I guess I could fill that bill by getting a hunting barrel for my Mossberg Defender, though.

On the more sober side of things gunny, here's an article, leading to a brief, by noted Constitutional barrister Eugene Volokh, who tells us non-lawyers why Heller doesn't mean as much as it should in some tyrannical states that ban civil rights have strong gun control laws. It is VERY sobering to think that a liberal Supreme Court of the US could apply these Soviets' States' view of limitations on the Second Amendment TO EVERY STATE! (H/T again to Uncle).

The Mission proceeds...

Back to the dojo...

...is where I need to go, to sharpen up some of the old trained instincts on how to fall properly.

Was out working on the M35, getting "Adam" ready for it's Friday mission. I had previously sealed the cab door windows with tape against the recent driving rains, and had climbed onto the running board to remove some of it. I was using both hands to carefully remove the tape with a calculated pull, so as not to leave any of it's stickum behind and have to use solvent on the OD paint, when I lost my balance and started to topple backwards.

You don't have time to freeze each one of these disaster scenes to determine the best course of action, so your instincts take over. MY falling instincts are to half-spin, hit the ground on the side of my hip and beat-out (hoping to remember a proper Ki-yi!). It didn't apply, since there was insufficient room between where the M35 was parked and my shed's outer wall. I hit the wall with my back and started to slide downward and along the wall as I fell further.

Now, I DID have some time to think VERY brief thoughts, and it occurred to me that I was sliding towards the wide-open door of the shed. That was a good thing, if I could make it into the shed, for it's plywood floor would be a LOT more forgiving than the concrete of the RV pad next to the shed, so I lunged with the planted foot to propel me through the door.

The laws of physics are not to be denied, and the lunge DID work to propel me though the door, but it couldn't change the direction I was falling in, which was sideways AND down. As my body reached the floor, my head slammed, mostly sideways, into a stack of buckets, which moved, then fetched up against an immovable object and I heard the dreaded ""Smack" sound when you've just taken a side-concussion. Then the twisting body's center of mass, still rotating, now found the metal door-sill and the rest of my momentum was spent with that angle-iron trying to penetrate my leg laterally. That likely WOULD have happened, with resultant internal bleeding in the upper thigh (a person can DIE from such bleeding, you can bleed two liters in the intra-muscular space in there), except my Almar pig-sticker was clipped in that pocket, and it took the metal's force and translated it to a longitudinal direction DOWN my leg.

I lay on the floor and considered the possibilities. The first thought was that my wife would not miss me until supper, some 2.5 hours away. Then I dismissed that thought and slapped myself in the face (mentally). Do a self-asssessment, IDIOT! I could focus my eyes, and they worked independently when I commanded that. I rolled my head slightly side to side, and THAT was fine. I palpated the head, found NO blood. The left elbow hurt, and I glanced at it: moderate floor burn there, about the size of a postage stamp, but I couldn't palpate any bone chips.

Then I began to feel the leg. Yep, the leg hurt, was a little tingly, so I flexed my pelvic muscles to check the spine...all OK there. I sat up slowly in the shed doorway. Nothing spinny. I pulled myself to my feet and held onto the doorway. OK! Went inside the house, reported my clumsiness to the wife, cleaned up the broken skin of the floor-burn, and went back out.

I got back to work and finished the job of removing the Cargo Cover, then installing the flag-staff holders to the stake-sides, then I ran the truck and pulled it into the driveway so as to have room to fold the Cargo Cover.

About two hours of heavy-work followed the fall, including up and down a ladder a number of times.

When I knocked off for supper, I went up to my suite and stripped, to find a grapefruit-sized swelling on the thigh. I sat back after supper to watch the Trailblazers beat down the Memphis Grizz, and when I got up from that sojourn, I could hardly move, so I did about 3 reps of stair-climbing, and the thigh loosened right up.

My conclusion: I need to get back into the dojo and practice some falls. that fall-sequence was TOO scary, and the 67-year old bones might not take much of that abuse. But can I still take a proper martial-arts conditioning regime? Hmmmm.

M35A2 Mission for Tax Day

For the past two days, I've been conferring with the local TEA Party folks (the real TEA folks, not the poseurs), and they are putting on a huge local Tax Day bash right in "Portland's Living Room", Pioneer Courthouse Square. They have invited your humble blogger to bring himself and his M35A2 High Mobility vehicle to sit on the bricks and look pretty (or mean, that will depend on whether .mil heavy hardware floats your boat or not).

Rumor has it (not comfirmed on their site, though) that Pajamas TeeVee will be there, doing a live-stream broadcast of the party, perhaps even from the high bed of the M-35.

Not a rumor: KGW-TV8, Portland's NBC afiliate, maintains a studio at the Square, so all they will have to do is point a camera out their front window to get a shot of the M35A2. They might be doing some streaming. Also, there's a Live Cam at the Square. I've been told that my truck will be parked at the top-center of the field of view of that cam.

Gun-blogger Straight-Case will be there, of course, and he will be Tweeting some of the going's on, @straightcase.

I might even do some live-blogging! This is reputed to be the largest Tax-Day TEA event in the country. We'll see about that.

I'm working hard to get a young Army troop,  a Stryker driver for the 25 ID Stryker Brigade up at J-B Lewis-McChord, down to be my Second Soldier on the truck crew. He's been to Iraq twice, is prepping for a different war scenario now...Three years ago, he was cutting my lawn! I can't even buy him a beer in this God-forsaken state. (Wrong, he just turned 21)

Some serious off-road trucking

In Mother Russia.

Enjoy!