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Showing posts from April 13, 2008

Wyoming and Idaho

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We are back from a quick vacation. I managed to score three (actually several more) bucket list items in 4 days. 1.) Long Snowmobile Trip. 2.) Yellowstone Park and 3.) Wyoming. I reached my 50th State --Wyoming! And we took a 90 mile snowmobile trip in Yellowstone National Park. We went to the "Craters of the Moon--National Monument and Preserve" in Idaho and also stopped at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) where I got to see (with my own eyes) the very cool nuclear powered twin turbojet engine. It was a successful experiment in the 1950s and 1960s. https://whatisnuclear.com/safety-minutes/htre-3-meltdown.html Of course, I had my Radiacode scintillation detector with me and yes, the apparatus is "Hot". The screenshot of the readings from my three walk-arounds the artifact. I swear you could smell the radiation. There was a very un-natural burnt smell something reminiscent of burned bakelite. Although, I am quite certain the emitted radition was not the source...
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The weather is great today and we are expecting it to get better and better over the next two days. I went up with my aviation mentor the other day. We went over to Sidney NY and got gas for the plane. My instructor has been out of town. I am still working on my Chinese. It is clear that it gets harder as you learn more characters. I need to practice more with Google in Chinese. These are pictures of downtown Coventry NY and the Silo Restaurant in Greene NY. The video is final approach at Greene NY 4N7 runway 25. This is the runway I practice on.
There is a lot going on. I have been hiking and running. I shoot for at least five miles either running and hiking. They are different exercises for sure. The hiking is therapeutic for contemplation. The running is good for the stress of "gotta do something now!" In the past few weeks, a cat has been put down, a llama was put down and five chickens were killed by a weasel that got into the chicken pen. Spring has sprung in Upstate NY. What you do is all a matter of priorities. Make time for creative stuff, plan for the necessary work stuff. Get lots of sleep and don't drink.