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Showing posts from December, 2020

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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Past destinations in the last few years on Chrismas day have been: Maui, Hawaii (we rented a plane) --- Lima Peru (Fanciest Hotel in Peru) --- Haloong Bay Vietnam (on a boat, kayak, etc) --- Panama City Panama (Trump Hotel) --- Granada, Nicaragua (the shores of Lake Nicaragua) This year we spent Christmas in an exotic place,--Home. We have traveled mostly on Christmas day since there are good prices and we enjoy it. But we always have a quiet time whereever we are. At home this year a shot of the backyard and some Tennessee stacking boulders for a small retaining wall I am building this winter, 3788 pounds. The rock yard guy commented on the Christmas gift.
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Happiness is a new heating pad of my very own.
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Angie and I went to Savannah GA for her Birthday. First time staying in a Hotel since the pandemic started. There have been changes, but if you think restaurants are creepy wait until you are in a hotel. We had a great time. At an advertised 4 hours each way. It was mostly a road trip. Atlanta folks make their trips to the coast. It's a bit like folks from SoCal going to Las Vegas. But there are several equidistant "coasts" for the lost city of Atlanta. It was a good ride and a great honor to let my brother's car speak. We had several people comment about the car at stops and thumbs-up on the highway. The Cayman S is really sweet when you decide that the folks hanging around at 80 or 90 need a bit of a show. The strokey flat-six pulls strong, smooth and quite swiftly from 100 MPH. Coming from this guy taking Asian minivans up over 120 MPH in Germany, the Cayman is a great car for the autobahn, no doubt. The mid-engine and chassis design totally decouples the drivetr...