Saturday, August 3, 2013
If You're Unreasonably Happy, and Need a Downer...
Go read this: Five scary charts and facts about who’s working and not working in this economy. Mary Katherine Ham ruined my day, and that's not what gazing at her smiling face usually does for me...
Al Gore Faked It...
The inimitable Anthony Watts has an incredibly detailed takedown of the experiment shown in Al Gore's video Climate 101. The claim in the video is that the experiment is simple and high school level that anyone could replicate.
So Mr. Watts tried to replicate it, going way out of his way to run the experiment precisely as the video shows it.
And failed.
He concludes, quite reasonably, that Al Gore and Bill Nye (the science guy, who was also in the video) either never ran the experiment at all (it was all fake, just for show) or they ran it and failed, but used it anyway. Either way: Al Gore faked it.
As Mr. Watts points out, carefully: this in no way invalidates Al Gore's claims about CO2. It simply proves that Al Gore is a liar and a cheater.
But I guess we all suspected that anyway, didn't we?
So Mr. Watts tried to replicate it, going way out of his way to run the experiment precisely as the video shows it.
And failed.
He concludes, quite reasonably, that Al Gore and Bill Nye (the science guy, who was also in the video) either never ran the experiment at all (it was all fake, just for show) or they ran it and failed, but used it anyway. Either way: Al Gore faked it.
As Mr. Watts points out, carefully: this in no way invalidates Al Gore's claims about CO2. It simply proves that Al Gore is a liar and a cheater.
But I guess we all suspected that anyway, didn't we?
Setting Them Up for Failure...
The city of Richmond, California – already notorious for it's bankruptcy filing – raised eyebrows again with an ordinance it passed this week that prohibits any city contractor from querying its employees (or prospective employees) about their criminal background. The city also threatened to use eminent domain to buy mortgages at the current market value of the properties. They're on a real roll in Richmond!
But this post is about the banning of criminal background checks.
Before I read this article, my thoughts were along the lines of “Oh, great. Here goes the nanny state again, setting up employers to take the fall. They'll be held liable for criminal employees, but not allowed to screen out the criminals.” The article didn't exactly change my mind on that, but it did open my eyes a bit to the complexities of the situation.
The city really isn't trying to let hardened, potentially violent or flat-out dishonest criminals get jobs – though almost certainly that would be a consequence. What they're really trying to do is to let those with a criminal record who are not likely to be a problem get a job. The barrier, as the city sees it, is that criminal background checks have a basically binary result: you either do or don't have a criminal background. For example, suppose you were busted for smoking pot at age 19. You'd have a criminal record, and a background check would always pick that up, for your whole life. The city is saying that employers see that “hit” on the criminal background check, and immediately deny the job.
I have two experiences (at two companies) with the use of criminal background checks. One of these experiences validates the city's concern: at that company, if someone applied for a job and had a criminal background, they were excluded. It didn't matter what the crime was, or when it was – they simply didn't get a job. At the other company, more recently, when someone applied for a job and had a criminal record, the nature of that criminal record was weighed against the nature of their job. If the criminal record was solely drug purchase, it was ignored. If it included theft or violence, the applicant was turned down. Other crimes were judged carefully, and factors like how long ago they were, the nature of the role being applied for, etc., were all considered. In other words, considerable judgment was applied – which, I'd imagine, is precisely what the city of Richmond would really like to see happen.
I think Richmond's legislative fix is a bad one. As is often the case, the motives were good, but the top-down approach is going to have consequences nobody really wants. In particular, now when employees commit crimes, companies will be able to point to the new law and make a good case that they can't be liable for something the city mandated.
If employers in Richmond are really too quick to reject applicants with even minor criminal records, perhaps the city would better off considering why that is the case. Businesses aren't run by stupid people; they must have a reason for rejecting those applicants. I can only think of two reasons (and both may be operative): the cost of hiring an employee who commits a crime is extremely high, or there are so many applicants for jobs that using a filter like “criminal record” doesn't make it hard to get good employees...
But this post is about the banning of criminal background checks.
Before I read this article, my thoughts were along the lines of “Oh, great. Here goes the nanny state again, setting up employers to take the fall. They'll be held liable for criminal employees, but not allowed to screen out the criminals.” The article didn't exactly change my mind on that, but it did open my eyes a bit to the complexities of the situation.
The city really isn't trying to let hardened, potentially violent or flat-out dishonest criminals get jobs – though almost certainly that would be a consequence. What they're really trying to do is to let those with a criminal record who are not likely to be a problem get a job. The barrier, as the city sees it, is that criminal background checks have a basically binary result: you either do or don't have a criminal background. For example, suppose you were busted for smoking pot at age 19. You'd have a criminal record, and a background check would always pick that up, for your whole life. The city is saying that employers see that “hit” on the criminal background check, and immediately deny the job.
I have two experiences (at two companies) with the use of criminal background checks. One of these experiences validates the city's concern: at that company, if someone applied for a job and had a criminal background, they were excluded. It didn't matter what the crime was, or when it was – they simply didn't get a job. At the other company, more recently, when someone applied for a job and had a criminal record, the nature of that criminal record was weighed against the nature of their job. If the criminal record was solely drug purchase, it was ignored. If it included theft or violence, the applicant was turned down. Other crimes were judged carefully, and factors like how long ago they were, the nature of the role being applied for, etc., were all considered. In other words, considerable judgment was applied – which, I'd imagine, is precisely what the city of Richmond would really like to see happen.
I think Richmond's legislative fix is a bad one. As is often the case, the motives were good, but the top-down approach is going to have consequences nobody really wants. In particular, now when employees commit crimes, companies will be able to point to the new law and make a good case that they can't be liable for something the city mandated.
If employers in Richmond are really too quick to reject applicants with even minor criminal records, perhaps the city would better off considering why that is the case. Businesses aren't run by stupid people; they must have a reason for rejecting those applicants. I can only think of two reasons (and both may be operative): the cost of hiring an employee who commits a crime is extremely high, or there are so many applicants for jobs that using a filter like “criminal record” doesn't make it hard to get good employees...
Where Can Teachers Become Millionaires?
The capitalist system – aka “free markets” – reward producers according to the demand for their goods or services. We see that in America very clearly in the technology sector, where companies that make highly desired products are rewarded with profits: think Apple, Google, Samsung, etc. We also see it in the service sector, even in industries like janitorial services, where a few large companies (ServPro, Molly Maids, etc.) dominate through instant availability, consistent good service, and fair prices.
In these industries, and most others, the best producers can (and have!) become millionaires. One exception is the education industry. There's no way a “rock star” teacher can become a millionaire, the way a “rock star” programmer or doctor can. That's because education in the U.S. is regulated, institutionalized, and (for the most part) either directly run by the government or controlled (through funding) by the government.
Is there any place on Earth where this is not true? Where a teacher can become a millionaire? Yes, there is: South Korea, where a parallel, for-profit educational system has grown up. The results are fascinating. As you read the article, keep a watch for things that are directly the consequence of a free market for education – and the contrast with the public schools (which still exist in South Korea, and aren't all that much different than ours).
In these industries, and most others, the best producers can (and have!) become millionaires. One exception is the education industry. There's no way a “rock star” teacher can become a millionaire, the way a “rock star” programmer or doctor can. That's because education in the U.S. is regulated, institutionalized, and (for the most part) either directly run by the government or controlled (through funding) by the government.
Is there any place on Earth where this is not true? Where a teacher can become a millionaire? Yes, there is: South Korea, where a parallel, for-profit educational system has grown up. The results are fascinating. As you read the article, keep a watch for things that are directly the consequence of a free market for education – and the contrast with the public schools (which still exist in South Korea, and aren't all that much different than ours).
Friday, August 2, 2013
Phony Scandal? I Think Not, Mr. President...
The Benghazi scandal (one cited by Obama as “phony”) keeps getting worse and worse. Jake Tapper – one of the few mainstream media reporters actually working this story – has uncovered compelling evidence of a massive CIA coverup. One of the facts revealed: there were dozens of CIA operatives on the ground in Benghazi when our ambassador and three others were killed.
Dozens.
For whatever reason, the CIA seems to be in a flat-out panic about keeping a lid on whatever those CIA operatives were doing. There's lots of speculation about that, but (as yet) no hard facts.
Phony scandal? Sounds to me much more like a phony president...
Dozens.
For whatever reason, the CIA seems to be in a flat-out panic about keeping a lid on whatever those CIA operatives were doing. There's lots of speculation about that, but (as yet) no hard facts.
Phony scandal? Sounds to me much more like a phony president...
What Is Happening to My Country, Part 499,823...
Wisconsin law, we're told, prohibits the “possession” of wildlife. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was told about an animal shelter that had a fawn, and they confirmed this through covert surveillance.
So far, nothing really awful.
If you were a DNR employee responsible for handling this situation, what might you do? The obvious thing would be to knock on the door of the animal shelter and ask them why they have a fawn. Had the DNR done this, they would have discovered that the fawn was due to be sent to a wildlife rehabilitation facility the next day. That would have been, one supposes, the end of the story.
But that's not what the DNR did.
Instead, they created, in effect, a SWAT team comprised of 9 DNR agents and 4 deputy sheriffs, all heavily armed. They descended upon the animal shelter in a convoy of cars to conduct a surprise raid. They captured the fawn, tranquilized it, then took it away to be euthanized.
This sort of grotesque over-reaction is very disturbing, and it's happening more and more frequently. When I was a child, such an event would have been unthinkable – and any bureaucrat who perpetrated such an atrocity would be out on his or her butt in short order. The DNR is defending its actions, not punishing the people who executed the fawn.
And what the hell is the DNR doing with heavily-armed agents, anyway?
The trajectory of heavily-armed, over-numerous, out-of-control government thugs is a positively terrifying one – it's the trajectory of a proto-fascist state. We need to rein this in ... if we can. There are only two ways to do this that I know of: via the ballot box, or via the gun. The ballot box isn't working very well so far...
Doom. I hear the drums of doom, and they draw ever nearer...
So far, nothing really awful.
If you were a DNR employee responsible for handling this situation, what might you do? The obvious thing would be to knock on the door of the animal shelter and ask them why they have a fawn. Had the DNR done this, they would have discovered that the fawn was due to be sent to a wildlife rehabilitation facility the next day. That would have been, one supposes, the end of the story.
But that's not what the DNR did.
Instead, they created, in effect, a SWAT team comprised of 9 DNR agents and 4 deputy sheriffs, all heavily armed. They descended upon the animal shelter in a convoy of cars to conduct a surprise raid. They captured the fawn, tranquilized it, then took it away to be euthanized.
This sort of grotesque over-reaction is very disturbing, and it's happening more and more frequently. When I was a child, such an event would have been unthinkable – and any bureaucrat who perpetrated such an atrocity would be out on his or her butt in short order. The DNR is defending its actions, not punishing the people who executed the fawn.
And what the hell is the DNR doing with heavily-armed agents, anyway?
The trajectory of heavily-armed, over-numerous, out-of-control government thugs is a positively terrifying one – it's the trajectory of a proto-fascist state. We need to rein this in ... if we can. There are only two ways to do this that I know of: via the ballot box, or via the gun. The ballot box isn't working very well so far...
Doom. I hear the drums of doom, and they draw ever nearer...
“Bioprotector” – Modern Snake Oil...
Every once in a while I'll stumble across a manufacturer whose chutzpah just takes my breath away. This happened to me yesterday when I happened across the “Cell Phone Bioprotector” on Amazon (while looking for some RG6 cable!). The manufacturer's page is here.
Basically this product is a thin disk of some coppery-looking material (might even be copper) with a radial slot cut in it. It appears to be about the size of a quarter. The idea is that you stick it on your cell phone, and presto! you are magically protected against EMF.
This is pure bullshit on several levels.
First of all, to the best of my knowledge there is no credible science supporting the idea that EMFs generated by cell phones can cause any harm. There is good reason to be careful here, mainly because of the inverse square law and the cell phone's frequent proximity to the brain. However, many modern humans, especially those living in large cities, are routinely subjected to EMFs vastly stronger than those generated by cell phones – and there isn't any evidence that even those EMFs cause any problems. So this product is fighting a phony war.
Secondly, the product claims to do its job without interfering with the cell phone's operation. This is, a priori, a crazy claim. If the product actually did reduce EMFs, it would, by definition, be interfering with the cell phone's operation – since the cell phone's entire job is to generate EMFs (to carry your phone call).
Thirdly, there's no way that a passive metallic (or at least, conductive) disk is going to reduce EMFs in any meaningful way. Certainly not in the “elliptical” personal protection zone claimed by the manufacturer. It's sort of like claiming that a magnet the size of a quarter attached to your car's bumper will protect the occupants against injury in an accident. The real world doesn't work that way – only the world of magic does.
This company is preying on the gullibility of the technically illiterate in a shameless and contemptible fashion. But I don't know which is worse – the owners' shamelessness, or the ignorance of those who are buying their products...
Basically this product is a thin disk of some coppery-looking material (might even be copper) with a radial slot cut in it. It appears to be about the size of a quarter. The idea is that you stick it on your cell phone, and presto! you are magically protected against EMF.
This is pure bullshit on several levels.
First of all, to the best of my knowledge there is no credible science supporting the idea that EMFs generated by cell phones can cause any harm. There is good reason to be careful here, mainly because of the inverse square law and the cell phone's frequent proximity to the brain. However, many modern humans, especially those living in large cities, are routinely subjected to EMFs vastly stronger than those generated by cell phones – and there isn't any evidence that even those EMFs cause any problems. So this product is fighting a phony war.
Secondly, the product claims to do its job without interfering with the cell phone's operation. This is, a priori, a crazy claim. If the product actually did reduce EMFs, it would, by definition, be interfering with the cell phone's operation – since the cell phone's entire job is to generate EMFs (to carry your phone call).
Thirdly, there's no way that a passive metallic (or at least, conductive) disk is going to reduce EMFs in any meaningful way. Certainly not in the “elliptical” personal protection zone claimed by the manufacturer. It's sort of like claiming that a magnet the size of a quarter attached to your car's bumper will protect the occupants against injury in an accident. The real world doesn't work that way – only the world of magic does.
This company is preying on the gullibility of the technically illiterate in a shameless and contemptible fashion. But I don't know which is worse – the owners' shamelessness, or the ignorance of those who are buying their products...
Free Obamaphones, in Apparently Limitless Quantity...
Jillian Melchior is a reporter for National Review Online (NRO). Without trying hard, and without any deception at all (in fact, quite the opposite), she acquired three free “Obamaphones”.
Just imagine what a deceptive, dishonest person might do. The 20 or 30 phones reported in some stories seems quite plausible, especially when you read the details of how the program is run.
Billions of taxpayer dollars are being fraudulently spent annually on these phones. Who benefits? Two companies that are big supporters of the Democratic Party in general, and Obama in particular.
Surprised? What rock have you been hiding under?
Just imagine what a deceptive, dishonest person might do. The 20 or 30 phones reported in some stories seems quite plausible, especially when you read the details of how the program is run.
Billions of taxpayer dollars are being fraudulently spent annually on these phones. Who benefits? Two companies that are big supporters of the Democratic Party in general, and Obama in particular.
Surprised? What rock have you been hiding under?
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Our Daily Entertainment...
While we were on vacation, catching up with the “Filthy” Filner news was our daily entertainment. When we wandered into an area that had cell phone coverage (usually at least once a day), we'd jump on our cell phones and get the latest scoop. Good old Filthy never let us down.
I'm pretty sure that if someone submitted a Hollywood script that followed the course of this saga, that script would be rejected for implausibility. The latest bit (Filthy's lawyer claiming he's entitled to city-paid legal costs because the city never sent Filthy to sexual harassment training) fits the pattern very well. Real life beats Hollywood in this case :)
Most of my readers will know that while we live in the County of San Diego, we do not live in the City of San Diego (in fact, it's borders are 25 or 30 miles from us). So Filthy is not our mayor; in fact, we live in an unincorporated area, so we have no mayor at all. So we have no horse in this race, except by dint of being residents of a nearby area. But for Debbie and I, the whole Filthy affair is emblematic of problems faced by all of California: ludicrously, improbably incompetent government with a twist of perversion. This government happens to come with the label of “Democrat”, though I don't personally believe that the Republicans, were they in power, would be significantly different. The problem really is the electorate. Any electorate that would, for example, keep re-electing Nancy Pelosi (whatever her party affiliation) is asking for the government they've got. Perhaps the re-election of Governor Moonbeam is an even better illustration of this.
So, to answer some reader's questions, we're not upset by FilthyGate at all. We think of it as entertaining reaffirmation of our decision to leave California for a more sane state (which, by our reckoning, gives us about 45 states to choose from)...
I'm pretty sure that if someone submitted a Hollywood script that followed the course of this saga, that script would be rejected for implausibility. The latest bit (Filthy's lawyer claiming he's entitled to city-paid legal costs because the city never sent Filthy to sexual harassment training) fits the pattern very well. Real life beats Hollywood in this case :)
Most of my readers will know that while we live in the County of San Diego, we do not live in the City of San Diego (in fact, it's borders are 25 or 30 miles from us). So Filthy is not our mayor; in fact, we live in an unincorporated area, so we have no mayor at all. So we have no horse in this race, except by dint of being residents of a nearby area. But for Debbie and I, the whole Filthy affair is emblematic of problems faced by all of California: ludicrously, improbably incompetent government with a twist of perversion. This government happens to come with the label of “Democrat”, though I don't personally believe that the Republicans, were they in power, would be significantly different. The problem really is the electorate. Any electorate that would, for example, keep re-electing Nancy Pelosi (whatever her party affiliation) is asking for the government they've got. Perhaps the re-election of Governor Moonbeam is an even better illustration of this.
So, to answer some reader's questions, we're not upset by FilthyGate at all. We think of it as entertaining reaffirmation of our decision to leave California for a more sane state (which, by our reckoning, gives us about 45 states to choose from)...
So Much for the Models...
The climate models that predict global warming all rely on something seldom seen in nature: a positive feedback loop. In particular, the models all assume that a great deal of heat captured by man-made CO2 will be trapped in the Earth's atmosphere.
But when NASA actually measured that heat trapping, it turns out to be not so much...
Oops.
Well, now that global warming turns out to be a hoax, let's all get agitated about that global cooling again!
Or, maybe, just maybe, we could all concentrate on, like, actual science (you know, the kind with observations, hypotheses testing, and other boring stuff) instead of this endless climate model masturbation?
I can dream, can't I?
But when NASA actually measured that heat trapping, it turns out to be not so much...
Oops.
Well, now that global warming turns out to be a hoax, let's all get agitated about that global cooling again!
Or, maybe, just maybe, we could all concentrate on, like, actual science (you know, the kind with observations, hypotheses testing, and other boring stuff) instead of this endless climate model masturbation?
I can dream, can't I?
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Political Cartoons and More...
A nice collection via my mom, to make you laugh and cry at the same time...
Regulation is the Enemy of Free Enterprise...
Another excellent mini-documentary by Reason.TV. This one is about the bus industry, and how the government killed it once with regulations, brought it back to life with deregulation, and now is killing it again with regulations...
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Day 24: Home...
We left our little plastic motel room in Parowan at 6 am and took off down the I-15 for home. Again we decided to add a few hours to our drive to avoid the Los Angeles area, so at Las Vegas we headed south on US 95 and made our way over back roads to El Centro. There we picked up I-8 and zoomed home to Jamul.
Some of our route was new to us, especially the part from Blythe to Glamis to Brawley to El Centro. About all I can say about that area is this: it makes Hanksville look attractive. It's not likely we'll ever pass that way again.
We got home around 4:30 pm. Dionecia B., our house-sitter, greeted us along with all our animals who stayed at home. Miki and Race ran in to greet Dionecia, whom they know well. She did a wonderfully good job taking care of the house and the animals, handling a couple of difficult situations exactly was we'd have wanted her to do. Instead of being a mess, the house is as clean and neat as its ever been. Dionecia even organized a closet whose floor and rear wall haven't seen light for ten years or so. That's the way to come home!
Well, our vacation is officially over :(
Some of our route was new to us, especially the part from Blythe to Glamis to Brawley to El Centro. About all I can say about that area is this: it makes Hanksville look attractive. It's not likely we'll ever pass that way again.
We got home around 4:30 pm. Dionecia B., our house-sitter, greeted us along with all our animals who stayed at home. Miki and Race ran in to greet Dionecia, whom they know well. She did a wonderfully good job taking care of the house and the animals, handling a couple of difficult situations exactly was we'd have wanted her to do. Instead of being a mess, the house is as clean and neat as its ever been. Dionecia even organized a closet whose floor and rear wall haven't seen light for ten years or so. That's the way to come home!
Well, our vacation is officially over :(
Day 23: Moab to Parowan...
Update: Reader and friend Simon M. corrects my inept use of a sports term. I said “…batting 50-50”, which he tells me should actually be “…batting 500”. That makes no sense to me, but I'm certain his expertise in this area is greater than mine (because mine is approximately the lowest in the world). The correction has been made below...
Also, the second melon has now been consumed, and it was a great one!
Original Post:
Today was the first day it really felt like we were headed home, which of course we were. We stopped first at the Jailhouse Cafe for another great breakfast, and then took off north to hit I-70.
We took a different route, trying to avoid Hanksville and the surrounding area. This time we went west on I-70 to the junction with Utah 10, and then wandered southwest to Panguitch, over Cedar Breaks, and down past Brian Head into Parowan.
The country we passed through was all new to us, and certainly prettier and more interesting than Hanksville :) Alon the way we some pronghorn antelope (first on this trip) and lots of beautiful and prosperous farmland. Also more than a few deer.
We stopped in Green River and bought some melons - the first one we tried was awful, and we ended up throwing it away. Melons sure are a hit-or-miss affair, and I don't think we're even batting 500. Sometimes we get a real winner, sometimes not so much...
Before leaving Green River, we stopped to get a drink at one of those convenience stores that's built into a gas station. There was a bus parked outside, but we didn't think anything of it. When I went inside, the place was absolutely packed with Japanese tourists – what looked like a hundred short people, all with black hair, and all smiles and laughs and chattering away at a mile a minute. Camera flashes were popping all over the place. I watched a giggling couple taking photographs of a ketchup dispenser – I'd love to know why! There was a Japanese man behind the counter, chattering away to the tourists in Japanese; I suspect his presence accounts for the bus stopping here...
After a few hours of travel we got to Centerville, where we found a little shop that sells espresso (Debbie's only good for a few hours at a stretch without another “hit”). When Debbie went in for her fix, she discovered homemade cakes on display – so she got us a big piece of carrot cake. That was the best carrot cake I've had in a very long time, and I'm no carrot cake fan. We polished it off in just a few minutes, with Debbie feeding me pieces as we drove.
In the midst of the farmland around Centerville, we drove alongside a meandering brook that wound its way through meadow and willow. One a little peninsula formed by one of the brook's bends, we spotted a young buck standing and watching us. He was a magnificent specimen, and perfectly displayed in that setting. The sun was behind him, backlighting the fuzz on his antlers. He was munching some brilliant green grass. The brook burbled at his feet. Willows provided a backdrop. Perfect...
In another little town we saw an old broken-down wooden cart in someone's front yard. It had been filled with dirt, and had sunflowers growing out of it. Cute, and very cheerful in the sunlight...
We pulled into Panguitch on US 89, but switched there to Utah 143 to go over Cedar Breaks. In Panguitch you just go straight on US 89 south and it turns into Utah 143; you have to turn left to stay on US 89. It would be easy for someone to miss that left turn, and end up on Utah 143 thinking they were still on US 89. Still, we got a big laugh out of an official highway sign along Utah 143 as we left Panguitch – it said “This is not US 89!”
As we crossed over Cedar Breaks, we were in a storm. We had periods of very intense rain, and even a little small hail. A lot of our possessions were in the Rhino bag on our roof, and we worried a bit about whether everything was going to get wet. We needn't have worried – when I unpacked tonight, everything inside was dry as a bone.
We pulled into Parowan in the late afternoon, and decided to just relax in our room at the Days Inn and go to bed early. Tomorrow we drive home, a 10 hour drive that we wanted to start early, before it got too danged hot...
Also, the second melon has now been consumed, and it was a great one!
Original Post:
Today was the first day it really felt like we were headed home, which of course we were. We stopped first at the Jailhouse Cafe for another great breakfast, and then took off north to hit I-70.
We took a different route, trying to avoid Hanksville and the surrounding area. This time we went west on I-70 to the junction with Utah 10, and then wandered southwest to Panguitch, over Cedar Breaks, and down past Brian Head into Parowan.
The country we passed through was all new to us, and certainly prettier and more interesting than Hanksville :) Alon the way we some pronghorn antelope (first on this trip) and lots of beautiful and prosperous farmland. Also more than a few deer.
We stopped in Green River and bought some melons - the first one we tried was awful, and we ended up throwing it away. Melons sure are a hit-or-miss affair, and I don't think we're even batting 500. Sometimes we get a real winner, sometimes not so much...
Before leaving Green River, we stopped to get a drink at one of those convenience stores that's built into a gas station. There was a bus parked outside, but we didn't think anything of it. When I went inside, the place was absolutely packed with Japanese tourists – what looked like a hundred short people, all with black hair, and all smiles and laughs and chattering away at a mile a minute. Camera flashes were popping all over the place. I watched a giggling couple taking photographs of a ketchup dispenser – I'd love to know why! There was a Japanese man behind the counter, chattering away to the tourists in Japanese; I suspect his presence accounts for the bus stopping here...
After a few hours of travel we got to Centerville, where we found a little shop that sells espresso (Debbie's only good for a few hours at a stretch without another “hit”). When Debbie went in for her fix, she discovered homemade cakes on display – so she got us a big piece of carrot cake. That was the best carrot cake I've had in a very long time, and I'm no carrot cake fan. We polished it off in just a few minutes, with Debbie feeding me pieces as we drove.
In the midst of the farmland around Centerville, we drove alongside a meandering brook that wound its way through meadow and willow. One a little peninsula formed by one of the brook's bends, we spotted a young buck standing and watching us. He was a magnificent specimen, and perfectly displayed in that setting. The sun was behind him, backlighting the fuzz on his antlers. He was munching some brilliant green grass. The brook burbled at his feet. Willows provided a backdrop. Perfect...
In another little town we saw an old broken-down wooden cart in someone's front yard. It had been filled with dirt, and had sunflowers growing out of it. Cute, and very cheerful in the sunlight...
We pulled into Panguitch on US 89, but switched there to Utah 143 to go over Cedar Breaks. In Panguitch you just go straight on US 89 south and it turns into Utah 143; you have to turn left to stay on US 89. It would be easy for someone to miss that left turn, and end up on Utah 143 thinking they were still on US 89. Still, we got a big laugh out of an official highway sign along Utah 143 as we left Panguitch – it said “This is not US 89!”
As we crossed over Cedar Breaks, we were in a storm. We had periods of very intense rain, and even a little small hail. A lot of our possessions were in the Rhino bag on our roof, and we worried a bit about whether everything was going to get wet. We needn't have worried – when I unpacked tonight, everything inside was dry as a bone.
We pulled into Parowan in the late afternoon, and decided to just relax in our room at the Days Inn and go to bed early. Tomorrow we drive home, a 10 hour drive that we wanted to start early, before it got too danged hot...
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Day 22: All Around Moab...
The dogs got us up around 6, and an hour later we were at the Jailhouse Cafe in Moab, having another wonderful breakfast. Then we headed south, in the general direction of Pack Creek, where we started a rather large route that ended up being roughly a half circle counterclockwise around the town of Moab, ending up back at our lodge. Our route took us over Geyser Pass, then across Taylor Flats, down to Fisher Valley, and finally down Onion Creek's canyon. It's hard to imagine a more varied route – our altitude varied from 5,000' to 10,500', and the flora from aspen/fir forest to desert scrub in the red sands of Fisher Valley.
Our first stop was in Gold Basin, at 10,000' in the aspens and firs. There we ran the dogs through a pretty little meadow, chasing the ball until they were ready to drop. Then Debbie noted that the rails would make a good practice jump, though they were a bit high. See photos below for the result.
We saw our first deer as we turned onto Taylor Flats: a pair of does that quickly ran off. That area, and in fact the entire eastern slopes of the La Sal mountains, were absolutely covered with wild irises gone to seed. There are more irises here, by far, than the previous density champion – the south side of Stony Pass in the San Juans. Here, the irises are mostly in mixed aspen and meadow areas, thoroughly mixed with wild roses. If both of them are in bloom at the same time, it must be spectacular here...
Shortly after we saw the deer, we came upon a scene that had us in stitches, what Debbie calls the “cattle drive of shame”. From appearances, it looked like a couple of guys who knew how to ride horses were leading a gaggle of 10 or so “dudes” (at least two of whom were women) in a pathetic attempt to “drive” 20 or 25 cattle into another pasture. They also had a couple of border collies who appeared to be untrained. They left stragglers. They were challenged getting their horses through the scrub oak; some of the riders were screaming. One had to stop and cinch his saddle. Another had to stop and take a leak (and then had trouble getting back on his horse). Cattle were going everywhere except where they were supposed to go. Some riders weighed nearly what their horse did. It was pure comedy gold, and we thoroughly enjoyed the free roadside entertainment :)
Then we started seeing mountain bluebirds, who apparently thought the mixed sage and scrub oak meadows of Taylor Flats were a fine place to live. The males were beautiful against the dark scrub oaks...
At one point we came around a curve in the road, in a part that was mixed aspen, fir, and oak forest, and there right in front of us was a fawn. It was still spotted, and we're guessing two or three weeks old. It just stood there for about 45 seconds, while we were just 20' or so away, trying to figure out what to do. Its mother was just off the road to our left, and was very cautious; she wouldn't venture onto the road. Eventually the little thing bounded off to our right, and we drove through to allow the doe to get across without fear of us. It was the best view of a young fawn we've had in quite a while; the highpoint of the day for both of us.
Just a bit further down the road, we passed a pasture full of horses, including several young colts. None of them were far away from us, and none were in the least frightened, so we were able to watch for a while. Beautiful animals...
Another 10 miles or so further on, we got into a flora that was sort of intermediate between Taylor Flats and pinyon-juniper high desert. We had pinyons, and junipers (huge!), a very few cacti (mainly a kind of dwarf prickly pear), but also oak, Ponderosa pine, and even an occasional aspen. We took one corner to the left in this area and there right in front of us was a gaggle of people sitting on folding chairs in the middle of the road. This is a one-lane dirt road, mind you, maybe 12' wide. There were a dozen or so people, and their five jeeps all parked in a row beside them. After watching them for a minute, speechless (for we had never seen anything like this before), we figured out that they were eating lunch. A picnic, in the middle of the road, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Finally one of them saw us (our FJ is very quiet), and in a moment they were scrambling to get out of our way. We talked to them on our way through; basically they just didn't expect to see anyone else way out here. Weird!
A few miles after that we were driving down a roughish patch of road traversing a steep canyon side. Debbie thought we should water the dogs, so I stopped and we let the two mutts have their fill of water. Then I opened our refrigerator to get us some water, and I saw it: Debbie's leftover chocolate terrine from last night's dinner. It was almost complete, as she could only eat a couple of nibbles last night. That terrine sounded mighty good to us, and we ate it all over the next couple miles of travel. Debbie picked up little bits of it and fed me as I drove, as she ate half herself. We marveled at the sheer decadence of the moment: here we were, in approximately the geometric center of the middle of nowhere, eating this ice-cold flourless chocolate terrine that could be a symbol for a sophisticated dessert. That thing was delicious, more so than it would have been at the restaurant.
Coming down off the mesas into Fisher Valley, our road took us up a small box canyon and out over it's high end. We were surprised to see lots of washouts from a recent rain. There was lots of debris all over the road, and in places we saw there must have been a foot or more of water running over the road. Considering the small size of the box canyon (and subsequently the small size of the collection area for this water), this must have been one hellacious downpour to have produced this much water flow. We ended up feeling lucky that we hadn't had more than a few sprinkles today, though the skies looked like they might open up and pour at any moment.
Driving through Fisher Valley, we saw more evidence of recent floods, and lots of recent road repair. As we headed down into Onion Creek's canyon, we saw flood damage that absolutely dwarfed what we'd seen in the box canyon – enough to make Debbie quite nervous about being in the canyon at all! There were places where the flood had been running 4' to 5' above normal height, and 50' or more wide. This is in a steep canyon, so that water was running very fast. Debris was hurled up all over the place, everything from mud to 40' cottonwood trees to boulders the size of a pickup truck. We saw countless numbers of boulders – some quite large – that bore evidence of having been moved by the flood. Most had marks on them where rocks had crashed together; some were smashed; others had big chunks taken out of them. It's hard to imagine the force that water had, in order to move boulders that must weigh several tons. We shuddered to think what it would have been like to have one of those rocks descend upon us. The road through Onion Creek's canyon crossed the creek numerous times – and the road was cut by the flood at every single one of those crossings. All had been repaired, mostly rather crudely, by bulldozer and scraper. Much work remains to restore the road to its original condition. Debbie was quite happy to get out of there :)
Exiting Onion Creek's canyon, we were right on the Colorado River. We zipped down to Moab and had a repeat of our meal last night at Buck's Grillhouse. Debbie had exactly the same meal: a Caesar salad and a rare sirloin. I had the corn chowder again, but had duck tamales with grilled pineapple salsa for the entree. Yum! We refrained from ordering desert tonight :)
Our first stop was in Gold Basin, at 10,000' in the aspens and firs. There we ran the dogs through a pretty little meadow, chasing the ball until they were ready to drop. Then Debbie noted that the rails would make a good practice jump, though they were a bit high. See photos below for the result.
We saw our first deer as we turned onto Taylor Flats: a pair of does that quickly ran off. That area, and in fact the entire eastern slopes of the La Sal mountains, were absolutely covered with wild irises gone to seed. There are more irises here, by far, than the previous density champion – the south side of Stony Pass in the San Juans. Here, the irises are mostly in mixed aspen and meadow areas, thoroughly mixed with wild roses. If both of them are in bloom at the same time, it must be spectacular here...
Shortly after we saw the deer, we came upon a scene that had us in stitches, what Debbie calls the “cattle drive of shame”. From appearances, it looked like a couple of guys who knew how to ride horses were leading a gaggle of 10 or so “dudes” (at least two of whom were women) in a pathetic attempt to “drive” 20 or 25 cattle into another pasture. They also had a couple of border collies who appeared to be untrained. They left stragglers. They were challenged getting their horses through the scrub oak; some of the riders were screaming. One had to stop and cinch his saddle. Another had to stop and take a leak (and then had trouble getting back on his horse). Cattle were going everywhere except where they were supposed to go. Some riders weighed nearly what their horse did. It was pure comedy gold, and we thoroughly enjoyed the free roadside entertainment :)
Then we started seeing mountain bluebirds, who apparently thought the mixed sage and scrub oak meadows of Taylor Flats were a fine place to live. The males were beautiful against the dark scrub oaks...
At one point we came around a curve in the road, in a part that was mixed aspen, fir, and oak forest, and there right in front of us was a fawn. It was still spotted, and we're guessing two or three weeks old. It just stood there for about 45 seconds, while we were just 20' or so away, trying to figure out what to do. Its mother was just off the road to our left, and was very cautious; she wouldn't venture onto the road. Eventually the little thing bounded off to our right, and we drove through to allow the doe to get across without fear of us. It was the best view of a young fawn we've had in quite a while; the highpoint of the day for both of us.
Just a bit further down the road, we passed a pasture full of horses, including several young colts. None of them were far away from us, and none were in the least frightened, so we were able to watch for a while. Beautiful animals...
Another 10 miles or so further on, we got into a flora that was sort of intermediate between Taylor Flats and pinyon-juniper high desert. We had pinyons, and junipers (huge!), a very few cacti (mainly a kind of dwarf prickly pear), but also oak, Ponderosa pine, and even an occasional aspen. We took one corner to the left in this area and there right in front of us was a gaggle of people sitting on folding chairs in the middle of the road. This is a one-lane dirt road, mind you, maybe 12' wide. There were a dozen or so people, and their five jeeps all parked in a row beside them. After watching them for a minute, speechless (for we had never seen anything like this before), we figured out that they were eating lunch. A picnic, in the middle of the road, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Finally one of them saw us (our FJ is very quiet), and in a moment they were scrambling to get out of our way. We talked to them on our way through; basically they just didn't expect to see anyone else way out here. Weird!
A few miles after that we were driving down a roughish patch of road traversing a steep canyon side. Debbie thought we should water the dogs, so I stopped and we let the two mutts have their fill of water. Then I opened our refrigerator to get us some water, and I saw it: Debbie's leftover chocolate terrine from last night's dinner. It was almost complete, as she could only eat a couple of nibbles last night. That terrine sounded mighty good to us, and we ate it all over the next couple miles of travel. Debbie picked up little bits of it and fed me as I drove, as she ate half herself. We marveled at the sheer decadence of the moment: here we were, in approximately the geometric center of the middle of nowhere, eating this ice-cold flourless chocolate terrine that could be a symbol for a sophisticated dessert. That thing was delicious, more so than it would have been at the restaurant.
Coming down off the mesas into Fisher Valley, our road took us up a small box canyon and out over it's high end. We were surprised to see lots of washouts from a recent rain. There was lots of debris all over the road, and in places we saw there must have been a foot or more of water running over the road. Considering the small size of the box canyon (and subsequently the small size of the collection area for this water), this must have been one hellacious downpour to have produced this much water flow. We ended up feeling lucky that we hadn't had more than a few sprinkles today, though the skies looked like they might open up and pour at any moment.
Driving through Fisher Valley, we saw more evidence of recent floods, and lots of recent road repair. As we headed down into Onion Creek's canyon, we saw flood damage that absolutely dwarfed what we'd seen in the box canyon – enough to make Debbie quite nervous about being in the canyon at all! There were places where the flood had been running 4' to 5' above normal height, and 50' or more wide. This is in a steep canyon, so that water was running very fast. Debris was hurled up all over the place, everything from mud to 40' cottonwood trees to boulders the size of a pickup truck. We saw countless numbers of boulders – some quite large – that bore evidence of having been moved by the flood. Most had marks on them where rocks had crashed together; some were smashed; others had big chunks taken out of them. It's hard to imagine the force that water had, in order to move boulders that must weigh several tons. We shuddered to think what it would have been like to have one of those rocks descend upon us. The road through Onion Creek's canyon crossed the creek numerous times – and the road was cut by the flood at every single one of those crossings. All had been repaired, mostly rather crudely, by bulldozer and scraper. Much work remains to restore the road to its original condition. Debbie was quite happy to get out of there :)
Exiting Onion Creek's canyon, we were right on the Colorado River. We zipped down to Moab and had a repeat of our meal last night at Buck's Grillhouse. Debbie had exactly the same meal: a Caesar salad and a rare sirloin. I had the corn chowder again, but had duck tamales with grilled pineapple salsa for the entree. Yum! We refrained from ordering desert tonight :)
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| Miki proves that an agility dog trained to jump 16" jumps can do a 30" jump on demand. But he needed to bounce off the top; he couldn't quite clear it. When told to jump, Miki jumped - he refused to run under the rail... |
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| Race's first attempt to jump - not so good :) |
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| After that first flop, Race cleared it like a champ - no bounce needed. Race normally jumps 20" to 24", so this isn't quite as much of a stretch for him as it was for the Meekster... |
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| Seen down on Taylor Flats. It's a new one to me, but quite striking amongst the sage... |
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| The new one, close up... |
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| Looking west from just north of Taylor Flats... |
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| On the way down to Fisher Valley... |
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| Getting closer to Fisher Valley... |
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| Entering the top of Onion Creek's canyon... |
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| Halfway through Onion Creek canyon... |
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| Same point as in the photo above, looking the other way... |
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