Book Mention: Hiking the Gulf Coast

I borrowed this from the library, and I am glad that I did in both ways that statement can be taken.  I was hoping to find some local hidden gems and perhaps find out a new thing or two about trails I've hiked, however was left with an overall sense of disappointment.  In the areas that I know well – the Forgotten Coast and the Mississippi Gulf Coast – the real centerpieces were skipped.  Furthermore, the book focuses on very short day hikes, with many of them being little more than short things that used to be labeled as nature walks and birding trails.

OK that's the bad, but there's still a lot of good stuff to be found in this book.  I really do need to get over to the St. Marks lighthouse area to explore some of those trails, and the Ochlockonee River Loop looks promising.  I used to go quite a bit to the Leon Sinks Loop back in the day, and it was good to be reminded to get back there.  It is extremely well organized, and there is a useful overview map showing all of the reviewed trails on page vi.  Beyond showing trails in general areas, it also reveals the author's bias towards his home in Mobile, where there is a thick cluster of listed trails.  I wish he'd just stuck closer to home and done a more thorough job.

If you're just planning a brief trip through any of the Gulf Coast that might include some short hikes, this book is an OK – but little more – place to start.  Pick your area and start digging deeper.  This blog is one place to start (hiking and for longer endeavors backpacking tags, and yes there is a lot of overlap), and there are about a zillion other resources.  Again, I'm glad that I borrowed this book from the library, but there's not as much there there in it as I'd hoped and will be glad to return it as well.

Getting Ahead of Cascading Failures

Last Sunday's post was about fixing the (1) plugged drain on the under-hood airbox that caused (2) wet passenger side carpet and (3) a waterlogged cabin air filter leading to (4) not having AC or, even more importantly, a working windshield defroster, which potentially leads to all kinds of bad.  That was only a leisurely hour's worth of fixing.

However, as the old hard-pitch commercials used to say, But wait! There's more!  (5) The AC blower motor was rusty and unreliable from all the water it had ingested.  Tearing into a dashboard is usually nightmarish, but not on a Mustang.  Here's a quick video on replacement:

Total time, including the drive to and from the auto parts store, was right at one hour.  The actual install time was 15 minutes flat – and that was using a ratchet wrench, not the faster power drill in the video.  Didn't even have to empty the glove box.  Remember/note to self, 7mm socket for the glove box bolts, 8mm for the blower bolts.

I'm hoping that this gets the car ahead of this particular chain of fail.  Next up: install those door panels.

Why I Drink Rye Whisky but Won't Touch Aspartame

Set in two futures at roughly 1982 and 2032 as imagined from 1959, H. Beam Piper's short science fiction story Hunter Patrol is still very much worth reading.  What's it about?  A side skirmish of WW-IV, time travel, and a forgetful dictator who keeps the population in check via a psychoactive soft drink.  Also, the protagonist keeps a sixth of rye at hand to aid his after-hours research.  Two thoughts: (a) pfft, chemists, what can you do with them, and (b) wait, a sixth of rye?  I guess shrinkflation afflicts even denizens of alternate timelines.

I hadn't read this story in over forty years, since right when it was re-issued in the early Eighties, and right before nutrasweet hit the market.  Seemed like a bad idea at the time, seems even worse as the years have passed.  I have to say though, for all the bizarre twists of that now mostly-passed fictional future, it is in many ways considerably less strange that what has actually come to pass.

The short story's still in print in paper, e-book, or audiobook forms.  Perhaps best of all, it's in a Piper "Megapack"e-reader anthology for a buck.  Dig around in all the usual places.

BTW, the illustration has absolutely nothing to do with the story.  It appears to have been lifted from a cover of a pulp magazine where the story made an early appearance.  A lurid eye-grabber there and then as well as here and now, and presented for all the same reasons.

Leaky Mustang?

Just cleaned out the front drains on my Mustang this morning.  Nasty stuff in there, causing a leak onto the passenger floorboard.  Took my time and fed the cats while getting it done.  Anyway, here's a video of how to:

Yeah yeah, it says some random years.  Mine's a '12, works the same way.  Finally one tip for making it easier to get that passenger panel back in.  Before starting, flip on the wipers, then turn off the car with them up on the windshield.  It gets the passenger side arm out of the way and just makes life smoother all around.

Think This is Bad in a Car?

It's positively scary as hell on a bike:

from today's xkcd 2932

First they slow down (seldom fully stopping).  Then they give this wave-wave of a hand, but you can't quite see through the glint off the windshield.  Is that person waving me through?  Doing something on facebook?  Maybe... reloading?  Can't tell, so let me not just bet my life on a chance here.  Then they sometimes honk, then (more rarely) get mad and start yelling about the fact that you won't jump out in front of them.

The only good solution I've found is to make a mental note of the oncoming vehicle, come to a full stop, take hands off the bars, and casually look the other way.  If you're not looking, they can't do that ridiculous little wave-wave thing.  Then they'll usually go on by in the normal fashion.  If it escalates from there, I get off the bike and wait on the other side of a tree or similar stationary object.

It's all been ironed out long ago, with stop signs, right-of-ways, and the usual driving rules of the road.  Obviously mistakes will occur, and we should all be alert and ready to make exceptions for these.  But everyday sitting-at-a-stop-sign?  That cute little wave-wave is getting people killed.

Thoughts from a Previous Phase

And that is all for today.  Try the fried mullet and be sure to tip your waitress.

Aurora in Florida

This is a phone camera 3 or maybe 5 second exposure from around 10:15 EDT last night.  To the eye it was nowhere nearly this dramatic, a just-barely-see-it pink glow off to the north over Tate's Hell Swamp.  Certainly no lights up there, so it's definitely not city glow.  No trace of the rosy glow to the south or to the west.  Went back an hour later and things had significantly faded, nothing to be seen by eye and only barely by camera.

Five Outa Five

Wrapped up teaching a Tech-upgrade-to-General class this week, and the students took the test this evening.  All five passed.  Yeah, I'm bragging on them.  They worked their butts off.

So what worked?  I just taught from the ARRL class slides (you can download from here), used KB6NU's No Nonsense! Study Guide as supplemental material, and they drilled using the practice test at qrz.com.  Success!  BTW, if you want to DIY it, here are the instructions for that.

Anyway, I'm sitting proud as punch this evening.  Think I'll go have a shot of Old Overholt about now.

Meanwhile, Down at the Gates of Hell...

Here's a brief video over at Atlas Obscura's youtube channel outlining the various cave openings around the world that are allegedly entrances to the underworld.  Sort of interesting how people will pick out any old spooky hole that's leaking methane (lit or not) and call it such.

Personally I'll take the local version, one of the entrances into Tate's Hell Swamp, earlier shown here.  (picture recycled below)  Nice pavilions with a nice view, with charcoal grills.  Yes, that's right, here in Franklin County you can go grilling at the Gates of Hell.  In fact I've done it, and can recommend it for a lazy afternoon.

I really need to get over there with the gravel bike again before the weather gets too toasty.  Maybe after this class is finished up this Thursday.

Apalach Tour of Homes 2024 – A Good Day

Not a lot to add beyond a link to the homes site.  As usual, I had never been in most of these.  Beautiful restoration projects all, if a little... over-decorated for my tastes.  Mostly though, glad to seem them preserved, glad to seem them in person.

Grew up around the corner from this one, but had never been inside until today.