tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88191578080530734532024-03-13T00:59:20.881-07:00Lake Boren Rapid Transit ReportPurpose: chronicle events leading up to a future HyperModern Transit Center on the shores of Lake Boren in Newcastle, Washington. The center will link Newcastle via high speed light rail to its suburbs, such as Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, Bellevue, Renton, etc.Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-40834646621314572842012-03-23T13:22:00.001-07:002012-03-23T13:22:47.793-07:00Seattle Sonics back to School<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Long ago, during the
Franco-Prussian War, raiders from Oklahoma came to Seattle and took away our beloved
basketball team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the old Sonics are
attempting to play under the pseudonym “Thumper” or something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trying to make it seem like a whole different
team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Also years ago we had an
earthquake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earthquakes happen over and
over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kind of like acne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not real popular.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Scientists and scholars put
their heads together and came up with a novel notion: “If it’s happened before
it’ll probably happen again” is what they decided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was after years of study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough it happened again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scientific people think about lots of things
like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Once the engineers got hold
of that information they began endless analysis of everything they had already engineered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result was that they announced that maybe
millions of structures are at risk of crumbling to dust during earthquakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except that most earthquakes are fairly
localized (in California, for example) so lots of these risky structures will
probably be Okay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One result of this hysteria
is that building codes and laws have been updated to require earthquake
survivability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s where school
comes in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Determination was made that
most of the old school buildings did not meet these earthquake requirements and
must be replaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been replacing
schools, libraries, hospitals, and car washes for many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everywhere you look there’s a new school
where an old one used to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the premier schools
in the Greater Newcastle Metro Area is Bellevue High School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They just opened the new earthquake proof
version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazingly it contains a
basketball arena that can hold somewhat under 100,000 fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OK, maybe not that many.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Another development recently
is that this guy from Seattle, who now lives in California, wants to get Seattle
an earthquake proof pro-basketball franchise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He bought some old warehouse buildings in the south part of Seattle near
the baseball and football stadiums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Together with several local citizens he wants to build a new arena and
buy a team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also need a hockey team
for some reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe there aren’t
enough fights in the other sports.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">People in Bellevue have also
been trying to figure out how to get a pro basketball franchise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They picked several secret sites and began
ruling them out one by one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
conclusion was that Bellevue probably won’t get a team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But wait!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We just built a new high school with a gymnasium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why not let them play there? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most NBA Arenas hold under 100,000 fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could steal the Nicks or the Clippers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One resounding result of all
this loose talk is that many local people are pretty excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They expect a new team momentarily. </span>The loss of a pro sports team is a traumatic
event, similar to an earthquake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except
that to recover from the loss of a pro sports team only requires the
acquisition of a new pro sports team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many people in Seattle already own a green shirt (soccer).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just tell us how to find the new arena and
here we go!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Issues have to be resolved
first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example nobody will build a
new arena (the HS may not be acceptable) until there’s a firm commitment for a
team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t get a firm commitment to
obtain another team unless we have a world class arena.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The other big issue is that
some people think it’s OK for the tax payers to help fund this new arena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See, here’s the thing: way back when the
grifters were working out how to sneak our team out of town one of the big
points was that Seattle would have to make the existing basketball arena
bigger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have already been upgrades
and there was a great resistance to pay for yet another one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has probably reached the upgrade limit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The alternative is to build a whole new
one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That costs money and nobody wants
to spend it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This leaves us in the same
position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trying to figure out how to
get the money and commitment to build a new arena while simultaneously securing
a commitment for another team is really tricky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The fans are chomping at the
bit for a new team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My solution is to
buy one of the NCAA college teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
want to play in the NBA anyway, so why wait?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Include the coach and cheerleaders in the deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we’re waiting for them to graduate we
could be building an earthquake proof arena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mean time our new team could continue to play in the college arena.
They’d be rich enough to pay someone else to take their classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That way they could devote all their time to pro
basketball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Now all we need to do is
figure out which team to buy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would
be rather efficient to buy the Washington Huskies since they already play in
Seattle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But those are details for the
rich folks to work out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m just the
idea man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Al<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0UDnDc3AXnpQEDi3XzSPOy_ZI_q-5fuNB7jdb7lFZNdwf6WvbRNZsUyTZ9-pfz1o_8NBScQKFgV5jx9__D756k-mVd0jdzJtrVXFbd_5rAut9wCicnR21fxXvJGD-pKB01odXklIHTUA/s1600/taz%2520basketball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0UDnDc3AXnpQEDi3XzSPOy_ZI_q-5fuNB7jdb7lFZNdwf6WvbRNZsUyTZ9-pfz1o_8NBScQKFgV5jx9__D756k-mVd0jdzJtrVXFbd_5rAut9wCicnR21fxXvJGD-pKB01odXklIHTUA/s320/taz%2520basketball.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-77967602665004359652012-02-18T12:41:00.000-08:002012-02-18T12:41:22.614-08:00Been Away for Awhile<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOfrFAS4SMD9dqyxU3t7BVke_81nL-bczo9EPnOVLPCCPPHTw68Pg0WY9Jga8g-nGNf5dAOGT0KAldd5HTdOKQhCIqU1o_6Osw0L9xPTmrtD9XWxTAdrdjnywC_AA4YLYVWE0qYFv2Kyg/s1600/Lighthouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOfrFAS4SMD9dqyxU3t7BVke_81nL-bczo9EPnOVLPCCPPHTw68Pg0WY9Jga8g-nGNf5dAOGT0KAldd5HTdOKQhCIqU1o_6Osw0L9xPTmrtD9XWxTAdrdjnywC_AA4YLYVWE0qYFv2Kyg/s320/Lighthouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort Worden with Mount Baker in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My last post in the Rapid
Transit Saga was way last year. My
excuse for not posting is “family comes first.”
So please forgive me. I think the
Mayans are behind it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I missed almost every bowl
game in January 2012. The result is that
I have no idea which college players are worth drafting. Never thought the Seahawks would compare
favorably with the Colts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At about the same time I
found out my three sisters were coming to visit in February. This is good news as they live way off in the
blue states. Maybe I can improve their
outlook. We only get together once a
year so this year is special. I’m going back there this summer (maybe) which
will make it two times in one year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here at Lake Boren Rapid
Transit Data Central we have hundreds of sophisticated state of the art
computers. Way last summer I had a
miraculous breakthrough and the balky laptop finally decided to accept the
inevitable. It joined my home network. Inexplicably right before the arrival of my
sisters that laptop suddenly refused to accept any internet connection. “Internet device not found” or some such
“Windows” error message. Great
timing. Why did it wait until 2012? The Mayans.
That’s the only answer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My sisters arrived as
scheduled and we began a two week tour of the vast office complex here at Lake
Boren Rapid Transit Headquarters. That
lasted a few minutes. We went to the
Doll Art Museum in Bellevue (sisters).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Road trip took us to the
Yakima Canyon where we spotted a few wild birds and other varmints. The trip eventually got as far as the Central
Washington Ag Museum in Union Gap.
That’s where intrepid farm equipment enthusiasts have built a world
class environment to display hundreds (probably thousands) of agriculture
related items. Then it was on to the
back country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.75pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The next
venue was the Great Highway 410 slide which buried part of the road and caused
the river to take a new channel. Not a
common site in Indiana. So as expected
one of my eastern sisters fell victim to the rugged west and twisted an ankle. She’s OK now but the limp lasted the
remainder of the visit.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8EpR9jzcd87cfRonNRytgdpHB9wx7Mad8pzK71bpXH27-LaXzKNsvoQASBTm9ycqnGXAyqNlSsLSMgkDj3Gtl0PBHYGRTEnNegMV-QZI_a3tBqilszwyCCNJOUo0OtpozpF-9hwjG2pZ/s1600/Elk+Feeding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8EpR9jzcd87cfRonNRytgdpHB9wx7Mad8pzK71bpXH27-LaXzKNsvoQASBTm9ycqnGXAyqNlSsLSMgkDj3Gtl0PBHYGRTEnNegMV-QZI_a3tBqilszwyCCNJOUo0OtpozpF-9hwjG2pZ/s320/Elk+Feeding.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elk Feeding at Oak Creek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 9.75pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We stayed at the home of
good friends and quilting was one of the main topics. All of us had a
terrific time and we were entertained royally during our visit to Yakima.</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">We returned home only to
find that the Tivo had rebelled.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">After
several years (this should be a hint) of flawless service the box has become
inoperative.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">There must be a trend among
my electronic devices – first the laptop and now Tivo.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">What’s next?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Anybody know a Mayan I can ask?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">But I have a house full of guests so no time to deal with broken
stuff.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Just compartmentalize the
problems and move on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The next road trip took us
to Port Townsend. The Victorian homes
and forts made into parks are quite interesting. There is also plenty of shopping. Lots of shopping. We had a great lunch. Indiana doesn’t have State Ferries either so
that was unique. Did I mention the
shopping? Yet another nice Western
Washington day in February. Amazing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Following the visit to Port
Townsend we decided the next day would be a good time to visit the Glass Museum
in Tacoma. Lots of glass. The gift shop had more than the museum and it
was all for sale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Next the crew loaded up the
heap and headed toward Long Beach.
That’s in Washington, in case you don’t know. Their two main attractions are cranberries,
oysters, and kites. OK, three. Oh, and the world’s longest beach. Four!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So far the weather had been
excellent. We had lots of sun and
unseasonably warm temperatures. Terrible
ad since we really don’t need more people out here. But it was great for traveling around showing
the sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While at the ocean the
Mayans struck again and a second sister twisted an ankle. Must run in the family. At least no electronic devices quit during that
trip. Now I have two limping
sisters. The Wild West is just too
dangerous for Indiana people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At this point we went to
visit the Schoonover Farm in Skagit County.
There were an amazing number of swans grazing in the fields. The snow geese flock is enormous. Numerous eagles greeted us as well as several
hawks and smaller birds. The farm is
very interesting with various sheep, goats, chickens, and other hairy
things. They have a road side produce
stand. We said hi to the dogs and got a
tour of the fiber room. Donna has a
complete operation in which she takes fibers (wool mostly) from animals and it
eventually ends up as garments. My
quilting sisters were fastinated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Boots were donned and we
went to visit the barn yard. Some of the
sheep and goats are friendly and some are not.
The geese didn’t seem to like anyone but they didn’t bite. It was feeding time which was also very
entertaining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We returned to the safety of
our palatial home and the next day I planned to have a nice dinner at one of
the world famous Seattle eating establishments.
The goal was to show these folks that Seattle (the Greater Newcastle
Metropolitan Area) has some of the best food in the country. What a surprise: a third sister got food poisoning. Three out of three felled by the rugged
conditions here in the Wild West. She’s
much better now, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What’s left but to load them
on airplanes and send them back where they’re safe? Maybe the Mayans don’t know where Indiana
is. Or Texas. I’m not real sure myself; somewhere back east
maybe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Result: All three are safe
in their homes recovering from their visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Tivo actually had a disk
failure which is the fault of the disk manufacturer, not the Tivo people. I ordered a new Series 4 and it arrived yesterday. It has more storage and faster processing (if
you believe that… well you know).
Anyway, I got it set up and now I have TV again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The problem with the laptop was
the protection software. It’s the very
large program that keeps malicious viruses and spyware from clobbering the
computer. It decided to take matters
into its own hands and clobber the computer itself. Did I expect anything else? Anyway, it’s fixed now. The Mayans are losing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">OK, during the tour I showed
the sisters Newcastle and Lake Boren.
Yes, they really exist. We saw
the library under construction and even caught a glimpse of Glen’s floating TV
antenna. Quilt shops were involved along
the way. We saw the farm in Sedro
Woolley (yes, it really exists) and rode Ferry Boats. We saw the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge
before it’s replaced and we saw the Alaska Way Viaduct. We saw the Space Needle and the
Monorail. We even spent a morning
wandering and shopping in Pike Place Market.
We tried to see the Freemont Troll but all the streets to it were being
worked on. Or maybe it was the troll
being worked on. Or have the Mayans
started there? Anyway, no dice. Except for the injuries these folks seemed to
enjoy the visit. I expect everyone in
Washington to pitch in and make the place safer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Al<o:p></o:p></span></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-18066630468534214942011-12-23T10:13:00.000-08:002011-12-23T10:13:07.474-08:00The 27 Hobbies<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pmrTgjNo-4Q/TvTEX4IUFQI/AAAAAAAAAew/ZA4j28Vyifo/s1600/Diamond+T+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pmrTgjNo-4Q/TvTEX4IUFQI/AAAAAAAAAew/ZA4j28Vyifo/s320/Diamond+T+01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once in awhile somebody asks me what I’m doing to keep busy
as a retired person. My stock answer is
that I have 27 hobbies. If they ask me
to what they are I can’t list them extemporarily. For this report I’m going to try to list 27
hobbies that keep me busy. Since it’s my
report I reserve the right to show sub categories as separate hobbies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here goes (in no particular order so I’m using bullets
instead of numbers):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing
a blog – When I began Christine had just announced we were having a drought so
I began the Lake Boren Drought Report.
The first day I posted she announced the drought was over. Shortly after that I changed to a Rapid
Transit Report because Newcastle will be among the last places to get rapid
transit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Using
big words – long ago in High School pals of mine introduced me to
“pusillanimous prevaricators” as a way to sound naughty without getting sent to
the principal’s office. What a concept. Lots of big words do that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Since
the regular news is somewhat suspect I like to convert it to fit my own
ideas. Thus “making stuff up as I go
along” is another hobby. I have a
fiction book started and at some point I’ll write “Al Explains Science.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Watching
progress on the library in Newcastle: The
structure is nearly complete and soon they will cover it with glass and wall
board. It’s supposed to open next fall. I wonder if they’ll have my books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Digital
photography: When I was a photographer
in the Army and they had darkroom staff to develop my pictures. I don’t do darkroom. It’s dark and smelly. Getting a good print is way too hard. Then somebody invented digital photography
and gave us Photoshop (and other digital editing programs). It was like a dream come true. I can do this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Manipulating
pixels to fit my own vision: I can
render my photos (in Photoshop) into many artistic formats. I create paintings out of my own photos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Personal
computing: one prerequisite to becoming a reasonable photo editor is to
understand the machine. I’m not saying
I’m any kind of expert but I know enough to get the software working. That includes the editing, rendering, cataloging,
and printing functions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3D
Photography: one of the biggest benefits of digital to me is that you can take
two side by side photos (simulating two eyes) and align the images to produce 3D. It’s fantastic. Best of all is that the software that does that
is FREE!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Keeping
the leaves out of the yar:. This one is
involuntary. I’m required to exercise in
order to keep some of my health issues at bay.
We have this Big Leaf Maple tree behind the house and I get lots of
exercise each fall raking up the leaves.
We also have uncounted shrubs that require some kind of care and I get plenty
of exercise doing that all year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Walking
around Lake Boren: It turns out that a brisk two mile walk around Lake Boren gives
me my daily quota of exercise. It’s a
nice break from yard maintenance. It
also provides an update of the changing Newcastle landscape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bird
watching: We have about 924 species in North America but I haven’t seen them
all yet. It’s a challenge because some
of them occur in very small areas. For
example the cave swallow can only be found in south Texas. Texas!
Rick Perry lives there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cow
watching: Cows are easier than birds in that they tend to remain somewhat
stationary. If you see a black and white
cow it’s probably a mix unless there’s a sign on the fence announcing “Purebred
Holsteins” or something. So it’s easy to
do but hard to get a Life List.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Antique
tractors: Long ago farmers used horses and oxen (cows). The advantage was they helped fertilize the
fields. The problem was you had to feed
and water them whether they worked or not.
That included keeping them alive during harsh winters when nothing was
growing. Along came people like Holt,
Deere, and Oliver building tractors. You
could park them in the barn for winter and in spring change the oil and add
fuel and off you go. Boy is that an over
simplification.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Antique
trucks: When I was a boy in Kansas the highway ran right through town. Many big rigs had the Diamond-T badge and
forever after I refer to a big rig as a “Diamond-T.” I still visit truck stops across the country
and just wander along the rows of Diamond-Ts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Classic
Cars: America has a fantastic history of car design. My first car was an Oldsmobile. They don’t make those anymore but I’ll always
remember that 1948 Olds and its connection to the originals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Museums
that honor classic ancient mechanical designs: Cars, trucks, tractors, airplanes,
and other metal objects are in museums.
There’s Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska; Auburn Cord Duesenberg
Museum in Auburn, Indiana; Central Washington Agriculture Museum in Union Gap,
Washington; and Museum of Flight in Seattle.
These are favorites; there are hundreds of others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Scientific
American: A monthly magazine whose title makes you think they know about
science. OK, they try, but they often
get it wrong. For example they say
nothing can go faster than light. Did
you see Star Wars? They make a lot of
mistakes about things on the ground too.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Genealogy:
Looking up old ancestors. I’ve been
doing this for years and it’s even better now.
I think the most important lesson is that names and dates are just part
of it. You need to study peoples’ history. Were your ancestors participants in one of
the big migrations? If so it tells you a
lot about how they lived, why they moved, and what was on TV in 1567.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Volunteering:
For some reason us retired folks need to get out and participate. I was at the National Archives in Seattle for
a couple years. I enjoyed helping folks
find their ancestors. Now help the Ag
Museum in Union Gap. See how some of
these hobbies relate?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Construction
projects: Right now I’m watching condos and the library in Newcastle. I also follow the “progress” on several other
projects such as the Alaska Way Viaduct, light rail to Bellevue, and the SR 520
Floating Bridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Making
fake Good-To-Go passes. These won’t work
and if you get caught it can cost you a bundle.
But the good news is I’ve yet to sell one, so don’t worry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Maintenance
of the machine: As I get older I find it takes more time and effort just to
stay even. I take pills, exercise, and
rub stuff on my skin. A sub-category is
dealing with insurance which is a big waste of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Taking
care of the house work: As a retired person with a working wife it’s my job to
clean. That includes KP after meals. I like to eat out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Keeping
up with the 21<sup>st</sup> Century: I have a facebook page and a smart
phone. Both have me baffled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Visiting
the woods: We have an old cabin in the mountains that we visit several times during
the warm months. No phone or
internet. Three days is about all I can
stand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Reading
other blogs such as the Schoonover Farm and Wonkette. One keeps me up to date on the kid and the
other teaches me new phrases. Very
entertaining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Watching
football: I don’t have a fantasy team and I don’t go to games. Too expensive. But I watch these overpaid prima donnas beat
each other up on TV.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There: 27! See why I
can’t just list them on the spur of the moment?
You would probably combine some of these into single hobbies and my
definition of “hobby” is pretty loose, but you get the picture.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Al<o:p></o:p></span></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-84853155764155172072011-12-13T09:59:00.001-08:002011-12-13T09:59:44.707-08:00Boring Report - Let's Dig a Tunnel<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One important activity in Seattle right now is
complaining. It’s one of many sites
across the nation where people wander around complaining. It’s like a national sport without trophies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Digging tunnels is another activity in Seattle. We have new sewage tunnels, light rail
tunnels, and tunnels where they store wine until its ready.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The State DOT (WashDOT) is replacing a part of Highway 99 in
Seattle called the Alaska Way Viaduct.
The replacement will be a tunnel.
The old viaduct sustained damage in an earthquake and WashDOT realized
it might collapse when we have the next big one. Tunnels don’t have so far to fall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The other big reason to replace the viaduct is that it annoys
some of the nearby property owners. Regular
people want to live close to the city where the busses are free and so are some
of the street people. That means a good
use for many of the old buildings is conversion to condos. It’s hard to sell a condo if the view is just
a noisy six lane highway. That’s low
rent stuff and not very attractive.
Condos also get much higher property tax for the state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hundreds of thousands of cars use that corridor every month
so we can’t just tear it down and pass out good luck charms. If those cars went over to I-5 it would be
horrible. We experience that from time
to time because they shut down the viaduct for inspections and damage repair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I-5 runs under the convention center in downtown Seattle and
nobody can figure out how to make the highway wider and still have conventions. I have an idea but nobody listens to me. It involves dynamite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Back to Alaska Way.
Many years before I was born, more than 10,000 years ago, Seattle was
covered in ice. I read someplace they think
it was 3,000 feet thick here. That ice
carried huge boulders, sand and gravel, dirt, and maple leaves from Canada and
left much of it in Seattle. The debris
included chunks of ice caught beneath the other stuff. When the surface ice melted this stuff was
left behind. The buried chunks of ice
also eventually melted and left voids.
Some of those voids are still there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Most of the lakes around the area were formed by ice gouging
out depressions. The Seattle area
terrain was largely formed when the glaciers melted away. This is important when you want to dig a
tunnel. It’s also a nuisance when you
want to plant a flower. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Seattle has about 40 miles of tunnels. They first ones were dug over 120 years
ago. We like to dig tunnels. To dig an adequate tunnel years ago you needed
a good sturdy shovel. They use powerful Tunnel
Boring Machines now. These are custom
built to the diameter of the expected tunnel.
They have carbide tipped teeth that are supposed to chew through
anything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The conglomerate left
by the glaciers makes it a particular challenge. What if you crunch through a granite boulder
right into one of those voids? What if
it’s still full of water? There are other
risks as well. What if you punch into
one of the existing tunnels or an old abandoned well? What if the Governor shows up with her giant
bulldozer? These are all questions the
planning team has to answer. Certainly
not me, I can hardly plan cereal for breakfast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tunnels in Seattle carry trains, cars and busses, water, gas,
electricity, beer, and sewage. If the
boring machine hits any of those it could delay the project for decades. Thus planning and testing are important. Already around town we’ve seen rigs poking
holes in the proposed path of the new tunnel to verify what might be down
there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">During the actual tunnel operation that Verizon guy will be
yelling “Can you hear me now?” If anyone
in the bus tunnel hears him then they have to back up and try again. Maybe they could get an iPhone and just ask
it. We at the Lake Boren Rapid Transit
Report have many suggestions (actually Glen, the Lake Boren Carp) for how to
avoid hitting existing tunnels. I
imagine WashDOT has its own suggestions.
Theirs is probably “Don’t punch a hole in another tunnel.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Another key to
successful tunneling is to make sure the TBM doesn’t get stuck. That’s what happened in the Brightwater
discharge tunnel. The plant sits over in
Woodinville and they want to run clean former sewage through the tunnel to
Puget Sound. The plant has plenty of
cleaning processes so the waste water should be OK for the fish. Anyway, during the digging a machine got
stuck. They couldn’t move it any
direction now matter how hard they cussed.
Finally a world class tunnel rat worked it out. Whew!
Lucky for us that fiasco was hidden underground or we might have had
Occupy Brightwater.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the other characteristics of boring a big tunnel is
they need a huge staging area. They need
to dig a big hole and assemble the boring machine down there. They need a place to pile up the tunnel
lining modules before hauling them into the tunnel. They need room for the muck they pull out
behind the TBM. That muck has to be
trucked to Maple Valley. That means they
also need room for big trucks to turn around, load up, and head out. There will be several construction trailers,
big orange machines, and hundreds of feet of rented fence. That fence is to keep me out because
otherwise I’d be right there watching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The plan is to open the new tunnel in about 2006. We don’t think they’ll make it. But if we keep our fingers crossed they might
get started before summer. They’ve
already torn down about a mile of the viaduct to make room for the huge staging
area. The rented fence is everywhere. Everyone grab a shovel and come on out to
Seattle and help out. It’s better than just
pitching a tent and complaining about everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Al<o:p></o:p></span></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-47583895303253752622011-12-03T09:59:00.001-08:002011-12-03T10:00:16.957-08:002011 Stumbling to a Close<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As a public service I’m going to provide a list of New Year’s
Resolutions. Later. As a preview: get a riding mower (unless you
already have one) and join a racing team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">First let’s review the year. Local municipal construction took a
break. They finally broke loose and
began the Newcastle Library and the Lake Boren Condos. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Everyone in Bellevue fought the light rail plans. Some are against it because it gets too close
to their house. Some are against it
because it’s too far from their house.
Some don’t like it because they think cars are a much better way to get
big spenders into Bellevue Square.
Others are against it because they just don’t like Bellevue. And everyone thinks it costs too much. So last month the plan was unanimously
approved. Pretty logical.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The Brightwater Sewage
Treatment project is wrapping up. Except
they now think there is too much capacity.
Kind of a funny thing to say.
Anyway, the point of the new plant was to provide sewage service to the
urban expansion in the north King and south Snohomish county interior. Most of the Greater Newcastle Metropolitan
area near water has a pipe that takes care of stuff. Unlike Costa Rica where you can’t flush
toilet paper because it makes the sewer back up. Thus the project to take care of the huge
future sewage problem is in question because the future has not yet arrived. More logic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lake Boren Park requires all pets to be on a leash. It’s part of the Newcastle leash law. The City Council has been discussing a
location for an official off-leash area for a long time. They (my understanding anyway) chose a
section of the new sports park down by May Creek. It’s a big undeveloped area where they intend
to build several ball fields and an ice rink or something. However, many pet owners use Lake Boren Park
to toss tennis balls to their unleashed pets.
Many. Every time I go there I see
dogs chasing tennis balls or squirrels.
It’s not a priority for enforcement.
What I don’t get is why the Council spends so much time talking about it
when the citizens have already made their choice. More logic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Alaska Way Viaduct is scheduled to be replaced by a
tunnel. The tunnel will connect the
existing SR 99 near the stadiums and the existing tunnel up north. One expects the project to bore into the soft
underbelly of Seattle and make a smoother commute. However, it seems that digging a tunnel
requires lots of closures of the existing viaduct. It’s above ground and normally tunnels go
underground. Oh, it turns out they need
a huge space for the construction stuff.
(Not the same “stuff” that goes to Brightwater.) So in order to get the big staging area they
need to remove the southern mile of the existing viaduct and make a
bypass. Just a few weeks
disruption. But it trains drivers for
what to expect when the viaduct finally closes for good. Clear?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On another front the SR 520 Floating Bridge is getting
tolls. They need to replace the bridge
since they think this one will sink in the next earthquake or an 80 MPH
wind. Apparently it’s fragile. To afford the new one they need to collect
money from people who use it. Starting last
spring. Except the company they hired to
put the tolling system in place was suddenly swamped with contracts from
several other projects around the country.
They had to rapidly expand in order to handle all the work and the newbies
were not up to speed. They think it’s
all ready to go now and tolling will start before the end of the year. So here’s the plan: make people using the
fragile old bridge pay a toll to sink it.
One imagines that if you happen to be on the bridge when it sinks you’ll
get a refund. It’s the logic I like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Museum of Flight near Boeing Field is building a large
hanger for the Space Shuttle full fuselage trainer. NASA has decided to give away the current
fleet to museums around the country.
Seattle gets the trainer. It’s
the same size as a regular shuttle except it doesn’t have wings and it never
flew into space. Regular shuttles can
fly on the back of a 747. NASA is taking
it apart and hopes to ship it to Seattle in the “Super Guppy” cargo plane. That means NASA is shipping plywood from
Texas to Seattle where one of the main industries is lumber.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">New Year’s Resolutions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t
sell your car yet because it’ll be another decade before Bellevue gets light
rail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Go
ahead and flush because we have enough sewage treatment capacity to handle it
for years to come. We might even take
some of Costa Rica’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Throw
tennis balls to Fido as much as you want.
He’ll enjoy it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Keep
away from SR 99 and SR 520 for the next 15 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Visit
the Museum of Flight often because it’s so big you won’t be able to see it all
in one visit. Resolution for next year:
visit again and see the full fuselage trainer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And,
of course, get a riding mower and soup it up for racing. Replace the blade with a discus because when
you flip it over you don’t want to hurt anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Prediction:
When the new SR 520 Floating Bridge opens they’ll have a parade of riding
mowers first over. You’ll be right there
with your 420 HP racer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Al<o:p></o:p></span></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-14271954786274113082011-11-28T10:54:00.001-08:002011-11-28T10:55:14.923-08:00Lake Boren Upscale<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We here at the Lake Boren Rapid Transit Report are always on
the lookout for ways to keep you informed.
The primary purpose is to remind everyone that we’re still on the
job. The secondary goal is to help you
understand what’s going on with the grand plan for a Rapid Transit Center on
the shores of Lake Boren. Last our
purpose is to make stuff up because the real news is just annoying.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sound Transit and the Bellevue City Council have been arguing
over the light rail route in Bellevue for years. In a stunning development the City Council
voted unanimously to approve the Sound Transit plan. The main point of the agreement was that
nobody is happy. In other words the
reason for the agreement is that everyone lost something.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We don’t need to get all in depth over it but the Evelyn Wood
version is that the route on Bellevue Way and 112<sup>th</sup> annoys the
lowest number of people. And those that
would be most annoyed will have their houses purchased so they can move to
Newcastle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Newcastle we’ll have a new library branch sometime next
fall. The steel frame is going up that
will hold up the weed covered roof. We
watched as they installed the cistern that will be used to water the
weeds. Apparently the point is that a
layer of dirt and live vegetation will provide adequate insulation for the main
part of the library.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the corner leading into the Safeway strip mall parking
area and the street the library is on they erected stop lights. Just like a big city we’ll have a crosswalk
and left turn arrow. For some reason
everything is installed but the lights have not been activated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Down the street some there’s a new condo growing out of the
ground that will have a commanding view of Lake Boren. During construction lulls one can look over
the trees and see another project on the far hillside. As a retired person I get to spend time
watching the projects slowly come to life.
Nobody pays me so I don’t care if I waste time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile over in Bellevue we have this light rail agreement
all approved and ready for the construction crews. Except for the legal issue about running the
tracks on I-90. Several cities across
the country have installed these light rail systems and they run them along
some of the streets taking up lanes where cars used to go. Here in the Greater Newcastle Metro Area we
have a street that was completely rebuilt to add transit down the middle and
still have two lanes going in each direction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We don’t know for sure if any of those projects actually use
an Interstate but I would bet some do. I
don’t go everywhere so I just don’t know.
Maybe that’s a good project for me; go everywhere and inspect light rail
systems. Would somebody pay me for that?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like to ride the rail once in awhile and watch how the
locals behave. That part of town where
it goes down the street has a large population of people who don’t speak
English. Most of them speak these Asian
dialects. Several are a little miffed
that the bus route they used to take to work has been discontinued and replaced
by the light rail. You can see signs
along the way expressing miffness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bellevue has a completely different kind of neighborhood that
will have a rail line running down the street.
Most of those people don’t speak anything but English. And they speak it very loudly when you
mention the light rail plan. Their signs
are bigger, too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make their point these anti rail people have joined to
form a protest group and their plan is to occupy Lake Boren. That’s right; they will pull up their hip
boots and wade into the lake with signs in all languages. Glen will be furious.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One result (we hope) is that they will raise the water level
and make it drain faster into Boren Creek.
When they are eventually evicted the lake will go way down and we can
see all the debris that’s been under water for years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the mean time architectural drawings of the palatial Lake
Boren Rapid Transit Center are progressing.
Plans call for a performing arts center, world class art museum, and a
dunk tank. At some point way out in the
future we’ll have trains from all over Puget Sound running right through
Newcastle. By that time we’ll probably
have a bullet train to Portland going.
It’ll be amazing. The Newcastle
City Council will probably do something to mess up the plans but until then we
can dream of how wonderful it’ll be when it’s all finished in 2182. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Al</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-22848121801425466402011-11-11T17:09:00.001-08:002011-11-11T17:21:42.679-08:00A Veteran's Road Trip<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYjNezY5WaYRBR-zrxGE7Ki6mqy1G6oBlR7FakavCdd9IlcFvm2Q6hyWyfXHj_Gn11Pj2_dOmIdgwS4_7xWUxQbBzsaA7Xt2QiMlN-9fCd8e_f6zIgfiN74S-KXwnijaY7JNJ1YKdh7oL/s1600/Al+up+a+creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYjNezY5WaYRBR-zrxGE7Ki6mqy1G6oBlR7FakavCdd9IlcFvm2Q6hyWyfXHj_Gn11Pj2_dOmIdgwS4_7xWUxQbBzsaA7Xt2QiMlN-9fCd8e_f6zIgfiN74S-KXwnijaY7JNJ1YKdh7oL/s320/Al+up+a+creek.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Long ago, before most of us were born, there were purported
to be massive sheets of ice covering most of Canada and some of the northern
tier of the US, and Texas. There is
ample evidence to support this purportation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Pleistocene has lasted for about 2.5 million years,
although many think it’s time has passed.
Anyway one of the features of this epoch (yes, I used that work right)
are the Ice Ages. Perhaps you’ve seen
the movie? There are those who wonder if
maybe we’re just experiencing a lull between glaciations. These and other mysteries of the planet will
be resolved in my upcoming best seller: <u>Al Explains Science</u>! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ice has an interesting tendency to melt and when it’s over
3,000 feet thick it can produce a lot of water.
Another thing the ice managed was to dam up valleys which in turn resulted
in lakes. One such lake is called
Glacial Lake Missoula. There were many others
but this one was a biggy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">J. Harlan Bretz long ago sometime last century suggested that
a large portion of Eastern Washington had been visited by enormous floods. He pointed to thousands of artifacts that
have turned out to be evidence of such floods.
At first he was concerned about mentioning this theory because he didn’t
know where the water came from. He
reasoned that glaciers were the source of the water but he also realized that
the runoff would not have produced the kinds of forces he thought were required
to do that much damage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Later other scientists found water lines high on the hills
around Missoula and realized that there was a lake there. That had to be the source of the great
flood. Evidence has also been found
which suggests it happened numerous times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At this point you may wish to check this story for
yourselves. I’ll wait. Take your time. Tumm Tee Tum Tum… See?
Told ya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And getting around to what this report is about; this week leading
up to Veteran’s Day we took off to visit the coulees of Eastern
Washington. Coulee is the name give to
drainage channels and it is applied to many features in the area. The ice berg topped water from Montana roared
down across the basalt lava fields and cut channels. Some of the channels are quite deep. One is called Grand Coulee. It’s near the Grand Coulee Dam. That’s what runs my toaster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We visited the Grand Coulee, Dry Falls, Lake Lenore Caves,
and Banks Lake. These are even more
interesting when you have some idea how they were formed. At the lower end of the Grand Coulee, near
Quincy, you can see a lot of basalt debris that was washed out of the coulees
during the floods. This is part of
Harlan’s evidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Quincy also has large Internet server installations. That’s because being near the Grand Coulee Dam
electricity is cheap (actually they got cheap electricity because they bought
the contracts from an old aluminum plants, but that’s yet another story for my
book). The other ample commodity is
water. Water is used to keep the
computers cool. The dam has scads of
water and eastern Washington farmers use it to raise billions of dollars in
crops. It’s delivered in irrigation
canals and one runs right by Quincy.
It’s an ideal spot for companies that need electricity and water in
large amounts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But that’s not the end of the trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We also visited Fairchild Air Force Base. Our intent was to see the B-52 that’s
allegedly parked there and open to the public.
Well, apparently the public is no longer welcome there. Since I’m part of the public I didn’t get
past the front gate. Apparently
Americans are a threat to America’s armed forces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So we wandered down to a wildlife refuge. We saw one magpie. There were no deer or antelope, no ducks, no
moose, no bear, or anything else. Oh,
there was a bus load of kids from a local school. Maybe there’s a connection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We saw plenty of wildlife just about everywhere else. Deer seem to be gathering in groups of 8 or
10. We also saw big horn sheep and a
plastic owl. Lots of hawks, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We visited Spokane where we saw something called the Bowl and
Pitcher. I think I figured out the
pitcher but not the bowl. Oh, well. What they are is great giant rocks in the
Spokane River. They remind some people
of the old bowl and pitcher that you find in museums depicting “pre-bathroom”
bedrooms. When you first woke up you
could pour some water into the bowl for a shave. I guess, how would I know, I’m not a
“pre-bathroom” person?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We drove up as far as we could on Mount Spokane. They ski there when the snow gets deep
enough. It’s nice to visit snow and then
turn around and get away from it. Living
with it all over the streets at home is not fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After the Spokane leg of the trip we returned westerly using
a route farther south in the state. We
saw several of the lesser coulees and flood features. It’s very interesting when you know what
you’re looking at. There are hawks
everywhere (except in the preserves).
They’re after rodents that live near the irrigated agriculture. Good for the hawks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The only wheat we saw was either already harvested or newly
planted winter wheat. Seems like there
are more sheep and llamas than there used to be. And more deer. I can tell them apart mostly because deer
have bigger ears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We arrived at a place in the Yakima Canyon called the Canyon
River Ranch. You can see pictures if you
check Google Images. They are in winter
rates so it was inexpensive. We saw big
horn sheep and more deer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here’s a really boring tidbit: we stayed in three different
places. All three were arranged so that
the bathroom was not next to the bedroom.
One was downstairs and the other two were diagonally across the main
room. OK, we stayed in “suites” which
are becoming more common among the motel set.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting that even though it was a hike to
the bathroom there were no “bowl and pitchers” in the bedrooms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On Veteran’s Day morning we checked the weather and they
expected 8 to 10 inches of snow in the passes.
So we packed up and came home. On
the way home we stopped off at Applebee’s for a free Veteran’s Day meal. Red Robin is doing that too. Kind of nice of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the requirements to prove veteranship is a photo in
uniform. I have a couple of those but I
wouldn’t want to let them out. I used
the one of me crossing an un-named creek in South Viet Nam. It worked.
There were lots of old persons there in VFW and Legion clothes and a few
actual military people in uniform. Very
crowded and yet a lot of fun. It was a
really good burger, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Al<o:p></o:p></span></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-47974529693774705112011-11-05T14:20:00.000-07:002011-11-05T14:20:57.688-07:00Lake Boren Flood ReportLake Boren is a nice little lake in glittering Newcastle, Washington. Over the years Glen, the Lake Boren carp, has worked hard to keep the lake level under control. Tirelessly, one might say. In 1996 Newcastle incorporated and as part of that they announced that the “city” was now responsible for control of the lake level.<br />
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<br />
That was easy to say since nobody at that time realized it might take a little effort. Water flows into the lake from the east and west. Water from the west is more of a trickle since storm drains take care of most of it. That’s because the contours of the land don’t result in a natural creek channel to the lake.<br />
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The east, however, has a natural contour that acts as a drain for a large portion of the hillside. It spills right into Lake Boren. That’s why Lake Boren Creek exits the south end of the lake and deposits the water into May Creek. Check Google Earth. <br />
<br />
One of the benefits is Lake Boren is pretty clean most of the time. Until recently, that is. Now it turns brown and goopy during heavy winter rains. Apparently it also gets into yards where it never did before. <br />
<br />
The problem is the hillside to the east has been extensively developed and more water finds its way into the drainage contour than before. The old forest used to soak up a lot of water. Now with houses, streets, and driveways more water runs down the hill. Add sprinkler systems and the occasional water balloon fight and it becomes a torrent. The golf course is also uphill from the lake and you know how much water that can produce.<br />
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Glen, the Lake Boren carp, has grown tired (remember tirelessly?) of doing work the city says it’s responsible for. He’s taken to traveling all over the world via the natural waterways to visit various pals, such as the Loch Ness Monster. This neglect has resulted in Lake Boren Creek becoming clogged with fallen trees and other stuff such as rocks and possibly silts. (Don’t ask me, Microsoft thinks silt should have an “s” on the end.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, folks living on the shore have noticed that the water comes up more than it used to. Newcastle thinks King County used to dredge the creek to keep it open before it became the city’s problem. They didn’t see any reason to do that during all the Coal Creek Parkway construction. And now they’ve let the creek get clogged.<br />
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So far not too funny. Here’s where it gets fun. The city has hired an engineering consultant firm to tell them how to deal with the water. I didn’t know they were asking or I would have told them for nothing. <br />
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This high dollar consultant will do a topographic survey, hydraulic analysis, and wetlands delineation. Then prepare topographic, profile, and cross-section maps. It’ll cost about a year’s salary. That’s before any work gets done. We’ll see them hiking all over Newcastle with tons of high priced gadgets and tape measures. We’ll know who they are by the hip waders and water wings. It could take dozens of minutes or even an hour to figure out which way the water runs. Hint; it’s downhill.<br />
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The result will be a couple of big trees worth of paper. Everyone in Newcastle will get something in the mail, probably. The city council will get the final report and recommendation for extensive work. There will be culverts, retaining walls, weirs, wetlands mitigation, jailhouse windows, and plenty of truckloads of dirt going to and from Maple Valley.<br />
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Don’t ask me what some of those things are. Can you put a weir near a jailhouse window? These are technical questions we need the consultants to answer.<br />
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At strategic points along the process we’ll get the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife all involved. Yeah, right, the Newcastle News says they might be able to finish the whole project by next summer. With the corps and the fish people are involved it’ll add a year each. <br />
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The eventual alleged work could cost well over $100,000. Newcastle doesn’t have that kind of money. Or they could apologize to Glen and he’ll clean out the creek for nothing. Well maybe a few hundred pounds of fresh oysters.<br />
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Meanwhile over in Bellevue (motto: we can’t possibly get any bigger, can we? YES!). They’re looking at building a basketball arena for an NBA team. The Seattle area still holds the rights to the “Sonics” name so all we need is an arena and a team. Bellevue has plenty of areas where that can happen.<br />
<br />
Bellevue also has kind of a confluence of freeways, except we’re going to get tolls on them at some point. Anyway, fans can get to the new arena. We also have bus service, Rapid Ride, and someday maybe light rail. In fact this kind of facility fits right into the grand plan for development in the Overlake area.<br />
<br />
A large basketball arena would be the focal point for eats and shops. If they do it right people going to and from games would spend lots of money nearby. <br />
<br />
Another kind of sport that can share the same arena is hockey. All you need to do is put refrigeration coils under the basketball floor and then flood it and freeze it. I hear there’s plenty of water available in Lake Boren.<br />
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A confederation of sports fans is proposing that we get the legislature to look at some kind of public funding package for the arena. Maybe they could hire those water consultants to draft a hydraulic analysis that includes using Lake Boren water for the ice. They would get rich. None of us could afford a ticket to a basketball game but we’d sure be proud of our fancy new arena. “Bellevue Sonics” has no charm or romance. Can you think of a better name? Submit your suggestions and win a free dinner at Gold Creek.<br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-60156490298399454942011-10-31T13:21:00.000-07:002011-10-31T13:21:16.640-07:00Stamping Out the Postal Service<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtxeS68CeeCunbMq62-cJMjM2pmiqBu7hJOeASq2Xxk5FH1gsEkWum3fNoDBm2wLeP3ex_U-5lxIJzxFX3-XxozwSoNiSMC2HD7oLYRWSdhJuJT4kauPbdS_l015mTixUdznQ2sRAwJQa/s1600/mailman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtxeS68CeeCunbMq62-cJMjM2pmiqBu7hJOeASq2Xxk5FH1gsEkWum3fNoDBm2wLeP3ex_U-5lxIJzxFX3-XxozwSoNiSMC2HD7oLYRWSdhJuJT4kauPbdS_l015mTixUdznQ2sRAwJQa/s320/mailman.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>Once in awhile we find ourselves in that situation where we need to send somebody a check or a birthday card or something. Wow! Another 44 cents out of the old bean money jar. And yet the post office says its going broke. Why is that?<br />
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<br />
<br />
Let’s look at a little history: In 1775 the Second Continental Congress decided that a Postmaster General should be appointed. Ben Franklin got the job. The task was to establish rates and deliver the mail. Simple enough. If people wanted to communicate farther than they could shout they sent a letter. The only other option was to get on the horse.<br />
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One of the main contributions of the post office in the US was transportation. At first they just carried mail around in saddle bags. Often these were attached to horses. Then the stagecoach, steamboat, railroad, automobile, bicycle, and airplane were used. These overlapped with each other and things like balloons and pneumatic tubes. Getting a mail contract financed transportation upgrades for many companies.<br />
<br />
The railroads improved the pickup and delivery process because of their speed and reliability. A train could travel in weather that stopped other forms of transportation. They picked up a bag of mail at a little town and dropped off a bag. The new mail was sorted as the train went to the next town. The postage paid for it.<br />
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Along the way people figured out ways to scam the mail contracts. In 1914 the Post Office got permission to establish its own fleet of mail vehicles to reduce fraud and abuse by contract carriers. Many of those original jeeps are still dropping off mail at households across the country. Except in rural areas where the letter carrier uses the family Prius.<br />
<br />
The Post Office has raised First Class Mail to 44 cents and it will probably go higher. Here’s the problem: First Class is the main source of revenue at the PO. All those catalogs, bills, and magazines just ride along when they deliver your first class mail. Notice anything in the last ten years or so? Along with all that other stuff you rarely get an actual full price letter. You can’t tell how much the other items cost but they aren’t 44 cents.<br />
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Sometime after the Nixon administration we got email. Now we can annoy hundreds of friends, relatives, and complete strangers whenever we want without paying any postage at all. Several email services are free. At least you think they’re free. You have to pay for access to the internet. That’s not free. It costs a lot more than stamps.<br />
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The Post Office should have seen the trend long ago when Al Gore invented the internet. Look what happened to package forwarding. The Post Office used to insist that all packages be wrapped in paper and tied with string. Remember that? Then suddenly along came some private package companies and they didn’t need the string. Just tape ‘er up and let ‘er go. The PO decided that was OK because they saw their business eroding.<br />
<br />
The package companies provided several improvements that the PO later adopted or ignored depending on what short sighted nimrod was in charge. Things were dicey for awhile until the PO found they could save by providing slower service. Oh, and not as reliable. That’s when they changed their name to “Postal Service.”<br />
<br />
But they still refused to see how the new process of communication among individuals could possibly be of interest to them. USPS was losing its main source of revenue to email. They were propped up by congress but the law says they have to pay their way.<br />
<br />
FedEx and UPS are doing the bulk of package hauling and the internet is doing the bulk of individual letters. The trend now is electronic bill paying. I don’t write checks any more. I get an email that says I owe my bookie some money (dang Colts are costing me a bundle) and I log on to my bank and tell them to pay the slime. The money is transferred electronically.<br />
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For those who don’t understand how money can be transferred electronically think of your toaster. When you stick a slice of bread in and punch the lever down the Grand Coulee Dam sends electricity to the toaster. At some point the bread pops up and it turns out to be toast. See the banks do the same thing: your bank stuffs your money into a thing that looks like a toaster and it pops up at the bookie’s bank as toast. Feel free to use this analogy to explain the internet to your friends. Send a thank you email to the Grand Coulee Dam.<br />
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The result is the Postal Service is losing money. They can’t continue delivering junk mail to every mailbox in America six days a week. We just load it into our recycle cans. They take it to the paper mill where it’s made into new paper. Then someone prints more junk on it and the postman/woman puts it back in your mailbox. What could be simpler?<br />
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That’s what I’m here for: tell you what could be simpler. Glen, the Lake Boren Carp, suggested the PO just hand over the whole thing to the garbage companies. They show up once a week to empty your cans and fill up your mailbox. After all they go around to every home just like the letter carrier. Just not as often.<br />
<br />
Another suggestion is to turn it all over to the private package forwarding people. We each choose our preferred company such as; UPS, FedEx, DHL, whatever, and then we choose our frequency. Maybe I want FedEx to bring my mail twice a week. I pay a monthly fee (electronically) and they do all the work. Seems simple enough. The big companies would take over the Post Office sorting and distribution centers. They might contract the Postal Service to do that part. What could possibly go wrong?<br />
<br />
Another tactic would be to simply reduce the number of deliveries from six per week to two or three. But that still doesn’t address the real issue. We need to stop the junk mail, recycle, and back to junk mail cycle. We should be able to opt out. Some places are doing that with phone books. You get on the web and choose which ones you want or don’t want. You should also be able to choose only those ads that pertain to places you shop. And you can tell political parties ONE flyer per candidate or issue, not 17. Every day I get something in the mail telling me to vote for someone after I’ve already sent in my ballot. Just stop it.<br />
<br />
Next you need to get an iPad or Kindle Fire or one of the lesser brands and get your magazines on it. You don’t really need paper magazines with all those cards falling out. Since your toaster is already connected to Grand Coulee Dam you just plug in your Kindle at night and in the morning you have a new magazine to read. Poof the PO problem is solved.<br />
<br />
Once again the Post Office improves transportation: reduce the number of little jeeps delivering mail, reduce the number of big trucks picking up your recycle bin, and save you the trouble of running to the super market to get the latest Enquirer issue.<br />
<br />
You’re welcome!<br />
<br />
AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-21336894072960531702011-10-26T12:34:00.000-07:002011-10-26T12:34:38.231-07:00Decisions to be Made Later<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaxgwOP4e-KiKCuoFDzqqNIeW66LUKXs4j7GGl8hFvTv3ro6WnBwauY6BpMQsbbVzeE26s_FX2DJ_ZmPvADpU04FIh0Cjm1Mrn0L3Xb_yo5SXa9aqoDMwpBJR61j2OZ_67pjzrtsVXdro/s1600/Car+cutout+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaxgwOP4e-KiKCuoFDzqqNIeW66LUKXs4j7GGl8hFvTv3ro6WnBwauY6BpMQsbbVzeE26s_FX2DJ_ZmPvADpU04FIh0Cjm1Mrn0L3Xb_yo5SXa9aqoDMwpBJR61j2OZ_67pjzrtsVXdro/s320/Car+cutout+A.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Alaska Way</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Viaduct is partly coming down. That roadway that’s been in danger of falling into Elliott Bay during an earthquake since sometime last century is finally getting some attention. The mayor of Seattle, Miker the biker, has been advocating we replace the viaduct with… nothing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s right; a 6 lane state highway just goes away. We can handle the traffic on city streets if everyone rides bikes to work. To help get the point across the parking fees have been rising like Godzilla from the bay and fines have gone bonkers as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main theme is to prevent cars from entering the city of Seattle. Get rid of roads and substantially increase parking costs. Don’t replace the SR 520 Bridge either. Now if we can get that sweet $4.00 gas back we’d have the perfect storm to ban cars from Seattle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s how it’s really going: The south mile of the viaduct is being removed (Christine’s big orange machine) to make way for the tunnel construction. That means they have to close the whole thing until they finish the new on-ramps that will be out of the way of the tunnel construction. WashDOT is doing that to help Seattle voters get a feel for how nice it would be if there was no replacement for the viaduct.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tunnel project is also a seawall project. Long ago, back when Seattle was wealthy from the Alaska Gold Rush bucks they decided the place was a little too hilly. So they got some steam shovels and big water cannons and leveled it out some. It’s still hilly but not so much. We call it the “Denny Regrade” area but most people (like Mayor Mike) probably don’t remember why we call it that. Denny was one of the Seattle pioneers along with a fellow named Boren, among others.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, the result of that old leveling project is that most of the soil on the waterfront is not as stable as it should be. They also built a seawall to keep Elliot Bay from reclaiming its old shoreline. That seawall can’t possibly hold the salt water out and the fill dirt in once the tunnel is dug. That’s why the tunnel project includes a seawall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tunnel boring machine has finally been extracted from the Bright Water Sewage Treatment tunnel so it’s time to start digging the new road. You’d think somebody would get the idea that we need more than one tunnel boring machine. Do I have to think of everything?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During this nine day closure Seattle traffic is really backing up. I know people who left for work Monday morning and haven’t been seen since. The backups extend to Portland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are different issues in Bellevue. Sound Transit has gotten approval to extend light rail over Lake Washington into Bellevue. The plan says they replace the I-90 reversible HOV lanes with light rail. As mitigation they intend to add another lane each way to the general purpose decks so car pools and busses can squeak by. That might actually be an improvement since right now the reverse commute direction gets backed up.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In order to get light rail into downtown they need to build the tracks somewhere. This is the issue. Nobody wants the trains near them. One plan was to use the old BNSF corridor that parallels I-405. But the folks who live in condos along the route are very much opposed to that plan and it adds distance. The other route is to head up Bellevue Way and then 112th to Main Street. That puts it in several dozen back yards. And a bunch of front yards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Neither of these routes is acceptable. A third alternative was to cross diagonally over the Bellefields Wetland area. That won’t even get off the ground. Don’t mess with the muskrats and their pals.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then to further confuse the issue somebody suggested that Sound Transit just buy a whole bunch of homes and use that as their route into downtown. The suggestion included elevating the track so that it reaches Main Street at the hilltop and would not require a tunnel. It would just run up 108th to the Transit Center. That opened a whole nother can of worms because everyone had already agreed that a surface route in downtown Bellevue just won’t work. I love these brilliant people!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What the Bellevue City Council wants is time. They can’t agree with each other or with Sound Transit. They hired a consulting firm to study the routes and explain the best choice. That was to be delivered long after Sound Transit decided a route and began design work. Whoa, give us more time to muddy the waters and find even worse proposals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then along comes the big shopping center owner who doesn’t want light rail in Bellevue at all. We don’t know why this dude is so set against the prospect of rapid transit but he’s got plenty of doubletalk to go with it.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At one point he filed a suit claiming Sound Transit can’t use the I-90 HOV lanes for light rail since it was built with gas tax money. Gas tax can only be used to build roadways so this hair is being split as well. The courts have made rulings but nobody understands what they said. So it’s still in the courts somewhere but we lost track of it. I think some judge in Moses Lake has it right now and its huntin’ season so no action.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along comes short sighted Tim who puts out an initiative to fog up the tolling plans WashDOT has worked so hard on. This is about the SR 520 Floating Bridge that’s in serious danger of sinking in an earthquake. They want to help finance a replacement with tolls. It’ll all be automated so drivers won’t have to stop at a toll booth. They started tolling last spring, no last summer, no maybe September, no maybe Christmas. We don’t know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The point Tim is trying to make is that you can’t have “unelected” officials setting tolls. He wants the legislature to set tolls. Right, they can’t tie their own shoes. And just to get the shopping center guy on board the initiative includes a provision that would deny Sound Transit use of the I-90 Bridge. Are we confused yet? Does this lead anywhere? Well guess what? The Bellevue City Council had a hearing on the tolling initiative and took a vote. The decision was to study it longer because they can’t make a decision. Hire another consultant and make sure the due date is after the election. Oh, and you can’t add tolling to the I-90 Bridge either. Everyone is worried that if we ever get SR 520 tolls going that drivers will use I-90 which is “free.” So we just toll I-90 and that will even out the traffic flow on the only two routes over Lake Washington.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s my solution: elect somebody <u>else</u>. City councils that can’t make decisions are not what we need. I just looked at my ballot for November. Sheesh! Guess who gets my write in vote for king of all Puget Sound transportation? Glen, the Lake Boren Carp!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Al</span><br />
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</span>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-63995688074779805682011-05-21T11:08:00.000-07:002011-05-21T11:08:33.863-07:00Hotel Basements with Light RailLight Rail will eventually come to Bellevue. We just don’t know where yet. But it keeps getting narrowed down.<br />
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The great and powerful of Bellevue’s business leaders (OK mostly just the one guy) filed a suit to try and stop the light rail from using the I-90 Express Lanes. That failed. When they built the highway they had that as part of a contingency plan. Using that plan Sound Transit purchased the express lanes from WSDOT during the Truman administration. So when the judge woke up during final arguments there was a great yawn. The ruling handed down went something like this: “Sound Transit already owns those lanes so there’s no issue.”<br />
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We here at Lake Boren Rapid Transit HQ applaud this ruling. But why couldn’t we get it months ago instead of going through all the motions? By the way, we applaud the ruling because it keeps the entertainment going.<br />
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Also months ago (it’s like watching a glacier) the Bellevue City Council hired a consultant to evaluate alternate routes. They don’t agree with the route Sound Transit has chosen but they’re confused about the costs and benefits of the alternatives. So “spend more money” is standard answer.<br />
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Several other powerful business leaders sent a letter to the Bellevue City Council telling them to get over their bickering and work with Sound Transit. Their point is it’s important to get the project going and all these delays just add cost and put off eventual benefits. <br />
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Sound Transit wants to hang a left off I-90 and head into Bellevue via Bellevue Way and 112th to Main Street. At Main they dive underground. Well it’s not really a dive so much as digging into the hillside. Bellevue agrees with the tunnel part, although there’s no boring money.<br />
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The problem is Bellevue doesn’t like giving up street space. The neighbors are complaining about the noise. They want to use the old BNSF corridor and somehow cut across Mercer Slough Nature Park. You need to get Google Maps to show this. MSNP (I can do it too) is a wetland full of peat and other waterlogged ground. It’s against the rules of nature to build railroads in places like this. BNSF is between 118th and I-405.<br />
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No matter which alternative gets chosen some folks will be evicted. Others will have commuter rail close to home. They assume neighbors will naturally use the light rail if it’s in the front yard. That allows them to claim 45,000 riders a day. I never learned this kind of math in school. These people must have gone to some management school where facts are what you say they are. <br />
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Ouch, that seemed a little grouchy. Let me see, where is this leading? Oh, yeah, once they’ve torn down a bunch of peoples’ houses and crossed over a protected wetland they get near Main Street. If the line is running up 112th Avenue NE they make a sharp turn and go underground right there at Main Street. However, if it’s meandering around in the Mercer Slough Nature Park there are a few things in the way before it gets there. Things like the Red Lion and Sheraton Hotels. These are large outfits.<br />
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My vision is that they just run the trains through the lobbies. There’s your riders right there. Travelers would put on a nice pin striped hotel terry robe and grab toast and coffee in the lobby café and then step on the train for a ride to the business meeting. No need for all that formal stuff, like getting dressed and waiting outside for the limo.<br />
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The study shows the numbers are not too different if you just use percentage. A little more cost here, a few more displaced citizens there, about the same to build in the peat bog as on a busy street. The main issue is the folks at Red Lion and Sheraton might get annoyed. But that’s what consultants are for. We’ll just add a footnote that says something about hotels more than 20 years old are pretty much ready for destruction anyway. Who knows, they’re the experts? Why should I solve all the problems?<br />
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Speaking of solving problems, I think the best way to deal with it is to just stay on the freeways. It’s already noisy there. Looking at the map again you can see that the line on I-90 gets right close to I-405. Just make the turn and head north on I-405. That eliminates all the noise issues along Bellevue Way and the condos along 118th which is the other noise sensitive area. <br />
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There’s a section of I-405 where the north and south lanes get separated. Use that as the tunnel entrance. Dive underground and head toward Main Street and just connect to the unfunded downtown tunnel. The only thing above ground would be parking garages.<br />
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You could have “hotel” stations where visitors in the Sheraton and Red Lion could just hop an elevator and drop down to the light rail. That would make Bellevue seem more like a big city. Fancy underground hotel stations, each with its own Starbuck's. But the point is we get this noisy thing below ground and that makes everyone happy. Let’s see, is there anyone out there that might get upset over this? Yeah, only those 45,000 daily riders and maybe a few taxpayers when they find out they have to pay for it. I don’t see a down side.<br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-46771481779355990582011-05-15T14:04:00.000-07:002011-05-15T14:04:27.120-07:00Washing Up in the SinkWell I’ve been suffering from writer’s cramp. Basically all my subjects are in stagnation. SR 520 Floating Bridge: tolling delayed but nothing else going on; Alaska Way Viaduct: Stupid mayor still trying to obstruct but neither side actually doing anything; Light Rail in Bellevue: City Council still squabbling and nobody has changed sides; Newcastle Library: still digging the foundation, nothing above ground yet. <br />
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And that’s about how most everything is going right now. One thing that’s changed is the price of gas: that $4 gas is about the best running stuff yet; I can’t wait to get below a quarter tank again so I can get me some more of that sweet, smooth runnin’ gas.<br />
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Therefore the Lake Boren Rapid Transit Report will attempt to give advice. The benefit of giving advice in a blog is that you don’t have to listen to anyone who doesn’t want advice.<br />
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Here’s my advice: get a riding mower – those things are so cool. You don’t need a lawn, just go drive it around the local park. Wait, no, that’s not it. The advice is “get a new bathroom sink.” But you need to follow these steps to maximize the fun:<br />
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First order a sink on the internet. Its best if the sink is not the right one for your bathroom. Find a cheap sink and order it.<br />
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Second get a really expensive faucet set since the current set is not compatible with your cheap new sink. This is a crucial step. If you don’t do these first two the rest is not much of an adventure.<br />
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Third take out the old sink and make sure it leaves the premises – recycle, Goodwill, dump, whatever. Just make sure you can’t use it again.<br />
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Forth you discover the random sink you bought on the internet won’t fit the hole where the old sink was. Act annoyed for several hours.<br />
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These next steps may not have to be in any particular order since you’ve already made it past the point of no return.<br />
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Contemplate the idea of rebuilding the bathroom countertop to fit the new sink. This is because the expensive faucet set you bought has passed the 30 day return period so now you really have to use it.<br />
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Discard the idea of rebuilding the countertop. This is just wise.<br />
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Sleep on it and use the other bathroom. You do have more than one, right? If not why did you mess up your one bathroom? Call a professional.<br />
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OK, now you’ve slept on it and the result is that precious faucet set is your biggest investment in the sink project and it’s pretty critical that you use it. So how do we do that with the lowest cost? That’s now the pacing item, as we used to say at work.<br />
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Brilliant idea at 3:00 am! Buy a new cheap sink that fits both the existing countertop hole and the new platinum faucet set. What a great idea! The key here is that a new sink is still a fraction the cost of that faucet set so this plan is the lowest cost alternative. And it achieves the original goal of getting a new bathroom sink.<br />
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The next steps involve a lot of labor and cussing. We’ve all done this so I won’t bore you. The result is a great new sink with a really snazzy faucet set and the same old countertop that really looks cool with the new sink. What a great job. It only cost double the original plan not counting that expensive faucet set (that we won’t mention the cost of).<br />
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Well, another job well done. Until somebody reminds me there’s a perfectly good new sink sitting in the guest bedroom closet. Oh, right, now we have an extra sink. How does one deal with that?<br />
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Here’s an idea: we have a summer place (rich people have these too, but we’re only “acting” rich; it’s not really ours). Wow this saga is not over. What great news. I’m still under 700 words and I’m aiming for 1000.<br />
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A long time ago the actual summer place owners added a bathroom. As a gesture of goodwill (that word again) we contributed a sink. Completely different type. It has legs and a way to hook it to the wall so it didn’t need a countertop. Well, before it got to the summer place somebody dropped it and it broke. No problem, that’s what they invented epoxy for. By the time I saw the sink again it was ready to be installed but had some really ugly epoxy seems. Imagine my surprise!<br />
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Well, amazingly it still holds water and the installation went according to the form book, as Bertie Wooster used to say. So we’ve had a broken bathroom sink in that summer place for a quarter century. Brilliant idea: since we now have an extra sink at home why not replace the epoxy laden sink?<br />
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But it requires a countertop. It’s not the kind you hook to a wall and support on a couple of legs. No problem! I just get a chunk of laminate and a little plywood and build a countertop. I can do that standing on my head, as Bertie Wooster also used to say. Bertie had a lot of cool sayings.<br />
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All I need to do is visit the local Ace and pick up a few things and poof we have a new sink in the summer place. How hard can that be?<br />
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Well, it turns out that here in the glittering Greater Newcastle Metropolitan Area you can’t get a small sink top size laminate (some of us call it Formica). It comes eight feet long. What am I going to do with the other six feet of For, (sorry) laminate? Maybe I can… no that makes a small project into a major project probably consuming my whole summer. I’m a busy man; I’m retired so I don’t have a lot of free time like when I was working.<br />
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In addition we have a heater under the sink because there’s no central heating. We need to make sure the countertop is fireproof. This means I can’t just slap a laminate on plywood. More complication and costs.<br />
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After discovering all this and before actually buying any materials I decided to see if there was a faucet set that could fit somebody’s budget that would also match the wrong sink I bought several months ago. Here’s the show stopper – nothing that fits that sink can be had for less than the cost of a brick of gold. Wait, that’s how we got into this fix.<br />
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Here’s our decision: (This is why everyone respects us from coast to coast and border to border.) We decided that the whole project would benefit from abandonment. Give the damn sink to the Goodwill and quit trying to fit that cheap-ass sink into places that cost an arm and a leg! The sink was cheap. Getting it installed is the cost generator. So that’s the advice from the Lake Boren Rapid Transit Report: If at first you run into a roadblock don’t defy the Revenuers just quit the moonshine business and do something more fun.<br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-72186512649226038782011-02-27T13:42:00.000-08:002011-02-27T13:42:30.685-08:00Sound Transit Off Leash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48agngWO_zAh0IvvYPQoPDaYv6OiQUpzY4oCtxRRrqAjBgI-7U13SwHMSxsqSyA4-H_yDZCsQ8033GouCrngl-GjrO_UJK6s3uzPCCntB5NExO07VhoLneREIOlU2GjJVEiN25mVJYfIr/s1600/Park+Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48agngWO_zAh0IvvYPQoPDaYv6OiQUpzY4oCtxRRrqAjBgI-7U13SwHMSxsqSyA4-H_yDZCsQ8033GouCrngl-GjrO_UJK6s3uzPCCntB5NExO07VhoLneREIOlU2GjJVEiN25mVJYfIr/s400/Park+Sign.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u>Welcome to Lake Boren Park and Rapid Transit (Do Not Enter) </u></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here in lala land, better known as the Newcastle/Bellevue area, we have a strict policy against dogs without leashes. Nominally the leash is also attached to a person. This is optional.</div><br />
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In order to alleviate this tethered person/dog scenario some of our parks have what’re known as “off leash” areas. Have you seen one of these? It’s interesting to see how some of these person/dog relationships are still in the stage where leadership is in question.<br />
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Newcastle has this wonderful grass covered area on the shore of Lake Boren called Lake Boren Park. Many people visit the park with a dog and a tennis ball throwing stick. The dogs are unleashed and spend quality time training their owners to throw tennis balls. There are little parking meter like stands where a person can get a little plastic bag. Dog owners know what to do with the little plastic bag.<br />
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The city council has this dream of installing an actual official “off leash” area in a Newcastle park. They finally made a decision about which park will get it. The newspaper claims they gave a “green light” to a dog park. How did they get “green light” when we’re talking about dogs and leashes? Oh, sorry, they just meant the council finally made a decision. Well I guess if you really need to save ink “green light” has fewer letters than “finally made a decision.”<br />
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There is also a group of Newcastle citizens called “Folks Loving (Etcetera) the Canine Heart” or something like that. Their nickname is F.L.E.T.C.H. They’re local vocal advocates for the off leash area. Apparently it costs about $25,000 to set up an “off leash” area. The Fletchers say they have no intention of contributing any funds to the project. Their only purpose is to make it clear they want an area where they can chase Fido with a little plastic bag without being arrested for a leash violation. For free.<br />
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Now the City Council is looking for funding. The approved (green light) plan is to put it in the undeveloped sports park down on Southeast 95th Way. Checking a map we discover its south of the May Creek Bridge. That’s right next to Renton. Renton has its own off leash area. It’s called “Renton.” So it should fit right in.<br />
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Meanwhile people in Newcastle will continue to use Lake Boren Park pretty much without concern since the police department is busy. Too much real crime, such as “failure to use a little plastic bag” to watch Fletchers learn how to throw tennis balls to loose dogs.<br />
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Meanwhile Bellevue Fletcher groups have been visiting the Bellevue City Council with a never ending stream of route proposals for light rail. The latest one involves placing the tracks in residential front yards along the west side of the street. In order to do that they would have to buy the properties. The people have stated they want to sell out. They want to live in Newcastle where light rail is at least 100 years away. And the off leash area is in Renton.<br />
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The process for advancing proposals to cities is to form some kind of Fletcher group that has a fun but official sounding name. The group has a number of meetings to formulate the proposal. I assume the membership changes rapidly until they agree on something. The key person who came up with the idea remains leader of the group and becomes the spokesperson at the council meeting. The others are the cheering squad.<br />
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The west side front yard proposal came from a Fletcher who has an interest in the businesses along the east side of the street. Across the street in those residential front yards is a much better placement. They apparently went door to door getting each owner to agree that they’d like to sell out and move. That must have been interesting. I wonder if it involved little plastic bags.<br />
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I’m going to form a group of Fletchers and propose the Bellevue route be relocated to Renton. They just split off Martin Luther King Jr. Way at the I-5 overpass on and head over the hill into Renton. Then run up from Renton along the old BNSF line to I-90. (Refer to your map to see how smart this is.) From there it’s up to which group of Fletchers Sound Transit and Bellevue decide has the best route through Bellevue. Have you seen the benefit of my idea? No need to mess with I-90.<br />
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Did you know that if you stand on the west end of I-90 in Seattle and close your eyes you can almost see all the way to Boston? That’s because standing on I-90 with your eyes closed is pretty much the last thing you’ll ever do. Some Fletcher will run over you.<br />
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Al<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mU4ex9iTW34hibbxQkKf5JpLOI2CopE2h2x33qIQrDETetwj6dAkPNzzBYgUbVtfto7kklCeYG6BWnrZH0FEeaYdUMkqrfbiUOH_gPGdRiA5jck0mwoHMEfVGYG46WAXlw1XCXy7PKQ8/s1600/Link+in+Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mU4ex9iTW34hibbxQkKf5JpLOI2CopE2h2x33qIQrDETetwj6dAkPNzzBYgUbVtfto7kklCeYG6BWnrZH0FEeaYdUMkqrfbiUOH_gPGdRiA5jck0mwoHMEfVGYG46WAXlw1XCXy7PKQ8/s400/Link+in+Lake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sound Transit Testing Link Train in Lake Boren</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-40384054337931128262011-02-20T17:08:00.000-08:002011-02-20T17:08:02.529-08:00The Future of High Speed Travel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8f4Gbh5WayVYkCLrMOqgMojLUwJYynUMRCZFT6qyTE0R5k5Byx68pU3n1BUF-XPJ-l61GiV1dFQP0CJ_RXxz4iwdVZmnt35Esl4WM9LC7uDOJa7EJ2zGIdJgSAwvg3RbVp6-yn5gBRd6n/s1600/AnalyticalEngine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8f4Gbh5WayVYkCLrMOqgMojLUwJYynUMRCZFT6qyTE0R5k5Byx68pU3n1BUF-XPJ-l61GiV1dFQP0CJ_RXxz4iwdVZmnt35Esl4WM9LC7uDOJa7EJ2zGIdJgSAwvg3RbVp6-yn5gBRd6n/s320/AnalyticalEngine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Most of us earth bound humans travel someplace during our lives. There are many ways to do that. Most of us have some kind of personal vehicle or a bus pass for nearby destinations. If it’s a long way off we generally fly. There are also boats, trains, cannons (if you belong to the circus), motorcycles, bicycles, Segways, and Areocars, to name a few. <br />
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Now let’s look into the future. Time Magazine (Feb 21, 2011) has a story about a group of people who developed a theory they call “Singularity.” The definition is “the moment when technological change becomes so rapid and profound; it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history.” Basically the time when computers are smarter than us.<br />
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I think its Moore’s Law that says the number of transistors that can be inexpensively placed on a circuit board doubles every two years. As we develop faster and faster processors and smaller memory chips the pace of change is also getting faster.<br />
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What the singularity guys are saying is that at some point not too far away (they mention 2045) computing power will surpass that of all human brains. At my house that was around 1994. OK, my wife is still much smarter than computers, but not me.<br />
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Another near magical development in the fabric of development (see, I told you I wasn’t very smart) is telecommuting. Sort of a high tech way to phone it in. This also is evolving. As internet speeds increase and more data can travel over the networks we can get more and more realistic as a fake presence. Right now we can sit in front of a computer in any location (with fast broadband) and talk to another person as if you’re in the same room. That person’s image is on your screen and your image is on their screen. You both speak in normal tones and you may forget you’re 3000 miles apart.<br />
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Companies are making portable robots whose function is to go to meetings for you. One is from a company called vgo Communications. It has a camera and a monitor on top and wheels, battery, and other works on the floor. It can move around. If you and another person each have one of those you just sit in front of it and have a discussion. Try to comb that mop before you make the connection.<br />
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Since it wheels around it can attend meetings almost like a person. Better, actually, because it’ll be on time. It can roll down the hall to another room, ride the elevator, take a lunch break, or several can gather in the broom closet and plot against the humans.<br />
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The name for this modern meeting attendance is “telepresence.” The robot carries on in meetings just as if you are there in person. For added fun you can make a video of yourself looking interested and then just play it in a loop so the folks in the meeting can’t see you making funny faces. If the people in the meeting don’t want the person 3000 miles away to see a stupid pie chart they just throw a towel over the robot.<br />
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Telepresence technology is a substitute to travel. As I said there are several companies making telepresence devices. They’re working very hard to simulate actually being there. They have conference rooms that are duplicated in all the locations with people who work together. The room has a round table that’s actually only half a table. The other half is a segmented video screen. When the meeting is going on people at the tables in many locations have the visual illusion they are all at the same table.<br />
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OK, now combine this telepresence technology and its evolution with the idea if Singularity and what have you got? That’s right! Nobody goes anywhere. We all have a camera mounted on a harness that hovers a few feet in front of our faces and someplace below that we have a screen. Since everyone has this we can virtually visit anyone at any time. There may be a few issues with the concept. If computers are so smart let them work out the issues. Why should I waste energy thinking when pretty soon that can be done for me?<br />
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The next step is even more illogical: humans become robots. The theory is that as artificial intelligence and computing power reach that Singularity thing we humans won’t be any smarter or better looking than we are today. In fact some of us may even look a little older. But if you want to continue living beyond the capability of your human body you just merge with a robot. Your body is no longer the vessel that carries you around. That Segway you bought becomes obsolete because your new robot body is even cooler.<br />
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Besides robots don’t eat anything, don’t need air or water, and would have a programmable sleep mode. All kinds of benefits. Here’s one to think about: space travel. First you get a bunch of people who have major curiosity about space. You convince them it would be a good idea to merge with robots and abandon those bodies that take so much maintenance. Load the robot/humans on a space ship and tell them to have a good rest. A few hundred light years away they arrive at a different planet that’s still inhabited by dinosaurs.<br />
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Or maybe we’ve been visited by robot beings from another planet and don’t even know it. Maybe they reached the Singularity point millions of years ago and their whole population eventually merged with robots until there weren’t any live beings left. Then their super brains figured out that their planet was on its last legs and they lit out in all directions to find new places to live. Sound familiar? Anyone have Kryptonite?<br />
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They wouldn’t need to carry food, water, air, or anything else but an propulsion energy source. Maybe some of those robots landed here. Think about it. Maybe you have a better explanation for the pyramids. (Hint; they weren’t built by Hebrew slaves)<br />
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One of the more timely benefits of the evolving computing power and telepresence is a reduction in our need to make arduous journeys. Lots of us still want to go on vacations and visit relatives and have fun. That’s just fine, go and have a good time. But who wants to fly overnight to Chicago for a 7 AM business meeting and fly back to the office for a 1 PM meeting with some dweeb who doesn’t show up because he’s flying to Dallas for a meeting that you should also attend? Everyone gets a good night’s sleep and then connects via telepresence and takes care of business.<br />
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Who needs high speed rail when we can have light speed virtual images? Just think, in 1910 cities had a spider web of streetcar tracks. 100 years later we’re spending billions to replace those tracks that we spent so much tearing up. I think 100 years from now we’ll again be without rails in our cities. Write this in your calendar and check on it in 100 years. Your robot will be amazed that I was right.<br />
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Oh, and just in case: keep your electrical outlets covered.<br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-49426630500221067672011-02-16T12:47:00.000-08:002011-02-16T12:47:07.593-08:00How do You Make Water Bright?Are you like me? Do you like sewage? Neither do I. Well our close personal friends over at King County (Motto: “Send us your money, please”) are helping to fix the problem. Apparently the problem they want to fix is too many of us flushing in the North King and South Snohomish county area. Please wait until 2012.<br />
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The fix is to construct a giant sewage treatment plant. Somebody decided “Brightwater” is a good name for it. “Brownwater” got fewer votes, along with “Dirtywater,” “Lifelesswater,” and “Smellywater.” The suggestions were many and the voting was lively. http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/North/Brightwater.aspx<br />
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Check the link if you think I’m kidding about the project. I have no idea how they really chose that name. Maybe they think once the water’s cleaned it’ll brighten up Puget Sound. Who knows?<br />
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Anyway, the project will be complete long before either the SR 520 Bridge replacement or the Alaska Way Viaduct replacement. That’s because this is a King County project and nobody messes with the King. Those other two are urgent and critical but then what’s more urgent than finally getting to flush?<br />
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Here’s the plan in a nutshell in case you don’t have time to read all the double talk on the web page. They take 114 acres that used to be auto wrecking yards and build a giant sewage treatment plant – a long way from Puget Sound. The actual plant only takes about 43 acres and the rest is PC area. Wetlands, habitats, trails, woods, etc. In other words don’t offend anyone. But it used to be auto wrecking yards so how much mitigation do we need?<br />
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Another large part of the project is what we call “tunnels.” People don’t normally like their sewage in open canals and they don’t even like big pipes on the surface. So put that stuff underground in very secure pipes.<br />
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They hired this tunnel boring machine and hollowed out several miles of dirt. These are lined with concrete to keep dirt from falling back into the tunnel. See in this area we had glaciers many years ago that left large quantities of gravel and loose rock and only a little actual dirt. So don’t look for the material being removed from these tunnels to go into your gardens. Maybe somebody in Maple Valley will wash the rocks and sell them for landscaping. Hang on a sec, I want to make a quick phone call.<br />
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OK, I’m back now. No, I can’t make a fortune washing rocks in Maple Valley.<br />
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Inside the tunnels they’re building pipelines that will bring the bad water into the plant and then send the bright water out to Puget Sound. Two way tunnels, what a great idea. Basically what they do is de-color the water so the fish won’t be offended. Maybe there’s more to it than that. It’s not my job to understand what goes on in those places. I just don’t know.<br />
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What I do understand is that running these pipes inside concrete lined tunnels provides good access. That way if they ever get a leak or somebody wants to add a connection they won’t have to spend all kinds of money digging up the pipes. They just walk into the tunnel, turn a few valves, and take care of the issue. Maybe a couple of hours tops.<br />
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Now we have these tunnels done. The boring machine has been hauled out and it’s just sitting there by I-405 not doing anything. What could we do with it? I know! We can move it to Bellevue and dig tunnels for the light rail. Start somewhere on Mercer Island and just keep going down in a general east and north direction. Add a few surface stations along the way so people can lower themselves to the trains. As long as it gets under all the utilities and waterways we should be OK.<br />
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Next make sure it gets under downtown Bellevue so that any foundation cracks in those high rise towers can be blamed on Sound Transit. The rest is simple. This eliminates the argument about where to lay the tracks from I-90 to downtown Bellevue.<br />
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Even better: Maybe we could start the tunnel over in Seattle. We could have waterproof tubes running about 100 feet below the surface of Lake Washington. The salmon would love it.<br />
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That would remove the issue about using the I-90 express lanes too. I don’t know how much I’ll get for this brilliant idea, but it should be a fortune. Don’t worry, I’ll share.<br />
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Wait, I got off the subject back there somewhere. Let me see…….. Oh, yeah!<br />
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We currently have two other sewage treatment plants operating in King County. One is on the shore of Puget Sound not too far north of downtown Seattle. That gives it direct access to send the “bright” water way out into the sound. The other one is located in Renton. That’s right, Renton. No surprise there. It dumps into the Green River which becomes the Duwamish right about the same place. What a coincidence.<br />
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The Duwamish River meanders through mostly industrial area on its way to Elliott Bay and then into Puget Sound. It gets mixed with the salt water.<br />
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Once Brightwater is on line it’ll also be releasing into Puget Sound. We have pods of killer whales out there and if the water isn’t bright enough they’ll be annoyed. They’re not called “killer whales” because of their cheerful smiles. The state runs ferry boats full of tasty people back and forth across Puget Sound. We don’t want the killer whales annoyed so rest assured these three plants will only let clean bright water out there. What could possibly go wrong? I wonder if we could get a cable stay bridge out if this somehow.<br />
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Al<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl70Ttjb_PU2pi7VClKCDZPWBwjhKkgYz-h33qN3GnGviLWR3hwfgN2S0oz3J-lSfJ2d2Z6EXcM3dzUHSYOeOSgJcASWt8BY2ptzVNtOGYyRUrnm15KHmHIx-q12FPMCS8OaXnU6EsInd/s1600/portbridge1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl70Ttjb_PU2pi7VClKCDZPWBwjhKkgYz-h33qN3GnGviLWR3hwfgN2S0oz3J-lSfJ2d2Z6EXcM3dzUHSYOeOSgJcASWt8BY2ptzVNtOGYyRUrnm15KHmHIx-q12FPMCS8OaXnU6EsInd/s320/portbridge1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-8345342889797237652011-02-15T14:48:00.000-08:002011-02-15T14:48:38.006-08:00Link Light Rail not on EastsideWe have grand plans to run the LINK Light Rail on the express lanes of I-90 from Seattle to Bellevue via Mercer Island. Once in Bellevue it’s supposed to turn left and head downtown to a fancy tunnel under the main office towers. Riders will have a space age underground station with elevators and everything. To save money they might opt for rope ladders but that’s still in negotiation.<br />
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Please refer to a map of Seattle/Bellevue in your handy Rand McNally. Upon leaving the downtown Bellevue tunnel the track will meander across I-405 somehow and follow a fun path through the Bell-Red area eventually to Redmond. Microsoft awaits. In about 2100 people will be able to ride a light rail all the way from Sea Tac International Airport to Redmond. How wonderful. We’ll have flying cars by then so the trains will be empty.<br />
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Here’s where we are today. Some important folks in Mercer Island and Bellevue have filed a suit to prevent the use of I-90 for light rail. The point they make is that we paid for the I-90 corridor with gas tax money and Washington State Law says you can’t use gas tax money for anything but roads.<br />
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The other side is interpreting the law to mean general transportation not specifically limited to rubber tire vehicles. This is being decided by the Washington State Supreme Court. Those guys. Anything that annoys the most people is pretty much what guides their decisions. The biggest trouble is figuring out what would annoy the most people in this case.<br />
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Lake Washington is a big gouge in the earth made during the last Ice Age. It’s very wide and very deep. We only have two bridge routes over the lake. Both are floating bridges because of the challenges. One is SR 520 and the other is I-90. The alternatives are going north or south around the lake. What a choice: you either face Bothell or Renton. Might as well stay home and telecommute. <br />
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It’s fairly certain we’ll have mandatory tolling on the SR 520 (Evergreen Point) Bridge very soon. We don’t know how many drivers will switch to I-90. Maybe lots. That means I-90 will get even more crowded. WashDOT says they expect drivers to sort out which route they can stand in a few weeks. If I-90 gets too bad they’ll try to figure out what to do next. Probably make people pay tolls on I-90 too. Again, might as well stay home.<br />
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Construction of a light rail will naturally take away at least one general purpose lane in addition to the express lanes on I-90. Construction crews need lots of room and they can’t share. So instead of five lanes into Seattle in the morning and five lanes out in the evening we’ll have two during construction. They promised us they would add a lane each way on the existing bridges. Budget cuts will prevent that as well.<br />
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Mercer Island is in the way. Once the glacier melted the original Americans found it hard to get across the lake so they began a project to dump lots of dirt and rocks so they could get over the lake without going via Renton or Bothell. It’s a landfill. Now people actually live there for reasons I have not yet determined. But I-90 uses it. Thus the light rail corridor would also use it.<br />
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The result of all this is nobody knows if we’ll get the tracks will get across the lake. <br />
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The other problem is Bellevue. There’s a heated debate over the route from I-90 into downtown. One plan has it run along, or possibly on, Bellevue Way. Currently that’s one of the main road connections from I-90 to downtown. Not during construction.<br />
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The other proposed route is to use the former railroad bed along I-405. In order to accommodate that route a brand new parking facility is proposed on the edge of I-90. There would be a station there. This route has been roundly criticized as going too far from where potential riders live. And that’s the point – the “potential riders” don’t want light rail anywhere near their homes. Thus they insist that the Bellevue Way proposal is bad.<br />
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Bellevue has a city council that makes decisions in the “best interests of its residents.” I have no idea if those decisions are based on logic or facts but at least they make decisions. So they decided to launch a three phase study on the route proposals to determine which one is. The first phase is costing $670,000 which is coming from the light rail budget. One has to assume that if the other two phases cost this much it will remove over $2 million from the budget. Light rail is already underfunded.<br />
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Oh yeah, that’s another issue: there’s not enough money to do this anyway. So what are we talking about here? There’s an underfunded plan to that’s in a political dispute, still being “studied,” and is challenged in the Supreme Court. Boy I’m looking forward to riding that sucker. <br />
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Meanwhile the Newcastle Library Branch is finally under construction. They’ve broken ground and are now actively digging a big hole in the ground. Trucks are running to Maple Valley and back with old dirt and new dirt. It’s a sight to see. I just hope the hole they are digging doesn’t run into the Brightwater Treatment Plant outfall tunnel. Nobody really knows where that thing runs.<br />
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Al<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDIxCI8QJkYAUqVqJDKYlai4K83kqwvyjnt04Qkt8xBHD2scn0b_Qu4B2LL4RekwSYWMtsGikCNYWg2LusR1XB7hSk5wDoM-898qW7GACu9zj6P8hunr2NgQnZ_rUHKDVjGTQfn9vsQbT/s1600/Newcastle+Library+underway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDIxCI8QJkYAUqVqJDKYlai4K83kqwvyjnt04Qkt8xBHD2scn0b_Qu4B2LL4RekwSYWMtsGikCNYWg2LusR1XB7hSk5wDoM-898qW7GACu9zj6P8hunr2NgQnZ_rUHKDVjGTQfn9vsQbT/s400/Newcastle+Library+underway.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-73006439263413456112010-12-18T11:27:00.000-08:002010-12-18T11:27:19.089-08:00DisclaimerBy the way, those who may ave thought I had a lousy time in Central America just remember - the Lake Boren Report is all in fun. We world famous comedy writers empahsize the minor insignificant stuff because it's hard to fill a 2000 word piece with "Oh, wow, that was really cool!" Too much syrup can make the pancakes hard to eat. So if you're planning a trip go ahead and go and have a good time. See the world and enjoy it.<br />
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Al<br />
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That little monkey was really cool!Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-34796296586047167742010-12-16T18:28:00.000-08:002010-12-16T18:28:37.563-08:00Visit a Banana Republic<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmU2pQbtd0y7w76DlvUTz1vJL-lOvDpIi0A44DHKgppq240boP1iW1P4KzonK8A2bQvzaAr8va3yrxWfyY6CEVmmGAoQ17rELMV9oBl0p8HHs-SW_H5RkdCFb8WTLCmzN1r1ybGsktO63/s1600/View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmU2pQbtd0y7w76DlvUTz1vJL-lOvDpIi0A44DHKgppq240boP1iW1P4KzonK8A2bQvzaAr8va3yrxWfyY6CEVmmGAoQ17rELMV9oBl0p8HHs-SW_H5RkdCFb8WTLCmzN1r1ybGsktO63/s640/View.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pacific Ocean During a Rare Sun Break</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Everyone should make the effort to visit a banana republic. Why? Well it’ll help you appreciate America more.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I recently visited Costa Rica where their money is made out of old beer cans and Kleenex. Here are a few travel tips you may not see in the guide books:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">• The cash value of an American $20 bill is 10000 Colones. A colon is flexible in value depending on what you’re trying to buy. If you want a $2 ticket to get into a park it’s around 7500 Colones, for example. Don’t try to pay with American money because you’ll get change in hundreds of colones. Seems like a lot but it ain’t. It’s not a rich country so one easy way to make money is a confusing exchange rate.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">• Don’t try to get around in a rental car. The roads are terrible. The drivers are terrible. They have millions of busses, shuttles, and taxis. Just get a pocket full of colones and be ready to hand over a handful whenever you see a bus driver. Even if he won’t pick you up just give him some money anyway. We Americans like to have control and freedom to move about on our own. I got a rental and a 35 mile trip can take over 4 hours unless you encounter traffic – then it’s longer.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">• GPS – if you want to know where you are take a GPS. It’s essential in a rental car but it can be handy without one. GPS Saga appears below.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">• Bathrooms are important – bring your own. The toilets in CR don’t work because Americans can’t deal with the requirement NOT to flush toilet paper. See, the sewer systems are so delicate they can’t handle TP. So if you flush TP don’t expect what you’ve always expected at home – sooner or later the toilet will rebel.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">• It rains in Central America. Bananas need a lot of water and so do dense jungles. That’s why a lot of them are located in Central America. You’ll need lots of clothes if you go there because all your stuff will get wet. Especially if you put your suitcase on the bathroom floor.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-l_FdPi4Ajl3UFs_RajaLBz3Lv8KpE7ToSgyrAZ52yl451AP6Uwl34FwYbcE1unRfHZc4Q6t8E46AsWP97CsU3Ki52EQYrwqcYU7Jhzh2dD6sREhjV9Igc0VWRVnNTSPt41SP9m6a0ie/s1600/Entrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-l_FdPi4Ajl3UFs_RajaLBz3Lv8KpE7ToSgyrAZ52yl451AP6Uwl34FwYbcE1unRfHZc4Q6t8E46AsWP97CsU3Ki52EQYrwqcYU7Jhzh2dD6sREhjV9Igc0VWRVnNTSPt41SP9m6a0ie/s400/Entrance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Our room entrance at La Posada Jungle</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">• Best places to stay don’t mean the most expensive. In fact it’s just the opposite. If you’d like a nice room try to find a small place where the owner takes personal charge of most of the services. You can get a load of laundry done in a couple hours. Those big fancy smancy resort destinations will take 24 hours and there’s a charge to wash each and every item. Then they deliver it to the wrong room anyway.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">• Telephones are a challenge. First of all don’t believe it when your trusted cell phone carrier promises you’ll have coverage. It’s a lie. If you really need a phone you have to rent one there and there’s a charge for each minute in addition to the rent. Plus, if other people are on the trip with you they won’t know your rented cell phone number unless you call them and tell them. That costs money. But their phone won’t work either so don’t even try it. There has to be a secret that I didn’t fathom. My rented phone had “No Service” but our guide on a jungle hike was getting calls. He knows the secret. I decided that I didn’t want to know the secret.</div><br />
• Heaters in rooms don’t exist. Normally in a tropical jungle you might think heat wouldn’t be needed. But if you’re 6000 feet above sea level it can get chilly at night. But no heat. No fans or AC either. Just vent windows. That way you can hear every word from the people down the hall wondering whose laundry came to their door (it’s yours).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfGUR1f0aKY6cgVjmvYHm-9vtvGMLyBclbx38UA8VeAEs-eFTAdyiqPlBstL9dIJ-5rjCxAhU4LctpVDHKu4SUrGr_WPcmIppRw0Oe6P3q1YBNrwGXHqKaFNZh1n_x7_LzAJfd3sbJn_o/s1600/Monkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfGUR1f0aKY6cgVjmvYHm-9vtvGMLyBclbx38UA8VeAEs-eFTAdyiqPlBstL9dIJ-5rjCxAhU4LctpVDHKu4SUrGr_WPcmIppRw0Oe6P3q1YBNrwGXHqKaFNZh1n_x7_LzAJfd3sbJn_o/s400/Monkey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He had a nearby room but didn't bother us much.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">• International Driver’s Permit – scam. Don’t bother. A valid American license is all you need to drive there. Plus more money. Your passport is all the identification you’ll need.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">• Passports are required. You won’t get there without one. Airports and customs places have scanners and they swipe your passport photo page. That gives them everything they need to know. Just make sure you apply for a passport in plenty of time because “rush” jobs cost extra and you can’t get one at the airport.</div><br />
• Be prepared for lines. I don’t know how many lines we stood during the trip. Mostly the lines are in the airports, but some are at the parks. I can’t imagine what it’s like in season.<br />
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GPS Saga: I got a Garmin last year when Amazon had a big price cut to help move inventory. Nice outfit for trips. (The one in my POV is built in.) I thought it would be good to take to Costa Rica since I would be renting a car. Actually you should take one even if you plan to use the busses.<br />
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Garmin doesn’t normally include Central America in their pre-loaded maps. But you can download them from the web. So I did. The instructions for transferring CR maps to my unit didn’t make sense. It wanted me to use something called Map Source. I remembered I had used that a few years ago so I hunted around and found the old CD. I loaded it on my PC and it actually worked (apparently). The message said something like “Congratulations you have successfully loaded Costa Rica on your device!” It required a 25 character password.<br />
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OK, so how do I verify that? I know! I’ll have it find a city that I know only exists in Costa Rica. Well, it couldn’t find it. Hours went by and still no success. OK, the message says the map was loaded successfully so I’ll just have to trust it. Besides I have a magic cell phone with GPS as a backup. What could possibly go wrong?<br />
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We arrived in Costa Rica and holed up in a motel at the airport the first night. Seemed easier to deal with the rental car first thing the next morning. Why pay rent until we actually need it, right? The following morning I went to the rental car office to pick up my 4WD heap. By that time I had accepted the fact that my cell phone that “would work just fine” would not work. The car rental office also had cell phones for rent. Cool.<br />
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As I rode over in the rental car company van I turned on my GPS to see how it displayed things. Well, by the time we arrived at the rental office it had not acquired satellites. There was another person in front of me so I stood by a big window to offer my GPS a clear view of the sky.<br />
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The person in front of me was not happy. The discussion was in Spanish but there’s a universal worldwide language called “Jerkola” and this person was fluent. He insisted on arguing with the one clerk for an hour. Even though I don’t speak the language I can understand when somebody is saying the same thing over and over again. It’s classic Jerkola.<br />
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During the extremely boring exchange I kept checking the GPS and it found itself after about 45 minutes. Great, at least that issue seems resolved. Now to hustle the jerk out of the way. I finally got my 4WD car rented and arranged for the cell phone to be delivered to the motel near the airport. Everything’s coming together.<br />
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When I started up the car I thought it would probably quit at some remote location because it sounded really bad. Then I realized it was diesel. Once it was out in the street it sounded a lot better.<br />
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The GPS turned out to be a real help. For one thing you can’t go places in a straight line. They have mountains and lakes and you have to go around everything; even cattle. The other problem is the horrible roads. In November they had 4 ½ feet of rain which means some of the hillsides were still covering some of the roads. Other roads have gargantuan potholes and most were just not wide enough, even where the pavement was good. So it was a challenge. Unless you are an absolute hard nose about having your own vehicle just take the busses. They crash rarely and the drivers know how to get around obstacles. <br />
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Anyway, the GPS saved us several times. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place where I was so confused about which way to go so often. When we left Monte Verde heading for Arenal Volcano I was positive we were going the wrong way. But eventually we found a town that was on the way and the landmarks kept coming up right. The GPS got us there. I was sure it was wrong. Lucky for me I decided to rely on it since I knew it was a small country and the worst we could do was still not too bad.<br />
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Here’s another tidbit for anyone who wants to visit one of these insect infested banana republics: go ahead and pay extra for a guide on jungle walks. We had a couple of really good guides and they helped a lot. Miguel at Manuel Antonio was the best. He pointed out varmints nobody else saw. The only problem was he was not interested in birds. The guide at Monte Verde Cloud Forest was interested in birds but couldn’t find any. At least we got some interesting information. You know they have bugs as big as small raccoons there?<br />
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Oh, and the rains of November weren’t really over. It rained a lot. Sometimes it rained so hard it woke us up at night. We live in the Greater Newcastle Metropolitan area where it seems to rain a lot, but it’s more of a persistent mist. Down there it really rains. People use umbrellas because raincoats get just as wet inside as outside. The only exception is in the high cloud forest where the wind blows constantly. Then you just get wet.<br />
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What about rapid transit? Nope! They have a four lane highway that runs thru San Jose and it’s regularly at a dead stop because some Jerkola in a rented car did something really stupid in front of a large truck. Crunch! Once that happens the local law comes out and chases everyone off the four lane. Bus and van drivers are good at avoiding those scenes. Luckily we didn’t spend much time in that mess.<br />
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They also have a toll road that’s four lane at random sections and sometimes not. The speed limit is in meters or something. It works out to about 50 mph. I was going 60 and cars went by us way faster than that. The biggest problem with the toll road is you need to pay cash and it’s hundreds of colones. Makes a guy nervous. “How much did we give that guy?”<br />
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You know what I didn’t see? Railroads. Given the condition of the highways (washed out dirt tracks in some places) I can’t imagine how they would keep two parallel rails from getting all jumbled up. My guess is Costa Rica won’t see rapid rail transit very soon.<br />
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Conclusion: Don’t go. If you do go take plenty of cash and dry clothing. Learn Spanish. It won’t do any good but it’ll give you the illusion you’re preparing for the trip. Oh, and say hello to Mike at La Posada Jungle. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohfzAMvb37xqJQx503wlvtFgxAflDFeEskE-Ps1X1C-Sbb0x6F4w6CYgXoMvguslATZNL9nPB_IJi8GbKMXi6jI6WhWWp4tZ1AOrixPabm4uJXeucJm4N_EHgqJ9DBvUDsJF-NAU5pzR2/s1600/Pool+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohfzAMvb37xqJQx503wlvtFgxAflDFeEskE-Ps1X1C-Sbb0x6F4w6CYgXoMvguslATZNL9nPB_IJi8GbKMXi6jI6WhWWp4tZ1AOrixPabm4uJXeucJm4N_EHgqJ9DBvUDsJF-NAU5pzR2/s320/Pool+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pool at La Posada on the Edge of Manuel Antonio NP</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Web Sites:</div><br />
http://www.laposadajungle.com/ Where we stayed at Manuel Antonio. Very quaint.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">http://www.manuelantoniopark.com/mapk/english/photogallery.html The park and lots of photos.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For birds search Google images “Costa Rica Birds” and see hundreds of photos of birds. We even saw a few. Elin saw a pair of resplendent quetzals. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/ Cloud Forest. We stayed at Hotel El Establo – didn’t really care for it. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">http://www.arenal.net/photo-gallery.htm Volcano area.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">http://www.arenal.net/observatory-lodge/ Where we stayed at the volcano. It’s within the potential blast zone for the next overdue eruption! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Al</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGz93W2NakDqy7A8DVXlZ3PwpmLsx3cHs72ZaYqmIUgpbhjGkr6EEOSCYJ81ax30Z95QzttWO__FeZNqtJGnkjyL0CTEezeCkwPq77mKiO9bpIWo4BYIG6eNqsXJj-geQGU52s3VuDYueX/s1600/Jungle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGz93W2NakDqy7A8DVXlZ3PwpmLsx3cHs72ZaYqmIUgpbhjGkr6EEOSCYJ81ax30Z95QzttWO__FeZNqtJGnkjyL0CTEezeCkwPq77mKiO9bpIWo4BYIG6eNqsXJj-geQGU52s3VuDYueX/s640/Jungle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Here's the Jungle Near Arenal Volcano</span></div>Al LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-50552520153121852022010-09-23T09:52:00.000-07:002010-09-23T09:52:00.460-07:00Elwha River RestorationThe Elwha River drains a portion of Olympic National Park near a place called Port Angeles. This is one of those city names that indicate it’s on the water. In fact Port Angeles is an actual port where ships dock. On a clear day you can see Canada.<br />
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There are two dams on the Elwha and they produce about enough electricity to power a couple of cell phones. That’s because in they were built before cell phones were invented. The Elwha Dam was built in 1913 and the Glines Canyon Dam was built in 1927. That was before Port Angeles had ever heard of the Grand Coulee Dam. People who lived there thought the world ended at the Hood Canal. Some people call it “Hood’s Canal” for some unknown reason.<br />
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In any case the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State used to be kind of a world of its own. The National Park was established in 1938 while everyone back east was distracted by issues such as the Dust Bowl and the Depression. They wanted a nice big park with big green trees and plenty of water.<br />
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Well, these two dams are really suffering from the ravages of time. They leak and they also block the salmon that we treasure so much. So the all powerful high potentates (me and the guvment) in 1992 decided to tear down the dams and restore the river so salmon could spawn.<br />
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Well, guess what? Work has begun. Bulldozers are clearing out the delta above the lake in order to… something something. Who knows why?<br />
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The complaint is that the trees that colonized the delta, which sits on the opposite end of the lake behind the Glines Canyon Dam, are bad. We need to remove those so we can restore that delta. That way in 30 years the salmon will be able to spawn there.<br />
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The real reason to remove the dams is they aren’t making that clean solid color electricity required to charge modern computers and iPods. They make plaid and paisley electricity only when they feel like it. Sometimes it has an Art Deco motif which interferes with the internet in some way. Port Angeles and the rest of the northern Olympic Peninsula need red, blue, yellow and sometimes green electricity. If you don’t believe me just cut a hole in your wall and look at the wires. See?<br />
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Another cool aspect of removing these two dams is that the demolition team will recycle the cement. True. They’ll haul it off to some grinding facility and turn it into gravel and dust. Then they can mix it with fresh cement and some of that newly released water to make biscuits or roads or something. Who knows what you make with recycled concrete?<br />
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Once they empty the lakes in an orderly fashion and complete the dam removal the old Elwha River will spend a few years washing lake sediment into the Samish Sea. It’s also supposed to help bolster something called Ediz Hook. That’s a sand spit that acts as a breakwater for Port Angeles. So besides lots of new cement biscuits and salmon the port gets more spit. Oh joy.<br />
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There are some other reasons to remove the dams. For one thing the upper lake, called Lake Mills Reservoir, is within the Olympic National Park. The rangers are against having that kind of municipal hydro facility in their park. They don’t like the plaid and paisley electricity running through their trees.<br />
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A fairly large reason is safety. See, back when the dams were built it was a different century. The problem is some people are a little concerned one or the other might lose its motivation and stop being so dam obstructionist. The resulting flood would be a disaster. So you can see this is right up there with the SR 520 floating bridge and Alaska Way Viaduct in urgency. Something we have to take care of immediately.<br />
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Which brings us to yet another interesting twist. Removal of these two dams was approved by congress in 1992. Official removal begins in 2012. Get out the calculator. If yours doesn’t have a decimal point don’t worry, the answer is in even numbers. <br />
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Don’t look for protest marches and enigmatic speeches by Seattle’s mayor. This deal looks like it’s actually going to happen. The river will be free flowing long before the final route decisions on light rail in Bellevue. Count on it. <br />
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Salmon have been hovering off the northern coast of Washington for 18 years waiting to spawn in Olympic National Park. They’ll soon qualify for the Golden Age Pass. It’ll all work out. <br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-49368061930564692022010-09-17T11:36:00.000-07:002010-09-17T11:36:05.345-07:00Floating A Supreme CourtHere’s what’s going’s on in Bellevue.<br />
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Kemper’s law suit has been submitted to the State Supreme Court on Olympia. Sounds all “Temple of the Gods” right? Anyway, that’s where the state government hangs out.<br />
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The main gist of the suit is that laying tracks on Interstate 90 is unconstitutional. That’s the favorite position when people don’t want something – claim it’s unconstitutional.<br />
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Let me outline the situation because I like to do outlines and this one is kind of fun. Streetcars came to Seattle over 100 years ago when the city was growing and people worked farther from home. It became difficult to ride the family mule to work every day. Roads were horrid and nobody could afford a car yet. So modern thinkers laid rails and put streetcars on them. People could hike down to the streetcar stop and ride to work.<br />
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Over the years the system was modernized and upgraded. Streets were improved and the public transportation system was reliable and kept getting faster. The whole experience was not that bad. They had newsboys at the stops so you could get the morning paper to read on the way to work. No TV so that’s how they got the news.<br />
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Things were changing, however. After WWII Americans could actually get cars that were reliable enough to drive every day. You had to be a part time mechanic to keep the older ones going. In addition many streets and roads had been paved. Cities had long since banned mules and horses from streets and had instituted such conveniences as signs and lights at intersections. People could drive to work, even in the big city.<br />
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Seattle was much larger after WWII because of a big wartime manufacturing establishment. A great many of the workers imported from rural America remained in the city where they could work and own a house and a car. Result: riding the streetcar got to be a bother. Ridership dropped and the city found other uses for the space taken up by the tracks. Eventually all city rail transit was removed. They still had busses that used those same paved roads as the cars.<br />
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OK, as time went on we got the Interstate Highway System. The great thinkers decided it was a good idea to run I-5 right through Seattle. Cool. They also added I-405 as a bypass on the east side of that big lake. I-90 came from Boston and finally banged right into I-5. Ribbons were cut and bands played.<br />
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Then came something that only a few people had foreseen; the oil crisis. “Gosh, what if we can’t get to work,” people began to say. So we passed some transportation proposals and we got stuff like Metro and Sound Transit.<br />
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Then came the big one: light rail. This was supposed to relieve traffic in every direction as far as the eye could see. Some people pointed out that we had a rail transit system in the past and we tore it up. Well this is better, it’s “light” rail so you won’t gain weight. Clever.<br />
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They drew big maps of where all the tracks would go and said it would take millions of cars off the roads. Great, everyone thought, I’ll have the roads to myself. So we voted YES and built the first line from the center of Seattle to the airport.<br />
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Now we’ve also started work on a line to the University north of the city and to Bellevue east of the city. The grand plan is to have a spider web of light rail eliminating the need for automobiles. Hooray, no more oil crisis.<br />
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But, wait, how do we get tracks across that big lake. It’s not a river that can be crossed by ordinary bridges. It’s very wide. It’s also very deep so you can’t build a causeway by dumping dirt into it. That’s how we got Mercer Island and as you can plainly see it didn’t work. The most feasible way to get over the lake is a floating bridge. It’s made up of a number of cement pontoons that are anchored to the bottom and hooked together with super glue.<br />
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That way you can have one pontoon that moves to let a big boat through, if you want to. Or you can just say “No big boats” and let it go at that.<br />
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But the point is we have this floating bridge with 6 general purpose lanes and 2 HOV lanes over the lake. Nobody wants to add another floating span next to it for light rail. So the plan is to use the HOV lanes for the light rail into Bellevue. Then add an extra lane to each direction and make it the HOV lane. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdseiBgjDfBI4pUf19MUcHjmwOBlrEBz7KA8u_GmCCaCIpPps_gjYp2NXzEppOONeIPoJD_PQC_PxVWRbj15jUU6WmjNdldVfR-1JrLy-Ph3I8AmtKz1y8XvaVZ_B03l5KGFE4LoN4eZ9/s1600/east-link-rendering.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdseiBgjDfBI4pUf19MUcHjmwOBlrEBz7KA8u_GmCCaCIpPps_gjYp2NXzEppOONeIPoJD_PQC_PxVWRbj15jUU6WmjNdldVfR-1JrLy-Ph3I8AmtKz1y8XvaVZ_B03l5KGFE4LoN4eZ9/s400/east-link-rendering.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I-90 Floating Bridge with Link Light Rail and HOV Lanes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Kemper, who has come out against the light rail plan from the beginning, says the State Constitution won’t allow the rails on the roadway. He says the bridge was built with gas tax money and the constitution says you can’t use gas tax money for anything but roads. So it’s gone to the Supreme Court for a decision.<br />
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That should be an interesting decision. Based on some of the past decisions from this group we could be looking at almost anything. They could say yes you can build tracks on the bridge but you have to remove them every night. <br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-20921863679213879002010-09-17T10:04:00.000-07:002010-09-17T10:04:36.098-07:00Getting Older and Losing PartsOnce you reach a certain age, mine, it begins to dawn on you that the old machine needs more maintenance than seems reasonable. There are lots of pills and lots of “you shouldn’t be doing that anymore” advice.<br />
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One of the biggies is people seem to want to cut you. They say stuff like, “that has to be removed.” You wonder why and they say well if you let it go it will only get worse. Worse than what? Worse than spending an afternoon completely unconscious? Seems like a decent trade.<br />
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What usually follows is a thing called a “Pre-Op” visit with the doc. This is where they explain everything they plan to do and then tell you all the things that can go wrong. If it’s a lady doctor (a lot of them are) you don’t want to get caught whimpering as the “things that could go wrong” list grows.<br />
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Of course your first question is, “Is this going to hurt?” My doc said, “Well once I stuck myself with the needle but usually I don’t get hurt at all, thanks for asking.” Ha ha, old doc joke.<br />
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Next you visit the pharmacy to pick up a bag of post-op pain pills. These are controlled substances so (depending on what state you live in) have to sign something indicating you understand it’s illegal to share. Dang. But wait, I thought as soon as the bad thingy was removed I’d be fine. Why do I need 40 pounds of pain pills???<br />
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Recovery period! OK, let’s do it. That recovery period sounds kind of fun. Lay around day and night watching TV and popping illegal pills. Just how long do I get to do that?<br />
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Anyway, it’s over until the next time my doc needs a new car.<br />
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Speaking of medical insurance: the program I got shuffled into when I turned 65 is not as much fun as before. It’s now a “supplemental” program. What does that mean? It doubles the number of papers I get in the mail after each medical care event. But don’t even try to understand what they say. Just pay the $2.01 beside the big red “PAY THIS AMOUNT” line.<br />
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Oh, and I don’t write checks anymore. It’s cool. A few years ago I jumped on this online banking service. I just log on and fill in amounts beside the names of billers and the bank electronically transfers the money under my account number. It’s safe and a lot cheaper than buying stamps. You probably do that too.<br />
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However some of the places where I have accounts have instituted their own online payment systems. They email me a bill and want me to log onto their web site and pay it there. I won’t do that. Because the next step is “Well, Al, since you pay online why don’t you set an automatic withdrawal so we can just snatch money from your bank without bothering you?”<br />
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I silently say “Why don’t you forget it?” and then hit the “No thanks” key. I don’t know how everyone else does it. I know a lot of people still write checks and buy stamps. Some people even put outgoing payments in their mailboxes on the street. Not a good idea.<br />
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One thing I need to say: I know I’m not the only one ever to have stuff removed. Everyone gets to do that as a reward for living. I got excellent care and now I have plenty of popcorn left over (I used it for ice bags). I expect to be back walking and biking shortly. Except the rain has started again. There must be a surgery for that. Oh, yeah, I could wear a raincoat.<br />
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Anyway, to everyone who endures the indignity of having stuff chopped out of the body my hat is off. Whoops, my doc says I have to keep my hat on or she’ll cut me for a completely different reason. They just don’t let it go do they?<br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-32709392296743733782010-07-09T10:19:00.000-07:002010-07-09T10:19:31.516-07:00High Speed Rail in AmericaI’ve been off meeting with my Bilderberg Group for a couple weeks. I’m back now. We finally decided where LeBron should play. At least now we know Miami won’t win the NBA title next year because you can’t have too many over paid prima donnas in one building. Their egos will collide. <br />
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Now for the main subject:<br />
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The French have a bunch of trains called TGV. Train Goes Vast or something like that in French. There are several things that make the TGV worth looking at for America. They’ve designed the power pickup to run on different voltages and either AC or DC. Heavy.<br />
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Oh, did I mention it’s electric? Electric trains. We had those when I was a kid. Anyway, the point is they don’t pollute so much. France has nuclear power plants that are much cleaner than coal.<br />
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The newest TGV track allows speeds up to 200 mph. That means people in France can go places without wasting a lot of time waiting for luggage that went to LA with all their guns. That allows them more time to waste watching soccer games.<br />
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The TGV runs very often. If you need to go someplace you just get down to the nearest station and catch the next train (if it stops). The availability rate is over 90 percent. That means only one out of ten is out of sorts at any given time. Not stopped on the tracks, just in the shop for a tuneup. The running reliability is even better. They rarely have service stoppage. They also have diesels spotted along the route for towing if it’s ever needed.<br />
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Here’s something a lot of us don’t realize: one key to people moving is that everyone has different purposes and time requirements. Some people want to leave early and get someplace for an appointment. Others are in no hurry and leaving any old time works just fine. Most people don’t want to mess around trying to figure out what time they have to be at the station. For example the NYC subways just come by one right after another. If you miss one you catch the next one. <br />
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If your system runs a rare mission, like three times a week, you have to build an elaborate reservation system that assigns seats and loses luggage. If you run 48 times a day you can ignore that nonsense. An example of poor service is the Washington State Ferry System. Capacity is way below demand because we can’t figure out how to buy new boats. Thus arriving at the dock “on time” does you no good – you won’t get on that boat anyway. Now they’ve installed a reservation system. No idea how that works, but the result is people sit on the dock for hours waiting for the next boat. Don’t promise to meet anyone on the other side at a specific time.<br />
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There are a few other lessons for America’s high speed rail planning. What France is finding is many passengers on their trains are French. It’s a bother but they seem to be coping. In America we hopefully won’t have to share the trains with too many French. <br />
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One of the big cost savers is that the train runs high speed out in the rural unwashed boonies and then takes slower existing tracks into the city. That means you don’t have to spend the National Budget building high speed tracks in the suburbs. They can run at 200 mph through the cow pastures and then slow down to deliver the shrieking passengers into Newcastle. They’re shrieking because somebody forgot to build fences to keep the cows off the tracks.<br />
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Trains going 200 mph with steel wheels on steel track take 2 miles or more to stop. Places where cars or pedestrians could get on the tracks have to be controlled. Americans are pretty stupid (OK maybe not all of us, just Republicans). People drive around the crossing barricades. The point is high speed train planning has to include ways to prevent the “I don’t care about no stinkin’ law” people from getting on the tracks. That automatically disqualifies California from ever having high speed rail.<br />
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Our President, Hopey, has announced that we need to immediately begin a program to install high speed broadband internet everywhere. See, it’s a theme. Everything has to be “high speed” these days. Remember how you used to get in line at the Foodarama behind people writing checks? You’d be behind a shopper with 50 items in the “8 items or less” line who waits until the clerk tells her the total price before she begins to dig her checkbook out of the carryon luggage she uses for a purse. Then during the check writing process we discover she failed third grade arithmetic. And the pen the clerk helpfully lends her won’t work. More and more of us use cards and it’s a lot quicker (high speed). Carryon luggage purse lady can’t remember her PIN so it wouldn’t help. And I lost track of what I was saying.<br />
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Oh, yeah: high speed is the key these days. You need to buy a car that can go 120 mph even though no state allows you to drive that fast (willingly). You need to get a phone with the highest “G” number in order to enjoy all the benefits of the “high speed” network they promised to install before your next birthday. And certainly your next computer has to be capable of high speed HD TeeVee and the latest high speed gaming. Does anyone know a real human being that actually plays these kill everything games online? Neither do I.<br />
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We were talking about high speed travel. Going on trips under 200 miles is easier on the train. As the trains go faster the mileage goes up. Now it’s easier to take the train for a trip of 400 miles. Basically it’s the amount of time we can go without strapping on the old feed bag. Have lunch in Memphis and dinner in New Orleans.<br />
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We’re looking at several routes here in America that could benefit from these high speed city to city links. People in Houston might want to zip over to Dallas for the rodeo. They’d probably stay home or drive rather than fly. That’s what the French are finding on their routes. Airline travel where TGV trains run has dropped as much as 25%. Many other people are going places they never went before just because it’s so easy.<br />
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We have a speedy Talgo train here that goes between Vancouver BC and Portland, OR. The main speed limitation is that it shares the tracks with freight trains. The track itself limits the speed. Door to door train ride from Seattle to Portland is already faster than flying. If they could speed up to 200 mph we’d all be shopping in sales tax free Portland. Umm, maybe Christine should consider that.<br />
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OK, what’s the plan for America? We don’t have one. The all powerful high potentates have decreed that we will move forward with high speed rail in several key locations around the country. Examples would be LA to San Fran (California is disqualified), Denver to Cheyenne, Cleveland to Miami… OK, I don’t know but then I’m not on the team making this stuff up.<br />
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I’m pretty sure whatever they come up with will work like our Ferry System. They’ll have tracks, overhead wires, and fancy logos with stars and stripes to help us remember which taxpayers are paying for it. I bet they won’t run often enough to attract riders and bring down per-passenger costs. They’ll defer buying adequate trainsets claiming “budget constraints” which will prevent them from reaching the efficiencies that could return the investment.<br />
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Maybe by 2100 when the whole country is one big city.<br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-2266055592684221822010-06-06T09:50:00.000-07:002010-06-06T09:50:20.032-07:00Boring Alaska Way ViaductA few weeks ago, in 2008, Christine promised she would personally destroy the Alaska Way Viaduct in 2012. She even bought a giant bulldozer. Well, we need to keep that dozer greased up because the viaduct is staying in place until the tunnel is ready.<br />
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Well, almost ready anyway. The issue is we won’t have a tunnel until 2016 or later (depending on a few factors, such as high tides and blue moons, etc.). Everyone realized that losing a six lane north-south corridor through downtown Seattle would cause traffic backups all the way to Olympia. That’s where Christine lives (until the next election).<br />
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No hurry; if you still want to drive the viaduct and look out over the waterfront it’ll be there a few more years. Unless the big one hits and the whole thing lands in Elliott Bay. See, they decided the risk of losing the viaduct in an earthquake was less than the risk of Seattle traffic jams in Olympia. It’s risk management.<br />
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The transportation people are seeking bids from boring contractors to dig a tunnel. Wait; that may not have come out right. How about contractors to dig the boring tunnel. Oh well.<br />
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It turns out one of the prime potential bidders (the paper used the word “poised” but I don’t use words like that so you won’t see “poised” in this blog. I’m too poised to use those kinds of words.) is in a legal dispute in Vancouver BC.<br />
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Vancouver was doing some tunnel work and this German company was the prime contractor. Their poised, sophisticated safety expert got all emotional over some loose rock in the tunnel and halted the boring project temporarily. The city was poised for completion of the project but the contractor wasn’t poised to finish. They got fired. “You can’t fire me, I QUIT!” was the response. “Oh yeah?” cried the city and large teams of poised lawyers filed suits.<br />
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OK, maybe I’m not too proud to use a word like “poised.” Is that such a bad thing?<br />
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In any case this German company, along with some pals from Nebraska, are among the potential bidders on the Alaska Way Viaduct Tunnel project. We need a new name for this thing. First of all the new tunnel won’t follow Alaska Way. It heads toward Redmond and swings back to Lake Union via Poulsbo. Well, maybe. Anyway, we can’t name it after our current and/or recent past Mayors due to their annoying opposition. Reference to state level politicians doesn’t seem right either, given the glacial rate at which they’ve moved on this “urgent emergency.”<br />
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Which leaves only one option: The Lake Boren Tunnel. Maybe it’s not actually located at Lake Boren but once you’re underground how do you know where you are? Besides it has a nice ring to it.<br />
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Speaking of nice rings a member of the Puyallup Tribe wants to rename Mt Rainier "Ti'Swaq." In fact he wants to rename a lot of places around here to their old Indian spiritual names before the casinos made them all rich. The goal, apparently, is to make the whole area unpronounceable. Good luck with that.<br />
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Meanwhile, Patty, one of our Washington delegation, wants to help the city of Bellevue with the Bel-Red Corridor proposal. Again, this is a place that could use a new name. In case you haven’t worked it out the term “Bel-Red” refers to the area’s location between Bellevue and Redmond. But it’s actually within Bellevue. They call it Bel-Red because nobody famous ever had anything to do with it. Maybe the Puyallup Tribe would like a crack at it.<br />
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The proposal for Bel-Red is very much like that “Urban Village” concept where you can live, work, and shop all within one block. That is if you only shop in a soap store and work in an espresso stand. The light rail train will go by every seven minutes.<br />
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Back to German contractors and the Viaduct project. I’ve been watching the local highways for a long time and there’s one thing they seem to have in common. Nothing ever happens quickly or cheaply. If you want a project to come in on time and under budget you need to double the time and triple the budget. Then you might hit it.<br />
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On the other hand the Great Slide on SR 410 actually closed the road and they built a bypass in record time. Really, it was fast. So I guess the way to get things moving is for the land to start the moving first. We’d like to skip that step on the Viaduct project. That could hurt people and we really don’t need any of that.<br />
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This emergency Alaska Way Viaduct project hasn’t even been bid yet and they expect to be able to remove the old structure in 2016. We’ll have flying cars by that time. But, assuming there’s no earthquake in the meantime, it’ll be pretty entertaining. I’m poised.<br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-86550427642414166732010-05-28T07:54:00.000-07:002010-05-28T07:54:50.106-07:00Sumpter Valley Dredge, Sumpter Oregon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5Vj1M6AwM7MTdCmgpzWZhmzJLsCMzHsDv2kKGkIYoLIHfYAj__NwqjhJE2dRrStk1Sybb4lkyGqOeQlC8W79wnGf6W3dsoNd9_V2CENw4NONvbQPTFAfL2m_XsmA0JILP15sDYYO9DMU/s1600/Dredge+scan.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5Vj1M6AwM7MTdCmgpzWZhmzJLsCMzHsDv2kKGkIYoLIHfYAj__NwqjhJE2dRrStk1Sybb4lkyGqOeQlC8W79wnGf6W3dsoNd9_V2CENw4NONvbQPTFAfL2m_XsmA0JILP15sDYYO9DMU/s640/Dredge+scan.bmp" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sumpter Valley Dredge - From Oregon State Parks and Recreation Pamphlet</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Long ago when the west was new a lot of our ancestors crisscrossed the mountains looking for gold. A few found it. Each time somebody found gold they’d whoop and holler so loud it was heard back east. The result was even more people tramping around looking for gold.<br />
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In school we learned about the California Gold Rush of 1849. That started a big migration west. There were more strikes over the years and each time it caused a new migration toward the alleged find. Some people never learn.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSAMzbCPt_5XAnfSy0mxxaLmJw8I9yrdoOCr9aDumnoLO58uNMhi7InyenlUMVEloISdPO5e-Ln3tvtbS57-dp_tUIUM_l_fXh8jgKsUKASDFosYdoOY1f1_cT_ANbazZkKLcECAZ826f/s1600/Overview+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSAMzbCPt_5XAnfSy0mxxaLmJw8I9yrdoOCr9aDumnoLO58uNMhi7InyenlUMVEloISdPO5e-Ln3tvtbS57-dp_tUIUM_l_fXh8jgKsUKASDFosYdoOY1f1_cT_ANbazZkKLcECAZ826f/s640/Overview+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Holmes Stereo Card - Uses Stereopticon Viewer</div><br />
The best way to make money during a gold rush was to sell stuff to the rushers. Washington State had a building boom around 1910 – 1911. Many of the rail lines, banks, and municipal buildings were built in that era. Why? Because somebody who couldn’t keep his mouth shut discovered gold in Alaska.<br />
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The Alaskans didn’t want thousands of bodies frozen in the snow so they made rules that anyone going to look for gold had to come with supplies. Tons of supplies. People in Washington, Oregon, and California sold tons of supplies to these gold seekers and financed a building boom.<br />
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In Oregon gold was being panned in mountain streams. The gold seeker washed creek gravel in a pan and got a little smidgen of gold dust. Lots of backbreaking work for a little bag of glitter. Some thought there had to be a better way. “Why not use some of them new fangled machines they got?” For example the telephone. Or the automobile? Something.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeaoWJqiFVCxkC4qmV-IeE1CWPg7iuwGl4iceLuc7rUcXJsRPiFj6t6rM3V2R6uSoC51kmIgNctpVnB6Z1TAVVrb68jj3pOFhb7rlz_evAQD4cZ85H6lcfgpK-iZAeiaIapz9VnlVxF2_/s1600/Drag+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeaoWJqiFVCxkC4qmV-IeE1CWPg7iuwGl4iceLuc7rUcXJsRPiFj6t6rM3V2R6uSoC51kmIgNctpVnB6Z1TAVVrb68jj3pOFhb7rlz_evAQD4cZ85H6lcfgpK-iZAeiaIapz9VnlVxF2_/s320/Drag+1.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Drag Line Bucket</div><br />
Some of the ideas were a little closer to addressing the problem. One idea focused on the steam shovel. They brought in drag line type shovels. A few of those buckets are still there. Very heavy to haul off. <br />
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But that still left the problem of finding a dude big enough to swirl the giant pan. “Hmm,” said several old timey gold seekers, “What we need is a machine that can scoop up the creek bottom and do all the panning too”<br />
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See, the issue is stream beds are full of large roundish rocks that are very hard to pan by hand. At least for those wimps. I can toss those things around like tiddly winks. But several people studied the problem. “There must be a way” they said to their donkeys as they sat by the stream panning.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXuZmmXk3SxSUquBjauiIsC5PaQDXvSbs3E_6QvT8JbMb4WV49GfSphUjIR9s3nbC9uzl09hqvYu5UGHGQRV1mt8Sv0ytn3Oo8j_SRyt7llhNtbPcmA0wLSYWuv1AAgTni-NBkbNfZozW/s1600/Bucket+Line.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDXuZmmXk3SxSUquBjauiIsC5PaQDXvSbs3E_6QvT8JbMb4WV49GfSphUjIR9s3nbC9uzl09hqvYu5UGHGQRV1mt8Sv0ytn3Oo8j_SRyt7llhNtbPcmA0wLSYWuv1AAgTni-NBkbNfZozW/s640/Bucket+Line.JPG" width="584" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dredge Bucket Line</div><br />
In New Zealand somebody invented a thing called a paddock dredge. Look at the photos. The short story is this: It’s a boat hull with a gold extraction factory sitting on top. It’s also called a Yuba Style dredge. The front end drags up buckets full of rocks, gravel, and gold. They sluice the gold and dump the rocks and gravel out the back. It makes its own moving pond and floats forward as it works.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVX9t0wZJCy3K8eFztokKf5dVUdRLLyK00ADEmpEIIJnhKaK9bCRVdpsEYARUxXiQwMnrgR4gvThKlWDGFqin4HHua9coT2HdXlk6p5OgUe3Z3cAyrRGZ1Hrr4wulhcVScxazVeOjEhz62/s1600/Bourne+Dredge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVX9t0wZJCy3K8eFztokKf5dVUdRLLyK00ADEmpEIIJnhKaK9bCRVdpsEYARUxXiQwMnrgR4gvThKlWDGFqin4HHua9coT2HdXlk6p5OgUe3Z3cAyrRGZ1Hrr4wulhcVScxazVeOjEhz62/s640/Bourne+Dredge.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dredge Hull Near Bourne in Its Pond</div><br />
The dredge in Sumpter is actually the third one. They two earlier ones. One built in 1913 and another in 1915. These two quit in the mid 1920s. Some of the hardware was removed and used to make a new one. On one end there’s a bucket ladder. It can reach down 13 feet. The buckets on the Sumpter Dredge could scoop up 9 cubic feet each at 25 buckets per minute. A lot faster than a pan. Plus a lot deeper.<br />
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The Sumpter Dredge could process 100 acres a year. Your assignment: Go to Google Earth and find Sumpter, Oregon. Zoom in close enough to see the little photo icons. Click on these and see photos. Then follow highway 410 southeast to highway 7. Continue to follow highway 7. See the odd looking grey land? Zoom in close and you’ll see the side to side deposits. These are the tailings from the dredges that worked the valley.<br />
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The paddock dredge on display in Sumpter is the last of three (or four) that worked the valley. It’s an amazing contraption that has to be visited to appreciate. The people of Sumpter and Baker City, as well as several others, got the dredge fit for visitors. Sumpter itself is made up to look like it did 100 years ago. They also have a railroad station in town. A narrow gage train carries tourists to McEwen and back during the warm months. I’m impressed that they made their town into a tourist destination to keep it alive. You can eat, camp, and wander around the state park. Train rides are also fun. Visit the dredge, it’s worth the trip.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DIHISFD15aYy_H1mZ7KmzANImUAUuLhXF6MsFZt4Ozpvb2bHjSNXVuwj-GE-_qqQ4EDaoIOoN_PGtcSI5r60ZuVDCC8YYcWSbzi6A0YxO4xfh0kfsAb7m4lrcpP-cNdTafIKR31Lv3yn/s1600/Dredge+Buckets+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DIHISFD15aYy_H1mZ7KmzANImUAUuLhXF6MsFZt4Ozpvb2bHjSNXVuwj-GE-_qqQ4EDaoIOoN_PGtcSI5r60ZuVDCC8YYcWSbzi6A0YxO4xfh0kfsAb7m4lrcpP-cNdTafIKR31Lv3yn/s400/Dredge+Buckets+01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dredge Buckets in Water Showing How They Scooped Up Rocks</div><br />
The Sumpter Valley Dredge was left in its pond when the dredging stopped in 1954. Another hull is up the road toward Bourne. A third is near the McEwen station. Those two are just rotting hulls and all the machinery has been removed.<br />
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In addition to the dredge and the railroad there are several old mining and logging artifacts on display. The map shows ghost towns in the area. Bourne is a ghost town. If you like having roads all to yourself eastern Oregon is the place to go.<br />
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AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8819157808053073453.post-33437768403914899272010-05-18T14:44:00.000-07:002010-05-18T14:44:25.369-07:00Bellevue Battles Nature<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eRhcDtdeACfw6oHRnqddI4Dr5FfsdB3HWwzMq7EMnjkkAegnXbBHSWVzSvmT0V-d_rWTj8wUZd3nW5UibexKZuf47XJ_KZPdreZVPV9wPbyRdQ4AHtXNRegQYBoKbAI3Wxi3iYB8g1hT/s1600/Not+Bellevue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eRhcDtdeACfw6oHRnqddI4Dr5FfsdB3HWwzMq7EMnjkkAegnXbBHSWVzSvmT0V-d_rWTj8wUZd3nW5UibexKZuf47XJ_KZPdreZVPV9wPbyRdQ4AHtXNRegQYBoKbAI3Wxi3iYB8g1hT/s640/Not+Bellevue.jpg" width="640" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PROBABLY NOT BELLEVUE</div>Long ago in internet terms Coal Creek Park belonged to King County. That was before King County was named after MLK. It used to be named after the Vice-President in the Franklin Pierce Administration to curry favor with DC. Pierce County was named after Hawkeye, ironically.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4UyiIODjUndH1k4GNB7cDi2g5o3zmBrjV5mgEuraE4MWZxAIYuA0vOb541gridBy9inqSYvfYanOaGAK3VegwrIKZQCYiwhHNTvWaFMcIwtk7r38EAn78hBfDpujZZ0YW8AlsX-avgr2/s1600/King.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4UyiIODjUndH1k4GNB7cDi2g5o3zmBrjV5mgEuraE4MWZxAIYuA0vOb541gridBy9inqSYvfYanOaGAK3VegwrIKZQCYiwhHNTvWaFMcIwtk7r38EAn78hBfDpujZZ0YW8AlsX-avgr2/s320/King.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
Then in a wave of political correctness they renamed the county after Martin Luther King. Maps could remain the same but all the stationary and business cards had to be changed to subsidize Office Depot or somebody.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_8oAxA0cCevyf45-neQ_8M-mc4AKyhSxJG42K2mQIh2_5xZTOGGHLkMkhtIa-7MNQ2lZtFnhBuNhX586AIwz_YYCCHLYrr3Eq1KMntAIk9ySyYtHwx9QQEPXdAEnM-A0x355Ekzo7VM6/s1600/CC+Park+Trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_8oAxA0cCevyf45-neQ_8M-mc4AKyhSxJG42K2mQIh2_5xZTOGGHLkMkhtIa-7MNQ2lZtFnhBuNhX586AIwz_YYCCHLYrr3Eq1KMntAIk9ySyYtHwx9QQEPXdAEnM-A0x355Ekzo7VM6/s320/CC+Park+Trail.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's a Trail in Coal Creek Park</div><br />
It all seemed quite reasonable and everyone was happy. Coal Creek Park has several hiking trails and millions of old deciduous trees that are falling to the ground due to natural processes. The longer lived evergreen trees could be seen growing up between all this downed wood. In 100 years it will be an evergreen park.<br />
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It turns out there was another problem with Coal Creek. The name is a big hint. A few years ago the county was sued over the coal residue that was still seeping out of the ground and allegedly polluting the creek. King County didn’t have the resources to clean up the creek because it was spending all its money on new stationary. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSko_WhsQQObrTO9ssQkNeTuXhd8l440iaj_J0Cw_KZVZsgs6d0GQJp7Nez7BKywdSxg2YEhTknhk7qeO2Bc8naT2S-i9J0vzqzX9dq8laJdZ7Um29DfgIOhMa4huMvwQkSU7JQX3vPqy/s1600/Creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSko_WhsQQObrTO9ssQkNeTuXhd8l440iaj_J0Cw_KZVZsgs6d0GQJp7Nez7BKywdSxg2YEhTknhk7qeO2Bc8naT2S-i9J0vzqzX9dq8laJdZ7Um29DfgIOhMa4huMvwQkSU7JQX3vPqy/s320/Creek.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Creek</div><br />
The county whined to the judge and here’s the resolution that cracks me up: The judge awarded custody of the park to Bellevue and then ordered Bellevue to clean up the pollution! Is the American legal system great or what?<br />
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Bellevue thought it was getting a new park and paid no attention to the cleanup requirement. The judge could have given it to Newcastle, except the judge probably lives there. Newcastle celebrated with all-night fireworks because it dodged that pile of warts.<br />
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See, the thing is, Coal Creek runs between Bellevue and Newcastle. It could have gone either way. For one thing part of the seepage probably comes from the fact that a construction landfill and golf course sit above many of the old coal mines. And they’re in Newcastle. <br />
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A few years have gone by. Here we are living in Martin Luther King County and Bellevue has been aging gracefully and learning to live with its new park. They just can’t figure out how to get light rail into downtown.<br />
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This week Bellevue announced that it is nearing completion of the Coal Creek cleanup project. The purpose of the project is to “reduce erosion and sedimentation, reduce flooding, improve water quality, and enhance fish habitat.” Pretty much my creed.<br />
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The last step to be done this summer is to build a sediment pond. Now I have to get in there and do some hikes to see what they did.<br />
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And in another park related convolution Bellevue has hired four separate contractors to study various aspects of the light rail route from I-90 into the south end of downtown. That means dealing with Bellefields.<br />
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Bellefields is a large natural area of wetlands that used to be under water until 100 or so years ago. When Lake Washington was lowered by the Ship Canal project this area of lake bottom emerged. Mercer Slough runs through it now. It collects runoff and drains into Lake Washington.<br />
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That area is also called the Mercer Slough Nature Park. The light rail project is called East Link. Everything has to have a name. Surrey Downs is the name of a neighborhood right south of the downtown business district in Bellevue. They have raised Mt. St. Helens over the idea of running light rail next to their neighborhood.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EPCIp-HgtZNUK_K0zxiU14sDSTNvETxB6Tv0dxrkOCgF4Zins312AyhkQ8CfNmw1TGawPEw-RZ7MuiJh_-ILZ-2DpMdi-fqsicBAzIR-Y7SsQB2buDGYDc984TAlNMUYK_TW57C8DYRr/s1600/Spring+plants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EPCIp-HgtZNUK_K0zxiU14sDSTNvETxB6Tv0dxrkOCgF4Zins312AyhkQ8CfNmw1TGawPEw-RZ7MuiJh_-ILZ-2DpMdi-fqsicBAzIR-Y7SsQB2buDGYDc984TAlNMUYK_TW57C8DYRr/s320/Spring+plants.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plants in Spring</div><br />
Surrey Downs residents have been practicing for many years. It’s a collection of nice single family homes and the city would love to bulldoze the whole place and allow big tax paying office buildings. So Surrey Downs folks have a lot of experience fighting City Hall so to speak.<br />
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In this battle they have the attention of everyone involved. Thus an alternative route was proposed that would run the light rail on the other side of the Bellefields Mercer Slough Nature Park area. This seemed like a decent way to avoid a Surrey Downs melt down. Well, guess what? The folks on the other side of Bellefields don’t want it either.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78grzPFFCZJk4rt-HqzQWC8SyUnmnFlUAlQWbs5M-Wxk_ZeHdNZJFId_RbVLaHAzbUkkvTNOUfsCmSPXvP5Z_ioPVPdZ-TtJkF26EWBjCz428A7tBBt4td7o9AeNiIPN5dIu5yIlXaxTr/s1600/Mail+Truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78grzPFFCZJk4rt-HqzQWC8SyUnmnFlUAlQWbs5M-Wxk_ZeHdNZJFId_RbVLaHAzbUkkvTNOUfsCmSPXvP5Z_ioPVPdZ-TtJkF26EWBjCz428A7tBBt4td7o9AeNiIPN5dIu5yIlXaxTr/s320/Mail+Truck.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Small Classic Car Collection</div><br />
Then somebody got the bright idea to run elevated diagonally across Bellefields to avoid both neighborhoods. But wait! It’s a wetland. You can’t do that. The Audubon Society had a cow. The result is there are three unacceptable alternatives to get light rail from I-90 into downtown Bellevue.<br />
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So Bellevue hired four consultants to figure out the best way. Why not five? That way you could have a tie breaker. Oh, why not one? Me. For a few hundred thousand I would be more than happy to solve the whole thing. These guys need some innovative thinking for once. I like cable stay bridges.<br />
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Just remember when all the dust settles and Mercer Slough Nature Park is in its pristine Coal Creek Park like natural state and a world class cable stay bridge is carrying commuter trains high above Surrey Downs into Bellevue THAT WAS MY IDEA. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisApr93W8ZK95dy1VudAhVyrbSpbSVyKTJ7FVYjNlkULcGa4-RkP-PwKPrk4YQbmYdF2XZ21erK4GQMwuhaFjfFI7IYm7ij9AJYTgBr-zChrSwiv0J69G7SPoB6iziHsLBYTdkmHp56lDE/s1600/Coal+Creek+Flooding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisApr93W8ZK95dy1VudAhVyrbSpbSVyKTJ7FVYjNlkULcGa4-RkP-PwKPrk4YQbmYdF2XZ21erK4GQMwuhaFjfFI7IYm7ij9AJYTgBr-zChrSwiv0J69G7SPoB6iziHsLBYTdkmHp56lDE/s400/Coal+Creek+Flooding.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Wet Season in Coal Creek Park</div><br />
AlAl LBRTRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07230970120767197498noreply@blogger.com1