Blackstar

Ya, I was reading about the blanket thing the other day. I had a couple of others reason to bring it in. For 1, it was getting late and I was getting tired of going outside to check on it. And part of that was my new thermometer. So, with Christmas coming I told the wife I'd really like a wireless thermometer. She gave me an iGrill2 which is Bluetooth. Well, its supposed to have a 150' range but under actual use I find its good for about 30-40 feet. I have the smoker in a shed in the backyard to keep it out of the wind but if I close the shed door I have less range from the iGrill. Inside the house its intermittent at best with the shed door open. She paid $160 for it and did her research before buying but now I'm kinda shitting on it because the Bluetooth sucks. Should have got one that was wifi as we have a booster antenna only a few feet away.

Looks good.

Getting back to the original subject.... http://www.krtv.com/story/34264715/famed-ringling-brothers-circus-closing-after-more-than-100-years Ringling Brothers Circus is closing down after more than 100 years in operation, according to a press release from Feld Entertainment, which has owned the circus for the last 50 years. "I have made the difficult business decision that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® will hold its final performances in May of this year," CEO Kenneth Feld said. Marineland in Niagra Falls has been making the news with charges of animal abuse. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/marineland-facing-new-charges-of-animal-abuse-1.3233671 Not sure how I feel about this trend. I grew up going to the circus and animal parks.

Nice meeting you too. Thanks.

We could still be riding Leafers.

I'm see that. Forecast is worse now than a couple of days ago. I've got $800 worth of groceries in the clubhouse freezer.

Caught an old episode of the Sopranos the other day. I've had theme song in my head ever since. Who ever picked this to open the show was a genius.

Had to give up on the smoker. With the night time temps falling, the smoker was struggling to make 210 degrees. It was doing fine through the day time. After 9 hours, the butt was at 174. I wrapped it in foil and threw it in the oven to finish. It was tough to move cause it was falling apart. I had a sample. It's going to be a good lunch tomorrow.

Perogies.

8 lbs pork butt. Currently at 144.

A turbo'd 4 stroke in that light weight chassis. She's gonna fly.

I'm interested. Let me know what you need.

Seems strange he didn't just finish out his contract for the remaining year.

Yep, nothing but rain and warm temps for the next 2 weeks. Even with last nights rain we are still holding a base here but we will need fresh snow to open. This blows.

Gees, what's it really worth? I'd probably go about half what he's asking.

I agree. Some people get an attitude when you want to pass. When I pass people, I will usually cruise behind them for a while until I'm sure they know I'm there. I will wait until a road crossing and if at that point they don't allow me by then I find my own way around. As I get older, I find I am being passed more often, especially when riding with the wife. Most people do as I do, they wait then pass. I have also been passed by some assholes who go by at warpspeed before I even had a hint that they were coming.. I will also slow and move to the far right when I see approaching traffic. Some dude went by me yesterday at well passed the 50K limit and riding the center of the trail. A little respect goes a long way.

Actually, 02 is right. There is no dividing line on a trail. Riding the center allows the driver to react to either the left or right to avoid a hazard. There was an article in a sled mag about 12-14 years ago that explained this practice as "Gravel Road Rules". You run down the center of the road except in areas where you can't see an approaching vehicle or when a vehicle approaches. At those times, you slow down and move to the right. Maybe Putzer has a copy in his basement. Come to think of it. I have a pile of old mags stashed somewhere. I may have to do some digging.

Well, I prefer to ride my Cat. As you say, its been my ride for a year and I'm used to it. I like my mirrors, the higher bar height, the seat, etc....but.....(grab your dick putzer) the Cat is in my shop and waiting for parts. I decided to change the chain case fluid and have a look inside. When I removed the reverse gear actuator from the cover, one of the orings broke. I called 2 local dealers this morning and neither had one in stock. Both said Friday for delivery. WTF. The pair come in a pack for $.45. Every time you pull the actuator you risk damaging them. How can a Cat repair shop not stock them? I'm going to Rubberline here in town tomorrow.

Lake Conestogo Clubhouse.

Ad is down already. Did he take your etransfer Puzzle?

In typical TWN fashion, the forecast has again swung the other way. Now calling for 10 cms of snow followed by up to 35 mm of rain over a 2-3 day period.

It over heated. Blew the head gasket, oil mixed with the coolant which formed a gel plugging the water pump. I believe the damage was actually done the previous day to the big melt down while someone else was riding it. It was run down the side of a dry road. The rider told me they had seen the overheat warning come on the gauge. I wasn't too worried since I believed the ecu would shut the engine off if it got too hot to operate. But that's not how it works. The ECU will only shut the engine off if the engine is at idle. If you are on the throttle, it will run until it melts down. At the end of the previous day, the sled seemed to run fine as I took it to fuel up at a gas station 1 mile a way from where we stayed. The next day I didn't make it one mile and I noticed the temp gauge coming up. After 5 miles of trying to cool it down I stopped and the sled boiled down like I'd never seen before. Steam poured from every orifice and seam on the block. I sold it as a chassis. I warned the buyer that it was a massive melt down. He was sure he could save the motor. When they got the block out, it was so warped it could not be machined. Every part of the motor was toast. The sled was dismantled and sold off in parts.