Dr. Muir Wrote the VW Bible

This book came w/ my Westfalia. I read the first 100 pages in one sitting. That's gotta be some sort of record as I usually don't make it through the prologue.

I'll be researching within it for the cause of my fire although I think it was covered in the 100 pages I read. Author Dr. John Muir says the fastest way to burn up your aircooled VW is to drive it in too high of a gear around town. He specifically uses the third gear at 30 mph scenario. 

I have a sneaking suspicion Charlie Brown (not me) was running his motor too hard in too high of a gear. However, it was the only way it would even hold even close to a highway speed - all of 45 mph in 4th gear.

Here's my thesis - the aircooled van was overheating because the fan, which runs off the crank shaft, was not spinning fast enough to cool the motor. It doesn't explain what made the  engine compartment spew flames.

Chuck's new doctor, Bill at German Engineering in Olympia, suspects a wiring problem - basically a short that caused the motor to respond the way it did and finally caused the spark. He also suspects he can resurrect Chuck.

I wonder what the late Dr. Muir would have to say about trying to resurrect Charlie Brown.

"And the Flames Went Higher"

I didn't realize it was buring till I pulled over on the side of the road.

^This poor Westy didn't make it. Luckily that's not mine.

Just an hour before hand I'd picked Hannah up from school with Charlie Brown as promised. No sooner had I opened the door and she ran to the van, stretched out her arms and gave it as best a hug someone can - especially for a four-year-old.

Now Chuck was running a little bad as we left Aberdeen for the new house in Olympia - packed up with Lindsay's new iMac and most of our more valued posessions. I had to get the van up to Oly so I could work on the fuel starving issue. Basically it wouldn't take but a few gallons at the pump and then spew the rest.

I stopped about 1/4 of the way to Olympia to fill up my extra gas tank. I carry two extra gallons since the gas gauge is broken. One mile back on the highway poor Chuck could hardly hold 40 mph, so I stopped to let him cool down and breathe a bit.

Hannah wanted to know what was going on and so did I. No sooner had I noticed flames coming from the motor and tail pipe, jumped back inside, snatched her out - all while thinking about the fresh two gallons of gas sitting directly above the motor/fire.

I could have faught the fire w/ Hannah's tears as she cried for Charlie Brown, "he getting fired Daddy, Charlie Brown is buring all up!"

All our stuff and beloved Westfalia were going up in flames till a motivated citizen stopped to help out. I told him to leave the damn thing alone because of that gas, but he managed to use a balled up sweatshirt to get the back hatch open and removed the motor cover.

Just then, the first of two cops showed up w/ functioning fire extinguishers and hit the motor.

"Boy you're lucky we got that thing out," he said as flames started coming out of the dash board vents.

That's when he covered my dash and seat w/ fire retardant. I cringed as Hannah happily thanked the officers and firemen for saving her Charlie Brown. Maybe seeing things from Hannah's perspective is the best for this situation.

Chuck is now at the VW hospital of German Engineering here in Olympia. Bill, my new mechanic, says he can bring Charlie Brown back to life again. Actually, he used the term "resurrect."

Good thing.

The Attacks in Bremerton

Millions of people are recounting what they were doing this day, and likely this time, eight years ago.

Well I was here at Naval Station Kitsap (then called Naval Station Bremerton) - better yet trying to get here. The lines were three hours long. All anyone was trying to do was get to work knowing we were under attack. All anyone checking ID cards at the gate was trying to do was keep people out. It was a mess.

Right about this hour, Ryan Hicks, Barb Silkwood, Dave Rush and myself were glued to the television on board USS Abraham Lincoln in the ship yards here. Ironically Lincoln is currently back at the same berthing it was that day, and the public affairs staff is likely doing that very same thing this morning.

Just before the second tower fell - Dave Rush ordered us to turn off the "idiot box" and get back to work. He felt getting out the ship's newspaper was top priority. I'll never forget that as much as I won't forget the towers coming down and wondering if the attacks would continue to include our ship - the only aircraft carrier paralyzed in the ship yards.

Even as we turned back to work, I never realized how many lives the attacks would affect beyond the people who died that day - let alone my own. Lindsay and I got married less than a week later because of it. I couldn't listen to fireworks w/out thinking about attacks. I immediately began serving during war time. Of course the list goes on. Even today, I came back here to this base to be here because of what happened then.

Seeing the USS Abraham Lincoln in the yards and USS John C. Stennis pierside rotating radars tells me things are different for those Sailors. Now we're all either just waiting or expecting.

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap: Van Jones Scent

America can learn a lot from Van Jones by learning a little about that crazy guy who keeps you tingly in the shower and wrote that label you read while on the can. (Click to enlarge the photo).

Dr. Bronner was an incredibly eccentric dood. He descended from a long line of German Jew soapmakers and continued his family's tradition here in the states.

Among other notables, Dr. Bronner was diagnosed as insane and admitted to an asylum, although he just had a different take on people, life and spirit.

This is America, and he's allowed to be as eccentric or crazy as he wants to be. No matter how much he felt we needed to subscribe to the Moral ABCs, wake up and respect God's spaceship Earth and our brothers and sisters as well, it never interfered w/ his making kick-ass all-natural soap.

Millions of people still use his his now infamous castile soap for a myriad of applications - from bath soap to laundry detergent and toothpaste to carpet cleaner. Most people don't agree with his views, but he made some seriously awesome soap.

Well the same can be said for Van Jones. Mr. Jones' ideology is as radical as they come. He is not a politician by any means. He is an activist. After having studied Van Jones before he was appointed to Green Jobs, I could understand this. His radical and fresh ideas were just what this failing economy, built upon unhealthy and unsustainable practices needed - and now was perfect timing.

Things are changing as we rebuild our economy. Infusing more environmentally friendly practices makes sense. Creating jobs for displaced blue-collar workers makes sense. Creating new industries to help this country in the short and long terms makes sense. Cleaning up our industries is good.

I'm buying what he's selling when it comes to green jobs. But that doesn't mean I have to buy into everything he does or believes.

After all, we're all one trying to save God's spaceship Earth right? Maybe Dr. Bronner wasn't so nuts afterall.

The Edge of Never

 Eric Iberg hit me up the other day w/ an idea. How bout' premiering this movie in Olympia at the Capitol Theater. The answer is yes - because the very people in this story impacted my life so much.

One of the first things I remember from my first big ski assignment was meeting then Powder Magazine Editor Derek Taylor early 2004.

DT and I shared a couple beers and he told me about this kid running around. He was the son of the big-mountain pioneer and legend Trevor Petersen.

That was the definitive point where I knew the skiing world was something I'd be involved with for the rest of my life.

Trevor, like many other mountain men, died skiing the mountains he loved so much. His son Kye was not left alone afterward. Rather, he was proudly raised by his mother and father's friends and admirers - including a very proud Derek Taylor.

I admired DT's sincerity and commitment and agreed to work at his magazine the following year where Kye started showing up in ads, photos and stories.

All eyes have been on Kye as he matures into one of the most talented skiers on the planet. He teamed up with the late Peter Jennings and author Bill Kerig to produce a documentary of his journey to the very same run that claimed his father.

He is joined by his father's friends - ski legends Glen Plake and Mike Hattrup, Eric Pehota and others to go after a dream. Who isn't inspired by that?

So I'll be trying to put this showing together over the next few weeks. Wish me luck and come to the show!

Really Simple Syndication (stoopid!)

Well that's what RSS stands for - Really Simple Syndication.

And I finally got it working for this here blog thanks in no small part to Mr. Craig Wheeler. He found my silly error and now we're rolling!

You've probably seen this nice little icon all over the place and wondered what it is. Well it's how you subscribe to blogs. You click that little sucker wherever you see it and VOILA!

Now you get your favorite blogs (like Motion) fed to you every day.

Anyone w/ a Gmail account already has one of these in place. So just click that orange RSS icon and it will run you through the process. Then go to your Gmail homepage and look at the options across the top of the page. You'll see one called Reader. Click it. You can use that reader to view all your RSS feeds.

If you don't already have Gmail, I highly recommend it - no attachment size limits, chat, nearly unlimited storage and a plethora of other awesome stuff. Did I forget to mention the best spam filters?

RSS is great in the way it gives each of us the ability to publish our work. It's also a great way to get news and check up on your favorite sites w/out spending hours surfing and remembering through your bookmarks.