March 29, 2007 by Brian.

Dan and I share an interest in aircraft and space vehicles, so we made a stop at the Pima Air and Space Museum. This one will be a little photo heavy, but there were a lot of neat aircraft there, so we took quite a few pictures (will take at least ten minutes to load). The first is my favorite.

Luckily, Dan-o is not yet thirty-five, so this scenario is not possible. Lord help us. Can you imagine a crazy, chew-spitting, carousing president? If not, just take a look above. Even scarier, he would have a huge arsenal at his disposal.

He probably wouldn’t be in Iraq though. He would just have them drop some bombs in the desert, while he and his “cabinet” sat around drinking beers and watching the fireworks. The world would be a lot more peaceful.

The photo above shows my favorite airplane, the F4U Corsair. It flew off of aircraft carriers and from land bases in WWII. It has 2,000 horsepower and can fly over 400 miles per hour, though control can be tough to master due to its long snout. It could also carry 2,500 .50 caliber rounds, which gave its six guns one full minute of continuous fire. That’s a lot of lead for this small plane. The japanese called it the “whistling death” from the noise made by the air cooling coils. Though I have always wanted to fly one, it’s $2,000,000 price tage means I won’t be flying one anytime soon.

“Revin’ up your engine, listenin’ to her howlin’ roar, metal under tension, beggin’ you to touch and go. Highway to the danger zone. Ride into the danger zone.” -From “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins, featured in every F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot’s favorite movie, “Top Gun.” This airplane was just recently retired. The F-18 Hornet now flies off of the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers. Sorry Maverick.

“This is a daylight raid, gentlemen. Air Force, Marines, Navy, everything we got. They’ve had three years to get ready for us. The most formidable air defenses in the history of warfare. Our job, the task of the Intruder, is to kill SAMs. Make no mistake about it, gentlemen, SAMs are where your ordnance goes. Otherwise, those B-52’s will be dead meat. We can expect a forest of SAMs and flak you can lay down on. We’ve got to cut a path through for the Air Force. We’ll be going in broad daylight with nothing to hide behind. We’ll be easy targets up there, gentlemen, but they’re counting on us. Lean into it. Let’s go downtown!” -From “Flight of the Inrtuder”

I forgot to write down what the name of this airplane was, but I thought it was neat because it gave a shout out to the best city in the world. Maybe someone out there knows what kind of airplane this is, since I neglected to write it down. 

Posted in Oddities and Miscellaneous | 1 Comment »

March 28, 2007 by Brian.

Hidden beneath the ground and out of sight, the Titan Missle System provided a healthy dose of deterence to a nuclear strike from the old U.S.S.R. At the height of the Cold War, these missles were at ready night and day, prepared to do the unthinkable. The silos themselves were completely isolated underground living and working areas for the U.S. Air Force crews. The systems of security and checks are fascinating, and the missle itself is a thought-provoking spectacle to gaze upon. Though I grew up with the idea of imminent nuclear war, it is still an insane thought that this and other nuclear systems were ready to wreak apocalyptic damage on our enemies from right beneath our very feet.

The tour provided by the volunteers at the Titan Missle Musuem were informative and captivating. I was impressed with their attention to detail and ability to answer our questions. I am speculating, but I am guessing that their enthusiasm is derived from the intensity and importance of their subject, the mighty Titan Missle, whose destructive power was unrivalled.

Posted in Oddities and Miscellaneous | No Comments »

March 27, 2007 by Brian.

After dropping off my friends, Teague and Steve, at the San Francisco Airport, I shot east overnight to Arizona and made it to Tucson, Arizona around midday to stay for awhile with my friend, Dan Woulf, and his parents, Dale and Jana. The Woulfs showed me the warmest of hospitality, and I am forever in their debt. Dan and I worked together in Seattle, before we both moved away. Dan and his parents are starting a Papa Murphy’s Restaurant and are relocating to Prescott. I look forward to visiting them again sometime soon.

While in Tucson, Dan and I played a couple of courses, but only one of them is worth mention, the Santa Cruz River Course. Since it is basically in the desert, the Santa Cruz River is subterrainian and all that is visible during the dry season is the dry river bed. The course is fairly flat, but the wind and Mesquite provide plenty of challenge. Watch out for going too far left or right, however. Dan had to climb down into the riverbed after a slice that the wind caught, and I tore the life out of a new cowboy snap shirt chasing a disc that hooked over a fence. What can I say? The Disc Golf Gods often demand sacrifice, but it is most always worth it.

Posted in Disc Golf | No Comments »

March 21, 2007 by Brian.

Steve, Teague, and I played another great course in the Bay Area of California near the City of Monterey, called The CSUMB Oaks Course. There are some interesting plants, terrain, and hole layouts here, as well as a beautiful grove of trees and moss that we couldn’t identify. Take a look and play the course when you are nearby. You can find it, as always, at the PDGA website listed to the left.

Posted in Disc Golf | No Comments »

March 20, 2007 by Brian.

Steve and Teague, who joined me on my adventure for their own vacations, are also big fans of the game of disc golf. I think that without reservation I can speak for them when I say that De La Viega in Santa Cruz, CA is the most amazing course any of us has ever played. Twenty-seven holes up and down the foothills provide all the challenge and grandueur that a disc golfer could ask for. The course has a propensity for swallowing discs, since sheer cliffs, gaping chasms, and heavy woods are to be found on many of the holes, but a disc or two is a small price to pay for the incredible experience of playing this course. The final hole is the reward for any moments of frustration and anguish from losing a favorite disc. Gazing down the foothills and across the bay before taking a shot on the most difficult disc golf hole I have ever encountered takes one’s breath away.

Posted in Disc Golf | 1 Comment »