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Just Ride.
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
been having some trouble getting interne access on my phone. Should be good now
Burnt toast Desert ride,
It’s been scorching hot here, we’ve already touched 110 degrees a couple of times. We are knee deep in our wildfire season, with a couple of really nasty ones burning right now, one is presently the largest fire in the country and one of the largest in Arizona history.
The last couple of days have been cooler than normal, with a morning low temp of about 75 degrees. I left the house at 8:00 am , it was 82 degrees out and climbing fast. I rode through a lot of farm country South of my house, skirted along the edges of Luke AFB, then made my way West to the White Tank Mountains.
The last time I was here, it was early in the year and everything was green and flowering. Now everything has taken on its normal , hot time of the year look......brown. Lots of brown.
To the casual observer, much of this desert appears dead and lifeless, but this is just a survival tactic here in the desert. Plants shut down and drop their leaves in an effort to conserve moisture, they can live like this for many months, the branches are still green inside and when the rainy season hits again they push out new leaves again and are reborn. Plants like this Brittle Bush, I have taken tons of photos of my bike parked in front of these shrubs, in the spring they are covered with soft grey foliage and masses of bright yellow daisy like flowers. This bush is still very much alive.
Also, even though you can’t see it, this area is teeming with life, tons of birds , reptiles, insects, rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, and ground squirrels. I saw a lot of wildlife but couldn’t get close enough to photograph any.
And check this fellow out. I spotted this from the road , parked my bike and hiked out to it , to get a better photo of it. This is a rare mutation called a crested saguaro, the cause is a subject of debate, possible frost damage causes a growth irregularity, but only about one in 200,000 occur.
The saguaro flower is Arizona’s state flower. Did you notice the red on top of the arms? The flowers are white, and after they bloom , red plum size fruit form and when they’re ripe they split open and look like red flowers. The fruit is full of seeds and the birds absolutely devour them and then spread the seeds in their droppings. Nature is very clever, young saguaros need a little shade to help get established, the birds perch in trees and leave their droppings under the tree where the young saguaro can sprout and get some protection from the sun.
Speaking of trees, how about this desert ironwood. Check out how gnarled up the trunk is, it is probably quite old.
About a month ago there was a human caused brush fire here, fortunately they caught it fast and kept the damage down to 50 acres, you can imagine how all this dry grass and tinder goes up. The grass and bushes will come back quickly but the saguaros are a real loss, many of them are 100 years old.
By now the temps are up in the 90’s, the bike and I are getting hot , so it’s time to head back home. See what you guys back East are missing? Haha! Ok back to you guys, let’s see some GREEN!
Mailman out!
It’s been scorching hot here, we’ve already touched 110 degrees a couple of times. We are knee deep in our wildfire season, with a couple of really nasty ones burning right now, one is presently the largest fire in the country and one of the largest in Arizona history.
The last couple of days have been cooler than normal, with a morning low temp of about 75 degrees. I left the house at 8:00 am , it was 82 degrees out and climbing fast. I rode through a lot of farm country South of my house, skirted along the edges of Luke AFB, then made my way West to the White Tank Mountains.
The last time I was here, it was early in the year and everything was green and flowering. Now everything has taken on its normal , hot time of the year look......brown. Lots of brown.
To the casual observer, much of this desert appears dead and lifeless, but this is just a survival tactic here in the desert. Plants shut down and drop their leaves in an effort to conserve moisture, they can live like this for many months, the branches are still green inside and when the rainy season hits again they push out new leaves again and are reborn. Plants like this Brittle Bush, I have taken tons of photos of my bike parked in front of these shrubs, in the spring they are covered with soft grey foliage and masses of bright yellow daisy like flowers. This bush is still very much alive.
Also, even though you can’t see it, this area is teeming with life, tons of birds , reptiles, insects, rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, and ground squirrels. I saw a lot of wildlife but couldn’t get close enough to photograph any.
And check this fellow out. I spotted this from the road , parked my bike and hiked out to it , to get a better photo of it. This is a rare mutation called a crested saguaro, the cause is a subject of debate, possible frost damage causes a growth irregularity, but only about one in 200,000 occur.
The saguaro flower is Arizona’s state flower. Did you notice the red on top of the arms? The flowers are white, and after they bloom , red plum size fruit form and when they’re ripe they split open and look like red flowers. The fruit is full of seeds and the birds absolutely devour them and then spread the seeds in their droppings. Nature is very clever, young saguaros need a little shade to help get established, the birds perch in trees and leave their droppings under the tree where the young saguaro can sprout and get some protection from the sun.
Speaking of trees, how about this desert ironwood. Check out how gnarled up the trunk is, it is probably quite old.
About a month ago there was a human caused brush fire here, fortunately they caught it fast and kept the damage down to 50 acres, you can imagine how all this dry grass and tinder goes up. The grass and bushes will come back quickly but the saguaros are a real loss, many of them are 100 years old.
By now the temps are up in the 90’s, the bike and I are getting hot , so it’s time to head back home. See what you guys back East are missing? Haha! Ok back to you guys, let’s see some GREEN!
Mailman out!
Thanks for the travelog and glimpse into desert living Bob.
The masked rider strikes again!
Great photography.
The masked rider strikes again!
Great photography.
Thanks Mailman..Its so hot that i would be fartin' dust out there in convection oven land...
Sad to see Arizona on fire..The Bighorn fire has been burning for 2 weeks already..All they can do is try to keep structures from catching fire...But it is devastating the mountains...The Catalinas have always been my playground...
Sad to see Arizona on fire..The Bighorn fire has been burning for 2 weeks already..All they can do is try to keep structures from catching fire...But it is devastating the mountains...The Catalinas have always been my playground...
Pete,
Dude suggested blocked fuel cap vent. Had that problem once on Yamaha YDS7. Bloody thing would stutter, cough, stop. Like it had run out of fuel. Take the fuel cap off and look - plenty of fuel, so it would start again after a couple of kicks. Eventually diagnosed as blocked fuel cap vent - air rushed into tank as cap removed . . .
Years later, similar problem afflicted a Ducati. Set out for a ride, bike running just fine, sun in the sky, all's well with the world. Cough, splutter, nearly dies, we can't go on like this, pull over, engine stops. Check fuel - plenty. After a few minutes, bike starts readily and carries on just fine. It was a new bike so consulted the Ducati dealer - Snells in Alton, a lovely little family-run independent - who told me it was carb icing. Even on a hot day, the venturi cooling effect was freezing the water content in fuel, blocking the carb jets. The Ducati solution, which worked, was an ugly rat's nest of braided lines routing hot oil on it's way to the oil cooler through a specially-designed float chamber to warm the fuel.
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yup - I am going to check that out just as soon as I get a little further down Cathie’s honey-do list.
I'm more inclined to think it's carb ice as Raymond suggests. A plugged tank vent wouldn't fix itself "on the fly" as Pete says his bike does... cough sputter... recover.
Contrary to how it was explained to Raymond, it's moisture in the air, not the fuel that causes carb ice. The two main reasons are the pressure drop in the venturi and the evaporative cooling effect from the fuel being atomized.... think swamp cooler here.
Per the Combined Gas Laws, a drop in pressure gives a corresponding (and linear) drop in temperature. Since the dew point of air varies with temp, a drop in pressure can drop the temp below the dew point and allow the moisture in the air to form droplets. If the temp drop is large enough, those droplets turn into ice... disrupting air flow and sometimes plugging fuel jets... sputtering and popping follows.
When the sputtering starts, the instinctive (and sometimes subconscious) reaction is to add throttle. This raises pressure in the venturi... which also raises the temperature... back above the dew point and above the freezing point. Within seconds, the ice starts to melt away... the engines emits a huge fart, dislodging the remaining ice and normal operation returns.
All this can occur on a warm sunny day if the right conditions of temperature, pressure and humidity exist. On carbereted aircraft, there's a "Carb Heat" knob right next to the throttle. This diverts the incoming air across the exhaust manifold prior to entering the carb.... 100° hotter air than ambient. The POH tells you to pull carb heat on anytime you reduce power for descent. It gives no exceptions for higher temps. I've experienced carb ice turning downwind to base (yeah... forgot to pull the heat on) It gets your undivided attention. Pulling the heat knob and adding power lets the engine recover almost immediately.
As infrequently as it happens Pete... I'd just live with it.
Contrary to how it was explained to Raymond, it's moisture in the air, not the fuel that causes carb ice. The two main reasons are the pressure drop in the venturi and the evaporative cooling effect from the fuel being atomized.... think swamp cooler here.
Per the Combined Gas Laws, a drop in pressure gives a corresponding (and linear) drop in temperature. Since the dew point of air varies with temp, a drop in pressure can drop the temp below the dew point and allow the moisture in the air to form droplets. If the temp drop is large enough, those droplets turn into ice... disrupting air flow and sometimes plugging fuel jets... sputtering and popping follows.
When the sputtering starts, the instinctive (and sometimes subconscious) reaction is to add throttle. This raises pressure in the venturi... which also raises the temperature... back above the dew point and above the freezing point. Within seconds, the ice starts to melt away... the engines emits a huge fart
, dislodging the remaining ice and normal operation returns.All this can occur on a warm sunny day if the right conditions of temperature, pressure and humidity exist. On carbereted aircraft, there's a "Carb Heat" knob right next to the throttle. This diverts the incoming air across the exhaust manifold prior to entering the carb.... 100° hotter air than ambient. The POH tells you to pull carb heat on anytime you reduce power for descent. It gives no exceptions for higher temps. I've experienced carb ice turning downwind to base (yeah... forgot to pull the heat on
) It gets your undivided attention. Pulling the heat knob and adding power lets the engine recover almost immediately. As infrequently as it happens Pete... I'd just live with it.
Church as Old as the Country
Seen along River Road on a Father's day putt putt.
Cornerstone dates Bethel Church at 1867.
Setting up the shot and saw the odometer just turned to 20k; the last significant milestone was done on the Dragon at last fall's VYR Rally. Significant or a coincidence? Deep rabbit hole there for a rainy day.
Could just mean time for an oil change.
Tall Trees for you Greenery Starved Folks.
Right across the road from the church. Thames River (no not that one) is back in there somewhere, and the only reason this road has any curves on it.
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Looks nice - Bob amd Angus: two totally different ecosystems on the same weekend. Thanks for sharing - both of you!
I’ve been doing chores here (and not the fun kind) but that’s OK. It looks like we are brewing up a really good thunderstorm hereabouts - that should knock the edge off the humidity later this PM.
Pete
I’ve been doing chores here (and not the fun kind) but that’s OK. It looks like we are brewing up a really good thunderstorm hereabouts - that should knock the edge off the humidity later this PM.
Pete
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Like the rest of Tucson, I have a front row seat to this sad spectacle. It started out in the center section and it's been working it's way east due to the seasonal winds. Last week was really windy which did not help. Most mornings it looks like it's about out and by 2 pm its all back to full bore aflame. At night you see the red/yellow lines of the fire and the glow from the out of sight valleys. Almost like the replay of the '03 Aspen fire which took out Summerhaven and Ski Valley. Both locations rebuilt but you can still see the scars on some of the surviving trees and the decomposing ones.Thanks Mailman..Its so hot that i would be fartin' dust out there in convection oven land...
Quick method of ruling out the gas cap vent clog possibility:
put the bike out in the sun for a bit.
Mount her, and shake the bike violently, sloshing the contents.
There will be an immediate expansion of gases, and should be pushing out the vent , whistling like tea kettle.
I recall this 1600 VW bug engine I built in the early 80's with an aftermarket Skat intake manifold and Weber 2 barrel; the throat south of the carb would ice up even on warm days, absolutely perplexing me. There was no Google at the time to search out what this phenomenon was.I'm more inclined to think it's carb ice as Raymond suggests. A plugged tank vent wouldn't fix itself "on the fly" as Pete says his bike does... cough sputter... recover.
Contrary to how it was explained to Raymond, it's moisture in the air, not the fuel that causes carb ice. The two main reasons are the pressure drop in the venturi and the evaporative cooling effect from the fuel being atomized.... think swamp cooler here.
Per the Combined Gas Laws, a drop in pressure gives a corresponding (and linear) drop in temperature. Since the dew point of air varies with temp, a drop in pressure can drop the temp below the dew point and allow the moisture in the air to form droplets. If the temp drop is large enough, those droplets turn into ice... disrupting air flow and sometimes plugging fuel jets... sputtering and popping follows.
When the sputtering starts, the instinctive (and sometimes subconscious) reaction is to add throttle. This raises pressure in the venturi... which also raises the temperature... back above the dew point and above the freezing point. Within seconds, the ice starts to melt away... the engines emits a huge fart
All this can occur on a warm sunny day if the right conditions of temperature, pressure and humidity exist. On carbereted aircraft, there's a "Carb Heat" knob right next to the throttle. This diverts the incoming air across the exhaust manifold prior to entering the carb.... 100° hotter air than ambient. The POH tells you to pull carb heat on anytime you reduce power for descent. It gives no exceptions for higher temps. I've experienced carb ice turning downwind to base (yeah... forgot to pull the heat on
As infrequently as it happens Pete... I'd just live with it.
(notice the Triumph Bonneville on the right; that's the bike that is now in my living room)
.....and of course, doesn’t everyone have a Triumph Bonneville in their living room?
I have friends that live at Ventana canyon according to the news the fire would run out of fuel if it goes that way and ground crews can get a better handle on it..but without any significant rain in the forecast...I also have friends who were to told to evacuate their cabin in Spencer canyon..same as with the Aspen fire in 2003..Their property was spared last time..not sure whats going on now.. i have some other friends in Tucson on FB and they have been posting their pics almost daily...Trying to find up to date news is frustrating because i dont have Tucson TV stations and online their news service is way behind...I fear all the old growth forests that are so beautiful are gone..so much heavy smoke i have seen..that means alot of pine trees...I used to hike out of Summerhaven down to Marshall Gulch..out the Aspen Trail and then the Wilderness of rocks Tr...I recall huge old trees some dead and fallen across the Aspen Tr..climbing over a 5' diameter trunk of a pine tree...I cant imagine that even survived the Aspen fire...sorry to ramble..but this one has just made my heart sink....
It was in the upper 80's this morning when I went out on the '83 with the Gonzo box (Jack's Gonzo Project ignition http://www.xs650.com/threads/tci-replacement-2020-it-works.57388/page-32 ) installed for a longer test ride of 100 miles.
The heat had brought out lots of pretty girls in skimpy outfits at Skaneateles Lake Park.
On the backroads of Marietta, I heard sirens coming my way so I pulled over, coming upon the scene of an accident...
No, it was just someone's idea of having a little fun with an old tree trunk
.
The heat had brought out lots of pretty girls in skimpy outfits at Skaneateles Lake Park.
On the backroads of Marietta, I heard sirens coming my way so I pulled over, coming upon the scene of an accident...
No, it was just someone's idea of having a little fun with an old tree trunk
.
The heat had brought out lots of pretty girls in skimpy outfits at Skaneateles Lake Park.
Ummmmmm.....girls in skimpy outfits?
