No More Snow Please!

Another day trying to keep school buses going in the snow.
2 hour late start every wear, and every one was still running late.
It was going to warm up by 10 am but it just started snowing more.
You tell the driver, if there something wrong with the tire chains get the bus in so we and fix the problem, NOOOO we have to weight till they need the chains and there 30 mile from you to say. OH! one is broken, or don't fit the wheel or what ever.
It was one of those days,
I will be up at 4 am tomorrow to check roads and make a guess if the roads will be clear to drive a bus on.

28 Years and Holding

Febury 13 we'll be married 28 years, just seem like yesterday we where married in Okland CA.
We went to Brooking , Oregon on the cost. About 2 hours away.
We hike about 4 mile each day that we where there, on cost trail over looking the ocean.
We looked for 9 geocache and found 8. Had great fun, looking for these.

A Long Ways to Drive- 2.5 Million miles

This was so cool to see a every day car meaning a daily driver, Irv drove 1500 miles in the first 48 hours He had the car and then 250,000 mile in the 1st 5 years.
So facts like to drive 2.5 million miles at 50 mph would take 40,000 hours or

40,000 hours = 1,666 days = 4.7 years, this is 24/7 driving.
2.5 million miles @ 24 mpg = 104,166 gallens of gas at $2.00 per gal.= $208,333.00

Sixty-four-year-old retired science teacher and Long Island native Irv Gordon made history in 2002 when he reached a milestone no other individual had ever accomplished in more than 100 years of the automobile: driving two million miles in the same vehicle. He continues to break records with his latest one-car feat.
Four million kilometers is 2,485,484 miles, or put in a different way, Irv and his trusty Volvo P1800 have traveled the equivalent of ...

- Almost 100 times around the world (via the equator).
- Nearly five round-trips to the moon.
- 1,111.111* completions of the Tour de France (*recurring).
- 7,104 swims across the English Channel.
- More than 114 Great Races (New York to Paris).

In addition to Irv and his Volvo P1800's impressive mileage/kilometer score chart, they have racked up some other amazing numbers ...

- 710 oil changes. Irv recommends changing your oil every 3,500 miles
(5,632 km).
- 100,000 plus miles(160,934 km) per year since retiring in 1996.(275 miles a day)
- 0 false starts. Zero. Zip. Not even on the coldest of mornings.
- 0 replaced engines. The Volvo P1800 still has its original engine,
though it was rebuilt at around 675,000 miles (1,086,307 km).
- One new starter.
- $4,150. The cost of Irv's Volvo P1800 back in 1966. "The best
$4,150 I've ever spent."
- 99 tune-ups (every 25,000 miles, or 40,233 km).
- 8,285 tanks of gas (The Volvo gets 25 miles, or 40.23 km, per gallon).

This just make my back side hurt thinking about sitting in a car that long.

Walk, Walk, Walk

I have been walking evey night this week so far. Doing in threes, 1st night one mile, than 2nd night one and half miles, and 3rd night at two miles.
I don't know how long I can do this, but I been doing 3 days now.
At the 1st of December I started walking three days a week, but the bad weather got the best of me so, it didn't always work out.
Trying to get a little stronger for diving and hiking.

Nothing But Freezing and Snowing

Had great time at work, last week.
Started out with 2 hour delay on thursday the Jan11, than no school on Friday the Jan 12.
Had Monday off for the holiday that was good still very frozen, about 22 deg.
Than came Tuesday the Jan 16, school was on and it was about 20 deg. out and I got to the shop about 6:15am and help with the phones and all was going okay, till about 9:30am and it started to snow, and of couse the snow stuck very quick and it turned to a mess real quick.
School thought it was going get worses so, they going to sent every one home at 1:00pm when normal time is about 3:00pm it realy did help, because most the kids go home about 2 to 3 house late then they normaly did. The sherlf was closing road in a lot of place so are bus would be sitting for 2 to 3 hours, and some driver did know how or would not put the tire chains on. So I sent a mechanic out to help but he could not get there for about 3 hours.
Had 4 buses stuck in ditches that need a tow trucks to get them out, the next to the last bus was out of the ditch by 6:30pm, about 3 hours in the hole.
The last one that was pull that night was not out till about 8:30 pm.
Both need two truck to get them out. One bus the tow truck could not get, so we left it till Wednesday. I left the shop about 7:30pm and was home about 8:15pm.
There was no school on Wednesday, thanks goodness.
So we left the chain on all of the bus and thought that we would be ready if it started snowing again, we end up pulling the chains at 2:00pm on Wednesday, that went realy will, no trouble with this at all.
I was so drove out about 11:00 to the bus we left out over night in the ditch, the boss guess that I could drive it out, up the hill, even with all four chains, on the front and back tires it would not even move 1 foot up that hill and out of the ditch at the same time.
I said lets back down the hill in the ditch, the boss thought the bus would turn over on side once the other front wheel hit the ditch.
Lucky for me I did not think it would, do this, a bus can get way over be for it will rolls on its side. I start back down and sure enough the right front tire went in and when it came up the other side of the ditch the back right back tire came out, and the front axle was straddle of the ditch, I stayed that way for about 150 feet till I came to the covert and I had to jump the front end out of the covert and out onto the road. The boss was realy pleased with this, no tow bill and the only damage was to one smal mirror.($21.00 for mirror)
Drove about 2 mile and took the chains off and got back to the shop by 12:00, the end of the day of fun.
Will this did not rap up the week, come Thurday morning some one had removed the valve cores out of 36 tires on 9 buses at Fleming middle school, we did not find this out till about 30 minutes before the buses had to roll on route,
Called in two tire company road service place and our own service truck, we had three air compressures going, cover 3 of the bus and got the others on the road, about 15 minutes late.
And about the time we finshed this a nother bus had slipped off the road, and the boss spent about 2 hours being tow out, no damage, that good.
Will friday was realy good, not a problem at all, spent all my time getting my desk cleared off and putting parts away.

Will

All Is Going Will

All cars running okay and weeks off for the time being.
But I trying to build a bench out of an old bed fram. The bed fram came to me about 1974 of so, from and old family friend. They have had it fore many years, I'm betting about 20 year or more.
So the fram got to be about50 years old. No one wanted it for a bed, and I did not what to throw it away, so now its going to be a bench. Its made of round steel tubing, in realy good shaper, no rust on the inside or outside.
So I have to cut in the foot part in half, and weld the two to the head part and use the rails for the cross section to seat on. I have to cut the old cross rail suport off because there to low and run the wrong direction, I'm stuck some what at removing these support, one left to do.

A New Year 2007

The year 2006 is about over and all the thing the I need to do in 2006 are about done.
All the famliy is will and I am doing will even if I am turning 50 in April.
Ben has started a new job, making web pages for book company.
Molly works at the same place disigning the web pages, and is happly married.
Robyn is working work as will for the same place as an edeter, and is happly married.
Sam is in Eugue going to school and has a very nices girl friend, Elmy.
Daniel is 17 and junor in high school.
Rochelle is kniting like crazy.
All the family has learned to scub dive but Molly and John, Molly's ears are to bad.
I would like to chang the look on the page.

Two Babies and I Hit 900 Finds Today

Zac and Fiona, deliver twins on the 21 of December. Names are Nuala 6lbs 11 oz, 20 inchs and Bran 6lbs 10oz 20 inch long, beaituful badies.

Out caching today and made it to 900 finds, my 900th was" EEk's Half Brother" GCYDTJ.
What a fun game.

Started A New Game At Catch Place.

The game is called "TheOrient Express" Its about a train that travel through diffent countrys, and we have to find a cache with something to do with each country.
You could start finding on Nov 18, but I did not no that the game was even k going till about Dec 1.
As to date, I have found 6 caches to fit the game.
Having fun this.

West Linn

Got to West Linn monday about 3:30pm and fix one bus defroster, only had about 6 or 7 buses out of service. Tuesday I got there about 7 am and started closing out RO and setting up inspections for the next day and see what need to do to get the OOS list witted down.
It rains a lot in West Linn, it east part of Portland, It rain 4 out of the 4 days I was there.
Drove to old town portland and went the Powls Book store and pick up to books. Linny
Seekits The End ( last book of the series of 13 books) I finsh book 12 about a year ago and have not been able to get the book from the Libbary, I did have it on hold for six monthes than I think the book was lost after that, I may gave this book the the Libbary after i finsh reading it. Another book I pick up on the cleans rack was The 5 peaple you will meet in Heaven, look interesting.
I did find 10 cache total the whole time I was up there. One cache was by the river and it was dark by the time I got there and so I could not see very will. I did not find the cache but the beaver in the water about 4 of them would slapp there tail every time I came near the water, scary me each time. I later read that the cache was under water because of the high rain fall and flooding in the area.
The shop is realy to small for what there trying to do, 2 bay with over a 100 buses and only 3 mechanic, need one more mech and one more bay, two would be better.
By friday I had toe OOS list down to 3 buss and one was in the dealer being repaired, and other need to go to deal for repairs.
Left friday about 3:30 and head to Springfield to fix Sam/Emly car, need to install new rotors on the front of the van there have. But I stop in Canby for pick up 4 caches and then onto Springfield, got there about 7:30 and had the rotor changed by 8:30 and left about 9:00 or so after eating. I got so sleepy I stopped at rest stop and slept about 30 minute and made it more about 1:15 am and was in bed after a bath about 1:30.
I get togo back for thursday and friday in West Linn.

Gone Out Of Town

Leaving for West Linn tomorrer to run a shop for a sick shop manager.
This is in the Oregone city area, east of Portland.
I was up there little over a year ago to hold the shop together and change some things when the last manager was fire.
It was pretty wet last time and I'm sure it will be the same this time, we getting lots of rain in are area, so it will should be a lot wetter.
It fun to get into another shop and see the thing that they do diffent and how there read the company precceder manalys diffent then I see them, I can always pick up new ideals and thing that I could use in our own shop in southern oregon.
This all so gave me a chang to do some geocaching in another area after works done.
I have load 50 cache in the area, we see what I can do with these.
I need about 50 more caches to hit 900 finds, I'm at 847 now.
I painted the car saturday, it look not real good, I think going to sandy and re-paint one more time, this will gave me a chance to, to do the hood, I pick up for $25, it had a cress on one side, it was better then then the old hood.
We see what happens.

Interesting news, Saddam Hussein was sentenced to hang, after year in court hearings, its about time.

Dive, With Pumkins

Saturday night, dove out to Early hole and doing a pumkin carvering contest.
Started dive at 6:30, witch was dark at the time of night.
We had this pumkin and knife and a swam out to area and drop down, to about 30 feet.
There was about 20 or so diver in the water, with pumkins and knife in hand.
We had planned on making the pumkin look like hedge hoge, so I cut lots of little sticks to stick in to the pumkin. We put these into the bag that Rochelle had for under water stuff.
Will when Rochelle opened the bag and all(about 100) these stick floated out and we started grabbing these as there floated away, we ended up with about 5 stick so a change in plannes as to what this was going to look like......to be contenued.
We end up using the sticks at teeth or something like that, and used rocks for ears and a nose.
It look pretty good, some had used a paten had a lot of detail work, was cool looking but the ideal was to do it free hand.
The two paten ones came in 3rd place and we came in 2nd place because we used more nature type stufff, meaning rocks and sticks, the 1st place had crown and was done realy will.
All in all it was a lot of fun.

Still No Time Yet!

Getting closer to catching up, still a ways to go.
Need to finsh body work in green car.
Need to finsh the white car, then move all my stuff like 2 way, am/fm, and other items.
Rochelle hit a deer with her white car, seem ok, the grill is cracked, will get that replaced soon.
Would like to finsh the body work this week, but we will see what the time keeper gaves me.
Getting one or two geocaches a week, some close by ones, the ones outside of town I will get this when I finsh the cars stuff.
Get to go diving saturday and carve a pumkin under water, should be fun.

No Time For Anything

Been some time, sense I've writen any thing here.
I'll get back to it when the clocks jump forward, real soon.

Bean's Big B-Day

Today is Ben's birthday, everone came over tonight at the house and had Germany hamburgers and cream cheese cup cakes, way good stuff.
Ben is 27 years old, Ben think he is real old.
He got dive stuff, case for his reg. and dive float, and Ben money from Molly and little cars from Robyn.
Had and good time all in all.
Ben is are old kid of 5 kids.
We are going diving at Brookings the week end and sould be a great time.
Should do about 4 to 5 dives and some fish spearing.
Sould be a great time in all.

Another Day In School Busing

Just anothre day, they brake and I fix.
Boss says we don't have enough bus so we're getting some ones hand me down.
I will pick it up in Medford tomorror, its and 1995 AmTram Genesis, 66 pac.
It only going to have 100k on the odometer, it could be good. Most of the time its ends up being a lot of work to set up.
Got the rear shock assbley for my subaru and install it after work, and the tire and wheel roll straight, and no shaking at 60 mph.
The new brigde in Rogue River, is to be move into place in the next 5 days.
It only weights in at 55000 tons, and this is not the heavest item that they moved.
It will be moved 25 feet at one inch an hour.

Long Time, Up Date

Been a lone time sesse I'm writen on this brogg, so this is an up date. It had be so long that I forget my password, had to make up a new one to get in.
We been diving a lot, At squal lake, a 20 foot to the fog line, with lots of fish to see.
This labor day week end we did about 5 dives at the cost, at a place called Mill beach and Lone Ranch. these are near Brooking. We got lots of fish, (spear fishing) Rochelle, Dan, Sam, Emley, Randy, John and Ben.
Was in an accident yestday, and go hit in the right rear wheel, and lock the tire up, and spin around in a 180* and was facing the car that hit me. Had to have the green subar towed home and seem that the shock on that wheel had about 30* bend, I think I can just replace the shock and I will do the body work later this winter.
I'm still trying to get to the old Navy Momment out side of Brooking, go to make try in then next 2 weeks.

The Summer Is A Hot Spot

A lot has happened, so I will cover it quickly.
Got are scuba diving cert. Me (Dan), Rochelle, Daniel, Robyn and Paul.
So now we get to go diving, dived in thIllions river 2 week ago, get fun.
And now we starting to buy up dive gear.
Elmly gradationed for college, Sam and Elmyl are taking dive classes now.
Jeff is seal to Hile in portland temple.
And now we have only 30 days left of the summer.

Schools Out, Gone Swimming

School is over and the real work begans, lots of radiators and real main seal to replace.

Yesterday we did our first indoor dive.
Shown and test on, 2nd stage losing, cleaning 2nd stage, finding 2nd stage and breathing with a run away 2nd stage, Clean masks under water, how the BCD work and praction with this by doing the fin tilt, breathing with out mask, and tank reval and installation with 2nd stage in mouth, and using alternut on buddy and swinning with alternut for lengh of pool.
And last removing tank/BCD and getting out of pool at edge in bad weather.
Had a get time, and learnd lot of stuff, Rochelle, Daniel, Robyn, Paul and Randy are all doing this.

10 More Day Till Its All Over

Ten more days till schools out. We got the white bus fix. Turn out to be a fuel filter that we could not find, its was on the fram rail. Test drove the bus to the top of Mount Ashland, ran very good.
Start the Chess series of caches, There is a total of 20 cache in the series, the first 17 have coords to the last three, whitch is chech # 1 and Check #2 and Check mate.
I found the first 8 caches in one evening caching last wednesday.
Its Sam's Birday firday, but He's in Engen going to school. He will be down later and we'll do a birday party for him.