Well, it's already March and this is my first entry for the year. We actually got some good snow this year so any forays into the mountains wont be till much later. As for today's title, our trip for the day was back out to Death Canyon. Now I know part of the range is in Tooele County and maybe Juab County. I can't find any definite map that says one way or the other. So, I guess we will go with Whatever. Works for me. So, I have preached this before and I will continue tonight. THINGS OF THE PAST ARE DISAPPEARING! Look at the foto above and the one below.
Mother Nature is a cruel bitch and tries so hard to reclaim her virgin presence. For the most part, man, usually wins. But on things of the past, out in the open for at least 100 years and ignored for 90 of them, she will win. Towns like Bodie California are kept alive by us modern day people who love to see the past. But, the ore chute above is out in BFE nowhere and has to go the battle alone. This one finally lost. I saw online that part of the structure of the Jackson Mine in Nevada has now collapsed. It's a testament to the craftsmanship of men to see them last so long, but it really kinda sucks to see them go. If you go out on the Central Pacific rail bed you will find quite a few bridges still up. How do I know they are original? You should see the size of the timber used. You can't find trees of that size to cut up anywhere legally anymore. All I am is saying I guess is that our history is slowly returning to nature. Some of you may think woo hoo! I don't. I find it amazing to see what was done 150 years ago. I look and wonder how it was done. Seriously, the Union Pacific could lay track on that old rail bed and not have an issue. Amazing to me!!
OK I am done. Above is one mine we couldn't get to. I guess we could have had it been life or death but since it wasn't, we didn't. We hiked around the area and from my last blog found out that the materials outside this mine were not for the mine. They built a new fence from the cliff above the mine and it goes west up and over the the opposite side. I would not be a good fence installer. Just looking at it made me wonder how the hell did they do it.
Another first was we were the first one up the canyon this high. I will admit that these new tires didn't miss a beat. I did the majority of the trip in two wheel drive. I did my usual tree hitting and didn't suffer any damage. Seriously, you try doing a 180 on an ATV trail. Trees be damned!
The lower canyon mine was open so we went in for a quick visit. Its amazing to see the tracks for the ore carts still there. I just wish I could find an ore cart. Honestly, I think an ore cart, on tracks in the front yard full of bright flowers, is freakin' awesome! Someday maybe.
I will tell you that all my back problems sure showed up today. Hiking even a few hundred feet killed me. And hunched over in the mine wasn't a good feeling either. We went in a few hundred feet and walked around. You had to be short to work good part of this mine. There were only a few places you could stand upright. I am not sure how old this mine is but even though the roof was actively leaking, I could find no evidence of stalactites forming. We ate lunch there then headed down the canyon. While sitting there, we found a whole new group of mines on the opposite side of the canyon. Being time limited, we didn't go looking for a way to them. We even spotted a bunch more at the mouth of the canyon. Guess that means a return trip when all the snow has melted.
We made it back to Stockton and I showed my friend a house I once wanted to buy. That led to other things and next thing I know I was on the mountain above the town just enjoying the view. It was incredible. To those who read this, I would recommend a 4x4 and start following roads. You never know what you may find or see. Jeep on my friends!
Welcome to another entry in my not famous writings. Today's fotos have nothing to do with my agenda today, but I needed something to look at so these are my best friends. So, lets begin. I received a phone call Friday morning from a friend who needed to get to Boise ASAP. Um ok, why? My uncle has stage 4 cancer and isn't going to last much longer. I need to talk to him. Debate in head.... Boise, hmmmmmm...... Intervention from above, DO it. Sure I'll be there in an hour. I tossed the bare minimum in my bag and headed north for a 330 mile drive. I have driven this once before on a trip to Seattle way back in 1989 but I really don't remember a whole lot about the journey. So, it's basically something new. We headed up I-84 at about 1pm and the adventure began. Curious as to why this journey was so important got me to asking questions. Why are we doing this? The answer was quite interesting so here we go.
Years ago, this person had been sent to live with this uncle and his family. Life at his home was not worth a shit and had left our friend with thoughts of suicide. Upon arriving at the new home, a new life was started and changes occurred. The thoughts of death and depression were slowly replaced with thoughts of a new self worth. No longer criticized and put down, positive reassurances helped transform my friend into a person who began to believe in his self. The time spent with this uncle preformed a miracle and my friend left as a self confident man. Not perfect, but aware of who he was and what he wanted. Years go by and some untrue and hateful rumors by my friends family caused a rift between the uncle and him. The years pass by and the fateful call of stage 4 cancer and death made the friend want to try and mend the rift and then thank the uncle and his family for saving his life. The trip up was filled with apprehension. How would this reunion go and wold it end happily ever after. With Google's help, we arrived in a tiny little farming community near Boise. The door was opened and soon we were seated in the family room. Not one to beat around the bush, the friend opened up and explained his life and what had happened. He spoke of the rumors and how it had affected his family as well as the uncles. He told them how they had saved his life and how he needed to say this before it was too late. Long story short, everything went well. Any bad feelings of the past were gone and stories began being told about the families pioneer heritage past.
Privacy allows me to tell no more. I was witness to a great event and even a part of it in a way. So, here is where I make my plea. Life is short. Events of the past can leave us with scars and outright hatred of family or friends. We need to look beyond our petty hurts and resolve issues before its to damn late. Sometimes it will turn out good, other times it might not. We shouldn't live with any regrets. In my life, I had a aunt and uncle, for lack of a better phrase. They didn't save my life but they kept it from getting too out of control. They always listened and added advice and I went from there. We are no longer friends sadly. Events of the past led them to persecute my family for standing up for what was right. It hurts to see someone you looked up to fall so hard but choices were made and we all have to live with them. So, get off your asses and go do what you need to do. Will it turn out good? You never know, but at least you tried. Thats whats important. Jeep on my friends.
So, I was just looking back on some past entries and realized that I never finished the Medtronic story. It sure isn't a good ending but it is an ending. So, my appointment with the final surgeon to put the shocker in my back was coming up. I was excited because I knew that pain-free time was headed my way. Enter my usual luck. Apparently, the gentleman who was paying for my health insurance stopped paying in August without telling or informing me. I had no clue because prescriptions were still being paid for. October 1st rolls around and no more nothing. The Medtronic dream crashed and burned and life suddenly looked painful. The foto above is me as a teen doing what I loved to do. From age 13-18 most of my spare time was spent on the hardwood dreaming of glory. The good old days!
So, with the dream shattered, the rest of reality caved in like an out of control avalanche. During this 2 month period, the lovely insurance company had approved the test trial, an MRI on my head and a few other things: with no intention of ever paying them. Suddenly, I was $26k in debt. So lets recap, I take probably $600 a month in prescriptions, along with Dr visits to make adjustments. Gone. Luckily for me, a lot of the drugs had 90 day supplies so all was not lost. Pain meds, no longer available. Dr wont see me cuz I suddenly owe him a ton of money. Wow. Life suddenly looked nasty. I don't even remember how long I have been on the pain meds. It seems forever. Now, they are all gone. I will admit that I have been blessed so far in this disaster. I have not had but 2 or 3 bad nights. For this I am truly thankful. Over the counter stuff does absolutely nothing for me so I really feel good about how my pain has ebbed for whatever reason. Above is one of the sources of my pain. Years ago, I was riding at the dunes in St Anthony and took a wee bit of a flight over the handlebars. Busted my damn tail bone and it still hurts to sit to this day. But I would do it again.
So what comes next, I have no idea. The medical bills keep coming in and all I can do is nothing. Had I made it through the final implant of the device I might have been able to go back to work and enjoy life. For now, I just live day to day hoping that the pain will stay where it has been and allow me to function somewhat. It sure isn't fun. I miss being out in the middle of nowhere exploring what once was. The last foto is one that should cause concern to most people. The red areas represent federally owned land in each state. Nevada and Utah are in the top 3 of land the state or its people do not own. Just a thought to my readers. Jeep on my friends!
Interesting title, huh? So, what does it take to have a world famous blog? I sure wish I knew. Seriously, you see these people on TV all the time. They write maybe 2 or 3 blogs a week and everyone and their dog has to read them. Sponsors begin to pay them money just for the privilege of putting an ad on their blog site. How would that be? Honestly I would love to find out. I am sure I could spew forth words of total wisdom to the masses??? OK, probably not. I am not qualified in postpartum depression or anything like it. I live with the depression caused by my body deciding its no longer playing and going home. I deal with it in my own way and I am sure no one really cares how I do it. So, what would I have to write about to make me famous? I wish I knew. I would have no problem writing a few hundred words 2 or 3 times a week. It would be easy. Would it be interesting? Highly doubtful. Well, I could drink myself into a heavy drunkenness and write. At one time years ago I was rather funny as a drunk. I just don't think the body would be happy with that. It would probably want to go home even sooner. OK, foto one above. Due to the lack of funding.... instead of a nice new top, I got to go with the half cab look. I like the look but it sure isn't the most comfy way to go. The seats can only go back so far and that's the end. We will decide come spring how well it did keeping the snow and rain out of the back.
Another irritating occurrence are the people who get to Jeep 24/7 365 on other peoples dime. I follow 3 of them on YouTube and it drives me nuts. Big name companies give them parts to "test" and comment about on their videos. Other normal people like you and I join in and contribute X amount of $$ a month to keep them on the road. One dude has been all over the west and even up into Canada and Alaska. Hell's bells, I have a hard enough time coming up with $50 to make a day run out into the west desert to find a new mine or ghost town. This guy Jeeps Saturday to Thursday and finds a town with wifi to do a weekly video on Friday. Now doing videos is a pain in the ass for the most part. My problem is that this laptop is so damn old it creeps along and takes about an hour to do 5 minutes of video. If anyone reading this would like to help this situation out, feel free to email me and I'll show you which new computer I want. Granted it would be awesome to live that lifestyle, I'd be in Death Valley for December and probably Mexico for January and February, but then I would miss out on my latest job. I now get to watch the grandson on a regular basis. It has been quite enjoyable relearning things I have not done in over 20 years. But hey, I am remembering the lessons and we get along just great.
I know, here's an idea. What if all 9 of you chipped in to keep me on the road from say April to October?? I could live with that. I would pick a state a month and do as much exploring as was possible and make videos and update my website and........... Such a sweet dream. Now, I would probably have to get a Wrangler Unlimited for the space. So we would have to figure that into your donations. A 2 door and 2 dogs wouldn't be very comfy. Who knows, I might even be able to finagle some sponsorship's from some companies. I know that the one guy pretty much gets all sorts of shit free and just uses it. So, lets work on the donations first and then we'll visit a few local companies to see what they would be willing to donate. Sounds like a plan to me. The last foto is of the granddaughter Taleigha. It was her 7th birthday a couple of days ago and we had a fun party to celebrate it. Such a cute young lady. She'll be driving the boys crazy in a few years! I have re-read this and there is nothing profound in it to make me famous. Damnit. Jeep on my friends!
Good evening and welcome to one of my rare political posts. Years ago, I happened to catch a video on Amazon called Atlas Shrugged. Interesting title so I had to watch it. The story was set in a non specific time of the future in an America that had fallen on hard times. The book was written in 1957 and it took them till 2011 to actually make the film so its understandable that there isn't a specific date of the film. Anyway, in this future, the country has begun to turn to a socialistic form of government. The government had begun to seize control of all aspects of society. It is best explained by "you work harder to support your neighbor who doesn't work" type of situation. The story centers on Taggart Transcontinental Railroad. Due to government actions, the railroad was the only feasible method of transportation. Gas was $40.00 a gallon and life was really beginning to suck. Two other businesses were also brought into the story: a steel mill who had invented a new alloy of steel and a oil company. All 3 were basically in bed with each other.
As the story progresses, government interference brings down all 3 using socialistic methods of rule making. I am really condensing this but bare with me. The leaders of said industries began to disappear and left notes which didn't make a lot of sense to others. The common line of each note was "who is John Galt?" Besides the leaders of industry, all of the countries smartest people, such as Drs, teachers and inventors were among the disappearing people. No one had a clue to where they had gone. One of the last smart people left got lucky and was able to follow one of the disappeared while they were disappearing. She finds out where they go and has 30 days to decide if she wants to stay or go back. And I am done explaining the movie. The book is 1200 pages so thats next on my reading list. Now lets get to the point of why I am writing about this.
Considering this was wrote in 1957, you would think that is was written today. Watching the news and seeing how the Democrats want to put everything under government control in a socialistic society, these movies fit in perfect for today. In the book, capitalism is viewed as evil. Men or women using their skills and talents to make themselves money was viewed as evil, like today. In part 2 I believe, the main male character is on trial for violating a trade law. They criticize him for his lust of money. They ask how his love of money helps out society. He replies that there are x number of employees working for him that receive paychecks. The court kinda shot themselves in the foot. Anyway, I recommend that if you're into politics today you watch all 3 movies. Be forewarned, the lead female is played by a different woman in each film. Actually, I really don't think anyone played in more than one film. Plus they add stupid romance scenes in that don't make a lot of sense. But, as to the effectiveness of showing how socialism doesn't work, the films are dead on! Watch them and tell me what you think. Jeep on my friends!
So, yesterdays bright and cheerful entry was followed by an old man power nap. Seems I qualify for these gifts from above. Anyway, I awoke and proceeded to get my lazy ass out of bed and when my feet hit the floor, I gnu, or knew, we had problems. Instead of feeling a slight tingle sensation, I felt the wrath of God go down my right leg. It was worse then by a long shot as to when I had it turned up. No matter where I had it set, it was painful. So, off it went and I began making phone calls. The rep did not answer and my conversation with Logan Regional Hospital was to say the least a joke.....The Dr on call knew nothing and wouldn't call the Dr who did it. Lovely. The rep finally called back and we have determined that one of the leads shoved up my back has shifted somehow. I was told to leave it off and they will let me know what to do and when to do it. SIGH. My biggest fear returned at this point. Tonight I will have to suffer with the pain again before I fall asleep. Night rolled in and I did my dishes and cleaned up the kitchen and went in to begin my nightly ritual. I am reading a book on the 1899 Klondike gold rush written by a reporter who went to Alaska and lived the rush in person. Anyways, I got into it and read for a few hours then decided I would sleep. Turned the light off and I was gone.... wait.... no pain. I had another pain free night. Sweet! lets hope tonight is the same.
No picture because I am lazy so just keep reading. My opinion on the Medtronics is I want the permanent one in my back! These past few night of falling asleep pain free have been incredible. My legs remaining still and not thrashing about while I grit my teeth in pain has been a blessing. I can see myself losing the need for vicodin every night and finally sleeping better overall. Now I just wait for a final decision from the insurance company as to if they will put in the permanent unit or make me suffer the rest of my life. To those of you with back pain, I would recommend checking out the Medtronics pain stopper. I know it wont remove all of mine but just removing the pre bed pain and allowing me to fall asleep drug free is well worth it!
Next night update: So it is 4 am and I am sitting here wide awake. I made it to sleep just fine but around 3 am the pain finally returned. I was woke up by some evil gremlin stabbing my big toe. Not what I wanted. I got up and took a pain pill and have been surfing the web ever since. I need to get the permanent one in my back asap. I believe in this little invention and would tell all of you that suffer from chronic back pain to see if it would work for you. The last 4 nights were so pleasant.........
It's day 3, just after noon here and I thought I would add more to this new adventure. Last night was hell. I felt as if I had a fever and the pain was back in all of its glory. I can't say as to why it was back, it just was. Between shivering and the constant pain, the night was becoming unbearable. I had crawled into bed and had my blankets over me and decided to add more "kick" to the back unit. I jumped it up to almost 5, (I started at 2.8) and laid down. Now I learned a few new things about the unit last night. One is that if I move a certain way, lay down on my back or cough or sneeze I will feel it doing its job. So, I was laying there actually enjoying the constant massage while good and evil battled. Good eventually won and I was finally able to drift off to sleep. Sleep is good because you don't feel a thing. At about 2 am, i awakened for who knows why and decided I was thirsty. Here comes lesson 2.
I was standing in front of the fridge when I suddenly began to cough like an old truck on a cold morning. Big mistake. For some reason, muscle movement intensifies the shock. Sitting here right now I cannot feel a thing. But, if I cough, I feel the shocks in my legs. Well, the huge ass cough mixed with the setting of 5 almost did some serious damage. The coughing started and the shock wave that hit my feet damn near pulled them out from under me. I was lucky enough to catch myself on the kitchen counter or I would have gone down. Wow. That was not expected. Thats the point where I learned that any forced muscle use would amplify the shock. Coughing, sneezing, pissing and even a good old fart will make me feel the shocks and amplify them. Needless to say the unit got turned down and I went back to sleep. I am back at 2.8 on the scale and everything seems to be going ok. I once thought that this would cure every pain and make life donuts and puppy dogs. My hip is telling me otherwise. I can still feel it, though just not as bad. I had planned on going to Walmart today just to see how it handled walking the aisles. After last night, I am thinking maybe tomorrow will be a better day for this. I do think that if it eliminates the bedtime pain, it will be a success. Some nights are horrible. Even a double shot of codeine doesn't quite help. Originally I had hoped for no pain any more and I could go back to living a normal life. Not gonna happen. I can live with that though. Just losing the pain that comes at bedtime would be a huge win and one I could live with. So, what will tonight bring? I am sore where they cut me open to put the wires in, but its not that bad. I guess we'll all have to wait until tonight to find out.
