This past Saturday, my kids and myself traveled to the Fort Lewis Military Museum to learn a little bit about the largest military base in the state of Washington. What I did not expect was to learn so much.
This is a continuation article. There seems to be some arbitrary (at least unknown, to myself) limit to the size of an article, and my full article, even incomplete, was too large to publish.
Also on display is an interesting collection of Cold War artifacts and hardware. A few photos of the rolling-stock located outside the building. I’m in the process of trying to identify some of these Soviet Block weapons systems, few of them had current placards.
US ARMY M60 Main Battle Tank ("Patton")
Soviet Block - unidentified medium tank
Soviet Block - unidentified light armor
US Nike-Hercules nuclear tipped SAM
US ARMY - unidentified APC
US ARMY - Honest John tactical nuke
US ARMY - MIM-104 Patriot SAM / missle defense
US ARMY - FAV (Fast Attack Vehicle) experimental
US ARMY - Pre HUMVEE experimental prototypes - both cancelled
US ARMY - Kawasaki Scout Bike (9th Infantry circa 1982)
Operation 'Just Cause' campaign map
US ARMY - Nike fixed possition SAM / tactical nuke
This past Saturday, my kids and myself traveled to the Fort Lewis Military Museum to learn a little bit about the largest military base in the state of Washington. What I did not expect was to learn so much.
Legion of Merit
Our family has a tie to the base via my cousin, a Lt. Col. whom deployed to Iraq in 2003 from Fort Lewis, following his unit’s activation, to support the 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom. He received the Legion of Merit for his service, which our family is very proud of. Following his deployment, before his return to California, he spent some time with my family, showing us photos and stories from his time in ‘The Sandbox’. I thought it appropriate to give the kids some exposure to the great warrior traditions of the US ARMY and their family. Fort Lewis has continued to provide critical personal to the fight against terrorism overseas, with deployment of Rangers, MPs, Engineers and of course the STRYKERs
.
So much history, so much to see, so much to read.
There is no way to due the museum justice without a multi-part article, and at some point later down the line, following another visit, I may just do that. For now I’ll cover some of the interesting things to be seen there in photos.
Artifacts and History from the Lewis and Clark Expedition through WWI
There is a complete section on the Lewis and Clark expedition, which was in fact, a military expedition to explore the west. Along with commissioned officers Lewis and Clark, the force consisted of volunteer US ARMY regulars. Within that section of the museum I learned about a confrontation between the US and Britain during the 1800’s over possession of the San Juan Islands, the nearly erupted into another war between the nations. Displayed is a map of the area showing positions of forces, along with a political cartoon of the time.
San Juan Islands - disputed territories
America vs. England - Standoff over Disputed San Juan Island territories
Also in the display was an excellent collection of rifles, pistols and other equipment related to the expedition.
The Fort Lewis Military Museum is occupies one of only two existing historical buildings at Fort Lewis that date back to WWI. In 1918, the Salvation Army constructed the 150-room ‘Red Shield Inn’ at a cost of $107,000, to accommodate the soldiers, his family and friends. After the drawdown following WWI, the Salvation Army sold the building to the US ARMY for the price of $1 (one dollar) on July 1, 1921. It remained in use by the US ARMY until a new Fort Lewis Lodge was constructed closer to the base’s Main Post Headquarters. The Fort Lewis Military Museum is the only certified US ARMY museum on the West Coast, and contains interesting and rare artifacts preserving the heritage of Fort Lewis and the US ARMY in the Pacific Northwest.
Getting to the Museum
The Fort Lewis Military Museum is located south of Seattle, between Tacoma and Olympia. Take exit 150 to enter Fort Lewis. The museum is located in North Fort Lewis, signs guide the way. Visitors without a current military vehicle registration decal and federal ID card must first obtain a Visitor Pass at the Main Gate Visitor’s Center. You will need to produce a driver’s license for each individual 16 years and order, as well as the current registration and proof of insurance for every vehicle entering the base. Those receiving a pass, and get directions to the museum from Visitor’s Center staff.
I was not able to find a lot of information on the aircraft communications time line past the first couple of days of the search. Of the information I was able to obtain, this is the short time line I was able to put together.
Following each, the ‘[#]’ links to the reference article where information was obtained.
0200 GMT – pilot sent a manual signal local time saying he was flying through an area of “CBs” — black, electrically charged cumulonimbus clouds that come with violent winds and lightning. [1] 0200 GMT – pilot reports turbulence [2]
0210 GMT – Autopilot had disengaged [1][2][3] 0210 GMT – Key computer system had switched to alternative power [1] 0210 GMT – Controls needed to keep the plane stable had been damaged [1] 0210 GMT – Alarm sounded indicating the deterioration of flight systems. [1]
0213 GMT – Failure of systems to monitor air speed [1] 0213 GMT – Failure of systems to monitor altitude [1] 0213 GMT – Failure of systems to monitor [1] 0213 GMT – Control of the main flight computer failed [1][2] 0213 GMT – Control of spoilers failed [1]
0214 GMT – Loss of cabin pressure [1] 0214 GMT – Complete electrical failure [1] 0214 GMT – Cabin in Vertical Speed [2][3]
The latest information on the wreckage and remains recovery:
A French nuclear submarine has arrived at the scene of the Air France crash in the ocean off Brazil to start searching for the flight’s data recorders.
The “black boxes”, which emit a locator signal for about 30 days, could be up to 6,100m (20,000ft) deep, on the bed of the Atlantic.
They could provide vital clues as to why the Airbus A330 crashed on 1 June.
Brazilian air and sea searches have now recovered 41 bodies from the plane, which had 228 people on board.
The submarine, and Brazilian naval and air forces, have a large and remote area of ocean to search.
Debris from the plane, which was flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, has been found some 1,000km (600 miles) north-east of the Fernando de Noronha islands. The islands are about 320km off the north-eastern coast of Brazil.
‘Very complicated’
French military spokesman Captain Christophe Prazuck said the submarine – the Emeraude – should be able to cover an area of 26 sq km each day. It has advanced sonar equipment on board.
“There are big uncertainties about the accident site, the ocean floor is rugged… so it’s going to be very difficult,” he told French radio.
“It’s going to be very complicated and we’re going to need a lot of luck” to find the plane’s data recorders.
The US is also joining the search, sending two sophisticated listening devices, which will be deployed on two large vessels hired by France. They will be towed in a grid pattern across the search area.
If the aircraft’s two black boxes are located, a mini-submarine called the Nautile will be sent down to retrieve them. The vessel, which has a crew of three and is about 8m long, is the same one which explored the wreck of the Titanic.
FULL ARTICLE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8092715.stm
Then then there were three (less). One person out with flu, another had a technical issue with their bike and a third simply decided to pass.
Myself, I’m going. Tank bag arrived today. Smaller than I expected. HOWEVER, it seems well constructed and for a day bag.. I think it will be perfect. The SW-Motec mounting system is SLICK! I’m going to order a second larger bag for touring, and maybe I’ll upgrade to the 12v powered plate too.
A review on my new gear, new tank bag and the prospect of a weekend of riding with only a small tail pack and a smaller tank bag will work out.
Decided it was time to update the banner images. Removed a couple that were just not making me happy to see, when checking my blog, and replaced them with these:
Since the disappearance of Air France 447, an Airbus A330-200, (the exact same model of aircraft flown by Northwest Airlines, that I took to Amsterdam last month), I have been following the news reports pretty closely. A lot of speculation surrounds, what the call the doomed flight, but until they get the ‘black boxes’ this is mostly speculation. However there are some unique bits of data that the aircraft’s monitoring systems sent to AirBus (or maybe Air France, it’s not clear to me where the messages were sent) that the events leading up to the crash occurred over a 10-15 minute time period. Plenty of time for pilots to issue a ‘Mayday’ message if they’d had any indication of an impending problem.
From the various reports I’ve read, I’m going to start to assemble some timelines, and references to the article sources as possible. It will likely take me a day or so to get this collected. Once I have managed to do so, a follow-up message will be posted.
My prayers go out to the families affected, and especially the passengers on the fated flight. From what I have read so far, it would appear the aircraft broke up at altitude. I can’t image what that might have been like.
I’ve been riding for years in my trusty First Gear leather. I actually bought it at Laguna Seca during a round of the World Superbikes in 2003. Wow.. that means the gear is in it’s 6th season (just realized that now).
The jacket has seen an easy 100,000 miles of use, and I think it shows. It’s been a good jacket, and it’s not even close to the end of it’s service life. It’s just dirty and it does not fit me at my ‘new weight’ (something I’m working hard on now.. so it will fit again soon). But I love to ride and the fact the jacket makes me feel like I’m stuffed in a sausage skin.. I either ride without, or not at all and neither are acceptable to me.
So today, I picked up a jacket I plan to use for the summer, and likely sell (or not sell, I still have my first textile jacket circa 1994 and my first leather jacket circa 1995 in my closet — neither fit me).
So here is my summer replacement. Shift mesh jacket, with armored crash points and a zip-in windproof liner for when it’s no longer in the 90’s here (sadly that will be here soon). Price at local bike shop: $150.
I’ve also started to have trouble with my trusty WWII ‘Air Force II’ helmet’s visor. On it’s 3rd season, it’s no longer staying open. The helmet still fits and works fine in all other categories. Now, when I rolled into the bike shop I had not intended to buy a new helmet, but it was also not totally out of my mind. First thing I noticed were some new KBC’s (same brand as the one I’m having an issue with.. but really after 3 years for the price, it’s mostly a NON-ISSUE). Over the years I’ve thought I might buy a helmet to ‘match’ my bike. But hardly anyone carries yellow helmets. This shop had 3. 2 in the new ‘Nuclear Accident’ style (for lack of better term), and they looked great with a big yellow ‘Nuclear’ symbol on the sides.
After spending about 1 hour with a very cute girl, helping me find a good fitting textile mesh style jacket, I was back at the helmets. Then I noticed one at the bottom, also in yellow, with a kick-ass skull on the side. LOL. So.. that was added to my shopping cart. It’s SNELL and DOT approved. Why not.. I don’t know that I’d use if for track days (my Shoei will likely remain in service there) but for street use where SNELL is a more relevant rating.. why not? SNELL, unlike DOT is not a self-certifying authority, so I feel confident it’s safe for my head. Price at local bike shop: $140.
So, starting of the new ‘season’ with some updated gear. I still need to get my leather riding pants repaired… but I’ll get to that on a rainy day.
If the bag arrives as scheduled and I don’t run into an installation issues, I’ll be headed for Kamloops B.C. very early Saturday morning.
Two day ride up to Kamloops, BC from Federal Way area and back. Stay the night in Kamloops and ride back with a few stops along the way. Approx. 11 hours each day.
When: June 6 & 7
Pace: Moderate, depending upon leg lead
Comments:
Experienced alternating leads to keep everyone engaged. Specific legs TBD.
Passport or Enhanced Driver’s license required, we’re going to Canada eh?
General Route – 300+ miles. Group is planning 11 hours travel time each direction.
While driving home today, I caught up to wonderful white horse (and my horse I mean sports car). It was a very seldom seen 997 based Porsche GT2. It was an amazing looking machine. Seeing it, and thinking about the Porsche’s I’d owned.. would I re-purchase (yes.. a 996TT is on my active TO-DO list). Then I started to think about the cars I’ve owned, and which, if any models I’d bought more than once, as well as which brands I seem to purchase most. So.. here is the what the mental exercise that occupied my commute home, netted:
6 Mercedes-Benz 5 Ford 3 Dodge 2 Porsche 1 Jeep 1 Toyota 1 Mazda 1 Cadillac
I’ve probably forgotten 1 or two in there, somewhere. So.. I was a little shocked at how many Fords I’ve owned over the years. And that soon had me thinking about of all those vehicles, were any a re-purchase, replacing a vehicle with same or similar, or even buying the same basic model some years down the road. A pattern there was pretty clear.
At the top of the chart is Mercedes-Benz. Of those they consist of 3 different models, so there were clear cases of re-purchase. The interesting part (to me) was that in those cases years often elapsed between a ‘return’ to the model in question.
The largest of the pool is the classic W124 E-Class sedans (’88-’94). Of that body, I first bought a 260E, the base model E-class available in that year. I kept it until it was replaced with an ML320 SUV. A few years later another W124 was purchased a 300E. They are just great driving cars. A couple of years after that, I caught a break! The chance to purchase the flagship W124. The uber-sedan. The fastest production car that year. The 300HP 500E (also a W124 body that was highly modified by, of all companies, Porsche). Sadly the 500’s had a serious wiring issue in the engine compartment, and I decided to sell it off. I was without a Benz for the first time in over 10 years.
I started to dabble in Porsches next, buying a pair of wonderful 911 varient (964 and 993). Great cars, but commuting in one seemed like work far benieth the cast of a Porsche. So it was traded (+ cash in my pocket) for a Mercedes CLK430 (#5). As fast as the Porsches but a more ‘civilized’ unit for daily commuting. Eventually, as the economy started to turn, I unloaded the 2nd Porsche, before the values totally tanked, trading it for another Mercedes, this time, another V8, but of the ML variety, an ML430 (MBZ #6).
In the end, I’d re-purchased the W124 twice, and clearly went on the hunt for an ML that I wanted (V8 for towing, I’d become a big fan of the 24 valve little V8 from my time in the CLK) and finally located one north of Seattle.
500E and Miata parked in Seattle's Wallingford district.First of the ML's (ML320)W124 #2 - 300E (at my home in Illahee)500E and 911 at temporary housing in BremertonML430 (MBZ #6)CLK430 (MBZ #5)I can't post all these photos of my past and present cars without this one!
OK.. so that does it. Closing my Facebook account today. The same people with investments in mail.ru (a common location for phishing and other fraud sites) are now heavily invested in Facebook.
*MORE TO FOLLOW*
I did complete the delete process of my account. A number of friends contacted me not long after inquiring about my sudden dissappearance. I guess I should have let them know before just doing dark in FB. I have this outlet, and here I do not need to work about posted IP (photography mainly) issues. The FB EULA basically said that contrary to other IP law, then owned *EVERYTHING* uploaded to FB. Following a press backlash they said they would not enforce it but I don’t think they changed it either. Well, it’s no longer an issue. 🙂
This past Saturday, my kids and myself traveled to the Fort Lewis Military Museum to learn a little bit about the largest military base in the state of Washington. What I did not expect was to learn so much.
I have been following the news reports pretty closely. A lot of speculation surrounds, what the call the doomed flight, but until they get the ‘black boxes’ this is mostly speculation. However there are some unique bits of data that the aircraft’s monitoring systems sent to AirBus (or maybe Air France, it’s not clear to me where the messages were sent) that the events leading up to the crash occurred over a 10-15 minute time period. Plenty of time for pilots to issue a ‘Mayday’ message if they’d had any indication of an impending problem.
