I won't be doing any new posts on the possible move of Rat Town to the mesa top until a couple of important exploratory phone call messages are returned. A curious superstition that I picked up from the boss at a bike shop was to never talk about a deal more than necessary. He'd rip by on a roll saying something like "Hey, we might have the Munch Mammoth sold to Leno" and be gone. Somewhere in there, I was supposed to start the computer and paper trail rolling. When I grabbed him by the scruff once and sat him down to explain his abrupt and cryptic messages, he confessed his obsessive superstition; "If you talk too much too soon about an exciting deal, you will jinx it. You-will-queer-the-deal!" That curious superstition stuck with me even after I moved on. So, right now, you know as much as we do about the possibility of a move. Mum's the word then, loose lips sink ships!
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Fine then, I will talk about the various man-birds flying over and say no further about the subject most on our minds this week.
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Above is an assortment of low-flying military birds (two B1s and a pair of F-18s - thanks, Buck and FHB) which flew over the Rat in the last couple of weeks. The photos might not be great but the boys don't exactly warn you ahead of time or allow for digital cameras to set themselves up for a shot. It is the sound which I wish I could share with you; for a couple of old farts out in the middle of nowhere, there is nothing more exciting than having the hair on the back of your necks stand straight up as you rush to catch a second-long glimpse of war birds on a mission..
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Above is a more low-key buzzing run. We had heard of the flying pipeline inspectors but had not seen any fly up our little canyon until this year. There is more than one gas field operator who has cursed these planes after slamming their heads into the steering wheels of their trucks when they thought the low flyer would rip the roof right off their cabs. In this shot, the pilot is climbing up a little before sweeping into a wide curve and dropping down again to inspect another long straight run of pipe. You can clearly hear the throttling up and down as they approach and then disappear into the distance. Given the outspoken geology of the canyonlands, aerial pipeline inspection is a challenging and dangerous profession. I have been working on a blog friend to return to the southwest and do this job for a living, to no avail. It would appear that all ladies 'of a certain age' will eventually succumb to practicality and common sense (taunt, taunt, taunt!).
Meanwhile, I'm thinking it sure would be nice to know the pilots, maybe even have them land on the road out front and taxi in for lunch once in a while. We welcome friendly visitors in all conceivable forms of conveyance. The future Rat Town will have hitching posts and wheel chocks.
Hopefully, I will be back by Thursday with some good news and an update on the moving possibilities.
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25 comments:
Best of luck in your choice. Can't wait to see the pictures.
I once watched a guy hang-gliding through my rifle scope. They would come down the mountain and right over my place and I had no binoculars, so I used the scope. Scared the hell out of them, and for awhile, they skirted the property. Mmmm, wonder if that would work on those jokers?
No talk about the move. Gotcha.
I do have a question. When you say the war birds were on a mission, I hope you were talking about a training mission and not targeting, say Albuquerque. Or a bombing run on your creek or the :Rat".
Go get 'em, Lin. And don't forget if it happens you do move to the mesa, you aren't gonna be likely to be flooded out. And think of the shots of the undersides of the pipeline planes.
Maybe you could get a job as a belly photographer?
I'm still looking for a job for you.
Mushy, all the hang-gliders needed to hear was you yell "Pull!" and they never would have come back.
You know, the anti-neighbor has the same habit of using a scope to watch strangers (even though the binoculars are way handier). She says it does add to her infamous reputation nicely. Some of the gas field guys have mentioned that some ranchers actually shoot at them so a scope must surely have some extra effect in that regard.
Moose, I presume they were on a training mission since no surprises rained down on us. If the anti-neighbor knew how to call in an air strike, I wouldn't be so confident about their flyovers.
Cat, apparently you can get superb photos of the planes up top. Slim has been able to look nearly eye-to-eye with the crews at times from his cabin up the hill.
Wicked kitty, you mentioned the 'j' word. My last one pretty much convinced me to never work for someone else again.
That's OK---you can have all those low-altitude jet runs that your little ol' heart desires! They always made me feel so helpless, and vulnerable!
My biggest "hair-stander" around here is the Medivac 'copters flying to and fro. I'll cringe for just a second, when they "sneak-up" on me, while I'm on the tractor, or mowin' the yard. But when I look up and see red and orange with the blue PM-star, instead of olive drab with subdued lettering, I just laugh with relief, and then enjoy the "rush"!
And for anyone who has NOT yet heard such, if you ever get the chance, by all means---experience it at least ONCE in your lifetime! It is a RUSH, in-deed....!!!
You have to try and score a ride on one of those flights, would be better than a roller coaster for sure.
Hey Lin, your old boss was right. Same goes for any project. All talk = no action.
Do you ever see UFO's out there? We have a UFO corridor not far from here. It's flat farming land free from trees and tall building. Haven't had any crop circles yet but I am anxiously waiting.
Bruno, I can certainly see where you might have had your fill of mil birds from that bidness end of things. That would do it for me, too. I had 4 or 5 mil choppers drop into the narrow inlet where I was hiking (about 3/4 of a mile from the Rat) and it gave me the serious neck hair willies. Can't imagine being on their bad side and getting a visit like that.
Alex, you're talking to someone who can't keep down lunch on a skateboard, you know. My stomach says playing spectator on terra firma is the far more pleasant choice.
Nice Bone shots! And they let the Naivy (not a typo, just a lame attempt at a Brit-ism in print) play, too, I see...
re: getting better war-bird shots from the mesa. Once upon a time I looked DOWN into the cockpit of an F-101 Voodoo, just before the pilot lit off both ABs... and I was on Terra Firma. Sorta.
Babzy, funny you should say that - as I was writing that entry, I almost put in a disclaimer "... all vehicles welcomed (with the exception of UFOs)". Any creatures inclined to play mind games and enjoy using anal probes are NOT welcomed here. Stories abound in the region but they have not bothered us so far. And I really like it that way.
Oh ya, Buck, all sorts of cool stuff gets to play out here. We even got a real low buzz from the strangest looking and sounding (like a buzz bomb) UAV. A gas field buddy got to look DOWN on a C130 threading through the main canyon - talk about a rush, but not as good as your story (note to other readers - you absolutely NEED to click on the link Buck left in his comment - awesome!). I have little doubt that I would have let go of the tower and messed my drawers on the way down, Buck, what a great story!
Just because I'm a nerd, those are B-1s and F-18s. There, I got that off my chest.
And I'd a said the cessna was doing a low level drug run, but your more conventional explanation sounds more likely.
Thanks, FHB - maybe I should put labels under those photos.
Eeek! I'll not have that sort of nonsense going on in MY canyon! Touch wood, I think we're pretty lucky in that respect, unlike what Bruno has to put up with.
Your man-birds pictures gave me a real, er, buzz.
And I loved your description in a comment today of my ``continued word mischief''.
You rock ....
David, that text of yours today was truly top notch ... somewhat naughty but all the more excellent for its subtleness! I could sit and read a pro at work all day long, sigh, if only I had electricity 24/7.
In any case, it sounds like a big job to move the whole set-up, but the only thing I care about is your safety and well-being. :)
It's cool to get the surprise of the planes flying over occasionally like that - sort of your own personal airshow.
Phlegmmy, those free air shows are a BIG part of our love of this place. The quiet is wonderful but more so when it is punctuated by the really big birds every once in a while. It's a genuine treat to say "Whoah ... was that too cool or what?!"
Man birds. Love the description.
Nothing like the sound of raw power huh?
Good shots, considering their speed and the lack of warning!
Over from David's blog.
Used to get regular low flying jets in the Highlands using the valleys as their own playground. The noise they make is stunning - but better as an occasional treat rather than a 3 times a day thing.
crazycath, you're not kidding - I LOVE the sound of their raw horsepower!
Very true, dba, it's better as an occasional treat. Living at the end of their runway might get old very fast.
Hope your note means that you have found a decent connection finally?
Geez I'm reading your posts ass-backwards. I've already been here.
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