Blog Schmog

ALASKA!

2007-05-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

check out my alaska outings at:

http://shaunlunt.typepad.com/shootings/

SuperCub Fever!

2007-03-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Snowbird, Utah

2007-03-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

Jeremy, Me, Danny, and David. Accolades to the Utah powder.

Lenticular clouds clue in to the approaching winds

No Kangaroos

2007-03-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Austrian Alps, good times. Medical conference, it's all play and no work

The view out my window

The tranquil moments prior to the horse mistaking Sandra's fingers, wrist, and upper torso as a carrot. It's all a part of animal husbandry.

Gotta strap some planks on when you're in the Alps

Valley with resorts all around

Innsbruck is an idyllic mountain town

It's White

2007-03-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

My new Corvette gets the handshake from Spring Mountain Motorsports Race Track, Nevada

Throttle Up

2007-03-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

A little snow is all mother nature could come up with on this ride. North Cascades, Washington. Loving' it!

Here's a totally candid picture, not at all staged, completely spontaneous, I didn't even know the camera was on...

I relax for a nap, the mechanic goes to work

All tuckered out, mechanic falls asleep at the socket

Oregon

2006-08-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

North Cascades June '06

2006-07-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

North Cascades June '06

2006-07-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

Spring '06

2006-05-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

Big Rock, Lake Perris.

Amasa Back, Moab, Utah. Breaking in the new Santa Cruz Nomad.

SnoGo

2006-03-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

Getting to Cooke City, Montana is cause for driving through Yellowstone. Trailering the snow machines-

The premier snowmobile capital boasts hundreds of miles of untracked powder in every direction. It's a good place to carry a GPS, satellite phone, and avalanche beacons. Crossing from Montana to Wyoming on a 100-mile loop to the "Top of the World" eventually perches us around 12,000ft elevation overlooking, well, just about everything in the area.

Just like the old days on the ski dock. Kiff, me, and Bruce having a ball. Minus the ball.

Hi-horsepower sleds get a person to some remote places in a hurry

The ominous floating buffalo

Umm, OK...

The Last Frontier

2006-02-20T11:27:00.000-08:00

4AM and the lights dance on the ice.

First of many lake and pond landings. It's ALL good!

Jay Baldwin is the guru behind it all. A wealth of information, both of the area and of course, in flying. He operates Alaska Cub Training Specialists, and has a rich aviation history, including flying F-16's for 20 years, and currently Boeing 737's when not in the bush. He'll admit to lots of challenges and exciting experiences in flying, but is quick to point out that flying a supercub in the Alaskan bush takes top honors for constant challenge and excitement. Jay is one of the most personable and easy-going fellas you'll find in the bush. And a top-notch pilot!

Lynnwood Feeler is an Alaskan icon, having raced the Iditarod 14 years, placing 2nd as his best. He has 180 dogs nearby, and more outside Juneau. Lynn and Jay join up for flying whenever they get a chance, and today he's lake hopping with us.

Later in the day, we stop off at this lodge for a burger and a little conversation with the locals.

Snaking up the Yentna River, and never feeling more alive! Periodically, mushers slip by underneath. This is part of the route of the Iditarod, the famous dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome.

The light is getting low and the definition of the snow is diminishing, making landings a bit more challenging.

Not a bad driveway...
As a matter of Alaskan bush practice, the super cub was tied down by anchoring ice screws into the frozen lake. An insulated cover was placed over the engine, and wing covers installed to ward off frost. The wing covers also had stall gates to discourage flight during high winds while tied down. The following morning the cub got a luxurious hour of preheating with a northern companion burner and then fired to life with a couple hand props.

Ahh, home sweet home. A good day of flying, and hot noodles and apple cider in a cozy cabin miles from civilization. "You say you paged me? I must've been out of range..."

Another new day, and lots to explore. This glacier-fed lake will do just fine. The snowshoes payed their way here, when our first steps away from the plane resulted in chest-deep snow. The snowshoes are bungied onto the wing struts, where many things are transported, including moose antlers, supplies, and small children.

So what makes a glacier blue? Magic, of course.

Welcome to my humble glacier lake. To enter, lick the ice.

Jay might be a real bush guy, but he knows class. Here, he explains how to turn your cabin into a swanky dinner joint-- simply put a piece of glacial ice in the middle of the table with a pick and let the guests chip their own ice for their drinks. The unique taste and hardness will have your guests spitting the Jones's ice cubes out like sour lemons. "Please pass the 4000-year old ice..."

Sizing up the cub's tracks for departure.
A Susitna slough presents itself, and we can't resist the urge to land. A fun little curvy path keeps things kinetic during the landing and takeoff phases.

In the slough, but not of despond.

A jaunt through the crags of Matanuska Valley finds us nearing the Knik Glacier. Lake George below us is frozen feet thick, and with a thin layer of glacier water on top of the glaze ice, makes for a WHEE-EEEE landing. (No brakes on skis!)

A stiff glacier wind coming down the valley tried to tease a primal hands-and-feet stance out of us on the slick stuff.

These glacial fingers calve off periodically, creating some impressive thunders and explosions that propagate down the valley

This little bench lake (does it have a name?) sits above lake George nestled in a nook with towering mountains to the side. A careful inspection for avalanche potential is warranted before landing, and once again, a YEE-HAA landing on the ice keeps it fun.

The wind is slightly muted from down on the lake, but still tips near 20 knots, providing an impressively short 100 foot takeoff.

Still plenty of fuel, sunlight, and new places to explore! This is definitely Chapter 1.

Boulderdash

2006-01-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

This is how I want to spend every Monday!

Old man winter smiled on us with a huge snowstorm the day before.

"Look what I can do..."
Stuart (aka Jim) careening at the helm.

Team Jim airs it out

Epic snow conditions triggered a healthy showing of sledheads, and with extra people on the trails, defensive driving was a high priority.

Get Bend

2005-12-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when 3 feet of snow falls in 3 days at Bachelor. Delicious.
Making use of my parka to sit back at mother nature's amphitheater.

Andy and Karla Toms routinely tear it up and Bachelor, just a snowball's throw from home in Bend.

Monumental

2005-12-26T14:37:00.000-08:00

35 years later, Mom returns to Monument Valley to visit where she lived for a bit with the Navajos. We take the Piper into Goulding's Lodge strip for a fun trip.

Oh, now I get it. The mittens.

Downside right up

2005-12-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

On the deck for the Anza Borrego Aerobatic Competition. The Super Decathlon was flown by 9 of us, and only popped 2 rivets...

Flying home from the desert after the competition, Bryan Wernick snaps some shots of Shannon and me while flying his Archer in loose formation. Keep the wings level in this bird, its first loop would be its last.

Summer time living easy

2005-12-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

Warm-up climb at Smith Rock, OR

The prusik takes the brunt in a crevass.

A little more to the right...
Perfect weather climbing Mt. Baker, WA Cascades

Life's better at the top

The lake I was forced to call home while earning a Seaplane license on Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.

The trick is to push the self-timer and hop onto a pontoon without falling in to the (cold) water before the picture is taken.

The view out the window of a super cub is worth every bit of it.

Big sis, little nephew

2005-12-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

Shelly and Aidan hangin' in San Luis Obispo

Colorado and Bust

2005-12-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

Dayhiking the mountains west of Boulder. No need for maps with us leading, Charlene. Let's see, moss grows on the north side of the tree...right?

Leica, turn away from the camera. Good girl.

Climbing Long's Peak, the closest fourteener. Minutes before Jim develops disabling HAFE.

Uh, yeah...your snowmobile we rented is up there somewhere. It quit in a hole.

Just prior to us figuring out a 500 pound sled can launch up a cornice with surprising ballistic.

Go Fly a Kite

2005-12-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

David schools me in the art of flying a kite. Just add water. Bruises sold separately.

"Rule #1," says David, "NEVER LET GO OF THE KITE CONTROL BAR"

Jeepers Creepers

2005-12-26T13:09:00.000-08:00

Older people always have a hard time understanding which way to point electronic gadgets.
Dad and I have fun 6 ways to Sunday.
Dad's got a new jeep, and it's time to break it in. If there's one thing we like to do, it's thrash each other's toys. These things can go anywhere, right?!

The sign said "snowmobile trail", but where are the snowmobiles?
Depths of the mountains, Idaho.

OK, we need a REAL winch. You could play that strap like a banjo.

Finally, we proved you could get a jeep stuck. Really stuck. We gave up around midnight, and planned to sleep in the jeep before hiking out the next day. About 1AM, we agreed that sleeping in the jeep was a rotten idea. I built a fire, and we dug. And dug. And dug. After many discussions on leverage points and pulley physics, we got out and made it home in time for an early breakfast. Good times right there. Truly Capital.
Hey Dad, cute pink blanket.

You meet the nicest people on a Harley

2005-12-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

Biker's famous Hell's Kitchen on the Ortega Highway, enroute to Laguna Beach.

There goes the neighborhood. Kiff fits the look scary good.

The Hog and Me.

Roadhouse stop on the brim of the valley

She's still got it

2005-12-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

Flying to brunch on Mother's Day. Big Bear, California

Homeland Security

2005-12-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

Jim, Sean, and Shaun under one roof. Things escalate over who's turn it is to do the dishes.

The family doesn't have a chance...

2005-12-26T12:37:00.000-08:00

Can we get someone serious to be a role model for Aidan????
Dad David and Uncle Shaun, wiseguys.

Moab and Beyond

2005-12-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

Moab and mountain bikes.

Poison Spider bike shop is a cool stop. But don't believe them if they say the high trails don't have any more snow...

The canyons of Fruita, Colorado provide impressive acoustics for the hollerin' type

slickrock extraordinare

Not a bad backyard to our campsite

This is more fun than working.

Morning finally arrives after driving all night. Jim drooled.

Good nutrition is the key to our success as privateer mountain bikers. The fried food diet is up and coming.

I woke up in the dark of night, drove myself from the campsite to slickrock trail, donned the headlamp and took on the blackness until midway thru the ride when the sun came up. Who said slickrock was a crowded trail?!

OK, I definitely need a truck.

Driving me crazy

2005-12-26T11:16:00.000-08:00

Best way to fix that annoying squeak in your car? Race it hard.

Willow Springs, Buttonwillow, California Speedway, and other places the Vette has left lots of tire.

#1.5 getting psyched to drop the hammer in his M3.

Random ballyhoo

2005-12-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

A good wheelman routes us gang

Gettin in the groove

2005-12-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

see ya