Hello, Goodbye

Who would have believed a long weekend could pass so quickly.

Thanks BG for another few days filled with wonderful memories!

Reason Number 73,548...

...why my respect for the FAA is at the level it is.

Flying westbound along the south shore of Long Island this morning with a lovely companion visiting from Mississippi with me, and after a quick visit to look at the traffic in the Hamptons, we had proceeded past Smith Point. The bumps had subsided, there were two full tanks of gas, nobody was nauseous and the visibility was quite good. We could clearly see Connecticut.

So I called and asked the following question: "Does the restricted airspace for the Jones Beach airshow extend as far east as the Robert Moses lighthouse, over." The astute amongst you will note that this is a question which requires a YES or NO response.

"Restricted area 7493 is a 5 nautical mile radius around a point 17.8 miles from the Deer Park VOR on the 138 radial, said restriction in effect currently until 1900 hours zulu."

'Roger'. I turned around and came home.

Friend of a Friend

More accurately, the Best Friend of my Best Friend, was lovingly laid to rest today.

Tennison The Wonder Dog was good company for the woman I love for virtually all of her adult life. He had a long (13 years) and love-filled life thanks to the caring devotion of his best friend. He lived long and he lived well and he will be remembered with affection, tenderness and happiness for years to come.

I shall miss him too. Very much.

Boys Toys

DDDD Different Day, Different Drains

DDDD (Different Drains, Different Day)

Today we are on a main County north-south road which runs from the Atlantic Ocean on one end to the bridge to Connecticut on the other end which they never built. This road is actually quite favored by serious bicycle riders, and is also popular with 22 wheel gravel trucks who devoutly believe that 75 mph is an ok speed in a 55 mile zone, despite knowing it would take them six city blocks to stop.
Note that the engineers have not only taken the entire bike path for their drain, but additionally have cleverly made any escape impossible with a guard rail situated to the right.





Next, an opportunity to develop a new ‘skill set’ *gag* of “precision” riding. Note that the normal mountain bike tire would have less than ONE INCH of clearance on either side of this path.




And the best for last. Piece de Resistance. The “green” highway engineers have pretty much outdone themselves on this one. Note that the holes in the drain are specially designed to parallel the path of the bicycle wheel, ensuring that it is absolutely impossible to drive over it at any speed.



But wait, there’s more! This particular bike killer is also, and at the same time, located right at the base of an entrance ramp, so that with any luck, accelerating vehicles will be looking left over their shoulder for southbound traffic and not paying ANY attention to bicycles on the shoulder who HAVE to veer into the roadway or die.



Thanks guys!

More Like It

Now, out in the Hamptons, the drains do not overlap the bike lane. And, you have the Atlantic Ocean on the left, and osprey nests and the bay and wetlands on the right, and if an SUV hits you, they are more apt to be rich.

Bicycle Path - Suffolk Style

Imagine riding with a following tailwind, so doing perhaps 14 to 15 mph, with SUVs roaring by 15 inches away at 55 mph and then seeing this thing in your pathway. If you don't ruin a wheel, you could end up as road kill, smooshed under one such SUV in a heartbeat.

Yet another dreary instance where planners SAY they want people to use bicycles, but do their best to kill them if they actually try to.