Wait a minute, before you all get in line to answer that it was meant as a rhetorical question! :ddog What I'm referring to is this: I'm getting tired of the cold. And it's not even really COLD! yet. Just barely bounced off 50 below this morning. In years past, I remember being pleased when it warmed up to 45 below. But this morning the Jeep couldn't cope with the low temperature and the ECM had it pouring gas into the engine, giving me 6 mpg where it would normally deliver over 18 mpg. With half a tank of gas when I pulled out of Glennallen it should have made it to Anchorage and through half of my shopping without running out. But at the rate it was burning petrol we would not have been able to reach Palmer. :eek1 Had to turn around 25 miles out and go back for more dead dinos. Then, when I drove into the coldest spot, the transmission started acting up, with the torque converter clutch locking and unlocking and shifting up and down violently. Finally went back to the apartment and parked it. There's something to be said for carburetors and manual transmissions. Besides vehicles, there are heating systems. Or, more accurately, systems that are supposed to produce heat. And I'm tired of them. A wood stove. Simple (like me), works even when there's a power outage (unlike me), romantic (definitely not like me!). Everything is being controlled by little squares, octagons, trapezoids, tiny cans on two or more legs all glued together on a little board in patterns discernible only to electronics wizards who speak in strange tongues. Inductor Diode Nand gate NPN transistor NMOS (how the heck are you supposed to pronounce that?) Bipolar transistor (how do you administer lithium to a transistor?) And so on. And you know what? The literature for those little devices often says Storage at 0° to 40°C In automotive use they often test these things clear down to are you ready for this? - the incomprehensible temperature of -40°C/F!! Yeah, a balmy day in wintertime Alaska. Okay... maybe I'm just getting old and cranky. Naw, it can't be that. Guess I'm just not into this "Global Warming". But I'm sure looking forward to summer.
Without miserable conditions, how would we know we are alive? Perhaps in 5 months I will post a similar rant...only mine will feature temperatures in the 50 deg C range. Today, partly cloudy, a little breeze, high of 30 deg C. Tomorrow the same. My Guzzi waits.
Aint that the truth. They wont suddenly go bad & leave you stranded like a lot of the electronics will. And if there is a problem with a carb I can usually find the problem & fix it on the spot. Hard to see WTF those little electrons are doing. :huh. Manual transmissions seem to last forever. I did have to change the clutch on my old snow plowin 1971 Bronco last year. Original clutch, had seen 40 years of very hard use. It would still be in there if one of the three pressure plate finger bolts had not broke. https://www.advrider.com/advrider-photobucket-images/images/T/TomIII_VAN_Broncoclutch4.jpg The clutch disk was overdue anyway. I really hate automatic transmissions but you cant even buy a lot of new cars or trucks with a standard transmission anymore. That just aint right. There are now a lot of people that cant drive a stick shift car. That don't seem right either. Even some that I *think* can drive a stick shift are completely baffled when faced with a Three on the tree. BTW, I hear you ran into my friend & a fellow worker of yours from years ago, Don D. We graduated high school together but didnt hang out back then & he only lived a block away from me. He didnt hang out with the <STRIKE>little bit wilder</STRIKE> ...emm, ... cool guys back then I guess.
Well, luckily I avoid most of the cold crap down here in the South. But I've somewhat been there, used to live in Ottawa and would frequent parts north there of. Say sub -40 more than once or twice. Kind of hard to explain how everything makes different sounds. Even unlocking you car. But there is something to be said about having to hold your breath for a few minutes while you start your car. 'cause if you exhale it will turn to ice as soon as it hits the windshield. But even the clutch on my old escort was fun. It would take about 10-20 minutes before the hydrolic fluid would start to thin out, when you side stepped the clutch, you could just watch the peddle rise. Anyway, I agree on the whole transmission thing, the only reason why my Suburban is an automagic, is that you can't get it as a manual. Luckily my wife likes all 3 peddles to be there, so her little GTI has all 3 Stay warm and safe up there.
Since my esteemed mentor, who is sometimes Handsome, Intelligent and Charming, still has some potentially embarrassing photos with me in them, I will demonstrate outstanding public relations skills and give a diplomatic answer. Nothing is wrong with the Gregarious Geezer from Glennallen, at least nothing that can't be fixed with a big hammer or his amazing mechanical aptitude. As for Tom S, I'm not sure what's wrong with him as it's difficult to quantify. However, I sure admire his creative talents, even when he pokes fun at me.
Totally agree. Best to always have a least one vehicle without electronics. So not only the carb and MT but also a breaker point ignition system! Now if we could just figure out what to do about those danged square tires...
Jack it sounds like the beginning of Cabin Fever is comming early this year. I once sold my Porsche to a guy that paid cash and then called a friend to drive it home for him......He had never driven a stick shift. Oh and by the way Jack......post those pictures of the Dutches. That may warm up the winter.
Flashback! And I have to ask, what is wrong with that. I did that twice! My first new car was an '86 escort. When the sales critter picked me up I scared him shartless, it was the second time I had ever driven a manual. And when I got my first bike, EX500, I have the sales critter ride it to where I was living, because the dealership was on a busy street, no place to learn how to ride. Okay, I had sorta ridden a dirt bike prior, but ..... And hey, both turned out just fine .....
Alls I can say is Jack the last 2 years Alaska has had same real BULL SHIT for weather and it has been hard to deal with. Iam getting my old vw bus ready for a road trip this March I will be heading south for at least a mouth and hopefully longer you hear me wheeldog Iam coming that way.
Hey Jack......there is a place called ARIZONA. Been heading there for the last 7 or 8 years in the winter. If you put some new batteries in your calculator and do the math you will find it is CHEAPER (unless your working) to live there in the winter than stay in Alaska. Oh yeah.....you get to ride all winter in warm weather.
Jack....You must be forgetting to check your frost meter.....must near the life time total....Wheeldog's meter gets reset every winter....being south is easy on the wood pile too.
WTF? Frost meter? No, man, I dont have grey hair. Thats frostbite. I got yer life time total right here.
Well Jack, Ill do my best to solve all your problems. You are sounding like a good candidate for an Airhead, and an Old manual Ford Escort, that I could make you a real deal on... (The Escort I dont sell or rent Airheads, but I know where you can get one). There are some advantages to getting rid of all that fancy falderal. Of course there are no Airheads near as fast as Alcan Annie, let alone anything else in your stable except maybe the KLR. The problem with the Dark and Cold you are really SOL, till at least March, cant do a darn thing for you there. Oh the price we pay for living in a paradise, where some freedom still exists, and we can stay out of prison. I have heard of a great Sunshine Substitute. Annie Huddys Dream Sickle Fudge. One FIX a day for the darkest 3 or 4 Months, and your on the road again. Im sure Annie will give you the recipe, or maybe you could steal it on the next run to Hider. You should be able to parlay the negatives, and all the original photos you have of the Hay Duchess into an annual supply of the fudge. Just saying it could be a Win Win for both of ya. Bob Da C
I agree - the weather has been dismal this winter, and many mornings I had sub-zero temps at my house. However, today it snowed enough so that we were finally able to get out on skis for the first time this winter. Yeehaw!!!! We had to drive all the way to Girdwood to find enough snow and the predicted blizzard was out in full force - all day. Luckily we skied on a new trail through the trees and didn't have to worry about the wind. Hopefully I can start skiing on the hillside trails soon! I also hope we get enough snow this year so that I can made a second ascent of Mt. Snowberm. I just gave AlcanRider a whole, big pan of fudge, so hopefully no photos will surface for awhile. Thankfully he's been real busy lately, remodeling his retardment home and fixing boilers/heating systems that people like to have working when it's -30 to -50. Brrrr. I would imagine there is some shrinkage problems in the interior region of Alaska in the winter. The poor chaps.
nothing wrong with you other than too much cabin time, temps broke this weekend to the positive new snow on the ground everywhere time to get out and play!
AlcanRider will feel much better once he gets out traipsing through the woods on his snowshoes. Plus, I tried a new fudge recipe (blueberry cheesecake) that's guaranteed to bring a smile to the gregarious geezer's face, even if it is cold outside and he has problems with his vehicle! Solarmoose is right - it's time to go play in the snow - which means skiing in the backcountry for me.
