2Heeldrive – Walk it off Wimp!

Just a reminder that the following dates are free entry dates at National parks in 2011

November 11-13 (Veterans Day weekend), So get out and enjoy!

See complete info here – http://www.2heeldrive.com/2011/01/11/no-fees-for-national-parks-on-seventeen-days-in-2011/

The 2012 National Parks free days

January 14 – 16 (Martin Luther King Jr. weekend)
April 21 – 29 (National Park Week)
June 9 (Get Outdoors Day)
September 29 (National Public Lands Day)
Nov. 10 – 12 (Veterans Day weekend)

Free National Parks days are good for entrance fees, commercial tour fees and transportation entrance fees,
but do not apply to other fees such as reservation fees, camping fees, tour fees, or concession fees.
While national Parks are already a great value, National Parks free days make them even more so.

HOW TO START A FIGHT
One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift…
The next year, I didn’t buy her a gift.
When she asked me why, I replied,
“Well, you still haven’t used the gift I bought you last year!”
And that’s how the fight started…..

______________________________

My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed.
I turned to her and said, ‘Do you want to have Sex?’
‘No,’ she answered. I then said,
‘Is that your final answer?’
She didn’t even look at me this time, simply saying, ‘Yes..’
So I said, “Then I’d like to phone a friend.”
And that’s when the fight started…

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I took my wife to a restaurant.
The waiter, for some reason, took my order first.
“I’ll have the rump steak, rare, please.”
He said, “Aren’t you worried about the mad cow?”
“Nah, she can order for herself.”
And that’s when the fight started…..

________________________________

My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she
kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.
I asked her, “Do you know him?”
“Yes”, she sighed,
“He’s my old boyfriend…. I understand he took to drinking right after we
split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn’t been sober since.”
“My God!” I said, “Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?”
And then the fight started…

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My wife sat down next to me as I was flipping channels.
She asked, “What’s on TV?”
I said, “Dust.”
And then the fight started…

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Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, and
slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the van, and
proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing 50 mph, so I
pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the
weather would be bad all day. I went back into the house, quietly
undressed, and slipped back into bed.. I cuddled up to my wife’s back, now with a
different anticipation, and whispered, “The weather out there is terrible.”
My loving wife of 5 years replied, “And, can you believe my stupid husband
is out fishing in that?”
And that’s how the fight started…

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My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary.
She said, “I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3 seconds.”
I bought her a bathroom scale.
And then the fight started……

________________________________

My wife was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror.
She was not happy with what she saw and said to me,
“I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly.
I really need you to pay me a compliment.’
I replied, “Your eyesight’s darn near perfect.”
And then the fight started……..

Stevens Canyon Road Closure on September 6, 2011 for Road Work.
Posted: August 26, 2011

From the National Park Service at Mt. Rainier:

Due to extensive roadway embankment stabilization and subsurface compaction grouting efforts, Stevens Canyon Road will be closed between the gate located just west of the Grove of the Patriarchs to just east of the popular Backbone Ridge viewpoint from September 6, 2011 through the 2011-2012 winter closure. Visitors will be able to access the Reflection Lakes, Box Canyon and Backbone Ridge areas and adjacent trailheads from the west during the fall 2011 closure.

During the closure, visitors will only be able to access the Paradise area from the southwest via the Nisqually Entrance at the east end of SR 706. Visitors traveling from the east via SR 410, SR 123, and/or US 12 who wish to visit the Paradise area can detour via SR 7 beginning in Morton on US 12 and ending on SR 706 at Elbe. (US 12 may have delays due to road work, for more information check the Washington State Department of Transportation WASDOT).

While the construction, closures, and traffic delays present an inconvenience, the rehabilitation work will not only improve the driving surface of the roadway, but ensure its longevity.

Stevens Canyon roadwork is also scheduled for periods during the 2012 & 2013 seasons. Information on this project, as well as general park information, is available on the park’s website under News Releases.

Despite the snow that continues to fall at higher elevations – they had 3 inches of new snow at Paradise Wednesday – Cougar Rock Campground at Mount Rainier National Park will open Friday at noon.

“There is still snow on the ground in the campground, so campers should be aware that while they may have a cleared spot to park their vehicle, they should expect to have to dig out their picnic tables and a space for tents in many of the sites,” said Chief Ranger Chuck Young.

Potable water, restrooms and other facilities are up and running, he added.

Public road access into the White River Campground opened up Wednesday. The campground won’t open until June 24, however, as there is still quite a bit of clearing to take place and getting the water and power utilities up and running, Young said.

But, opening the road enables climbers to drive and park in the campground to access the Glacier Basin Trail.

POSTED BY JEFF MAYOR ON JUNE 2, 2011 AT 5:45 AM 
Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure/2011/06/02/cougar-rock-campground-at-mount-rainier-opens-friday-at-noon/#ixzz1OE4oCzNN

A lot of trim pieces on older cars were made of aluminum that was anodized. Anodizing is an effective way to create a hard, weather resistant surface that will last a number of years without tarnishing. Eventually, however, the metal surface becomes stained and scratched and looking generally dull, so much so that it either needs to be replaced or cleaned. 

Unfortunately, anodized surfaces don’t clean well. In fact, if you scrub or polish such a surface all you will get is a shiny drab-looking finished product. In order to properly clean and polish aluminum you have to de-anodize it. 

Sounds difficult, doesn’t it? After all, the anodizing process requires acid baths, cleaning steps and electric current, not to mention timing equipment and dyes (for those colored surfaces like brackets, etc.) One would think, therefore, that de-anodizing would require the same materials, only in reverse order. That would be nice and effective, but it turns out that aluminum is one of those metals that can be chemically de-anodized. All you need is the right chemical, and you can find it in your grocery store. The “magic” chemical is sodium hydroxide, and it is the active ingredient in drain cleaners (Drano). It comes in liquid and crystal form and we find the dry crystals are the most effective (and least expensive.) 

Oven cleaner also contains either Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide.

All you need to de-anodize your piece of aluminum is a shallow pan large enough in which to lay it. You’ll need warm water, rubber gloves, eye protection and, of course the drain cleaner. Fill the pan with enough warm water to cover the piece and then add enough drain cleaner to do the job – we find that 1 tablespoon of cleaner to one gallon of water will de-anodize a couple pieces like headlight bezels. 

Mix the cleaner thoroughly in the water and place the aluminum piece in it. Make sure there’s air movement over the pan, since the vapors can be a bit caustic. Watch the bubbles form on the aluminum and lift it out every minute or so to remove the accumulated “smut.” Smut is the chemical residue that forms during the de-anodizing process and you want to remove it periodically to expose the surface to the chemical. If the process is going too slowly you can add more cleaner. 

After a few minutes you will see that the piece is a uniform, flat color. Stains and blemishes should have disappeared, leaving only scratches. Take the piece out and rinse thoroughly with fresh water. Dry it off and inspect for any residual anodized spots, which show up as darker surface finish. If there are any, immerse the piece in the chemical for a little longer and rub them out. Rinse and dry again. 

Now you can sand your piece with 800 grit paper to remove scratches and then buff the surface to a bright shine. It will remain a soft surface unless you anodize it again, but that takes equipment and a little experience. We find that keeping a coat of wax on the piece prevents tarnishing and staining. Also, you can spray the piece with clear lacquer or enamel to protect it in harsher environments

Good Luck!