FOR SALE: The Hare-Brained Express (!)

Yes, it’s the legendary motor home that faithfully (with only a few hiccups) carried Shot On Site Photography from sea to shining sea for almost 6 years.  It will make someone an ideal short run dog hauler for field events and shows, while still perfectly capable of the occasional long haul.  Why pay to stay at an expensive hotel? 


              
Things that are new (or new-ish)  - the radiator ; the rear springs;  the tires (6); the alternator; the retractlable awning.
Things that are old, and/or don’t work, or may need work -  The leveling jacks. (parts are no longer available); The 5000W Onan generator will run, and produce power, but has a disturbing knock, which may be a piston rod.  Refrigerator door needs new hinge, but the fridge works great and has recently had the safety recall work performed, so it won’t set you on fire!   Much of the drawer hardware throughout needs replacing.. they’ve just worn out, or fallen out from lack of moisture.  Cabinet over sink needs connection to ceiling reinforced.
On the very last trip we attempted in late 2009, the distributor cap went wonky, which threw the engine out of time, and left us stranded outside of El Paso.  It has been repaired, but does need a tune up (spark plugs and wires were fouled, so it doesn’t run smoothly).
The chassis is a Chevrolet truck. Engine, a 454 cubic inch, with throttle body injection.
Direct inquiries to MargaretFairman@gmail.com, or Dan@shotonsite.us.

Infernal Road Trip

We are into week two of a 7 week road trip I really didn't want to make.  For starters, despite the fact we left Deming, and are now sitting in Bos.. Bogwell, OK we've already logged over 1700 miles. (Look at a map!).  That's because we first had to go all the way to Gray Summit, MO's Purina Farms for an event that featured rain, along with running dogs.  We then backtracked over 500 miles for a big national event here, which featured more rain.  Way more rain.  6 inches or more last Wednesday, followed by 1-2 more inches while I was trying to work (accompanied by wind, of course), then to add insult to injury, another couple of inches before midnight to make the field really fun on Sunday.

I'll have photos soon of the tractors extracting the cars and RV's at the conclusion of the festivities.

Later this week, we'll depart this garden spot and return the 500+ miles to Purina Farms for the Scottish Deerhound national specialty.  The 10 day forecast is for: rain.

At the end of the month, we'll be in Michigan for the Rhodesian Ridgeback specialty.  We'll also be able to load up more stuff from the storage unit, and have a chance to visit my brother, (my much younger brother) who, I found out, spent much of last week in the hospital replicating an episode of House.  If he gets his wish, he'll have a shiny new pacemaker by then so he can continue to ride and run, which is what he was doing last week when he suddenly found himself face down on the sidewalk.  The implications for me in this medical mystery, is that what he has is possibly genetic.  Oh joy.

By the way, it will probably rain while we're working in Michigan.

Then we will head to the Saluki specialty in Lexington where, experience tells us, it will definitely rain.  Usually with spectacular lightning and high winds.

Meanwhile, back home in Deming...

Now why would any sane person want to give up our lifestyle for that? (Yes, that's being facetious).

A Change Is Gonna Come...

More than one, actually.

Since we committed to purchase the house in Deming, I've been referring to it here as "Mountain House".  More for lack of a better idea than anything else, it was merely a "working title" based on the fact that it was, well, up in the mountains.  Now that we've had some time to give it some thought, we are ready to unveil our Official Name:

This is the basis for a wood front gate sign, that our friend Tavo, (owner of the other dog in the Desert Hare crash) is going to carve for us.  Until last weekend we were unaware of this additional talent (among many) of Mr. Cruz.  We can't wait to see the finished work!

Another name that's going to have to change, is the name of this blog.  We're no longer going to be on "tour".  As mentioned before, we'll be venturing out occasionally to major events when invited.  This one was easy.  Once our travels taper off at the end of May, this missive will forever be known as:  Hare-Brained At Home.  The content won't change much.  We'll still write about whatever seems interesting at the moment, like the dogs, or good places to eat, or politics.

And if we're not traveling from event to event, whatever will we do for money?  We always knew that we'd have to come up with some kind of employment to keep us entertained (and fed) in the manner to which we were accustomed.  On a suggestion last Summer by our friend Steve Garth, Margaret did some researching and came up with our new, local business...   

Margaret thought the name was too "cutesy".. but I think I've beaten her into submission, and she's put together some cool potential business card designs, and logos.  This is just one example.  

The countdown clock on the sidebar, will let everyone know how close we are to moving in.  This is damned exciting!

Answer: "Holy Crap!!!"

Question: What's the only appropriate response, when you drive around a curve and are confronted by a shovel the size of a city block?!?

..And you're not in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, or West Virginia. Didn't expect this in Texas.

On the Road Again.

That's us. And just in time, too. With all the rain of the past couple of days we were turning mildewy. We've been parked too long in high humidity and precipitation, and are longing for the land of single-digit dew points.

So today, we bid farewell to 2008 and hit the road for the first time in '09, and are heading for Texas, and then (oh yeah) New Mexico.

But first! We needed to stop off in Acworth, GA and get the new rear window graphic installed. It was past time to get the old one off..

...The dark parts were turning white, and the whole thing was dried out and brittle. Besides, few people knew what the hell they were looking at. When they finally figured out the jackrabbit, they missed the dog completely, which gave Buffy an inferiority complex.

With Margaret's new design, the ambiguity is right out the window, (no pun intended). It's right in your face..

Almost like a Greyound Bus, huh?

Thanks to a quick install by Les and his employees, we were on the road (again) in no time, beat the Atlanta rush hour, and got 2/3 of the way across Alabama before stopping for the evening.

Convenience... At a Price, Of Course.

As we left the lure coursing trial in Hutto, TX last Sunday, I decided I wanted to avoid the usual glut of traffic we would encounter on US79 and I35. Bad nearly all the time, it's worse on Sunday afternoons and Fridays. I hopped on the toll road (130). This was only the second time we've traveled this highway, because the first time we were put off by paying $4.50 for a roughly 6 mile trip. This time, however, we weren't pulling the car, and we would be going about 20 miles or so. The nice thing about the toll roads is that Texans rarely use them, so traffic is very light.

As we approached the toll plaza, I noticed that in addition to the "TXTag" lane, (a prepaid option, similar to that used on toll roads all over the country), there was also a sign for "Pay by Mail". That's different, I thought. I wondered how that worked. Could it be as simple as it sounds? Camera takes a picture of your plate and mails you a bill? So, when we paid the lady in the toll booth I asked. And that's exactly how it works.

What a great idea, even though there's a dollar charge added to the bill. I use almost that much in gas to slow and stop, then idle while we exchange cash (an item we're occasionally low on) for a receipt, then have to accelerate back to freeway speeds. What convenience to just.. keep.. going. I like it. Wish they did that in Chicago, and Oklahoma, among other places.

Traveling Light.

Last Friday morning I packed up my cameras, a laptop, a suitcase, and one male Galgo Español into the Escape. Leaving the Express, (not to mention Margaret, four dogs and a cat), in Boswell, Oklahoma, I headed West. My destination: The ASFA Region 3 Invitational in Stanley, NM.

It's been a long, long time since I've made a 650 mile road trip in a car. I've forgotten how hard it is, which is to say I re-learned to respect those of you who travel great distances to events every week, or even every other month.

I had to get used to using public restrooms! And filling the tank at the auto pumps at the Flying J's instead of the RV lanes. (There was good news at the pumps, however. Flying J in Wichita Falls, TX: $1.93/gal for unleaded- $1.85 with my frequent fueler discount!). Not traveling with all of our possessions meant I had to constantly worry that I hadn't left anything important behind. In fact, I did. We didn't load our dwindling inventory of "I'd Rather Be Coursing" bumper stickers. A minor inconvenience, I guess, in the grand scheme of things. Would have been worse to forget the camera, or memory cards.

I arrived exhausted, about 10 hours later. The last 250 miles, or so, being much faster than the first 400, as I finally got on the Interstate in Amarillo. I hate slowing down for all the little burghs in Texas. Other states have found a cure for this: they're called bypasses.

My hosts, Steve and Joan Garth, (whom you may remember from our Summer trip to California), were waiting with wine, and a comfort-food dinner. I tried to keep up with the conversation and be sociable, while I attempted to shake off the sensation 2 hours after I parked in their driveway, that I was still sitting in a speeding vehicle. At 7:30 I said I needed to put my head on a pillow for a minute. My minute ended when I got up the next morning to go to the trials.

What a great location for a lure coursing trial. I'll have pictures in a coming post. Not big trial... most of them in the West are smaller than what we normally see in the East, but the people are friendly, the dogs run as well as they do everywhere, and the lunches were good. Not to spoil the suspense, but a trial here leaves one hard pressed to separate reality from fantasy. As you'll see.

Saturday night, a large group had dinner at The Buford Steak House in Moriarty, NM. My filet was good, but I think many in attendance would have been more impressed had they not been out of many of the things they would have wanted: Merlot, Cobblers of any kind, certain side dishes, etc. Kind of inexcusable for early on a Saturday night. But like I said.. the meat was as advertised.

Sunday was the Regional Invitational trial. A little different from what we're used to, as Saturdays are the normal day in other ASFA regions. But their reasoning goes back to the small trial thing. Having a regular all-breed trial on Saturday gives dogs who don't get out much a chance to get the point they need to run in the Regional.

I should mention the weather. Fabulous. Saturday was sunny and 70's, and very, very dry. Sunday started the same, with some clouds coming in around lunchtime, followed by an increase in wind, and finally, as the trial was ending, a precipitous drop in temperature. We got out of there just in time. Many of the Coloradans left in somewhat of a panic as there was bad weather threatening the Raton Pass between New Mexico and Colorado.

It was raining Sunday night as I went to bed, but rain was forecast for Monday. "light showers... 30%" is what the Weather Channel said. No problem. I'd brought my rain gear. Sandia and I were going to chase some Jackrabbits today, along with a couple of his litter mates, so it was rather disappointing to look out the window this morning and see.... white. Blowing... white. Whiskey.. Tango... Foxtrot? As the locals are fond of saying to visitors in times like this: "Welcome to the East Mountains".

Snow on South Mountain

The snow wasn't going to stay on the ground for very long, but the wind wasn't going to let up either, and that effectively scotched our planned hunt. Dogs can get disoriented and lost when running in the desert in high winds. The forecast for tomorrow looks much improved, so we're going to hit the desert before I head back East to Oklahoma. I owe Sandia that much for being cooped up in the car, and in a house full of strange dogs and people all weekend.

Besides, we need to get back and keep Margaret in line. When I called her this morning, she was in Paris!!!

...

...

...

Texas. ;)

Local Travel Alert!

We know from the tracking and counting aids we have on the Express blog, that we have readers from a little pocket of towns in southwest South Dakota.. Custer, Hot Springs, Buffalo Gap. Don't know who you are, but we wanted to let interested parties know we will be ducking into the state, briefly, on Friday to renew our driver's licenses. We picked the office in Hot Springs to be the most convenient for our schedule.

If anyone's interested in meeting us, and more importantly, the hounds ;o) , please get hold of us by email, or phone. (Phone number is listed at http://shotonsite.us ).

Last Stop.

Alpaugh, CA sunset.

We made it to Hollister today, the last stop (event-wise) on the California trip. They have larger-than-normal entries for Sunday, and possibly Saturday as well. Is it the "Shot On Site Effect"? We'd like to think so.

Anyway, there's a lot of activity behind us that still needs to be reported. Maybe on the way East, we'll stop at a WiFi-equipped campground for an day or two and get caught up.

Here's a partial list of some of the highlights you should look for:

• Restaurants


• Wine tastings


• Sandia and Fanny at the beach


• Hunting with Dr. John Burchard... (chasing, actually)


• Herb's Jackrabbit portfolio- Stunning!


• Los Tres Amigos


• Granite Construction tour of the big hole


• and, hummingbirds.

Mileage now stands at 2,900 miles..... exactly!

The future? Reno, Salt Lake, Medicine Bow, Badlands... and more.

That's More Like It!

For all you suffering in unbearable heat and humidity back east? The "extended forecast" looks just like the current 5-day, and the previous week was identical as well. I suppose if you look back over the last 30 days, and ahead 30 days there will be little change. However, we're not bored yet. I could see how boredom could set in, though...... BAAAhaaahahaahaahah! NOT!

*****

The perfect weather notwithstanding, the Scottish Deerhound portion of the reason we drove the 2500 miles to California was pretty much a disaster. We missed two events due to breakdowns, and the one event we did shoot- the AKC trial- "we" lost the win pictures. Perhaps our luck will change now.

We've got two weeks before the next event, up in Hollister. Our schedule is starting to fall together as to how we will spend that time.

When we leave Santa Maria, we'll head up the coast to Paso Robles, where we will park for a day or three at Margaret's cousins. She thinks she remembers that her cousin's husband is a good cook. There's that "food theme" again!

Then we have some options. We've been invited by a total stranger- but one who is familiar with this blog, and knows someone who knows Dutch Salmon, and therefore we're all friends (I like that logic)- to stop and spend time in Coalinga.

Or.. we may drive from Paso Robles to Alpaugh and spend time with Dr. John Burchard, whom I haven't seen in 8 or 9 years, and his cohorts, George Bell, and Herb Wells, (another photographer whose open field coursing images many of you may be familiar with). There's a better than even chance we could go scare a few jackrabbits.

We may do both! And probably will.

That should get us near to where we have to be in Hollister, which I've been told is only about 25 miles from where we might get a chance to photograph one of these guys:

Stand by for that! For a Hollister weather image, just add 1-2 degrees to the above ;0)

Long range plans- beyond the Hollister trials- call for a return on Interstate 80, through Wyoming, where we may veer north to Medicine Bow and, you guessed it, kick up a few more jacks. White tails, in this case. Then up to I-90 so we can see the sites of our adopted state: Badlands, Rushmore, Crazy Horse. Then we need to get our driver's licenses renewed while we're there.

And finally, back to Michigan. Whew!

I've got to talk about our dinner here in Santa Maria the other night, but I'll save that for another post. I'm still processing that.. literally, as well as figuratively.

Time to feed the crew.

Oh by the Way...

Lest you think we're still stuck in Needles, rest assured that we got away before the really hot weather hit ;0)

We arrived in time for the Deerhound AKC trial, and have been hard at work all week long. We'll try and get some details up when we get a chance to rest. Good eats abound!

Meanwhile, male readers should check out this interesting archery post on Patrick the Terrierman's blog...

Help Us Spike!

We left Flagstaff around 11 this morning. The problem with the motorhome fixed, with a $22 part, and 4 hours or research labor. What was the problem, you ask? I don't want to talk about it. Let's just say it involved a part that I mentioned on the very first post on our trip.

Besides.. we have bigger problems now than some old K&N filter with too much oil on it.

We travelled 235 miles today, to roughly 25 miles west of Needles, California. We were into our second climbing stage out of the Colorado River basin when there was a loud noise, and it only took a second to realize that while the engine was still running, we didn't have any power steering. Cataclysmic destruction of the serpentine belt.

So, here we're parked, behind the Colorado River Cheverolet Dealership in Needles, waiting for them to open in the morning, so we can get the damn belt replaced, and not miss more than two deerhound events.. (LGRA, ASFA Lure Coursing).

You know you've heard of Needles if you watch your local weathercasts: "And the hottest place in the nation again was Needles, CA at 107 degrees". Fortunately, we'll be gone before Wednesday, when it will get really hot.

Oh.. and gas here? $4.99/gal. Yeah.. we could live here. It's hot... but it's a dry heat.

*****

Talk about a vertical profile! That trip down Oak Creek Canyon was nothing. In 4 hours today, we went from around 7000', cool-ish temps, at Flagstaff, to the California border at the Colorado River: 326' and 102 degrees. A shock to the system.

*****

And who is this "Spike"? You know. Click on the title.

*****

Decent little Chinese place here.... right up on the corner. Dinner specials packaged like lunch specials, including rice, soup, and soft noodles. Hmmm, noodles in Needles.

Stuck in Flagstaff, Mile 1852.

I "knocked on wood" goddammit! You all read it here. So why, some sixty miles or so after our stop at the Jackrabbit Trading Post, did the engine suddenly lose power?

We had to pull off on the shoulder, where it finally died. We waited a couple of minutes, and on the second attempt it started right up. It was flooding for some reason. Back on the highway, we made it another 10 miles before it did it again.

We called our road service and got the phone number for a service center in Flagstaff. We had two more "episodes" before we finally made it to the Flagstaff RV Service Center.

The problem: It was a Friday afternoon, they closed at 5:30, there were 3 rigs in front of us... and they're not open Saturday. About 5:30 they at least got in to check the fuel pressure- good. Problem is not yet another fuel pump. Filter was clear, no blockages. Code reader showed a couple of sensors having problems that could conceivably be sucking the power down. All that pollution equipment that wasn't in vehicles when I was a kid!

Time was up. We found "Black Bart's RV Park, Steakhouse, Music Hall with Singing Waiters". Holy Cow! We didn't eat there, as the menu was way overpriced, and the parking lot was packed to the rafters, so to speak. Instead, we found yet another great Mexican restaurant... Salsa Brava. It was a "pork night". I had the Adovada Combo, and Margaret had the Carnitas Combo. It was good, good, good! The pineapple-habanero salsa was delicious, but not nearly as hot as advertised. My only disappointment of the night.

Since we're stuck here for the weekend, and going to miss the small Scottish Deerhound LGRA (8 entries) on Monday morning, we decided to "make lemonade". Today we're going to Sedona... gonna get our auras and chi adjusted to some new age brain-mush music or something. Or maybe we'll just go see the Red Rocks. Stand by.

Mile... oh, Big Whoop!

The object was to just get moving again. I we were in danger of succumbing to laziness at the Garth rancho. So, around 3PM we headed out, got through Albuquerque to the Flying J (for a fill up of what should be our last sub-$3.90/gal gas. We made it all the way to Milan- a distance of 107 miles. Total mileage now stands at 1609, with 860 miles to go to the first event site! It's all downhill from here! Uh, except for all the uphill parts.

Day 4, Mile 1347

Tucumcari tonight! If that sounds familiar, it may be because it's on countless billboards from Oklahoma City to Santa Monica, and from El Paso to Yellowstone. Or... you may remember that I've also used it before.

And your math skills haven't left you if you figured out we only drove 258 miles today. Needing dog food, and that all-important Route 66 bumper sticker (and a couple of T-shirts, as it turned out), we didn't leave Elk City until after Noon.

The museum looks nice, but we didn't have time to go through it. In fact there are a cluster of museums, and they can all be viewed for one price; $4 for AARP members.
The view from "The Road" (above), and proof (below) that "everything old is new again". This trailer was hand-built, using plans published in Popular Science (or a similar magazine), before WWII.

Seen one lately?

Smaller, by orders of magnitude, than what you see on clifftops throughout the West and Southwest, this "wind farm" was at the Farm Museum, which is also part of the Route 66 complex.

*******

Dinner tonight was at Del's in Tucumcari. Been in town at least 4 times and have never eaten anywhere else, and they don't even have liquor! So that should tell you something.

Day 3, Mile 1089

Those who read the comments on these posts, will already be aware that this bridge was built by reader Pam's father. Those who don't read the comments, well, here's a bit of what you miss:

"Wow! Y'all are in my hometown! Forest Manor has been there since before I was born. Head just a little ways down Millcreek Rd and you'll see a house with a pretty little covered bridge in front. That's where I grew up. My dad was a big fan of covered bridges and built that little jewel, using all local materials and old-timey building techniques."

We've known Pam (and Glen) for a number of years, and I don't think I ever, in a million years, would have pegged her as Lebanese ;-)

So, whose hometown are we in tonight? Elk City, Oklahoma, some 450 or so miles down the road from Lebanon. I know one thing: Somewhere right near this exit is the National Route 66 Museum, and you'd best believe we'll stop in for a little visit before we leave in the morning. Funny... it's not like we haven't gone this route a dozen times before; it's just that we're treating this trip as kind of a vacation, because no matter how much business we do at the events in California- it ain't gonna cover the gas!

We'll probably have one more long day's run like we did yesterday and today. There's a method to our madness.. we get the long ones out of the way early so when the going gets more, uh, interesting in New Mexico, Arizona, and California, we'll still have plenty of time left to shorten up the daily trip legs. We also want to spend more than a day visiting with friends in New Mexico.

Meanwhile, my discipline with my right foot's paid off, as we logged an impressive 8.6 MPG on the last fill-up! This machine's never run so good; Knock wood.

Day 2, Mile 637

That's more like it. 387 miles today. Over 1/5th of the way to Lompoc. 637 miles in the books. Got our second fill-up at the Flying J in Sullivan, MO, and we're getting 8MPG. You laugh, but that's good mileage. Dropping to 58MPH seems to do the trick.

After "sleeping" without power last night, in the humidity and sound of droning big rig diesel engines, we decided tonight would be a campground night. Smart campers that we are, we belong to Passport America, so Margaret perused the campground guide for cheap places on our route, and here we are at the Forest Manor Motel & RV Park in Lebanon, MO. It's on "The Mother Road", and it looks like it's been here since Route 66 was the only way to "motor West". We'll spend some more of this trip on this historic highway, so stay tuned. I realized that among the bumper sticker collection we have on the rear of the Express for places we really, really like, we're missing one for Route 66. We'll have to rectify that, maybe once we get into New Mexico.

The rain and humidity have begun to abate, and with it our "Service Engine Soon" light has gone off. I wish I knew which sensor where was causing it. High humidity and/or heavy rain light it up. The induction system's been cleaned, and I recharged the K&N air filter, (and I'm really embarrassed about how filthy it was). The beast really ran well when I left Rob's shop... but that was a low humidity day. We'll get it figured out eventually.

Tonight, it's a shower and a viewing of "There Will be Blood", and tomorrow we'll sleep in! Next stop should be somewhere near the Oklahoma/Texas Panhandle border. Stay tuned.

Day 1, Mile 250.

Yeah. I know. We didn't get very far today. That's us... the blue line, parked for the night at a rest area just West of Indy. Sign says no overnight parking or camping, but we've stayed here before, and so have most of the trucks that surround us and keep us safe.

The green line is Microsoft Street & Trips recommended route. Reality check, and experience led me away from it immediately. Only a fool would take 80 south of Chicago... on a Friday night... or any night... or day.

We'll be on the road much earlier tomorrow.. especially if the state cops boot us out. Unlikely.

UPDATE: 8:30 am, day 2, still sitting at the rest area as the rain is falling at a rate of an inch an hour. Did I mention our initial fill-up yesterday was $260? What a fun trip this is going to be!

Mile "0"

It's been a while, hasn't it. I could lie and say I was waiting for more guesses on the previously posted "quiz". Guess three is all I'm going to get, and all three were correct. The answer was, of course, "Twin Peaks". "But what about the Harry S. Truman clue, Dan?", you ask. He was the sheriff. Margaret's son, Tony posted the most creative answer. Check 'em all out.

Meanwhile, in just a couple of hours, we'll embark on our longest trip in 2 years- (thus, the "Mile 0" title... ). We're going to the Scottish Deerhound Club of America's national specialty in Lompoc, California. We've got 10 days to get there. I really wanted to leave earlier this week, but before we tackled the heat and long climbs of the trip, the Express had to get a new radiator. So for the past two days we sat at Margaret's brother Rob's shop, getting the job done.

That's Rob under the Express. (Note to Sherita: be glad... be very, very glad... there was a lot of profanity under there.) Rob's happier working on E-type Jaguars, so this was a bit of a challenge. But it's done, and we're running around 50 degrees cooler. Mission accomplished.

We'll try to chronicle the trip on a regular basis. Our route will take us through IN, IL, MO, OK, TX, NM, AZ (I-40 mostly). If we're going past your house, get out on the overpass and wave! Better yet, invite us to dinner.

We'll leave you with a nature image of a very cool moth:

UPDATE: Since inquiring minds wanted to know, I did some googling and can now tell one and all that this is a Great Leopard Moth, (Hypercompe scribonia), as if that shouldn't have been immediately obvious. ;-)

Video Evidence.

Why didn't I mind being towed? We had two big climbs in front of us, including Sidling Hill, seen here. We figured we saved $30-$50 in gas! This thing looks much more foreboding when approaching from the East.

Speaking of hills... here's the driveway at Bill's Truck & Auto-

Somehow, we didn't get a shot from the bottom looking up. But you can see me in the only place I could get a cellular signal!