So I wrecked Gypsy, my Harley VRod Muscle, the day after Christmas. Banged the bike up pretty good, and broke my own rib to boot. Chipped some teeth, bit through my tongue, blah blah. I'm patched up now, but the bike is still waiting on parts before it's finished at the dealership. At least the insurance covered it.

Fast forward to April, and it's getting to be close to crunch time for the State Rally of the riding club I'm in. May 5, 2017. Haven't been to a rally since around '04. Never been to one of these State jobbies. I really want to go. I preregistered, booked a hotel, and started bugging the shit out of the dealer.

Last Friday, the call to them led to a pretty good understanding that with waiting on painted parts that the bike wouldn't be back together in time. They are doing everything they can as fast as they can, really. It ain't their fault if it's not ready. But that still leaves me in the lurch. I do NOT want to go to the rally in a cage, that's like trailering a bike...what's the point? I'm NOT going to miss the rally, especially since I paid in advance. So now what??

I've got a plan. The Skunkworks is fired up and humming. Oh, I'm up to something alright. I'm up to no good.


"I aim to misbehave."

Project Barfight

After about a 20 year hiatus, I got back into the Radio Control hobby with an early Christmas present I got back in early December. I had already been given a drone, which is the subject for another article. I got an ECX Ruckus 2wd monster truck.

Stock Ruckus image from ECX website.

It's a great inexpensive basher, and comes as a ready-to-run version with everything you need to get going. Electronics, transmitter, batteries, the works. Just charge the battery, pop it in and go bash the hell out of it. Great little truck, especially for the price, and pretty damn durable in stock form. It's also a ton of fun right out of the box, and does fairly well for such a cheap little rig. Right up until the stock motor puked on about the 5th battery charge. Got that replaced under warranty at my local hobby shop same day, and was back home with a new motor in an hour.

I saw a great upgrade video series from RC Overload on the sister truck, the Torment. They share everything but wheels/tires and the body, so I knew the upgrades would work on my truck. So that got the upgrade bug started. After a few runs beating the thing around, I started to actually need to upgrade due to parts breaking, wearing out, or coming lose and falling off the truck in the yard, never to be seen again. As frustrating as that is, it gives the excuse to beef the truck up and wrench on it some.

Between watching the videos and breaking stuff on the truck left and right, Project Barfight was born, and I decided to overhaul the truck in stages. Unfortunately, I didn't think to document the process in the beginning with pictures or video, but I'm trying to keep up with it now. I had already done the front end, which I'll get into in a bit, upgraded the drive train, and pretty much only had the rear end phase left for the last little while. Phase I was the front suspension and steering. Phase II was rear end and drive train. Phase III was assorted upgrades that weren't part of the others initially. So now I get to play catch up and try to remember what order I went in and get photos of things I forgot to document the first time. Bear with me. I'll also add a picture of the truck to this article later on, I don't have one with me right this second. I'm lazy.

-Owen

Armageddon

I know I haven't even gotten anything up on the two RC trucks I already have, that I JUST got recently. But my mind is racing, already thinking about another build. For this one, I'm thinking about a very detailed, rough and tumble, beat to hell-and-back Apocalypse machine. An old worn out truck that has seen better days, but is outfitted to handle the badlands and the worst the world has to offer, in the style of something out of Mad Max (the original movies.) The paint alone on that project will be a devil, but very, very cool to see when done with all the weathering and wear on it.

I've got a couple ideas for the base platform/chassis and even a couple ideas about the body/exterior to use as a starting point. I don't want it to just look like an aged truck, I'm shooting for some hand fabricated looking additions that beef up the truck and make it look tougher, and can handle crowd control

If I do get this going, I'll try to write up from the beginning and keep up as I go along. No promises, I get pretty busy sometimes and writing this stuff up takes a back seat (no pun intended) to other things, including the work on the truck itself. Let's see what I can come up with.

If you have any suggestions or ideas, I'd love to hear em. Just shoot me an email.

-Owen

In a candy store

I had a pile of parts for the RC trucks come in today, and I'm excited like an over active puppy jumping up and down. I'm chomping at the bit to get home and tear into the boxes of goodies, I almost can't stand the suspense!

I picked out a couple upgrades for the Ruckus to finish out the overhaul for it. It should be done after those upgrades, I can't really think of anything else I want to do to it at this point.

The electronics came in for the Cherokee, along with some paint, couple of pit goodies, and some small but awesome upgrades. I'm getting closer to having it in rolling stock. It should be running by the end of the night, after I see if I can solder worth a damn after all these years. Yeah. Wish me luck.

-Owen

Back there

I'm way behind on write ups on my RC trucks. I got a ready to run ECX Ruckus 2wd monster truck for an early Christmas present back in November, and I've already done a lot of work to it, none of which I've written up. I did snap some pictures when I did a teardown/rebuild of some of it, and I'll post up what I've got soon.

I also got an Axial SCX10 II Jeep Cherokee kit for my birthday, which has been assembled by now. I don't have any electronics in it yet and the body hasn't been painted up, but I've got parts for it coming in soon. I'll start up a series on it as well before long. I've got big plans for that one, going all out on the level of detail. I want it to look and sound like the real thing when I get done (do we ever really get done with these things?) with building it up.

So hang in there with me. These will be some pretty cool article series on these two very different trucks. One is an all-around basher, the other is a detailed scale crawler/trail truck. Should be pretty interesting. Just gotta find the time to do the writing.

Have a good one.

-Owen

It's been awhile...

I haven't posted in a long time. I've been busy with all sorts of things, wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go with this thing, etc.

Recently I got back into Radio Control vehicles, and I'll be posting some updates on those projects. I know, I have too many hobbies already, but I forgot how much fun I used to have with RC. I've been away from it for 15-20 years, and just got back into it. I'm having a blast with these things. I really can't decide if it's more fun to drive the trucks or to wrench on them. I also have a drone, but I don't work on that one at all. It stays stock.

I'll be posting some video shot from the drone, and other stuff for the RC trucks as well.

If you happen to be into RC, or are thinking about getting in, RC Overload is a great place to visit. They have cinematic videos, tutorials, upgrade videos, all sorts of info, etc. Check them out.

www.rcoverload.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/RCoverloadMattW


-Owen

Would have been notorious in olden times...

I have finally decided on my kayak Pirate Captain name: Mudbeard. I have officially claimed it now on intarweb land-ville. It is official and copymarked tradewritten. Or some such.




Or....maybe Captain Muddybritches....

Dammit.

-Owen

The new old reliable

I like to fish. I used to do it quite often with my ex-paw-in-law. Aside from the entirely too strict rules and schedule he kept (which sucked alot of the enjoyment out of it for me) I usually had a good time. I hadn't gone for years after the divorce, just caught up in tons of other hobbies etc. Around the same time I got my fishing kayak, though, I got back into tossing a line in the water, and I'm glad I did.

Anchors away!

I mentioned earlier that I recently took up kayaking with some buddies. I had so much fun, and knew that I was going to get into it seriously, that I decided it was time to get my own boat. So here's that adventure.

The Tank

If you've read even a little of the site, you might be surprised to know that I have not owned a four wheeled vehicle, at least one that wasn't my wife's car, since around 2008. True story. She has a little Mazda 3 that works fine for running errands and fetchin the groceries. For my getting around, when the car wouldn't cut it or I didn't want to leave the wife stranded, I used my company truck. I tried to keep this to a minimum, for so many reasons, but if I needed to get a little off the roads this was the only avenue I had, other than getting a lift and getting dropped off. Until now, that is.

Row your boat

I admit it. I've never really been big on exercise. Not the type you do on a machine, or in a gym anyway. I've been more of a doing-stuff-outside-to-get-my-exercise kind of person. I tried jogging some last year, but my back injury made it hard to do, and I wound up making my knees hurt pretty bad because I pushed too hard too fast. Jogging wasn't much fun either, really. I've tried doing various machines, it just feels like a boring chore, you find yourself, or at least I do, trying to find something else to do while you work out because it is boring. Riding a bicycle was kinda the same way, and my age and back won't let me do the bmx type stuff I did as a stupid kid.

Memory...

No, I haven't forgotten about this thing, just been super busy again. That's how the ball bounces in my world, fits and starts. I get spurts of time here and there when I can get a good pile of articles built up and set to publish, then I get slammed from every direction and hardly have time to sleep. I'm in the latter stage at the moment, but there's plenty o' good stuff to come soon. Stay tuned.

-Owen

Rest your weary head

Just because you are backpacking or camping light doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable or suffer. Sure, there are plenty of ways to find comfort in nature, and some primitive, minimalist, or survivalist campers can make like they are in the Ritz with nothing but a knife and some paracord. I'm not quite there yet. I still need some creature comforts as I try to get my body in better shape to handle some of the harshness of minimalist camping.

The Mummy

Another essential piece of camping gear, unless you camp indoors, is the good old sleeping bag. How many of us remember getting all excited about breaking out the sleeping bag in the den or living room, pretending we were actually camping or on an expedition, all because we couldn't actually go when we were so much younger, for one reason or another. My nephew did this a few years ago for what seemed like a month straight, complete with his little toy Spiderman indoor dome tent. As we get older, seems like we just don't get that excited about the bag anymore, as it is more of a necessity or even thought of as a shelter item.

Scout it out

Ok, another Bear Grylls editon item up here, but bear with me...oh hell, sorry about that. Wasn't conscious, I swear. Puns find their way to me, honest. Anywho, hang in there, cause this one is worth it. While we are on the subject, I'd like to point out that I should have a little blurb I put up here, with my own personal thoughts on Mr. Grylls, for what it's worth, just to clear the air.
As he might say now, right, off we go.

Pitch it, part 2

Part 1 can be found here, I suggest you go read it first.

So I decided that a small bivvy type tent was not up my alley for most trips, and needed to find another route to go. I didn't hate the Eureka! Solitaire tent, so I looked to see what else they might have as a starting place. I found a little jewel called the Backcountry 1, a one person, half-dome backpacking tent that showed alot of promise.

Gerber BG Ultimate Knife

Can we really call it the "ultimate" knife? Well, what is true of so much else in life is also true of cutlery, "opinions vary." My old man first told me about this knife, can't remember where he ran across it, but he decided to give one a try, which got my attention and gave me a chance to check it out.

Fire in my eyes

It's not news that I'm a firearm enthusiast. One of my favorites is my Rossi model 92, 20 incher in .45 Colt. It is a great, fun little gun, and is perfect for plinking or use as a brush gun or ranch gun. It's a popular favorite for something folks in my neck of the woods like to call a "truck gun." It is a very nice, but inexpensive replica of a Winchester model 1892.

Light my fire

Fire. One of the most basic tools, and an ancient necessity for man since the, uh, invention of fire. Yeah. We have used it to keep warm, cook, ward off bugs, and scare away predators. We have attacked each other with it, made war with it, and harnessed it to create more powerful weapons, and even motor driven machines. When you think about it, fire is pretty damned awesome, especially if you don't have it or know how to get it.

Boots on the ground

I don't wanna jump the gun here, but I think I may have finally found not only my favorite boot ever, but what may well be (hold on to something here) the perfect boot for me. I'm serious. I know. I'll give you a minute to catch your breath, maybe sit down. Want a cold rag? No? You ok now? Alright. If you know me personally, or you have read a bit of the site here, you know that I've had some interesting adventures in boot-land in the past. I prefer to wear boots, especially because of the kind of work I do, so I'm always on a quest, it seems, for the perfect boot. It always feels like when I have finally found it, that I wind up being wrong, in one way or another. I hope that has changed.

Bear in mind

You will notice, as you sift through articles on here, a name that keeps popping up for one reason or another. The name is closely associated with things I enjoy, and products related to those endeavors. Some of you may have a strong opinion formed about this person one way or the other, so I thought I'd just drop a little line here to let you know where I stand on it, for what little it's worth. So, let's you and me talk for a minute about Mr. Bear Grylls.

Feed me

Camp food. For some, it is a treat that is looked forward to. For others, it is a miserable downside to an otherwise enjoyable hobby. Doesn't have to be that way, unless you are just one of those people that will never like any type of camp food. If you aren't the latter though, maybe I can help you a bit.

Chop Chop!!

You may have seen the articles I did on a couple of machetes a while back, and how I used them to cut up some small firewood as a torture test. I mentioned that I usually use my axe for a job like that. I don't have a full blown large log splitting man-axe, because I usually buy/cut/find pieces that are more manageable, or use a cordless reciprocating saw that I own. I buy bundles that are more the size I will wind up using. I cut down, or cut up what I intend to burn. Sometimes I pick up dead limbs and such from the side of the road, in the size I need. Most of this does need a little whittling though. For that job, I've been using a United Cutlery M48 Tomahawk. Now, I can hear what some of you are thinking, "Aw hell, he's gone and got one of them 'tacti-cool' tomahawks and is trying to be a badass." Well, no, I haven't.

Jet set

If you like to camp and don't prefer to cook with the camp fire, you probably either already have a stove, or are looking into one. If you don't like a big, bulky propane jobby, or backpack like I do, you want something like a pocket stove. The Jetboil line of stoves has been gaining in popularity over the last few years, and I recently found out why.

Pitch it, part 1

It's no secret, I like to go camping. I like being outside. I could go on and on about it forever. But I won't. At least, not all at once anyway. Yer welcome. Having said that, I've got a few pieces of camping gear, and mayhaps you might be interested in my experience with what I've acquired over the years. Might help you make a decision. So I've decided to finally get around to doing a series of articles on camping gear and techniques. Be forewarned: this is not going to be a review series on the newest and greatest gear on the planet, nor the priciest. This stuff may be old, hard to find, discontinued, and will definitely not be on the tippy top of the price list. Right, off we go.

Let's begin with what many would call the cornerstone of camping gear: the tent. Unless you are into some serious primitive camping, you need a tent. There are a countless number of tents out there to chose from, I'm not going to try to tackle them here. I am going to focus a little bit on backpacking tents, since that is what I have the most recent experience with. Before that, I was using good old Walmart dome tents, which worked just fine. I never had any problems with the ones I used, other than being a little poor in the ventilation department and therefore had a good bit of condensation on the inside in the morning. This is mostly from breathing as we slept, believe it or not. You exhale a good bit of moisture during the night, it turns out. Anyway, the tents were ok. If you want to skip story time and jump straight to the tent review bit, go here.

Good news

New articles will start back up again this Monday, the 26th! Hopefully you are as excited about that as I am. Thanks for being patient, if you were, otherwise bugger off. No, not really. Come back...where ya going?

Not to pass out any spoilers, but the majority of the new articles are camping related. I finally got around to writing up some of the articles I've been wanting to do in my camping gear series, and I've really been itching to get out camping to boot. This summer and the hot temps are just killing me. I love to be outdoors, but I just can't handle it in this heat and humidity, so I can't really enjoy anything outside, and camping is just completely out of the question at the moment. So, all my daydreaming and longing has turned into some productive combustible fuel for gear and technique write ups, lucky you. Thanks again, and enjoy.

-Owen

More

I'm working up a pile of articles as I can right now. I know it's been a while since any updates, one thing or another, health and work etc. have gotten in the way, but I've been making some time as I can lately to get another batch ready to publish. You guys should know by now that I like to get a group of them ready ahead of time and get them scheduled out for release, rather than let loose one or two here and there, willy nilly. I'd rather give you some decent content in occasional steady doses, than give you a crap sandwich twice a year.
Thanks for being patient.

-Owen.

Say "Hi"

Ladies and gents, I'd like to introduce you to someone new. He's not a friend of mine, really, but you'll probably be seeing alot of him in the future, I'm sorry to say. I met this, uh, fellow on one of my job sites recently, and just had to take a picture of him to share with the world. So, without further delay, I introduce and present to you, dear internets, Baron Ugly von Scaryface.

Jump around

I'm making a minor change to the site; you might not even notice it. On some articles, which wind up being pretty long, I'm inserting a jump break after the first paragraph. This gives you a little blurb to get the idea what the article is about, and then a little clickly link to read more of the article if you want. This helps keep the main page from getting too long or cluttered. Let me know which way you prefer it, so I'll know how to format the page best. Thanks.


-Owen

Camping trip 12-1-12

As I write this I just got back from a nice little overnight camping trip at a local State Park. I was running late getting on the road, so by the time I got on site and at the Park office to register to camp, I only had about 30 minutes of daylight left. The nice girl at the desk asked me if I wanted a site at the primitive area or at a site with power and water. The latter is aimed more at campers and RVs, but I didn't really have time to burrow back in the woods and get set up, I knew I'd need a little ambient light to finish the campsite, so I took the RV site.