Fatal goat attack leads to lawsuit Oly Nat Park, WA.(WTF?)

[Robby321]

We take out national parks here very serious, WA. Olympic peninsula, Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens, others. Many get attacked cougars, bears, name it. Many get killed yearly, climbing Mt Rainier..(14,000 feet). So this idiot, goes into the wilds, Olympic mountains..(see them right now, out the shop door, 90 miles away), and get gored by a wild goat, killed, and survivor kin SUES the park service? I'm giving him the "Darwin Award!".
Read on, and a link...

The family of a man fatally gored by a mountain goat has sued the National Park Service, alleging it knew the animal was dangerous and failed to kill or remove it.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Tacoma, follows the Park Service's rejection last week of a $10 million claim by the family.

The complaint says the government failed to deal with a large, aggressive male goat known as "Klahhane Billy," before the animal killed Robert Boardman, of Port Angeles, during a hike on a popular trail in Olympic National Park.

The 370-pound animal – said to be 30 percent larger than the average male goat – hung out on the Switchback Trail near Klahhane Ridge in the park. The complaint says the Park Service had gotten many complaints about the aggressive goat over the years, but did little to resolve the problem.

"Klahhane Billy was a monstrous goat," the complaint says.

On Oct 16, 2010, when Boardman, his wife and a friend were hiking the trail, the goat pursued and harassed them. It then charged Boardman, goring him in one thigh, and stood over his prone body, preventing anyone from helping him.

It wasn't until an off-duty park staffer waved a space blanket at the goat that it backed off. It was later shot to death.

The complaint also alleges that the Park Service was slow with emergency help. It took more than an hour after the attack for a Coast Guard helicopter to arrive with a medical technician, the lawsuit says. Boardman, a 63-year-old nurse, bled to death.

The complaint was filed by his widow, Susan Chadd, and stepson, Jacob Haverfield.

Now wonder this state is broke, defending crap like this...

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Fatal-goat-attack-leads-to-lawsuit-2246849.php

[Robby321]

Heres a pic, a bike ride up that area, Hurricane Ridge...simple freaking ..."another world". Gorgeous!

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[Ted Stryker]

Again, open-carry policy woulda prevented this.................

I guess forcefully defending themselves with a granola bar and a vitamin water bottle was insufficient..?

[Ron V]

The parks are there to preserve things the way they used to be. If you don't want to POSSIBLY encounter a wild animal, don't go there. Go to the movies or to a downtown bar and get knifed in an alley instead. What a bunch of numbnuts. I just got done with a week of hiking in Zion and the Grand Canyon North Rim. If a mountain lion would have attacked me, I don't think it would have been the fault of the NPS. This country is really getting sick...complete breakdown of mankind.

[Robby321]

Yep, both last 2 posts..(hiking Zion?..too damn cool!)

One of my many "CC" road trips, the bike, had MANY, camped out in the wild. Talking middle nowhere too, like Idaho/Montana. Not "secure "camp grounds"..side the road, in the forest, place to stash the bike, pull over, and pop the tent, get a small fire going, simple enjoy, the silence. But KNOWING, animals smelled me, and the food. Usual was stop somewhere, get some canned chow for later, little smell, (rises) over heat the fire. But I did a real dumb azz move, somewhere Montana. Out some small town, bought a bag off Fried Chicken. Head off (like said,a now where, camp), and setting the tent, it hit me. YA DUMB AZZ!. Fried chicken, smelled miles away, the wild! But I ate the chicken cold..(cooked before), and took all "remains", and put them in a "baggie", and tossed in the stream next me. BUT, I still, had .."Chicken Breath"! So now, in the tent, fire going, need sleep, crash out, had a soda can fulla pebbles next to me..(old trick, back woods camping..hear a noise, rattle that can!). Plus carried a 44 Mag revolver too. Damn, did I wake up, many times..NOISE out the tent! I rattkled the can, let off a few rounds out the door (closed), flap..and hear what sounds like a heard of elephants, running away! Scary the time, but still, a lotta "experience"..and great "mems"..

[rock]

If ya don't want to get wet you simply stay away from the water. What has happened to this place is disturbing to say the least. We now live in a world in which you can do something totally moronic and then hold someone else responsible. This is not gonna work and will be the demise of us all. Pisses me off they shot the goat. The world is full of morons but very few "monstrous goats". Let nature take it's course.
Rock

[Dave Strong]

The parks are there to preserve things the way they used to be. If you don't want to POSSIBLY encounter a wild animal, don't go there. Go to the movies or to a downtown bar and get knifed in an alley instead. What a bunch of numbnuts. I just got done with a week of hiking in Zion and the Grand Canyon North Rim. If a mountain lion would have attacked me, I don't think it would have been the fault of the NPS. This country is really getting sick...complete breakdown of mankind.

Well Put, shame about the rare Goat. Years back had some people sue Parks Canada cuz of a Grizzly attack, people tenting in a known bear area ( THE PARK )


Dave

[Robby321]

Found this doing a fast search...

4:13 p.m. MDT, October 11, 2011
PROVO, Utah—

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of a 12-year-old boy killed in a 2007 bear attack in American Fork Canyon.

Fourth District Court Judge David Mortensen sided with the state of Utah in a lawsuit filed by the family of Sam Ives. In the ruling issued late last week, the judge said that a bear is a part of natural conditions that exist when people venture into the outdoors.

"Because black bears constitute a natural condition on public land, the exception applies and the state is immune," Mortensen wrote.

Ives was killed while on a campout with his family back in 2007. A bear that had previously attacked a camper had wandered into the camp, grabbed the boy and dragged him off. His family sued the federal government and the state of Utah, arguing negligence.

Ives' family has previously won their lawsuit against the federal government. The judge that heard that case found the U.S. Forest Service 65-percent liable. The state of Utah, the judge said was 25-percent responsible. He also accorded 10-percent liability to the Ives family.

The Utah Attorney General's Office said the judge's order granting summary judgment for the state was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled in the future.

[Robby321]

Damn, I won't even mess with a mama deer! We have a bunch running around here daily, and a about 10 years ago, walking with my passed now, Golden, she was a wanderer. had to check out everything. Plenty of wooded lots here. One late spring day, she comes tearing out of the woods, with one pissed off mama deer on her heels! She stumbled on the new borns!:eek:

DAMN..that deer gave ME a MEAN azz look, 10 feet away, and man, I backed away slowly. I wasn't about to get my azz kicked silly by a pissed off deer!:p

[mirage243]

Kudos to the Goat.

[Robby321]

Kudos to the Goat.

Too bad they had to kill it. Tranquilize it, and move it way out in the wilderness...we have plenty...
I like one the link comments.."Goats Happen!"

[Forkin' Crazy]

Again, open-carry policy woulda prevented this.................

I guess forcefully defending themselves with a granola bar and a vitamin water bottle was insufficient..?

I thought it was legal to conceal carry in National Parks. I know the NRA has been fighting it tooth and nail!


EDIT: is it legal:
February 22, 2010|By Julie Cart
A federal law taking effect Monday may alter the standard checklist for many Americans as they pack to visit their national parks: insect repellent, snacks, hiking boots . . . double-barreled shotgun.

Visitors now can pack heat in any national park from Gates of the Arctic to Everglades, provided they comply with the firearms laws of the park's home state, according to the new law that was passed as an amendment to credit-card legislation.

Even an article in the Liberal Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/22/local/la-me-parks-guns22-2010feb22

Stupid people are food for wildlife. ;)

[Robby321]

Paul, I know well, the "smart", people here that hike..(and we have a zillion places too), if its little populated, think the real backwoods, ya always carry a firearm, a "PLB", and a backpack for survival supplies. To NOT do, is simple stupid. We have many "trails", mountains here, and some are so populated, not worth it, as probably no more better than a hike in "Central Park".
The "Wonderland Trail", on Mt Rainier, which is a (think) 60 mile hike, 10 day event, but shorter days trips too. But its 1/2 way up, and around. Little wildlife permanent snow line/little tree growth, there but simple gorgeous views, up to the top, and all around. Its not a Nat Park for zip ya know. But the Olympics? Thats mostly REAL, unspoiled, tramped on by clueless fools, territory. That pic I posted, me on the bike, is about a 12 mile ride up, out of Port Angeles, (where the jerk LIVED too). Its taken just short on the Ski area there. In the background, is the real back country. Ya go out there stupid, ya probably not coming back.

Damn, we have a small state park here, Frye Cove..4 miles back from me. damn good work out, and walking the dog, is a gas. BUT WE KNOW, cougars exist, and a Golden Retriever is a simple "new meal". I carry a cell phone..(thats for me, in case I mess up, immobile) and my 9 shot .22 Taurus pistol, fulla "Shell Shot" Damn sure aint gonna kill the beast, but a good "face shot", will blind'em fast. Unload, and run like hell! Never needed, but there sure a lot of "eyes", on ya, out there. Rather have it and not need it, than need it, and not have it! Pix, me and the mutt there

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[Robby321]

Wonderland Trail, and a link the end post.

The Wonderland Trail (WT) is 93 miles (150kms) long and encircles Mount Rainier. It is a strenuous hike with lots of elevation gain and loss, through lowland forests and valleys and into high alpine and sub-alpine areas.

Perhaps the biggest aspect in planning to hike the Wonderland Trail is you knowing your hiking skills, abilities and habits. Rangers cannot tell you that. Nobody knows your skill level better than you. This is important when laying the foundation for your trip... selecting the proper distance between campsites. Do you live and hike primarily in mountainous terrain and climates, or lower elevation areas? Hiking on flat terrain for 93 miles is far easier than having to climb up three thousand feet with a full pack day, after day, after day. This sounds like something that should not have to be stated, but we often see hikers going beyond their skill level. This usually leads to injury, illness, misery and an early end to a long-planned trip.

http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/the-wonderland-trail.htm

[kevindw]

I lived in Seattle 6 years. Beautiful Parks.

I live in Big Bear Lake CA now. National Park right out the back door. People need to realize they are intruding on nature not the other way around. Like anything else if the Goat had broken into his house and was drinking his scotch, yeah blow him away! In this case justice served if the court case says you took a walk in the woods you didn't make it back, nobody owes you anything.


Interesting quote on carrying in National Parks. CA has some strict conceal carry laws. Wonder if conceal carry on parkland is legal here.

May street actuallly has warning signs about bear activity and not to hike without bear spray or a firearm.

A 12 guage is different than a .44 though????

[Robby321]

Heres the skinny, Oly Nat Park peninsula. I live on it, outskirts, lower east, on the water. See the mountains out the window (not now, rain coming in). I can be up snow level, out Lake Cushman, into "Staircase", on a 40 mile ride.. Thats where ya park, set up camp, and backpark the rest away. Ya got room to roam too..heck, only a MILLION ACRES! Bet even when Lewis and Clark saw it said..."hmmm, lets take a "left here"! Some text, and a link.

A Land of Contrasts and Variety

Here you will find Pacific Ocean beaches, rain forest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a stunning variety of plants and animals. Roads provide access to the outer edges of the park, but the heart of Olympic is wilderness; a primeval sanctuary for humans and wild creatures alike.

Plan Your Visit

With three distinct ecosystems and nearly one million acres to explore, there's a lot to see and do at Olympic National Park.

Hiking & Backpacking in the Olympic Wilderness

Did you know that 95 percent of Olympic National Park is designated as Wilderness?

Climate
Influenced by mountains and sea, Olympic has a wide range of climate conditions. About twelve feet of rain falls each year on the west-facing valleys, sustaining the temperate rain forest. The east side of the mountains lie in a "rain shadow", with only 25 inches of annual rainfall and much dryer conditions.

http://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm

[Robby321]

I lived in Seattle 6 years. Beautiful Parks.

I live in Big Bear Lake CA now. National Park right out the back door. People need to realize they are intruding on nature not the other way around. Like anything else if the Goat had broken into his house and was drinking his scotch, yeah blow him away! In this case justice served if the court case says you took a walk in the woods you didn't make it back, nobody owes you anything.


Interesting quote on carrying in National Parks. CA has some strict conceal carry laws. Wonder if conceal carry on parkland is legal here.

May street actuallly has warning signs about bear activity and not to hike without bear spray or a firearm.

A 12 guage is different than a .44 though????

If you are referring to me, about a .44 Mag, compared a 12G (have a Mossburg combo, pistol grip/ short barrel, here in the closet, always loaded)..well, its really hard to cross country ride, on a bike, carrying a SHOTGUN!:eek::D:thumbsup:. 44 was always in the tankbag, as also a a small .38...ankle wrap :D

Yep on your area...many relatives live NorCal/SoCal. Visit until they toss me out freeloading. Done all the mountain back roads there. I don't think over the many decades been there, there was NOT, I place I wanted to stay forever! :thumbsup: Kings/Yosemite/Tahoe...(brother lives Grass Valley, in Lake Wildwood)...if I could afford it, thats where I would be now..(will someday, 18 years here, SS dough kicks in next year, 62..who knows.) Pic me the bike, and "road tripping"..and that pic was a 10 day ride down the WA coast, OR, CA, cut in at Fortuna, Rt 36, to Red Bluff, and my brothers. Great ride..(heck they all were, as somehow always came home!)
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[Robby321]

Couple pix, Lake Cushman, looking east over the Olympics, and the "coast", other side. Unspoiled, not a bunch wealthy, having a beach house there. Gotta love a good beach fire!:p:D:thumbsup:..(kidding in the pic)...think taken Rialto beach, La Push, in from Forks. Great ride around the peninsula!

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[kevindw]

Robby I was saying I have a Mossberg 12 and a S&W .44 MAG. It's tough to say whether the law quoted above would let me carry the .44 hiking vs the Mossberg.

Anyone know?

[kevindw]

BTW with a pistol grip and an 18" barrel I can conceal the mossberg on my Harley fairly well.

[Robby321]

Robby I was saying I have a Mossberg 12 and a S&W .44 MAG. It's tough to say whether the law quoted above would let me carry the .44 hiking vs the Mossberg.

Anyone know?

Damn, that a hard one to answer...(yet, I need to search NRA) If a CCW, or comply state laws, (state dumbazz..99.9 % guns laws apply to cities, crime) whatever. But here, as ya lived here, ya know the zillion hunters..(deer season now, and dude across the street just came back from Elk hunting, eastern WA). I guess as ya comply with the law, transporting, then once in the "woods", away from the masses? My take...(this old Nam Vet cares less, grew up there carrying something anyway)..."shoulder sling it, holster, who cares? Aint like ya gonna run into some cop, backwoods anyway. Maybe a jerk, granola crunching idiot..(freak Granola ..NEVER had one..take cold cooked pizza!)..and that water bottle, "refined/filtered that they MUST drink?..never in my life in ever got sick, simple "mountain steam water"..so what if a goat pissed in it. If free running, not stagnant...its good to go! Never ever bought a "bottle of water either" If ya run into one of those fools, saying "WHOOO, YOU HAVE A GUN?" "Kneecap the fool". Still complains? Finish'em off..good bear food.

[Robby321]

BTW with a pistol grip and an 18" barrel I can conceal the mossberg on my Harley fairly well.

HA!...I KNOW where ya coming from here. Yep, could do same, but my rides were mostly, "expecting nothing", but prepared anyway. Plus had enough.."kitchen sink" junk, the bike for a month on the road anyway. When I lived back in Illinois, belonged to the 'IRA"..(Illinois Rifle Association?..think thats it, been a long time moved). I used to pack the long guns, in a soft wrap/case, on the bagger bike rack, heading to a shooting match. Hard to others to NOT see...the road there..."dudes got guns!" At least the stupid, protected, did the "Oh my goodness, he has guns"! Normal, a thumbs up, know heading to the shooting grounds, private owned. Let me check some NRA info, state parks..

[Robby321]

Here ya go...link at bottom..

updated 2/19/2010 8:47:40 PM ET 2010-02-20T01:47:40
WASHINGTON — Loaded guns will be allowed in Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and other national parks under a new law that takes effect Monday.

The law lets licensed gun owners bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are allowed by state law. It comes over the objections of gun-control advocates who fear it will lead to increased violence in national parks.

The national parks law takes effect in a climate that favors advocates of gun rights. The debate shifted dramatically in 2008, when the Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in Washington, D.C., and declared that individuals have a constitutional right to possess firearms for self-defense and other purposes.

Gun owners have rushed in record numbers to get concealed weapons permits, saying they worry President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress may impose stricter gun laws. The National Rifle Association lobbied hard to allow guns in parks and has spent millions to challenge its opponents.

Now gun-control advocates are on the defensive, seeking to preserve some gun restrictions in the face of aggressive assertions of gun rights.

As of Monday, guns will be allowed in all but about 20 of the park service’s 392 locations, including some of its most iconic parks: Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite and Rocky Mountain National Park. Guns will not be allowed in visitor centers or rangers’ offices, because firearms are banned in federal buildings, but they could be carried into private lodges or concession stands, depending on state laws.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35484383/ns/us_news-life/t/new-law-allows-loaded-guns-national-parks/

[kevindw]

yeah keep in mind there are counties in CA with 11 million people and only 1500 LEGAL carry permits issued!!!!

I don't mind carrying the 12 guage. Just would be interesting to know if I could carry the magnum in my shoulder rig on Federal land.

[kevindw]

So I take this as "if I have My handgun permit and transfer it to the National Land per local law ( unloaded locked in the trunk) I can then carry on Federal Land????

[kevindw]

It's no big deal. I literally walk out the house onto federal land. It's just her in CA carrying concealed get's you a mandatory state stretch. We are talking San Quentin or Pelican Bay 1 Year +

[Robby321]

A little more, from the link...

''A paranoid society'
Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said national parks are now among the safest places in America,..(me, unless ya run into a almost 400 pound wild pissed off goat..and the reason the Nat Parks are safer? its because the cities will never be a Nat Park, as fulla scumbag rats, power out?..LETS LOOT!) but that could change under the new law. Current rules severely restrict guns in the national parks, generally requiring them to be locked or stored.

“It really is sad that we’ve become such a paranoid society that people want to take guns pretty much everywhere — including national parks,” he said Friday.

“When you are at a campfire and people are getting loud and boisterous next to you, you used to have to worry about them quieting down. Now you have to worry about when they will start shooting,” Helmke said.

Bill Wade, president of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, called the new law a sad chapter in the history of the park system.

“People go to national parks to get away from things that they face in their everyday living, where they live and work. Now I think that social dynamic is really going to change,” he said. (me..HEY dumbazz...THEY ARE THE SAME PEOPLE, YOU TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM!)

Bryan Faehner, associate director of the National Parks Conservation Association, said the law would place an unfair burden on park service employees, who will have to wade though a variety of state and local laws to determine whether visitors are breaking the law.

Officials said visitors who want to bring a gun to a national park need to understand and comply with state gun laws. More than 30 national parks span more than one state, so visitors need to know where they are in those parks and which state law applies, the park service said.

Supporter: Concerns overblown
A spokesman for the National Rifle Association scoffed at the idea that parks would become more dangerous, saying people have been assaulted and even murdered in national parks.

“This common-sense measure will enhance the self-defense rights of law-abiding Americans and also ensure uniformity of firearm laws within a state,” said Chris W. Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist.

The National Park Service said there were 3,760 reported major crimes, including five homicides and 37 rapes, in 2008, the most recent year for which data was available. The agency does not note which crimes involve firearms. Crime is down across the system’s parks, according to park service spokesman David Barna.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who led congressional efforts to change the law, said concerns about increased violence were overblown.

“I don’t expect anything major to come from this other than to restore the Second Amendment rights taken away by bureaucrats,” Coburn said

The park service has prepared for months for the new law. “We will administer this law as we do all others — fairly and consistently,” National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis said in a statement.

National parks hosted about 275 million visitors in 2008, the agency said.

[Robby321]

It's no big deal. I literally walk out the house onto federal land. It's just her in CA carrying concealed get's you a mandatory state stretch. We are talking San Quentin or Pelican Bay 1 Year +

Ya saying, CA, does NOT have a CCW law, the whole state? Here, as no gun card needed, I guess, left Illinois, many me now the years ago bought anyway, all legal, and no CCW, as not needed here, me, where I would go anyway..just a retired bum, living private.

Hate to say it, but the "take care of me!"...lib jerk crowd, just don't get it. This (once, see demise soon) great country was not started, yesterday. But somehow the REAL people, have to spend millions, defending the rights we fought for, cherish, and damn sure worked for too. The others are the ...."look at that pretty white Mountain Goat!"...then.."oh poor me" And I bet any messed with, in the wild, REAL life, ran into a hungry, or pissed of bear, cougar, etc, were clueless idiots, too much watching the "Nature Channel".......and die stupid. It aint simple couch.. TV out there. Thats all staged the tube. In the real, way diff!

[kevindw]

Didn't understand your'e last message Robbie.

For Example in LA County (11,000,000 people) they only issue 1500CCW! Now we all know there are more than 1500 guns on the streets of LA!

So I'm wondering technically to local gun laws end and enable you to carry concealed as soon as you hit federal land????

[kevindw]

I mean I own a Barret M107A1 but I can't even dream of bringing into the state of CA!!!!!!

[kevindw]

OK Robbie, If I think I get you the whole state isn't 1500CCW obviously. I live in both LA County and San Bernadino County (mostly). LA county you have a concealed weapon outside of your home or business (except Law Enforcement) and you are going to San Quentin!

[Robby321]

Didn't understand your'e last message Robbie.

For Example in LA County (11,000,000 people) they only issue 1500CCW! Now we all know there are more than 1500 guns on the streets of LA!

So I'm wondering technically to local gun laws end and enable you to carry concealed as soon as you hit federal land????

Ask the NRA, and if not a member, why not? The "Q's", asked.. beyond me..

[kevindw]

Robbie,

You are welcome to come Hike, Hunt and Ride with me anytime. I'm just saying without clarification we'll be hiking with 12 guage and leaving the .44 home in the safe! :-)

[kevindw]

Dude you would need 50 NRA lawyers and 50 ACLU lawyers to get an answer to this. Meanwhile guys's like me and you are left holding our junk!!!!


-Peace

[kevindw]

You'd think the question would be simple... "Can I walk on federal land in the state of CA with a concealed weapon without requiring any special permit" Let's assume for simplicity that I'm not a convicted felon!

[Robby321]

I mean I own a Barret M107A1 but I can't even dream of bringing into the state of CA!!!!!!

OK, this is a funny, read on. "FBI/Fed run", was a shooting to qualify, IRA range, sanctioned, and for $125, you qualify? Do the paperwork, get finger printed, send in the works, the Fed.

6 weeks later, get a letter approval, and the gun in the mail soon.."UPS". Whoops, forgot to say, the rifle was a M1 Garand, surplus, and maybe be a long barrel, or Carbine..(what got was a tossed in the box...I got the Carbine!) Anyway. that was 17 + years ago. During that time, at 44, plant worked for, (Reynolds Alum)..decided to close, and age, time of service, "IAM "Rule of 65", they pensioned me out. Been a bum..(good bum though!), since.

So, I'm moving here temp, my sisters rental duplex, (one side empty, my mom was living there, but had a massive stroke, into a nursing home, next 3 years, and passed at 80..good woman..), took over her furnished, ready to go, took 2 trips, the stuff just in the garage. But as I DID, send change of address to all..EFFECTIVE A CERTAIN DATE TOO!

Well, before even packing to move, my BIL out here, ....calls me.."theres a long cardboard box, laying on the porch steps the Duplex, something from UPS?" Wanna me open it?

Holy MAMA....its the damn Carbine! LONG time the right to earn it, (wish I could have smuggled out my trusty M16, from Nam) and they just toss it on the porch, as nobody home? Don't care who ya vote in to save the world, as its way beyond..."fixin".......

[kevindw]

LOL. NICE

Wouldn't happen like that in CALI! :-(

[Robby321]

Robbie,

You are welcome to come Hike, Hunt and Ride with me anytime. I'm just saying without clarification we'll be hiking with 12 guage and leaving the .44 home in the safe! :-)

If the next time down there, shoot ya a PM...as really need a new "ride"....there..(van and my doggy though, major bike road trips are over, 55 years riding now, my Nephew in T/O, Westlake Village, has my bagger there now, but I still have 5 rides here). I'm simple, "off the highway now"..dirt bike, back rural roads my old "Shovel", good'nuff now. Getting old.:p;):D:thumbsup:

But my Aunt there, down in "Encinitas", (and more HS friends, live SD, plus "monied cousins, her kids, living private gated, not my style..in the foothills..(I'd be dangerous with money anyway!))..well, she will be 97 soon, and STILL one sharp azz lady. (here goes the story)

Her hubby, my Uncle John, and her, in the 40's, did the "Mother Road", to SoCal. My dad, his brother, went to Chicago burbs, out the initial digs, Cincinnati.

Uncle John, and Aunt Ruth, moving there, always told my parents....(Gyspys too.."lets ride!") .."come'on out!". I did Rt 66 3 TIMES, before 12 years OLD!...1950's "battle wagons"..no A/C either, Cross the desert? NO open windows, crack for fresh air, squirt bottle water, and always, the "last gas for miles?"...fill up, fill jugs of water to get across, a overheat, and every bag of "ice", they had. I remember my dad, getting out the desert, and toss a bag of ice, on the top the radiator, drive on. Yes, he was a solid gearhead too! AND, after! Lets FLY!. Did the "Triple Tail Connie", low and slow, super views, as the pilot would get low, and show all the Nat Parks. Next was the first JET, the "707". DAMN was my dad pissed off, as NOT, the low and slow radials, 6/7 hours in the air..but..so high up, ya saw zip!

But I can never say enough, all the mems, SoCal. My brother races still, just hit 72, Vintage, Alfa, 1956. And all were started by my Uncle John. I could NEVER say too much of that great man, a real gentle giant, sharp as they come..(jeezz he saw a Goat?...kick ITS azz!). But he had that brain, and the patience, unknown to a babbling, know it all, nephew!. I remember, long ago, home from Nam. Flew out for a visit, we did a lunch, he let me babble away, my smartazz "idea life", and when I shut up, he had "digested every thing I don't remember saying to him". He says, "OK, cheeseburger breath"..(love cb's,!), as to get my attention, to shut up and listen. He dissected damn near me yakking for 10 minutes, (as they picked me up the airport, and get some chow, not seen years, and when asked, "how ya doing"...blah, blah, etc.

He looked me right in the eye, said.."Bobby..(fave nickname)...you have some damn good thoughts on where you want to continue life, but you have so many others, that are preventing you to get nothing but confused. FOCUS on three, but do a list all. Put it away, read a month, or better later. See what don't make sense anymore, as be surprised what YOU think simple now, aint gonna happen, and it won't come to ya free, as ya gotta want it, and earn it. He was one smart man...and my old Aunt?...real sweetie pie...(I KNOW she will kiss that 100 years old mark too..ever time I call her?..She has a full time caretaker, but she, if not napping, answers the phone.
I simple say, Hi Aunt Ruth, Bobby!". Knows my voice in a instant! Sorry if getting a little carried away here, many beers, great thread/mems, in the shop, woodstove warming the butt, (and the doggy..ZZZZZZZZZ..) just a damn good day, again, to see..whats today gonna bring?
And the most I would love to share here, is the write up, his "obit", in the ..(read on, he was one of the sponsors, money needed, start the Long Beach races).

"Rest in peace, Uncle John" ....heres a pic..once there, double click again, then can enlarge.. better reading..
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