Road Trip Survival Kit Pt.1

As we are now nearing our annual family vacation I decided to make a "survival kit'. Laugh all you want but a solid days drive with two small children might be harder than actual wilderness survival. Making up a small goodie bag with fun things for the kids is a really good way to ensure you don't need all all of the beer on night one. This will be a two part blog starting with the making of the bag.

If your children are anything like mine they tire of their things rather quickly. So a new bag full of goodies fits the bill quite well. Rather than using a reusable grocery bag or something similar I chose to make a couple of bags for the trip. After we get there they can use the bags to collect all sorts of cool sea shells and whatever else they might find.

This is actually much easier than it sounds. I had never used a sewing machine until I decided to make these. My wife was at work so thanks to You Tube and a little common sense I figured it out. I used left over fabric scraps so it cost us nothing.

Items Needed

•  Fabric
• Sewing Machine
• Ribbon or similar material for handle
• Glitter or Puff Paint if you chose to decorate

First chose what size bag you would like to have. I wanted ours to fit a coloring book or two so one of ours was 11in by 9in and the other 10in by 12in .  Ours are intended to go around the headrests so I only needed one handle.

1. Cut 2 pieces of chosen size
2. Sew together at bottom
3. Fold over top approx 1/4 in and sew to prevent fraying
4. Sew sides together
5. Cut ribbon to desired length and sew to inside
6. Turn inside out 
7. Decorate if you chose
8. Admire your handy work

A few bits of scrap material is all you need

Ready to sew

Homemade Volcano

Now i'm sure most everyone reading this has either seen or made a baking soda volcano. Most of us probably did them as a science project in elementary school. They haven't gotten any more difficult to make and a 4 year old will probably enjoy making it more than someone doing homework.  As with anything I write here let this be the idea, you can change most anything about it to fit your childs idea of a volcano. Ours was a  huge success and my daughter is constantly wanting to make lava now.

Making the Volcano

 This can range from the plain to really over the top and life like. You can use anything from play dough or clay to dirt for your volcano. We used paper mache with chicken wire for ours. I began by forming the general shape out of chicken wire fitting it around a dixie cup. The dixie cup is not needed but you will need something to put the baking soda and vinegar into. Once the basic form is complete make your glue for paper mache and start layering on the paper. Let the volcano dry completely before continuing.

Decoration

If this were a science project you would be making this as life like as possible. Well ours wasn't made for that reason so it was time to unleash the 4 year old with paint. There are few things my child enjoys more than using every possible color to decorate something.  Get creative, you can use spray glue and dirt for a textured feel, you can even build a village around the volcano and watch the lava run through town.

 

Eruption

There are many different recipes for creating the lava.  We used baking soda and vinegar in about a 1-1 ratio. There are certainly more precise recipes but that seemed to work perfect for us. Make sure to include a couple drops of food coloring in your color of choice for the lava. A couple of drops of soap helps the effects of the lava as well. Place the baking soda in the cup or container in the center of the volcano then add the colored vinegar. I would recommend doing this either on a metal cookie sheet or better yet outside.

Volcano Fun Facts

•  The volcanic rock pumice is the only rock that can float in water. It is usually gray and full of bubbly holes, which form when hot gases jet furiously out of the rock as it cools.
•  The simplest type of volcano is a cinder cone, which forms as gas-charged lava is thrown into the air, breaks into smaller pieces called cinders and falls around a volcanic vent, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
•  The Pacific Ring of Fire is home to 452 volcanoes that's 75 percent of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.
•  More than 80% of the earth's surface is volcanic in origin. The sea floor and some mountains were formed by countless volcanic eruptions. Gaseous emissions from volcano formed the earth's atmosphere.
•  Volcanic eruptions can send ash high into the air, over 30km (17 miles) above the Earth’s surface.
•  The word volcano originally comes from the name of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan.

Recipes and Helpful Links

Paper Mache Glue

• 4 parts water
• 1 part flour
• 1 pinch of salt (optional,helps with potential of mold)

Heat water then to a boil then mix in the flour and salt. "cook" for 2-3 min or until it resembles the paste you remember using a child.  You may need to add some water if it becomes too think or clunky.

Yeast and Peroxide Lava

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/ht/volcano.htm

Baking Soda and Vinegar

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/buildavolcano.htm

Volcano information for the slightly older and more curious child.

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-volcano.htm

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor

Recently while on our weekly Friday date with Great Grandma she had wanted to get some ice cream We were in the neighborhood of the new Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. Now I have never eaten at Farrell's before so I must admit I wasn't quite prepared for what I was in for.

My first impression apon walking in was wow this place is noisy and very busy. All the employees are dressed in period clothes,though the period they were in i'm not quite sure.  It must be said that this is a brand new establishment and their entire staff is also brand new. We were seated rather quickly and the staff was very friendly and helpful. I was extreamly nervous however  due to the fact that it was my birthday and I really did not want a small marching band screaming happy birthday at me.

Once seated our waitress was over quickly with drink orders and menus. While waiting to order a trend started to become very apparent, they will celebrate anything. The look on my daughters face when she saw 2 little boys getting a song sung to them for "being good kids" was priceless. Birthdays, good grades, you name it, hell one girl just wanted a song sung to here.  The menu was a lot more food heavy than I expected at an ice cream parlor. We had already eaten lunch so I cannot speak to the quality of there food.We all found some ice cream that fit our tastes. I will admit the menu was a little confusing for desert with many specialty type items and not so many make your own or just plain ice cream.

Our orders took a little while considering it was just ice cream, but they were exceptionally busy and everyone is still very new. No big deal our waitress made frequent stops as did additional staff just to check on things. When our orders arrived it was a bit of a let down. Now this is the ultimate American statement but the portions just were not big enough. We had a pretty good sample at our table and the only size that seemed appropriately gluttonous was the child's clown sundae. My wife's specialty sundae was approximately the same size as the child's and Grandma's classic sundae contained more whipped cream than ice cream. I had ordered a chocolate shake and was underwhelmed. The first drink of the shake was room temperature, certainly not what one is expecting when your drinking a shake.  While the quantity of the deserts were lacking the quality seemed good. All were happy with the taste and quality of their ice cream.

I hope this review doesn't come across as bitchy because I really believe that this place will succeed and that there is a place in the market for it. It might just be a new crew that is learning on the fly.  The atmosphere is a tad much for me, I don't need the constant song and dance but that's my preference. The place was crawling with kids that were having a great time and that certainly seems to be the niche they will fill. As kids my parents used to take us to Sam's Town for a treat when when had good grades or did something else noteworthy. Farrell's will be that spot for a lot of kids, just not mine.

Sonora Pass to Echo Lake.....fail

Last week marked the one year anniversary of my new career as a stay at home dad. My wife had chosen to take a week of vacation to allow me a little vacation of my own. I had decided I would go backpacking for an extended trip. After several months spent debating all my destination options I chose section J of the Pacific Crest Trail. For those not familiar with the PCT it is a trail stretching from border with Mexico all the way to Canada.  I would be doing a section from Sonora Pass to Echo Lake. The trip would involve 76 miles of rugged mountain terrain, several mountain passes over 10,000 feet and over 24,000 total feet of elevation change.Its so remote and rugged the military uses this area for mountain warfare training.

Sunday morning is when my first sign of thing to come should have hit me. At 3:30 am my wife and I awoke to a very loud crashing noise. I don't typically sleep well when I am excited and this just sealed the deal. The day I would be starting this long journey I woke a 3:30 and would not fall back asleep. After some quick breakfast burritos we were off on our 3 hour drive to the trailhead. When we pull into the parking lot Kaelin quickly informs me "were here dad, bye now"

After a  short hike with the family I was off into the wild. The first 2 hours were spent hiking up and over Sonora Gap at an elevation well above 10,500 feet. I enjoyed a snack at the top and after opening my pack I found a note from the girls complete with a tracing of Leah's foot. I got quite the kick out of a misshapen foot tracing. After reaching the top you descend into the valley where the East Carson River starts.  It was the most pleasant part of the day, with each passing mile bring different scenery. I can't recall ever hiking in a place that seemed to change as quickly or as often as the area I hiked through this day. I came to the place I had thought I would camp at 2 in the afternoon. Instead of calling it a day and resting I pressed on. At 3 I found myself at a creek taking a rest and preparing to fill my water up. I was advised by a gentleman and his wife hiking the other way not to bother there were several more areas higher up. Unfortunately I listened and when I came across said water source I wasn't comfortable getting water from it. Again I press on. At 5 I rested and cooked a Mountain House meal for dinner and enjoyed a Crystal Light and Jack Daniels cocktail. After dinner I was completely out of water and really wanted to find some. I hiked until I came to a barbed wire fence, after passing through the fence I was greeted by lots of cattle. I thought I could hike through the pasture quickly and find a camp hopefully near water. Well niether happened and I twisted my knee on the cow battered trail and was forced to keep hiking on a very sore knee. These cows seemed especially skidish and were spooked very easily. At one point I watched a dozen cows take off in a pack of angry beef. Not exactly where one wants to camp. After over 2 more hours my knee finally gave out and I could walk no more. I made camp without water and still amongst cow in the worst spot I've ever had to camp. My feet were at least 4 inches below my head.

After a very poor night of sleep thanks to my newly injured knee I was ready to tackle day 2. Still without water and in quite a good deal of pain. I set off shortly after 7 am and was on a mission for water. I grew very tired of passing good sources of water that were unsafe due to cattle. Finally at 9:30 I found a very nice spring. While setting down my pack I rested it on my very sore knee and "down goes Fraiser"  my knee buckles and i'm now on the ground in stabbing pain. After picking myself up I got to drink water for the first time since dinner the night before. I then packed up and struggled towards Ebbetts Pass. I had already come to terms with the possibility that my trip might over. I had been walking in a lot of pain since 7 am and my knee was starting to swell up pretty badly with the growth of a second knee cap(It ended up looking much worse than the picture). I finally made it to the trailhead a 3 in the afternoon. Much to my disappointment it appeared someone had just left after washing the bathrooms. That might have been my only chance to get out. I then found myself at the mercy of strangers as I was hitch-hiking in hopes of getting to a pay phone or cell range.

I had set a cutoff of 4pm for finding a ride. My wife is not very comfortable on mountain roads at night and I did not want to put her in that position. But I was also not comfortable committing to the additional 30 miles of packing I would be committed to if I kept hiking. At 10 til I said a little prayer and thought to myself I should have enough good trail karma after helping as many people as I have. At 4:01 my savors appeared from out of the woods. A very nice couple from the local town of Markleeville were given the rundown of my current state and I laid it on thick hoping for a ride somewhere that had a phone. They were kind enough to drive me all the way into Markleeville and even pointed to the bar. I called a very surprised wife and then bellied up to the bar while I waited for my ride.

Who wouldn't give this guy a lift?

If anyone reading this likes fine art the gentleman that gave me the ride is an artist and blues guitarist. I certainly can't afford his wonderful work but you might be able to. His sites are http://www.ketenjian.com/ andhttp://ketenjianfineart.blogspot.com/.

While the trip was less than successful I was able to see areas I have never seen, packed heights I've never packed and met some wonderful locals. My knee looks more like a cankle than a knee currently and I am glad that common sense won out over stubbornness. Once healed I will be back and I will finish my hike. Thanks again to my trail angels Russell and Sandra Ketenjian you really saved my bacon. There really are some amazing places to see if you just get out of the car and walk. Just watch out for cow pies.

Sorry the pics are screwed up. I'm not very happy with Blogger at the moment. I'll try to fix it.

Bike Repair Basics

So many of you might have begun to notice a theme on this blog. I hope I can encourage you drop some of your personal " my ___ does that" or "the store sells that". As a stay at home dad you must wear many hats and those range from baker to bike mechanic. Today we're working on bike basics. Almost everyone knows how to ride a bike, but how many can keep it on the road. Many people can't perform even the most basic bike repairs and that equals money wasted at your local bike shop. I came to this realization about a year ago when getting ready for a 4 hr mountain bike race in Lake Tahoe. While training a friend of mine had mentioned that he had to practice changing tires in case he had a flat. I found this extreamly odd and asked why? It was simply because he had never had too and didn't know how. Now I must say if your purchasing a new bike please solicit your local bike shop and avoid chain stores. Your service will be much better and you will be keeping that money local. I used to pay to have my bike fixed too. That is until I came to an epiphany one day. The guy that I brought my bike to when it needed work would bring me his Audi when it was in need of repair. Now this did provide the occasional "mutually beneficial" arrangement but wasn't sustainable. I now perform all of our bike repairs and with a little help you can too. Your Huffy isn't an R8 so you can do this.

There is one site I must plug because it's just that good. The site is  http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help. Park Tool is a shop level tool company that provides consumers with the same tools your bike mechanic uses daily. In addition to that they feel the need to provide you with excellent repair information for about anything your bike might need. They also sell a great book called "The Big Blue Book of Bike Repair". I use both resources together and with a little common sense it's a cake walk.

If there are any bike repair items you would like to see covered please let me know. Either use the comment section or email me at mckenna019@yahoo.com. Don't be bashful, we have 3 road bikes, 2 mountain bikes, a kid's bike and  a strider. There is a really good chance I can justify repairing something for this blog. Onto today's lesson.

Our lesson today is about shifting. On a recent ride my road bike my shifting wasn't as crisp as it should be. The issue was it was skipping and wouldn't up-shift properly. This can only mean one thing: my cables need adjusted. This isn't half as complex as you might think.

Rear Cassette Shifting

1. To adjust your rear derailleur, shift into your outermost (smallest) gear on the rear cassette.
2. Check the cable tension. It should not feel tight but should have no slack either.
3. Adjust the slack. There will be a barrel adjuster on your rear derailleur. Turn until the slack is out of the cable.
4. Test the adjustment by shifting though all gears. If it does not down shift as it should you have the cable too tight. Loosen slightly and try again. If you cannot get proper tension with the barrel adjuster loosen the cable then pull tight and tighten clamp and recheck.
5. Most but not all bikes will have a second adjuster called a "micro-adjuster" this is going to be near where a rider can reach for in ride adjustments. See pictures below.
6.  DO NOT adjust the index screws on the derailleur for this issue. The index screws have one job and one job only. Control the innermost and outermost point the derailleur goes. This only needs adjusted if the rear gears do not go into the lowest or highest gear assuming the cables are properly adjusted. 
7. General note on cable adjusting. Try to adjust only when in the relaxed position. This will be the outermost on the rear and innermost on the crank. This will make adjusting easier and you cables will thank you.

Front Derailleur Shifting

1. This is largely the same as the rear with one large exception. You have no barrel adjuster on the derailleur for the adjustment. 
2. Shift into the lowest gear and check tension. If loose then loosen cable clamp and pull tight by hand and tighten clamp.
3. You will most likely need to adjust the micro adjuster to dial in correctly.

While this is just one of many things that a bike might need it's also one you can fix. Bikes are some of the most simple and efficient machines the world has ever know. There is know good reason why you should pay some one to do this simple of a task.  If it seems like something is missing let me know. What seems obvious to me may not be to you. This will be the first of many bike repair posts so please let me know if there is a repair that you want to see.

Future Moto Fan

I have shared in the past my daughter Leah's love of motorcycles. This week she achieved a new level, while in the garage the other night she walked up to one of our dirt bikes and starts pointing while making a bike noise. Mom asks what is that Leah? Dirt Bike she says while poking it. Today while driving home a Harley passed us and Leah starts making motorcycle noises at it in return.

Dinner in a Hat

So pretty much everyone that is ever going to read this blog ever has had the dinner dilemma.  That time when you look at each other and say "so what do you want for dinner". For those of you that are single and haven't experienced this yet that is code for "i'm don't like what you bought at the store, what in the hell do you suggest im make out of it." So after one of these nights i came up with the Dinner in a Hat game.

Rather argue and end up with frozen pizza quickly inventory the fridge and pantry. Once you have right down every kind of meat, veggie and starch you have on pieces of paper. I made sure I included Spam to ensure we wouldn't have to play this every night. Fold the papers and place in a hat one food group at a time.Then make your spouse pick out dinner.

I must admit we did not stick with the first we ended up with Shrimp with mixed veggies and potatoes. I was determined to make it work however my wife thought better. I confess there was not much of a fight put up about that and the second go around we ended up with Pork, Corn, and Rice. Next time i think I'll save paper and right Iowa, everyone know Iowa means corn and pigs.