Category Archives: Vehicles

Spotted at the Roadhouse

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After enjoying an AMAZING bacon cheeseburger with my beautiful wife on a date night earlier this week, I came out to the parking lot to see this colorful beast adorning the parking lot. Naturally, being the curious sort, I had to check it out. Apparently the little bird in the bottom left of this photo was quite taken with the color as well.

This truck belongs to artist Scott LoBaido, who is currently painting US flags across America. Being one of the fifty states (fifty-seven, if you’re President Obama), it makes sense that we’d be on the list. Mr. LoBaido has a few claims to fame according to his website, such as the “World’s Largest Flag” painting.

I don’t really know what to say about the foil-covered manikin, other than that the flag it’s holding is a little tattered and in need of retirement. I sure do appreciate a good patriotic gesture, though, and I’m glad to see Old Glory every time I see her wave. Thanks to this colorful artist, that’s a sight more likely to be seen.

They’ll need a crane (UPDATED)

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It’s been a while since I’ve dropped a lyrical reference in a blog post title, so I thought I’d give a hat-tip to one of my favorite songs by They Might Be Giants. If you found yourself on the far eastern reaches of the capital city today, you probably spotted this flag flying high above the industrial park.

This is an enormous flag, flying high atop an enormous crane. But what was the event? Something I’ve been eagerly anticipating for quite some time: the Case Triple Threat Rodeo, held today at Titan Machinery in Bismarck.

I was lucky enough to come visit this event over my lunch break, and so were my little boys. What could be more fun than hot dogs, big machines, and a sunny day? We’ll get to that in a moment.

There are multiple components to this rodeo contest: skidsteer, backhoe, and loader. Participants negotiate an obstacle course and perform skills of coordination while competing for the best time. The wind made it a challenge, I’m sure! At the end of the drill pictured above, the operator had to try to dump that little soccer ball into one of three waiting garbage cans.

As if watching big machines working wasn’t enough fun for little boys, there was also a big inflatable skidsteer loader-shaped bouncing pen. Believe me, they got PLENTY of use out of this thing. They were still bouncing with Mommy when I left to return to work.

According to the schedule on the Case website, there will be an event in Fargo today and in Minot later this year. Click here to check it out. It’s fun to watch. If you’ve got better loader skills than I have, you can register and participate!

One important thing I forgot to mention is that this event has also helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in support for Habitat for Humanity. You can click here to read more, and freewill donations are accepted at the event. Cool, huh?

Interesting shadow

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My eye caught something interesting while I was in the park a while back. While looking up at the trail of a passing jet, I couldn’t help but notice a dark offset beneath it. Do you see it?

This jet was flying pretty high, much higher than the wispy clouds below. As a result, its contrail was casting a shadow on the clouds below it. In fact, the shadow was leading the plane by a long shot from my perspective.

The sky is always a good bet when you want to see something interesting and unique! Timing is a factor and you need to take the right perspective, but there’s always something cool about God’s creation to an attentive eye.

Old and stranded

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I recently braved the harsh winter nastiness for some sunset photography and paid this old equipment a visit. I don’t know what it is, but it’s photogenic. I’m no stranger to this piece, but this is probably the best photo I have of it as it’s drifted in pretty well.

Something REALLY BIG happened this time last year

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One thing I love about this business is being able to go where few are able. That was the case last January as I was on site for the move of the Falkirk Mine’s dragline “Chief Ironsides” from the west side of Highway 83 to the east side.

Weather delayed things a bit, but we finally got going just before sunset. That made for some challenges with shooting video. Stills are one thing in low light, but HD video is another. The main shot I was set up for was a time lapse of the roadway crossing, and the light was changing on me very quickly.

It was quite dark by the time the thirteen million pound behemoth, controlled by a woman named Melody, crossed the road. There was a thick dirt road constructed across Highway 83 just for this purpose, since the dragline needs a level deck for moving. It also protected the highway from the immense weight of the machine.

I froze myself silly, but I got the shots. I had one HD camera doing the 1080p time lapse while I ran around getting other angles and video footage with a second HD camera. Of course I kept my trusty still camera bag with me at all times. It was something I’d looked forward to seeing for a long, long time…but I was also quite glad to be out of that wind and cold!

Cold War Mancation, Part Five: Minot

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No, I didn’t find myself on the tarmac looking at the flight line on our Cold War Mancation™…this photo is from another time. We did, however, wrap up the Mancation with a stop in Minot. I wanted to make it to the vicinity of MAFB and gaze over/through the fence, but it was getting late. There is, however, one place along the highway en route to the Air Force base that was worth visiting.

This is a view from inside the Dakota Territory Air Museum just north of Minot, appropriately adjacent to the airport. On our trip we ended up arriving a little too late to get in, so I brought my toddlers up later. What you’re looking at is one of the few flying Japanese “Zero” aircraft, named “The Last Samurai.” Read more about it by clicking here. This thing is an amazing work of art and detail. It’s a carrier model, with wing tips that fold up to allow greater aircraft capacity on the carrier.

Facing off against the Zero is this brilliant restoration, a P-51 Mustang. On the day when we arrived, the engine and other tasty bits were exposed for all to see. It’s interesting how a tool of warfare can be so striking and beautiful. I’m not the kind of guy who gets all wound up about old cars and stuff, but this machine is just downright breathtaking.

Also breathtaking are the dual .50 caliber Browning wing guns! We were lucky in that the panels covering the aircraft’s armament were open as well. I’m pretty sure there are plenty of problems whose best solution is a belt-fed .50 cal!

This is where we wrapped up the Cold War Mancation™. We put our noses to the glass a little bit and pointed the truck back toward Bismarck-Mandan. These pics aren’t from that exact visit, but hopefully you get the idea. There are plenty of other really cool photos from this road trip, including some other striking landmarks, that I’ll be trickling out as time allows.

By the way, you really need to visit the Dakota Territory Air Museum. It’s not just a hangar full of planes; it’s three buildings of history and more! I’ve got lots of pics that I took with my toddlers that I’ll post down the road as well.

One other thing: I believe the Minot Air Force Base is hosting their biennial Northern Neighbors Day air show & more this summer! Stay tuned for more…

In case you thought we missed it: Mandan’s fly-in

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My favorite part of Buggies & Blues this year actually took place south of town at the Mandan Airport, where a fly-in was held in the morning with perfect weather and a great selection of airborne participants. My little boys love airplanes, so it was a real treat for them to see so many up close.

One of the stars of the show was Duggy, also the winner of Brightest Participant in my book. One other important fact about Duggy is the fact that they can go inside and have a look around, a bonus for any little kid.

I often wonder why people schedule events like this on Sunday when they could enjoy better participation on Saturdays, when people aren’t attending church in the morning. Be that as it may, we made an exception and showed up on our way to church. We just weren’t able to spend as much time as we’d like, or buy breakfast there at the airport. My little guys sure looked sharp that morning!

The techie in me had to get a shot of all the bells & whistles, of course. It must be really interesting to taxi a big tail-dragger like this considering the obstructed view when the back wheel is on the ground!

One other star of the show was a Blackhawk helicopter from the National Guard unit across the river. I spent a little while inspecting it for camera attachment locations, since I was scheduled to do some video work from one of these about a week later (which, sadly, I was too busy to perform).

This sleek border patrol helicopter was pretty cool too, and my little guys really appreciated the opportunity to sit in it. I was kept quite busy making sure they didn’t hit any buttons or switches. Even at my age those things look tempting, so imagine what it must be like for a 2 and 3 year old!

One nice thing about this event (which was not an air show, but a gathering of aircraft enthusiasts) was the ability to roam the tarmac and peruse the assortment of plains and helicopters which had assembled. From all the little private aircraft to a few experimental units, there was a lot of variety.

Turnout was great, with plenty of spectators taking in the display and having some breakfast in one of the hangars. Last year’s weather didn’t cooperate the way this year’s did, and I don’t think one could have asked for a better morning for an outdoor gathering. Even the wind was light, a plus for small aircraft such as the paraplane that was flying for a little while.

Mmmmmm…breakfast. If only it was Saturday, I could have stayed long enough to load up on some chow. Oh well…

This fly-in may not get as much publicity as the main Buggies & Blues event, but it’s definitely worth catching. Remember that next year as these events approach. Hopefully 2011 brings good weather and participation again…maybe even on a Saturday so more people can enjoy it!

Answering His Call

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While on the road last weekend I spotted this truck in front of Walmart in Minot. I didn’t have time to hang around and wait for the driver, but I sure would have liked to. In this photo you can kinda see the airbrushing of the Lord Jesus Christ on the beams of the cross.

This truck is adorned with a singular message: Repent and Believe. I am counted among those who came to the saving knowledge that Jesus died to save sinners (of whom I am chief, I might add, in accordance with I Timothy 1:15). It’s encouraging to see this guy taking it to all 50 states.

Fifty states, one true story. The “Repent & Believe” at the bottom of the Virginia license plate caught my eye. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could get plates like that here? Instead we have Fargo-area liberals trying to fight personalized plates with religious themes.

You can check out this truck’s travels at hiscall888.com if you’d like. There’s a blog mentioning North Dakota stops as well as a statement of faith, something I’ve been meaning to put on this site for quite some time. Check it out!

How to know where you stand with your combine: googly eyes

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This sight during the Mandan parade on July 4th made me laugh. It immediately reminded me of a certain Saturday Night Live skit featuring Christopher Walken. I haven’t actually watched Saturday Night Live in many, many years (is Dana Carvey still on the cast?) but someone told me about this particular skit. It was hilarious. It is one of the few things on SNL that isn’t vulgar, so I invite you to watch:

After seeing this, I put googly eyes on the cactus in our office, since it was literally poking up a ceiling tile above it. At least now I know where I stand with it. After all, cacti have pricklers…

There are 10 kinds of people…those who can read binary and those who can’t

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I spotted this “leetmobile” in a parking lot a while back and had to nab a quick cell phone shot of it. I couldn’t actually tell you if the binary code thereon means anything, since I haven’t remembered how to read binary code since the 1980s. While I’ve blurred out the license plate, I can tell you that it’s a ham radio operator plate. That means the owner of this car is likely quite tech-savvy, even beyond spraying ones and zeros across the hood of his little Ford.

Here’s a little more information about binary code. It’s basically a way of breaking down letters and numbers to the simplest form, combinations of ones and zeros. “10” means 2, which is why I made the joke in the title.

I actually spent way more of my time as an old Apple II geek using hexadecimal numbers and can still convert it to regular numbers in my head (although not quite as quickly as I could back during the Reagan era). It’s commonly used to program website colors, which is why I like the joke “Roses are #FF0000, violets are #0000FF, all my base, are belong to you.” That’s also only funny if you get the corny 80s video game reference.

Okay, now I’ve illustrated my geekdom. No, it’s not my car. 🙂