Brad and Jeff Strike Again

In the aftermath of the collapse of Wall Arch in Arches National Park a mere 3 months after our visit, my friend Brad and I widened our swath of destruction to include an even more iconic symbol of the southwest, the Grand Canyon. The breach of an earthen dam over the weekend caused water to flood Supai and Cataract Canyons, forcing rescuers to evacuate several stranded tourists. You can read about the flood here.

The Grand Canyon was somewhat difficult to enjoy on our trip because the snow, fog and rain severely restricted the view to the canyon floor. The wet conditions also transformed the canyon trails into a sloppy, muddy mess, preventing us from doing much hiking. That said, I now have a list of things I’d like to return to do someday: whitewater raft a section of the river, drive the primitive dirt road to Toroweap for a glimpse of the most famous view of the Grand Canyon, and hike to the bottom for a swim beneath stunning Havasu Falls:

Wall Arch Collapses

On May 22, 2008, I took this picture of Wall Arch at Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah:



Less than three months later, Wall Arch is no more:

Wall Arch, located along the popular Devils Garden Trail at Arches National Park collapsed sometime during the night of August 4, 2008. Rock has continued to fall from the arms of the remaining portion of the arch necessitating the closure of the Devils Garden Trail just beyond Landscape Arch.

Pretty amazing. Prior to the collapse, it was the 12th largest natural rock arch in the park.

Weekly Top Ten

I thought it might be a fun Friday topic to post the ten songs I played the most on my iPod this week. I'd love to hear what anyone who reads this is listening to, so please drop a comment if you've heard anything amazing lately.

1) The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
2) Unless It’s Kicks - Okkervil River
3) Something Is Not Right With Me - Cold War Kids
4) Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex - CSS
5) Plus Ones - Okkervil River
6) Sequestered in Memphis - The Hold Steady
7) In the New Year - The Walkmen
8) White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes
9) Becky - Be your own pet
10) 66 - Afghan Whigs

Aboard, About, A Boat . . .

May, 2006. Two guys, a ream of blueprints, several sheets of poster board, and a dream of someday sinking to the bottom of Lake Erie in a boat built with our own hands. Yup, it’s time for the boat post.

A joint endeavor combining my legendary woodworking skills* and my good friend Matt’s experience with fiberglass, woodworking and motors, our little boatbuilding project has progressed slowly over the past two years. We purchased the plans from Glen-L in the winter of 2006 and then began work in May. We had originally intended to build a jet boat using the impeller from a used jet ski, but recently decided to modify the design to that of a traditional outboard runabout. The following pictures and descriptions recount the work done so far. From here on, I’ll try to update periodically whenever we make significant progress.

We started working in my dining room with a full set of blueprints.

The drawings on the prints had to converted into full size patterns by carefully tracing each piece onto poster board and then cutting them out.

The full size patterns were then traced onto marine grade plywood, after which we began cutting out the shapes that would form the hull of the boat.

Here’s a finished piece of the hull, followed by the completed transom.

The pieces then needed to be beveled and sanded and shaped.

Once properly shaped, we used epoxy and butt blocks to attach the long planks of the hull together full length.

This picture shows pieces that make up the outer form of the hull and transom; basically, the shell of the boat.

After that, we began stitching the various forms together. You can learn a bit more about the "stitch and glue" technique of boatbuilding by clicking HERE.

In May, 2007, the boat began to take shape.

This picture displays the hull and gives an idea of the eventual length and beam of the boat.

And that’s about where things stand today. More updates to follow!



* After my college roommate and I finished building a bunk bed out of 2 x 4's by hand in college, he gratefully bestowed upon me the title of "Lackee" in recognition of my helpful contributions to the project.