HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 9 VOL 14
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH 2008
WEATHER; COOL, MED HUMIDITY, 66/77 DEGREES
WELL NOW I’LL SEE IF I CAN STAY ON THE RIGHT ROAD AND GET THESE TO YOU ON THE DAY AFTER I DO THEM!
MOM HAD TO GO TO TOWN TO GET A FEW THINGS AND SHE WENT BY SHANNONS TO HELP HER WITH HER COMPUTER! SOMETHING ABOUT TRANSFERING PROGRAMS, THEY ENDED UP CALLING TIM AND HE WAS SWAMPED SO HE WAS GOING TO CALL HER BACK WHEN THINGS SLOWED DOWN! I KNOW THEY’VE GOT HIM JUMPING THROUGH HIMSELF TO GET EVERYTHING DONE SO I DON’T GET UPSET WHEN HE DOESN’T ANSWER MY E-MAILS! IF IT’S IMPORTANT I’LL CALL HIM!
I STILL HAVEN’T GOT MY AMPLIFIED PHONE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHIPPED TWO WEEKS AGO! BEVERLY IN AUDIOLOGY IS GOING TO DALLAS VA ON WEDNESDAY AND WILL CHECK WITH PROSTETICS DOWN THERE AND SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO IT!
I REALLY MISS THAT AMPLIFIED PHONE, I CAN JUST BARELY HEAR ON THE REGULAR HOUSE PHONE AND IF THERE’S ANY BACK GROUND NOISE I CAN’T MAKE OUT WHAT’S BEING SAID TO ME!
I FINISHED ANOTHER CHAPTER FOR MY BOOK, “TIME FREEZE” AND HAVE STARTED A NEW ONE! THIS ONE IS REALLY GOING TO TAKE SOME RESEARCH! THEY ALL HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF RESEARCH BUT THIS ONE INVOLVES THE CRASH OF A CORPORTATE JET IN THE PERUVIAN JUNGLE!
I ENJOY THINKING UP THESE WRITINGS AND HAVE GOT TO GET THEM PUBLISHED TO REALIZE THE SATISFACTION OF KNOWING THEY’RE BEING READ BY SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME! THE LOCAL PUBLISHER I WAS GOING TO USE DOESN’T PUBLISH ANY MORE AND I’VE LEFT MY NUMBER WITH A COUPLE OF PUBLISHERS IN DALLAS BUT THEY HAVEN’T RESPONDED BY E-MAIL OR PHONE! I GUESS THEY HAVE MORE THAN THEY NEED! NEXT, I’M GOING TO CALL LOU WATT AND SEE IF HE CAN PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH HIS PUBLISHER! I’LL HAVE TO PUT WHAT I HAVE ON A DVD SO HE CAN LISTEN TO THEM AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS! TIM WAS SUPPOSED TO PUT MY FIRST BOOK ON DVD AND SEND IT TO LOU BUT HE GOT TOO BUY AND IT’S NOT DONE YET! I MAY HAVE TO JUST READ IT ON TO A DVD AND SEND IT, TIM WAS DOING A LOT OF EDITING AND CHANGING TO MAKE IT SOUND BETTER THAN IT’S WRITTEN!
I GOT A BLOG YESTERDAY ABOUT A MOTORCYCLEIST WHO GOT KILLED AT BONNIVILLE SALT FLATS LAST WEEK, HERE IS THE WRITE UP: TRAGEDY STRUCK THE BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS IN UTAH LAST WEEK WHEN 47-YEAR-OLD CLIFF GULLETT, OF TEAM BULLET COSTELLA-GULLETT RACING, LOST CONTROL OF HIS BIKE AT NEARLY 240 MPH. GULLETT, AN EXPERIENCED RACER WHO HELD NEARLY A DOZEN LAND SPEED RECORDS ON MOTORCYCLES, WAS COMPETING IN THE 500CC CLASS (TWO-STROKE, TWO-CYLINDER) RIDING THE COSTELLA-GULLETT MOTORCYCLE STREAMLINER. HE CRASHED AFTER COMPLETING HIS RETURN RUN -- THE RECORD IS PENDING RATIFICATION BY THE GOVERNING RACING BODIES. A MEMORIAL SERVICE WILL BE HELD NEXT SATURDAY IN HIS HOMETOWN OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA. OUR CONDOLENCES ARE EXTENDED TO THE ENTIRE GULLETT FAMILY INCLUDING HIS WIFE, SON, AND DAUGHTER.
YOU KNOW THERE ARE A NUMBER OF WAYS TO LOOK AT A THING LIKE THIS; HE WENT OUT DOING WHAT HE WAS BORN TO DO OR WAS HE ONLY THINKING OF THE GLORY AND PRESTEGE SETTING A RECORD WOULD GET FOR HIM? MY BELIEF IS HE WENT OUT DOING WHAT HE WAS BORN TO DO AND HE HAD THE BLESSINGS OF HIS WIFE AND FAMILY!
I HAD A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE DOING THE SAME THING IN 1949! I HAD BUILT UP A TRIUMPH 500CC TWIN AND WAS GOING FOR THE RECORD IN THE STREET BIKE CLASS AT BONNIVILLE THAT YEAR! EVERYTHING WAS GOING FINE AND I WENT THROUGH THE TRAPS AT 145.746 MPH, A LITTLE OVER THE RECORD SET THE YEAR BEFORE! I PULLED UP AT THE OTHER END TO THE PICK UP MY BUDDIES WERE DRIVING AND WAS CHECKING THE OIL AND TIRES AND FUEL WHEN THEY CALLED ME FOR MY BACK UP RUN! THE GUY THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE HIS BACK UP RUN HAD OPTED OUT THEY SAID HE GOT THE SHAKES AND COULDN’T MAKE IT SO I DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO LET MY BIKE COOL DOWN LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO! THIS RUN IS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION! MY BUDDIES PUSHED ME OFF AND I HEADED DOWN THE BLACK LINE IN THE SALT, I HAD GONE THROUGH THREE GEARS AND WAS LYING DOWN ON THE FOAM PILLOW THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE FUEL TANK ! I WAS LOOKING AT MY TACH AND WHEN IT TOUCHED 5500 RPM I SHIFTED INTO 4TH GEAR AND MOVED MY FEET TO THE REAR PEGS! AN EXACT REPEAT OF MY FIRST RUN! ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BIKE STARTED TO FISH TAIL AND I CHECKED MY TACH AND THE NEEDLE WAS SETTING ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DIAL! THE OIL PRESSURE GAGE READ ZERO SOMETHING LET GO AND THE BIKE STARTED TO FREE WHEEL AND I COASTED TO A STOP ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH THE TRAPS! THE PICK UP GOT THERE AND WE LOADED THE BIKE UP AND HEADED BACK FOR THE PITS SO ANOTHER RIDER COULD MAKE HIS RUN! ALL I HEARD WAS A SLIGHT TICK BEFORE IT STARTED TO FISH TAIL AND THEN THE CHAIN SNAPPED AND THAT’S WHY THE BIKE STRAIGHTENED OUT! THE OFFICIALS TRUCK PICKED UP THE CHAIN AND THE METAL FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CASES INCLUDING A BENT ROD CAP, THEY SAID THE ROD CAP WAS BURIED IN THE SAND ABOUT 3 INCHES! THE ROD WAS STILL UP IN THE ENGINE! SO MUCH FOR MY ATTACK ON THE 500CC STREET BIKE WORLDS RECORD AT BONNIVILLE! I NEVER COULD GET ENOUGH MONEY TOGETHER TO REBUILD THE ENGINE LIKE I SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE BEGINNING! WE FIGURED OUT THAT THE STOCK OIL PUMP JUST DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH PRESSURE TO PROPERLY OIL THE LOWER END AT SUCH HIGH SPEEDS! STOCK THE BIKE HAD A TOP SPEED OF ABOUT 95-100 MPH AND A RED LINE ON THE RPM OF 5000! I FEEL LIKE IF I COULD HAVE LET IT COOL OFF FOR ANOTHER 10-15 MINUTES OR IF I WOULD HAVE HAD TIME TO CHANGE THE OIL IT PROBABLY WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED! WHEN THEY CALL YOU FOR A BACK UP RUN YOU ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TIME TO GET GOING OR YOU’RE DISQUALIFIED, THEY GO BY HARD FAST RULES! ANOTHER EPISODE IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HOWARD MAHONEY!
THAT’S “30” FOR THIS ISSUE
HOWARD
No comments:
Post a Comment