The Native Iowan

weather not great but not terrible. Had a nice ride today. Was forced to take the long way home to listen to this a second time…
05 hurricane

been having off n on weather. Have had some short rides. All good.

sum rid’n music…
01 Track 01

well, maybe, … hang’n with the pups…

and it is a hoot…

… which is always a pleasure. Noel and Rosey were in fine form.

The bottom is out from the Alcol so the freaky pict of an engine room with water visible.

flight scheds dictated that I flew into Gizo late. So I spent my first night with Hans at SanBis. This is what I woke up to…

back in Honiara. A good run west. Have some interesting picts to post but not real ambitious right now. Will post some music here and sort the picts out tomorrow.

10 Saga Of The Old West

disconnected…

I sit in a small house on a small island in the fuck’n huge Pacific Ocean.

My buddy Noel is the king here. Uncle Noel to most. He’s a prince and a devil. He’s rebuilding a 300 ton barge for us.

I rocked over this morning. Seas are high and it’s pretty rough and wild. I throttled back, ran with the seas and enjoyed the run.

Liapari is a weird, mythical, fictional sorta place. I first set foot here in 1982. It was luxury after being a bush bunny for 2 years. Better than a catholic mission station. Proper commercial colonialism.

Noel, Rosy and I told stories ’till late. At 930 the power goes off here and we talked well into the dark.

After a grand meal and a few solbrews. The old stories.

As the wind howls and seas sing.

Liapari.

Flying West tomorrow. Will spend a night or two at an amazing place called, Liapari. Many of you been to Liapari. Many of you have heard of Liapari.

10 NM from Gizo. Liapari is a full blown slip-way where our mate, Noel Hudson, runs a kick arse operation.

Also very near Barakoma airfield… The place Pappy Boington flew out if in WW2. Remember “Ba Ba Black Sheep”?

In the Solomons, Liapari is shrouded in myth, legend and lore.

The LC Alcol is on the slip there. Been up for better part fo a year getting a new hull created. We’re just about done.

So I get to work on the boat and investigate some wonderful light tackle country.

This will be as fun as a good motorcycle…

02 How To Be Righteous

02 canned goods

So can offer some more picts

picts for general viewing:

Got back. Was first to check in this morn so last to get my bag.

Grace meets me. I drive her car back to town. We’re heading to pick Mendozza up.

I have been in Ozz too long. I was having difficulty driving at first. then, after remembering I was in a developing nation, found enjoyment in the clapped out ol toyota with the myopic grandmother driving 35ks per hour.

Nor the truck filled with hardwood and laborers driving crab like prohibiting passing or a speed above 40 kph.

So nice to be back home.

“small flat-white”

the girl at the coffee kiosk calls to the expectant crowd of customers. An overweight business man dutifully collects his order and retires to a table.

“… we invite you aboard through boarding gate 78…”

Heavyset older bloke with a younger gal… walking arm in arm. To cozy to be married. Must be a dirty weekend in the making.

Asian gal in 6 inch spiked heels. How can she walk?

Mom with 4 kids. The standard family times 2… two boys, two girls. They look like very nice people.

“small esspresso”

“… final boarding call for flight…”

The departure terminal is relatively empty. I waltzed right through immigration and customs.

Small girl, about 3, pig tail all done up, nice pink backpack. She can’t sit still. Mom is already stressed. Looks like it may be a long flight wherever they are going.

An hour before I board. I am sitting in the centre of the departure lounge area. It’s huge with duty free stores and eateries all around. The day is bright and clear. Great day for bike riding.

But I am heading back to paradise.

“large latte”

A 4 year old boy flies his model airplane past me. Another stressed looking mom herds him in a froward manner.

“… general boarding call for Inchon…”

“… final boarding call for flight EA34 to Auckalnd…”

The girl with the spiked heals has moved closer. High button ladies boots like granny would have wore. With a long heel. Call it style. I can think of no other word.

There is a group of guys, in their 20s, all wearing the same stupid straw cowboy hats. They must have lost a huge bet.

Don’t see anyone from the Solomons. Maybe I am still too early. If you’re from the islands you’re rarely early.

One thing that amazes me is the proliferation of people pushing buttons on some type of communication device. I see an elderly woman and a middle aged guy reading books. One bloke with a magazine. Everyone else (including me) are either into their laptops or pushing buttons on a palm device.

This airport terminal used to be much smaller. When I first flew to Brisbane the international and domestic terminals were on and the same. When they built this facility they installed some very large pieces of art. Mostly hard wood sculptures, some were abstract. Some were playfully futuristic. Now, as the need for space (and the opportunity to make money) pressures increase we find only one of the old art works in place. I bet it will be relegated to a shed soon.

I watch a guy at a pay phone…we is using his mobile to give him a number… It would make a great picture… he is standing in front of the pay phone but has his mobile out… quite telling per our modern world.

So… 40 minutes before we board. I think I’ll wander down to the boarding gate. a few short hours and I’ll be back to the humid and dusty air of Honiara.

I do look froward to it.

Am flying back to the islands in the morning.

Always good to get going back to “paradise”.

Something that I listened to today i found poignant and enjoyable…

12 Track 12

01 touch o gray

02 hell in a bucket

I was doing some driving today… listening to the news… Heard about this accident from the air.

The reporter read, and I kid you not… “… killed were 3 men and one New Zealander…”

I just had to laugh…

Australians killed in PNG plane crash
WEDNESDAY, 01 SEPTEMBER 2010 09:42

The plane crashed after landing at Misima Island, 200km off PNG’s south-east tip. (Google Maps)
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has confirmed three Australians were among those killed in a plane crash on a remote island in Papua New Guinea.

Mr Smith says a Cessna Citation jet was carrying three Australians and two New Zealand citizens when it crashed on Misima Island on Tuesday.

Locals say the Trans Air flight overshot the runway in wet and windy weather, crashed into trees and burst into flames killing four of those on board.

Mr Smith says one of the New Zealanders, an Australian permanent resident who is believed to be one of the pilots, survived the accident with only heavy bruising.

Among the dead is a 61-year-old marine pilot from Sydney who was working for the Brisbane-based company Australian Reef Pilots.

The man was due to guide a boat into Australian waters.

Officials from the Australian High Commission left Port Moresby for Misima Island early this morning.

Meanwhile there is a heavy security presence outside Trans Air, with at least 10 guards are patrolling its entrance at Jacksons airport near Port Moresby.

Trans Air PNG is an offshoot of the company that was involved in the Lockhart River air crash that killed 15 people in far north Queensland in 2005.

Trans Air PNG operates in Australia on a foreign aircraft operators certificate.

Last year the Civil Aviation Safety Authority refused the company permission to fly in Australia, but that decision was overturned on appeal.

The company operates charter and medivac flights in Australia.

This is the third fatal plane crash in Papua New Guinea in just over 12 months.

Six people died in light plane crash in January. Nine Australians were among 13 killed when a plane crashed into a mountain near Kokoda in August last year.

By PNG correspondent Liam Fox
ABC News

Was talking with a friend and remembered a tale…

We were talking about taking naps. I can’t nap during the day (for more than 15 or 20 minuets) as I find waking up like swimming through mud.

Another mutual friend once explained how he can take a nap and wake unconfused… According to Him: If you are wearing your socks upon waking you can rest assured you have just taken a nap. Even though it is dark, it’s still today.

You wake without your socks and you know it’s tomorrow.

Well, hell, as is happens… He got a bit pissed, got home, say 6pm. Just before dusk. Got into bed half dressed and woke in the wee hours of the morn… as he had his socks on he figured it was late in the eve, say 7 or 730 and his family was still gone so He, at 4 in the morning, cranks the lights up and starts cooking supper as the clan is asleep.

They did not remain asleep long.

The thing I like about riding is being on the edge. Out in the environment cranking at 110kph. No airbag protection. Just your helmet and riding gear.

It feels good to have armored leathers. My gear has shoulder, elbow, hip and knee protection. I wear knee high riding boots. So my protection is quite high. Kevlar/ padded gloves help as well.

But being out in the air open on the highway… You feel that semi wizz past you (4 lanes over and heading the other direction) as it’s backwash of air physically moves your 250 kg machine.

Great ride today…

A great day for a ride.Traffic very light. I have managed to figure out how to let the on-board-computer mange the sound from the stereo… as you speed up the sound increases so, at 120 ks per hour, “you are like a hurricane” is clear and good.

The secrets of german engineering never cease to amaze me.