I even uploaded this before the day ended, but I didn’t get the blog updated in time. Ah well.
This is a truck I built back when I was 14 or 15. Not from a kit or anything, just something I kinda built one day. I saw this big rig kit in a Lego flyer once and really wanted it, but of course it was way expensive. I got the idea to emulate it one day, and this was the result. The trailer is way less impressive, but I was also running out of coherent building blocks by then. Yes, there is a steering wheel on the top of the truck and the tires turn. Good stuff eh?
So, tonight I got started on building a custom mount for a top case on my motorcycle. I need a little more solid storage for my long trip to Utah and beyond that is coming up next week. I’ve had these two SKB cases for a while, and I rather like them. They are mil spec tough and waterproof, and I have traveled with them before. As such, I got to thinking: What if I mounted one on the back of the bike? Welp, being a cheapskate that I am, I sat forth to design a mount. Trying my best to use factory mounting holes, I came up with a simple idea. Basically, I am going to mount two 1 inch square tubes onto the package tray on the back of the bike, one on the front, and one on the back. Then, I am going to build a square frame that fits between them. One end of the frame will have hooks that will lock into holes on one of the tubes, the other tube will have a lock cylinder. You place the top case on, push it down so it seats against the rubber bumpers, and turn the key lock to fasten it securely. Simple enough.
I got the square frame welded, and I have one of the tubes complete with end caps. I had to call it a night as I was running out of light and didn’t want to wake the neighborhood grinding down welds. Tomorrow I will finish the other tube and clean up the rest of the welds, finish the lock mechanism, test, and paint. I’ll post more photos as it evolves.
If you want to see more photos, go here.
Snapshot time today. I had to go get on the roof of the Los Alamos Research Park and put my Canopy module back up on the tower. Cold front coming in, and the clouds were dark and ominous. I figured you might enjoy a view of it as well. I didn’t really take the time to try to get the focus right, I was getting cold. Plus, this was taken with my little point and shoot anyway. You can also see the entirety of Los Alamos here. Yeah, huge town, eh? There is a bit more hidden around the corner of the hills, and a suburb that I live in that is about 10 miles away, but pretty much, this is it. Los Alamos National Lab is right behind me from this photo.
Hope you are staying warm and dry warm tonight!
Went hiking with Josh, Carolyn, and Josephine on Saturday. Along with us with Josh and Carolyn’s puppy, Bella, who is a bundle of excitement. We went to the old mining ghost town of Albemarle, NM. It was a very nice hike, even with the pouring snow on the way back. I took some 340 shots, but distilled it down to 96 for the gallery. You can tour all of them by clicking here.
There is a story to be told here if you can read it. It tells the fable of a young hamster and his journey to understanding practical applications of physics.