Ottertail Country

Ottertail Country
Ottertail South

February 8, 2009

February already?????

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I really have a hard time getting good aerial photos in the winter because of the billions of scuffs and scratches on the plastic panels in my airplane's zip-out doors. I recently found some of the correct thickness of polycarbonate sheeting, so I bought a piece and set about making some replacement panels for the doors. As you can see, one of the zippers had come apart at the starting point and I could not get it back past there.



So I un-snapped and un-Velcroed the entire cloth frame and brought it home. One it was laid out on the table and I was no longer shivering with cold, I was able to get the zipper back to start and it seems to be O.K.
I think the problem was that when I last put it in, I didn't have the small end fully engaged and it was able to come apart.



Anyway, I have one door fixed with new plastic! I have not yet pulled the paper off the plastic to see how clear it will be. The stuff is coated with a super-cling layer of protective paper when it's new. Above you see the snaps and Velcro that hold the cloth door frame in place.



I received a phone call a day or two ago from my cousin, Bob, who lives between Mindoro and Mindoro Cut. If you have been through the cut on highway 108, you know what I'm talking about cause you could not miss this feature. Here is a good read about the cut. I did a search about Mindoro Cut and found this movie.




Here is the location, just northeast a bit of La Crosse, Wi. It's in the coulee region of southwest Wisconsin and the roads and scenery are awesome. Here's another movie with a different flavor...looks to be a Harley version.



If you looked at that first link, you saw a map and then a close-up contour map of the area around Mindoro. You probably noticed how the grid lines zig zagged all over the place. That got me to looking at the area on Google Earth, and I found this area across the river from La Crosse in Iowa. It looks like it may have been an early work of Escher??? Lots of curving ridges with farm land in the valleys. If you don't have Google Earth, go here to download it. It's easy to deal with, free, and great fun if you like looking at the world from above.
But I digress.... what would a trip to Mindoro Cut be without ride on a crotch rocket???? See it here....

I gotta go, the sun is out, it's supposed to be in the 30's today, maybe I'll get out into the wild blue yonder.... breakfast and dishes first, then we'll see what happens.

Cheers.... Carlo


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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the trip through the Mindoro Cut. I enjoyed both trips on the motorcycles. Quite an achievement by hand and Horses!!! I have a cold and am feeling like blah. Will probably sit here and watch golf this aft. Thanks again for the interesting blog.

Lucy

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to seeing all those pictures you are taking while flying! You always have some good ones!

Kristi

Anonymous said...

We travel that route through the cut every day, unfortunately mostly to go to work. Travelling it with the Vstar in the summer makes going to work more palatable. We have seen crotch rockets being loaded onto wrecker beds at some of those corners. Cousin Bob

Anonymous said...

hey gene, di you happen to see the national geographic sometime last year where it had a picture of wisconsin in it? paul would know i saw it at his house. it was from over there some where and it was so beautiful. i havent been there really to go look but it is pretty.
and would you be up for pinochle on the 28th of feb?
shoot me an email, i guess tim cant come till may but just thought it would be a diversion
jenny

Carlo said...

Yeah, rockets on flatbeds, not a good combo...

Jen, I am going pheasant hunting that weekend, and Peggy has a bunch of Scout stuff going on. Can't make it..... I'll be in touch.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Cuz..
Cousin Bob called and gave me your blog site. I had such fun reading all about what you have been doing. Great pictures, too! Sounds SO fun... I'll be checking in often...
Thanks!
Cousin Barb

Carlo said...

Greetings, Barb! Glad you like the site. Visit, write, enjoy.....