Army Sgt. Joshua W. Soto, EOW, June 16, 2009

Today, I participated, along with other "Patriot Guard Riders" in support of a fallen soldier. Today a lot of people are mourning the death of two cultural icons, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. I’m not one of them. I don’t have anything ill to say about either one of them…but their deaths mean very little to me. Their friends and families are understandably mourning. But I don’t get the wall-to-wall media frenzy that has almost immediately ensued. I guess I’m feeling this way because just before hearing about Farrah’s death, I found out about the death of somebody much more important. But, in the news today will be little coverage or mention of another American Soldier who gave his life so that others might live free and in peace.Army Sgt. Josh Soto, 25, was killed in action in Iraq June 16 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. It was his third tour of duty.

Army Sgt. Joshua W. Soto, was laid to rest with full military honors Saturday at Hillcrest Memorial Park and Mortuary.

A few comrades waiting to pay their respect.

Some of the 40 or so "Patriot Guard Riders" arriving to the services.

Biker Buzz, Vietnam Vet, USN

Buzz is proud of his service to his county and being a "Patriot Guard Rider"
Some of the riders assembling to pay their respects.

Hill of Valor
Honor Guard
A couple of patches in attendance.

Taps, a bugle call that beckons us to remember patriots who
served our country with honor and valor, it is the most familiar call and
one that moves all who hear it.
Buzz's Bike

Monuments on the Hill of Valor
American Flag, POW-MIA Flag.
American Flag flies at half staff.
Hill of Valor, memorial to fallen soldiers.
Military man in thought...
Two of several Flags that were presented to the family.
A military color guard fired three volleys.
A formation of Army helicopters flew overhead. (Click on picture to enlarge)

Day Trip, Yosemite National Park

The wife and I took a day trip to Yosemite National Park on Friday. On the way we stopped off at Bass Lake.

Bass Lake is a man-made lake now used for recreation, hydroelectric power and irrigation. Pacific Gas & Electric Company currently owns the 4-½ mile-long lake, and land surrounding the Bass Lake community , which is part of the Sierra National Forest.

The Pines Resort (in the background) is located on the shores of Bass Lake. Tucked at a 3,400-foot elevation in the Sierra foothills, the resort is just 17 miles south of Yosemite National Park’s south entrance and 55 miles northeast of Fresno.

Bass Lake is a popular outdoor playground rich with opportunities for fishing, water skiing, patio boating and canoeing.

From 1899 to 1931, the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company operated miles of narrow gauge railroad track. During that time, nearly one and a half billion board feet of lumber were harvested from the forests. Five wood burning Shay locomotives hauled massive log trains to the mill over the extensive rail network.

Shay number 10, built in 1928 weighs 83 tons and is the heavest operating narrow guage Shay locomotive today.

This is the sight you first see when entering Yosemite Valley, Half Dome in the back ground and Bridelveil Falls to the right. Bridelveil Falls is one of the smallest falls in the valley at 620'.

Ribbon Falls is the seventh highest waterfall in the world at 1,610 feet.

Upper Yosemite Falls from across the valley.

Upper Yosemite Falls closer up.

There were a lot of bikes in the park, high temperature on this day was 75 degrees.

The Ahwahnee hotel pictured above was specifically designed to highlight its natural surroundings, featuring Yosemite Falls, Half Dome and Glacier Point. The destination of queens and presidents alike, The Ahwahnee offers a perfect balance of history, hospitality and elegance.

This is the Ahwahnee lounge.

The crown jewel of Yosemite dining, the award-winning Ahwahnee Dining Room is both magnificent and intimate. The 34-foot-high beamed ceiling with large sugar pine trestles that complement the room’s granite pillars, floor-to-ceiling windows, chandeliers, linen tablecloths and beautiful china create the perfect ambiance for a memorable dining experience.

Yosemite Falls is actually three separate falls, Upper Yosemite Fall (1,430 ft.), Middle Cascades (675 ft.) and Lower Yosemite Fall (320 ft.). The total 2,425 foot drop makes Yosemite Falls the highest in North American and fifth tallest waterfall in the world.

Lower Yosemite Falls

Rising 3,593 feet from the valley and 7,569 feet above sea level, El Capitan, is a breath taking sight. Favored by expert rock climbers from all part of the world, El Capitan is the largest exposed granite monolith in the world. In fact, El Capitan is almost twice the height of the rock of Gibraltar!

Left click on the above two pictures and you will be able to see some fools climbing. It takes climbers 3-5 days to scale El Capitan.

We had a great day visiting Yosemite and Bass Lake. We would like to plan a summer trip back to Bass Lake, stay a few nights and enjoy the High Sierra's.

Air Show, Porterville California

I wanted to take advantage of the great weather we are having here is Central California, so I jumped on the Road King and headed up the road 40 or so miles to Porterville.
Porterville is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.


John Colver and his North American Texan T-6

The North American T-6 Texan was known as "the pilot maker" because of its important role in preparing pilots for combat.
In all, more than 17,000 airframes were designed to the Texan standards.
Today, over 350 T-6 Texans remain in airworthy condition.


North American AT-6F Texan
Here is a close up view showing all of the races that the plane has been in and how it has finished.
For a few bucks you could take a ride in this bi-plane.

Some airplane's were air worthy...

...and some were not!
Cal Fire / CDF S-2F water drop.
The S-2F is one of the most cost effective and maneuverable fire fighting aircraft.
It's small size and turbo-prop engines allow it to operate from airfields ranging from commercial to small municipal runways. The S-2F can maneuver and fly slow enough to make accurate drops where the larger tankers can't safely navigate.

Cal-Fire OV-10 Bronco Forward Air ControlThe Cal-Fire OV-10 Bronco was originally a turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. Built by North American Rockwell in the 1960s as a special aircraft for military COunter INsurgency(COIN) combat, its primary mission was designated as a Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft. The canopy design offers excellent visibility, a very important feature when it came to CDF/Cal-Fire upgrading from the old Cessna O-2 Skymasters.
1958 Beech J35
Frank Donnelly in his clipped wing Taylorcraft.
Donnelly’s Taylorcraft, N6588C, was originally flown in the Southeast, where it was eventually underwent a Swick conversion that turned the humble taildragger into a more mighty aerobatic mount. N6588C has shorter wings (clipped-wing conversion), one seat rather than the original two seats; larger control surfaces; 120-hp Lycoming engine rather than the stock 65-hp Continental.

The pilot reported after a few maneuvers that he was experiencing control problems and that he would be ending the performance early.

After landing, he ended up going off the side of the runway flipping the plane, ending upside down. It was reported the pilot sustained no injuries.

Had a nice leisure ride home through the orange groves and olive orchards.

Until next time, keep the rubber side down and the shiny side up!