Wabs 1st Ride

Sooo, finally, Wabs is ready to ride!

After reading sage Forum advice (ride, just ride, work later) me n' Wabs took off for an epic North County adventure.

Epic because I took no GPS, no tools, no cell phone, no spare parts, no air compressor, no plug kit, no nada.

Bare naked riding, if you will. Hell, I didn't even tell anyone where I was going (GASP).

Then headed for some really bumpy goat paved then some truly dirt roads to see what ol' Wabs was made of..



Here is where we were, in case your intersted...



Klau Mine generated tons of mercury for the WWII effort. We win the war, then years later the mine is fined for all sorts of environmental damage by those who don't recall WWII, and.... [SIZE=8pt](guess I better get off the soap box before.....)[/SIZE]

The mine.



Piece o' Cake dirt road..



Reality is, the mine polluted Lake Naciamento, and all nearby tributaries too. [SIZE=8pt].[/SIZE]

Then, a mysterious sink-hole along side the dirt road..



Something tells me this area if full of 'gopher' holes...

and then I found this cave, right alongside the dirt road.

I was going to be brave, explore the cave, brave the adventure..

then decided that was a truly stoopid thing to do..



My bravery ended with this snapshot..



OK, I'm a wuss. A spelunker I'm not. I was somewhat concerned a big bad brown bear would be pissed off by the paparizzi flash and devour me...

And I was so 'ascared' that I dropped the camera, breaking it..

Here is the last foto..



All in all, a great little ride.

Even though the digi camera died, as did the Dell Axim when it hit the pavement..

The best part is I rode some roads I've never done before, and all because Wabs is now in the 'picture'!

Somewhere there is an Indian crying about that last photo.

Nice Don. See you Saturday at 12.30.

R

you too Barry

Don, Thanks for the ride down Memory Lane. As you know I lived in San Luis Obispo County for twenty-five years. My old friend Harold Biagginni, now deceased, was the last owner of Klau Mine and he also owned Biagginni Fisheries in Morro Bay.

I worked on his fishing trawlers while attending Cal-Poly and also did construction work up at the mine. The mercury from that mine was what allowed the development of advanced weaponry that leveled the military of Germany and Japan both.

Harold, as the last owner, was left holding the bag by the US Government. Ironic that we can bail out the stock brokers and mortgage bankers; but persecute the hell out of an old Italian guy trying to run a sixty year old mine that defeated the Axis.

Back on topic, great that Wabs is up and running. All dirt ready and able to go to Real de Catorce with us on 4/16. Right!!!