Been way too hot here the last few weeks. Took a drive up the ridgeline to the Queen Lake trailhead. Went from 96 degrees at the shop to 74 at about 6400’. Very nice. Next day we paddled the Moyie River using the RAV as our chase rig. That was even nicer.
This one is a bit longer post--but I hope worth the read.
It’s Saturday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend. I spent the day in the shop working on the race truck, and then headed back home. It is a blue sky day here in north Idaho at 70 degrees, and pretty darn nice, so that is a bonus as I drive through town to stop by the parts store. Most of the campers and out-of-state visitors are tucked into the hills and white-bread campgrounds for the weekend, and Main Street is mostly devoid of the mayhem of yesterday afternoon when every overloaded out of state plate outfit was trying to turn left, buy beer and brats at the Super 1, and drag their massive trailers through the gas stations to fill up every Jeep, quad, and bike in tow. Only the cops are still out today showing their presence, and it is good to see them keeping an eye on our town; they are all working overtime for the long weekend, and the rest of us are home with our families BBQ’ing. Tell me that’s an easy job.
As I drive back through town, I notice all the American flags at half-mast. It is, of course, to honor all of our veterans on this Memorial Day, and in my view one of the few legitimate reasons to actually fly the flag at half-mast over this past year. I have never served, but I do respect those that have, and still serve today as we sit home enjoying the weekend.
As the boys were growing up, we made a point to go to our local cometary on Memorial Day, and recognize the veterans we saw buried there. Through the years, we did this in Colstrip MT, Page AZ, Metaline Falls WA, Clark Fork ID, and a few other stops in between. But the story was always the same. As we walked quietly through the cemetery and reflected on those that served, we realized the sacrifice they all had given.
Our armed forces are a cross section of people like any another in our great nation. Some signed up, and others were forced to go. Some couldn’t wait to get to the front, and others were just doing their best to make it through. But the simple truth is they all served, completed their obligation, and did so with the pride of having represented our great nation. Some payed the ultimate price, and did not walk off the plane that brought them home. Others have been so physically destroyed, their lives are now a challenge greater than most of us could ever understand. And yet, they stand during our national anthem, and go home to raise their kids and support their families.
Those with the invisible scars carry the greatest burden for our freedom. Conflict and war is the worst of humanity, and at times we put our service members in situations worse than Satan could imagine. We expect them to react to impossible stresses, and then turn an internal switch instantly to engage empathy and compassion for an enemy full of hatred for our very way of life. It is a no-win game, and yet we expect our troops to walk home without carrying the weight of war.
That level of service to our nation is something I have not done. But all those service members that are vigilant today around the globe, away from their families and home town, and all those that served in the last 300 years to build our nation, are what allow me to spend the day in my shop working on something as insignificant as a race truck. Your sacrifice is great. Your family at home is perhaps making a greater sacrifice, keeping it all together while you serve. To all of you, please accept my gratitude. I honor you on this Memorial Day.
Here’s our local UPS guy turning around after a delivery. Welcome to north Idaho.
Home of Northwoods Performance.
Time for a little testing on the brand new Bilstein B8’s on the RAV4 test mule. These have a 1” lift, so we’ll try them that way then work on some custom spacers to see if we can go a bit more and still keep the Toyota reliability. We’ll keep you posted.