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Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
26th March
After an overdose of Harley Davidson yesterday, I decided to have a bike free day and spent most of it doing various chores and sorting out my laptop (treated it to a complete memory laundry, disk scan, de-frag and bought it a cordless mouse;)). That evening Julie, Arch and I met up with their friend Rick at a new restaurant in the centre of Houston…
…The Aquarium. This place is amazing. It's been fitted out like a set from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and is fitted with a series of fish tanks, holding over half a million gallons of water – including a column in the centre of a spiral staircase over 50 feet in height. The displays are excellent…
...and you can get very close to the fish – here's Julie saying hello to some Stingrays…
The restaurant is superb. It's a seafood menu, for those who don't mind being stared at by the cousins of those they are eating :P The portions are huge (this is Texas, after all) – this is a crab & avocado starter…
…and the food is absolutely first rate – I hope the Red Snapper watching me eat didn't recognise any of their relatives…
After dinner we continued our tour of the fish tanks,
before getting on a train and going through the final exhibit – a shark tank. The fairground type train stops inside a plexiglass tunnel which goes through a vast shark tank. The residents eye us as they lazily swim around us…
Afterwards we walk back to the car, looking at the lights of downtown Houston.
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 12-11-2010 at 01:33 PM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
27th 28th March
Over the weekend, Arch and I start planning where I should head for on Monday morning when I depart. On Saturday evening, Julie has a party for her work colleagues and friends at the house. Whilst preparing, Im introduced to Ghettopoly, a game for all the family
Passing Go is slightly different
as is Supertax
The next evening (after a slow, quiet Sunday afternoon), whilst Arch and I plan my immediate future
the lovely Julie prepares us dinner.
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 02-13-2006 at 11:20 AM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
Round the (Big) Bend
29th March
Woke to a wet Monday morning. Never mind its forecast to clear later in the West, and thats where Ill be heading. I pack the bike and say my goodbyes to Arch. Julie left for work early and has left a note and a peace medallion to take on my trip Im very moved by this gesture. Julie and Arch and Warren have been fantastically hospitable to me and Im very sad to be moving on. They have become firm friends and I hope well one day meet up again
I ride off into a light drizzle and get on Interstate 10 the highway which runs EW across the entire country, from Jacksonville, Florida to Los Angeles. Im once again struck by the sheer scale of Texas. If I were to ride, now, from Houston to Los Angeles, the halfway point would be El Paso 750 miles away still in Texas
I stop at Sealy to fill up with fuel and have lunch at a truck-stop.
where I order the special from Bonnie (really!) the waitress (wearing the pink top, above)
Chicken fried steak (not chicken, but beefsteak fried in a chicken flavoured batter), fried okra, macaroni cheese and sweet tea which is iced tea with sugar in it the staple cold drink in the southern USA.
I get back on I-10 and keep pressing West. I get off at Luling. Something tells me that they farm Watermelon around here
I ride on North-West, passing a somewhat disconcerting advert for a skydiving school (slogan - Theres no such thing as a perfectly good airplane)
until I get to San Marcos Airport, where I visit the Mid Texas Squadron of the Confederate Air Force. Weirdly the CAF has just been re-named the Commemorative Air Force apparently this is more politically correct :
These guys restore and fly old aeroplanes lots of old aeroplanes. I remember hearing that they are something like the 12th biggest Air Force in the world They have a B29 Superfortress, a B17, a B24, as well as this B25 Mitchell and simply dozens of other WWII Warbirds. The San Marcos detachment has about 8 or 9 aircraft and a small museum, mostly commemorating the B25 Doolittle raid on Tokyo in 1942. They also have a couple of Japanese aircraft, which took part in the film Tora! Tora! Tora!
I ride on the weather has cleared and its now a beautiful day bright sunshine and 72º F. I ride along Highway 80 The Devils Backbone a well surfaced road of long sweeping bends.
The landscape here has changed. The climate is more arid and the vegetation includes cactus and mesquite bushes. I stop at a picnic area the covers over the tables demonstrate how powerful the midday sun in summertime can be. If you leave your car parked in direct sunlight, it can buckle your dashboard
I approach Kerrville to stop for the day.
And check into the Best Western. Tomorrow Ill be starting to head South West towards Big Bend
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 02-13-2006 at 11:22 AM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
30th March
I wake feeling thoroughly refreshed. Today I plan to do some riding in the local area there are some excellent and scenic roads just West of Kerrville then start to press towards Big Bend.
I eat the complimentary breakfast in the diner next door and wonder whether people are over-tipping the waitress this is her car
Im on the road for 0900. Its a beautiful morning, with hardly a cloud in the sky. Its already 72º F and it promises to reach 85 or so later in the day. I ride through pleasant undulating roads. The region is semi-desert and it reminds me very much of countryside Ive ridden through in southern Spain. March has been an unusually wet month, however, and the desert plants are taking full advantage of it with vivid green coloured new growth everywhere.
I soon start climbing into the hills. The road is cut into the side of the slope and Im having great fun flinging the Adv about.
I notice that someone has set a church into the side of a hill it perches precariously above a dried river bed, some 50 feet below
when suddenly I meet someone coming the other way, having as much fun as me!
This is Mike Hoskins, from near Chicago. He comes down here each winter to do some riding hes just come from Big Bend, my eventual destination, and says Ill not be disappointed. We examine each others bikes, bullshit a little, and then go our separate ways. Just before Mike rides off, a deer wanders across the road ahead of him
I carry on following the route that Arch and I worked out on Sunday night. I arrive at Bracketville at 1300 and have a Mexican lunch in the towns diner. Del Rio is only 24 miles up the road, but I dont feel tired and Im really enjoying the riding. Its 86º F, but the heat is dry and therefore manageable, so I decide to press on towards Big Bend, some 260 miles distant, and see what happens. I join Highway 90 and head West. 90 is an excellent road it has a 75mph speed limit, but I found myself riding with the needle pointing at the road number, rather than the limit.;) After half an hour or so, a flurry of signs and cones makes me drag the speed down and then stop at a check being conducted by the Border Patrol
They are very polite and examine my passport and visa before wishing me a safe onward journey. Since I have their attention, I ask whether its going to be possible to re-new my 6 month visa in Canada and re-enter for a further few months. Apparently it is, and I should have no problem doing so excellent!
I continue and, a little while later, cross the Pecos River
to the home of one of the Old Wests most colourful characters, the self-styled Judge Roy Bean. An eccentric saloon owner, Bean appointed himself as the Law West of the Pecos. His reputation is as a Hanging Judge, but this seems to be largely legendary, as there is no record of him hanging anyone. He developed a fixation on a music hall singer and royal concubine, Lily Langtry. He went as far as building an Opera House (= hut :P) to entice her to visit, as well as re-naming the town Langtry. Remarkably, in 1904, Jersey Lily actually came to visit the town, but they never met - Bean died less than a year earlier, having contracted pneumonia in his mid 70s
There is now a free visitors centre at the site of his preserved Courthouse. Its well stocked with various Old West memorabilia and manned by very knowledgeable staff.
Im still feeling great, so I press on to Sanderson where I stop for a drink & re-fuel. I decide to press on all the way to Big Bend. Itll mean a long day, which Id not planned for, but it feels right and changing destinations like this is one of the main advantages of travelling solo. 90 is almost deserted now, and I keep up a steady 90 towards the lowering sun.
Soon Im turning left towards Big Bend, down Highway 385. The booth at the entrance to the National Park is closed, but I slow to the posted 45mph speed limit and lift my visor. There is a sudden smell of honey the recent rain has caused the wildflowers and cacti to blossom and their scent as evening approaches is amazing
I crest a rise and see 3 wild pigs, which have been rooting around at the side of the road, take to their heels and disappear into the brush as I approach. The distant hills are suddenly getting close and they are spectacular
I ride up to the Chisos Mountain Lodge, not holding out much hope that theyll have a room as I havent reserved one and, as expected, theyre full. I get back on the bike and, narrowly missing a jackrabbit - its getting close to sunset and the wildlife is becoming active - ride the 22 miles to Study Butte (pronounced Stew-dee Beaut), where I get a room in the Mission Lodge for an exorbitant $70. I turn the engine off and work out the mileage as the engine ticks and plinks its way back towards a more normal temperature 511 miles I feel like I could do it again, but settle for a shower, a cheeseburger and a quiet beer instead
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 02-13-2006 at 11:23 AM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
31st March
Another great day. Woke before 7 and went outside to be greeted by a gin clear day with no cloud. For breakfast I order Huevos Rancheros, a Mexican dish which, like most food from that country, looked like it had been travelling at high speed when it hit the plate. Its very tasty, however, and it sets me up for the mornings ride. I set off at 0815 and head North up the 118 Im heading for Terlingua Ranch, which has been recommended to me by Arch, Julie and Warren as the place to stay around here. The only reason I didnt try for accommodation there last night is that its a bit remote. Eighteen miles up the road I turn right and start heading East towards the Ranch. The road is rough asphalt, but I can maintain 20-30mph quite happily on it. 3 miles from the Ranch, the pavement ends abruptly and Im riding along a rough stony track, with washboard corrugations. After a while I arrive at the office
Yes, they have a room, $42 per night excellent! I book in for 2 nights. The rooms are set out in fours as separate cabins Im in No 32 and I ride up the track to empty the contents of my panniers into the room before leaving. I ride back down to where the pavement starts, but instead of carrying on to the 118, I turn right, down another dirt road. Arch has told me about this road it runs for 23 miles and joins the road from Marathon, Highway 385, which I came down yesterday evening.
At first the going is relatively easy, if a little rough from the corrugations. I see plenty of wildlife, including a coyote (which looks like a large fox) which runs parallel to the road for a few seconds. Soon, though, the going starts to get a little rougher
as soft sand begins to make an appearance. Now Ive no doubt many of you off-road gods reading this are wondering what the problem is, but, as an off-road novice, the front wheel washing out scares the poo out of me. I slowly paddle my way through several stretches of soft sand its clearly areas where a temporary river has formed in the recent rains. After a while it becomes easy to spot the areas of sand in advance, and Im able to make relatively good time. Its getting warm and the exertion is making me sweat time to try out my latest purchase, a Camel-Back water carrier carries 2 litres of water in a small haversack with a drinking pipe which sits on your shoulder. It works as advertised and I continue to use it throughout the day. Eventually, Im back on the 385 and smooth tarmac, feeling rather pleased with myself at not dropping the bike
After a short breather I turn right and head, once again, towards the National Park visitors centre which I visited last night.
I arrive, looking like a character from a Western, and clump my dusty way to an available table in the café. The waitress immediately asks me what Id like to drink. I ask her for Sweet Tea and she brings me a glass and a jug You look like youre going to need that, honey :P. I eat an a unmemorable lunch, during which time I discover that the wild pigs I saw yesterday were, in fact, Javelina (pronounced Hah Veh LEE Nah) and are not related to pigs, but are a separate species, having fewer teeth and straight tusks. So now you know too. I get back on the bike and ride down towards Rio Grande Village
a campsite 20 miles to the South. Its very warm now the thermometer at the café was registering 88º F. Three Mule Deer cross the road at a leisurely pace just ahead of me. The road South is fantastic, with the distant cliffs on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande a spectacular backdrop.
The cactus are still in bloom and their scent is everywhere. Eventually I reach the end of the road, Boquillas Canyon.
I sit for a while, listening to the complete silence, broken only by the irregular tinkle of the engine cooling and the occasional buzz of a passing insect. The temperature soon reminds me its time to be moving, though, and I head back the way Ive just come from. As I pass the turning to the visitors centre, I start down the road I travelled last night. Its a completely different view in full daylight and I stop to marvel at how far I can see. As is always the case, the photo doesnt come close to capturing the grandeur of the scenery
As I continue towards Study Butte, a coil of wire lying in the middle of the road suddenly uncoils, straightens and winds off into the scrub on the right side of the road in a flash of reddish copper. I stop to refuel at last nights motel and buy a cold six pack of beer, before pressing North to Terlingua. I turn up the rough asphalt road and note with some amusement, that Im now doing 50-60 mph, as opposed to my 20-30 this morning the off-roading has clearly done my confidence some good. I eventually get to my cabin after 200 miles riding and, whilst waiting for the shower to reach the right temperature, open a beer.
Note to self: Always allow tinned beer to stand after riding over corrugated roads
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 02-13-2006 at 11:25 AM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
1st April
Didn't surface until 10ish. For some reason, there's a Mariachi Band playing in my head. Oh yes – it's all coming back to me now… The power went off at 1830 yesterday, so I wandered down to the restaurant to find out what was happening, to be told that the whole valley was out. The chef, Jason, offered to make sandwiches and, in company with Chris, from Rhode Island, and his family, I agreed. We sat outside as the evening drew on, when we suddenly discovered that the draught beer was still on. After several pitchers of cold Bud, Jason, unexpectedly finding himself with a night off, went to his trailer and brought back some tequila and scotch. My recollection gets a little hazy after that…
Never mind – a couple of Nurofen and a shower get me feeling better and, after a Texas Omelette (like an ordinary one, but bigger) I'm riding the dirt road down to the 118. I turn right and head North towards the town of Alpine, some 60 miles away. The weather has changed and, although it's still warm, a breeze from the South is keeping it bearable. The road runs as straight as an arrow for miles, but the clouds on the distant horizon look threatening…
After some excellent curves, the road suddenly drops to the right and Alpine appears on the flat valley floor below.
I ride through the town and push East towards Marathon, where I turned off for the National Park 2 days ago. To my left the clouds I saw earlier are depositing some serious rain 15 miles North. I get the occasional couple of drops and put the 'shower cap' on the tank-bag as a precaution. Thankfully the wind is from the South, and I don't get wet. After filling up with fuel at Marathon, I ride South down the 385 again, but, just before entering the park, turn left down the 2627.
This road leads to an abandoned mine, 29 miles away…
…which is on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. Post Sep 11th, security precautions have dictated that the bridge across the Rio Grande now be closed…
…making this a 29 mile dead-end. By the bridge is a payphone. Without much cause for optimism, I pick up the handset and, to my surprise, get a dialling tone. I ring my girlfriend - trying to describe where I am…
I ride back to the Ranch – on the way, just before the junction with the 385, a snake chooses to slither in the wrong direction as I approach, and I run it over. I'm not sure what kind of snake it was (reddish copper in colour, about 3 feet long – similar to the one I saw yesterday), but prudence dictated I didn't go back and check to see if it was OK…
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 12-11-2010 at 01:35 PM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
2nd April
Woken by a massive crash of thunder some time in the early hours, followed by a downpour of rain that lasted under a minute! By the time I got up at 0900, the only trace that it had happened were the rain marks in the dust on my bike. The sky is cloudy, though and, over to the West it looks threatening – and West is where I'm heading – I put on my waterproofs as a precaution…
I settle my bill at the Ranch office and head off, riding the access road more slowly on the now fully loaded Adv. I stop at the Longhorn Café for a gargantuan breakfast, before filling up at $2.08 :eek: per gallon and heading off down Highway 170 towards Presidio. The road first takes me to the 'Ghost Town' of Terlingua. It used to be a mining town and, when the mine paid out, the town dried up & died. After a while it became a tourist attraction and, as is the American way, people started setting up businesses there. So now, it's a ghost town with nearly every building occupied…
Still, I'm rather taken with what one resident has poetically decided to name his property…
The road is spectacular, even by Big Bend standards. It follows the Northern bank of the Rio Grande, which marks the border between the USA & Mexico. The road often crosses dried river beds running South towards the Rio Grande. There are occasional puddles showing that these rivers were probably active last night, during the squall that woke me…
The wind and weather has carved the rock here into strange shapes…
The local tourist office has tried hard here – this picnic area has fibre-glass tepees in place of the flat board roofs normally used.
Here I meet up with Jürg & Janet Gertsch, who are over from Switzerland riding their Softail Harley from Miami to Los Angeles. They arrived about 4 weeks ago and will be departing from LA in 5 weeks time. We chat for a while, then exchange Email addresses and ride on.
The road continues North-West, maintaining its spectacular vistas…
Until I stop photographing them – I'm in danger of experiencing it all through the viewfinder of a camera…
This is cattle country and I often ride over cattle grids (called cattle guards over here), with a difference – they're painted on the road…
…apparently the cattle won't cross them…:
I reach the desert town of Presidio. The main street is dominated by the elegant City Hall.
I press North towards Fort Davis. Just before the Fort, I turn left down the 166 and ride the Davis Mountain Scenic Parkway. Predictably, it's beautiful :P
It winds its way through a loop of about 80 miles, ending up as Highway 118, back at Fort Davis. Just before it does, you get to see the McDonald Observatory
built at the top of the highest road in Texas. The views are pretty impressive.
I go into Fort Davis to fuel up, then retrace my steps along part of the same loop, before heading off to the hateful Interstate 10 West. I ride the 37 miles to Van Horn (just down the road from Lorry Headlight) and check into a Best Western, where I manage to access the Internet for the first time since Monday. The computer link is in the lobby, however, so I just upload my pictures and will leave the journal updates until tomorrow night, when, if things go according to plan, I should be in Roswell…
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 12-11-2010 at 01:37 PM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
But things never do go according to plan, do they?
I wake to find the weather has changed severely. There's a thick overcast over Van Horn and it looks worse to the North, where I'll be heading. My initial plan was to head for Carlsbad, some 100 miles North, and visit a series of caverns there. I'm tempted to discard this idea, as I've just realised it's Saturday, and the caverns are likely to be very crowded. No matter, I'll press on towards Roswell, 70 miles North of Carlsbad...
I get fully waterproofed up and set off at 1000. The clouds which shroud the tops of the beautiful Sierra Diablo Mountains are threatening, yet oddly alluring - a bit like Helen Mirren being angry with you*...
I soon start climbing into the Guadaloupe Montains and it starts to drizzle. Soon the visibility is down to under a mile and, on the arrow straight road with flat scrubland to either side, it feels like riding over Dartmoor.
I enter New Mexico at 1130 and the drizzle continues. New Mexico's tourist office certainly knows how to make a place sound attractive though...
I decide to stop for the day - riding in these conditions when you have no schedule to keep is like practice bleeding. I stop at Carlsbad and get a room at the Days Inn with 'free high speed internet access in all rooms' - great! The rain beats against the window as I write these words - tomorrow is forecast to be fine, though - which will be nice :)
*Sorry - I've been on the road a long time...
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 12-11-2010 at 01:38 PM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
4th April
So I got up this morning, looked out of the window at the rain coming down like stair-rods - just like it had all night, although this morning it isn't punctuated by the crash of thunder...
I ring reception to extend my stay for another night - the room's comfortable and not exorbitantly priced, has high speed internet access etc etc - why not?
Carlsbad Caverns are just down the road, so I ring Carlsbad Transit (the local bus company) to ask how much it would be for a return ticket - the girl at the other end tells me that there are no services today - she doesn't think the roads are open - the only reason I've managed to talk to her is that she's organising evacuating families from flooded houses....:eek:
Think I'll stay in & watch HBO...
Also found out it was an hour earlier than I thought :P - I'm now on Mountain Time (UK + 8 hrs)...
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
5th April
Well, it stopped raining – long enough for me to set off, anyway! After doing some retail therapy (Navigator II should be at my next mail drop waiting for me ), I was packed, refuelled and on the road for 1100. As I rode through Carlsbad, evidence of the heavy rain was everywhere – from patches of silt covering large sections of main roads, to debris washed up against bridges in the storm drains.
I head North, towards Roswell. I'm in the high desert now, the road I'm travelling is over 3000ft above sea level. The vegetation differs from the desert at Big Bend in as much as it has few trees and is nearly all low-lying scrub. The place is flat – I mean flat like the top of a desk. The ride, along a dual carriageway, isn't terribly exciting so, when I reach Artesia, I turn off the main road and take County Road 2 instead. This isn't exciting either, but at least it's not dual carriageway…
Roswell is famous, of course, as being the home of the conspiracy theories surrounding Extra Terrestrials and Flying Saucers. In July 1947, the US Air Force claimed to have found a crashed UFO – a claim they quickly withdrew, saying it was a weather balloon. The rumours of cover-ups and conspiracies have multiplied ever since – if you're bored, try typing 'Roswell' into Google and see the screen fill up with weird stuff :P Still, what happened to this aeroplane? Why is it in someone's front yard? – what is the significance of the statue of a horse…:eek:
As I come into Roswell, I notice the airport looks a little busy…
It seems that they allow the spare taxiways and runways to be rented out to airlines and other operators to store their spare aircraft. New Mexico's normally arid climate make it an ideal place for this. Until I arrived :P, they hadn't had rain in Roswell for three years! There are dozens of aircraft stored here.
I suspect any native of Roswell gets pretty fed up with answering UFO questions, but the town does take advantage of its history…
…so where else to have lunch, than the Crash Site Café? (The Best Food in the Universe*).
I have an memorable lunch – memorable because, in the booth across the aisle from me are two 35 yr old adolescents having a really serious discussion about the motives of a character in Star Trek. They were clearly the kind of people who's idea of a good time would involve abduction followed by gang-probing by a saucer-full of extra terrestrials…
I get back on the bike, putting my thermal liner back in my jacket, for the first time since I left Georgia in February. I decide against taking I70 to the West, but instead ride Highway 246, a meandering back-road, which will bring me out at roughly the same place.
At first, it's quite pleasant, though it feels bloody cold. Soon, however, it starts to look a bit threatening again…
I stop and put on my waterproof gloves and put the shower cap on the tank bag.
I've no sooner set off than I round a corner and execute a copy-book emergency stop – just in time to avoid a group of eight deer across the road. They panic and run in all directions, two of them so scared they stand and stare at me long enough for me to get the camera out and take a couple of snaps…
…whilst trying to get my bum to let go of the seat…:P
I ride on and I'm soon in heavy and cold rain again. The weather suddenly feels a lot colder – I round a right hand bend and I'm a little puzzled by what I see…
…is that snow?
No – if anything it's worse – it's billions of hailstones… Thankfully, some truck has driven through the drifts of melting ice and I manage to navigate the wheel-tracks for just over a mile, before returning to good old cold rain…
I eventually get onto the I54 heading South. This is even higher desert – over 5300 ft – you could join the 'mile-high' club in the back of your Camaro here…;). To my left, over the mountains of the Lincoln National Forest, a storm is soaking the slopes - to my right it's bright sunshine. Soon, a fantastically vivid rainbow forms to my left, so I take the arty-farty pic…:P
I stop in Alamogordo at a Motel 6, dry out & warm up…
* A complete lie :
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 12-11-2010 at 01:39 PM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
6th April
A very long and odd day…
I woke to find a fine morning, with blue skies and, according to the Weather Channel, very little chance of rain (I also hear that the authorities have declared a state of emergency in Carlsbad, where I started from yesterday, because of the flooding – they apparently had 4 inches of rain in 36 hours over the weekend I was there…). I skipped breakfast, checked out and was on the road for 1000. Being sure not to pick up any hitch-hikers…
…I set off towards the White Sands National Monument. Set in the Tularosa Basin, the white gypsum sands cover 275 square miles of desert. The National Parks Service have constructed a series of roads, of both paved and rolled sand, to allow you to ride around the dunes…
…the sand in bright sunshine is dazzling and sunglasses are a must.
I continue South West towards Las Cruces, through the San Agustin Pass. When I reach the other size, the whole valley is laid out before me, as is…
…the town of Organ :P
I turn onto the I25 and head North and a very odd thing happens. After 20ish miles, the signs and cones warns me that there is a Border Patrol check-point ahead. I slow down and join the queue of 10 or so cars awaiting checks. I get my passport ready (I've been checked like this 3 times so far). As I get to about 2 cars from the check-point, I notice that the pick-up truck behind me is edging forward, between me and the 'shoulder'. Assuming he's something to do with the Border Patrol, I move over to the left to let him through, as the 'shoulder' is non-existent – in fact it's a 3 ft drop. As the cab draws alongside me, the driver (in the uniform plaid shirt and baseball cap of the hardcore redneck) stops, looks at me and says 'You know, I'd like to F*ck you up'. Certain that I'd mis-heard, I said 'Pardon?' and he repeated it – his facial expression leaving me in no doubt as to his sincerity.
My finely honed social skills sensed that further discussion on the subject would almost certainly be futile, so I put the bike in gear and moved in front of him again. He and I were waved through the check-point without being stopped and, as I accelerate away, it's clear he intends to catch up. I've had enough, so I accelerate up to about 110 for a few miles, until I estimate I'm a couple of miles ahead of him, and watch my mirror. I never see him again.
I reflect on the incident. I can't take it personally – I never spoke to the man (it normally takes a conversation of at least a minute before people feel this way about me) – I come to the conclusion that he is either anti Brit, anti Bike or anti people in general– or a permutation of the above. Whatever : – the hell with him and his twisted existence
I arrive at the most unusually named town in New Mexico – Truth or Consequences…
Originally named Palomas Springs, the US Post Office changed the name (how does the Post Office rename a town?) of this small town to Hot Springs in 1914. In the 1940s, Ralph Edwards, the host of a popular & long running radio show 'Truth or Consequences', offered nationwide publicity to any city which would change its name to Truth or Consequences - in 1950, a majority of the residents elected to rise to the challenge. In 1964, an even larger majority voted to keep the name, although there is apparently a move afoot to vote on the issue again.
In the meantime, it's the only town in the world to be named after a radio show…(apart from 'Steve Wright in the Afternoon', in Connecticut)
I head back down the I25 for 7 miles and turn right onto Highway 152 towards Silver City. It's a great biking road through beautiful scenery
with some spectacular views.
152 is a fantastic road, full of twisties and has a great road surface.
It starts winding its way up into the hills – there's still some snow on the north-facing slopes of the higher ones. You can see forever from some of the lay-bys…
I come across the Santa Rita mine…
…which is vast – probably the biggest open-cast mine I've ever seen.
At Silver City I turn right onto the 180 North…
…before turning left onto the 78 and entering Arizona…
…where the scenery starts getting really beautiful…
…and the roads start getting very twisty. It becomes a trade off – do you ride the fantastic biking road the way it deserves, or slow down and give the scenery the attention it merits? Decisions, decisions
I then come across the town of Clifton. Clifton is a mining town. Or rather, it's a town sitting on the edge of a mine. A HUGE mine – it makes the Santa Rita look like a pothole in comparison.
It's a copper mine – there's a public viewing area which quotes some figures from 11 years ago – the mine produced 125,000 tons of ore per day – processing 830,000 tons of rock per day to achieve this. Further down the road, I find these trucks…
…unfortunately, though I asked nicely, I couldn't get a picture of the Adv alongside one of them – but the cars parked beside them give you a clue – they are big – really big – the tipper bodies carry 350 tons of rock at a time…
I refuel at Clifton and head North on the 191. As I leave Clifton, a sign says it's 90 miles to the next services. It's 1800 and a beautiful day – that will mean I'll be in Alpine in about 2 hrs time – it'll just be dark… I decide to press on – Clifton only had one motel, I noticed, at the junction of the main road and the railway line, which must be in use continuously in order to move that amount of ore…
Highway 191 is, quite simply, the best road I've ever ridden. It's cut into the side of a series of hills and mountains and snakes north through the Gila and Apache National Forests.
The road continues to climb and snow appears on a regular basis, first just on the northern slopes, then, as I get above 9000 ft, on all the hillsides, with just the road clear. The road is extremely twisty and I'm not making good time. There are loads of signs warning of deer, not just ordinary deer, but Elk. I press on towards Alpine as the sun sets. The views are still fantastic…
Soon it gets dark – thankfully I come across a car heading in the same direction as me (one of only 3 vehicles I see in 90 miles). I tuck in behind him and take advantage of his lights to give me early warning of wildlife for the last 20 miles. Thankfully, all I see is a rabbit – and I manage to avoid him …
I arrive in Alpine, a small town in the hills (6000+ ft), after 440 miles, find a cheap little 'Mom & Pop' Motel, have an excellent cheeseburger at the local café and write up my journal. Checking my mileage I note that I've completed my first 10,000 miles since arriving in the USA on 1st February…
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 12-11-2010 at 01:40 PM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
Monument Valley
7th April
I sleep very well and pack the bike in bright sunshine. Today I'm going to ride to Monument Valley, one of the few sights on my 'Must Do' list. I decide to skip breakfast and grab an early lunch – until, that is, I find 2 GSes parked outside the splendidly named Bear Wallow Café, where I ate the night before…
They belong to Jerry (the Adv) and Jeff (the GS Lite) who are having spot of breakfast before riding down the 191 to Clifton. I'm able to tell them it's clear of snow (they'd wanted to ride it last Saturday and had been dissuaded by Jolynn, one of the waitresses at the café. From the conditions she describes last weekend, it was good advice). After a while they set off South and I finish the breakfast I was going to skip, ably served by Jolynn and the owner, Talic (if I can read my notes correctly :P)…
The Bear Wallow is an excellent café and I can thoroughly recommend it as either a starting point or a destination for those riding the 191 .
I ride North along largely straight and fairly uninteresting roads, across the desert plains of the Navajo Reservation. The weather has cooled somewhat and some very big and threatening looking storms are on the horizon – unfortunately, the horizon I'm headed for… :…
I put the shower cap (now repaired with duct tape after the seams started to split) on the tank bag and put my wet weather gloves on. Soon I enter the edge of one of the storms – luckily the road avoids the worst of the rain, but the sudden gusts of wind create fairly hairy conditions on the wet mud which has been tracked onto the road from the dirt roads. I'm soon through the worst and the scenery starts to get more spectacular as I ride through Chinle…
I soon turn left towards Kayenta, my destination for today. Betty tells me it's 14 miles away. Unfortunately – so is this…
…I arrive at the Best Western in the middle of a violent hailstorm. I unload the panniers, noting that the left one has let in about a cupful of water – great :. As panniers, these things make good water carriers. Despite my best efforts – and those of Jeff Smith, I've been unable to waterproof them, despite using more sealant than last time I sealed my bath. I guess I'll just have to make sure I waterproof everything I put inside them, as best I can – something I never had to do with my Jesse's and Touratech Zega bags…:mad:
Time for something to eat (nothing to drink – Indian Reservations are 'dry'). Tomorrow I plan to ride the dirt road round Monument Valley – assuming it's still passable after today's rain...
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 12-11-2010 at 01:41 PM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
8th April
Well, it was a fine morning – but, as I left the hotel for Monument Valley, I had a feeling that the damage had already been done by the rain last night. The road up towards the Utah border is very scenic…
…but even a short trial ride over the gravel and dirt 'shoulder' had the Adv sinking drastically, and I was glad to regain tarmac…:(
The spectacular Mesas that dot the valley are huge and impressive. Completely in contrast are the little shanty towns housing Native Americans built in clumps in their shadow…
I'm soon approaching the entrance to the Navajo Park at Monument Valley.
I talk to the girl at the gate. She confirms that the dirt road leading round the valley is probably impassable to anything except a 4x4. I'm very disappointed, and ride off thinking about what to do next… The weather forecast for this week is for scattered storms for the next 4 days. It's not worth hanging around to wait for the track to dry out, so I decide to ride on, following the route North that Arch & I planned, towards Bryce Canyon National Park. If I can possibly get back here later in the trip then I will…
I ride up the straight and undemanding 98 and 89, through pleasant, but hardly spectacular (relatively speaking :P) countryside. At least it's dry…
I cross the impressive and elegant bridge at Glen Canyon Dam…
…which holds back Lake Powell, an enormous water-sports area.
From a scenic pull off (up a veryrough track), the whole area I've just travelled through is on display. As usual, the camera struggles to do it justice…
The hills in the background, centre, are about 60 miles away…
As I get back on the bike, I notice I've been hit by a sniper…
The rock has left a small hole in the front of the screen, but the 'exit wound' is the size of a 50p piece.
I press on North towards Bryce Canyon. After a brief stop in Kanab, where I refuel and get a (much needed) haircut, I ride North through much more interesting roads…
…before encountering my old friend, the hailstorm, again. I decide to stop at Bryce Canyon for the day, so that I can spend tomorrow (hopefully in better weather) exploring it. I check into the Best Western in Panguitch and unload the bike.
I do a check of the bike for damage, insecure bits etc every couple of days. I noticed that the rear tyre was squaring off a bit when I was in Alamogordo and made a mental note to arrange for the tyres to be replaced when I got to Montana. As I check the rear tyre now, I'm astonished to see it's almost down to the canvas in the centre :eek: I can't believe it! 3 days (& 900ish miles ago) it was fine (I re-check the 'arty' photo of it in White Sands…).
I check everywhere in town – no joy – they only do car tyres. Eventually I find a BMW dealer, BMW of Salt Lake, who has a pair of Tourances in stock and will fit them for me tomorrow lunchtime, for $295 (£163ish). Time for a very sedate 250 mile ride early tomorrow morning – Bryce Canyon will have to wait.
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 12-11-2010 at 01:43 PM
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
9th April
I'm up at 0600 to give myself plenty of time to ride the 250 miles to BMW of Salt Lake - with the rear tyre in its present state, I don't want to have to push my luck...
I come out to the bike to find that the roads are dry (hurrah!), but that there is a thick layer of frost all over the bike and the hotel parking lot...:(
I ride off into the cold (thank goodness for heated clothing ) - keeping my speed down and peering through the mist... I soon come across the carcase of a deer lying at the road side - another thing to look out for :.
I get on the Interstate and life gets easier - it's now light and the road surface is completely dry. I set a steady cruise and arrive at BMW of Salt Lake at just before midday.
I ask the Service Manager, Chad, to do an oil & filter change, as it's nearly 6k since the last one, and to give the bike a good look over. I also get a new oil filler cap, as the O ring I'd fitted back in Jasper has been weeping oil and the filler cap itself seems loose in the housing... The inspection reveals that the rear pads need replacing, which results in a bill of about $450 - £250ish - which seems quite reasonable, given the circumstances.
I pay my bill and retire to the comfort of the Motel 6 in Salt Lake City - and take advantage of an internet connection for the first time in several days...
No pictures to speak of, today, so here's a sign I noticed in Roswell the other day...
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
Wage slave...
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Scarning, Norfolk, today...
Oddometer: 6,962
10th April
I decided to ride back down to Panguitch to re-join the route Arch & I had planned… The weather is forecast to improve from tomorrow, and Bryce Canyon National Park is high on my list… Before I leave Salt Lake City, I decide to have a quick explore of Cottonwood Road, a scenic route up to a ski resort to in the mountains which loom over the city to the East. First I've got to avoid other local attractions…
…damn – it's only 1030 :)
The road up to the ski resort is dry and well surfaced, and the views are great…
The ski-lifts are not working, and there are few people at the top – the ski season finished about a week ago – only a few die-hards remain. I get on the Interstate and head South, arriving in Panguitch (in a blizzard!) at about 1600. Thankfully the snow isn't settling and the forecast is better for tomorrow…
All text & original photos © Mike Oughton 2004 - 2015
MikeO screwed with this post 12-11-2010 at 02:30 PM
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PLEASE tell me crab grass is an annual!
I think I have crabgrass or fox grass or whatever that grassy weed is that grows flat on the ground from a central crown. It's a lighter colour than grass and utterly unaffected by this drought.
I am likely the culprit, having let some weeds in my driveway go to seed last year. Well, now this stuff is EVERYWHERE. I pull it out in the morning and it's back by afternoon, with a buddy.
I think I can keep on top of it, though, by hand-weeding the beds and cutting the grass so that it doesn't go to seed.
Will this eventually reduce the sheer number of seedlings? I can't very well treat the flowerbeds for it and I don't care much for lawn herbicides.
Can anyone offer me some advice (or at least some sympathy?)
Thats a tuff one .... lets say it's Crabgrass ... then it's an annual BUT it makes lots of seeds .. making chemical control an attractive option. Mowing the grass high .. staying up to date with fertilizer and getting rid of excess soil miosture will help put things in your favor.
Good Day ...
Crabgrass (Digitaria) is an annual but will root from it's nodes. It blooms in late summer with very slim purplish seed heads.
Foxtail (Alopercurus) is perennial which blooms in midsummer with tufted seed heads which resemble a fox's tail. It will root from stolons.
Both like moist soils and are difficult to control.
I'm assuming you might be in the Toronto area. If so, the crabgrass started germinating about three weeks ago and with all the heat, it is a banner year for it. It is an annual, but it will come back next year unless you get ALL the plants pulled before it goes to seed. The seeds will also wash down the street from neighboring properties if they let their crabgrass go to seed. If you have lots of crabgrass around you or you miss a few plants before they go to seed you may want to apply a crabgrass preventer next spring (Unless you live IN Toronto, then you can't apply anything because of the pesticide bylaw).


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Rangers quiet Minnesota
NEW YORK — The New York Rangers, trying to salvage what's left of a nine-game homestand, knocked off the Minnesota Wild 4-1 Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
The win moved the Rangers (17-18-2) to just 2-4-2 on their longest homestand in history, which concludes Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Minnesota (20-13-5) dropped its fourth game in its last six.
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Greatfire Keeps Tabs On Chinese Censorship, Automatically 30
from the perhaps-too-automatically dept.
We've improved Slashdot's video section; now you can view our video interviews, product close-ups and site visits with all the usual Slashdot options to comment, share, etc. No more walled garden! It's a work in progress -- we hope you'll check it out (Learn more about the recent updates).
Hmmm... Unfortunately, looking at the list of blocked URLs [greatfire.org] does provide examples of censorship of political dissent. Mostly I see facebook, twitter, most google services blocked, netflix, porn sites, piratebay, more porn sites, wikimedia, and Chinese Wikipedia. My amateur opinion would be that these blocks are due to porn being illegal there and the government eliminating access to websites that compete with their own services and social networks that the government cannot oversee.
There's also a bunch of blogger and wordpress.com blogs. While many of these have titles making them sound related to China, I'm not understanding many of the censors, like this poetry site [wordpress.com] which is simply artsy, this blog about a teacher who loves Chinese culture and is visiting the country [wordpress.com], and this pro-China pro-Communism site [wordpress.com] and others that have no content posted to them at all like sinologica [wordpress.com].
There are a few that do appear to possibly be blocked for challenging the government, like X in China [wordpress.com] (link is to a post listing blocked Weibo words), SmurfWillBeFree [wordpress.com] (a free Tibet blog), a blog focused on bad economic news about China [sinocism.com], and wikipedia articles on Chinese political issues [greatfire.org] (ie "Dalai Lama", "Tank Man", etc).
This is just my quick random sampling of a few dozen sites out of 2163, so take it with a grain of salt. At some point a plurality of anecdotes becomes data, and this post doesn't come anywhere near that threshhold, but it does provide some nuance to the NPR article I cited above.
Nobody's gonna believe that computers are intelligent until they start coming in late and lying about it.


text:
The inventors have developed a DSL system that can employ digital duplexing for short loops while supporting communications over long loops. For short loops, the system aligns the data symbols at both ends and thereby performs two-way digital duplexing. For longer loops, the system performs semi-digital duplexing: the symbols are aligned for digital duplexing at one end of the loop while echo cancellation is employed at the other end. Over longer loops, the bandwidth for transmissions in one direction may be limited by the complexity of the echo canceller, however, the bandwidth for transmission in the other direction can remain as high as for short loops. Therefore, the system developed by the inventors allows high bandwidth transmission without the loop length limitation associated with conventional VDSL.
1. A communication system, comprising:
a first transceiver configured to transmit data as a series of symbols; and
a second transceiver configured to transmit data as a series of symbols;
wherein the symbols each comprise a data segment;
the first and second transceivers are configured to use frequency division duplexing; and
the second transceiver is configured to receive symbols from the first transceiver;
the second transceiver is configured to transmit symbols to the first transceiver;
the first and second transceivers are configured to always or selectively time the symbol transmissions whereby, at the second transceiver, symbol transmissions overlap symbol receptions, but time-domain boundaries between consecutive symbol transmissions do not occur while data segments of symbols are being received; and
the first receiver is configured to selectively or always use echo cancellation.
2. The communication system of
3. The communications system of
4. The communications system of
the symbols transmitted from the first transceiver to the second transceiver comprise cyclic prefixes and the system is configured to use cyclic prefixes that are effectively longer when the echo cancellation is in use than when the echo cancellation is not in use.
5. The communications system of
6. A DSL system comprising the communication system of
7. A wireless communication system comprising the communication system of
8. A method of communicating between a first and a second transceiver in full duplex mode, comprising:
transmitting a series of data symbols from the first transceiver to the second transceiver at a first set of frequencies; and
transmitting a series of data symbols from the second transceiver to the first transceiver at a second set of frequencies, the first set of frequencies and the second set of frequencies being disjoint sets;
using echo cancellation at the first transceiver to process data received there from the second transceiver;
wherein the symbols each comprise a data segment; and
the symbol transmissions are timed whereby the second transceiver transmits portions of symbols to the first transceiver while simultaneously receiving portions of symbols from the first transceiver, but the second transceiver neither completes any current symbol transmission or begins any new symbol transmission in the midst of receiving data segments from the first transceiver.
9. The method of
10. The method of
11. A method of communicating between a first and a second transceiver in full duplex mode, comprising:
determining a channel delay between the first and the second transceivers; and
communicating between the first and second transceivers according to the method of
communicating between the first and second transceivers without using echo cancellation if the channel delay is below the critical value.
12. The method of
13. The method of
14. A DSL system operative according to the method of
15. A wireless communication system operative according to the method of
16. A method, comprising:
communicating between two ends of a DSL loop using frequency division duplexing;
wherein the communication employs digital duplexing, but not echo cancellation, to combat near-end echo at one end of the DSL loop while employing echo cancellation to near-end echo at the other end of the DSL loop.
17. A method of communicating between DSL modems, comprising:
determining a channel delay between the two modems;
based on the channel delay, communicating either according to the method of
18. A method of mitigating NEXT among a bank of transceivers at one location communicating with transceivers at a plurality of remote locations over channels have a diversity of channel delays:
communicating between the transceivers in the bank and the transceivers at the remote locations using frequency division duplexing, wherein the communication involves sending symbols in both upload and download directions and the symbols each comprise a data segment;
using full-digital duplexing for the communications between transceivers in the bank and a subset of the transceivers at the remote locations, wherein the full-digital duplexing comprises providing the symbols with suffixes added to the data segments; and
timing the symbol transmissions from the transceivers in the bank and the symbol transmissions from the remote locations, whereby all the symbols received at the transceiver bank and all the symbols transmitted from the transceiver bank are time-domain aligned so that no time-domain boundaries between symbols consecutively transmitted from the transceiver bank occur in the midst of receiving any data segments from the remote locations at the transceiver bank;
wherein some of the symbols received at the transceiver bank from the remote locations travel over channels having channel delays greater than the lengths of the suffixes.
19. The method of
20. The method of
the transceivers in the bank transmit symbols at a first set of frequencies;
the transceivers at the remote locations transmit symbols at second set of frequencies; and
the first and second sets are disjoint.
21. A transceiver, comprising:
an electronic system for negotiating with a remote transceiver to determine signal constellations to use for each of a plurality of sub-channels;
an electronic system for receiving a digital data stream and converting it into a symbol representation selected from the signal constellations;
an electronic system for converting the symbol representation into an outgoing analog signal for transmission to the remote transceiver;
an electronic system for receiving an incoming analog signal and converting it into a received symbol representation; and
an electronic system for converting the received symbol representation into a digital data stream;
wherein the transceiver is configured to cooperate with the remote transceiver to align the incoming and outgoing signals for digital duplexing at the transceiver under circumstances where the remote transceiver is too far away to perform two-way digital duplexing without extending a signal length.
22. The transceiver of
23. The transceiver of
24. A transceiver, comprising:
an electronic system for negotiating with a remote transceiver to determine signal constellations to use for each of a plurality of sub-channels;
an electronic system for receiving a digital data stream and converting it into a representation formed by symbols selected from the signal constellations;
an electronic system for converting the symbol representation into an outgoing analog signal for transmission to the remote transceiver;
an electronic system for receiving an incoming analog signal and converting it into a received symbol representation;
an electronic system for converting the received symbol representation into a digital data stream; and
an electronic system for performing echo cancellation
wherein the transceiver is configured to cooperate with the remote transceiver to align the outgoing and incoming signals for digital duplexing at the remote transceiver under circumstances where the remote transceiver is too far away to perform two-way digital duplexing without extending a signal length.
25. The transceiver of
26. The transceiver of
27. The communications system of
The present invention relates generally to communications systems and more particularly to discrete multi-tone (DMT)-based digital subscriber line (DSL) systems and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)-based wireless systems.
Digital subscriber line (DSL) technology provides for transport of high bit-rate digital information over twisted wire pairs, such as telephone lines. Sophisticated digital transmission techniques are required to compensate for inherent deficiencies in lines originally installed to carry only analog voice data. A typical DSL system includes a loop formed by a twisted copper pair connecting a DSL modem (transceiver) at a Customer Premises and another DSL modem at a Central Office, or an intermediate location served by the Central Office through a backbone cable.
DSL modems use various forms of modulation in order to convert digital streams into equivalent analog signals that are suitable for transport along analog transmission lines. Multi-carrier modulation divides an available frequency band into many narrow-band sub-channels. Discrete multi-tone (DMT), a multi-carrier modulation standard, divides the available frequency spectrum into 256 sub-channels. Each sub-channel has its own carrier that is amplitude modulated to convey data.
Data is transmitted in parallel across the sub-channels. Within each sub-channel the data is encoded in terms of an amplitude and phase for a modulation to the sub-channel carrier signal. The amplitude and phase of the modulation is selected from an array of possible values, wherein each array element represents a particular combination of bits. The array of possible values may be referred to as a signal constellation. The number of array elements, which are discrete amplitude phase combinations, that can be consistently distinguished from one-another at the receive end determines the number of bits the sub-channel can carry.
During initialization of communication between the modems, and at times thereafter, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each sub-channel can be obtained and a maximum bit capacity of each sub-channel determined based thereon. Signal constellations are then assigned to each sub-channel according to their maximum bit capacities. Generally, denser signal constellations representing more bits are assigned to the sub-channels with higher SNRs as compared to sub-channels having lower SNRs. The total number of bits transmitted by the channel is the sum of the bits transmitted by each of the sub-channels. A symbol is a vector having elements corresponding to sub-channel frequencies, each element containing a complex number that gives the amplitude and phase of the modulation for the corresponding frequency.
The data rate is given by the total number of bits per symbol multiplied by the symbol rate. As the data rate is increased and the symbols come closer and closer together in the time domain, inter-symbol interference (ISI) becomes a concern. ISI stems from the non-ideal impulse response of a channel. One method of reducing ISI is to employ a time domain equalizer (TEQ), which shortens the channel impulse response. There is a tradeoff between the degree of channel impulse response shortening and the complexity of a TEQ. Therefore, it is desirable to take further steps to mitigate ISI.
DMT uses a cyclic prefix to reduce ISI. A cyclic prefix is a guard period between symbols and makes the linear convolution of the signal with the channel response appear as a circular convolution. The cyclic prefix is formed by inserting a copy of a group of samples from the end of the symbol, typically the last 1/16th, at the beginning of the symbol. The cyclic prefix is discarded after the symbol is received.
There are various ways of duplexing data: both sending and receiving data over the same channel. A preferred approach is frequency division duplexing. One set of sub-channels is assigned to transmissions in one direction and another set of sub-channels is assigned to transmissions in the other direction. In principle, the transmitted data is orthogonal to the received data. In practice, however, the transmitted data is modulated using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) that creates side lobes that cause interference. This is an example of near-end echo, in that the symbols being transmitted interfere with the symbols being received on the same channel. A conventional way of addressing near-end echo is with an echo canceller. Echo cancellers work well for moderate bandwidths, but become extremely complicated at very high bandwidths.
With the objective of enabling very high bandwidth DSL (VDSL), digital duplexing, a refinement of frequency division duplexing, has been developed. Digital duplexing involves adding a cyclic suffix, a repetition of a group of samples from the beginning of a DMT symbol, to the end of the symbol. Digital duplexing allows transmitted and received symbols to be temporally aligned, whereby the near end echo is orthogonal to the received symbols after the data is processed through a fast Fourier transform (FFT). Prior art
A limitation of digital duplexing is the channel delay. If the channel delay is longer than the cyclic suffix, then alignment cannot be obtained. Time domain symbol boundaries of transmitted symbols will overlap DMT symbol receptions and the echo data will not be orthogonal to the received data after FFT processing. This situation is illustrated in prior art
One concept of the inventors is directed to systems and methods for data communication wherein, always or selectively, digital duplexing is used at only one of a pair of communicating transceivers. By digital duplexing at only one of a pair of communicating transceivers (semi-digital duplexing), it is meant that at one but only one of the communicating pair, transmitted and received symbols are aligned whereby no boundaries between consecutively transmitted symbols occur while data segments are being received. At the other transceiver where transmitted and received symbols are not aligned, echo cancellation is preferably used. Semi-digital duplexing is preferably used only when the transceivers are communicating over a channel having a relatively long channel delay. Full-digital duplexing is preferably used when the channel delay is relatively short.
The foregoing concept can be employed to extend the reach of very high-speed digital subscriber line (VDSL) systems without a significant penalty in complexity. The system can be installed in facilities having both long and short loops. For loops having short channel delays, full-digital duplexing can be employed and full VDSL service can be provided. Over loops having long delays, very high data rates can still be maintained in at least one direction without using an unreasonably complex echo canceller.
Additional concepts of the inventors relate to transceivers adapted for use in a system according to the foregoing concept. These concepts include transceivers, such as DSL modems, that cooperate to perform semi-digital duplexing. Preferably, the transceivers are adapted to select either semi-digital duplexing of full-digital duplexing based on a channel delay, whereby the equipment can be installed without first determining the channel delay and the equipment can adapt to changes in the channel delay.
Another concept of the inventors uses semi-digital duplexing to ameliorate near-end cross-talk (NEXT) in a bank of transceivers communicating over signal paths having a diversity of channel delays. The transceivers all use the same set of sub-channels for uploads and the same set of sub-channels for downloads. The transceivers each communicate using either semi-digital or full-digital duplexing. Symbol transmissions are timed, whereby all the symbols received at the transceiver bank and all the symbols transmitted from the transceiver bank are time-domain aligned so that no time-domain boundaries between symbols consecutively transmitted from the transceiver bank occur in the midst of receiving data segments from remote locations. Thereby, all the NEXT signals are orthogonal to the data segments after fast Fourier transform (FFT) processing.
The forgoing summary encompasses certain of the inventors' concepts. Its primary purpose is to present these concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows. The summary is not a comprehensive description of what the inventors have invented. Other concepts of the inventors will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description and annexed drawings. Moreover, the detailed description and annexed drawings draw attention to only certain of the inventors' concepts and set forth only certain examples and implementations of what the inventors have invented. Other concepts of the inventors and other examples and implementations of their concepts will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from that which is described and/or illustrated.
One or more of the inventors' concepts and embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. One concept of the inventors relates to communication systems and methods for communicating. According to this concept two transceivers exchange data, represented by symbols, using multiple carriers and frequency division duplexing. Additional duplexing means are employed to combat near-end echo. In particular, semi-digital duplexing is used, by which is meant transmitted and received symbols are aligned at one of the two communicating transceivers. The other transceiver generally uses other duplexing means, typically echo cancellation.
At the first transceiver 30, however, the symbols 40 and 44 are not aligned. The transmission of the symbol 40 is completed and the transmission of a new symbol (not shown) is begun in the midst of receiving the DMT symbol 39; a symbol boundary therefore occurs during reception of the DMT symbol 39. In this example, alignment of symbols at both transceivers is not possible because the channel delay is greater than the lengths of the cyclic suffixes 43 and 46. Because the symbols are not aligned, near-end echo from the symbol 40 cannot be digitally carried out at the first transceiver 30, however, the near-end echo can be, and preferably is, ameliorated by echo cancellation.
A DMT symbol is the portion of a symbol that encodes its data content exclusive of any prefix or suffix. The term data segment is used herein to refer to this portion of a symbol without including limitations from any DMT protocol. A cyclic prefix is an extension of the symbol formed by copying a group of samples from the end of the data segment to the symbol's beginning. The cyclic prefix is used to combat inter-symbol interference (ISI). The longer the cyclic prefix, the better ISI is suppressed
A cyclic suffix is an extension of a symbol formed by copying a group of samples from the beginning of a data segment to the end of the data segment. Cyclic suffixes are provided to facilitate digital duplexing. The longer the cyclic suffixes, the greater the amount of channel delay that can be tolerated in a two-way digital duplexing systems.
When semi-duplexing is used, cyclic suffixes can be made small or dispensed with altogether as illustrated by
The timing used in
While the portion of a symbol identified as cyclic suffix and cyclic prefix may be determined in one sense from the way a symbol is constructed, the distribution of the symbol between these portions may be considered differently on reception. For example, suppose a symbol comprises a length M cyclic prefix, a length N data segment, and a length O cyclic suffix. Upon transmit, the first M samples are cyclic prefix, the next N samples are data segment, and the next O samples are cyclic suffix.
On receipt, the data segment may be read 1 sample to the right, whereby the cyclic prefix becomes M+1 samples long, the data segment remains N samples long, and the cyclic suffix becomes O−1 samples long. The data segment retains the same set of samples. The first sample of the data segment is dropped, but the first sample of the cyclic suffix, which is the same, is added. Only the order of the samples in the data segment has changed, but even this makes no difference because the data is treated as a cyclic convolution, whereby taking a sample from the beginning and placing it at the end makes no difference. The extended cyclic prefix is now a copy of the last M+1 samples of the data segment. The shortened cyclic prefix is now a copy of the first O−1 samples of the data segment. For the foregoing reasons, the parts of a symbol considered cyclic prefix, data segment, and cyclic suffix are defined, for purposes of this application, based on the treatment of the symbol upon receipt: the data segment is the portion of the symbol treated as data, the cyclic prefix is the portion of the data treated as cyclic prefix and used to combat ISI, and the cyclic suffix is the portion of the data treated as cyclic suffix.
The inventors' concept is intended for full duplex communications, meaning the communicating transceivers concurrently transmit a series of data symbols, wherein a series of symbols refers to a periodic series with one symbol sent after the other at each of a plurality of carrier frequencies. Preferably, one of the transceivers transmits at a first set of frequencies while the other transmits at a second set of frequencies and the two sets are disjoint, meaning they have no members in common. It is conceivable that there are additional frequencies that might be used by both transceivers to exchange control or other information, but the bulk of the frequencies are assigned to transmissions from one transceiver or the other.
The distribution of frequencies between the two transceivers need not be balanced. The first set of frequencies can be larger or smaller than the second set. If only semi-digital duplexing is used, as opposed to full-digital duplexing it is preferably that lower frequencies be assigned to transmissions from the transceiver at which the symbols are aligned, whereby echo cancellation can be performed at the other end with less complexity.
Preferably, a communication system of the invention can transmit data over a distance of 10,000 feet in one direction at peak rates of at least 10 Mb/s, more preferably at least about 30 Mb/s, and still more preferably at least about 50 Mb/s, in each of the foregoing cases while transmitting data in the other direction using frequency division duplexing, at a rate of at least 0.5 Mb/s.
According to the inventors' concept, the transceiver that is not employing digital duplexing is preferably employing echo cancellation. Any suitable approach to echo cancellation can be taken. The echo cancellation can be carried out in the time domain or in the frequency domain, as in cyclic echo synthesis. The echo canceller may have a limited capacity, in the sense that it can only cancel echoes up to a certain frequency in the received signal.
For reception, the first receiver 31 comprises an electronic system 66 for performing analog to digital conversion of signals received over the channel 32, an electronic system 65 for smoothing and decimating the digital signals from the ADC 66, an electronic system 63 for canceling the near-end echo signal, and an electronic system 64 for performing a fast Fourier transform on the echo-canceled data. The resulting received data stream can be provided to a host system (not shown). The first transceiver 31 may be configured to make use of the echo canceller 63 selectively, whereby the echo canceller 63 can be turned off when the received data is aligned for digital duplexing.
For reception, the second transceiver 31 comprises an electronic system 70 for performing analog to digital conversion, an electronic system 71 for performing smoothing and decimating the received data, and an electronic system 72 for performing a fast Fourier transform on the decimated data. Near-end echo is carried by the received symbols, but is orthogonal to the data after processing by the FFT 72. An echo canceller is not required at the second transceiver, although one may be provided to allow the transceiver 31 to selectively function like the transceiver 30.
For transmission, the second transceiver 31 comprises an electronic system 76 for performing an IFFT on an input data stream, an electronic system 75 for controlling the timing of the symbol transmission to achieve the alignment required for digital duplexing at the transceiver 31, an electronic system 74 for interpolating the digital data, and an electronic system 73 for converting the data into an analog symbol. In this example, the timing required for semi-digital duplexing is accomplished through the timing advance component 75 at the second transceiver 31, but in general the time difference between when the two transceivers send their symbols can be controlled by either transceiver.
An electronic system can comprise any combination of electrical components configured or configurable by software and/or firmware to perform the intended function. Electronic components include hardware. Examples of hardware include logic devices, analog circuits, and electrical connectors.
The transceiver 30 and 31 can be DSL modems having suitable circuitry for providing DSL communication service on the channel 32. DSL modems generally operate in accordance with ANSI T1.413 (ADSL), T1.424 (VDSL) and other DSL standards. Either of the transceiver 31 and 32 may comprise an application interface to a host system, such as a service subscriber's home computer. Either of the transceiver 31 and 32 may comprise an application interface to a network node.
The channel 32 can be, for example, a twisted pair or copper wires in a conventional residential telephone system, although a system according to the inventors' concept may be employed in communication systems having any type of communication channel by which data can be transferred between the transceivers 30 and 31.
Although the inventors' concepts are described herein primarily with reference to DSL systems, it should be understood that these concepts may be employed in conjunction with any type of frequency division duplexed multi-carrier communication system, and all such system are contemplated as falling within the scope of the claims except to the extent that particular claims have explicit limitation restricting them to certain classes of communication systems. For example, the inventors' concepts are applicable to wireless communication systems employing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).
Reference is made herein to the selective use of semi-digital duplexing with echo cancellation or full-digital duplexing. Such a selection is generally made based on channel delay. If the channel delay is too high for full-digital duplexing, than semi-digital duplexing with echo cancellation at one end is selected. If the channel delay is low enough to make full-digital duplexing practical, than full-digital duplexing is generally employed. One approach is to set a maximum length for the cyclic suffix. If the channel delay exceeds that maximum, then semi-digital duplexing is selected.
An incidental advantage generally seen with the inventors' concept is that circumstances under which echo cancellation is typically employed are also circumstances in which the channel bandwidth is generally relatively lower. Longer channels tend to have higher SNRs. With higher SNRs, fewer frequencies can be used and echo cancellation is naturally less complex. Another incidental advantage generally seen with the inventors' concept is that longer cyclic prefixes can be used when duplexing is only semi-digital. The circumstances under semi-digital duplexing is typically employed are also circumstances in which the channel's impulse response is more dispersed and ISI is greater. The ability to use longer cyclic prefixes simplifies the requirements for any time domain equalizers used by the transceivers.
A further concept of the inventors relates to mitigating near-end crosstalk (NEXT) in a bank of transceivers communicating in full duplex mode with frequency division duplexing. A bank of transceivers is a group of transceivers at one location, such as a group of DSL modems in a street cabinet housing a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM). According to this concept, all the modems use the same division between transmission and reception frequencies and the symbols among all the modems are aligned whereby NEXT is orthogonal to the received data and is separated therefrom by FFT processing.
The invention as delineated by the following claims has been shown and/or described in terms of certain concepts, aspects, embodiments, and examples. While a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several concepts, aspects, examples, or embodiments, the feature may be combined with one or more other concepts aspects, examples, or embodiments where such combination would be recognized as advantageous by one of ordinary skill in the art. Also, this one specification may describe more than one invention and the following claims do not necessarily encompass every concept, aspect, embodiment, or example described herein.
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I searched on the subject above and could not find an answer,, so here goes.
I brewed a hefeweizen yesterday from a kit, and realized that there was no hops in the kit after I was already boiling. I called my LHBS and they said not to worry. The kit called for less than an ounce of saaz hops which was very low in bittering (3.x AA) and that the yeast would eat the sugars and the beer would be fine.
I would have driven there but they are 45 minutes away and the beer was boiling. So now the beer is fermenting without hops.
Any suggestions? Will it be fine or is there a way to add hop bitterness etc at this point?
Edit. after posting the message a number of suggested topics came up that are very similar so I will review them. Thanks for your thoughts anyway.
Ignore anything your LHBS tells you from here on out, it's clear they don't know what thy are talking about. Beer isn't beer without hops. Without any hops to bitter it, you are going to end up with a sweet, sticky mess of a beverage.
At least it will still get you drunk.....
A hefe is very low bitterness. You can actually boil a small amount of hops in water and extract some bitterness and add it to the beer. It's obviously not ideal but you can do it. Be careful, if I am not mistaken water will extract more bitterness than wort so it is easy to overdo it. And with a Hefe, you don't really want a ton of bitterness.
If you don't add any hop bitterness as Tinpanharry suggested, you'll end up with a sweeter beer for sure, but not sure it will make a huge difference as this type of beer is nothing like an IPA. It won't be a "sticky" mess though as the yeast will still eat up the sugars. The beer might not last as long either age wise as the hops do have a preserving effect, so I'd probably boil the hops in a small amount of water and add.
Was the extract pre-hopped and the extra hops just for aroma/flavoring?
Check the can to see if it is hopped malt extract (HME) like a Mr. Beer kit.
Also does the instructions call to boil the hops for 60 minutes or 5?
If it is HME then you don't have anything to worry about, you will just miss out on some flavor/aroma since the bittering addition was included with the extract.
Otherwise, you need to find a new store...
_________________________________Skal! Den Faaborg Bryggeri
I didn't use half a gallon, and I think I had more than half an ounce (Tettnanger 5%), but this was too much for a light beer I did this with...based on that experience I would suggest a low-alpha hop and a quarter ounce.
[EDIT] now that I am looking at that, I must have used DME instead of plain water.
Thanks all! What a great forum!


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(Washington, DC) The DC Department of Public Works announced today the August 2014 schedule for disposing of household hazard waste, e-cycling and personal documents at the Ft. Totten Transfer Station*.
Weekly, Saturday HHW and e-cycling drop-off schedule: August 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 between 8 am and 3 pm.
Each center provides career counseling, resume assistance, job placement and much more.
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This granita uses sweet ripe melon for flavor, apple juice instead of sugar and a touch of lime juice to perk up the flavors. Berries look beautiful on top; or if you can find fresh figs, add them. For a vibrant look, make with an orange-fleshed melon, such as cantaloupe, Charentais or orange honeydew.
Make Ahead Tip: Freeze for up to 1 week. Remove about 20 minutes before serving to soften slightly.
- 4 cups cubed ripe melon
- 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish
Combine melon, apple juice and lime juice in a blender; puree until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch glass or metal pan.
Place the pan on a level surface in your freezer. Freeze, stirring and scraping with a fork every 30 minutes, moving the frozen edges in toward the slushy center and crushing any lumps, until the granita is firm but not frozen solid, 3 to 4 hours.
Remove from the freezer; use a metal spatula or large spoon to break up the frozen ice into small slivers. Pack into an airtight plastic container and freeze for at least 1 hour more.
Remove from the freezer about 20 minutes before serving to soften slightly. Use a wide spoon or ice cream scoop to scrape the granita into shallow bowls. Sprinkle blueberries and raspberries over each portion and garnish with mint leaves, if desired.
Recipe reprinted by permission of Publisher. All rights reserved.
RecID 10052
nutrition information per serving
66 calories; 0g total fat; 0g total saturated fat; 0mg cholesterol; 17mg sodium; 17g carbohydrates; 2g fiber; 1g protein
These nutrition facts are calculated according to the ingredients listed in this recipe. Any substitutions will change these facts. Although we strive for accuracy, please note that food manufacturers occasionally change their food formulas, which could affect the calculations as shown.
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Truck accident in Brunswick CountySubmitted by Chris Phillips on Fri, 10/04/2013 - 11:17pm.READ MORE:
This is video of what looks like a motorcycle semi crash on 74-76. A viewer, who did not want to be named sent this in to us. Full story...»
FIRST ON 3 UPDATE: Shake-up at Roger Bacon AcademySubmitted by WWAY on Wed, 10/02/2013 - 10:16pm.READ MORE:
Full story...»
UPDATE: Brunswick Co. deputies arrest two metal theft suspectsSubmitted by WWAY on Tue, 10/01/2013 - 8:23am.READ MORE:
Detectives with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office have arrested two suspects accused of felony larceny after they say the two stole thousands worth of metal. Full story...»
EPA to start Superfund cleanup at old P&W Waste Oil in NavassaSubmitted by WWAY on Fri, 09/20/2013 - 10:48am.READ MORE:
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HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND: Brunswick WaterfestSubmitted by Randy Aldridge on Mon, 09/16/2013 - 7:16am.READ MORE:
Happening this weekend you can still enjoy local waters at the Brunswick Waterfest. Barry Eagle, Chairman of the Leland Tourism Development Authority, stopped by to talk with Randy Aldridge with all the details on kayaking, kayak fishing, stand up paddleboarding and bird watching. Full story...»
Police: Robber snags cash from man outside bank, drives away stolen carSubmitted by Allyson Lorick on Tue, 09/10/2013 - 9:08am.READ MORE:
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Leland Pizza Hut robbed at gunpointSubmitted by WWAY on Mon, 09/09/2013 - 12:36pm.READ MORE:
Leland Police are looking for a man they say robbed a restaurant at gunpoint. Early this morning police responded to an armed robbery at the Pizza Hut at 112 Village Road. Full story...»
FIRST ON 3 UPDATE: Man files federal lawsuit against Leland, former copsSubmitted by WWAY on Wed, 09/04/2013 - 10:49am.READ MORE:
A man Leland Police arrested during a June 2011 domestic situation has filed a federal lawsuit against the town and the two former police officers involved in the incident. Full story...»
SUV hits Leland homeSubmitted by WWAY on Mon, 09/02/2013 - 4:38pm.READ MORE:
A surprise visitor for one family in Leland this morning. A woman drove her SUV into a house on Kingsworth Lane before noon. Full story...»
Leland officer suspended for arresting video-recording teenSubmitted by StarNewsOnline.com on Fri, 08/30/2013 - 11:08am.READ MORE:
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According to the New Jersey Star Ledger, Nets forward Kris Humphries would waive his no-trade clause if he were traded to the right team.
Said the report:
"Would you jump off a bridge?" Humphries asked reporters who inquired about his willingness to waive the no-trade. "It depends how high the water is (or) if there was a drowning baby in the water. I mean, because you (might) jump off in the summer, if it was warm out, (and) you know the water was deep underneath.
Humphries, who is routinely booed on the road due to his "involvement" with reality TV star Kim Kardashian, is averaging a double-double this season with 13.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game for the Nets.
On Monday he became the first Net to record over 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game since since Shawn Bradley's 32 point, 15 rebound game in 1996.
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Most Common Hiv Primary Symptoms
Here's a taste of what TheBody.com has to offer on this topic:
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Different manifestation of a common primary HIV infection symptom?Dear Dr,Thank you from the bottom of my heart that you have been stretching your helping hands to those who desperately need some answers. I posted a question about couple weeks ago but went unanswered. I would appreciate it if you could kindly read...
Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D.
The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation...exposure. You have had 2 ELISAs and an RNA viral load, all of which are negative. Your symptoms are not indicative of meningitis or primary HIV infection. Based on your history, physical symptoms, and particularly your laboratory tests, you are... Read more »
is it primary hiv? please an answer. it is 4th timehello doctor,firstof all sorry for my englishbefore eight months I went with a prostitute . i wore... Read more »
was convinced i had primary hiv thru oral. tested -its not a question more a little stroy. i had an unprotected blow job off a hooker last apr 18th. i... Read more »
Maine: Grant to Assist Aroostook County Residents With HIV/AIDS...to a one-year, $23,709 grant from the state Department of Health and Human Services. For the past two years, the Eastern Maine AIDS Network has subcontracted with CHCS to provide case management in Aroostook County, said Brian Chapla, CHCS'... Read more »
Cambodia Health Officials Expand HIV/AIDS Prevention Education to Primary Schools... The Cambodian Ministry of Health has begun training primary education teachers in 12 provinces on HIV/AIDS prevention education, the Phnom Penh Post reports. Health officials said that Read more »
Majority of Rwandans Consider Either Poverty or HIV/AIDS to Be Country's Main Problem, Survey Says... The majority of Rwandans consider either HIV/AIDS or poverty to be the main problem facing the country, according to a national survey commissioned by Rwanda's New Times , the New Times reports. Read more »
Number of HIV/AIDS Cases in Maine Increasing, Mirroring National Trend...The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in Maine has increased for the first time in several years, according to state Bureau of Health statistics released on Tuesday, the Read more »
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Anyone in Maine that I can talk to about my HIV
Posted by Anonymous, 5 Replies...I am really depressed about my HIV and would love to find a positive friend that I can talk to in Maine. Im in South Portland Read more »
symptoms for primary hiv
Posted by Anonymous, 1 Replyi am terrified that i may have gotten infected and know i feel like everything in my body is acting weird. maybe it is the anxiety or stress. can anybody please tell me how accentuated these symptoms are? like now, i am stressing because my pinky... Read more »
Acute Primary HIV Infection
Posted by Anonymous, 2 Replies...better, and have consulted the doctor YET again on 29 Dec 99 with the same complaints. What are the signs and symptoms of the Primary Acute HIV infection stage? To me, it seems that it comprises of flu-like sickness and resembles the one I'm... Read more »
Verification of Primary Acute HIV infection.
Posted by Anonymous, 1 Reply...within 1 month after the "exposure". Can someone(having experienced) please tell me if such are the symptoms of the Acute Primary HIV infection. Can lymph nodes be found at the muscle (behind the kneecap)? How do swollen/tender lymph nodes... Read more »
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King Tubby: Explosive DubRe-IssueVinyl LP Record
Price: $14.97
No Longer Available
(Get e-mailed if ever back in stock)
Product Details
Producer: Brad Osborne
SummaryThere are very few people who define a genre the way King Tubby defines dub. From the early days of dub in the 1960s, King Tubby (born Osbourne Rodduck) influenced a generation of producers across a variety of genres and continued to do so until his death in the late 1980s.
While King Tubby was known for experimenting with different sounds, he was also truly never one to settle for mediocrity. Flexing his signature dub muscle on 1975's "Explosive Dub", a compilation of various Tubby gems 19 tracks long, the true beauty of his ability is brought to light. It's obvious to the listener that King Tubby spent hours perfecting each track and remix before releasing it to the public. "Explosive Dub", a previously hard to find collectors item is a shining example of King Tubby's work.
Though many of these tracks have been previously released by different labels on a varity of dusty pressings and formats, Clocktower's reissue of Explosive Dub features audio mastered from the original analog tapes.
Track Listing
More Items From: King Tubby & Clocktower Records
|Lee Scratch Perry & C…
'Chapter 1: The Upsett…'
Vinyl LP | $36.99
'Scientific Dub - Gree…'
Vinyl LP | $36.99
|King Tubby Meets The …
'At The Grass Roots Of…'
Vinyl LP | $15.50
|Barrington Levy
'Poorman Style'
Vinyl LP | $18.50
|Linval Thompson
'Cool Down'
Vinyl LP | $18.50
|King Tubby & The Clan…
'Sound System Internat…'
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One dead, four wounded at Fort Worth Stockyards
One of five people shot Sunday in a north side bar died overnight.
Sylvia Salazar, 56, who lived in the 4600 block of Kenway Court in Fort Worth, died at 1:57 a.m. in the intensive care unit of John Peter Smith Hospital, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office.
Her sister, Cynthia Villarreal, 55, said Salazar went to the bar with a friend "just to relax. She wanted to go out and have a nice time."
An altercation inside the bar led to the shooting, Fort Worth police spokeswoman Sharron Neal said.
Salazar "was not involved in the altercation, but was struck by a bullet during this incident," Neal said.
Four other people, all men, were wounded in the shooting inside the Northside Outlaws Bar, 115 NW 25th St., in the Fort Worth Stockyards, police said early Monday.
The four are in stable to critical condition at area hospitals, Neal said.
Officers first responded at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday to a call reporting a shooting on NW 25th Street. MedStar paramedics took one man in his 20s from the bar's address to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. Salazar was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital where she later died.
A second man in his 20s was found nearby on West Exchange Avenue, a MedStar official said. That victim was also taken to John Peter Smith.
Two other men were transported to area hospitals by private vehicle, said MedStar spokesman Matt Zavadsky.
Early Monday, detectives were still trying to determine whether one of the wounded was the shooter.
Villarreal said Salazar was a good sister, a loving mother and a good grandmother.
"She was raising one grandson, J.R., her oldest son's child," she said.
The bar's Facebook page sought information today:
"My deepest and most sincere sympathy and condolences to our customers and their families for Sunday's horrific tragedy.While there are no words or actions to console anyone please know that each and every one of y'all is in our prayers. If anyone has any information please contact the detectives and help us put these cowards away!!!"
In an unrelated shooting, a 20-year-old man was shot about 2:15 a.m. when he answered a knock on the door of his home at Eagle Point Apartments in the 8300 block of Boat Club Road, Officer Neal said.
"The victim stepped outside and was shot by an unknown assailant," Neal said. "The assailant then fled the scene."
The victim is in stable condition at an area hospital, she said.
Witnesses that were nearby are being interviewed by detectives, Neal said.
Staff writer Terry Evans contributed to this report.
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