2:32 pm

It's been a long time since I've seen a new born child, I'm talking only a few hours old. I believe the last time was when my sister was born back in 1989. Anyhow, on Monday our friends Seth and Darcia were blessed with a baby boy. I must admit that seeing him there, small and breathing all on his own was almost unbelievable. Being there made me realize how amazing the gift of life and the human body is. It's all a miracle. I know I never stop and think, "Well, I guess it's pretty cool how I'm 26 years and I still haven't had to replace my bones." They're the same ones I had when I was a tiny baby! Imagine if we had to replace our bones in order to grow up. What if we had to constantly remind ourselves to breathe several times a minutes. Or when we drink water it would head straight into our lungs instead of stomach. What if when we had to dodge a flying object we would have to communicate to our hands to be on guard? "In less than a second that basketball will arrive near the chest area, make sure you are there to receive it." By the time you're in mid sentence, the wind would be knocked out of you.

It truly is a miracle. Seeing Piers Darcy there was quite unreal in a way. Two days ago he hung on to his mother for life and now he is in this world breathing and living all on his own.

On a unrelated noted, I did notice that if you have a kid, your friends are highly likely to make you delicious treats... one of the side perks.

A Cherokee?

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to go up flying with my friend Marlin. We actually didn't get to go far since the clouds began to descend upon the Walla Walla Valley not much later after we took off. Nevertheless, we flew all the way to Milton Freewater and then turned around. While we were up there he allowed me to take control of the plane for a few minutes; it surprised me how the slightest shift, drastically alter the direction of the plane. It was quite fun, despite mainly going straight.

So, you might be wondering what does Cherokee has to do with flying? Well, apparently his plane is also called a Cherokee, which is why we had to take pictures with the Jeep and his plane. What can I say, we both love our hobbies. By the way, the two pictures shot from above are the University and College Place.

First Snowfall

Apparently during our time stay in Seattle, we had our first snowfall in Walla Walla. I believe it was about an inch and a half at the most, then on Monday we had freezing rain which made the conditions even worst. The snow has all melted by now and we are crossing our finger to see if the weather will bring us more this winter! (Yes, why wouldn't I like the snow? I've got a Jeep.) Sadly it's looking like we won't be having a white Christmas here in Walla Walla... to bad.

Christmas in Seattle

This past weekend Traci and I ventured out to Seattle for the weekend to meet up with Janelle and two of her cousins. Traci took the day off on Friday so we headed out on Thursday evening so we could spend 3 full days in Seattle. Traci and I spent each night at her cousin's place, Craig & Vanessa; they have 2 kids, Grayson and Celeste. Celeste is in First grade and Grayson spends his days playing with hotwheels. Anyhow, on Friday Ronnie, Traci, Janelle and I headed down to Tacoma to visit the Glass Museum, the old train station and a cupcake store. After sight seeing around Tacoma we went straight to Bremerton to have supper with Rachelle (Traci's cousin) and then catch the ferry back to Seattle.

Saturday was a very restful day. Traci and I visited the Kirkland church and then had lunch there at her Cousin's place. After lunch we played an old card game named "Birds and Animals" and also "Connect Four by Four." In the evening we went to the Bellevue Botanical gardens where we enjoyed a superb light display. We attended the light show before and it does appear to get better each year. On Sunday We met up with Ben and visited another cupcake shop in Ballard and had some veggie burgers at Kidds Valley to continue a tradition.

I must admit that I have become rather lazy in taking pictures when I venture out. It could be that I don't want to appear as the tourist or simply that I want to enjoy the moment rather than taking pictures. Nevertheless, here are some pictures from the weekend. The two pictures of Traci and I were taken by Ben Blood

Horse Carriage Parade

Two weekends ago Traci and I attended the Christmas Carriage Parade at Pendleton. We have been attending the Parade since it began three years ago and each year the crowd gets bigger and more festive. This is the second year that I have been able to make the posters for the event so it was quite neat to see them all across Pendleton. Despite the very cold weather, there was a big turn out with (I believe) about 30 carriages.

Tofurkey Day.

Once again it's Thanksgiving Day, a day that is clearly about gluttony and a time for men to yell at their televisions screens due to of a football game. Yeah that's right America, I did my homework.

I must admit that I do enjoy a nice big meal and since the football players can't hear any yelling from the millions of fans watching the game from home... I've decided I should instead stop and think about what I am thankful for.

There are two things that I'm especially thankful for. One of them is that I'm married to Traci. Yeah, it might sounds cliche', but it's the truth. Think about it, I'm not that good looking, I can't cook as good as she does and I'm 26 years old without a job. Nevertheless, she still sticks besides me and takes care of me. I'm quite the lucky guy. The other thing I'm thankful is because this year I acquired the 57 Chevy... yes, the one car I will never get rid of.

Ellensburg

This past weekend Traci and I made a trip to Ellensburg, WA to meet up with Ronnie. Since Seattle is 4 hours from Walla Walla, we figured why not just meet half way instead of having someone drive the whole length. Anyhow, I had been to Ellensburg several time and I was surprised to see that there was much more to the town than the strip of fast food restaurants. I actually didn't know that Central Washington University is located there.

Traci and I left early on Saturday and drove the two hours to arrive at Ellensburg at 8:30 am. We ate breakfast at McDonalds and then went to the Kittitas County Historical Museum, admission was free! They have several valuable pieces of history there including a 1889 steam engine buggy that was once owned by Henry Ford! It's the only one left known to exist that has dosey-doe seats (That's where the back seat is facing back instead of forward). The museum also had a 1942 Willys MB which made me want one even more!

After visiting the museum we drove around town, visited CWU and finally ate at the Yellow Church Cafe. The building use to be a church at one time and somebody decided to turn it into a cafe so it's quite interesting. On our way back Traci and I encountered some very high winds which made for a quite amusing drive with the tumbleweeds crossing the highway.

Kevin, this one is for you.

I thrive for information about Jeeps. I enjoy learning about each different model, the differences and especially the history. It's a hobby of mine. In fact, I wish there was a degree offered in Jeeps because I would sign up.

My friend Kevin approached me a few weeks ago and asked me what kind of axles he has under his 92 wrangler. Being a Jeep nerd, I immediately gave him an answer, "You've got a Dana 30 in the front and Dana 35 on the rear." Now, was I correct? Of course I was. What do you think? Nevertheless he seemed skeptical of my response, so I'm dedicating this post on Jeep axles. Kevin, this one is for you.

I can't tell you how many times people have mentioned that I should get rid of my Dana 30 front axle and replace it with a Dana 44. I have also been told how I should get rid of my Cherokee and start off with a Wrangler. Yes, I agree with both comments. However, this all depends on what type offroading a person does. You obviously don't need Rockwell 2 1/2 axles on your 32 inch daily driver. Although there isn't an exact answer to how strong of axles you need, we need to understand how aggressive of offroading you plan on doing. Are you a driver that will push the rig to its limits on each trip? Or are you one to hold back and leave the dents and rollovers for others? Do you plan on placing bigger tires on Jeep? But enough talking, let's get into specs.

Here are a few Jeeps and the types of axle they came with from the factory.

97-05 TJ
Low-pinion Dana 30 front, Dana 35 or 44 rear. Rubicon had Dana 44 front and rear
87-95 YJ
High-pinion Dana 30 front with axle disconnect, Dana 35 rear
81-85 CJ8
Dana 30 front, AMC 20 rear
76-86 CJ7
Dana 30 front, AMC 20 rear, (Dana 44 on 86 models)
76-83 CJ5
Dana 30 front AMC 20 rear
72-75 CJ5
Dana 30 front Dana 44 rear
66-71 CJ5
Dana 27 front, Dana 44 rear
55-65 CJ5
Dana 25 front, Dana 44 rear

Now, let's talk your Jeep. My guess is that you still have the original axles since the Jeep has 32 inch tires... (No need for Dana 44's, with those tires)

Front Axle
Gear ratio: 3.07
Ring-gear diameter: 7.125inches
Axleshaft spline count: 27
Axleshaft diameter: 1.16 inch
Axle joint: 260
Wheel-bolt pattern: 5 on 4 1/2
Knuckle type: Open
Full or semifloating: full-floating
Differential Cover: 10 bolts
Problems when stock: Bent tubes, weak axle joints
Recommended maximum tire size: 33-35 inches

Rear Axle
Gear ratio: 3.07
Ring-gear diameter: 7.562 inches
Axleshaft spline count: 27
Axleshaft diameter: 1.13 inches
Wheel-bolt pattern: 5 on 4 1/2
Full or semi-floating: semi-floating
Differential cover: 10 bolts
Problems when stock: Overall weakness
Recommended maximum tire size: 32-33

1st Collector Vehicle

Since this year the Cherokee Chief turns 30 years old, Traci and I decided it's time we registered it as a "Collector Vehicle." What does this mean?... you might ask. Well, it means that the Chief finally get's a rest and recognition as a piece of automotive history. We'll still drive the Jeep but it will more than likely never see an unpaved road, it also means we'll never have to register it again.

Car Crazy

So I finally got a chance to drive my 57 Chevy two Fridays ago. (9/25 to be exact) It was quite a learning experience trying to get the car going but it was all worth it. I had to replace the gas tank (since it had a huge gash on it), the sending unit (it's what sits inside the tank and tells you how much gas you have left), and the shackles for the rear suspension. The hardest part was trying to take the 52 year old bushings off the frame, however a little torch was all it took to burn and melt that rubber off. Not very environmentally friendly but it sure saves time.

The two pictures are of the new and old sending units. As you can see, the gas filter was so old that it disintegrated when I pulled it out of the old gas tank. Anyhow, a little gas in the carburetor was all it took to fire up the engine. So where did I go on my first drive? I basically went on a scenic drive back to my apartment.

Wallowa Lake once again

Traci and I have been itching to make a trip to Wallowa Lake the whole summer. Since Janelle was visiting us this past weekend, we decided this would be a perfect time for a trip. We headed down on Saturday morning and made a quick stop along the river where Jimmy showed us the great ways of Fly Fishing. Somehow the fish didn't want to grab on to the bait when it was my turn but instead they were swimming around my feet... interesting. Anyhow, once we got to the park, we made a trip up the Tramway to visit the many friendly chipmunks that were preparing for the winter to come. I so happen to have a stuffed animal chipmunk and thought it would be interesting to take a picture of it alongside with real chipmunks; he was quite bigger than the actual size.

Surprisingly, Traci found a spot open for a yurt on Saturday night so we had the luxury to spend the night with a heater, electricity and shelter from the cold night. Once again we were able to see the bright red Salmon headed up stream... it was quite awesome.