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blufjr
Ride to Taos, New Mexico 2011
09/17/2011
Chapter 1
I got up early on September the 6th to meet up with Bill Flannery in Washougal Washington to ride to Taos, New Mexico for a FJR gathering. Since I follow the stars for when to start a trip, I had to leave the house earlier then necessary to avoid the Saturn hour. After meeting with Bill, I had to stall the start by eating breakfast at Burger King. As per my plan we started our ride during a Jupiter hour. Bill informed me that his dad would stop shortly after assembling the family, loading up the car and driving off on a vacation. The stop would allow everyone to calm down and get centered. I thought that was a good plan, and it seemed to be what we were doing on this morning.
Stopped to look at the wind surfers near Hood River, OR. Columbia Gorge.
As per the ride plan and the stars, there were no delays nor encounters with local Leo's and their penalties. The weather was superb, with temperatures in the 70's and very little wind on the trip down. I could hardly believe how quiet the air was all the way to Taos.
We did have a 26 degree morning but the roads were dry, as this was in Montana and the air is dry. We also had ice on our seats but I think this was because we parked under a tree.
Day 1 took us up the Columbia Gorge where we crossed the river into The Dalles then onto La Grande by way of Condon, Heppner and Ukiah. Just over 300 miles for a nice easy start and a nice ride through Central Oregon.
Day 2 took us to Sula, Mt. We headed north out of La Grande to Enterprise and then the Rattlesnake grade on Hwy 3. We stopped at Boggans Oasis for a bite to eat and to enjoy this remote waypoint down by the Grande Ronde River. We finished off the Rattlesnake grade on the Washington side, got some pictures of barns, then swiftly descended the Asotin grade down to the Snake River. Up the river we cross over to Idaho and head for the Spiral Highway. Winding our way along Hwy 12 to Kooskia we make our way along the famous Hwy 12 and 99 miles of twist and turns, really just high speed sweepers. At Lolo we turn south on US 93 and make our way to Sula. Our evening quarters are a dry cabin at the Sula Resort. We are entertained in the evening, around a nice campfire by the RV folks.
The Spiral highway overlooking Lewiston, ID.
Sula Resort, Sula, MT.
Day 3 brings us a chilly 26 degrees and a cold morning start. We cut across to the west on Highway 43 to Wisdom and 278 to I-15. South to Clark Canyon Dam for a Dam Tour picture. We stay on I-15 all the way to Idaho Falls where we pick up US 26 to US 89, which we take to US 30 and stop for the night at Kemmerer. Kemmerer is home of the first J.C. Penny's store.
Day 4. I can't think of a better place to leave then Kemmerer. Truthfully, I didn't explore the town. We stay on US 30 to Green River where we turn south on WY 530 and run along the Flaming Gorge National Rec Area. We wind down to the reservoir on Utah Hwy 44 and then back up into the mountains where we turn right onto US 191 to Vernal. At Vernal we get on US 40 to Dinosaur, Colorado then Hwy 64 to Rangely and continue to head south on CO 139. 139 is lonely but beautiful. The road is a little rough but has some nice high speed sweepers and a potential world class mountain pass with lots of tight stuff. Only problem with this road is that it needs repaving. At Loma we take a short ride down I-70 to Fruita, Co. Then we take a short 22 mile ride through the Colorado National Monument. When we reach the top (+2000 feet) we meet a nice friendly Ranger who had been observing us coming up the mountain. The younger Ranger advised us (these two older gentlemen) on the benefits of maintaining a slow speed to avoid the animals. This little excursion would most likely be one of the best motorcycle roads in the U.S. if it didn't have a speed limit and lots of people. We exit the Park into Grand Junction, our intended stop for the evening, but it is early and we continue south to Ouray. We take Hwy 141, which takes us to a canyon of red rocks with cliffs on both sides of this narrow winding valley carved out of the high plateau for 100 miles. The road was in great shape and scenery was superb. A must ride if you go to Colorado.
Colorado National Park with Inspiration Mounument Beyond.
CO Hwy 141, awesome.
On Day 5 we take out of Ouray on US 550 and climb and climb up the mountains into the Uncompahgre National Forest. Lots and lots of switchbacks, and more twist and turns to make your riding skills and nerves tingle with pleasure. A short stop near Silverton to watch a 1890's steam engine pull lots of passenger cars with waving people cross the road. US 550 has to be one of the best roads in America. Do it in the morning, as traffic will diminish the beauty of the road. On to Durango for a McD's Sausage McMuffin and coffee and parting words. Bill had to exit to the west to go home and I continue on, on US 160 to Pagosa Springs, the US 84 to Chama and last on US 64 to Taos. Another fantastic ride with a perfectly matched ride partner. It was fun sharing the thrill of these fantastic roads with Bill, watching him in my mirrors carve the same corners, accelerating to the next turn right on my tail all day long.
No rain, sunny, no wind. Incredible 5 days of riding, and we went through 7 States.
Chapter 2
It was a great ride with Bill, but Bill had to exit to do home repairs that came up after we left. We wished each other good riding, weather and safe journey home and went our separate ways. Although the camaraderie is fantastic, especially in the corners, riding solo is also nice and has its benefits, especially when it comes to stops.
I arrived early afternoon at the Kachina Lodge in Taos; a few folks had already arrived and set out to their rooms. Don (Beamerdon) was in the lobby sending emails and posting to the FJR Forum regarding the event. We said our howdies and I went off to my room. A bunch of us got together later at a local Mexican restaurant called El Taoseno for an outstanding dinner. Later we gathered around the fire pit and enjoyed the fire, stars and a few raindrops. It was good times and lots of laughs.
The next morning, Day 6, I joined in on the group ride, going north to Questa and Red River. We stopped at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial St. Park near Angel Fire. This was a very nice memorial started by the parents of David Westphall and later taken over by the State. There is no charge to visit it. As a Vet myself, it does take you back to those days in 68-69 when life seemed to be on borrowed time. The group changed and fewer of us continued on to the Sipapu Ski Resort where we set up on the patio next to the river and had hamburger for lunch (most of us). After lunch I took out after another rider, Chris, and we traveled on Hwy 76 to Chimayo and then back on 76 to 75 to 518 to Taos. It was a fun spirited ride, just what a day of rest is suppose to be filled with. We joined together at he Kachina lodge for dinner and all ate in the dinning room. The BBQ beef and chicken was outstanding and those meals came with a drink. After a few hours in the parking lot kicking tires and telling racing stories, I was off to bed.
FJR Owners gathering outside the Kachina Lodge in Taos, NM.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial St. Park
Stop for lunch at the Sipapu Lodge.
Day 7 brought another group ride to Los Alamos, home of the atomic bomb, where we stopped to go through the museum and enjoy a documentary film on the influences that brought about the assembling of the scientific and engineering genius of the time, to invent this bomb. Interesting. We then decided to go on to Jemez Springs for lunch where we combated the many flies, as we ate outside on the patio as Mark brought Duke. I jumped out with Chris and Pety and we made good use of the rubber on the sides of our tires to carve up Hwy 4 back to Los Alamos and then on to Taos by way of Hwy 68. Dinner at the Lodge and off to bed to get a good nights sleep as I was leaving at 6:30am in the morning, 10 minutes before sunrise. My only regrets were that that I didn't eat at Michael's Kitchen this year.
Chapter 3
Day 8 and I was off early riding in partly cloudy/sunny skies with massive thunder clouds in front of me. Once in the mountains headed for Chama, it started to rain lightly but steady. It rained all the way to Dulce. Then it took until Bloomfield to dry off. The temps kept rising as I progressed to the West. I made it to Farmington and stopped for a Subway, then stopped in Shiprock for gas. It tried to rain for the next hour or so but was basically dry. When I turned onto Hwy 98 towards Page, the sky was dark and you could see the rain coming down. I stopped and put on my rain liner and headed into the thunder and lightening with hands tucked in behind the windscreen and going as fast as I could to get the best envelope behind the fairing and wind screen. This lasted for about 15-20 minutes, I was wet again but the temps were warming. I made it to Page and got gas, I was almost totally dry when I left and headed south on US 89, where I ran into another doozy of a thunderstorm that lasted about the same amount of time as the last. Heavy rain, hail and standing water on the road. I was thankful I was riding the FJR, as it provided fair protection and tracked well in the water at 70mph plus. The rest of the day was dry and I really enjoyed the mountain pass on US 89 near Jacob Lake. Arrived in Kanab, and stopped at one of the first motels with a price noted on their sign. Ate the other half of the Subway for dinner.
Day 9 had me riding the desert or better know as the Great Basin across Utah and Nevada as I rode Ely, Eureka, Fallon and on to Reno. I rode through Zion National Park and then picked up a Grand Tour Checkpoint in Springdale, UT. Gassed up in Cedar City and then headed for the desert ride on Hwy 130, 21 to US 50. At Baker I stopped to investigate the Great Basin National Park. I didn't go up on the Wheeler Peak road, as I am saving that for next time, but I did do the 1 hour tour into the Lehman Caves. This turned out to be another high point of interpretive learning and the BEST cave I have ever been in. Hwy 50 isn't fantastic, but compared to I-70 through Nevada, it is nearly so. It follow the terrain and has a few mountain passes to keep you from falling asleep as well as some human activity to keep the sights some what interesting. It also has trees with tennis shoes hanging from the limbs. I gassed up in Fallon and headed off to Reno. I stayed at the Super 8 across from the University of Nevada and ate dinner at the Bonanza Casino. Gambled for an hour and half and didn't loose a penny. One of the dealers asked if I was going to stick around in the morning to see the balloons. ??? What balloons? 300 balloons taking off at 7:30am at the Univ. of NV. I was left thinking that I should stick around in the morning.
Zion National Park
Breakfast stop at Springdale, but they were closed.
Lehman Caves at the Great Basin National Park near Baker, NV.
A perfectly formed thunder cloud, about 15 miles away.
Day 10 would be a day to ride on home ground and to Bandon Dunes Resort where I would enjoy the lavish lodging and food, but first I had to park the bike and enjoy the takeoff of some 20-30 balloons. If that took a half hour I'm sure the rest would be going on until noon and I didn't have that much time. Got some nice pictures and went ahead and exited town. Perfect weather, sun, a few clouds, moderate temperatures and little wind but by the time I got to Shasta/Weed the temperature was climbing and I had to start taking measures to be cool. I gassed in Shasta with 290.7 on the trip meter and took on only 6 gallons. Almost 50 mpg, must have been going down hill. Turned off of I-5 to take Hwy 263 from Yreka north to I-5. This little diversion is nice, as it has cool bridges and a wonderful canyon, good corners and is just fun compared to the I-5. . At the Siskiyou summit I turned off of I-5 and got on the old Hwy 99 which took me to Hwy 66 and back into Ashland on the SE end of town. This little delight is filled with switchbacks and even a loop around. The temps just got hotter and hotter as I went north on I-5 with it in the 90's between Ashland and Roseburg. For I-5 this section does provide some 50 mph corners and does go through the mountains. I took exit 112 to come into Winston on the old Hwy 99, passing Roseburg Lumber (huge). From Winston I took Hwy 42 to Coquille and then shortcuts to Bandon Dunes. 42 has just about everything desirable to motorcyclist but it also has traffic and not enough passing zones, even for a FJR. You can miss a lot of wonderful corners while in traffic. Evening meal and desert was superb and the Inn at Bandon Dunes is so special ( I was the Architect).
Balloons and Darth Vader too.
Day 11 had me working at the construction site of a new building at BDR so I had to do my job. After that I had to ride home from work, so I took Hwy 101 to Reedsport and then turned on Smith River Road to go to Eugene. I met up with a whole slew of bicyclists doing an Eugene to the Coast Ride. I didn't count but after a while I stopped and talked to one of the participants and found out there were 2,500 of them. Needless to say, this wonderful fast paced back road turned into a slow ride for almost half of it. The last cop stopping to talk to me, but I blew past him like he wasn't there. I found no more bicyclists and the little mountain pass with all the switchbacks was open to navigate alone. I made two more stops on the way home, one off of Hwy 58 at Lowell, and a dam called Fall Creek, then another dam at Silverton. I traveled the back roads from Springfield to Woodburn where I got back on I-5 and made the rest of the ride home to Vancouver.
Mostly sunny, a little wind, thunderstorms and 4 more states.
One day of rest and I am ready to do it again. I put the refurbished carbs back in the wife's Virago yesterday and then took it out for check ride. It's ready to go and now she can start her summer riding. He, he.
Pictures:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenhattan/sets/72157627680408728/show/
09/17/2011
Chapter 1
I got up early on September the 6th to meet up with Bill Flannery in Washougal Washington to ride to Taos, New Mexico for a FJR gathering. Since I follow the stars for when to start a trip, I had to leave the house earlier then necessary to avoid the Saturn hour. After meeting with Bill, I had to stall the start by eating breakfast at Burger King. As per my plan we started our ride during a Jupiter hour. Bill informed me that his dad would stop shortly after assembling the family, loading up the car and driving off on a vacation. The stop would allow everyone to calm down and get centered. I thought that was a good plan, and it seemed to be what we were doing on this morning.
Stopped to look at the wind surfers near Hood River, OR. Columbia Gorge.
As per the ride plan and the stars, there were no delays nor encounters with local Leo's and their penalties. The weather was superb, with temperatures in the 70's and very little wind on the trip down. I could hardly believe how quiet the air was all the way to Taos.
We did have a 26 degree morning but the roads were dry, as this was in Montana and the air is dry. We also had ice on our seats but I think this was because we parked under a tree.
Day 1 took us up the Columbia Gorge where we crossed the river into The Dalles then onto La Grande by way of Condon, Heppner and Ukiah. Just over 300 miles for a nice easy start and a nice ride through Central Oregon.
Day 2 took us to Sula, Mt. We headed north out of La Grande to Enterprise and then the Rattlesnake grade on Hwy 3. We stopped at Boggans Oasis for a bite to eat and to enjoy this remote waypoint down by the Grande Ronde River. We finished off the Rattlesnake grade on the Washington side, got some pictures of barns, then swiftly descended the Asotin grade down to the Snake River. Up the river we cross over to Idaho and head for the Spiral Highway. Winding our way along Hwy 12 to Kooskia we make our way along the famous Hwy 12 and 99 miles of twist and turns, really just high speed sweepers. At Lolo we turn south on US 93 and make our way to Sula. Our evening quarters are a dry cabin at the Sula Resort. We are entertained in the evening, around a nice campfire by the RV folks.
The Spiral highway overlooking Lewiston, ID.
Sula Resort, Sula, MT.
Day 3 brings us a chilly 26 degrees and a cold morning start. We cut across to the west on Highway 43 to Wisdom and 278 to I-15. South to Clark Canyon Dam for a Dam Tour picture. We stay on I-15 all the way to Idaho Falls where we pick up US 26 to US 89, which we take to US 30 and stop for the night at Kemmerer. Kemmerer is home of the first J.C. Penny's store.
Day 4. I can't think of a better place to leave then Kemmerer. Truthfully, I didn't explore the town. We stay on US 30 to Green River where we turn south on WY 530 and run along the Flaming Gorge National Rec Area. We wind down to the reservoir on Utah Hwy 44 and then back up into the mountains where we turn right onto US 191 to Vernal. At Vernal we get on US 40 to Dinosaur, Colorado then Hwy 64 to Rangely and continue to head south on CO 139. 139 is lonely but beautiful. The road is a little rough but has some nice high speed sweepers and a potential world class mountain pass with lots of tight stuff. Only problem with this road is that it needs repaving. At Loma we take a short ride down I-70 to Fruita, Co. Then we take a short 22 mile ride through the Colorado National Monument. When we reach the top (+2000 feet) we meet a nice friendly Ranger who had been observing us coming up the mountain. The younger Ranger advised us (these two older gentlemen) on the benefits of maintaining a slow speed to avoid the animals. This little excursion would most likely be one of the best motorcycle roads in the U.S. if it didn't have a speed limit and lots of people. We exit the Park into Grand Junction, our intended stop for the evening, but it is early and we continue south to Ouray. We take Hwy 141, which takes us to a canyon of red rocks with cliffs on both sides of this narrow winding valley carved out of the high plateau for 100 miles. The road was in great shape and scenery was superb. A must ride if you go to Colorado.
Colorado National Park with Inspiration Mounument Beyond.
CO Hwy 141, awesome.
On Day 5 we take out of Ouray on US 550 and climb and climb up the mountains into the Uncompahgre National Forest. Lots and lots of switchbacks, and more twist and turns to make your riding skills and nerves tingle with pleasure. A short stop near Silverton to watch a 1890's steam engine pull lots of passenger cars with waving people cross the road. US 550 has to be one of the best roads in America. Do it in the morning, as traffic will diminish the beauty of the road. On to Durango for a McD's Sausage McMuffin and coffee and parting words. Bill had to exit to the west to go home and I continue on, on US 160 to Pagosa Springs, the US 84 to Chama and last on US 64 to Taos. Another fantastic ride with a perfectly matched ride partner. It was fun sharing the thrill of these fantastic roads with Bill, watching him in my mirrors carve the same corners, accelerating to the next turn right on my tail all day long.
No rain, sunny, no wind. Incredible 5 days of riding, and we went through 7 States.
Chapter 2
It was a great ride with Bill, but Bill had to exit to do home repairs that came up after we left. We wished each other good riding, weather and safe journey home and went our separate ways. Although the camaraderie is fantastic, especially in the corners, riding solo is also nice and has its benefits, especially when it comes to stops.
I arrived early afternoon at the Kachina Lodge in Taos; a few folks had already arrived and set out to their rooms. Don (Beamerdon) was in the lobby sending emails and posting to the FJR Forum regarding the event. We said our howdies and I went off to my room. A bunch of us got together later at a local Mexican restaurant called El Taoseno for an outstanding dinner. Later we gathered around the fire pit and enjoyed the fire, stars and a few raindrops. It was good times and lots of laughs.
The next morning, Day 6, I joined in on the group ride, going north to Questa and Red River. We stopped at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial St. Park near Angel Fire. This was a very nice memorial started by the parents of David Westphall and later taken over by the State. There is no charge to visit it. As a Vet myself, it does take you back to those days in 68-69 when life seemed to be on borrowed time. The group changed and fewer of us continued on to the Sipapu Ski Resort where we set up on the patio next to the river and had hamburger for lunch (most of us). After lunch I took out after another rider, Chris, and we traveled on Hwy 76 to Chimayo and then back on 76 to 75 to 518 to Taos. It was a fun spirited ride, just what a day of rest is suppose to be filled with. We joined together at he Kachina lodge for dinner and all ate in the dinning room. The BBQ beef and chicken was outstanding and those meals came with a drink. After a few hours in the parking lot kicking tires and telling racing stories, I was off to bed.
FJR Owners gathering outside the Kachina Lodge in Taos, NM.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial St. Park
Stop for lunch at the Sipapu Lodge.
Day 7 brought another group ride to Los Alamos, home of the atomic bomb, where we stopped to go through the museum and enjoy a documentary film on the influences that brought about the assembling of the scientific and engineering genius of the time, to invent this bomb. Interesting. We then decided to go on to Jemez Springs for lunch where we combated the many flies, as we ate outside on the patio as Mark brought Duke. I jumped out with Chris and Pety and we made good use of the rubber on the sides of our tires to carve up Hwy 4 back to Los Alamos and then on to Taos by way of Hwy 68. Dinner at the Lodge and off to bed to get a good nights sleep as I was leaving at 6:30am in the morning, 10 minutes before sunrise. My only regrets were that that I didn't eat at Michael's Kitchen this year.
Chapter 3
Day 8 and I was off early riding in partly cloudy/sunny skies with massive thunder clouds in front of me. Once in the mountains headed for Chama, it started to rain lightly but steady. It rained all the way to Dulce. Then it took until Bloomfield to dry off. The temps kept rising as I progressed to the West. I made it to Farmington and stopped for a Subway, then stopped in Shiprock for gas. It tried to rain for the next hour or so but was basically dry. When I turned onto Hwy 98 towards Page, the sky was dark and you could see the rain coming down. I stopped and put on my rain liner and headed into the thunder and lightening with hands tucked in behind the windscreen and going as fast as I could to get the best envelope behind the fairing and wind screen. This lasted for about 15-20 minutes, I was wet again but the temps were warming. I made it to Page and got gas, I was almost totally dry when I left and headed south on US 89, where I ran into another doozy of a thunderstorm that lasted about the same amount of time as the last. Heavy rain, hail and standing water on the road. I was thankful I was riding the FJR, as it provided fair protection and tracked well in the water at 70mph plus. The rest of the day was dry and I really enjoyed the mountain pass on US 89 near Jacob Lake. Arrived in Kanab, and stopped at one of the first motels with a price noted on their sign. Ate the other half of the Subway for dinner.
Day 9 had me riding the desert or better know as the Great Basin across Utah and Nevada as I rode Ely, Eureka, Fallon and on to Reno. I rode through Zion National Park and then picked up a Grand Tour Checkpoint in Springdale, UT. Gassed up in Cedar City and then headed for the desert ride on Hwy 130, 21 to US 50. At Baker I stopped to investigate the Great Basin National Park. I didn't go up on the Wheeler Peak road, as I am saving that for next time, but I did do the 1 hour tour into the Lehman Caves. This turned out to be another high point of interpretive learning and the BEST cave I have ever been in. Hwy 50 isn't fantastic, but compared to I-70 through Nevada, it is nearly so. It follow the terrain and has a few mountain passes to keep you from falling asleep as well as some human activity to keep the sights some what interesting. It also has trees with tennis shoes hanging from the limbs. I gassed up in Fallon and headed off to Reno. I stayed at the Super 8 across from the University of Nevada and ate dinner at the Bonanza Casino. Gambled for an hour and half and didn't loose a penny. One of the dealers asked if I was going to stick around in the morning to see the balloons. ??? What balloons? 300 balloons taking off at 7:30am at the Univ. of NV. I was left thinking that I should stick around in the morning.
Zion National Park
Breakfast stop at Springdale, but they were closed.
Lehman Caves at the Great Basin National Park near Baker, NV.
A perfectly formed thunder cloud, about 15 miles away.
Day 10 would be a day to ride on home ground and to Bandon Dunes Resort where I would enjoy the lavish lodging and food, but first I had to park the bike and enjoy the takeoff of some 20-30 balloons. If that took a half hour I'm sure the rest would be going on until noon and I didn't have that much time. Got some nice pictures and went ahead and exited town. Perfect weather, sun, a few clouds, moderate temperatures and little wind but by the time I got to Shasta/Weed the temperature was climbing and I had to start taking measures to be cool. I gassed in Shasta with 290.7 on the trip meter and took on only 6 gallons. Almost 50 mpg, must have been going down hill. Turned off of I-5 to take Hwy 263 from Yreka north to I-5. This little diversion is nice, as it has cool bridges and a wonderful canyon, good corners and is just fun compared to the I-5. . At the Siskiyou summit I turned off of I-5 and got on the old Hwy 99 which took me to Hwy 66 and back into Ashland on the SE end of town. This little delight is filled with switchbacks and even a loop around. The temps just got hotter and hotter as I went north on I-5 with it in the 90's between Ashland and Roseburg. For I-5 this section does provide some 50 mph corners and does go through the mountains. I took exit 112 to come into Winston on the old Hwy 99, passing Roseburg Lumber (huge). From Winston I took Hwy 42 to Coquille and then shortcuts to Bandon Dunes. 42 has just about everything desirable to motorcyclist but it also has traffic and not enough passing zones, even for a FJR. You can miss a lot of wonderful corners while in traffic. Evening meal and desert was superb and the Inn at Bandon Dunes is so special ( I was the Architect).
Balloons and Darth Vader too.
Day 11 had me working at the construction site of a new building at BDR so I had to do my job. After that I had to ride home from work, so I took Hwy 101 to Reedsport and then turned on Smith River Road to go to Eugene. I met up with a whole slew of bicyclists doing an Eugene to the Coast Ride. I didn't count but after a while I stopped and talked to one of the participants and found out there were 2,500 of them. Needless to say, this wonderful fast paced back road turned into a slow ride for almost half of it. The last cop stopping to talk to me, but I blew past him like he wasn't there. I found no more bicyclists and the little mountain pass with all the switchbacks was open to navigate alone. I made two more stops on the way home, one off of Hwy 58 at Lowell, and a dam called Fall Creek, then another dam at Silverton. I traveled the back roads from Springfield to Woodburn where I got back on I-5 and made the rest of the ride home to Vancouver.
Mostly sunny, a little wind, thunderstorms and 4 more states.
One day of rest and I am ready to do it again. I put the refurbished carbs back in the wife's Virago yesterday and then took it out for check ride. It's ready to go and now she can start her summer riding. He, he.
Pictures:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenhattan/sets/72157627680408728/show/
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