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April 29, 2008
A Wright Not A Privilege
| Video: Some raw footage of me driving some of my
various vehicles. Only the most dedicated of blog writers would report on Video Traffic School and the Bidwell Park and Playground Commission in the same post. And that's why reading this blog is a privilege, and not a right. Late last year while driving my wife's truck to the dump I was awarded a chance meeting with the California Highway Patrol. Since I can't hear the road in my wife's newer vehicle I couldn't determine how fast I was going. The CHP guy decided to let me know. Curse you Tom Nickell and all your CHP brethren from hell. In my 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 I can hear the birds singing and the wind whistling by at 25mph. It's like driving the Chico Nature Center down the road, though without the pompous anti-disc golf attitude. At 75mph my old car sounds like a minor hurricane. My wife's truck sounds the same at 35mph as it does at 90mph. So I like to drive it around 90mph. Anyway, I spent 4 hours last night paying for the sins of my first moving violation in 19 years. I learned a lot. In particular I learned that I do a lot of illegal things. For instance, it's illegal for me to listen to my iPOD when I ride my bike. It's also illegal to drive backwards on the wrong side of the freeway while passing cars on the shoulder in the fog. There are also new laws that don't impact me, but I should pass on. It is illegal for people under 18 to drive while talking on a cell phone even if it is a "hand-free" phone. It's illegal to drive when you're under 18. It's illegal to be 18. Apparently being 18 is also a privilege and not a right. You also can't smoke with minors in your car. I couldn't tell if it was illegal to drive if the minors are smoking. So there you go. If anyone out there needs to take traffic school, just let the court know that you read this blog. I'm pretty sure you just learned as much as I did last night. |
| Park Commission: (please
read this while playing Ozzy Osbourne's Flying High Again). Proving once again that illegal behavior is the best way to get "the nod" the paraglider proponents got recommended for approval by the Park Commission last night. I'm kidding, but the fact is that if paragliding hadn't already been in the park for a long time they probably wouldn't have had a chance. They will need an EIR, a municipal code change, and City Council approval. That usually takes 14-20 years. Dennis Beardsley (interim Assistant City Manager, General Services Director, Park Director, and masked crime fighter known as "Mitigation Man") had said in a memo that the city didn't have money to perform the required EIR to allow paragliding. He backed off that statement last night when Commissioner Jim Walker suggested that hiking to a launch point and walking away from a landing point didn't really constitute a new kind of use of the park. Walker's main point being that since those activities are already allowed the environmental review can't be too complicated. The proponent of paragliding, Jon Stallman, provided a presentation that covered 3 possible launch sites along the North Rim trail and a couple of landing points (Horseshoe Lake and near Bear Hole). An interesting fact is that once the paragliders are in the air they are covered by FAA rules and not the City of Chico. Therefore, concerns over falcons or other birds cannot be enforced by Chico in relation to powered/unpowered aircraft. If the paragliders launched outside of Bidwell Park, they would have a right to make an emergency landing in the park. A couple of citizens complained about the visual impact on Bidwell Park. Commissioner Lisa Emmerich agreed with this point. A paraglider supporter pointed out that they've been using the site to do this for 12 years, and nobody has complained about the aesthetics of it before. Commissioner David Wood said that when he saw paragliders land they were usually peppered with questions about the activity and not complaints about the visual impact of it. Commissioner Emmerich stated that in her time on the commission she felt the body had resisted allowing any new uses in Upper Bidwell Park. She was confused by the apparent support for this new use, even though it's been in the park for years (illegally). Commissioner Steve Lucas responded that even though some on the commission are less outspoken, there are members that believe access should not be denied to the park, and that it should be used for recreation. Last night the Park Commission did a good thing by supporting paragliding in Upper Bidwell Park. That was a positive step for improving park access, even though it only impacts a dozen or so people who clearly have money to spend on their hobby. The vote was 5-2 with Walker, Barrett, Lucas, Wood, and Candela for, and Emmerich and Ober against paragliding. |
 CI Challenge: Can you guess what it is? Winner: Always the wright man for the job, Gregg Payne. See comments below for the answer. |
Posted by Lon at April 29, 2008 08:44 AM
Comments
Orville Redenbacher and Orville the pig. Where's Orville Wright?
Posted by: Gregg at April 29, 2008 09:02 AM
I meant Wilbur the Pig, that is!
Posted by: Gregg at April 29, 2008 09:03 AM
Well the CIC would be Orville Reddenbacher and perhaps his new salted pork rinds flavored popcorn spokespig.
Posted by: Anthony at April 29, 2008 09:17 AM
oh.... I had to stop watching the video. This is why I'll never stand on the sidelines at races done on streets and roads.
Posted by: Anthony at April 29, 2008 09:21 AM
Aesthetics are a pretty subjective and inconsistent concern. I wonder if there have been many complaints about kids flying colorful kites, or people driving colorful cars or bikers wearing colorful spandex. Do they need EIR's too?
I seen Jon flying around up there for years and have always thought it was more beautiful than watching airplanes and turkey vultures. It's less dangerous than trying to cross the creek in the winter.
Whatever law there is against this should just go away.
Posted by: Gregg at April 29, 2008 09:30 AM
Gregg,
It seems like a pretty reasonable thing to do to let people using an area for something for 12 year continue to use it.
It is necessary to point out that these guys, while not necessarily wealthy, must spend a lot on paragliding equipment, etc. This limits the number of people that can enjoy that use.
There is still a need for support of low cost recreation that is accessible to all chicoans. Even in relation to hiking and mountain biking, the Park Department has done a terrible job directing funds to trail improvements. Instead they study the park to death to keep a few disgruntled citizens from threatening legal action.
Lon
Posted by: Lon at April 29, 2008 10:37 AM
CIC... It's Wilbur and Orville, unfortunately just not the right brothers.
Lon
Posted by: Lon at April 29, 2008 10:38 AM
Hi Lon,
Had to say, my family has been to the mountain top, and we have seen the light of the disc, and we believe.
We have started a new church, the Church of the Disc (it's not FRISBEE Mom!). The 9 o'clock air was crisp and pleasant, the swallows flipping and diving off the cliff, the vultures rolling lazy on the updrafts. Wow, tons of native plants and creatures. Even signs of the Human Animal! Incredible trees. What a view. We're going to try to make a habit of early worship, because by 11 am, the big disc in the sky was getting a little excitable. We lunched in the parking lot (just like church!) and hit the road, feeling pretty good.
My son has been to the Sherwood course a few times, so he talked us into inviting some disc-happy friends to meet us there that evening. Let me tell you, the rattlers don't like a party, but the skeeters and ticks are always glad to see you. We played the short course, ate some cake on that fabulous concrete table (although the blocks and boards on 32 are way more our white trash style)and beat it for the cars under an all-out air assault.
Yeah, my family is hooked. I don't like the part where you have to go into the bushes to get your disc, which is where mine always ends up, so I just go along to carry the water bottle and bug repellent. Every now and then I yell "Tick Check!" or "Snake!" just to keep everybody on their toes.
The boy has already lined up a disc golf tour for our upcoming vacation. He found your page for Sherwood Forest on the website - very nice. Happy Belated Patriots Day - your eternal nuisance, Juanita
Posted by: juanita at April 29, 2008 02:07 PM
Lon, isn't this your '64 Galaxy? I just thought your friends at the Chico PD ought to keep a look out for you.
Posted by: Gregg at April 29, 2008 02:08 PM
Gregg,
That's a '64 Fairlane, almost the same car, but not quite.
And I have friends everywhere, they should all keep a look out for me.
Lon
Posted by: Lon at April 29, 2008 03:09 PM
Juanita,
Oroville has a nice set of courses that are close enough for a day trip if you want variety. Plus if it's hot you can take a swim in the river or run through the fountain.
The two Sherwood Forest holes we removed because of the rattlsnakes should be back in this week.
Lon
Posted by: Lon at April 29, 2008 03:18 PM
I think this is a joke about how Orovillians are pigs.
Posted by: Jason Bougie at April 29, 2008 04:22 PM
Jason,
All I know is that it didn't take Orovillians 14 years and $600,000 to make a decision on disc golf. From where I stand they look pretty smart.
BTW: You're going disc golfing one of these days. You can't escape the ever extending tendrils of this demonic recreation...
Lon
Posted by: Lon at April 29, 2008 04:47 PM
Being a surviving motocrosser that grew up in the Evel Knievil era, I'd have to say this one is one of my recent favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkiBTtLikDw&feature=related
I wish I had video of my spectacular get offs.
Posted by: Gregg at April 29, 2008 09:46 PM
I wish I had video of my spectacular get offs.
I'm going to leave that alone, except to say that you can likely find something similar somewhere on the internet.
Lon
Posted by: Lon at April 30, 2008 06:40 AM
Although I have grown weary of all things Enterprise-Record related, their story on the park & playground comission vote is actually not bad. Factual, and well written:
http://www.chicoer.com/ci_9103388?source=rss&_requestid=13972
Take the poll. As of Wednesday 10:30 AM over 45% of the people had no problem with either the paragliders or the TJ farms horse carrages. Apparently this really doesn't piss off the populace that much. 22% said to hell with both activities, with the rest split.
To the paragliders: Best wishes getting the city law changed. Pray that your parachutes never land on trees, dirt, wagon ruts, ants, leaves, horse dung, knotweed, or anything else. Because if you do. . . . well ask disc golfers.
Posted by: Jim Mellem at April 30, 2008 10:42 AM
WOW- Thanks for the support folks!
The support really helps get things moving with public sentiment. We all were a little shocked that they didn't even hick-up about the liability but instead moved to the visual impacts of gliders floating around in the air. I don't think the nay voters understood that we really only can fly 50 % of the year. Of that 50% of the year the wind is only in the right direction-out of the south- to fly 50% of the time = 25% of the year. Then the wind speed must be right = about 5-10% of the day light time. That's nothing like the houses on South rim! Anyway- thanks a bunch for the support. Please let me know what I can do in return for your efforts. I don't know much about the course on the rim- but I did see a grounds plan pinned on the wall of the chambers the other night. There must be some good coming into the picture! Cheers to all! Happy Trails- Jon
Posted by: Jon at May 1, 2008 01:47 PM
Just pray for us Jon, pray like there's no tomorrow. And keep an eye out for my tye-dye XL disc that's somewhere out there... alone and terrified... in Bidwell Park.
Lon
Posted by: Lon at May 1, 2008 02:23 PM