... 1:25 PM central standard time Sunday. Changed the title this weekend to get your attention LOL. ;^)
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WAYDWYRTW? What are you doing with your RV this weekend?
- Thread starter DeltaRomeo
- Start date
I went out to fly and get some fuel for our Thanksgiving trip this Wednesday. Heading down to T82, Fredericksburg, TX for a family VRBO Thanksgiving. Anyway, I noticed some red fluid under the right tire. Spent the rest of the afternoon fixing a brake leak. All good now.
Foghorn,
Fredericksburg is a great place to be this time of the year.
Enjoy and be safe.
Chester, California (O05)
Threw the (full size) gravel bike in the 7a and zipped up to Chester, California to bike around Lake Almanor (38 miles, 61km). VERY quiet up there with the fire fighting planes gone and the summer homes all shuttered. And, absolutely gorgeous. Even the Sutter Buttes were a nice view on the way home.
Threw the (full size) gravel bike in the 7a and zipped up to Chester, California to bike around Lake Almanor (38 miles, 61km). VERY quiet up there with the fire fighting planes gone and the summer homes all shuttered. And, absolutely gorgeous. Even the Sutter Buttes were a nice view on the way home.
In preparation for yesterday's webinar (1,383 views), documented takeoff directional phenomena, finished with a high speed LPV approach. Today, coached my CFI through stalls in 30° bank, including entry and the entire recovery. Also played with lazy 8, descending spiral around a point, turns around a point, and a power off 180. That last is challenging because the RV-9A floats so much. Some of those I'd not done in decades.... Also did a high speed LPV approach on autopilot, and it got real confused when the power was reduced. I hadn't noticed before, but I wonder if this is an adaptive algorithm.
Tracking its delivery, very impatiently.
pazmanyflyer
Well Known Member
Smoke on team performed a missing man for Captain Richard Wartenberg of the very public UPS crash that happened a couple weeks ago. It was an hour to be part of it, I was ground crew and 4 of his co-workers flew a 4 ship for the missing man.
Attachments
SPX
Well Known Member
Thank you for doing your part to participate in this.
It's very sad to think of someone simply going to work, and then losing their life due to no fault of their own.
Very cool. What kind of bike? Pics? Fits nicely in the 7?
I'm guessing you took your passenger seat out, right?
danny
Had another flight yesterday afternoon.
The CFI did two turning stalls, then I did a lazy 8, descending spiral, turns around a point, LPV approach, two no flap landings, a power off 180, and one more landing. Fun day but none of my exercises were within ACS tolerance, I bet. But some of those I’d never done, or hadn’t done in decades.
The CFI did two turning stalls, then I did a lazy 8, descending spiral, turns around a point, LPV approach, two no flap landings, a power off 180, and one more landing. Fun day but none of my exercises were within ACS tolerance, I bet. But some of those I’d never done, or hadn’t done in decades.
Danny and Eddie,
Depending on where I will be riding, I either take my full suspension 29er carbon mountain bike or my carbon gravel bike (with 700 rims). I'm 5'10" and believe the frame sizes are medium. I remove the passenger seat and have a tilt-up 7a. I remove both tires and my clip-in pedals. Dropper posts are lowered. That's all. It takes some wiggling and maneuvering it get it in, but it fits. Below are some photos.
Mountain bike and gear in Sedona, AZ (2025)
Gravel bike and all camping gear, Oshkosh (2025)
Gravel bike, on a 120 mile glamping 4-day trip, Telluride-Ouray-Lake City-Silverton, CO (2024)
Depending on where I will be riding, I either take my full suspension 29er carbon mountain bike or my carbon gravel bike (with 700 rims). I'm 5'10" and believe the frame sizes are medium. I remove the passenger seat and have a tilt-up 7a. I remove both tires and my clip-in pedals. Dropper posts are lowered. That's all. It takes some wiggling and maneuvering it get it in, but it fits. Below are some photos.
Mountain bike and gear in Sedona, AZ (2025)
Gravel bike and all camping gear, Oshkosh (2025)
Gravel bike, on a 120 mile glamping 4-day trip, Telluride-Ouray-Lake City-Silverton, CO (2024)
Not really the weekend, but since I was in the simulator Saturday and Sunday I’m keeping the thread going LOL.
58*F and no wind Tuesday morning at 52F.
No hurry flight around the local area.
No autopilot. No ATC. Just counting deer, turkeys and feral pigs from a chair in the sky.
Some pics and a video of the track below.
v/r,dr
The Icarian Colony in Denton County, Texas (1848)
Name: Officially called “Icaria” or “Icarian Community” (sometimes referred to as the “Advance Guard” or “Texas Icarians”)
Exact location
maps.app.goo.gl
About 4–5 miles north of present-day Justin, Texas
Roughly 10–12 miles south of Rhome
Near the modern intersection of FM 156 and County Road 1017 (formerly part of the old Peters Colony land grants)
On the east bank of Oliver Creek, in the rich blackland prairie just west of the Cross Timbers
Key facts
Founded: February 1848
Abandoned: July–August 1848 (only ~6 months)
Size: ~69–75 French settlers (men, women, and a few children), mostly artisans and workers from Paris and surrounding areas
Leader: Étienne Cabet (remained in France; sent an “advance guard” to prepare land for thousands more)
Land: Approximately 1,200–3,000 acres (accounts vary) purchased through agents in the Peters Colony
What they planned
To create the first outpost of Cabet’s utopian communist society based on his novel Voyage en Icarie (1840). All property was communal, work was shared equally, meals were taken together, and everyone was to wear identical simple clothing. The Texas site was meant to be temporary until the main body arrived from Nauvoo, Illinois.
Why it failed so quickly
Malaria and dysentery epidemics (several died, including the colony’s doctor)
Severe spring/summer flooding of Oliver Creek that destroyed crops and gardens
Lack of timber on the open prairie (they had to haul wood from miles away)
Extreme heat and isolation
Disagreements over leadership and Cabet’s strict rules
Hostile or indifferent local Anglo settlers (some theft of livestock reported)
End of the colony
By midsummer 1848 the survivors voted to abandon the site. Most traveled back up the Trinity River, then overland to rejoin Cabet’s larger group in Nauvoo, Illinois. A few stayed in Texas (one family reportedly settled near Dallas).
What remains today
Nothing physical. The land is private ranch/farmland. There is no marker or sign. The Denton County Historical Commission and local historians know the approximate spot, but it is not open to the public.
Sources for deeper reading
Texas State Historical Association Handbook article: “Icarians”
The Icarian Community in Texas by Emile Vallet (one of the survivors)
Denton County historical journals (available at the Denton Public Library or Emily Fowler Central Library archives)
So yes, there really was a tiny French communist utopia attempted right there between Justin and Rhome… and it lasted less time than a modern Netflix subscription.
58*F and no wind Tuesday morning at 52F.
No hurry flight around the local area.
No autopilot. No ATC. Just counting deer, turkeys and feral pigs from a chair in the sky.
Some pics and a video of the track below.
- Lefts and rights enjoying the morning sun.
- Turn around the Icarian Colony of 1848 (more below).
- Around the N side of KDTO’s class D.
- Checked out the condition of a friend’s grass runway (wet).
- Along the dam of Lake Ray Roberts (the pic).
- Turn south down Lake Lewisville and Lakeview airport. Viz was nice. You could see the centerline of DFW’s 18R from 10 n.m. away.
- Under DFW’s 2000’ shelf of class B and Lake Grapevine.
- Circled ‘the beach’…..underwater due to recent rains
- Back over the top to land 35.
- Socialize for a bit with the usual suspects. Back home to get on the keyboard.
v/r,dr
The Icarian Colony in Denton County, Texas (1848)
Name: Officially called “Icaria” or “Icarian Community” (sometimes referred to as the “Advance Guard” or “Texas Icarians”)
Exact location
Google Maps
Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
Roughly 10–12 miles south of Rhome
Near the modern intersection of FM 156 and County Road 1017 (formerly part of the old Peters Colony land grants)
On the east bank of Oliver Creek, in the rich blackland prairie just west of the Cross Timbers
Key facts
Founded: February 1848
Abandoned: July–August 1848 (only ~6 months)
Size: ~69–75 French settlers (men, women, and a few children), mostly artisans and workers from Paris and surrounding areas
Leader: Étienne Cabet (remained in France; sent an “advance guard” to prepare land for thousands more)
Land: Approximately 1,200–3,000 acres (accounts vary) purchased through agents in the Peters Colony
What they planned
To create the first outpost of Cabet’s utopian communist society based on his novel Voyage en Icarie (1840). All property was communal, work was shared equally, meals were taken together, and everyone was to wear identical simple clothing. The Texas site was meant to be temporary until the main body arrived from Nauvoo, Illinois.
Why it failed so quickly
Malaria and dysentery epidemics (several died, including the colony’s doctor)
Severe spring/summer flooding of Oliver Creek that destroyed crops and gardens
Lack of timber on the open prairie (they had to haul wood from miles away)
Extreme heat and isolation
Disagreements over leadership and Cabet’s strict rules
Hostile or indifferent local Anglo settlers (some theft of livestock reported)
End of the colony
By midsummer 1848 the survivors voted to abandon the site. Most traveled back up the Trinity River, then overland to rejoin Cabet’s larger group in Nauvoo, Illinois. A few stayed in Texas (one family reportedly settled near Dallas).
What remains today
Nothing physical. The land is private ranch/farmland. There is no marker or sign. The Denton County Historical Commission and local historians know the approximate spot, but it is not open to the public.
Sources for deeper reading
Texas State Historical Association Handbook article: “Icarians”
The Icarian Community in Texas by Emile Vallet (one of the survivors)
Denton County historical journals (available at the Denton Public Library or Emily Fowler Central Library archives)
So yes, there really was a tiny French communist utopia attempted right there between Justin and Rhome… and it lasted less time than a modern Netflix subscription.
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A fascinating story! Had never heard of them.
