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If you’ve never been on a granite dome before this one would be considered fairly good. But I’ve been on the mother of all Stone Mountains, in Georgia, so this one was anticlimactic. Nevertheless the Stone Mountain Loop Trail with a side excursion to Middle and Lower Falls was a nice afternoon hike. The path is level and well groomed. There is some strenuous rise to the mountain summit and from the Stone Mountain Falls (200 foot cascade), depending on which direction you set out. Attempting to scale the smooth face at the base of the main falls was met with difficulty. Fine sand on hiking boot tread made for poor traction. At the lower side of the park is an old homestead restoration — the 19th century Hutchinson House. It was interesting to me as it had many traditional similarities to the farm of my ancestors. It must have been a hard life but such a beautiful yard setting.
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Bermuda – Coney Island Park
Not much to see here although you can view the Grotto Bay Beach Resort from across Bailey’s Bay. The park is a short distance beyond the Bermuda Rail Trail head so it’s a nice little extender if you have the energy. The adventure is in the main trail previously reviewed.
Virginia
The Norfolk Waterside is hamstrung by development built to waters edge. As such there isn’t room available for a dedicated point A to point B greenway. There is a disjointed Elizabeth River Trail however, which was worthwhile. Starting at Harbor Park Stadium the route passes waterfront businesses, small park areas with glimpses of Naval shipyards on Hampton Roads. The USS Wisconsin, on permenant display, is a point of interest. There are rewarding views in the Ghent District after crossing busy Brambleton Ave. One can view renovated historic homes of mariner and colonial architecture. This is a fashionable place to live.
Iowa
The urban renewal planners in Des Moines have made their inner city greeenway a priority. The city has a certain healthful vitality and I witnessed many users on the system. My route began downtown at City Hall and followed the Des Moines River where the Raccoon River forks. The end point was a loop trail around Gray’s Lake Park. These rivers were swollen from recent heavy rains necessitating minor detours for flooded areas.
Run Monster
By now there are quite a few exercise logging apps with attendant websites out there. The Nike+ pedometer is a fair system with seamless data capture to web page display. Apple/Nike holds your information however, and there is not a way to download or backup your data independently. Runometer, a web source, has taken a crack at it but only to squirrel away your data as well. Nike+ can not record bicycle rides or produce route maps on the fly. Enter RunMonster a quality little application that is easy to use. It will automatically name your runs according to streets, and it’ll even group your runs and figure out whether you walked, biked, or ran, according to your speed. RunMonster creates a gpx file of your tracking event. Gpx is a format understood by most GPS devices using an import/export function. A gpx file can be displayed using HTML and Java Script on the web or with desktop software like Google Earth. I like to upload my gpx file archive to the cloud (e.g. Dropbox ). This practice, in addition to providing a backup resource, provides for a linkable file. Copy pasting this link into the search maps field on maps.google.com will also display your route trace, provide a shareable link, and provide an webpage embeddable link too. RunMonster data outputs to plain text (think spreadsheet). I like RunMonster. My data belongs to me.
Hanging Rock Hike I
Nice to have a loop trail for continuous new scenery. The reward view from the observation tower (former fire lookout) on the summit ridge line follows a 600 step rise. The 4 mile Moore’s Wall Loop Trail begins behind the Bath House on the Hanging Rock State Park Lake.
Tips:
- Travel counter clockwise to overcome the strenuous bit first.
- Trail narrows to single file in places amongst (thorn) brush
- Watch for critters
Hanging Rock Hike II
Worth a side trip excursion in the Hanging Rock State Park, are various short hikes to access some scenic areas. We sampled the Lower Cascades Falls, a place popular during prime time season as the plunge pool water is refreshing. Its base has easy accessibility.Following an unmarked path around the rock it is possible to reach the top of the falls thereby avoiding the vertical face climb. The course is strenuous, a bit rough, and the navigation can be disorienting. A GPS track is not available for this particular portion as my device remained behind with the shoes and socks for dry keeping. This unmarked path natural area is delicate peat and flora (hand hold grasp) subject to damage. A scramble to the top is not for the faint of heart. Wet rock and moss is slippery, i.e. don’t get hurt. For thrills, it is possible for an amateur (like me) do descend the vertical fall if careful but was a tad dicey.
put it in clutch
Too late. I splurged for an all new replacement Clutch Master Cylinder and installed. Out of curiosity the original unit was disassembled for inspection. Its machined cylinder bore ( 5/8″ ) had no corrosion and was therefore in fair condition. The residual fluid however was filthy black with contamination. The annular lip seals on the piston plunger were likely perished and my thinking is that I could have replaced these and saved the core unit. It may present a small challenge to find these small tapered sealing lip rubber bits. The pictured piston assembly resembles (copies?) that of a type of piston and valve frequently seen for early British Cars made by Dunlop and Girling. One closer look of this piston notes some scuffing. A proper rebuild would require honing the bore. Previously skeptical of dealer recommendations for annual brake fluid changes, cooling system flushes and similar ilk; I now have first hand evidence for the justification. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and thus the degradation. Why not silicon based DOT 5 instead, which is hydrophobic? That is another debate. Perhaps the *new* complete assembly was the path of least resistance after all.
Lincoln LS Brake Job
No need to pay an automotive service center specialist the big bucks. This is maintenance that can be done in the garage. The local auto parts store has the replacement pads and special tools. Safety stands are necessary since the vehicle will be raised and the wheels removed. Supporting the vehicle with a floor jack is not recommended. Before lifting use your tire iron to loosen slightly the wheel lug nuts. The torque required to break them free will cause wheel rotation unless the weight of the vehicle rests upon it. Continue reading…
Changing Lincoln LS Brake Pads
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There are two bolts to remove which will free the caliper and provide access to the brake pads themselves. A 12mm socket will fit the lower bolt but for the upper the alloy suspension arm interferes. Use a 12mm box wrench instead. These two bolts may be overly snug so a few hammer taps on the arm of the tool simulates that of an impact gun. Using arm strength in constant pulling or pushing force may round off the bolt head just before you scrape your knuckles. Set the removed bolts aside. |
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The caliper slides outward now free of its retaining bracket. Some seesaw wriggling is usually necessary to slide away the caliber because of interference fit. This brake caliper assembly includes the hydraulic piston(s) and still attached is a hydraulic hose and a wire link to the ABS speed sensor at the hub. These umbilicals can be damaged by rough handling, twisting or dangling. The old pads will be loose but left behind still hugging the rotor disc. |
| Fashion a wire clothes hangar or length of string to support the weight of the caliber. This will free your hands and prevent damage to the brake hose. The upper suspension support arm provides a handy support anchor. |  |
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Some thought pertaining to the condition of the brake rotors should be taken. If the rotors are warped they must be removed and trued on a lathe machine. Note also that a disc rotor does lose thickness over time. A width measurement check will determine if it is within minimum wear tolerance. To avoid any concern the rotor can be replaced with new. |
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Your brake pad kit box may contain new spring clips which slide into place. If not, the old ones are generally reusable on condition. Copy the clip orientation from that of the removed pads. |
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The new pads lay into place one on each side of the rotor disc. Unfortunately the caliper can not just be put back into place as simply as it was pulled away. The new pads are much thicker than the worn ones. |
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To make the calipers “fit again” the extended pistons must be retracted into the caliper. |
| The most elegant way to re-compress them is with a special caliper tool that the auto parts store will happily loan. There are assorted sizes in the kit depending on your application. This kit really takes the effort out of a necessary task especially for doing the rear brakes which require that the piston be screwed inward on account of the internal parking brake design. |  |
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Turning the handle does the trick. The other piston visible has already been pushed home. Movement of the piston(s) in this direction will displace brake fluid. |
| Remove the cap from the underhood brake fluid reservoir to determine if there is sufficient room for brake fluid rise as you retract the caliper piston(s). Place an old cotton undershirt or the like over the opening to absorb any overfull spills if necessary. Take care not to allow lint or foreign material to enter the reservoir opening. Spilled fluid is harmful to the paint finish. |  |
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With the pistons fully pressed back into the caliper housing the caliper will slide back over the new pads. Pushing down slightly on the caliper assembly will squeeze those brake pad spring clips allowing the caliper retaining bolts to find their female threaded counterparts in the abutment bracket. Snug these bolts but do not over tighten. Don’t neglect to reinstall the fluid reservoir cap. To complete the job you must “pump the brake pedal” to remove the free play between caliper pistons and pads. There will be little or no stopping ability otherwise and could lead to unpleasant surprise. Test drive to check for proper operation including a “panic stop” to assure that the ABS functions. |