As you can see from the sign above, you must buzz in between certain hours only. Then someone will come out to meet you and give you the “lobby tour.” That means you can look through a pane of glass at the big GE turbines in the generating station, and the old control room that isn’t used any more…just in case you have never seen obsolete power plant technology. There’s a video and other stuff illustrating the history of the dam project, and that’s about it. Thank you for stopping by.

In days when we didn’t worry about terrorists wanting to blow up items of interest such as giant hydroelectric dams, one could actually walk on the floor of the turbine room. There would also be tours of the intake station. Heck, I even finished up my SCUBA diving certification on the rocks just southeast of the intake tower. Not close enough to be sucked in, obviously. But now these are all off-limits areas, as you can see by the menacing chain link fence.

By the way…does anyone think a chain link fence is going to deter Habib in his van full of explosives? No…these are “feel good” moves. Very little has been done in the way of real security since September 2001. The reason for that is our free society. Freedom always means vulnerability. That’s why it’s up to us to remain vigilant and proactive. How would you like to live in Israel, where bus or cafe bombings are frequent? It’s up to us whether we want to accept that kind of thing, because there are plenty of people who would like to make it happen over here. And perhaps that’s another reason for those chain link fences and restricted areas: to tell people like that “we’re on the lookout for you.”

This week in Vegas was my first time on an airplane in 20 years. My last time was in 1986, and I’ve successfully avoided it ever since. Typically my reason is that I’m hauling motorcycles and gear with me, and those don’t fit in an overhead compartment. But I’ll admit the thought of getting on an airplane didn’t exactly thrill me. Lots of guys who race motorcycles don’t like to fly. The current AMA Superbike points leader doesn’t fly if he can help it, but last year’s champ just got his own plane and pilot’s license. Go figure.

It was interesting…I was nervous and curious at the same time. Thankfully I had the luxury of an exit seat on the wing, so I could see what the airplane was doing. As we accelerated down the runway and lifted off, I had to laugh and exclaim, “I’ve gone plenty faster than this!” I looked it up, and sure…and MD-82 series lifts off at about 140mph. At that speed, I can still get the front wheel up, and I’ve got two more gears! Once we’re in the air, though, that’s another matter.

My only regret is that I wasn’t able to circle Bismarck-Mandan for a while. That would have been so cool, but our route actually didn’t afford us a view of the cities. Once we lift off, we bank left and head south, so there’s no way to look down at Bismarck or Mandan. Coming in was a little better; I was able to get pictures of the Memorial Bridge. But I couldn’t get anything on the left side of the aircraft, i.e. Bismarck. I saw my parents’ house south of Mandan, but only briefly.

While trying to calm myself on the flight down to Nevada, I thought of how I’d spend an evening wrenching on one of my motorcycles, then get up in the morning and wring its neck at triple-digit speeds all day on the track. I never had a bolt come loose there, and I don’t even have a checklist like aircraft mechanics do! I also remembered what it’s like to dive into Turn 1 at Brainerd on the first lap: the wind is so bad from 60+ bikes hitting top speed down the straight and into the corner that riders are buffeted back and forth like rag dolls, clinging tenaciously to the handlebars. Air is NOT smooth. Turbulence is normal. So is creaking. And if the wings didn’t flop up and down like that, they’d snap off. Physics is a wonderful thing. Gradually nervousness dissolved into curiosity; I was planning on sleeping all the way down, but instead I rarely even blinked.

On the flight back I sat next to a very nice Christian lady, I’d guess in her 50s, whose dad was an airline pilot. She’d obviously spent a lot of time aboard jets. She also had a portable GPS with her, so we had a grand time watching the boundaries go by and that sort of thing. She also was starting a new Clive Cussler novel, so we talked about different authors and stuff. I told her all the favorable things I’ve heard about Ted Bell and Vince Flynn, since she likes intrigue. Someday I plan to dive into their novels too.

Then we touched down, and here I am. I took the big bike out today on a blast to Beaver Bay, only to find out that Bosch’s Bayside, the restaurant I enjoy for a double bacon cheeseburger, has closed since the water’s gone. What a disappointment. So I turned back around, blazed home. From a seat-of-the-pants impression I was accelerating faster than the MD-82, but I don’t have any way to compare other than that.

It sure is good to be back in Bismarck! Did I miss anything while I was gone?

It was nice to come down here…it was 112 in Bismarck, but only 104 here! And it’s a dry heat, too. It’s a cake walk. The first guy I met when I walked out the airport was a Christian, too.

So far I’ve had the opportunity to work 14-16 hrs each day, do a lot of camera and tripod lifting, shoot video and stills. I got to work with a nice lady from the FBI and get some nice FBI swag (souvenirs for you old folks). I also worked a little bit with a guy who used to be on the crew for Sesame Street before coming to Nevada. My friend is the general manager of the FOX television affiliate here in Vegas, and we’re gonna go out for dinner shortly. Then I guess I’ll see the sights.

I have a lot of observations and may do a word dump later, but for now it’s time for a nap. I’ve had roughly 3-4 hours of sleep each night between the time I shut off the cameras and go back to my room and the time I stagger downstairs for a Red Bull and two dollar breakfast. The food here’s cheap, they try to keep a guy happy so he gambles I suppose. Anyway, time for a brief combat nap before dinner. Drive safely.