Friday Night Fireworks

Click Here for more Pictures 

I do enjoy a good firework show on occasion. I also enjoy going to airshows so when there is way to do those two things at once I'm there. That was the case this Friday night when I went to the Greenwood Lake Airshow. This is a small but interesting airshow because they hold it during the early evening and night. The show has some of the usual airshow acts but this is not the main attraction. The main attraction is the firework extravaganza that goes on after dark. They combine lasers, fireworks and walls of fire along with a few airplanes dropping fireworks to put on one of the best night time shows you will ever see. You can clink on the link above for some pictures of the show but there is really no way to covey the actual experience adequately.

Like any airshow it has airplanes doing some graceful and amazing aerobatics 

 

There was also a jet truck powered by 3 jet engines firing up the place and going 0 to 200 mph in 5.8 seconds. It was cool just watching it puff flames during the day.

 

And even better once it got dark 

Once it got dark the real show began. First with some skydivers lit up with LED's and sparklers then they sent up a plane lit up with LED's and dropping fireworks.

Then the laser and firework show began. When the music starts and they are playing AC/DC you know the fire is coming. You not only see these balls of exploding fire rise up out of the ground but you feel the concussion and heat from it that makes you feel like you're part of the explosion.

 

The firework show was amazing for a number of different reasons. First the fireworks were coming from multiple places along the runway so the entire horizon was filled with lasers, fireworks and flames. Second the variety and sheet number of fireworks per second was overwhelming. 

 

It was a continuous barrage. And if that wasn't enough there are also airplanes fly through the fireworks dropping more fireworks.

 

It was a total sensory overload that left you speechless and in awe. 

I had been wanting to go  for a while and I'm glad I finally did. We were lucky and had perfect weather. It was in the mid 70s with partly cloudy skies. The only drawback was it was a 2+ hour drive each way so we didn't get back home until after midnight but it was worth it. I know that this is the 250th anniversary of the US and there will be a lot of firework shows around July 4th this year but none of them are going to be as good as I saw last night.  

Feather Overhaul

A little over a month ago my Feather started skipping occasionally during shifting. This usually indicates a problem with the chain and/or cassette so I took it into the shop. I bought this bike in 1999 so it is 26 years old. The original bike came with Dura Ace and it has been a very durable. Over the years I have replaces, chains, cassettes, cables and the front derailleur but the wheels and frame and rest of the bike  have at least fifty thousand miles on them and have a lot more miles left. I just love the way the bike feels and rides. 

Once I brought it to the shop they confirmed that it needed a new chain, cassette and new small chain ring in the front. The only problem is that since my group set is so old it is hard to get parts. The chain was no problem and although the original cassette is no longer available SRAM has a compatible one. The main problem was the front chain ring which took the bike shop some time to find and get. That meant that my bike was in the shop for a month while they waited for parts. 

Once they got the parts and started to put it back together they found a few more problems. First the left crank was cracked. 

 

I guess fifty thousand miles of me pounding the pedals stress the metal to the point of failure. The crack wasn't all the way through yet so I could have gotten a few more miles out of it but better to change it than have to ride with one crank. 

The other issues that the shop found was a crack in the wield on the collar used to secure the seat. 

 

This is not really a problem as it is just a crack in the wield. The collar itself is fine. Also I haven't moved the seat in many years so even if it fails I doubt the seat will move. The seat post is probably frozen to the frame at this point. Also if I need to fix this I want someone who is an experienced frame builder and wielder not a local bike shop. 

Other than those problems once the shop got the parts they put the bike back together. I now have a new cassette and chain.

And a new small front chain ring.

 

The new chain ring is black instead of silver but I really don't care. The shop also put new derailleur cables on and new brake pads so the bike has now has had a full overhaul. 

It's nice to have the Feather back as I have been riding my Synapse for the past month. My Synapse is a good bike and great for hill rides but it doesn't ride or shift as smooth as my Feather. 

I took the Feather out for a couple of rides this week and it feels as good as new. It just tracks and rides so much smoother than any other bike I have ridden and I can push this bike a lot harder than my other bikes. 

This will probably be the last time I will try to get new parts for this group set. When things wear out again I will probably completely replace the current group set for something newer with maybe a few more gears. That is probably a couple of years away. Until then I will just enjoy the ride of the Feather.