https://www.dailywire.com/news/45-dead-after-bus-crashes-off-cliff-en-route-to-easter-church-service

Forty-five Christians are dead and a young girl seriously injured
after a bus crashed off a cliff in South Africa en route to an
Easter church service.

The bus crash reportedly took place in Limpopo, the northernmost
province of South Africa, and occurred after the vehicle veered
off a cliff and burst into flames upon hitting the ground.
According to various reports, the lone survivor of the accident
was an 8-year-old girl who was now receiving medical attention
at a nearby hospital.

.. . .

The girl was probably hanging half out the window, as
kids are wont to do ... and thus was the only one
flung clear.

Sounds like it happened where a bridge went over a
deep gorge, and for some reason the driver lost it
and missed the bridge. Sorry, not much in the way
of barriers/rails in that part of the world ...

On Thu, 28 Mar 2024 20:33:05 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:

> Sounds like it happened where a bridge went over a deep gorge, and
> for some reason the driver lost it and missed the bridge. Sorry, not
> much in the way of barriers/rails in that part of the world ...

Have you ever driven down past Big Sur in California? I'm used to mountain
roads where the assumption is you're going to keep it on the road but the
first time I took that route I was amazed it could exist in the Nanny
State.

On 3/28/24 9:02 PM, rbowman wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Mar 2024 20:33:05 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:
>
>> Sounds like it happened where a bridge went over a deep gorge, and
>> for some reason the driver lost it and missed the bridge. Sorry, not
>> much in the way of barriers/rails in that part of the world ...
>
> Have you ever driven down past Big Sur in California? I'm used to mountain
> roads where the assumption is you're going to keep it on the road but the
> first time I took that route I was amazed it could exist in the Nanny
> State.

Try highway 550 up the middle of mountain Colorado - oft
called the "Million Dollar Highway" because of how much
gold ore gravel holds up the road. LOTS of places with
sharp turns and NO kinds of useful safeguards. There
are a lot of roads like this - YOU have to drive WELL,
or you drive into a REALLY DEEP hole in the ground.

There are some places near Pagosa Springs CO with
perilous cliffs and the Rio Grande Gorge bridge a
bit west of Taos NM ... you can see all the little
tiny "toy" cars and trucks at the bottom :-)

On Fri, 29 Mar 2024 02:19:03 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:

> Try highway 550 up the middle of mountain Colorado - oft
> called the "Million Dollar Highway" because of how much gold ore
> gravel holds up the road. LOTS of places with sharp turns and NO
> kinds of useful safeguards. There are a lot of roads like this - YOU
> have to drive WELL, or you drive into a REALLY DEEP hole in the
> ground.

I'm not sure if I've driven that one. I hiked up Uncompahgre Peak so I've
been in the general vicinity but I think it was from the 149 side.

When I was a kid we drove over the Big Horns. I think it was 16 out of
Buffalo WY. I remember being able to look up and see the cars on each
switchback up the mountain. No guard rails and to add to the excitement
tandem log trucks coming down the hill.

I took the road a few years ago but it was so foggy I was lucky to see the
pavement 50 yards ahead.

On 3/29/24 2:23 PM, rbowman wrote:
> On Fri, 29 Mar 2024 02:19:03 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:
>
>> Try highway 550 up the middle of mountain Colorado - oft
>> called the "Million Dollar Highway" because of how much gold ore
>> gravel holds up the road. LOTS of places with sharp turns and NO
>> kinds of useful safeguards. There are a lot of roads like this - YOU
>> have to drive WELL, or you drive into a REALLY DEEP hole in the
>> ground.
>
> I'm not sure if I've driven that one. I hiked up Uncompahgre Peak so I've
> been in the general vicinity but I think it was from the 149 side.

Uncompahgre is a fairly popular hike. Climbed Sunlight Peak
further south once - gotta come up around the northeast side
and traverse a rather narrow ridge to get at the top. That
one is kinda dangerous. Try the easier-LOOKING southern side
and you're almost sure to get killed by falling rocks. Anyway
I was much much younger and, of course, indestructible :-)

Not much AIR up on top of those things !

> When I was a kid we drove over the Big Horns. I think it was 16 out of
> Buffalo WY. I remember being able to look up and see the cars on each
> switchback up the mountain. No guard rails and to add to the excitement
> tandem log trucks coming down the hill.

Never got into Wyoming or Montana. In any case, there is not much
spare room on a lot of those mountain highways for barriers, and
not sure how much GOOD they would do if you lost yer brakes on
the way down or took a good skid on ice.

> I took the road a few years ago but it was so foggy I was lucky to see the
> pavement 50 yards ahead.

Went over that Rio Grande Gorge bridge west of Taos once, at
night - they'd just put down flat black new paving and had
not had time to put the stripes on. THAT was an interesting
drive ! The bridge was marked, but otherwise you kinda had
to drive "by feel".

Hey, "Wild" west eh ? :-)

On Fri, 29 Mar 2024 17:42:31 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:

> Uncompahgre is a fairly popular hike. Climbed Sunlight Peak further
> south once - gotta come up around the northeast side and traverse a
> rather narrow ridge to get at the top. That one is kinda dangerous.
> Try the easier-LOOKING southern side and you're almost sure to get
> killed by falling rocks. Anyway I was much much younger and, of
> course, indestructible
>
> Not much AIR up on top of those things !

Ain't that the truth. The problem I had was after hiking all my life my
brain has a pretty good idea of how fast I can/should move on a given
terrain. The trail is not at all steep but at 14,000 I went into
woodpecker mode. Flap your wings a few times and take a rest as you glide,
except I wasn't gliding.

I got to the summit and another hiker was there admiring the view and
smoking a joint. He offered me a hit but that was the last thing in the
world I needed.

A couple of times I couldn't go through Eisenhower and had to drive over
the top. A supercharger really helps.

On 3/29/24 8:34 PM, rbowman wrote:
> On Fri, 29 Mar 2024 17:42:31 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:
>
>> Uncompahgre is a fairly popular hike. Climbed Sunlight Peak further
>> south once - gotta come up around the northeast side and traverse a
>> rather narrow ridge to get at the top. That one is kinda dangerous.
>> Try the easier-LOOKING southern side and you're almost sure to get
>> killed by falling rocks. Anyway I was much much younger and, of
>> course, indestructible
>>
>> Not much AIR up on top of those things !
>
> Ain't that the truth. The problem I had was after hiking all my life my
> brain has a pretty good idea of how fast I can/should move on a given
> terrain. The trail is not at all steep but at 14,000 I went into
> woodpecker mode. Flap your wings a few times and take a rest as you glide,
> except I wasn't gliding.
>
> I got to the summit and another hiker was there admiring the view and
> smoking a joint. He offered me a hit but that was the last thing in the
> world I needed.

By the time you get around 14,000, for a flat-lander, that's
about The Limit. Gotta let the bod soak up oxygen for a
little while and THEN walk a bit. Repeat. Repeat.

> A couple of times I couldn't go through Eisenhower and had to drive over
> the top. A supercharger really helps.

I had a little motorcycle ... it was 1st gear only by the
time ya got to 9000+ ... lucky if it was making 5hp. More
fun coming DOWN though :-)

Oh well, youth is for doing interesting things.

On Fri, 29 Mar 2024 20:57:17 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:

> I had a little motorcycle ... it was 1st gear only by the
> time ya got to 9000+ ... lucky if it was making 5hp. More fun coming
> DOWN though

https://vividness.live/riding-solo-to-the-top-of-the-world

He's pushing the Royal Enfield 350 at 16,000. It wouldn't run and he
wasn't doing too good either. He stays with some nomadic herders and
decides to go out with the kids when they're taking the flock out to
graze. He doesn't make it too far.

https://www.overdrive.in/news-cars-auto/obituary-gaurav-jani-solo-
motorcycling-documentary-filmmaker-is-no-more/

That has a nice still shot of the Bullet. Back at the start of his journey
he stopped at a little village and got the village blacksmith to
essentially build him luggage racks when he realized what he had wasn't
going to work.

Unlike McGregor and Boorman with their support teams it was just him.
Other than the goat herder there is nothing out there but the Indian army
taking potshots at the Chinese army over the Disputed Territories. He
hooks up with them to charge the camera batteries at times.

I saw the film at a Buddhist film festival and bought the DVD directly
from him in India.

On 3/30/24 12:35 AM, rbowman wrote:
> On Fri, 29 Mar 2024 20:57:17 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:
>
>> I had a little motorcycle ... it was 1st gear only by the
>> time ya got to 9000+ ... lucky if it was making 5hp. More fun coming
>> DOWN though
>
> https://vividness.live/riding-solo-to-the-top-of-the-world
>
> He's pushing the Royal Enfield 350 at 16,000. It wouldn't run and he
> wasn't doing too good either. He stays with some nomadic herders and
> decides to go out with the kids when they're taking the flock out to
> graze. He doesn't make it too far.
>
> https://www.overdrive.in/news-cars-auto/obituary-gaurav-jani-solo-
> motorcycling-documentary-filmmaker-is-no-more/
>
> That has a nice still shot of the Bullet. Back at the start of his journey
> he stopped at a little village and got the village blacksmith to
> essentially build him luggage racks when he realized what he had wasn't
> going to work.
>
> Unlike McGregor and Boorman with their support teams it was just him.
> Other than the goat herder there is nothing out there but the Indian army
> taking potshots at the Chinese army over the Disputed Territories. He
> hooks up with them to charge the camera batteries at times.
>
> I saw the film at a Buddhist film festival and bought the DVD directly
> from him in India.

R.E's never exactly deserved the moniker "Bullet" :-)

Like some Soviet/Russian tech discussed before though,
they were crude but "rugged-crude" ... the kind of things
you could fix with bailing-wire and a beer-can tab.

The newer Indian-made models use Rotax engines kind of
made to LOOK a bit like the old engines. They ARE more
reliable, but lost something too. Not SURE of the exact
specs, likely makes considerably more power than the
old 350.

They DID have a 750 in the classic late 50s style, but seem
to have dropped it - now just a couple variants on the
350s. There's one called the Meteor 650 however that's
fairly CLOSE to the old look however, albeit kinda
"crusier-ized".

Alas, like lots of "exotic" bikes, finding a dealer
and repairs anywhere nearby is unlikely.

As for hanging out in that "disputed area" - NOT wise !
There was some kind of Mystery Weapon attack last year,
nobody's sure what it was - chemical or maybe microwaves.

On Sat, 30 Mar 2024 01:03:55 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:

> Alas, like lots of "exotic" bikes, finding a dealer and repairs
> anywhere nearby is unlikely.

I had a brief fascination with Ural motorcycles. Reality intruded as I
considered the problems of keeping the best 1939 German technology running
with a sketchy dealer network. With the hate for all things Russian I
doubt it's any better now.

On 3/30/24 5:47 PM, rbowman wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Mar 2024 01:03:55 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:
>
>> Alas, like lots of "exotic" bikes, finding a dealer and repairs
>> anywhere nearby is unlikely.
>
> I had a brief fascination with Ural motorcycles.

Had one. Alas the phrase "quality control" does not
seem to have a Russian equivalent ... wasn't terrible,
but a lot of stuff was loosey-goosey and the metal
was too soft in some critical parts. FUN though, once
you learned its tricks. Clue - they ALWAYS 'drift'
back and forth a couple of feet. If you try to fight
it you'll go nuts. You just LET it - the "average
path" is where you wanna go.

If I was to buy another sidecar rig it'd probably be
something more traditional like a Triumph & car.

Reality intruded as I
> considered the problems of keeping the best 1939 German technology running
> with a sketchy dealer network. With the hate for all things Russian I
> doubt it's any better now.

There are NOT many Ural dealers/shops. NOW ... well ... just
forget getting parts. Vlad screwed that.

On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 04:18:30 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:

> Had one. Alas the phrase "quality control" does not seem to have a
> Russian equivalent ... wasn't terrible,
> but a lot of stuff was loosey-goosey and the metal was too soft in
> some critical parts. FUN though, once you learned its tricks. Clue -
> they ALWAYS 'drift' back and forth a couple of feet. If you try to
> fight it you'll go nuts. You just LET it - the "average path" is
> where you wanna go.

I'm used to that with the DR650 on dirt. It finds its own way through the
rocky roads around here.

After breaking a hip I spent the rehab period wondering if I'd need a
trike and was looking at the options including a sidecar or conversion
kit. Throwing a leg over the saddle wasn't covered in the rehab therapy
but I worked it out so no trikes yet.

On 3/31/24 3:42 PM, rbowman wrote:
> On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 04:18:30 -0400, 68hx.1805 wrote:
>
>> Had one. Alas the phrase "quality control" does not seem to have a
>> Russian equivalent ... wasn't terrible,
>> but a lot of stuff was loosey-goosey and the metal was too soft in
>> some critical parts. FUN though, once you learned its tricks. Clue -
>> they ALWAYS 'drift' back and forth a couple of feet. If you try to
>> fight it you'll go nuts. You just LET it - the "average path" is
>> where you wanna go.
> I'm used to that with the DR650 on dirt. It finds its own way through the
> rocky roads around here.
>
> After breaking a hip I spent the rehab period wondering if I'd need a
> trike and was looking at the options including a sidecar or conversion
> kit. Throwing a leg over the saddle wasn't covered in the rehab therapy
> but I worked it out so no trikes yet.
How did you break a hip?

On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 16:17:46 -0400, Nic wrote:

> On 3/31/24 3:42 PM, rbowman wrote:

>> After breaking a hip I spent the rehab period wondering if I'd need a
>> trike and was looking at the options including a sidecar or conversion
>> kit. Throwing a leg over the saddle wasn't covered in the rehab therapy
>> but I worked it out so no trikes yet.
> How did you break a hip?

Fell on the ice. In the winter I wear YakTraks or microspikes for hiking
but I was 'just' walking over to the grocery store to get something for
lunch. I'm not prone to falling and I don't have bone density problems. It
was one of those things. I tried to get up but it didn't work out.

On 3/31/24 8:38 PM, rbowman wrote:
> On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 16:17:46 -0400, Nic wrote:
>
>> On 3/31/24 3:42 PM, rbowman wrote:
>
>>> After breaking a hip I spent the rehab period wondering if I'd need a
>>> trike and was looking at the options including a sidecar or conversion
>>> kit. Throwing a leg over the saddle wasn't covered in the rehab therapy
>>> but I worked it out so no trikes yet.
>> How did you break a hip?
>
> Fell on the ice. In the winter I wear YakTraks or microspikes for hiking
> but I was 'just' walking over to the grocery store to get something for
> lunch. I'm not prone to falling and I don't have bone density problems. It
> was one of those things. I tried to get up but it didn't work out.

Heh heh ... The Slip comes instantly, unexpectedly, hard.
Not like in the comic movies at all - just SPLAT. Even
traction boots won't always save you. I never broke
anything, but large bruises were common enough and the
cold made 'em hurt worse.

On 3/31/24 8:38 PM, rbowman wrote:
> On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 16:17:46 -0400, Nic wrote:
>
>> On 3/31/24 3:42 PM, rbowman wrote:
>>> After breaking a hip I spent the rehab period wondering if I'd need a
>>> trike and was looking at the options including a sidecar or conversion
>>> kit. Throwing a leg over the saddle wasn't covered in the rehab therapy
>>> but I worked it out so no trikes yet.
>> How did you break a hip?
> Fell on the ice. In the winter I wear YakTraks or microspikes for hiking
> but I was 'just' walking over to the grocery store to get something for
> lunch. I'm not prone to falling and I don't have bone density problems. It
> was one of those things. I tried to get up but it didn't work out.
>
How long did it take to mend?

On Mon, 1 Apr 2024 07:58:26 -0400, Nic wrote:

> On 3/31/24 8:38 PM, rbowman wrote:
>> On Sun, 31 Mar 2024 16:17:46 -0400, Nic wrote:
>>
>>> On 3/31/24 3:42 PM, rbowman wrote:
>>>> After breaking a hip I spent the rehab period wondering if I'd need a
>>>> trike and was looking at the options including a sidecar or
>>>> conversion kit. Throwing a leg over the saddle wasn't covered in the
>>>> rehab therapy but I worked it out so no trikes yet.
>>> How did you break a hip?
>> Fell on the ice. In the winter I wear YakTraks or microspikes for
>> hiking but I was 'just' walking over to the grocery store to get
>> something for lunch. I'm not prone to falling and I don't have bone
>> density problems. It was one of those things. I tried to get up but it
>> didn't work out.
>>
> How long did it take to mend?

About two months to get out of rehab. I was using a walker most of that
time with a cane for the last week after the surgeon signed off on full
weight bearing. The it was maybe a month with a cane, I really don't
remember. It was a gradual transition where you realize you really aren't
using the cane when walking and then can take on rougher terrain. I fell
at the end of January and was back hiking my normal routes by the end of
April.

The technology has improved. My grandmother broke her hip back in the '50s
and was bedridden for the rest of her life. I was very young but I don't
think that was very long. Even now there is an increased mortality rate. I
think it may be reduced mobility. I was on crutches three days after the
repair and then did as much to regain full range of motion as possible
during the rehab period. It wasn't much fun.