Shawn, Mandi, and Kali

Kali Pics

2009-12-13T16:33:00.001-06:00

I finally bought a cleaning kit for my Nikon SLR. I shot a few test photos of Kali early Saturday in the morning light.

Summit of Mt. Sherman, Colorado

2009-12-07T22:36:00.009-06:00

Mt. Sherman (August 2009) was my second 14,000 foot summit and was much easier then Mt. Elbert. The total elevation gain was around 2,500 feet and it only took about 3 hours to reach the summit. Still, any hike at that altitude is somewhat difficult and one must pay close attention to weather when hiking that far above treeline because there is no shelter from storms. On average, about 3 people are killed and 13 injured each year in Colorado from lightning strikes.

This is the view of the Iowa Gulch which is the first climb of the mountain.

From the top of the saddle, this is looking West toward Mt. Elbert & Mt. Massive.

A small snowfield near the summit. Even though it was August it was still cold at that altitude.

Climbing the ridge spine toward the summit. It's kind of narrow in spots.

My shadow shows the steepness off the trail. Parts of the trail are very exposed with a steep drop off the mountain.

Just a reference pic to put the altitude of the summit in perspective. The gray area is actually the trail head parking area. Click to enlarge and you'll notice a very small dot in the gray area which is a car at the trail head.

GPS reading from the summit. It was around 45F with a very strong wind gusting into the 30 MPH range.

View near the parking area looking toward the town of Leadville, CO. It's a beautiful place.

A Country Drive

2009-11-28T20:08:00.000-06:00

Here's some pics of a recent drive through the country. Kali enjoyed the trip (for the most part).

A Picture is Worth...

2009-11-24T18:43:00.002-06:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is this picture saying?

Kali's Impersonations

2009-11-19T21:44:00.001-06:00

We think Kali may become an actress someday. She's already starting to work on her skills.

Here's Kali's Popeye face:

Her as a TV Evangelist:

Actress hiding from the Poparazzi:

Baby Pirate:

More Pics of Kali

2009-11-15T17:34:00.002-06:00

Kali likes to snuggle with daddy:

Abeni and Nikki Stops By to Say Hi

2009-11-06T17:09:00.000-06:00

Grayson, Ada, and Family Visits

2009-11-06T16:58:00.000-06:00

Kali's First Bath

2009-11-05T18:12:00.001-06:00

As you can see, Kali wasn't exactly thrilled about her first bath. But Grammy did a good job anyway.

Mommy helped calm her down.

Visit from Judy, Terry, & Neal

2009-11-04T21:25:00.000-06:00

The day before Kali got to go home from the hospital, her Aunt Judy and her family came to visit.

Kali Cruzin' the Hood

2009-11-04T21:02:00.000-06:00

I was a beautiful November day today with highs in the 70's. So, I took Kali out for a quick ride around the neighborhood this afternoon. Even though it was warm there was a nice breeze blowing. So, we bundled her up.

Kali's First Bottle Feeding

2009-11-04T16:06:00.005-06:00

I'm not sure who was more confused for her first bottle feeding. Even though we really didn't know what we were doing, we had fun trying.

Kali's Home!!

2009-11-03T17:19:00.000-06:00

We got to bring Kali home from the hospital today. Here she is sitting in her car seat & ready to go:

Putting her in the car was a lot easier than I expected. Of course, mommy had to ride in the back seat to keep an eye on her.

It was a long trip for such a little girl. She was sleepy:

Needing some rest, she snuggled up with mommy & took a nap:

Replacing Bank 2 Oxygen Sensors

2009-10-22T21:04:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: This is simply a documentation of work I performed on my Xterra. I am not a mechanic therefore any work you do on your own is at your own risk.

Recently, my 2000 Xterra’s “Service Engine Soon” light made an unwelcome appearance on my dash panel. Frustrated, I did some quick research as to what steps I should take regarding the newfound problem. I pulled out the owners manual and found that the SES light wasn’t an emergency unless it was flashing. If the SES light is flashing it can be a sign of major problems and should be driven with caution. Since my SES light was constantly on and my X didn’t exhibit any signs of trouble, some of my worries were relieved. But, that little light drew my attention every time I started the engine. I couldn’t stand it any longer and decided to take action!

First, I found that out that Autozone would test my SES light for free. So, I took them up on the offer and found that my Xterra was showing three error codes:

Oxygen Sensor - located at Bank 1, Sensor 1
Oxygen Sensor - located at Bank 2, Sensor 2
Knock Sensor Problem*

*(NOTE: According to my Nissan dealer almost all Nissan’s have a knock sensor error and they can be ignored for the most part. A knock sensor will not cause your service engine soon light to appear on it’s own. Since replacing 2 oxygen sensors, my service engine soon light has not come back on).

OK, so what does Bank 1 & 2 mean? In Japan, the steering wheel is located on the passenger side. Therefore, Bank 1 is the passenger side of the engine while Bank 2 is our driver’s side. The 2000 Xterra has a total of four oxygen sensors. Two sensors are located before the catalytic converters and the other two are located past the catalytic converters.

Specifically, Bank 1 Sensor 1 is located on the exhaust manifold on the passenger side of the engine inside the engine compartment. Bank 1 Sensor 2 is located underneath the chassis approximately where the passenger’s feet would be located. Bank 2 Sensor 2 is underneath the driver’s feet just opposite of Bank 1 Sensor 2. Bank 2 Sensor 1 seems to be the most difficult to access as it’s mounted between the engine & firewall on the driver’s side of the engine.

At this point I knew I had two oxygen sensors that needed replacing but knew I had a lot of work to do. I purchased both sensors at my local parts store for around $100.00 and decided to give it a try myself since my local Nissan dealer wanted over $300.00 to replace one sensor!

Replacing Bank 2 Sensor 2

I slid under the driver’s side door and located the 02 sensor. Notice there are four wires (two white, one black, one gray) going into the sensor. There’s also a red cable protector which comes in handy when locating the connector inside the engine compartment.

Space is tight while lying on your back under the Xterra. I’ve found the easiest way to change these oxygen sensors is to cut the four wires where they enter the sensor using a pair of diagonal cutting pliers. Obviously, I was 100% committed to changing this sensor or I wouldn’t have cut the wires!

Once the wires are cut I can easily slip an open end wrench over the sensor which makes removing the sensor much easier. The sensor becomes very tight over time with heating & cooling of the exhaust pipe so expect to use some brute force to loosen the sensor. I was unable to loosen the sensor with the open end part of the wrench because it would slip off every time. I also tried a crescent wrench with no success. They do make a special oxygen sensor removal socket you can purchase at most auto parts stores but it wouldn’t fit inside the enclosed area.

Once the sensor is removed the cable to the sensor cable must be taken out. I actually found this to be the most difficult part of the entire process. The cable runs from the oxygen sensor, to two cable clamps on the backside of the engine, and finally on to the engine compartment. I used a long pry bar to brake one zip tie loose that held the cable to the engine. Later I had to pull on the cable to free it from a bracket that held it in place near the side of the transmission.

As you can see below, this connector has the same red cable cover which makes it easy to locate inside the engine compartment. I use a flat head screwdriver to remove the connector from the bracket by forcing the connector forward. Notice the connector is located just above the oil filler cap. The new oxygen sensor reuses the old 02 sensor’s connector. I disconnected the cable and trimmed about 3 inches from end of the cable to make the length correct. I also reused the existing red cable cover to help protect the new 02 sensor.

To summarize the steps I took to replace the oxygen sensor:

I cut the 4 wires going into the old oxygen sensor.
Then, I used a boxed end wrench to remove the old oxygen sensor.
Next, I pried the 02 sensor cable loose from the engine where it was being held in place with cable ties.
After everything was removed I wired in the old existing cable connector to the new 02 sensor.
I installed the new 02 sensor, plugged in the connector, & zip tied the cable securely into place.

The entire project took about two hours from start to finish. It’s not too technical and in my opinion well worth the effort considering the cost a dealer charges to change a sensor. The tools I used in the project included:

A 7/8″ (22mm) open end/boxed end wrench
Wire strippers
Diagonal Cutters
(2) Pry Bars (just to break the cable ties loose for the 02 sensor)
Bosh Part # 15727 Oxygen Sensor
A cheap tarp just for lying on to keep off the ground

Bear Hollow Trail - Mount Magazine, AR

2008-10-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

Download the GPS track of this hike on my wikiloc site.

My wife & I had been to Mt. Magazine before, but we'd never hiked the Bear Hollow Trail. Fortunately, we had the pleasure of hiking it on a near perfect fall day.

If you decide to hike Mount Magazine, do yourself a favor and say at the new lodge or a cabin if possible. Otherwise, make a b-line for the visitor's center and pick up a free map with all of the trails and trail descriptions. The center has some interesting exhibits, books, and nice restrooms. If you have the time, you can actually park at the visitor's center to start the Bear Hollow trail. Be advised, this adds about 1.5 miles (one-way) to the trail length.

After we left the visitor's center we drove just over a mile down a paved road to the parking lot for Bear Hollow. There's a very visible sign just off the road showing the Bear Hollow trail head, and and equally visible sign across the road for the huge parking area. There were only two other vehicles in the lot when we parked and we were able to park under a shade tree. I can only assume the parking lot is this big to accommodate trucks pulling long trailers.

From the parking lot you'll notice a nice, wide, and well-manicured path
leading back down the main road. Just follow this wide walkway
back down to the road. When you cross the road you'll see the trailhead. The trail is limited to hiking only so there's no need to worry about being ran over by a motorcycle/four-wheeler nor trampled to death by a wild horse :-) Personally, I hate trails that are open to both hiking and horses because you constantly deal with the smell plus you have to dodge horse "deposits" like you're jumping over land mines.

The trail is well-marked with orange-colored hiker decals which are nailed to trees. I noticed a few of them appeared to have been stolen so I wouldn't count on being able to see all of the blazes that are intended. You shouldn't need them anyway because the trail is really padded down from all the foot traffic. There's also nice wooden signs in key intersections and creek crossings that help you stay on track. I always carry a GPS anyway but having the signs to match up with the trail map you got from the visitor's center is a nice backup plan should something go wrong.

The first 1.5 miles of trail was rather boring. It was hot because the sun was beating down on us and there was little wind blowing. There we still a lot of leaves on the trees which obscured visibility out into the hollow. Plus, the leaves were mostly a dead brown color instead of having turned some shade orange or greenish-yellow color like many of the other trees we'd fine later on during the hike.

After crossing Big Shoal Creek about 1.5 miles from the parking lot, the feeling of the hike began to change. Suddenly, the forest seemed prettier, we were in a shade which cooled us down, and, the leaves were much nicer. I should note that this trail has around a dozen small stream crossings. Only two of them had a small amount of water in them and they posed no risk of causing our feet to become wet. They were filled with nice, large, rocks to use as stepping stones too. It looks like some of the streams could see a significant amount of flow during a wet season. So if you're hiking right after a rain be aware that your toes could get wet unless you have a pair of waterproof boots. It didn't look like the streams would be capable of keeping any significant amounts of water but for a short period of time.

As I mentioned earlier, the best section of the hike starts at Bull Shoal Creek. We got to see some beautiful trees and forests. The leaves had just started to change colors and there was a nice breeze blowing to cool us down from the previously warm, sunny, section of the trail. We were able to feel the breeze and hear the wind blow through the trees. There were also several crickets chirping in the forest which made for a very relaxing environment.

We could see Inspiration Point from a distance, although we didn't know that was our destination until later. The walk down to Inspiration Point is really impressive and instantly makes you feel the hike was worth the effort. To top it off, we were the only two people there during our stay. I was honestly surprised because I thought several people would be out taking pictures of the turning leaves.

Pictures really can't represent what a place like this looks like, let alone how it makes you feel. Even though it's close enough to the highway to still hear the loudest motorcycles and cars, it's comforting to know that someone can't drive up in a vehicle and disturb you without making an effort to get there. If you like hiking and vistas I recommend this hike. It actually makes a loop and you can branch off onto another trail to walk back to the visitor's center if you have time.

Our First Post

2008-10-23T19:22:00.000-05:00

Hi, welcome to our website. My wife, Mandi, and I wanted a site to post information about our vacations and stuff. We both enjoy going hiking and 4-wheeler riding. Both are great ways to see nature and unwind. Mandi is a 3rd grade teacher and I'm a technology director for the same school. It's nice for both of us to work at the same school because it's so easy to schedule vacations and weekend activities.

We both attend a church in Northwest Arkansas. She is the Worship leader and I work in the church's video department running video cameras and editing with Final Cut Pro. Besides hiking and riding 4-wheelers I enjoy road biking, video editing, and tinkering with virtually any type of electronics :-)

We'll be posting some images soon. Thanks for checking us out. If you like to hike check out my wikiloc site to download GPS tracks.