Here are two videos from the display that China put on at the International Fireworks Competition In Montreal. The main blog post about the show can be found HERE.

Here is a display from China’s team…

Here is China’s Finale. Video is a little soft and the people behind us would not keep quite.
But here it is…

Well, I got a new toy a few months back, a 9101 electric helicopter, and wanted to try something with my other new toy, my GoPro 1080 action cam.  So, well, I mounted it to the underside of the helicopter and up I went.

My 9101 Helicopter

It was a lot of trial and error.  The 9101 really does not have the lift it needed and unless I had the right mix of a VERY SLIGHT upwind and cool temperature, thus thicker air, it really would not fly.  And if and when I could get it to go into the sky, well, it would not stay up very long.

The 9101 is really not made for this mind you.  Heck, it has a hard enough time in any wind at all.  I know, I crashed it a lot at first.  But I was able to get a few shots from it after all. :)   I really want to get into a new hobby like this, but, well, real remote controlled helicopters can be very costly. (Even more so when you crash.)

So here are the few shots I have. (Remember you can CLICK to enlarge.)

David and Brenda with our home from the 9101.

The back of our home from the 9101

We will see if I can get better shots in the future.  I really would like to get to the point where I have something to take on our trips so I can shoot not only photos, but take 1080P video of parks and resorts etc.

David rappelling over the side of a building, 309 feet, 21 stories for charity.

That’s more or less the saying for the “21 Stories for Scouts” event that was held on May 20th in downtown Rochester, NY.    Well actually, the saying is “Take the long way down to raise someone else up” but I needed to get the rappelling into the title as, well, IT WAS SO COOL TO DO THAT!

This was a fun raiser for the Urban Scouting program that is part of the Seneca Waterways Council boy scouting program.  For a $1,000 donation, you can rappel down the side of the First Federal building.  Now understand, that rappel is 21 stories or 309 feet!  It is not a small step to say the least. Even more so if you have never rappelled from such a height.  And that was me for sure.  I had rappelled before, but surly nothing like this.   A lot of the people that rappelled were sponsored in some way, but I just had to do this.  After all, we do give to charities and, well, how many people can point to a building and say “I rappelled down that!”  Of course at that point the person you said that to says ‘Yeah, right.”  But then I can point them to this blog entry and they can be both shocked and amazed as I was that I actually did it. (And would do it again.)

Now I did mention this was for the Urban Scouting program which is the Genesee Crossroads District division. When we looked into it, we found that the monies raised go to support urban scouting programs, including the 40 after school programs run in Rochester schools and an opportunity for children to attend three summer camps.  It was something that we could get behind as a program and thus was one of the deciding factors to contribute.  (And of course go over the side of a building helped as it sure was “Outside Our Bubble”.)

Over The Edge Program for fund raising.

Now this event is handled by a very unique fund raising company,  Over The Edge.  Over The Edge does rappelling fund raisers all over the country for all types of charities.  So, if you are looking to get “Outside Your Bubble”, check out their upcoming events as you may find one in an area you are in or will be in.  They have a 100% safety record and everything is done beyond the required set safety regulations for industrial rope work.  As we travel, we will be watching their site to see if something may be in an area we will be in.

Below you will find some photos and two videos.  One video I have to say is really cool, if I do say so myself, and I do.  It is a Point of View video shot from my GoPro 1080P helmet cam.  In other words, you see what I see.  So, if you want to see what it is like to go over the edge, then be sure to check it out.

Remember, you can CLICK images for larger views.

Getting ready to go over the edge.

The view from 19 stories, not 21 the repel was from.

The final wave to Brenda before I go over the edge.

Over the Edge David goes! No turning back now.

Now David is TOTALLY Outside His Bubble.

David rappelling over the side of a building, 309 feet, 21 stories for charity.

David just hanging out on the side of the First Federal building.

Lets put this into perspective for you. Can you spot David?

Here David is in case you could not find him in the last photo.

After the rappel is over. All Smiles! (Or is it relief?)

Here are two videos. The first one is a 10 minute video from my point of view from the GoPRO cam. I go over the edge at 4 minutes into the video if you want to fast forward it.

This is a short 25 second video shot by Brenda from the street level.

Ok, I have had a number of people ask me for this as I did not post it here but did on YouTube. So, here you go.

If you added a Safe-T-Plus or are thinking about one, you would want to consider a Trim Unit for it.  The reason… is is used to allow you to correct the center line of the coach.  How many times have you had heavy winds or a bad crown in the road?  When this happens you need to always hold the steering wheel to the right or the left to keep your straight.  This over time tires you out.  With the Trim Unit you can push a button and the unit holds that as the new center line.  More or less it resets your alignment (Not really messing with your actual alignment but holds the tie rod into a different position). This equals to less fatigue and a more comfortable drive.

See it in action with me driving our couch in 15-20 mph side winds. Video Notes…When I release the trim kit from holding a center line, watch how we are pushed to the right. If you look at the camera on the dashboard as a reference point using the roads white line, you can see how quickly we are pushed by the wind. Also, when I do it a second time, you can hear us being pushed right over the white line so quickly as I hit the rumble strips.

What is it like traveling in an RV we get asked a lot.  So, we thought we would shoot a quick video of us going though the mountains taking us from Grants Pass, OR into California.  This route is I-5 South and the views of Mt. Shasta are just outstanding.  This video was taken February 22, 2011.

Just wanted to post that I miss Tasha as I sit outside working in the sun. – David

Tasha and Us