what's the deal with altitude
On the right coast, we have these Appalachians which they traditionally call mountains, but which are actually goosebumps. The highest elevation on I-80 east of the Father of Waters is marked by a sign at 2250 feet. Highest point in out tiny state of Dull-Aware is a speed bump in the Acme parking lot. In Winter, you get a little snow on that, and people complain of nosebleed.
Altitude here in Rigby Idaho is 4845 feet. Soda pop is fizzier here. Regular gas is three less octane. Bearswatter pants. Sky is closer, dust is drier, mountains loom. I smoked my first cigar at altitude last night, and it seemed to me that it burnt differently too.
I smoked one of FireTruckGuy's HC Habanos. Don't get me wrong, the burn was great -- slow, steady even. I was out on the bank of the South Fork Snake. At one point, I stuck the thing cherry upward in the xikar ash can, walked across the big yard, up the staiirs, thru the lodge, found my jacket, got tagged for a honey-do, did that ... by the time I returned it must have set there in the can for eight or ten minutes ... gave it the one, two, three puffs and it was as though I had just set it down.
But there was something about the volume, something about the thickness of the smoke. I dunno what it was. Maybe the dry air tossed in a quirk as well. Can't put my finger on it. This is why I am writing here. What's the deal with thin air?
Altitude here in Rigby Idaho is 4845 feet. Soda pop is fizzier here. Regular gas is three less octane. Bearswatter pants. Sky is closer, dust is drier, mountains loom. I smoked my first cigar at altitude last night, and it seemed to me that it burnt differently too.
I smoked one of FireTruckGuy's HC Habanos. Don't get me wrong, the burn was great -- slow, steady even. I was out on the bank of the South Fork Snake. At one point, I stuck the thing cherry upward in the xikar ash can, walked across the big yard, up the staiirs, thru the lodge, found my jacket, got tagged for a honey-do, did that ... by the time I returned it must have set there in the can for eight or ten minutes ... gave it the one, two, three puffs and it was as though I had just set it down.
But there was something about the volume, something about the thickness of the smoke. I dunno what it was. Maybe the dry air tossed in a quirk as well. Can't put my finger on it. This is why I am writing here. What's the deal with thin air?
“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
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It was thinner. The smoke was thinner, the flavor thinner... I think the thinner air just makes a weaker experience. I think if I lived up here I'd go for a fuller bodied smoke.
One of the HC Connies which firetruckguy sent ahead of me to the B&B had a torn cello. Even inside its c.com plastic bag with a water pillow, that stick split up the side. I tried burning it yesterday. Weak. I'm going to save those for when I return to the lowlands. I'll bet they are a completely different experience. I'm going to burn one of his HC Maduros here, then compare with the same down the hill. My postulate is that thick damp sea level air makes a thicker creamier smoke.
Reminds me of when I've ridden to Sturgis and then up into the Rockies on my old Super-Glide. About half-way through Nebraska the motor would start bugging me, I'd stop and adjust the S&S carbuerator, that was fine until Wyoming or Montana, then adjust again. Loved that carb, took about 30 seconds to adjust, once you got used to it. Same thing on the trip home, adjust in Nebraska, then again in Missouri.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
You can see the owner added a plastic gas tank in front of the seat. The Original tank is a gallon and a half under the seat. That where the tank is would have been empty like a girl's bike.
Umpty ump years ago, I owned a CT90. Had a red air jet knob on the carb. When you hit six or seven thou, you pulled this knob, an extra air jet kicked in, and you were good to go for altitude. Easy as that.
Best designed bike ever.