Stator, The GSR travelling mascot.

[uk gs nut]

Has anyone seen this bear, a much valued member of the group. Is he missing in action ?. I miss the stories of his travels.
20150913_134536 by Dennis Harland, on Flickr

[alke46]

Last I knew he was hiding out in Albuquerque, N.M.

[Burque73]

I came acrossed this fuzzy little guy at the park today. He was talking with an older gentleman saying something about walking home. He's tired of being in Albuquerque.



Hasta la vista, he said, and he hit the trail with a bunch of other folks looking for a better life somewhere else..



I wasn't long before he realized walking acrossed the desert in riding gear was a really bad idea, so he bummed a ride.

Where to? I asked.

Anywhere but here! He said.

So we hit the road.


I couldn't blame Stator for wanting to leave Albuquerque. His host, Andy Vanice, got stuck at sea unable to land because of the pandemic. Nobody wanted a strange ship on their shores so they sailed for a much longer time than expected. Meanwhile, Stator waited patiently for someone to come take him on an adventure.

[Burque73]

We headed up into the Sandia Mountains. Bears are welcome, but these folks are pretty strict.



Another bear. Stator says he's not a real bear though. Some kind of mascot or something.



This place was selling gas for 13¢! No unleaded though, only regular



Somewhere between Chilili and Torreon, NM we saw another bear.



Almost to Mountainair, we stopped for a snack and a drink of water under a shade tree. Stator ate all my beef jerky!



We went around those mountains, now it's flat and straight for 50 miles. Stator wanted to drive, but he kept stalling the engine so...





Well, that satisfies his wanderlust. For now at least. It was a 90 mile blast back home from here.

[cowboyup3371]

Thank you for the pictures Roger, I was starting to worry about him. Has he decided to make anymore trips? If so, i wouldn't mind having him back here again for a bit if it's okay with him?

[Burque73]

Thank you for the pictures Roger, I was starting to worry about him. Has he decided to make anymore trips? If so, i wouldn't mind having him back here again for a bit if it's okay with him?

I was worried about him as well. It was good to take a ride with him. We made another stop yesterday along with our 180 mile ride. I'll post those pics later on.

I'm sure he'd love to head out there. He heard Charmayne's bike is down and wants to cheer her up.

Just send your address and he'll hit the road in short order.

[cowboyup3371]

Thank you Roger; Charmayne is excited to see it again and I already have some ideas for trips to take him on. And of course he will help with the repairs.

[Burque73]

You're welcome Scott. He should land in Ohio on Thursday.

[Burque73]

We stopped at the National Atomic Museum yesterday. It's located right outside of Kirtland Air Force Base here in Albuquerque.

This rocket is out at the street.



After checking it out, we just had to go into the yard for more.

He was like a kid in a candy store.



Look out, here comes Stator!



I wouldn't push that button if I were you...



OK, now you're just showing off.



That tower is a replica of the one used to test the first atomic bomb at the Trinity Site.

Here's a B-29 like the one that delivered the two bombs. He ran over to look at this one.





I don't know who taught him to read, but man this kid is smart!

[Burque73]

This one is BIG!



Now he's unstoppable!






OK, what does ICBM stand for? Stator knows...






How about a couple of cruise missiles?







Well, so long Stator. Have fun in Ohio!

[Burque73]

I was thankful for the chance to host the GSR's mascot. It really is a fun thing to be a part of. If he ever comes bach, I'll make sure to get him out to see some more of the area here.

As we left the museum, I asked Stator what he learned about the airplanes. He said he always thought the B in B-52, stood for BIG and the F in F-16 stood for FAST. Now he knows.

[cowboyup3371]

Guess who showed up at my doorstep today? A quick knock and bolt, we saw the postman leave us this suitcase

Stator Suitcase by Scott Baker, on Flickr

Of course he took a seat on my desk for now as I had to work overtime but I'll get him out starting this weekend for some trips. I'll have to find him a mask though as Dayton's City Council has now mandated mask wearing by all people in public or face an $85 fine.

Stator by Scott Baker, on Flickr


Although I'll have to get his logbook and other stuff from Steve, he came bearing gifts which I am putting to good use tonight for dinner YUM (Thank you Roger)

Hatch Chili by Scott Baker, on Flickr

[cowboyup3371]

Stator wanted to help me take Charmayne's cylinders to the machine shop today and had a lot of fun while there. While supervising me while I grabbed them out of the Bandit's top case:

Cylinders Delivered to Machine Shop by Scott Baker, on Flickr

he spied this near the front door:

Stator on Mustang by Scott Baker, on Flickr

and just had to look inside

Stator staring inside Mustang by Scott Baker, on Flickr

Of course that wasn't enough for him and he wanted to take it for a ride. Fortunately, the keys weren't in the ignition or I think he would have left me

Stator trying to drive Mustang by Scott Baker, on Flickr

When we got back to the garage, he refused to come inside until he had a drink. I swear, with all that time in New Mexico I would think he could have handled our 90+ degree weather today

Stator drinking gatorade by Scott Baker, on Flickr

[steve murdoch]

Hydration is good.
That Mustang is lovely.

[gustovh]

Good to see Stator at it again. He is getting quite a collection of buttons and pins.

V