Here's some great relaxing acoustic music by my friend Dave Belt. Enjoy!

Ok so, weird dream... I found myself inside of a building that was a huge tower, but really spacious inside also. I was on a thick blue pad, like the ones they use in gymnastics, laying down. However, for some reason I was at the top of the tower near the ceiling on the inside of the building, laying on this pad afraid to move, for fear I would fall to my death 20 stories below.

So, there were a few other people with me and a friend of mine said "Screw it. I'm jumping down." and I was like..."No way, what are you doing dude? You are crazy." Next thing I know he stands up and jumps off of his blue pad.

All of the sudden gravity ceases to exist, and he comes floating back up above the pads. He says "Look at the pennies coming out of the wall." So we all looked and there thousands of pennies floating out of sconce type objects connect to the wall. So, not really afraid to move around, since there was no gravity, everyone started grabbing pennies and throwing them and their blue pad would move a little in the opposite direction. There was a door near the ceiling on the other side of the tower. So we all started collecting pennies and throwing them at the wall, which moved us closer to the door.

We got out of the building and realized there had been an apocalypse event, but no zombies. So, the rest of the dream was us floating around some mall/airport hybrid building trying to figure out what had happened to the world, collecting pennies that we found so we could continue to propel ourselves through our environments. I went back to my house and collected all the pennies I could find. For some reason electronics were especially valuable, so I got all the cell phones and small electronic devices I could find. Wish I remembered more. I haven't had a cool dream like that for a long time...lol

Then, I woke up to a world with gravity...

Crafstman Lawn Mower Running Choppy / Idles Low Then Dies

So, as if I weren't already having enough problems, my Craftsman lawn mower decided not to work.

Craftsman Rotary Lawn Mower - 675 Briggs & Stratton

The Problem
When I pull start the mower, it idles low like it's trying to get gas and it idles up and down. It almost sounds like it's choking. If I put the handle to the ground and tilt the lawn mower up it seems to run better.

The Solution
I figured this problem out. The lever that controls the carburetor had just enough gunk around the mechanism so that it wasn't moving freely when the engine needed it to.

So I cleaned the outside area of the carburetor with carburetor cleaner. Then I took off the plastic covers and sprayed the carburetor lever and its related parts with a spray lubricant (like WD-40) and moved it back and forth to get the lubricant to settle in. I used the Midwest Engine 5106b "Briggs and Stratton" Tune up Kit to change the air filter, spark plug, oil, and add gas additive.

I put it all back together and it started right up and now it runs fine!

For reference, the exact lawn mower I own is a Craftsman Rotary Lawn Mower - 675 Briggs & Stratton Engine (Model Number 917.388132). If you have this same lawn mower, you can download the Craftsman owner's manual for it here for free.

Painting Motorcycle Wheels at Home

Ok, so. I took on the project of painting the rims on my motorcycle (1986 Yamaha BW80). I read up on the Internet on what I needed to do to make sure it didn't turn out to be a crappy paintjob (peel or scratch/chip).

I sanded and wirebrushed the entire wheel really well. I sprayed it off with water, made sure all the dust was gone, and cleaned it with mineral spirits to remove any residue. I made sure everything was dry. Then I sprayed auto primer (two coats) and within about an hour of spraying the primer I sprayed two coats of paint. I was really happy with the result (to the right).

However, after it dried I tried lightly chipping at a hidden section of the paint and it came off way to easy. The auto primer did hold up pretty well, but the paint came off much to easily.

So here are my thoughts: I am wondering if I should have scuffed up the primer with some high grit sandpaper before I painted. I've read something about using a hairdryer to the paint at some point during the drying process, but not so sure about that. If you've ever successfully painted metal wheels, or any metal for that matter, I'd love some advice.

2008 Dodge Durango SLT Turns Over But the Engine Wont Start

I'm hoping that my experience with our Durango can help someone who may be having a similar problem.

We've been having some problems with our 2008 Dodge Durango SLT over the last few months. Every time I go to start it up it turns over just fine but the engine will not start. Normally the second time I try it, it starts up just fine. In addition, when the gas tank is below 1/4 tank, on rare occasions, I'll be at a stop, press on the gas, and the SUV doesn't go anywhere, almost like it's not getting fuel. After a few seconds, it gets fuel and we are off again. It's happens unexpectedly and seldom, but it's enough that I know there's a problem.

I tried to start it up the other day, but it wouldn't start after multiple attempts, although it was turning over, trying to start.

The problem was happening most often when the Dodge Durango was low on gas (below a quarter tank). I talked to a couple people at AutoZone who told me not to run it below a quarter tank, and to run some gas additive called "Tune Up In a Bottle" through the Durango's fuel system. I did that, filled it up with gasoline, and it worked! Unfortunately, the next day it would start at all. It had nearly a full tank still. So, I was back at square one.

I took our Dodge Durango to a local mechanic who came highly recommended by my brother in law and five or six 5 star reviews on Google Places. He ran the diagnostic codes and discovered that the battery was going bad, which I already knew. He said putting the battery in might solve the problem. The mechanic at VienTiane couldn't get my Durgano to repeat the problem. Everytime he tried to start it with the old battery, and the new battery, it started up just fine.

So, I'm back home with a new battery in my Durango and it started just fine every time I tried it today. So we'll see what happens over the next few days. I'll post an update on whether or not the new battery fixed the problem.

1 Day Later
So, its the next day and the truck has started fine every time so far..half tank of gas. I'll continue to update.

3 Days Later
The Durango has been starting awesome. It's getting lower on gas, which is when it tends to not want to start the most, so we'll see. I have a hard time believing that the battery could have solved all of the problems we were having. I could have sworn it had something to do with the fuel system. Especially when I would push the gas pedal and the SUV would go for a few seconds. I'll keep updating. 6 Days Later The Durango was low on gas over this last weekend...almost empty (which is when it would act up). It's been starting great every time. Hoping the problem is solved! I'll update again in a couple of weeks, unless there's a problem.

Fulmer AF-C1 Youth XL Helmet - Red Rockstar

We recently bought this dirt bike helmet for my kids from The Quad & Cycle Shop on 3419 South South State Street in Salt Lake City. 

It's a Fulmer AF-C1 Youth XL (Red Rockstar Color). It looks good and my kids seem to like it. It was on clearance for only $40.00.

If you can't visit the Quad and Cycle Shop in Salt Lake City, Utah, check out Amazon for good deals on dirtbike helmets.

Bacchus Highway ATV Trails in Utah

Recently, for the second time, we went to the ATV Trails just off of Bacchus Highway. We had my brother-in-law's Polaris RZR (side by side ATV) out there for the first time today. I didn't think it would be as fun as it was, because it's relatively flat and bumpy, with only a few hills to climb etc. It ended up being a blast though!

Here's a Google map of the trails we went on (tracked with the Android application "My Tracks"):

View Bacchus ATV Trail in a larger map


For anyone who hasn't been out to Bacchus Highway ATV Trails, but wants to go, here's where it's at.


Here's a video doing a pretty long stretch of the trails off Bacchus Highway.