An Englishman In America

Of all the new shows scheduled to be released this Fall, Jericho was the one premier I was looking forward to the most.

The premise is a tantalising one.

Imagine going about your usual daily business when suddenly something catches your eye. You look up to see a mushroom cloud forming in the distance signalling…what? An accident? A nuclear attack? Then the power goes out and you learn that mushroom cloud was over Denver and before you lost communication with the rest of the world, you hear Atlanta and possibly other big cities were hit too.

Welcome to Jericho, possibly humanity’s last stand.

Quite a hook….but unfortunately, the premier of this show which aired on CBS earlier this week did little to make me want to watch any further. 

Admittedly, the pilot episode of any new show is difficult to judge as there is a lot of baggage to unload before the actually series can get going. You have characters to introduce, personalities to establish, ongoing sub-plots to set up and get going etc. but you also set a tone and the tone here was a rather uninspiring dull ‘thunk’ in my opinion.

The writers of this show somehow manage to portray the hinted at destruction of the United States and deaths of millions in a totally humdrum way. Rather than anger, panic and fear, we are presented with some seriously resilient people who seem totally at ease with the situation.

Now, no one expects an all out panic from what looks like a small-ish farming community, but the flat acceptance displayed here is pretty poor writing too. No worries about family elsewhere in the country? Further attacks? Fallout and other effects of multiple nuclear strikes across the country? These are either some seriously strong people or seriously dumb people…I can’t decide which just now.

The few signs of emotion are immediately quelled by the town’s mayor who only has to open his mouth and say something patriotic to instill complete calm in all within earshot.

I assume the next few episodes will deal with issues such as food and water contamination, EMP, fallout, radiation poisoning etc. etc. but so far, not a mention or even an expressed concern about such things. Instead, we are supposed to worry about escaped prisoners from a crashed prison bus which just happens to be in the area and seems a little contrived to say the least!

On initial showing, this show is going to ask a lot of us to put our brains in neutral before we dare switch on the TV set and ultimately, I think is something I am going to struggle to watch past halfway in the series. So far, I’ve seen two new shows launched this fall and Jericho isn’t the worst (that honour goes to Smith which looked like someone cut up the reel with a chainsaw and glued it back together in the wrong order) but it has to get a lot better - fast - if it’s going to hold my attention.

Tags: television | tv | jerico

I think we got pretty lucky on my first visit to the annual Reno air races. Thunderstorms in the mountains and the high winds in the valley areas which had begun to dog the end of the week gave way to a pretty perfect Saturday afternoon . With temperatures in the mid 60’s and barely a trace of a breeze this must have been a pretty darn good day to fly. It was certainly a good day to watch.

The Reno National Championship Air Races run over 5 days, from Wednesday through Sunday every year. There are 6 classes of airplanes which take part in the racing section of the airshow with racing planes in the unlimited class reaching speeds in excess of over 500mph which makes this the fastest motor sport in the world. If you’ve  aneed for speed then this is the sport for you…of course, to participate, it’s going to cost you a pretty penny but to watch, just a few bucks.

It’s not all about racing airplanes here though as the event is much wider than that.

At the Reno air races you’ll see stunt and acrobatic aircraft, this year also featuring the stunning USAF Thunderbirds air display team and a wing-walker on a bi-plane, both of which were a sight to behold, military and civil flight demonstrations and a large display of grounded aircraft, some rare, which you can browse around and some you can go inside.

There are also some military demonstrations and military personnel were on hand to answer questions about some of the planes, weapons and vehicles on display.

By the time we dragged ourselves out of bed and got going the air races had been underway for some time already. As we drove up to Reno Stead airfield watching the parking lot prices steadily increase in price as we got nearer, we spotted a few military jets zipping about and parachutists, one trailing the U.S. flag, dropping down to the spectators already there.

We arrived in the middle of an air race, which to be honest, was the part of the show we were least interested in. Watching planes chase each other around a vaguely circular patch of air is something you probably have to be a real aviation enthusiast to appreciate and I can’t count myself among that group.

We instead, headed on over to the grounded military aircraft display which makes up part of the show. Someone told us the selection aircraft on display changes every day but at $22 a ticket we were only coming once this year.

Anyhoo, we took a look around the grounded aircraft which I was pleased to see included a British Harrier Jump Jet, which is the world’s only vertical take off and landing aircraft, developed when we (that’s the British ‘we’) decided for financial reasons that smaller was better in terms of aircraft carriers.

We also got to see a General Atomics Predator Drone equipped with two hellfire missiles, a MIG-21, p-51 mustang aircraft erm, and other cool things. Like I said, I’m not a huge aviation fan and whilst I might ooh and ahh at some of the military muscle on display and enjoy the acrobatics, I’m pretty useless at remembering names and specs.

One very cool exhibit was of the 20mm gun system of an F-15. Fully open to scrutiny this is one serious piece of weaponary capable of unleashing 6000 rounds per minute…umm, although its magazine holds less than a thousand rounds so it’ll never get the chance, you still wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that 10 second burst.

Another interest ‘exhibit’ was of a high powered sniper rifle which we were informed by its owner could still take your arm off even if it missed by a few inches!

About the time we decided to wander off to find some seats was about the time some F-15’s started firing up their jet engines. Man, that’s a sound to make your ears bleed.

We had seats in the general seating area, which is a series of raised stands which although crowded, were never crowded enough to the point where you’d never be able to sit back down if you left. Pit passes were also available to tour the aircraft in the races and talk to the pilots but umm, like I said, not a huge fan, just chillin’ on a Saturday afternoon.

We took seats around the time of the scheduled ‘Heritage Flight’. This featured a somewhat unique flyby of a USAF F-15, F-4 and two P-51 Mustangs.

Following this, the first air race we got to see in full. Flying around ‘bucket’ topped pylons in a vaguely oval track this was pretty entertaining but I guess you’ve got be an enthusiast to fully appreciate the race. Me, well I kinda enjoyed watching this one race but don’t think I could sit through many more without getting kinda antsy.

In terms of air events, I mainly came to see the Thunderbirds and at 2pm they hit the air. I hadn’t actually seen an air display team since I was a kid visiting Duxford Air Museum way back in the 80’s when the Red Arrows were performing so I was pretty interested in seeing this part of the show more than anything else.

Their 40 minutes of precision solo and formation flying was very impressive and worth the ticket entry price alone. Very cool.

We had other plans for the rest of the afternoon so at the end of this show was when we started moving on out, just catching the beginning of a wingwalker standing astride a bi-plane as we left.

In all, whether you’re interested in aviation shows or not, this Nevada event is something which is well worth taking time out to witness if you’re in the area of planning a trip out here. You’ll find more information on the official website over at: http://www.airrace.org/

Where are the pictures? Hah, well I forgot my camera as usual…next year maybe…

Technorati Tags: Aviation | Air Show | Nevada | Travel

This was my first visit the balloon races which this year were celebrating their 25th anniversary so I didn’t know quite what to expect. We arrived early, VERY early at around 4:30 in the morning, packing several blocks away as we had been advised that parking at the balloon races or any closer would be a bitch…and from what we saw, we were not misinformed either.

Following the steady line of bleary eyed, blanket wrapped people who had also braved the 5am start time of the festivities I was somewhat reminded of a pilgrimage off to worship some strange multicoloured flock of deities. Turns out Jesus was there a little later but that’s another story.

Upon arrival my first impression was one of amazement at the sheer volume of people who had turned out of their houses at pre-5am on a Saturday morning. There must have been a few thousand milling around, checking out the soon-to-be inflated balloons, or staking their claim on a patch of grass with picnic blankets and folding chairs.

The start of the festivities began around 5am as the first few balloons put on an event which was announced as the “Glow Show” by the announcer. This was a pretty amazing sight as huge balloons lit up the darkness with vibrant colours and synchronised glows and ‘twinkle’ effects as the announcer put it. The glow show finished with a choreographed glow and twinkle to the strains of Duelling Banjos (which you might remember from the Burt Reynolds movie Deliverance) which was pretty cool.

We avoided the various stalls setting up for the day having no interest in grabbing a corn dog or any other kind of fast food that early in the morning and resisting the urge to pick up a commemorative T-shirt for a change and headed on down to the lower field where the Dawn Patrol would soon begin.

You don’t realise the kind of work which actually goes into setting up a hot air balloon until you see it in action or the sheer size of some of them until you are up close.

They’re pretty darned big.

By this time, even with pullovers and jackets on we were all freezing our butts off despite the temperatures having been holding steady through the early 90’s for the month. 5am is COLD whatever the daily temperatures might be so be sure to wrap up warm and perhaps bring a blanket or two for the early portion of the show. It doesn warm up very fast when the sun peaks over the mountains but 5am in Reno is not a warm time of day.

The dawn patrol was a truely glorious sight to behold. Again we got a “twinkle twinkle” glow show from the grounded balloons before they launched into the still moonlit sky. The brightly coloured air balloons framed by the almost full moon we had that day made a really beautiful sight. Only five balloons took off for the dawn patrol as apparently its pretty dangerous to fly by night and they couldn’t land until the sun came up a little and provided a clear view of the ground.

Then came the waiting…

The Mass Ascension and Hare and Hound race doesn’t kick off until sometime past 6:30am which turned out to be closer to 7am so this gave us a little time to kill.

The sun was coming up so we got to check out some of the balloons as they were prepared for the later event. The American Eagle was the one we devoted most attention to as it was amazing to see its preparation. As a huge and funky shaped balloon it first needed to be inflated with cold air to capture the shape and then hot afterwards to provide lift. Again, you don’t realise the preparation needed until you see it in action.

After checking out the stalls which consisted mainly of nick-nacks and tat, took up a spot to get a good view of the coming events.

The Bald Eagle balloon launched to National Anthem which everyone joined in with. Watching this patriotic symbol rise into the dawn sky with the moon still in the background and the sun rising over the mountains behind us whilst everybody sung the anthem was a stirring sight. American or not you couldn’t help be moved.

Shortly afterwards, the official Great Reno Balloon Races balloon launched and after a brief couple of minutes the start of the Hare and Hound race began as one of the first Wells Fargo Bees launched - the first hare.

I didn’t really understand the rules of this, something about catching the flag or something hanging from the hare balloon but it signalled the start of the mass ascension anyway as over 106 balloons began preparations to launch in pursuit.

This was the really fun part of the day so if the idea of getting up and out to arrive before the 5am start sounds a little too painful then make sure you get there before 7am to see this part and it was truly awe-inspiring.

Part of the fun came from watching the various balloons begin to inflate on the ground and trying to figure out just what on earth some of the novelty hot air balloons were actually going to be when fully inflated. “Is that an orange?” - “No, it’s a duck” - “But it has a comb, must be a chicken” - “A bright orange one?” - “Oh! It’s a fin, it’s a goldfish!”…and so on. It took us ages to figure out why a pair of giant inflatable legs was sticking in the air until we figured out it was actually a humpty dumpty balloon!

Other balloons on display were a very cool Noah’s Ark, a hilarious giant cow, Christ on a cloud, Smokey The Bear, the Wells Fargo Bees - a pair of identical twin balloons, the Eagle and more.

The ascencion was amazing to see as the air became literally packed with multicoloured, multi-shaped balloons. You’ll see how many from the pics below.

Later followed some games put on by the balloonists like balloon balckjack amongst other things but by this time we were all getting somewhat on the tired side and needed to head on back to find our beds. Getting up at 3am after working all week is a tall order.

If you haven’t been before then be sure to check out next year’s event. You’ll find the information on schedules and events, as well as more photographs of the participating balloons and sponsors at http://www.renoballoon.com online.

Next year we’ll probably hit the camel races at Virginia City instead which were held on the same day in the afternoon (so you could do both) but there was no way we’d have survived that long without taking a nap.

Fun day…oh, and did I mention its a totally free event too? Great fun and free with it, not often you can say that.

Some pictures taken from the balloon race follow, not the best quality as I’m far from being a decent photographer. I’m kinda disappointed how many of the night shots came out (or didn’t come out as is more to the point) but it has kinda spurred me to actually learn how to use this darn camera!

Photographs of the Glow Show 5am to around 5:30ish…

Bald Eagle Takes Flight With The Moon In The Background Whilst The National Anthem Is Sung:

The Official Great Reno Balloon Race Hot Air Balloon Takes Off:

Some of the Balloons On The Ground:

More Grounded Air Balloon As They Prepare To Take Off:

One of the Wells Fargo Bees takes off to start the hare and hounds race:

Wells Fargo Bee Balloon In Flight:

Balloon In Flight:

Smokey The Bear Balloon:

Noah’s Ark Balloon In Flight:

The Mass Ascension Of The Balloons:

Holy Cow! Two of the more fun balloons

If you are a fan of good food and great music then you have to take a trip to the one and only Best In The West Nugget Rib Cook-Off! Held annually towards the end of August and spanning the Labor Day weekend, this culinary event brings together some of the top rib chefs from all across the United States who compete over a six day festival for the coverted award of best rib cooker and prize money of $7,500.

This year brings out 24 competitors for you to sample including last year’s winners Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ from New Jersey as well as some of Nevada’s own rib cooking and barbecue specialists Carson City BBQ, Maui Wowie BBQ Co. and from my very own new hometown, local favourite and past winner B.J.’s Barbeque from right here in Sparks.

Even if ribs aren’t your thing, there are 6 free live music stages playing throughout the day featuring artists you may have heard of like War, English Beat (some of whose members formed the Fine Young Cannibals back in the 80’s) and Mumbo Gumbo who are always great fun. In addition, the cook-off features quite a sizable craft fair with over 200 arts and crafts booths featuring all kinds of jewellery, paintings and other crafts to browse and buy as well as activities to keep the kids amused during the day.

The Best In The West Nugget Rib Cook-Off began 18 years ago in 1988 when John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino Resort created the event. Since, then it has grown in size and popularity every year to become the premier destination for America’s barbeque chefs and now this year’s event in downtown Reno, Nevada is set to span a full six days and play host to 24 professional rib chefs and is fully expected to top last years estimated total of 411,000 visitors and the more than 85 tonnes of ribs consumed by those visitors in 2005.

Superb though the food may be here to any fan of barbeque cooking, the Nugget rib cook-off is not just about the ribs, or the sauce or the other culinary delights on offer as there are other great attractions which make this Reno Summer event a winner.

My first experience of the Nugget Rib Cook-Off was this year on Thursday August 31st 2006 of the event calendar. I’m not a huge fan of ribs or barbecue food in general but I went instead for the free live music, my wife for the craft stalls..and her friend for the Silver club casino right there by the main event stage. In fact, I’m not sure anyone in our little party went for the ribs at all.

Anyhoo, Thursday night saw War occupying the main stage kicking off around 7pm and funk-rocking on until around 9pm whcih gave us a little pre-show time to check out the stalls and grab some ribs. By the time we’d finished browsing through the various arts and crafts on display, picking up some real lemonade from one of the various other food and drink booths out there we ended up in front of the Aussom Aussie rib stand and of course, had to sample what they had to offer. Quite simply…Aussom! The hot sauce was to die for.

War kicked off around 7pm (the band that is!) running through some of their classic tracks including Low Rider, Why Can’t We Be Friends, The World Is A Ghetto and Me And My Baby Brother. Reno attracts a lot of ‘old’ touring bands like War and it’s fun to check them out when you get a chance. Many are better now than they ever were and War were pretty darned good that night too and well worth checking out if any of their tour dates send them your way. It was kinda amusing to see them slip into Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” during one off-track jam…

Later in the week sees the British Ska band English Beat hitting the main stage too who you may remember having hits with Mirror In The Bathroom and Can’t Get Used To Losing You and that’s another one I’ll definitely be checking out…and maybe some more of those ribs too.

A full event listing can be found at http://www.nuggetribcookoff.com/ which tells you more about the venue, location, times and ‘order of play’ for the next few days. The event runs through the Labor day weekend so if you are in the Reno area in the next few days then be sure to come and visit.

Technorati Tags: Reno Travel Attractions War Concerts & Music