Fireball Day Five – A Reception Awaits Us
Oklahoma City to Albuquerque
This morning after packing up the 540i “The Veil Guy” and I headed to the memorial site of the Farley Federal Building to pay our respects to the victims and the families of the Oklahoma City bombing. We parked just outside the memorial entrance and took time to read many of the hand held inscriptions that mourners have taped on the front fence, along with flowers and other tokens of respect.
We then drove back to yesterday’s finish line at Brick Yard Stadium, which today also served as the starting point. Lined up in front of the Fireballer vehicles were numerous motorcycle officers from the Oklahoma City Police Department and two local area news station remote trucks that were performing live interviews with other contestants.
After lining up our car, Bob and I walked up to the motorcycle officers and introduced ourselves. Being a retired officer and a Harley enthusiast myself, we quickly began swapping war stories. Mounted on each officer’s bike was the new Stalker 2 hand held radar gun. The officers also told me that they also use the Stalker laser guns, but because of the portability and small size of the Stalker 2, that this was their main weapon of choice.
The officers also confided with us to be careful heading into Elk City, as they heard that the Oklahoma State Patrol was setting up a large welcoming reception for us.
Oklahoma City’s Mayor gave led a morning prayer for the safe passage of the Fireballers, waved the green flag and we were off.
The motor officers provided a rolling escort for us to the on ramp of I-40, right smack into morning rush hour traffic.
Bob was the designated driver for this leg while I was the designated navigator. The detector selection today included the Bel STi and an Escort 8500 X50.
Once on the Highway I opened our sealed FedEx envelope for today’s clues.
Clue One: Get your lunch from the legendary “Big Texan” in Amarillo. Here you’ll need to kiss a cow, swim from Laredo to Amarillo, then convince Bobbie Lee to stamp your route book.
Clue Two: Built by the Swiss in 1966, it rises to 10,000 feet above Albuquerque and spans over 2.7 miles – it is the longest of it’s kind built anywhere in the world. Here we would be handed the location of the finish line.
Rules for this run were that we could not enter the town of Albuquerque prior to 5:00 pm (the start of rush hour)
Clue two was easy as I’ve been to Albuquerque many times before and immediately recognized this clue as being the Sandia Tramway. I fired up my iPhone for clue two and found Big Texan restaurant in Amarillo on Google.
After traveling about 30 minutes, we started receiving a solid hit of 35.5 on both the Bel STi radar detector and the Escort 8500 X50. About a mile later we saw three Oklahoma State Trooper cars setting up in the west bound lane.
One mile later we passed another trooper who was hidden, parked behind a bridge embankment. Our welcoming reception was forming….
An hour later, as we started entering into Elk City, both the Beltronics STi and the Escort 8500 indicated a 34.7 Ka alert, a half mile later we saw an Oklahoma Trooper parked in the median facing our direction. Then a few seconds later, the detectors began alarming 34.7 Ka. A mile further we observed an unmarked Dodge Charger parked in the median.
A mile after the Charger we then started receiving 34.7 alerts on both detectors and about a minute later we saw our third trooper in Elk City parked in the median.
Leon from team Blinder Xtreme then called us and said that an unmarked Crown Vic had just pulled out from ticketing another Fireballer and was ahead of us turning into the median. Just as we were getting the details, both detectors alerted again, this time to a 35.5 and we saw the Crown Vic ahead.
Leon also related that he had spotted a east bound trooper about three miles ahead of us that was not running radar and a silver Sheriff’s car running K band four miles ahead.
A couple of minutes later both detectors alerted 24.1 K band and then we observed an approaching Trooper eastbound on the horizon. A mile after this encounter the detectors lit up 24.7 and we saw the silver Sheriff’s car parked in the median.
Text messages were flying back and forth between Fireballers; five cars stopped at mp 109, Black BMW stopped at mp 38, white Audi stopped at mp 37. Bob and I thought at this point it was wise to pull off and get some gas and a cold soda. As we exited the interstate, we observed a white marked pick-up truck hidden on the side of the overpass.
After pulling into the station, the white marked pick-up pulled in behind us. We struck up a conversation as I peaked inside the car, I observed a VASCAR unit on the transmission hump. I commented “You’re still using those old VASCAR units” and the officer replied “We use everything we can.” The pick-up left and we headed back to the den of Troopers.
We were receiving text messages that the black BMW that was ticketed in Elk City was closing the gap behind us, a few minutes later we received another message that they were again pulled over at mp 89.
As we approached mp 51, we saw the flashing overhead lights of a trooper. Passing, we saw that they had the blue vet with “We brake for Ka” sticker on the side of the road with a trooper.
At mp 50 we received a K alert at 24.7 and as we crested a hill, we spotted another trooper parked in the median facing our direction.
At 10:20 am, Bob and I crossed back into Texas and we found a new welcoming committee was forming. We were using a white Audi that ahead of us for our “rabbit.” At mp 165 the Escort and Beltronics unit alarmed 34.7 and almost immediately we saw a black and white Texas DPS trooper car pull out from behind a row of trees and giving chase to the Audi.
Team Blinder Xtreme called us again telling us that the Texas troopers had the Bentley and the SRT pulled over three miles ahead of us.
As we approached mp 0 in Texas both detectors alerted 34.7 and just ahead we saw a Texas trooper with a black car parked behind traffic cones.
Our first project after arriving into New Mexico was to find a New Mexico trooper for our photograph and a New Mexico newspaper for our state sign photograph.
Five miles into New Mexico we saw a trooper off the side of the road with a disabled motorist. We pulled safety off the road, parking a safe distance away from the officer and stepped out of our car showing my badge. I first asked if we could be of any assistance to him or the motorist and he thanked us saying that everything was under control. I then asked if he would allow me to photograph him and his patrol car, he gave he related that this was fine. Bob stood next to the officer and we got our shot.
We traveled another 25 miles until we came across our first gas station. We gassed up and got our New Mexico newspaper and headed back to the state line for our sign shot and then headed west for Albuquerque.
At mp 357 the detectors made their first alert in New Mexico on 24.1 K band. A mile ahead we observed a silver unmarked patrol car in the median.
As we entered the town limits of Albuquerque the Escort 8500 X50 alerted 38.8 while the Bel STi remained silent. Behind us was the Blinder Xtreme team using a STi and a Valentine One and reported a 38.8 alert.
A few seconds later we noticed an east bound Albuquerque Police Department vehicle.
A few months ago the Beltronics had a software revision that addressed this 33.8 issue when earlier models would sometimes block out alerts on 33.8 frequency based upon the threshold, filtering the alert as a false alert. The unit that we were using in our car did not have the 33.8 software revision, the Blinder Xtreme team had.
Being familiar with the layout of Albuquerque, we drove to the area of the Sandia Tram via county roads that were outside of the city limits. We then parked a few miles away from the check in location at 4:30 pm.
At 4:55 we drove to the lift area and took our photograph with the lift person and provided the location of the finish line, the Albuquerque Art Museum.
We snaked our way through rush hour traffic south on I-25 then west on I-40 to our exit and then processed to the finish line.
Today we ranked 14 out of the 65 cars running today’s leg, finishing 15th in overall points and 3rd in class.
Fireball – Pre Ride Check In
Today was the first meeting of all the racing contestants and getting the cars decaled, inspected and checked in. I took this as an opportunity to checkout all the cars while my teammate the “Veil Guy” made last minute tune ups to our BMW 540i sport.
My first project was checking out all the speed countermeasure equipment that many of the cars were using and I was shocked and somewhat disappointed in what I saw.
First off entry into this race is not cheap, it costs over $10,000.00 for the full entry. The cars are not cheap either. There is an Aston Martin, a couple of Bentleys, a few Lambos, a Ford GT40, and couple of Ferrari to boot. But when it came to radar detectors I was shocked to see that some of these drivers really skimped in this area, counting six Cobra’s, one RMR C-450, and even a KAT!
I chuckled when I passed the car with the Rocky Mountain Radar jammer as he was bragging to another driver how his unit was able to jam out all police radar and laser thinking to myself “I wonder how many miles he is going to make it before he gets his first ticket and finds out what a POS detector he really had.”
There were many drivers however that did do their homework and two even mentioned that they had been reading my blog and forum prior to the race and did make some smart buys.
On the high end of the radar detector spectrum I counted four Bel RX65’s, four Escort 8500 X50’s, two Valentine One’s, one Bel STi and one Escort 9500i. One Aston Martin driver that identified himself as a Radar Detector net forum member took me to his ride to show off his Blinder M47, his Veiled headlamps and a SR7.
I then met with the owner of the “Bat Mobile” while he was in the process of installing his Escort 8500 X50 to the dual cockpit style curved windshields. It was certainly a challenge installing the unit above the rocket launcher and booster rocket switches.
Tomorrow at 7:00 am we line up and depart for our first leg of the race, Baton Rouge LA.
Check in tomorrow night for more updates.
Test Drive – Need For Speed
This past Friday, I had the pleasure to work with Screaming Flea productions in Seattle Washington, who are taping a new series called “Test Drive” that will air this fall on the MOJO HD Cable Television Network and other automotive related cable TV channels such as the Speed Channel.
One of the episodes on this new series is called “Need For Speed” where I outfit two high performance cars with the latest in speed counter measure technology in an attempt to outwit an officer from the Washington State Patrol.
First up, we each explain the different types of technology police departments use, and give hands on demonstration of laser and radar guns.
I then discuss the various types of speed countermeasure equipment that is available to the driver, discussing the various types of radar detectors and laser jammers, Veil stealth coating, and provide tips in selecting the right radar detector for your car and driving habits.
Next up, we perform some testing of various radar detectors and laser jammers and make several runs with and without the equipment. In one segment, the driver (really) forgot to plug in his Escort 9500i and found himself pulled over by a trooper on the busy highway.
During the taping of the episode, the Escort 9500i (when plugged in) detected the officers K and Ka band radar guns two miles away on this busy highway, giving our test driver ample time to slow down to avoid the speed trap.
We were also successful in jamming the new Laser Pro-Lite with a new Blinder M-27 that was installed on a black Audi. In five runs we had two jam to guns with Veil and three “punch through strikes” under 275 feet without Veil.
This episode is scheduled to air first on Mojo HD in mid October. When I’m advised of date and time I’ll pass on to our readers….
Rocky Point Run
One of my passions is riding my Harley and exploring new destinations.
This past weekend, the Prescott Arizona region of the Choirboys law enforcement motorcycle club held a run to Rocky Point Mexico.
Back in 1985 during my assignment as an undercover officer to the Special Investigations unit, was the first time I was in Rocky Point. That rainy Easter weekend was spent in a Cantina just off the beach, in what was then a sleepy little town.
We crossed into Mexico at the Lukeville/Sonoyta crossing and took Hwy 8. Several miles past Sonoyta I began getting a weak Ka reading on my Escort 8500 X50. About a mile ahead, as we turned around a bend we came behind a Mexican Federal Police patrol car and two officers.
We stayed a safe distance behind and within a few miles we noticed the patrol car pulling into the right shoulder, preparing to make a u-turn. We then spotted the officers pray, a white BMW that had California plates that was heading in the opposite direction at a high rate of speed
After the white BMW blew by us, the officer activated the lights and siren and took off after the car.
About ten miles later, we then came across what has had to be one of the most stupidest drivers I encountered in a very long time. A pick up was towing a single axle trailer that was loaded ten feet high with bails of hay. The tires on the trailer axle seemed ready to burst because of the weight and the driver had a very difficult time controlling the vehicle at speeds over 15 m.p.h.
At this point on the highway it is a no passing zone, and there are numerous dips and turns that prevent you from seeing far ahead. Also the traffic heading towards the boarder was very heavy, so we decided to stay well enough behind to avoid any bails of hay that were getting ready to fall from the trailer.
Traffic quickly started building up behind us with most of the drivers having less patience then us and who were also becoming very stupid.
Normally we would pull over into the shoulder and wait out all these idiots, but the shoulder was all soft sand and we would easily get stuck.
We had a choice, either get run over from one of the cars or trucks behind us, as they attempted to pass, or try pass the hay truck in the no passing zone. Finally we saw an opening and shot passed, and saw one of the bails of hay come tumbling from the stack in our rear view mirror.
About 45 minutes later, we finally made the 65 mile stretch from Arizona into Rocky Point and arrived at our hotel, right on the beach.
I was amazed at the amount of new construction that was going on along the beaches! Huge luxury condos were being built along the beaches and real estate offices were almost on every corner.
We spent a great weekend with my club members and I will be making another trip out to Rocky Point soon, as the weather, riding and beaches were fantastic!
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