West Liberty is over an hour-and-a-half drive south and west of Dubuque. I am always aware - and a little bit fearful - of hitting a deer on the highway. Harvest season, which we are now into, is the worst because they are getting pushed out of the corn fields and, because it is the start of the rut season for deer, the boys just aren't thinking with the larger of their brains. :D
When I left Dubuque, the fog was thick and the eyes were peeled for deer. Twelve miles out of Dubuque, the cruise control was set at 65, the fog had cleared and we were on our way. Next stop - I-80 Truck Center to stretch the legs and kick the tires.
If you are ever traveling through this part of the country on I-80, this is a must stop. Cleanest restrooms, great food and plenty of things to lighten your wallet. They also have some pretty neat trucks and some beautiful murals. If you have time, check out the truck museum around back of the place.
Having filled up the coffee mug and emptied the bladder, it was time to hit the road again to finish the trip. I was making awesome time and new I would get some study time in before the test started. My goal was to get there when they started the test session so I could re-take if I needed. As luck would have it, I didn't need a second chance.
I had three goals with the hamfest. They were to pass my Extra Class, meet up with the Scott County EC, and witness a balloon launch. This wasn't just any balloon launch, though. This was the iHAB (Iowa High Altitude Balloon Project) and the 7th launch of their balloon with payload. As a space nut, this really interested me.
So, I passed my Extra Class test and the first thing I did after that, was to find my Elmer - W0SAT - and let him know that I had reached the pinnacle of amateur radio. I was so ecstatic that I had passed that I was floating on Cloud 9. I thought nothing else could lift my spirits - how wrong I was, as two things lifted me to the heavens.
I promised myself that I would be a good boy and not bring any new radio toys back home. Money is tight and I honestly knew I couldn't afford it. Then I stumbled upon a Time magazine that was for sale and I couldn't pass it up. It was the issue from my birth day. Not just any birth day, but the one where I first learned that it's a cold, cruel world and also the one that I met the first love of my life - my mom. Yes, it is from THE birth day. Price was $2.00 and I couldn't pass it by.
The second thing that lifted me to unimaginable heights is the iHab balloon. As W0OMT was filling the payload, he snapped a couple test pics with the payload camera and, you guessed it, I am in two of the shots - SCORE!!!
While my actual, physical body did not get to travel to an altitude of 82,138ft, at least my image did (and if the aliens are going to abduct anything, I would rather it be my image and not my person.) :D
Lastly, I was honored to spend 6 hours of time with the Rock Island (IL) ARES EC discussing two very important issues for both of us - Skywarn and EmComm. A regional utility has graciously given all the wideband radios that they no longer need (because of the mandatory narrow-band change out) to him and he is trying to distribute to other clubs. We discussed what is needed to get a UHF repeater back up in Dubuque and discussed how he needs the skywarn reporting to come into the NWS office in Davenport. It was a great meeting and full of a lot of information.
So, I did it - did it all in one day - and arrived back home in one piece. Now I hope to work a lot of the frequencies that were out of reach to me just a few hours ago.
73 de KD0MCV/AE
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