[LUNAR Announce:] Launch on Sunday, March 8!

[Toby Vanderbeek]

Hello LUNARtics,

We are set to launch this Sunday, March 8. Thank you for your patience as
we waited for the weather forecast. Time is 0900 to 1600. Get there early
to help set up and stay late to clean up. All assistance is appreciated. We
can't do it without you.

The new signs with the speed limit of 7.5mph seem to be working. Thank you
to everyone for driving slow and safe.

Mike from Bay Area Rocketry will be there for your motor needs. Please
contact him before the launch to make sure he has what you need.
https://bayarearocketry.com/

The away pad will be set up. Dave has been repairing some damage that
occurred at the last launch from someone using a sledgehammer
inappropriately. If you need help, ask. We will have at least a few L3
certs and M motors launched so it should be exciting.

One continuing issue is people driving around puddles. None of the puddles
are very deep. You should drive through them and not around. Driving around
makes the land worse. Please stay on the roads and drive through the
puddles. The same note is posted below in the regular announcement.


And the regular notes:

Be sure to check the hotline in case we have to cancel at the last
minute.  *HOTLINE
#: 925.443.8705*

After the latest rains, things are very wet at the ranch, so make sure you
stay on the roads. Drive down the center of the road to avoid making the
road wider. Drive slowly through the puddles in the road, they are not too
deep and have a hard packed bottom.

As you drive down highway 4 at 55 to 60 mph and turn up the road to the
ranch, realize that you are on private property and on dirt road now that
goes by people's houses.  The speed limit on driveway is 5 MPH., Once past
the cattle grate *and* the first junction to the left, the speed limit is
7mph. If you drive fast, you will send dust and grit all over the place.
Slow down, take it easy, there is plenty of time to get up to the launch site.
You will keep the Rancher's happy and your car will like it too.

We will be flying on a working cattle ranch in a field that hasn't changed
much in the last 10,000 years. There are no paved roads, sidewalks, mowed
lawns, or anything else you are used to having at the launches in
Livermore. Treat this land with respect, and leave only foot prints when
you head home.

You will find rocks, squirrel holes, sticks, cow bones, and other assorted
items that can twist or break ankles or legs if you are not paying
attention. You will also see wildlife. In addition to the bulls and cows,
there are squirrels, snakes, coyotes, mountain lions, golden eagles, bald
eagles, buzzards, and other critters. Again, if you pay attention, none of
these critters will bother you. If you have kids, keep an eye on them,
don't let them wander far without an adult.

This is rattle snake country the same as the hills around Livermore. As
long as you pay attention to where you are walking and where you put your
hands and feet, you won't have a problem. Stay away from the rock fences,
the blackberry bushes, and the brushy rock formations. Those are all snake
places. If your rocket lands in one of those places, come get me or one of
the club officers to help you  get it out. Now, I am not trying to scare
anyone, I just want to make sure you are paying attention. My brothers,
sister, cousins, and I played all over those hills as children and never
got bit and I want to make sure no one else does.

When you get to the launch area, follow the marked road to the field.

Even though it looks like there is a shorter way, don't do it. There is a
reason I mark the road where I do. There is a road down the center of the
field where we launch. You can park on either side of that road. On the
east side you can go as far as the creek but on the west side, do not go
more than one car length from the road. Most of the ground is sod over mud.
If you break through the sod, your car will drop to its axles in the mud.
Four wheel drive will not save you. The ground under the sod is almost
liquid. Some of you will remember when I pulled a lost rocket out of the
ground. The rocket had punched a hole through the sod. I was able to stick
my arm down into the ground all the way to my elbow without any problem,
slide my fingers under the rocket, and pull it out.

If I can stick my arm up to the elbow in the ground, imagine what something
with the weight of a car will do. The places we will mark out have gravel
under them and are solid. A few feet farther up the hill are not.

As I mentioned, this is a working ranch and there are a few ranch rules.

  - Leave the cows and bulls alone. There are a lot of newborn calves in
the field, many born in the last week. If you see one, don't go too close
and do not get between the calves and the cows, especially small children.

  - If you see a calf that appears to be in trouble, that is, it has fallen
in a hole or in the creek and does not seem to be able to get out, come and
get me and I will rescue it.

  - Leave the wild critters alone. It is OK to look, but don't try to pick
them up. The rattle snakes you find out there are real, not toys, and they
bite.

  - If there are bee hives on the hill above where we launch, stay away
from them. They are self protecting so you have been warned.

  - Close any gates that you open.

  - Do not do anything to deface or mess up the land. A rancher is just
about the greenest person you will ever meet when it comes to his land. In
this case, our family has been caring for this land for over 130 years. The
worst thing you can do is to create ruts which cause erosion which is
another reason to stay on the roads. Please pick up all or your trash and
if you see trash, pick it up as well and take it home for proper disposal.

- You do not have permission to cross the fence to the south of the launch are
to retrieve your rocket.  In the event that your rocket does land across
the fence line, please contact one of the Lunar officers for assistance in
recovering your rocket.
Regards,

Toby Vanderbeek
tobyvanderbeek at gmail.com
650-722-1669
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lunar.org/pipermail/announce/attachments/20200305/2b533141/attachment.html>