Kinetic Steam Works' Blog

Pappy painting prep @ our Steam Shop

2009-02-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

"Pappy" - the 1917 Case 75HP traction engine restoration project has moved into high gear now that we're settled in our new home. Because of some parts delays we decided to move ahead and complete the painting of nearly all the engine components (the green stuff). Here are some photos of Pappy hours before the final green spraying began. We removed as many components as possible so they could be properly inspected, repaired, restored, and prepped for a quality paint job. then our Painters (George and Mike at Perfection Body Shop, Emeryville CA) came to our shop today and painted the remaining green components that were left on the engine. As you can see, there was quite a bit of preparation involved :-) Thank you to all the amazing KSW crew for pulling this off!

Photos of the fresh new "Case" green tomorrow!

-Cactus

Best Traction Engine in Rexburg Idaho

2008-12-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

Sitting in the park in downtown Rexburg. She's in ruff shape but "good bones" as Dick Vennerbeck would say.

The Beamish Homestead

2008-12-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from the Beamish farm in Manitoba. Colin Beamish and father have an amazing collection of Case Traction Engines!

The Grasslands

2008-11-30T23:43:00.000-08:00

What most of my day looked like. Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota.

Bismarck reenactment

2008-11-30T23:34:00.000-08:00

If I were to fishtail around the parking lot of Century High School in Bismarck, North Dakota in a 24ft flatbed, it might look something like this. Of coarse this photo is a mock up for public purposes and dramatization.

The Billings powder keg is about to go up.

2008-11-30T00:24:00.000-08:00

Marshal law was declared 6hrs ago here in Billings, I got in just as the National Guard closed the road and now I'm not sure if I'll be able to get out. The Governor had the power to the city shut off. There are roving gangs everywhere with all assortment of weaponry. There are cars flipped over and on fire all over down town. Not sure how much longer I have to report in about the uprising in Billings, but I'll stay on as long as I can with you so we caaohnerghreagrat4;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...... . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ....

just kidding :-)

So! @ the end of day two I've managed to rocket northward, stair-stepping my way across and up. Through out most of the day I was attacked by the Snake River and it is absolutely breathtaking. I made it into Idaho first thing this morning after pushing past Elko NV late late late last night. Nothing really stood out except how slow the natives drive until, there was a sudden gash in the earth and way @ the bottom was my first of several encounters with the Snake.

Truck is running great and how I wish it didn't have that bloodly speed governor on it :-( My directions were to take me through Yellowstone but there was construction or something that closed the road to through truck traffic, so I had skirt the park to the west which brought me right through Ennis Montana. The 40 miles or so before Ennis got a bit sketchy as there was a steady snow and the road was getting thick. Fortunately the elevation dropped again and it was smooth sailing all the way to Billings where I'm hold up @ this very moment.

Looks like I stop in Minot ND tomorrow afternoon and get an early start across the border on Monday morning. I was hoping to get in Canada tomorrow but I think that would be pushing it.

Ahhh Billings, smells like Martinez. night night.

-Mahatma Kane Jeeves

Case 75 parts - Manitoba mad dash

2008-11-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

I’m departing for Manitoba today! Late this afternoon jumping in my shiny yellow Penske flatbed and I’m off. Heading to the hinterland to pick up a parts traction engine to replace some of the missing parts on Pappy (1917 75HP Case). This unit I’m picking up is also a Case 75 in pieces. It doesn’t have a boiler and is also missing some parts, but it’s got what counts.

I’m hoping to get to Elko NV tonight. Then it’s on through Twin Falls, Pocatello, Yellowstone, Billings, Bismarck, Minot, and into Manitoba. Heading north with lots of CD’s, IPod, straps, heaters, and the fire coat. At least in cold weather…all men are created equal :-)

D. Deschamps

Photos Uploaded on Flickr

2008-09-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

They are all up with titles, tags and captions. Flickr uploader went wonky and I had to redo an hour of work - doh! I'm too over the computer and too exhausted to write any more than this.

Look here and see the story.

EPIC trip!

Over but not out.

-RayRay

Rounding The Horn of Manhattan

2008-09-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hello from Long Island City, NY.

We rounded the, err, Horn or Manhattan late last week, and aside from the curiosity of New York City's Aquatic Finest, it's all gone smoothly.

Seeing the New York City skyline drifting by from the deck of the steamboat's been a trip in and of itself, especially given the historical significance of steam power on the Hudson and the sheer West Coast / East Coast cognitive dissonance ("Oh sh*t that's the Brooklyn Bridge!").

The Deitch Gallery version/installation of The Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea opened with great fanfare last Sunday. Swoon's creativity and everyone's hard work are on display. We were pleasantly surprised by how much the actual boats and their energy enhanced the indoor version of the show and vice versa, to create a more moving whole from pretty great parts.

Greetings from the Hamptons!

2008-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well actually, we're at The Hampton Inn off the New Jersey Turnpike.

Yesterday was the most intense day on the boat yet. After two whole days off in Yonkers at the Beczak Environmental Center (thank you to Bob and the Center for our great stay!), we broke anchors and headed into Manhattan. The steamboat had to stop to fill up her water tanks, so we met up with the rest of the fleet later and tied up together just past the George Washington bridge; A perfect swimming opportunity. It was a really beautiful sight, all the boats together, all the crews together celebrating our journey. After 20 minutes of fun someone noticed that we were getting dangerously close to the barge on the eastern bank of the river. The tide had grown stronger and we were actually floating down river -- the barge was anchored. The boiler was still hot and full of pressure but a steam engine doesn't start with the push of a button like those fancy new cars with $600 electric keys. And we had to untie from the other boats. KSW is a well oiled machine, let me tell you. We broke loose, warmed the engines, put her in reverse, opened up the throttle and we were out of danger. The other boats started up their engines and watched the massive barge go by at close distance. What a sight.

The currents are unbelievable here - 6 knots. Facing up river, working against the current, the steam engine could just keep up. We weren't making any progress and even though we were docking just a few hundred feet away, there was no way we could safely do that in the conditions we were facing. The lubricator for the engines had broken a few days before and were only temporarily fixed, so we had been running at low pressure to minimize the strain on the engines. At this point we needed all the pressure we could get so we could hitch up to a mooring we were near. The other boats continued drifting away from us. And, it wasn't helping that Andrew had bad boating nightmares the night before.

A long story short, after one failed attempt, we tied up to the mooring and waited it out a couple hours while the current subsided. When we got to Pier I (where we're doing a performance tonight at 7:30PM), the work boat Maria was there, but the other boats were tied up to an abandoned dock on the other shore in New Jersey. They later got an escort in from the Coast Guard, Megan and Greg got us a hotel room across the George Washington Bridge and everyone is fine. Moms, don't worry. We are a great, safe, reliable, prepared team -- everyone is impressed with our cohesion as a group when it comes to running the steam boat. Time and time again we are "Team KSW to the rescue" with a spare jerry can or dingy shuttle or cold beers. We've worked together for years and we work together as a group every week and more when we have big gigs.

So, tonight will be my last performance -- Megan and Greg too. It was a great show and I think we're really going to shine tonight, after all we've been through together. I believe we leave tomorrow morning for the Deitch Project Gallery in Queens, weather permitting. We've had two weeks on the Hudson River to gain knowledge and experience and we work very well together as a crew, so I am confident that our journey will be a safe one, albeit an exciting one. I can't wait to see Lady Liberty up close and personal. Also, the Olafur Eliasson waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge. Hope to see many of you on the 7th at the opening.

Love from the Hamptons,
RayRay

relaxing in the shadows of a nuclear power plant

2008-08-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

wheeee! this is fun stuff, lemme tell ya.

today i got to sleep in until 9:30 and it was bliss. even better, we didn't need to break down camp and launch the boat. we're being hosted at king's marine in verplanck - a lovely dock with an amazing mass of used boats and gear - look it up if you're in NY and need a boat. there's a big lawn, croquet and swimming in an old quarry around here. there is an underwater city down in the quarry. randy, our host says that the quarry is another 100' deep below the water, which is an impressive 60' jump down a stone cliff (i chickened out and jumped off the smallest rock i could fine). apparently, while mining 60 years ago, they hit a watermain and flooded the place and there are still buildings and cars and cranes down there. a refreshing and lovely break from the work of the water and relax and have some good old fashioned summer fun. just earlier today stephen and i took a sailboat ride out to stony point with our new friend magic marty - my first time out on a sailboat. later in the day team KSW played a great game of baseball at the local ball field. i think there are going to be hot dogs grilled later this evening.
tomorrow we head out 6 miles to croton on hudson.

i uploaded as many photos on flickr as i had the patience for - there's certainly more to share. there's just so little time, wireless connection and so much work and fun to be had.
time to get off the computer. this is a great trip with great people and the community we're all experiencing and creating is really spectacular.

Photos thus far...

2008-08-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

From the photo files of irrepressible KSW crew member Frauleineblue...

Great Bacon in Beacon

2008-08-25T02:42:00.000-07:00

Wow my friends…

It's astonishing to realize that it’s been nearly two weeks since I’ve had an opportunity to update ya’ll. It would’ve been so much easier to do this on a daily basis so I’d not have to look back to the Ship’s Log to recall all that’s happened. Might as well start here and go backwards…

We wrapped up our show in Beacon, NY last night and things went mighty fine (we’ve been having endless fun pronouncing Beacon, “Bacon," Bank of Bacon, Bacon Hair Cuts, etc…). We arrived late Saturday afternoon, tied up to the ferry dock and went to dinner. Yesterday was the first time we’ve had a chance to sleep late in god knows how long. Sunday morning, at the end of the ferry dock, surprise surprise, the local farmers market holds court. It was a small affair and I was surprised to realize that they’re not there at the crack of dawn, seems like things don’t get going until mid-morning. Early morning farmers market patrons were startled after strolling out to the pier to clarify what appeared to be an acid flashback, to find piles of crew sleeping all over the boats. Most seemed embarrassed to be there and snuck away as if they'd wandered into the wrong hotel room.

I’m up by 5 or 6AM to light off the boiler, roll up my sleeping bags, and get to work. Since Bree returned to SF, I’ve had no reason to set up a tent and it’s somber times for me to be without my amazing Bree. This has been my first moment of free time and access to the local hotels in quite a while. It’s not normal for me to be so out of touch, not knowing what day of the week it is, having no clue what time it is, etc. Somewhat of a news junkie, I was astonished to check into the hotel last night, flop own on the bed, turn on CNN, and learn that Obama had chosen Biden for the #2 slot. Seems I’m the last to know.

Two weeks has been a blink of an eye… and a really really really good time :-)

There’s very little downtime. I’m not complaining, I thrive on having some task or purpose to accomplish (I’m on a “working vacation”). I'm still taken aback by how extensive the show/performance aspect of this adventure is. In our deliberations before we joined this project, the show always seemed to be of secondary importance. This is by no means a comment on the quality of the script and performance per se; rather, I think the leaders helping Swoon to get KSW in position figured everything would lock into place upon our arrival. It appears they were right; every KSW crew member has been a part of the show and is having a good time.

Last night I was pulled aside for a word from another leader on the Switchback Sea project, they kindly praised KSW and how generally “dialed in” we are. Almost daily I’ll have someone in authority and/or a crew member pull me aside and profess how impressed and relived they are that KSW has been nothing but reliable and problem free. We’ve been picking up the slack on a daily (and sometimes hourly) basis. We came overly prepared and our state of readiness and flexibility has made our crew shine again and again. When the Maria broke down yesterday, it was Mr. Stephen Rademaker that saved the day with his AC water pump. When the Bayliner (baggage boat) broke down several days ago, it was KSW that took on the transport of all camping gear.

We're happy to be here and happy to help. Especially after all the hard work restoring the boat, it feels great when folks acknowledge that we’re a crew of solutions, not problems. Please don’t labor under the misconception that we’re a bunch of angels, on the contrary… I’ll just leave it at that. We pride ourselves on solutions and safety, and we sure have a fine time between rescues.

I hope to have internet access over the next few days. For those of you Back West, have fun at (the) Burning Man ya’ll. Today is a travel day, 20 miles south, with a tough head wind. I have no idea where we’ll be stopping tonight. I need to go light a fire now.

Beacon Shmeacon

2008-08-24T10:13:00.001-07:00

We made it to Bacon finally on Sat the 23rd just as the sun was going down. It was a long day on the river from the island that we had to camp on (Friday night?), but we've had fantastic weather and the crew is great. We went to sleep at 3:00 am on Friday night/morning after BBQing up some of the yummy bluefish that Megan and Nate caught, got up at 5:00 am to fire up the Steamboat and spent the day drinking whiskey and making Bacon for breakfast and lunch. There was a big bowl of bacon for lunch... no really.

It didn't seem like there were too many problems or setbacks today with the other ships... although I did need to quickly fire up the inflatable to go rescue a bacon bag that was dropped off one of the boats. We also had to think fast to narrowly avoid a barrel that Steve Valdez threw at the Steamboat... he says that it came unlashed from their boat, but I wouldn't trust that guy as far as I can throw him...

Bacon is great... It's a cute little town with galleries, restaurants and cafes, but no motels. We had dinner at Max's where they have a strict dress code after 7:00 pm.... no doo rags or sleeveless shirts... but they served up some yummy Guiness, fish and bacon. We slept on the roof of the boat last night at a Bacon ferry dock under the stars, then went to a retro diner for breakfast and more bacon. We have a show tonight at the Dia Bacon... first show in a few days.

I'm not sure what the next destination after Bacon is. This is the last stop for us (Nathaniel, Megan, Torreya and myself)... work and responsibility and railcars are a beckoning... and yes, the town is spelled Beacon... but we've been eating so much delicious bacon all week that for some reason, the "e" just drops right off and all we see is BACON everywhere.

Bacon Town Hall, Bacon Police, Bacon Street, Dia Bacon, Bacon Bridge, The Bacon Catholic Church, Bacon B&B...
mmmm.... bacon....

Photos so far...

2008-08-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

Photos from the the Flickr stream of Lopi LaRoe.

Scenic Saugerties

2008-08-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings from a lovely B&B break from the boat in Saugerties, NY! I've finally gotten the ability to blog, the time, and the internets so here goes!

Wow, where to start. It's hard to believe it's already been over a week on the water. This morning we awoke very early on a small strip of beach somewhere a few miles past "BBQ island" -- a great little respite we had near the town of Coxsackie (I'm not making that one up). We had to hustle to get the steam boat fired up and everyone's stuff loaded aboard or we'd be beached during low tide and this wasn't a place anyone wanted to spend the day. Once we broke free from shore we had one of the most pleasant, smooth and quick trips yet. Within a few hours we could spot the Saugerties' lighthouse ahead and landed there easily.

I have my camera with me but, unfortunately, the cable between it and the computer is still on the boat, so I'll have to post the photos later. The lighthouse is stunning. A real beauty that was slated to be torn down in the 1960's when old things from the 1800's just weren't appreciated.

We've been getting so much attention and appreciation from everyone we come across. There are endless opportunities for us whistle happy steam dorks to blow our whistle. Traveling along such an old and historic river is so different and such a step back in time. All the cities we've stopped in were built when the Hudson was the only thoroughfare and it is so fun to disembark at a place like Albany or Athens (were the locals told us they built steam boats there 150 years ago) and wander around the city from the angle of the river.

Knock on wood, but we haven't had any mechanical problems thus far. Some of the other boats have had some issues, but have been remedied quickly by their clever crews. There are so many people on this project that I haven't even gotten everyone's names yet, but it's a fun and quirky group of artists, mechanics and performers. Camping has been fun -- not too much rain and the mosquitoes aren't too bad if you cover up and wear some repellent, but they'll find any bare skin and suck it dry if you let them. Falling asleep and waking up on the river is so lovely. I knew the Hudson River was pretty but I didn't realize ALL of it would be so beautiful. Oh, and we've seen two bald eagles so far!

The clock in the bed and breakfast is ringing 6pm which means it's time to get ready and head back down to the boat for tonight's performance. Something we didn't realize is that we're actors in this big production as well. The play has been really fun and getting better all the time. We're pretty much playing ourselves on the boats which look lovely lit up at night.

We leave in the tomorrow morning for Kingston, where the Maritime Museum is located. Should be great fun. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my king size bed with clean sheets tonight!

STEAMBOATING Magazine features KSW

2008-08-20T07:50:00.001-07:00

The July/August issue of Steamboating Magazine, a publication of the "International Steamboat Society" features a two page article with Spy's press release, and the entire back cover is devoted to a photo of KSW's pre art installation "Wilhelmina." This shot was taken by John Woodson at the B + W Resort, John Lucas, Captain.

NY Times: A Floating City With Junkyard Roots

2008-08-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

On the front page of today's New York Times, KSW's own Stephen Rademaker silhouetted against the orange glowing rectangle of burning bio-diesel in the firebox. The front page of the Arts section featured an article about Kinetic Steam Works and the Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea! Julie Bloom reported the article and Nathaniel Brooks shot the gorgeous photos. Note the John Bull Topper wearing lad (Zachary Rukstela) in the lead photo of KSW's boat ghosting along the Hudson with the sunset reflected in her wake. Article is here. Slideshow is here.

Steamdorks Descend on NY

2008-08-13T11:04:00.001-07:00

8/11/08

GJKSW, Stephen, Rayray, Megan, & Zachary arrived at JFK Monday evening. We proceeded to drag all of our gear around on the subway for quite a while. Finally, we found Andrew and Boxcar and headed to a super swank Upper West Side flat belonging to one of Andrew’s ol’chums. We started in right away with “studying” for the big trip. We went to the roof to enjoy the amazing Gotham City architecture and a digression into an uninformed macho-guy kerfuffle about the plumbing going on inside all of the beautiful wooden water tanks that dotted the skyline. After a quick and heavily fried dim sum supper, Andrew took us to a dumpy little cowboy bar for further study. PBR ruled the evening, followed by an onslaught of stout little bridesmaids. Of course I’ve been eating constantly and after we left the bar, Stephen and I enjoyed our first slices of NY style pizza. Back at the flat, Greg, Megan, and I fell asleep watching a charming History Channel program on the history of Hillbillies and all of the cultural highlights of West Virginia past and present. W. Virginia is the only state in the Union that has not outlawed snake handling (for religious purposes)!

8/12/08
I slept in a bit and was rousted by the amazing Megan and Andrew, having just returned with outstanding bagels and coffee. In less then 24 hours we managed to destroy this 3 million dollar flat. We spent the late morning making repairs and scraping pudding off the ceiling. Andrew had his Mom’s hybrid and his lovely lady Boxcar had borrowed her sister’s pickup for all of our crap. We picked up Sunny, who had arrived in NY a few days earlier to visit friends, on our way North to the state capitol. Arrived at the build site about 1900, in time for the master orientation meeting for the entire project, and we started to pick up on the feel of how things are going to run. Since we dropped the boat off 3 weeks ago, the volunteers have made a ton of progress and it looks really nice. They are running a bit behind, but we all were impressed by the level of organization. More about this later...

Welcome!

2008-08-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is the official blog of Kinetic Steam Works.

We've done a retrograde Twain and headed Out East to Albany/Troy, NY. Right now we're lying on the banks of the mighty Hudson River with the gentle slosh of the water in our ears, staring up at the stars through the leafy night. We're getting ready for The Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea, a large scale mobile art installation project that'll float down the Hudson, round the tip of Manhatten.

But first, a little history: It began three years ago as the The Miss Rockaway Armada, a group of New York City area artists and assorted others who decided to travel down the Mississippi on very handmade rafts bedecked and festooned with art... equal parts continuous happening, Vaudeville happenstance, and Mark Twain gumption. The Mississippi has long been the Country's psychic dividing line between the past and the promise of the future. The highfalutin idea was to, "solicit dialogue around subversive and constructive ways of living." The impetus was to explore America outside of the bohemian boundaries of the NYC hipster arts milieu by taking it to middle America. The neat thing was that it was intended to be a two-way street. From all reports, Middle America gave as good as it got. Boundaries were blurred; social interactions occurred that would not have otherwise. Bohemia infected the broad banks of the Mississippi and the communities along the way infected Bohemia right back.

This year, the project is called the The Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea. In August of 2008, the Hudson River is the canvas, from Albany-Troy all the way down to Brooklyn. Seven crafts will soon float down the river the Mahican confederacy called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk. The boats will be powered by alternate energy systems, which is where K.S.W. comes in. We spent the Spring and early Summer hard at work restoring an old paddle-wheel steamboat. K.S.W.'s steamboat (she arrived by truck) will support an enormous sculptural array installed by an artist named Swoon, the larger project's creative leader.

Where (maps too) we'll be and when should be posted on the Swimming Cities site, look under "Performances."