Get the lead out

Mango chicken over chow mein noodles

4 kinds of rolls. spicy tuna, philly, mexican (crab with jalapeno) and eel.

Red White and Boom

For the 4th, Fort Irwin had 2 bands (Bad Company/Elton John Tributes) and fireworks. $15K in fireworks right across the street, so they were right in your lap. We also had food, beer and stuff for the kiddies and still some families complained. You can't please all the people all the time!!

Burgers, Dogs and Catfish, can you get more American.

Carnival food!!

Yep, the Prius says its 111 in the shade. But it's the dry heat. 

Boom set-up

The stage on wheels

This thing has been sitting in a yard for like 5 years. It just wouldn't hold air, too bad, because it's pretty damn cool when it's inflated!!

You can use the trashcans for scale. See them right in front of it, the blue and green ones?! Takes 12 blowers and we kept frying circuits, the wind kept trying to make it fly and we tore 2 holes in the base where it was staked down. ugh!!!

Raptor eyeing the outside waterfalls and pools at Bass Pro Shops. Reminds me of the raccoons that decimated the Gerwen fish pond. Free snacks, can't pass it up.

I joined Scott Nerdbinski on one of his lead free shooting demos. In Cali, raptors, especially the condor eat the leaded gut piles and poison themselves. Some might call this natural or unnatural selection depending on how you look at it. But with copper bullets costing twice as much as lead cored bullets, it takes some serious convincing that they are better before many folks will buy them. this event was in Kernville on a pretty sweet range, and while they guys were uber anti-obama, reminds me of my father-in-law, they were still pretty nice guys. We hit the Kern River Brewing Company for some Ale Sodas and grub before and after the event.

The berms go to 200yds, then more targets all the way up the road to 550yards then up the mountain there's a little pole at about 700. I took a poke at the steel sheep at 550 with Scott's .30-06 but was about 2 feet short. He's sighted in for 100 instead of max point blank range, so it needed a lot more hold over.

I like targets that sing when you hit them. Blaze orange steel pigs squeal like Ned Beatty. 

the Lead free test subject. 

they blast water jugs and gelatin to show the penetration and weight retention of lead alternatives. Our test subject shot a .223 and got upwards of 18" with the copper. Yowzers.  

Nerdbinski pointing out lead fragments that would be in your ground venison. Not necessarily overly detrimental to me, maybe kids and pregnant women, but almost always lethal to Eagles, Hawks, and Condors. It's pretty sad to see a Bald Eagle doubled over and eyes glassed over from lead poisoning, unable to keep his head up or focus on anything at all.  

the large grey specks are .223 bullets. Left one near the front 1/3 is lead, right is copper way down near the last 1/3 of the block. 

Scott talking to the guys. It's pretty impressive to see it happen in real time, no way to fake the funk when you have one of the locals behind the trigger with their ammo versus yours through their gun.

Fish and Game sent out a couple chicas to see what it is all about and help get the word out. They both shot larger calibers for the first time. Starting with a .223 bolt gun they had the steel singing, then they upped it to .270 but the .30-06 wasn't as pleasant. Kate here is saving up for a .270 of her own to blast pigs to feed captive condors. Attagirl! Save me a ham and some pork belly, I want to try to make some charcutterie, maybe prosciutto and homemade bacon. Yummy.