Yellow MUPmarine
I am sitting in a C-BUG, actually the only one in the world. This "Controlled Buoyancy Underwater Glider" was built in the US and currently is in use here on Isla de Roatan, Honduras, Central America. The two-man submarine is designed to go to depths of over 600 feet (183 meters) and daily takes passengers deeper than 500 feet here in The Cayman Trench.
It is comfortably cool at 500 feet, adequate light and good visibility. Life abounds, even at this depth. The most amazing sight is the Sea Lily, a stalk crinoid that has lived without any evolutionary changes for 200 million years and was thought extinct. It looks like a plant but is actually an animal that can get up and change locations. Fish and other creatures are curious and come close to inspect the sub as it hovers silently.
The boat carries an oxygen tank and a CO2 scrubber and Karl, the owner/operator, monitors the oxygen level carefully. The boat stays dry inside so Stanbags' are not necessary. And yes, the submarine is painted a bright yellow.
Larry Nielsen
A Two-on-One MUP:
Steve: John Combs and I are here at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. My wife is over buying the tickets, so we're doing the MUP. (for later transmission from 'home').
John: I'm typing on Steve's 200LX (and finding it hard going, as it doesn't have Buddy on it!) It's hours later. We ran rampant through the Tech Museum until they kicked us out. We shot lots of pictures, but only John's are in digital format. I'll let him jump later. Right now we're waiting to catch the free shuttle over to the Winchester Mystery House.
John again: We're sitting in the lobby of the DoubleTree Hotel. The Tech Museum of Innovation was pretty neat, but we didn't have time to go through all of it. We rode the light rail system downtown and back (the light rail is essentially an aboveground subway system - no need to put it below ground where it doesn't freeze, snow, or even rain much).
Steve Van Dyke [KC], 70611,2147 and John Combs
A Cool MUP for a Hot, Summer Day
Greetings from the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood Oregon. As I told my wife earlier when I look out the window the snow is at eye level - and my room is on the first floor! Quite a bit more snow here than I was anticipating. The temperature outside when I arrived was hovering around freezing and falling.
Well it is now Sunday; I was too tired to send this yesterday. The Lodge was built c.1937 and it claims to be the largest entirely handcrafted building built this century anywhere in the world. Everything including all the furniture, carpets, curtains, etc. were handmade specifically for the lodge.
There are some high, thin, cirrus clouds but the sky is mostly blue. Looking at the cloudbanks beneath us though I know that most of the rest of Oregon is having yet another gray day. Off in the distance I can see another peak jutting out of clouds. It appears to be almost due north and so is probably Mount Adams.
Gary Spiers, 74603.3001@compuserve.com