Sojourner - Traveling with the “Canman”

  Boom Aerospace is the quintessential American dream story.  Great ideas, engineers, and entrepreneurs.  It was so neat to visit and learn about how this team made history. And with my dear friend Dave we got to hike in the mountains.  We were going to go skiing, but climate change is real... My SFTE  News Release  below SFTE President Visits Boom Supersonic to Present JSM Award 03/04/2026 SFTE President  Jeff Canclini  visited  Boom Supersonic headquarters in Centennial, Colorado , where he presented the  James S. McDonnell Team Award  to the  XB-1 flight test team  in recognition of their outstanding achievement in flight test engineering. The visit included a discussion with  Boom Founder and CEO Blake Scholl , who shared the story behind Boom’s founding and the vision driving the development of next-generation supersonic transport. During the visit,  XB-1 Test Director and current Head of Engine Programs Nic...

Obscurity Lake, Washington - Alluringly Peaceful Trap of the Biting Fly Apocalypse.  Went to Oregon to escape the heat and flatness of Texas and test my mettle backpacking.  3 of my closest old friends live in the area around Portland with their spouses.  All migrated years ago from California.  This trip was an insightful opportunity to see how others from my youth have chosen to live their lives and retirement years.  And also to better understand what it would be like to live in this area.  My best friend from high school lives in a wooded suburb south of Portland close to mountains and the Columbia River. Riding horses and hunting remain his passions.  Another lives in a beautifully restored 1925 house in Portland  surrounded by mountain hiking/biking trails,  eclectic food carts, with close proximity to river kayaking.  He and I drove 2 and 1/2 hours to backpac...