June 13, 2012 · 12:00 am

Wyler Aerial Tramway—A Long Way Up and a Longer Way Down


El Paso has a pretty cool distinction, as far as U.S. cities go.  It’s the only city I know of that is split by a mountain range.  I live in West El Paso, which is located on the west side of the Franklin Mountains.  Central/Downtown El Paso lies nestled below the southern end of the Franklins, in the pass formed between the Franklin and Juárez Mountains and just a river, a bridge, and a very short stroll  away from Ciudad Juárez.  East El Paso is where the El Paso International Airport resides (and where I work), as well as Fort Bliss (Army post), Biggs Army Airfield (former Air Force SAC base), and other areas of the city.  Northeast El Paso stretches along the eastern slopes of the Franklins.

Wouldn’t be great to see the sights from atop one of the peaks overlooking El Paso and Ciudad Juárez?

You can.  And not just by helicopter (which I did aboard an old Huey to the top of Mount Franklin back in the early ’80s).  The other ways to get there are to hike or, much less strenuous, by taking a ride aboard the Wyler Aerial Tramway.  An aerial tramway, also referred to as a cable car (unless you’re in a San Francisco cable car), consists of a passenger or cargo gondola suspended beneath two cables and pulled by a third cable.  They’re not for the height-sensitive queasy types among us, but they get the job done in relatively safe manner . . . unless you’re in one when the military is flying around either in Italy or France.

July of last year our eldest grandson came for a visit to Casa de Wicker.  So, being one of the aforementioned queasy types, I checked to see if there were any military jets in the air, downed the requisite half-bottle of Scotch (just kidding . . . kinda) and loaded him, Ursula, and myself aboard the tramway, and headed to the top of Ranger Peak some 1,700 feet (518 meters) or so above the surrounding terrain.  The actual elevation of Ranger Peak is 5,632 feet above sea level (1,717 meters), but the elevation of the El Paso International Airport (which you’ll be able to see in the distance) is 3,962 feet (1,207 meters).

Tall enough for some fantastic views.  From Ranger Peak you can see two cities (El Paso and Ciudad Juárez), three states (Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua), and two countries (U.S. and Mexico).

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June 11, 2012 · 12:00 am

Watt’s Happenin’ Two


A follow-up to:  Watt’s Happenin’? Solar Power is Watt.

Well, the first bill in is.  Not a bill for an entire month during which we generated solar power, but instructive nevertheless.

Our two solar panel installations officially went online about 1:00 p.m. on the afternoon of Thursday, May 17.  Our May billing cycle ran from May 2 through June 5, and was divided into two separate and distinct bills to reflect our switchover to net metering.

During the period from May 2 until 1:00 p.m. on May 17, we used 429 kWh, which resulted in a charge of $47.68.  From 1:00 p.m. May 17 through June 5, total net consumption was 71 kWh for which we were charged $12.93.

But a breakdown of this 19½-day period reveals an even more detailed picture of what actually transpired energy-wise: Our total net metering energy credit was 536 kWh.  Household usage over this same time-frame was 607 kWh.  Thus, we were billed for 71 kWh of energy.  That means solar power generation covered 88% of our total energy bills from the time our solar panels went operational until the end of the May billing cycle.

How does all this compare with May of last year?  Good question.  In May of 2011 the billing cycle ran from May 4 through June 4.  Total usage during that period was 1,094 kWh, for which our El Paso Electric Company bill ran $130.08.  That means we used roughly the same amount of energy—1,094 kWh in 2011 vs 1,036 kWh for the same month in 2012—yet, our bill in 2012 was $60.61, or less than 47% of last year’s charge.  And remember—that’s with us generating solar power for only 19 ½ days out of the entire 33-day billing cycle, or about 59% of the month.

That’s not the complete story, however.  During that 19½ days we actually produced 970 kWh.  Yet, net metering only credited us with 536 kWh.  Thus, it appears that we only get credited about 55 kWh for every 100 kWh we put into the El Paso Electric Company power grid.  I knew going in that it wasn’t going to be a 1-for-1 exchange with the electric company, but until now I didn’t know what the actual rate of return would be.

June will be the true test.  That will be our first full billing cycle during which we generated solar power.  June historically is also El Paso’s hottest month, and thus it is the month requiring the most extensive use of energy-intensive air conditioning.  We’ve already had four days this June at or above 100°, and we’re anticipating triple-digit temperatures for six of the next seven days.

So, expect a more detailed cost-to-benefit analysis in about a month.

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June 8, 2012 · 12:00 am

Portmeirion—Part 3


Despite what you might think looking at the photographs in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series on Portmeirion, the skies weren’t just varying shades of gray.  Occasionally the buildings of Portmeirion were framed in blue during our stay.  You’ll also see how the topography changes during high tide—blue waters caressing the frontage of the main hotel and lapping at the base of White Horses.

Fans of The Prisoner will also note other points of interest—”Town Hall” and the statue of Hercules holding the world for Atlas; Battery Square with its shops connected by a pedestrian bridge (the shop on the left is The Prisoner Shop); a stunning shot of the Bell Tower; and, of course, the Village Green with its pool and the fountain from which “Rover” springs forth. Rover, for the uninitiated, was the sentry that made The Village escape proof—a gigantic, almost gelatinous ball that would chase down and suffocate those who made the attempt.  Rover was in fact nothing more than a large weather balloon, but the beastly roar emanating from it made it appear far more ominous than its true identity would dictate.

If you plan a visit to the British Isles in general and Wales in particular, you need not be a fan of The Prisoner to enjoy a stay here.  The accommodations are incredible, and the views even more so.  But before you go, you owe it to yourself to find a copy of the series and prepare yourself for the experience.

Have you put The Prisoner into your Netflix queue, yet?  Before it arrives, a word of warning:  What you think the series is about is not what the series is about.  The beginning leads you to believe this is, at its core, a spy drama.  It’s nothing of the sort, and you don’t get a sense of that until at least two-thirds of the way into the series.  There are hints throughout, even starting as early as Episode One, of the deeper meaning, but . . . well, that would be telling.

I will say this much:  Listen for references to individuality, social conformity, and society.  Then prepare for a shock at the final, psychedelic conclusion.  Indeed, you may want to watch the series a second time to see what you missed in the lead-up to the finale.  How shocking was it?  Well, let’s just say that angry viewers who missed the clues, who were unaccustomed to having to think about what they watched on the proverbial “Idiot Box” known as television, were positively outraged.  Because of the intense emotions the final episode evoked, Patrick McGoohan reportedly found it necessary to pack up his family and flee England—first to Switzerland, and then to the U.S. (the country of his birth).

Now for some closing images of this remarkable, enchanted place:

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