Rex Death and Wake 2009

Click on a thumbnail sketch to see the full size picture.

Rex was fast in the water. After about a decade of leaving other racers in his wake, Rex has finally gone to that great rust heap in the sky. Yes, Rex is dead after 14 years of delighting children. So it was appropriate to hold a wake for Rex.

Cancer

Probably not many people will be interested in viewing these photos. It's kind of like looking at disease. In fact, a lot like it. For a machine, rust is a disease.

This first photo was the critical break that signaled the death of Rex. It is where rust destroyed the frame tubing.
	Being able to poke a screw driver thru steel is a bad sign. [left]	But you can see in the other photos that the destruction was widespread. The entire length of the tube was wasted.
The autopsy: Dave cut open a tube to see how had it was on the inside.

So we stripped the body.

Memorial

And then we had a party to celebrate Rex's long wonderful 14 years. We thought about the thousands of rides we had given, delighting children all up and down the west coast.

Rex died on a high note. The day before Rex had Leo'ed the DaVinci Days Race. It was a challenging, but delightful race. Rex had to be welded together in the middle of the race, presaging his death. But that was enough to finish the race and drive him back home. Where he died. We should all wish for a life as meaningful and a death as appropriate.