Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1424540
8 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2021 Nolan's Notes by Nolan Johnson, I-CONNECT007 Test and Inspection: Take a Good Look It's been a confluence of factors over the past three months. First, the gradual reopen- ing (of the whole world, it would seem) made it possible to leave the house and move more freely about. I live in the Pacific Northwest of the Unit- ed States, and vaccination programs have been largely effective. e state of Washing- ton is fih on the list of those with the highest rates of immunization; Oregon, just over the river from me, is #12. e Oregon state offi- cials project that 85% herd immunity will hap- pen within the state sometime in late Decem- ber. e effect, of course, is that the virus finds fewer susceptible host bodies, thereby slowing its ability to jump from host to host. And the more the spread slows, the more we get back to a regular life. is comes just as the warm, dry weather transitions to wet and dreary. Earlier this week, in a casual phone conver- sation, an industry colleague said, "Working in this industry, as we all have, it becomes the norm to be moving at high speed. e slow- down that came from hunkering down was good, but I'm ready to be on the move again." I share that sentiment wholeheartedly. So much so that I must admit to binging be- havior. Over the last eight weeks, I've made road trips on seven weekends. I've been able to reacquaint myself with the sensation of sail- ing on Puget Sound. I've reintroduced myself to the high desert of central Oregon on horse- back. I've run the whitewater outside Bend and floated on the lazy river winding through the city's downtown. And I've been to a hand- ful of live, outdoor music festivals up and down the Interstate-5 corridor. I must say, it's been good to get out. 8 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2021