I am not sure exactly how it works, but this is an amazingly accurate stress test.
Read the full description before looking at the picture. The picture below has 2 identical dolphins in it. It was used in a case study on stress levels at St. Mary's Hospital. Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The dolphins are identical. However, a closely monitored, scientific study revealed that, in spite of the fact that the dolphins are identical; a person under stress would find differences in the two dolphins. The more differences a person sees between the dolphins, the more stress that person is experiencing. Now, look at the photograph below and if you find more than one or two differences you may want to take a vacation. |
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Amazing Stress Test...
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Pônto's Big Day Out - continued
At least when you have long lines, there's lot of entertainment going on at the Hyde Street Park Cable Car stop. They seem to rotate through their acts so you can catch the whole variety show.
The first group was a bluegrassy, country-ish combo but they were resting by the time I got around to that side of the line. The first guy I saw was this guy who was in a straight jacket and chained to the light pole. He carried on an amusing banter while gyrating and groaning and twisting and turning, until he had gotten himself free. Then he came around and "passed the hat." I told him that was worth a dollar anywhere.
While he was winding up this guy was tuning up the old banjo. He was pretty good. He did a medley of "old favorites you love and recognize, or soon will." As he passed his hat around he said, "I accept cash, checks and money orders. If you liked the music the best way to show your appreciation is a little cash. In fact, it's the ONLY way to show your appreciation!"
For this ride I wanted to be standing on the back platform and most of the brakemen will only allow two people back there. (There are lots of rules they didn't used to have. Now you can only have two people standing in front of a person sitting on the outside facing benches. People used to hang off all over the place. One foot on and one hand and you were good to go. When we'd ride these things in the 60's we'd all stand on the back platform. I've ridden the back platform when four of us were only had one foot and one hand on, the back platform!
Anyway, I figured I wouldn't have any trouble because most of the people rush to sit in the front open bench section, a few inside, and for most cars no-one cared about the rear platform unless it was all that was left. I was sure with only six people ahead of me in line, I'd get my spot. But NOOOOOOO, two women ahead of me decided THEY wanted that spot! So I said I'd take the next car and stood at the front of the line waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
Finally it pulls up, I jump on the rear platform and am all ready to go when a young woman with a new baby tries to come aboard with the world's largest baby stroller. (It was almost as big as those little yellow "Go Cars.") The brakeman tells me that where I'm standing is where the stroller has to go! What!? I was not a happy camper. I'd waited a long time to be able to stand there and I complained to him about it. He explained that that was the only place he had to put stroller. (Then take the bus!) He finally folded the stroller up as much as he could (now only the size of a SmartCar), and I crammed in next to it. And before we'd gone very far he'd ended up allowing four other people to stand back there too! (After we left he told me there was another baby stroller in the next group so it wouldn't have done me any good to wait for another car!)
The reason I wanted to stand there is because it's how you get one of the classic photos.
Although in postcards there's usually a cable car in the photo. Notice how often the house on the right gets repainted!
Here's one from the 1950's:
Here's one from the 1960's:
And here's one from the 1970's:
At one place the cable just stopped running and we were dead in the water. The brakeman told me to look down in the gripper slot to notice that the cable wasn't running. I couldn't see anything. It just looked like a black hole but I nodded and said, "Uh huh." He got off to see what was going on and announced to people what the problem was. Several people got off and decided to just start walking. Then as suddenly as it stopped, it started again and we were off. The brakeman waved to the people who'd gotten off to walk as we went by. (I love cable cars!)
One of the reasons I've always liked the Market to Hyde street line is that it starts at Market, way downtown, and goes past Union Square, up past Chinatown, makes two turns, goes past the top of Lombard, and then heads down toward the bay! It's a great ride. They don't do as much fun bell ringing as they used to do. In the 60's each motorman had his own distinct bell ringing jingle and he's use it frequently. On the corners the brakeman would say, "Here we go, hang on tight, goin' 'round a corner to the right!"
Now that I had a day pass, I didn't need to be so careful about how many cable cars I rode, so I jumped off at the Cable Car Museum. Which is free! Inside you can see the cables that run all of the lines:
They have models, and a couple of old cars from the 1906 era and before, knickknacks, and even a couple of "platforms" from amusement parks where you could stand on it and have your photo taken. There's a great gift shop that sells authentic street signs from the 1940's and 50's. Heavy, porcelain covered metal, with embossed lettering. I looked through them all for a "Henry" but only found "Deboce." Got another squished penny.
This is looking down Sacramento toward Chinatown.
It's one of the classic vintage and retro poster views of San Francisco.
And postcards:
I grabbed the next car that came along and got off at California Street. Car No. 2 was rebuilt in 1971.
This is a great intersection at the top of the hill in both directions. A guy from the little booth, comes out with a flag and signals cars to advance, or not, from each direction. They don't stop until they're on the flat. Any automobiles in the way, get hit. There are warning signs.
And then, just because I could, I grabbed another car going the other direction down California Street to Chinatown! Notice how the cars on this line have open seats at both ends. (This is car no. 56, originally no. 19, renumbered in 1957.)
This is on the corner of California and Grant. (Grant is the "main street" of Chinatown.)
It's another one of those classic postcard views like this vintage postcard from the mid 1950's.
I just wanted to take a quick look. Didn't need to buy any junk. (Found a squished penny. There are squished penny machines all over the Wharf and Chinatown areas.) So I walked down the block for another photo.
This is the corner of Grant and Pine. While I was there I remembered that the famous fortune cookie factory still using old machinery was open for visits. I asked a man outside his shop if he knew where it was. Not only did he know but he had their business card somewhere. The Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Company, No. 56 Ross Alley ("Specialize to make all custom made fortune cookies," "Famous in French adult cookies" "Since Aug. 5, 1962.") We went inside and he found it and told me, go down three blocks to Washington, turn left, up a little on the right is Ross Alley. The shop is down the alley." This great old neon sign was on Grant and Sacramento:
So I went down to Washington and turned left onto Stockton. This is Stockton from Washington.
Then on up and on the right a little way was Ross Alley. The cookie factory is where the little yellow sign is way down on the right side.
Inside were two old cookie machines with a woman folding each cookie by hand! Bags and bags of cookies on narrow shelves along the wall. Free samples of unfolded cookies and only 50¢ to take a photo of the woman making cookies!
I walked up to Stockton and left toward California only to discover there's a tunnel and you have to go up a very steep flight of stairs to get to California. By the time I got there I wasn't interested in walking back up to Powell so I grabbed an uphill car to Powell. It's only one block, but it's straight up! For some reason the cable wasn't running again so you could see our car and several others up the street just sitting there. But it finally came and I grabbed the car on Powell for Market Street.
I was pretty happy to get on a streetcar for home. I got another car from Milan, Italy, but don't seem to have a photo of it. It looks just like the one at the beginning of this report, but is orange all over. (I don't know which one because I forgot to note it and they have six just like it which explains why I keep seeing so many of them.)
All in all, Pônto's Big Day Out was rather grand. A good time was had by all! (Well, Pônto anyway.)
The first group was a bluegrassy, country-ish combo but they were resting by the time I got around to that side of the line. The first guy I saw was this guy who was in a straight jacket and chained to the light pole. He carried on an amusing banter while gyrating and groaning and twisting and turning, until he had gotten himself free. Then he came around and "passed the hat." I told him that was worth a dollar anywhere.
While he was winding up this guy was tuning up the old banjo. He was pretty good. He did a medley of "old favorites you love and recognize, or soon will." As he passed his hat around he said, "I accept cash, checks and money orders. If you liked the music the best way to show your appreciation is a little cash. In fact, it's the ONLY way to show your appreciation!"
For this ride I wanted to be standing on the back platform and most of the brakemen will only allow two people back there. (There are lots of rules they didn't used to have. Now you can only have two people standing in front of a person sitting on the outside facing benches. People used to hang off all over the place. One foot on and one hand and you were good to go. When we'd ride these things in the 60's we'd all stand on the back platform. I've ridden the back platform when four of us were only had one foot and one hand on, the back platform!
Anyway, I figured I wouldn't have any trouble because most of the people rush to sit in the front open bench section, a few inside, and for most cars no-one cared about the rear platform unless it was all that was left. I was sure with only six people ahead of me in line, I'd get my spot. But NOOOOOOO, two women ahead of me decided THEY wanted that spot! So I said I'd take the next car and stood at the front of the line waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
Finally it pulls up, I jump on the rear platform and am all ready to go when a young woman with a new baby tries to come aboard with the world's largest baby stroller. (It was almost as big as those little yellow "Go Cars.") The brakeman tells me that where I'm standing is where the stroller has to go! What!? I was not a happy camper. I'd waited a long time to be able to stand there and I complained to him about it. He explained that that was the only place he had to put stroller. (Then take the bus!) He finally folded the stroller up as much as he could (now only the size of a SmartCar), and I crammed in next to it. And before we'd gone very far he'd ended up allowing four other people to stand back there too! (After we left he told me there was another baby stroller in the next group so it wouldn't have done me any good to wait for another car!)
The reason I wanted to stand there is because it's how you get one of the classic photos.
Although in postcards there's usually a cable car in the photo. Notice how often the house on the right gets repainted!
Here's one from the 1950's:
Here's one from the 1960's:
And here's one from the 1970's:
At one place the cable just stopped running and we were dead in the water. The brakeman told me to look down in the gripper slot to notice that the cable wasn't running. I couldn't see anything. It just looked like a black hole but I nodded and said, "Uh huh." He got off to see what was going on and announced to people what the problem was. Several people got off and decided to just start walking. Then as suddenly as it stopped, it started again and we were off. The brakeman waved to the people who'd gotten off to walk as we went by. (I love cable cars!)
One of the reasons I've always liked the Market to Hyde street line is that it starts at Market, way downtown, and goes past Union Square, up past Chinatown, makes two turns, goes past the top of Lombard, and then heads down toward the bay! It's a great ride. They don't do as much fun bell ringing as they used to do. In the 60's each motorman had his own distinct bell ringing jingle and he's use it frequently. On the corners the brakeman would say, "Here we go, hang on tight, goin' 'round a corner to the right!"
Now that I had a day pass, I didn't need to be so careful about how many cable cars I rode, so I jumped off at the Cable Car Museum. Which is free! Inside you can see the cables that run all of the lines:
They have models, and a couple of old cars from the 1906 era and before, knickknacks, and even a couple of "platforms" from amusement parks where you could stand on it and have your photo taken. There's a great gift shop that sells authentic street signs from the 1940's and 50's. Heavy, porcelain covered metal, with embossed lettering. I looked through them all for a "Henry" but only found "Deboce." Got another squished penny.
This is looking down Sacramento toward Chinatown.
It's one of the classic vintage and retro poster views of San Francisco.
And postcards:
I grabbed the next car that came along and got off at California Street. Car No. 2 was rebuilt in 1971.
This is a great intersection at the top of the hill in both directions. A guy from the little booth, comes out with a flag and signals cars to advance, or not, from each direction. They don't stop until they're on the flat. Any automobiles in the way, get hit. There are warning signs.
And then, just because I could, I grabbed another car going the other direction down California Street to Chinatown! Notice how the cars on this line have open seats at both ends. (This is car no. 56, originally no. 19, renumbered in 1957.)
This is on the corner of California and Grant. (Grant is the "main street" of Chinatown.)
It's another one of those classic postcard views like this vintage postcard from the mid 1950's.
I just wanted to take a quick look. Didn't need to buy any junk. (Found a squished penny. There are squished penny machines all over the Wharf and Chinatown areas.) So I walked down the block for another photo.
This is the corner of Grant and Pine. While I was there I remembered that the famous fortune cookie factory still using old machinery was open for visits. I asked a man outside his shop if he knew where it was. Not only did he know but he had their business card somewhere. The Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Company, No. 56 Ross Alley ("Specialize to make all custom made fortune cookies," "Famous in French adult cookies" "Since Aug. 5, 1962.") We went inside and he found it and told me, go down three blocks to Washington, turn left, up a little on the right is Ross Alley. The shop is down the alley." This great old neon sign was on Grant and Sacramento:
So I went down to Washington and turned left onto Stockton. This is Stockton from Washington.
Then on up and on the right a little way was Ross Alley. The cookie factory is where the little yellow sign is way down on the right side.
Inside were two old cookie machines with a woman folding each cookie by hand! Bags and bags of cookies on narrow shelves along the wall. Free samples of unfolded cookies and only 50¢ to take a photo of the woman making cookies!
I walked up to Stockton and left toward California only to discover there's a tunnel and you have to go up a very steep flight of stairs to get to California. By the time I got there I wasn't interested in walking back up to Powell so I grabbed an uphill car to Powell. It's only one block, but it's straight up! For some reason the cable wasn't running again so you could see our car and several others up the street just sitting there. But it finally came and I grabbed the car on Powell for Market Street.
I was pretty happy to get on a streetcar for home. I got another car from Milan, Italy, but don't seem to have a photo of it. It looks just like the one at the beginning of this report, but is orange all over. (I don't know which one because I forgot to note it and they have six just like it which explains why I keep seeing so many of them.)
All in all, Pônto's Big Day Out was rather grand. A good time was had by all! (Well, Pônto anyway.)
Pônto's Big Day Out
Thursday, February 16.
On a scale of 1 to 10, today was about 11 or 12!
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L
Cool and sunny with a light breeze. Mmmmmmmmmmm!
As I was leaving the pier, I found out it was only $5 to go on all of the boats, so I decided to go on board! Plus I got a stamp for my passport since the pier is a National Park Service Site. (And a squished penny!) I didn't have my panoramic stitching software so do the best you can.
There were crazy old guys swimming in the water!
The ferry boat "Eureka" is positioned so that you walk through the old Hyde Street Pier sign to get on it – just like when you actually could go somewhere on it. There's a sign telling you that driving down the pier and onto the ferry was actually Highway 101 – continued on the other side! (Note the "101" sign on the pier sign.)
I started with the ferry boat. Almost had the whole boat to myself.
You could go up the steps and sit in the wheelhouse:
Wander through the automobile deck, filled for the occasion with antique cars and trucks, coming…
AND going!
There were seats for at least a couple of hundred people.
It is actually a steam powered paddlewheel ferry, but the huge paddlewheels are hidden in the structure.
I went to the tug boat next only to find it had closed a half hour earlier for 2 and 1/2 hours! (If I'd known that was going to happen I would have gone there first. Seems like something the Park Ranger might have mentioned. Pfui.)
So then on to the Balclutha. A three masted cargo ship. This is the stern. I posted a photo of the bow in Part One.
You may recall I mentioned that it was used in Alaska up into the 1930's!
Looking aft.
The captain's quarters were fair decent enough. Here's his lounge:
and here's his toidy!
The crew had to make do with these tiny bunks inside the foc'sle (forecastle), next to the anchor chains.
(That's them lined up against the wall.)
The officers had it somewhat better:
Belowdecks are samples of the many types of cargo the ship carried:
There was also a schooner they're redoing. I checked it out quickly, it doesn't even have masts.
I ran across the street to the National maritime museum. Really a nice museum with lots of ship models and murals and artifacts. It deserved better than a cursory visit. (Good tip: nice clean restrooms too!)
I wandered along beach street toward Fisherman's Wharf. Back when I used to come here all the time this was just all warehouses. From Hyde Street to the wharf the only thing there was The Cannery – a collections of shops, theaters, and dining establishments. Now it's packed solid with restaurants, junk shops, and art galleries.
They rent these funny little cars for people to tour around in! (I think Jamie posted photos of these once.)
I wanted to eat and decided to grab something at the wharf. Finally picking one of the food vendors in front of Alioto's. I went for the clam chowder in a bread bowl and a piece of greasy fried fish. Pretty disappointing. The Chowder was clammy, but too thick. (And not like it was thick with cream but with some sort of thickening agent. The bread bowl was just too much bread.)
And then, there's no place to sit and eat! I had to walk a half block to find a bench. Juggling chowder in a bread bowl without getting it all over oneself because one didn't get enough napkins, and fighting off the sea gulls just wasn't as much fun as it looked! (But it was a perfect day for it!)
I debated whether or not to feed the gulls. First, they're annoying but it's because people feed them. On the other hand, I had too much bread and felt guilty putting it in the garbage when there were animals that could make use of it. So I gave a big old piece a fling (away from me) thinking the gulls would all peck at it and get a bite. But Noooooo! mr. Grabbypants took the whole thing and swallowed it. You can see him on the left with it stuck in his bulging throat. (Would have served him right to choke to death.)
He's the one to the right, of the three lined up on the left.)
After I'd eaten all I needed, I tossed the rest of the bread of, and dumped my oyster crackers for them too and went across the street to the Boudin bakery for a loaf of sour dough bread. (Even it wasn't up to snuff! The texture seemed like it had lightening agents in it! Pooh.) (It was tasty, just no better than what we got at Safeway.)
On my way back to Ghirardelli Square I passed this guy in a great costume and took a photo of him. I thought he was advertising something. Apparently not. He was there for you to take his photo and pay him! Who knew? He chased me down!
There was another little old man doing the saddest little magic show I've ever seen. Magic just isn't one of those things you can just quickly take a photo of and move on. You have to stop and watch. Nobody was. I guess I should have. (But you could go broke handing out dollar bills to everyone doing a show down there!)
Then back to Ghirardelli Square where a girl dressed up in a hot fudge sundae suit gave me a coupon for $1.00 off a hot fudge sundae at the Ghirardelli Shop.
What the heck, says I, it's been a long time, so I bought one in mommy's honor! It was the real thing too! (Ice cream, hot bubbling fudge, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry on top.)
Then it was here at Ghirardelli Square where I'd had my first ever REAL hot fudge sundae! (Before that I'd only had ice cream with Hershey chocolate sauce squirted over it, alá Gwum.)
It was also here where I'd been introduced to real, gourmet sandwiches at Portofino's, which is no longer there. You'd go down the line and pick the bread you wanted, the condiments, the meats, cheeses, and vegetables, and then they'd hand you your sandwich. (I know it sounds like The Subway, but it wasn't. It was a whole other level of wonderfulness.)
Ghirardelli Square was one of the first places in the country to used an old historic structure and turn it into a shopping/dining destination.
Then out to grab a Cable Car back to town. The trouble with grabbing a Cable Car at Hyde Street Park is that it always is and always has been one of those places that is hardest to get on a Cable Car. Just too many people. Thank goodness it wasn't tourist season! At least there's plenty of entertainment to keep you occupied.
Reporting from San Francisco for WRSD.
On a scale of 1 to 10, today was about 11 or 12!
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L
Cool and sunny with a light breeze. Mmmmmmmmmmm!
As I was leaving the pier, I found out it was only $5 to go on all of the boats, so I decided to go on board! Plus I got a stamp for my passport since the pier is a National Park Service Site. (And a squished penny!) I didn't have my panoramic stitching software so do the best you can.
There were crazy old guys swimming in the water!
The ferry boat "Eureka" is positioned so that you walk through the old Hyde Street Pier sign to get on it – just like when you actually could go somewhere on it. There's a sign telling you that driving down the pier and onto the ferry was actually Highway 101 – continued on the other side! (Note the "101" sign on the pier sign.)
I started with the ferry boat. Almost had the whole boat to myself.
You could go up the steps and sit in the wheelhouse:
Wander through the automobile deck, filled for the occasion with antique cars and trucks, coming…
AND going!
There were seats for at least a couple of hundred people.
It is actually a steam powered paddlewheel ferry, but the huge paddlewheels are hidden in the structure.
I went to the tug boat next only to find it had closed a half hour earlier for 2 and 1/2 hours! (If I'd known that was going to happen I would have gone there first. Seems like something the Park Ranger might have mentioned. Pfui.)
So then on to the Balclutha. A three masted cargo ship. This is the stern. I posted a photo of the bow in Part One.
You may recall I mentioned that it was used in Alaska up into the 1930's!
Looking aft.
The captain's quarters were fair decent enough. Here's his lounge:
and here's his toidy!
The crew had to make do with these tiny bunks inside the foc'sle (forecastle), next to the anchor chains.
(That's them lined up against the wall.)
The officers had it somewhat better:
Belowdecks are samples of the many types of cargo the ship carried:
There was also a schooner they're redoing. I checked it out quickly, it doesn't even have masts.
I ran across the street to the National maritime museum. Really a nice museum with lots of ship models and murals and artifacts. It deserved better than a cursory visit. (Good tip: nice clean restrooms too!)
I wandered along beach street toward Fisherman's Wharf. Back when I used to come here all the time this was just all warehouses. From Hyde Street to the wharf the only thing there was The Cannery – a collections of shops, theaters, and dining establishments. Now it's packed solid with restaurants, junk shops, and art galleries.
They rent these funny little cars for people to tour around in! (I think Jamie posted photos of these once.)
I wanted to eat and decided to grab something at the wharf. Finally picking one of the food vendors in front of Alioto's. I went for the clam chowder in a bread bowl and a piece of greasy fried fish. Pretty disappointing. The Chowder was clammy, but too thick. (And not like it was thick with cream but with some sort of thickening agent. The bread bowl was just too much bread.)
And then, there's no place to sit and eat! I had to walk a half block to find a bench. Juggling chowder in a bread bowl without getting it all over oneself because one didn't get enough napkins, and fighting off the sea gulls just wasn't as much fun as it looked! (But it was a perfect day for it!)
I debated whether or not to feed the gulls. First, they're annoying but it's because people feed them. On the other hand, I had too much bread and felt guilty putting it in the garbage when there were animals that could make use of it. So I gave a big old piece a fling (away from me) thinking the gulls would all peck at it and get a bite. But Noooooo! mr. Grabbypants took the whole thing and swallowed it. You can see him on the left with it stuck in his bulging throat. (Would have served him right to choke to death.)
He's the one to the right, of the three lined up on the left.)
After I'd eaten all I needed, I tossed the rest of the bread of, and dumped my oyster crackers for them too and went across the street to the Boudin bakery for a loaf of sour dough bread. (Even it wasn't up to snuff! The texture seemed like it had lightening agents in it! Pooh.) (It was tasty, just no better than what we got at Safeway.)
On my way back to Ghirardelli Square I passed this guy in a great costume and took a photo of him. I thought he was advertising something. Apparently not. He was there for you to take his photo and pay him! Who knew? He chased me down!
There was another little old man doing the saddest little magic show I've ever seen. Magic just isn't one of those things you can just quickly take a photo of and move on. You have to stop and watch. Nobody was. I guess I should have. (But you could go broke handing out dollar bills to everyone doing a show down there!)
Then back to Ghirardelli Square where a girl dressed up in a hot fudge sundae suit gave me a coupon for $1.00 off a hot fudge sundae at the Ghirardelli Shop.
What the heck, says I, it's been a long time, so I bought one in mommy's honor! It was the real thing too! (Ice cream, hot bubbling fudge, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry on top.)
Then it was here at Ghirardelli Square where I'd had my first ever REAL hot fudge sundae! (Before that I'd only had ice cream with Hershey chocolate sauce squirted over it, alá Gwum.)
It was also here where I'd been introduced to real, gourmet sandwiches at Portofino's, which is no longer there. You'd go down the line and pick the bread you wanted, the condiments, the meats, cheeses, and vegetables, and then they'd hand you your sandwich. (I know it sounds like The Subway, but it wasn't. It was a whole other level of wonderfulness.)
Ghirardelli Square was one of the first places in the country to used an old historic structure and turn it into a shopping/dining destination.
Then out to grab a Cable Car back to town. The trouble with grabbing a Cable Car at Hyde Street Park is that it always is and always has been one of those places that is hardest to get on a Cable Car. Just too many people. Thank goodness it wasn't tourist season! At least there's plenty of entertainment to keep you occupied.
Reporting from San Francisco for WRSD.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Nevada...why?
Nevada has a very stark, desert beauty all its own.
You appreciate it in small doses, which is hard to do since you get it in very large doses!
It was easier in the "old" days.
And in deed for many years even after the interstate was finished, it ended at each town and you had to drive through the main street of each little town, and believe me, you looked forward to it! And, came to appreciate the charms of each of those little towns and looked forward to certain diners and gas stations in them.
By-passing the towns really takes the fun out of driving across Nevada! Oh, that and having air conditioning. You don't really appreciate driving across Nevada in the Summer when you have a/c.
And I think taking the Burma Shave signs down. That really took a lot of the fun out of it too. Traveling just isn't what it used to be!
Leaving Salt Lake City and heading across the Salt Flats in a genuine blizzard, before I-80, when it was a two lane road, in the 1964 Mini Cooper, with semi trucks 24 inches away from you, flying by in the other direction, on packed snow, and going off the road into a snow bank, and being helped back on the road by Utah State guys, and then limping across Nevada in the Mini, that wasn't running very well, all by yourself -- with no cell phones, remember -- and getting a different opinion at each town by every mechanic that would even dare to look at it, before sending you off across the desert to the next town several hours away, and never knowing if you were going to make it to the next town or die a horrible death and picked apart by vultures, wasn't the most fun I'd ever had. (That's when I discovered the Shady Court in Winnemuca while waiting for car parts and Western Union money.) Oh, for those who care, turned out, when I finally got to my Monterey British Motors, that all it had was a spark plug that needed gapping, cleaning or replacing. Any one of which would have done it!
You appreciate it in small doses, which is hard to do since you get it in very large doses!
It was easier in the "old" days.
And in deed for many years even after the interstate was finished, it ended at each town and you had to drive through the main street of each little town, and believe me, you looked forward to it! And, came to appreciate the charms of each of those little towns and looked forward to certain diners and gas stations in them.
By-passing the towns really takes the fun out of driving across Nevada! Oh, that and having air conditioning. You don't really appreciate driving across Nevada in the Summer when you have a/c.
And I think taking the Burma Shave signs down. That really took a lot of the fun out of it too. Traveling just isn't what it used to be!
Leaving Salt Lake City and heading across the Salt Flats in a genuine blizzard, before I-80, when it was a two lane road, in the 1964 Mini Cooper, with semi trucks 24 inches away from you, flying by in the other direction, on packed snow, and going off the road into a snow bank, and being helped back on the road by Utah State guys, and then limping across Nevada in the Mini, that wasn't running very well, all by yourself -- with no cell phones, remember -- and getting a different opinion at each town by every mechanic that would even dare to look at it, before sending you off across the desert to the next town several hours away, and never knowing if you were going to make it to the next town or die a horrible death and picked apart by vultures, wasn't the most fun I'd ever had. (That's when I discovered the Shady Court in Winnemuca while waiting for car parts and Western Union money.) Oh, for those who care, turned out, when I finally got to my Monterey British Motors, that all it had was a spark plug that needed gapping, cleaning or replacing. Any one of which would have done it!
Monday, September 28, 2009
RATS!...
For those of you traveling to Hawaii soon, are you aware of this?:
Drydock Update:
The last day to visit the Battleship Missouri before drydocking is Friday, Oct. 9. On Oct. 14, the ship is scheduled to leave her historic spot along Battleship Row to enter Pearl Harbor Drydock 4. The memorial will be closed to visitors for the rest of the year, due to reopen in early January 2010.
(I didn't realize that is sits bow to bow with the USS Arizona at Ford's Island. It wasn't there when I was.)
Drydock Update:
The last day to visit the Battleship Missouri before drydocking is Friday, Oct. 9. On Oct. 14, the ship is scheduled to leave her historic spot along Battleship Row to enter Pearl Harbor Drydock 4. The memorial will be closed to visitors for the rest of the year, due to reopen in early January 2010.
(I didn't realize that is sits bow to bow with the USS Arizona at Ford's Island. It wasn't there when I was.)
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