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That's just the friendly locals trying to make sure you have the complete American experience, I guess.
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raindance
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When I thought a little more about it,it got even more alarming.
Motel full of creationists,and a guy outside trying to stamp a serpent to death. |
What the hell were you smoking??? :haha:
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Only tobacco.That may well have been the problem.Never mind,in 2-3 weeks I should get to California :D
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But you'll have missed the Rocky Mountain High. ;)
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Centralia,Washington.Tonight,I was in a mood to celebrate,as I've had some long-awaited news from one of my online games.I wont bore you all with the details,but its something I and others have been waiting to happen for over a year.
Centralia has failed me on an epic scale.I wanted booze.Not beer.So first we went to Wal-Mart,to get some groceries,and liquor.Groceries were bought,but liquor wasn't available (odd,since they sell Margarita Mix-Just Add Tequila!).Never mind,my gps indictaes at least 3 liquor stores in a 10 mile radius. Number 1 didnt exist.Neither did number 2.Number 3 closed as we pulled into the parking lot. I can get a car-lube,tires,flooring,lumber,a vibrator and/or a butt-plug.But not a bottle of bevvy. As a Brit,it would be unheard of to drive for over an hour and not be able to get a bottle of spirits somewhere.Damn you Centralia.Damn you all to hell. |
poor lamb. you need to learn to carry more supplies.
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Its dangerous for me to carry liquor m8,it can have unpredictable results.Its better to be a spur of the moment thing.
I'm eating jerky until I calm down :D |
Aren't the bars still open?
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Washington State (Oregon, too) is one of those states - bottles of hard liquor can only be purchased in state-run stores. At twice the price. And rarely on Sundays.
If I'd only known before I moved here... :headshake Here's what you do: Head south on I-5 toward Vancouver. Take the La Center exit. Drive into town and stop at any of the casinos (there are four). Then call me and we'll party. ;) |
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It's not safe to combine any of those things with alcohol.;)
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Yabbut all of those things together would make for a wild night.
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Finally,a week later and we tracked down an open liquor store on a Saturday night.
Does anyone know the difference between Jack Daniels Green Label and the usual Black Label ? We've just spent half a bottle trying to work it out :D In general, we're a little underwhelmed with the pacific northwest so far. Its not bad on scenery,but we've had to resort to more conventional touristy attraction type stuff. We visited the "World's Smallest Harbour" at Depoe Bay in Oregon.To be honest,it seemed like a bit of a cheat.As experienced seasiders,it looks more than a little too small to be practicable, or navigable. We also found more shoe trees, which are a wonderful phenomenon. And a Bear living in a cage by a Gas Station (no complaints here,he seemed more than happy to be honest,if a little thirsty-but it was exceedingly warm.). He was so impressed at our arrival,he demonstrated it by making toilet in a corner of his cage. Interesting fact:fresh Black Bear poo seems to be bright orange. Today saw us experience a 50 degree shift in temperature.At about 4:30 pm our in-car temp gauge read 113 degrees fahrenheit. About 3 hours later, approaching Bend (OR) it was 63, under a quite impressive thunderstorm. Persistence asks of you American types a question: A few times now, for motel breakfast, we've been offered some sort of grey glutinous liquid in a bain-marie. To us,it looks reminiscent of a badly-made cream-pepper sauce.....it seems to be offered in combination with 'biscuits', what us Brits might call 'scones'. We readily accept scones, and treat them as such, with lashings of butter and jam, but it seems to get us odd glances at the breakfast tables. Are we seeing your American interpretation of 'Gravy'? If so,its far and away from how we'd interpret it as such. I volunteered to Persistence that it might be the foodstuff known as 'Grits', but I'm not altogether sure. Answers on a postcard,or a forum post please. My apologies for not keeping this thread up to date,or snuff,but meh,I'm a little worse for wear. On a more serious note. I'm sorry to Glinda,and others who have been offering us hospitality on this trip. I have to make a confession,which may also come as something of a surprise to Monster,who graciously introduced me here.My non-comments or non-acceptances of these offers have been playing upon my mind, and have started to strike me as if I'm being rude in not accepting them,or at least commenting upon them. I (Diminished) suffer from something of a 'social disorder'. Basically, I'm still receiving treatment for my 5th breakdown, and I dont really wish to inflict my neuroses upon pleasant strangers. My 'official' diagnosis is acute clinical depression, but thats probably inadequate to clearly explain the problem, as I also get elements of illness which may be considered something akin to bi-polar syndrome. The 'ups' are slight,but dramatic,the 'downs' are much more dramatic, and much longer lasting. Upon my last presentation of my condition to my Doctor, (the first recurrence in 10 years,I believed I was 'over' my problems-denial is a wonderful thing) he informed me that I would have to consider it a life-long condition, and would need appropriate treatment at appropriate intervals. That hit me pretty hard,after 10 years of being 'problem free',even though I knew I'd been struggling against it hard the past couple of years. The good news is, that due to advances in drug treatments over the years since I last presented the problem, apparently the drug therapy has come on in 'leaps and bounds'. Its true that I'm tolerating my session of therapy much better (this time around) ,but I have to take the pills for much longer this time. To be honest,I'd be happy enough to take this course of treatment that I'm on,permanently, if they gauranteed the condition would not reocurr. Hell,to make it over here,I had to have a Medical Examination,and be issued a Medical Statement that I am 'no longer a danger to others,or myself'. I did not confess this to Monster and Beest,and I'm sorry for that.You may both have noticed that when we both came back to your house in the evening,I may have been a little more subdued.Thats the effect of my medication,I take it because I need it,and its for the best I take it. (indeed,I'm happy to take it). Persistence has been with me for the last 4 'occurences' of my 'illness' (I blush to call it so,its a pitiful condition to refer to as an illness in the light of the problems of others.). She has experienced the heights and depths along with me, and she takes it. She accepts it as part of me. And for that,I'm grateful beyond words. It upsets her,and when I see that, that inspires me to try and straighten myself out. But it is,all the same, very difficult. It is from the fear that I act not like myself,that I bypass these kind offers of friendship and hospitality. The last thing I ever want to do to people is cause offence by my words and deeds, but sometimes I do, I cant help it, and I regret it bitterly.I ask your indulgence and forgiveness. |
So, you're fucked up and taking drugs. Well so are half the people on this forum... hell, half the people in America... and we've got guns. :haha:
Those of us that are in the same boat have enjoyed the hell out of your trip, without having to go out and deal with people, like you have. For that, I thank you very much. That said, don't feel you owe us regular reports or anything else, it's we that owe you for your enrichment of the forum. The bottom line is take care of yourself first and foremost. When the spirit moves you, we'll be here to welcome you with open arms. :thumb: |
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And the biscuits they serve in motels are shit. It's like calling a Starbucks scone a scone -- It's not quite right. Real biscuits are dense and buttery. The BEST biscuits are called "drop biscuits." You probably won't find decent biscuits and gravy unless you try the lower midwest. |
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Oh please, you must have worked out that I attract nutters! ;) You were under no obligation to confess anything. I'm very practiced at assessing "danger". :lol: One thing I have found is that Americans are much more open about discussing mentall illness and the drugs they take for it, and it's way more common than you'd think. Don't apologise and don't worry, just cope the best you can and people will take you as they find you. :) Now. MORE PICTURES!!!11!1 |
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But I do always get a chuckle showing off "my little town" (which I'm actually miles from) - 2500 people and four casinos. No grocery store. No hardware store. No barbershop. No liquor store. No hotel. No movie theater. No fast food joints. But four casinos. And it's almost La Center's 100th Anniversary! Hot time in the old town! |
Thanks for your messages,the matter had been preying upon my mind for a few days,it seemed time to clear it up.
But I approach you tonight,as a man who has been wronged! I have been denied a very special cultural experience,unique to the US,and I've been sulking about it for the last couple of days. Saturday,as we passed through Lebanon,OR, we noticed that there seemed to be something of a summer faire type affair happening.(Indeed,this sort of thing seemed to be happening in quite a few places last Saturday.). It was with great enthusiasm,that I spotted a Cheerleader Carwash being offered near the roadside.Its not like our car didn't need a wash,it is positively filthy (but with good dirt,which has accumulated throughout our journey.Maybe I should collect it up,and make a collage.Or something.), but Persistence seemed immovable on the negotiations,which had to be conducted at speed as she accelerated through town. I did see the local Fire Crew offering a similar service,and I am an equal opportunity lech...I was quite prepared to let the Fire Crew wash half the car,if only she'd let the Cheerleaders do the other half. Or even if she'd have been prepared to let the Cheerleaders rinse it off. Hell,I'd have settled for her letting me watch Cheerleaders washing other peoples cars. She even had an opportunity later to rescind her harshness,as we passed through Sisters,but even the possibility of 'Soccer Girls' soaping our vehicle up seemed unpalatable.I even tried to appeal to her sense of pity....as it all seemed to be in aid of charity. 'Think of the Kittens!' I cried,but she remained unmoved. She is a harsh,and merciless woman. |
a word to the wise... it's ain't 'free" lol -those girlies papas are in the parking lot and they will make sure you pay. Of course, the are also registered with thie anti-ho league. go figure :lol:
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I have decided I hate taking my car to the carwash -beest has to do it. and if he goes with the cheerleaders, well, that's a good load of paintballs ho coulda bought. or he can drive it up the ramp at the $3 place.....
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$3! Wow! What do you get for that? Our auto-wash is $7-$9. I did it at the do it yourself place last time and spent $8 but that included the vacuuming.
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I live at the end of a dry, dusty gravel road that's at the end of a dry, dusty gravel road. In winter, the endless wet means dirty, misty crap gets flung upon my car by others on the road. Car washing is futile.
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Oh, FYI - about the black vs green label Jack? From the website:
Jack Daniel's Green Label is a lighter, less mature whiskey with a lighter color and character. The barrels selected for Green Label tend to be on the lower floors and more toward the center of the warehouse where the whiskey matures more slowly. |
As for your earlier message Dim, I admire your candor, problem is, you just made yourself even more invitable! We're all nutters here! Thank you for allowing us to travel vicariously through you, wthout having to leave the comfort of our keyboards. I will drink a toast to you and Per tonight, and you can consider it as all three of us having a drink together.
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Cheers QotR :D
With reference to the JD...The label thing only ever seems to be interesting during ingestion.A JD hangover is consistent, the colour of the label is irrelvant by morning, its overpowered by that awful feeling that somehow the world isn't quite the same as when you left it there a few hours earlier. What could account for all those broken crackers distributed over the motel table?And where did all the snacky chocolate bars go? The weakened condition I found myself in, left me in poor shape to answer such mysteries. We moved back to the coast from Bend,after checking out (another) shoe tree to the east of town. Then we decided to drive 170 miles to see the model of a giant fly, perched atop a restroom.At least it afforded me a chance to have a nap or two on the way, which annoys Persistence no end. I've adapted myself to sleeping in the car quite well, to the extent that my head remains bolt upright, and its very hard for Persistence to tell whether I'm awake or asleep.Its a shame to do it, as I do miss watching the countryside go by, but I'm claiming it as navigator's privelege. Serves me right for staying up late to watch cartoons most nights. The southern Oregon coast is quite scenic, but would be more so if the sun ever managed to punch through the mist that seems to cloak everything, making it even harder for myself to pick out the horizon for photographs.The lack of heat was welcome tho, it was a shame to turn back inland, but we may be becoming hardened to it, we happily endure 95+ now without air-con. I was awakened from one of my periodic naps by a panicked Persistence as we reached the California border, as there seemed to be something of a roadblock/toll both ahead of us.We approached the consternation on her part,and confusion upon my own.We'd forgotten that in order to enter we first had to be checked for concealed fruit and hidden vegetables, which was something of a relief. Later, we hooked back north into Oregon, to find our funky fly,then moved on up to Grant's Pass, to check out a statue of a big caveman. The locals seem to have a tradition of dressing up as such to greet visitors, although we seemed to escape umolested. Then we moved further back up, to Medford, where we've been based for the last couple of nights, and went to see a big Blackbird statue which the town has at a local shopping mall, a hangover from the 60's.Its quite sizeable,and delightful.The town dresses it up from time to time, and changes what it grips in its wings (a fishing rod for our visit.).We stayed the first night at the local Days Inn (we had a coupon,although the place is rather cheap enough without it.), which is run by a thoroughly nice fella called Charles, probably the most professional desk-staffer we've met during our stay.(Unlike 2 out of the 3 motels in Bend we tried,where we had trouble making ourselves understood, and that was before any drink was consumed.).The building is a bit old and shabby on the outside, but the rooms are very clean and pleasant,putting many more expensive places we've stayed in quite to shame We also took the chance to take a gander at Crater Lake.For a National Park, its actually rather quiet,and the views across it are spectacular, although they were a little marred by the smoke from a couple of forest fires, which were triggered by the tremendous lightning last Saturday night. At lunch we also had a close encounter with a curious Black-tailed Deer,which was quite happy to get within 5 feet or so of us, and seemed happy to beg for food, although all she got out of us were photographs, so she soon got bored and went to molest others at neaby picnic tables. Persistence then insisted we climbed a nearby mountain for a better view of the lake.I grumbled breathlessly in her wake as we made the ascent, but once I'd got my breath back at the top, it did seem to have been worth it, and we also met a nice couple at the top, and we exchanged couples photograph duties. I'll post up some more photos soon, and if I can,I'll post full-size versions of those nice ones I took in Yellowstone for anyone wanting to use them as desktops.I've been a bit lazy sorting through my snaps, letting them build up on my memory cars, I'll be paying the price for that shortly :D |
Full-sized reposts from Yellowstone
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1442/p1040247x.jpg http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4696/p1030964p.jpg http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2774/p1030410wge.jpg |
Ah, you got to see the troll under the bridge, good show.:thumb:
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Question here for the Lady Cellarites.
Persistence needs a dress,as we'll be attending a wedding within 24 hours of returning home. As we're not very well up on which American chain-stores stock decent dresses,do any of the lady dwellers have any suggestions? |
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On short notice like that, I'd say your best bet is to go to a mall. There you will find several chain stores all together in one place, so she'll have a few more choices.
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Well,Las Vegas has come and gone.
We were very much less than impressed with the place, cutting our 2-3 day planned stay to less than 24 hours. When people ask me about visiting places, I often give them the advice to 'look up', so that they dont see the mundane stuff at street level, and that they'll usually spot some interesting or at least some historic architecture. I'd say that 'looking up' in Vegas is almost a must, if you want to retain any kind of sense of awe about the place. For at street level it has to be one of the dirtiest,greasiest and sleaziest places I've ever been. Firstly, we made a bad choice of motel.Not from the point of view that the staff were awful (moderately), the place was under reconstruction (and the noisy carpenters started work around 5.30am) or that the breakfast was poor (coffee only.And I scalded my hand on the machine).It was more that it was a block off from the strip. A block in Vegas seems a lot further than a block anywhere else.Particularly when Persistence decided that we must sally forth to the strip at 1pm, when the temperature had only reached 105. Once we'd dodged the hoboes, the pan-handlers, the traffic and then yet more hoboes, we were more or less continually assaulted by Latin men and women offering me the sexual favours of their sisters/cousins.Who, strangely, according to the cards they were giving out by the handful, all seemed to be white and blonde. A tip, however, for these purveyors of the flesh trade.Dont offer me a hooker double-act for $100, when you're also offering me solo ladies of ill repute for $35 each. The MGM Grand seemed like a fair refuge from the pimps, and indeed we spent a pleasant hour wandering the malls, and feeding the slots.We lost money, of course, but not a lot, and it seemed worth it for the air conditioning and the mere moderate levels of overcrowding and jostling. That was more or less the last pleasant hour we spent in Vegas.Its probably an OK town if you're going to spend your entire vacation within one of the many splendid casino resorts, but its hell on earth out on the strip.I took a few snaps, then gritted my teeth for the next 4 hours of endless sweaty trudging hell. The horror of the experience was compounded by going dress shopping.Indeed, we (I) finally did find a dress for Persistence, but only after we'd been through 70+ shops. Of course, she denied it had been that many, until I pointed out that she'd visited around 50 in the 'Miracle Mile' shopping arcade, most of which had not merited a second glance from her.And the dress we (I) finally selected (to put a stop to the endless charade/parade), she had already walked past 3 times without giving it a look. "Could you stand it if we look for some shoes now?" Answers on a postcard, please.They would likely be more polite than my reply. |
You've just reinforced my instinctive Vegas avoidance. Thanks for that. Go see something attractive now.
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Instructions received and understood.
After a very wet day wandering the southern rim of the Grand Canyon, we've just booked up a helicopter trip for the morning. Persistence is bouncing around the room like a bouncy thing, as she's been wanting to do this since we first talked about this vacation.Now we just need the weather gods to be ungrumpy. |
Reminds me of some language lessons we had to do in Japan - booking overseas tours. I did them so many times I got bored as hell and got mischievous.
Where I was supposed to say "I'm interested in your Grand Canyon Helicopter tour", if the student was an sexy woman (as they often were) I would insert a little pause: "I'm interested in your Grand Canyon .... helicopter tour." Not enough that anyone could notice, but enough to amuse myself. As you were. |
Shoulda listened to us -we told you four hours tops for Vegas! :lol:. Sorry it was so awful. Hope the Heli tour was fantastic :)
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Yeah, I even had to give up going to the 'Pinball Hall of Fame', our need to escape Vegas was so bad.That, and a big chunk of one of my teeth dropped out....can't decide if it was from cultural outrage or fear and loathing.
The display of fountains outside of the Bellagio was pleasantly noteworthy.That accounted for about 5 nice minutes, in addition to the hour spent in the MGM Grand. The Heli ride over the Grand Canyon was very much worth it. Flying over really does add a lot to the place, which was already looking pretty damned fantastic in today's lightly cloudy weather. Persistence surprisingly suffered from a digestion malfunction, and had to make use of the in-flight little paper bag, which amused the 4 Italians we were flying with, no end.Even with that happening,she was still grinning ear-to-ear at the end of the flight (even with a few flecks of lunch left upon her chin). We took the 50-minute tour which came out $388 for the 2 of us, but then found an online coupon which reduced that to $350.Also, at the end of the flight, you get the option of buying a photograph of you and your significant other/partner/spouse/fellow jihadist which is snapped in front of your sky-chariot seconds before the ground crew loads you into your seat...that's another $20, which I got Persistence to fork out for, she was in that good a mood. I was frantically hammering away with the camera for most of the flight, I think I accumulated about 200 shots before we were done.I did stop to look at some of the scenery, but found myself getting a bit teary-eyed because it was just that damned beautiful, so went back to hastily lining up more shots, which I'll post some of once I sort through my backlog. The pilot, sadly, remained silent throughout the entire experience, and I had to keep half an eye on him for evidence of a forthcoming psychotic episode. Instead, we had some music piped through our headphones interspersed with a fairly bland commentary in English, then repeated in Italian for our fellow passengers. Also, I must ask...is anyone aware of why Arizona appears to have been invaded by many many French?'Twas most amusing watching all the miscommunication betwixt them and the staff of a McDonalds earlier tonight. Ugh, I'm in danger of breaking into Shakespearean...it must be time for bed. :D |
Vincent: Yeah baby, you'd dig it the most. But you know what the funniest thing about Europe is?
Jules: What? Vincent: It's the little differences. I mean, they got the same shit over there that we got here, but it's just – it's just there it's a little different. Jules: Example? Vincent: All right. Well, you can walk into a movie theater in Amsterdam and buy a beer. And I don't mean just like in no paper cup, I'm talking about a glass of beer. And in Paris, you can buy a beer at McDonald's. Know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris? Jules: They don't call it a Quarter Pounder with Cheese? Vincent: Naw, man, they got the metric system, they wouldn't know what the fuck a Quarter Pounder is. Jules: What do they call it? Vincent: They call it a "Royale with Cheese". Jules: "Royale with Cheese". Vincent: That's right. Jules: What do they call a Big Mac? Vincent: A Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call it "Le Big Mac". Jules: [in mock French accent] "Le Big Mac." [laughs] What do they call a Whopper? Vincent: I don't know, I didn't go in a Burger King. |
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I was gonna ... but then..
Undertoad beat me to it. Then Jinx beat me to the next one. Ahh, I luv youse all. :lol: |
Finally sorted through 900+ images.I really should learn that the longer I leave it, the more of a pain in the ass it is to do.
We're holed up in Cedar City,UT today.It seems to be one of those free weekends at the National Parks, as we found out yesterday when we visited Zion, so we're waiting until tomorrow to visit Bryce Canyon. In the meantime,have some sceneries. http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1572/p10502602.jpg http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/1723/p1050331s.jpg http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/2929/p10502982.jpg http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2826/p10502522.jpg Check out my highly trained attack squirrel moving into position to mug Persistence. http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/7937/p1050373o.jpg Hawthorne NV finally finds a sensible and happy use for bombs. http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1019/p1050111a.jpg http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/265/p1050118y.jpg The Museum of Kinetic Sculpture, at Ferndale CA.Every year, the residents of Ferndale hold a mad 3 day human-powered multi-terrain sculpture race.The best of the surviving vehicles/sculptures make it into the Museum. http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/1003/p1050107l.jpg We spotted a Marmot basking in the sun at Lassen Volcanic NP.We took a quick vote and decided we like Marmots. http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6956/p1040973k.jpg Finally, a pic of Las Vegas, which Cellarites have my permission to use on relatives, to save themselves the horror of having to visit there themselves. http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/9494/p1050210p.jpg |
excellent. And I'm not buying the squirrel excuse for that pic..... :lol:
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When do you hit LA? Need any suggestions for things to occupy your time on the left coast?
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You'll like Bryce, unless it's too crowded. The terrain is spectacular in any weather, and unlike the Grand Canyon, on a less mind boggling scale. Bryce is like the top third of the Grand Canyon and Zion like the middle third. I'm talking depth not length.
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Bryce was as excellent as Zion was disappointing.
Not that I really think Zion is a bad NP,it was just badly overcrowded.Also, save yourself a couple of hours if you go there by missing out the 'Emerald Pools' hiking trail. Persistence and I slogged up and down hills to see 3 pools, of which we could easily find a dozen as good/better at home. Bryce more than made up for it.It delivered jaw-dropping scenery by the truckload. We spent our last night in Utah at Kanab, having spent a couple of nights there a couple of days previous.Last night was by far the best tho. We found a terrific hidden gem of a motel, the Sun-N-Sand, which from the outside looks like Norman Bates' dream home.Inside, its a bit worn, but very clean. The owner, Wayne, although he looks like an extra from a Pirate movie, is an absolute hero.We mentioned we preferred beer to tea, and he suddenly said 'Dont drink any beer you've bought in Utah, its swill.'. He explained that they have under-strength beer for Utah, and that suddenly cleared up a problem I'd had the night before.No matter how many cans I drank, I couldn't seem to get drunk. 'Yep,it'll just give you a headache and make you need to pee.' We went and settled into our room, and 20 mins later,there's a knock on the door.Persistence opened it to find Wayne holding a couple of cold bottles of Bud which someone had sneaked over the border for him :3eye: We sat out on the doorstep, journalising and emailing the folks back home, and he trotted up with another couple.We retired to bed quite happily. The breakfast he laid on was similarly heroic, ranging from fresh water-melon to a beautiful carrot-cake an admirer had brought him, and had the most excellent coffee I've had over here.(And in proper mugs too, none of yer plastic cup rubbish). I've never seen anyone work as hard and as cheerfully for our cash,$45 had us covered for the night.He has single-handedly put almost all other motels we've stayed at to shame. Before we left, we gave him a pack of Tetly Tea-Bags, explaining that that is what British people call 'Tea', and it is what empires are built upon :) , and instructed him in proper tea-making procedures. The guy is an absolute gem, and if you're ever in need of somewhere to stay in southern Utah, I commend him unto all Cellarites. Today has been a long drive, down from Kanab to Tucson, where we'll be visiting 'The Boneyard' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospa...neration_Group - the USAF's storage facility for aircraft they're not currently using. On the way into Tucson, we happened to pass Pinal Airpark, a similar facility for commercial airlines. We're down to around 16 days left over here, and we're starting to face some hard choices about what we can do versus what we want to do, with the time remaining. PS: Must mention, we hit a new high temp. for us today.As we passed through Phoenix, the car thermometer hit 115. |
I just read, in July Death Valley had 20 days over 120 degrees F. :sweat:
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Also, a drive up to the top of Mount Lemmon might cool you off by about 10 degrees. You'd be at 105 instead of 115. There are some decent views from up there. The old historic mission San Xavier will take you back in time. The Desert Museum is a zoo that contains desert animals. When I was a kid we used to get the coyotes going absolutely bananas by howling in front of their cage. That would stir up the whole zoo. Good times. But it's just a zoo. If you like astronomy at all, you have to take a trip to nearby Kitt Peak and get a tour of some of the huge telescopes there. |
I wish I hadn't got myself banned from the motel's network last night.
Then I might have seen glatt's post this morning...I'm a closet astronomy enthusiast...it never occurred to me that I might be near the Mt.Lemmon observatories. All that needs to happen to make that mistake complete is to check the BAA website in a couple of days and find they discovered a comet there today. :thepain: We're now moving in completely the wrong direction to visit those, and after dragging Persistence around 'another' Air Museum all day, in the scorching sun, she's not in a mood to turn back. Oh well. The PIMA air museum was interesting, and for once, since most of the aircraft are stored outdoors, I didn't have much bother taking photos. The Boneyard tour was pretty good too, although I was so intent on looking out of the bus windows (we weren't allowed to stop or get off, the AMARG facility is still an operational base) I failed to notice the aircon had broken down.More heat for poor Persistence to endure! Unfortunately,it was well towards museum closing time before she was able to drag me towards any kind of exit, and we had to set off again. West again, back into southern California next.We'll try not to smuggle fruit. |
Things not to do in Death Valley
Time for an update.
We entered California after ditching our stash of bananas, that we might not attract attention to ourselves. Initially, we made for L.A, after a little visit to the town of Joshua Tree, to have a quick look at Myrtle the Turtle (roadside statue of a turtle).Persistence called a halt around Perris (site of some smashing boulders painted up as apples), as she was finding the traffic more than a little intimidating. We bounced back, towards Death Valley, overnighting in Barstow.Whilst there, we read a few things online about the town, which had us more than a little worried to step outside.Especially as the bolt on our motel room door had been torn off at some stage. Next day, we headed for Death Valley, where things began to go wrong. I take this opportunity to remind myself, that it is not an especially good idea to run off into the desert when the temperature is 122f, even when you have water stashed about your person.And that water is all well and good, but only tends to be useful when it is drank. The Mesquite Dunes did look very photographically appealing however.And it did seem like a good idea at the time. I began to have a little trouble keeping co-ordinated about halfway back to the car, I'd been feeling quite smug about some of the photos I'd got.Things got progressively more difficult the closer I got to the car.I just about crawled up onto the roadway. Persistence had spotted me stumbling about, and brought the car alongside and helped me in. It was probably less dramatic than it sounds, and I felt (slightly) better after the application of a couple of litres of water, which I promptly sweated back out. I dozed for the next hour or so, as we headed towards Stovepipe Wells, with the intention of heading up to The Racetrack, to see Death Valley's mysterious moving stones. I was required to make a navigational decision, which in my confused state, I really should have taken more time over.About an hour later, as we pulled up at the western entrance about 100 miles out from where we should have been, the error was realised. We immediately set off back for The Racetrack, arriving at the entrance to the 31 miles of rough road about 6pm. We should have known better than to set off down a very rough bladed earth track with around 90 minutes of daylight left.That road surely has to be the worst we've encountered in just shy of 24000 miles of motoring we've done over here. We both called a halt an hour in, and around 9 miles short.There was a very real danger that our trusty vehicle was going to become crippled if we continued.Persistence gingerly backtracked along that crappy road in failing light, and we slowly realised that it would be at least 3 more hours before we got anywhere near a motel which would be of any use to us.That fuel would be marginal, and we didn't have much in any way to eat (although plenty of water).It also became apparent that our vehicle suffered from the little adventure. The suspension is now considerably looser than it was before we set out there, and we get a much bouncier ride now. We eventually made a motel, but if we'd continued on to our original goal, things could have been hairier.The deity that protects all naive fools pulled overtime that day. Suitably self-chastised, we set out the next day on something of a curious mission. We went to a forest in order to find a tree. At once, a simple sounding thing, but when you're looking for one tree in particular, can also be a quite complicated thing. We went to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine groves in Inyo National Forest, to search for the Oldest (non-clonal) living Thing on the Planet, the Methuselah Tree. Methuselah is estimated, this year, to be 4500 years old.The problem searching for it, is that it's not marked on map, and Forest Rangers will not tell you where it is (with good reason.When they had a sign indicating which tree it was, it was vandalised) .Its also located between 10000 and 11000 ft above sea-level. We went to the local ranger station, and found that there is a trail around the Methuselah Grove, and the Ranger informed us that the tree itself is between two of the numbered markers, but gave us no more information than that. We'd done some research the previous night on the net, but that had just proved confusing.We'd turned up a set of GPS co-ordinates, and 4 different images purporting to show the tree itself. The GPS co-ordinates we immediately discarded, on the grounds that they're in the wrong grove of Bristlecone Pines (Methuselah is reportedly in the Schulmann Grove, our co-ordinates indicated the Patriarch Grove), and when you're hiking at altitude and speed, one tree looks very much like another. We did, however, find a group of big and old Bristlecones, in the area the Ranger had told us to look.Searching off the trail, I also found another very poorly defined and seldom used track that lead up to a group of 4-5 trees.These trees had metal tags attached to them, unlike the others we'd looked closely at, and we decided that if none of them were Methuselah itself, they were probably among the older ones of the grove.We left, breathless, hopeful, and reasonably satisfied that we probably have an image of the correct tree somewhere amongst our shots. Bristlecone pines are quite interesting things, I think.I'd seen a documentary about them several years ago, and to refresh my knowlege, I bought a book when we got back to the ranger station (after crocking my ankle on the trail back). I read that simply, these trees do not die of old age.They only die when something kills them.I also read that, to my chagrin, Methuselah is not the oldest amongst them.There is at least one older, known to a couple of researchers, who will not give out the location. There was indeed, an older specimen, up until sometime in the 1960's called Prometheus, who was felled in an unfortunate incident by a scientist (he was taking core samples for dating, his coring-tool broke and he sought permission to cut this particular specimen down, which surprisingly the Forestry Service granted.They're apparently a lot more careful with their permissions now.). Anyway, onward, and in conclusion. Today, we set off with the intention of visiting Bodie, a ghost-town on the border between California and Nevada.To some extent, its not really a ghost town, in as much as that there are still a few residents, and that the town itself has been declared a State Park, and is held in its state of decay as a showpiece. The last several miles to the town however, are across our old friend, bladed dirt road.After our previous experience, Persistence called a halt several hundred yards on from where we'd left the tarmac, and turned about. As an alternative, we instead headed for Yosemite National Park, which we had intended to look at tomorrow. I've got to say, Yosemite is quite spectacular, but very challenging to capture in photographs.More challenging yet to photograph in crappy weather.And by the time the weather clears, more challenging again becuase everything is smothered in people. It was a shame to visit at the weekend.The sheer volume of people more or less ensured that the possibility of encountering large furry, or even medium-sized fluffy wild-lifes was at a minimum. I think to get the best out of Yosemite, its more or less essential to go hiking out on the many trails around the place, which we weren't able to because of my crocked ankle (and today I seemed to be handling the altitude a lot less ably). We left slightly disappointed, but at the same time frustrated, because we knew we hadn't been able to give ourselves the opportunity to experience the best that it could offer. Time to sign off.My typing fingers are becoming tired, as are doubtless some of your eyes.I'm taking some Jack Daniels and shortbread cookies for my conditions.Find your own medecines :D |
Now you know why they call it Death Valley. ;)
At Yosemite in season, and on the weekend, it's tough to get away from the maddening crowds without mucho hiking. At least you got to see the scale of Half Dome and Yosemite Valley, which is all the majority of the tourists see. |
Yeah, its a pretty good reminder that Death Valley is an extreme environment, and that most stories leading to stupid deaths there (and other extreme places) begin with a bad decision that leads to several more bad decisions.Its was better to realise that we'd made bad decisions, and to let it go.The charging off into the desert thing was abject stupidity on my own part, although there were other people about at the roadside, and Persistence had positioned herself to be able to see me.
We found it pretty hard to deal with the out and out damned rudeness of visitors to Yosemite. At one point, on the way out of the place, you get the opportunity in a big turnout to take the 'money shot' photo down the best part of the valley. Light conditions had been pretty rubbish all day, and I'd waited for a good spot to take photos from, to open up. When I finally got my turn, I was taking multiple shots, and playing with filters and exposures to get the best snap I could, when some bird positioned herself right in front of me and her boyfriend behind me, and began complaining loudly about me. I was able to feign foreign-ness and incomprehension, and refused to move, although I was tempted to take her photo and ask the guy for $10, or remark that she had 'beautiful t*ts'. :o Half the battle getting a good photo in the Parks is managing not to get anyone else in the damned shot. ;) |
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For ZenGum :)
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/3170/ometer100.gif Quick update: we've killed another rental car.Looks like the shocks are shot to bits on this one.Its a pity, because this car has been a real trooper, and deserves to make it to the end. But going any speed over 55mph is now a hazardous experience. |
Rentals, love 'em and leave 'em. ;)
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Yeah, we're now in possession of a bright blue PT Cruiser for the last week of our jaunt, after assuring the rental people that we had no idea at all how the fault had developed :D
It seemed to cause quite a stir, the appearance of a Mass. plate in their lot anyway, and most of their staff came for a rubbernecking session at the foreigners who had been mad enough to drive across the country. We've been hanging out on the Monterey Peninsula last couple of days.Its a really nice place, seems to have a bit of something for everyone. I've convinced Persistence to buy her sister a nice pair of earrings (and a Silver Dollar for myself), then convinced her to keep hold of said earrings and change them out for the cheaper pair she bought earlier in the trip. We even managed a sunny day today, so I decided that we'd head for the beach.I had a fine day watching the wildlife, human and animal, and hunting sand-dollars.I'm now sporting a glowing red face and Persistence has been tanning nicely for the wedding we're going to when we get back home. Home.Now there's a word that is starting to loom large in our reckonings. I've been quite happy, many times, on this junket to forget all about the horrors of the 'summer season' on the northeast coast of England.At other times its often been to my great surprise that we aren't there as I've wandered out of our motel room for a smoke.I'm suffering from pretty mixed feelings about going back there. The BBC news website has been outlining events for me during the course of our journey, although the damned thing seems to be written mainly by ex-Daily Mail journalists, and designed to arouse contempt in my heart for our funny little island.The only good thing that seems to have happened in my absence is that we won the Ashes (Cricket test-series, between England and Australia, for the non-comprehending). The prospect of our return seems to have triggered a general malaise in us, and we dont seem to be making much forward progress.Its true, that we dont have much left to see on our lists of attractions, but its almost as if we can delay the inevitable by not moving onwards. Meh.I'll busy myself tonight sorting through more photos, also something that I've been putting off doing.Although there may yet have to be alcohol involved. |
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"This is a terrible town for driving around in convertibles" I told him "They beat the shit out of it..." Man, you ARE going all Hunter S Thompson. Awesome. Check the trunk. (You know, the boot.) |
No Epic Suitcase.
Got some Adult Robitussin cough gels (tried them earlier in the trip, for the DXM content, didn't rate it very much), Equate sleep aid liquidcaps (diphenhydramine, intend to knock myself out for the flight home rather than endure nicotine withdrawl), still quite a bit of Citalopram (my AD meds), a nicorette inhalator (always have a backup plan, in case the diphenhydramine doesn't work) and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels. I'll hopefully be turning that empty into a full, later on. Judging by the shenanigans at last nights motel, and the interesting and familiar odour on the wind outside, I could have probably bolstered my substance count with something pleasantly herbal. But its been almost 4 months with nothing other than tobacco to smoke, might as well wait until I get home now. |
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