Caspar Institute logo

TRANSPORT pages


18 September 2019 : Going Home            jump to this page > > >
image for this panel

Threatening sky and fog among the Redwoods as we climbed over the promontory that constitutes the south edge of Crescent City's half-moon bay. 

As usual, I opted for the Newton B Drury Parkway alternative to the fancy new freeway that circumvents the best of the Redwoods. Even with the treetops vanishing into clouds and sporadic rain, it's staggeringly tall and beautiful.

 

 

One of the things I love most about this bit of "tree theater" is how it imposes an awed awareness on all who take the time to drive through. Gone suddenly is the urge to speed. Instead, drivers dawdle, stop in their traffic lanes to wonder, then awaken to the fact that they've stopped right on the highway and pull over.

 

 


image for this panel
image for this panel

Leaving Eureka a couple of hours (and a 20k mile car service) we saw a poster on a building: "There is no Planet B".

Just south of Benbow, at the top of the hill before the freeway ends, we saw a pair of bikers with camping gear stopped beside the road and obviously discussing what they saw ahead. Rochelle took a picture, and I said "Looks like we're headed into a squall."

Was I right! Turn the wipers up to high. At peak downpour we were running behind a couple on a motorcycle. "Doesn't look like they're having fun," opined Rochelle. 


image for this panel

Today was what we sometimes call a "strobe light day" with bursts of sunshine, intense rain squalls (sometimes at the same time; look for rainbows!) and, finally, just south of Cape Vizcaino, Highway 1 breaks out onto the coast, and there's our blessed home ocean through the (invasive) buffalo grass.

 

On this day, there were several two-lane sections where we once again had time to wonder about the selfish souls who drive RVs. Is this the grown-up equivalent of a blankie, without which they are uncomfortable venturing out into the cruel, unfriendly world, poor things? 

The importance of the driver in car #2 of a parade was also brought into focus. Of course a driver from Illinois is going to be intimidated by our twisty, steep mountain roads, and the stretch from Leggett to Westport is the poster child for this kind of road. Luckily, most visiting drivers get that locals may actually need to get somewhere on time, and use the pullouts.

And then there are selfish locals. For twenty slow miles we drove behind a fisherman in a pickup with a big trailer stacked high with brand new crab traps, probably doing the best he could, but completely unwilling to pull over despite multiple opportunities. "I may be slow, but I'm ahead of YOU!" Finally, at the first legal passing straight-away I sped past him, and being passed apparently made his penis shrivel so badly that he called the highway patrol to report a "crazy driver." Just north of Cleone, a Highway Patrol car pulled out of hiding and tailed me to Ward Avenue, where he flashed his lights and I pulled over. A complete professional, and aware that this was a nonsense stop, we discussed tourists, pullouts, hairpin turns, and selfish locals. "I have his phone number; I'll talk to him," was where we left it.

Again, interestingly (and fortunately; I no longer have to knock on wood) we saw no accidents and had no unpleasant direct encounters. Everyone we met was friendly, welcoming if local, curious if visiting; respectful of the wonders we had all come to see. All in all, a very satisfactory adventure.  

 

Ten miles after our visit with The Law (and a quick stop at our wonderful farmers market for supplies) we rolled into Caspar. As you can see below (and I don't mean to boast), we made 70.1 miles per gallon on this trip of 2,500+ miles.

Now, safely at home and with Pi-cat sleeping nearby, I am glad to have no more long-distance driving in the rain in my future. Maybe a divergence is taking place for me: the highways and byways are becoming more crowded and less enticing while I'm getting older and slower. I am very thankful to be home safe and in one piece, with the richness of this trip firmly in my mind.

 


image for this panel

We’re HOME!


Also worth noting: in 23 days on the road we walked 83 miles, an average of 3.6 miles every day – I guess that would be “total vehicle mileage” of 166, 7.2 miles per day considering it was the two of us walking. Indeed, there were some days we didn't walk much, but on others we made up for it! Assuming our fuel to be hard cider, something we enjoyed responsibly but assiduously throughout the trip, I would say that individually we got about 84 miles per gallon.


6 May 2022 : at Damiana’s            jump to this page > > >

Walked back and picked up our fully charged car. Got into traffic and dove down Minna Alley. “How'd you know to do that?” asks Rochelle; just then, we see two Uber cars coming the wrong way on the narrow one way (our way) street. Beside us a good lookin' guy in a yellow construction vest and a red construction hat sitting on top of a 40 foot bucket loader. 

“What's the matter with those people?” he asks when I roll down my window. We're in a Mexican standoff, nobody willing to back up, and at least three of us not obliged to and in no hurry. Mr Red Hat and I exchange puzzlements. “But we're on a schedule,” says he.

“That's the boss's worry; you're on hourly, right?”

“Yup, long's the money's comin' in, I can sit here all day!”

Then the passenger gets out of the wrong-way Uber and starts to ...who knows what? Mr Red Hat jumps off his rig and officiously waves her back in her car and yells at the driver (probably some poor new non-English speaker recruited to drive Uber in downtown SF), motions (in no uncertain terms) him and the guy behind him to back up, bullying them, really, but when they backed onto New Montgomery, he walked out and stopped traffic so they could get pointed in the right direction, then dramatically called their attention to the DO NOT ENTER sign. Duh.

Then the Friday afternoon early getaway mess on the Bay Bridge, but pretty soon, miraculously, at Damiana's quiet house on a hill.


30 May 2023 : Vancouver B.C.            jump to this page > > >
image for this panel

Lunch from a place called Napa Farms that served all its over-priced but fresh and thoughtfully prepared food items in little plastic coffins. When we were finished, we were left with an admirable pile of trash.

The outstanding dish was a vegan Caesar Salad with something called 'seed parmesan.'  


image for this panel

We were still early, but our gate was open and already pretty well populated.

Ever notice how the folks getting on a plane to X have X characteristics? Well, Vancouver is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Americas, and so were the folks waiting for the plane. We had an hour and a half to wait, and the people watching was great.

 

 

 

 

Lots of dehumanizing / employee eliminating tech 'for your security' and then, on time to the minute, we were pushing back. My general impression at this point is that if authority says the magic word 'security' we uhmurrcuns will put up with anything.

 

But finally we were on our way :

 


image for this panel

This is a south-to-north flight (of course) and so it reads backwards. Bear with me. (Bears with me comes later.)

 

 

On the way up: the east bay and beyond. Clear skies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then we flew right up the spine of the Cascades. I'm guessing: Lassen

 

M glued to the window
Michael glued to the airplane window

 

 

 

Three Sisters?

 

 

 

 

photo by Rochelle.jpg Rochelle took photos marked with this R

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Hood

image for this panel

 

 

 

Bonneville Dam (lower center) and the Columbia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Saint Helens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Rainier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Adams? (in cloud)

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Baker

image for this panel

And then we were on final approach to Vancouver International, hereinafter referred to as  YVR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birch Bay and Blaine, Washington (the top of the US)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fraser at Westminster

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burnaby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Log rafts on the Fraser

 

 

About here's where Rochelle said, 'I didn't think Vancouver was this big.' Well, it wasn't, but it is now. Our first serious visit to Vancouver was for the World's Fair in 1986.


next group : Campbell River, B.C.

other topics:    Lunches     Dinners     Markets    


Search Query
website copyright © 2011-2024 by Caspar Institute
Feedback and comments welcome! Email us!


updated 17 December 2020 Caspar Time
site software and photographs by the  Caspar Institute  except as noted
this site generated with 100% recycled electrons!
send website feedback to the CI webster