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| A classic Route 66 scene in New Mexico at the Arizona-New Mexico state line on the north side of Interstate 40 with Old Route 66 existing here as a frontage road to the freeway. By Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved). |
Showing posts with label Route 66. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Route 66. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Picture of the Day - Route 66 Indian Kitsch
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Picture of the Day - Route 66 In Flagstaff
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| Today I had lunch at Lumberyard Brewing Company with my brother and his girlfriend and my friend Dave in Flagstaff, AZ. While there I shot this image at the corner of Old Route 66 and San Francisco Street. The historic but still-used train station is in the middle of the image. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved). |
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Pisgah Crater Truth 2011
Recently a video (followed by a series of follow ups from the same source) was created and posted on Youtube that created a minor ruckus on the internet after making the rounds through the Tin Foil Hat webforum world where Chemtrails and HAARP Signals are stock in trade.
The following video published on July 23, 2011, got the ball rolling:
It was followed by this more elaborate example of perception as reality in the pseudo-intellectual world of Conspiracy Theorism and Junk Science:
Other videos followed along with a myriad of feedback loops throughout various chat rooms, email lists, and webforums. This foolishness got out of hand enough that the USGS had to bitch slap it with this reality check:
USGS rules out volcanic origin of plume-like feature seen in NEXRAD in Mojave Desert (California)
Inquiries have come to the USGS regarding a potential eruption in the vicinity of Lavic Lake Volcanic Field (LLVF) in Southern California. The inquiries stem from a citizen report noting a plume-like feature on NEXRAD radar imagery from July 23, 2011. USGS volcanologists evaluating the situation find nothing to indicate that the NEXRAD feature results from volcanic activity. Satellite images from the same period do not show the steam or ash clouds that accompany volcanic activity, and there is no seismicity in the vicinity indicative of volcanic unrest/eruption. No earthquakes were located within 20 miles of LLVF during the last week (USGS-Caltech Seismic Net update 14:10 PDT July 27, 2011 ). No reports of eruptive activity have come in from ground observers (LLVF is within 2 miles of Interstate 40) or from regional pilots (Barstow Daggett County Airport is within 10 miles of LLVF).
The USGS monitors volcanic unrest and provides announcements of volcanic activity within the US as soon as detected and confirmed. Often, warnings of possible volcanic activity are issued in advance, based on data from satellite or ground-based sensor networks. The status of US volcanoes is always available at the Volcano Hazards Program website.
Background: The Lavic Lake Volcanic Field is located in the Mojave Desert, south-central California (34.75 deg N / 116.625 deg W). Lavic Lake Volcanic Field is a collection of cinder cones and lava flows produced during effusive (non-explosive) eruptions of basaltic lava. The age of Lavic Lake volcanism is not well constrained, but the most recent eruption (Pisgah Crater) likely occurred about 25,000 years before present (Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program). It is a seismically active area cut by numerous Basin and Range faults.
My good friend Lin discovered this follow-up gem of Tin Foil Ass-Hattery on Youtube:
These two sweet, simple souls named Yvonne and Angie (sisters actually) went on a windmill jousting, er, "volcano-chasing" excursion to Pisgah Crater (actually they ended up at Amboy Crater 40 miles EAST of Pisgah Crater but let's not confuse the issue with annoying facts.)
Anywho, they did capture some cool scenery both geological (how can anybody not like the sight of a lava flow next to a dry lakebed?) as well as meteorological (monsoonal moisture) not to mention some cool Route 66 images.
The plumes they captured on camera are clearly located within the confines of the post of Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms. These plumes are caused by dummy shells containing no ordnance that are fired by either tanks or howitzers conducting gunnery practice. Quite possibly some of the plumes are alternately dust devils and/or dust-ups caused by military vehicles traipsing around in the desert conducting maneuvers.
That these two people conducted this Route 66 in full belief of Dutchy's Delusions and then posted it on Youtube days later by which time it was clearly not what Dutchy suggested is somewhat of a surprise to me but perhaps I'm being overly charitable or even just a bit naive ... or even a bit of both! Cheerio!
Check out the comments below the video on it's Youtube page... the peanut gallery has spoken and ignorance has become elevated to a high art form.
Okay, I freely admit I'm a gummint hack trying to trick you into disbelieving there has been a huge eruption of a volcano right next to Interstate 40 and within sight of Barstow, CA, and and the traffic between Sin City and La-La Land but that does not matter. It requires my elaborate lies to suppress this truth.
With the Birther Movement now fully discredited and the 9/11 Truth movement laying fallow within pseudo-intellectual confines of the lunatic fringe I call for the next big conspiracy theory movement to be the 2011 Pisgah Truther movement!
The following video published on July 23, 2011, got the ball rolling:
It was followed by this more elaborate example of perception as reality in the pseudo-intellectual world of Conspiracy Theorism and Junk Science:
Other videos followed along with a myriad of feedback loops throughout various chat rooms, email lists, and webforums. This foolishness got out of hand enough that the USGS had to bitch slap it with this reality check:
USGS rules out volcanic origin of plume-like feature seen in NEXRAD in Mojave Desert (California)
Inquiries have come to the USGS regarding a potential eruption in the vicinity of Lavic Lake Volcanic Field (LLVF) in Southern California. The inquiries stem from a citizen report noting a plume-like feature on NEXRAD radar imagery from July 23, 2011. USGS volcanologists evaluating the situation find nothing to indicate that the NEXRAD feature results from volcanic activity. Satellite images from the same period do not show the steam or ash clouds that accompany volcanic activity, and there is no seismicity in the vicinity indicative of volcanic unrest/eruption. No earthquakes were located within 20 miles of LLVF during the last week (USGS-Caltech Seismic Net update 14:10 PDT July 27, 2011 ). No reports of eruptive activity have come in from ground observers (LLVF is within 2 miles of Interstate 40) or from regional pilots (Barstow Daggett County Airport is within 10 miles of LLVF).
The USGS monitors volcanic unrest and provides announcements of volcanic activity within the US as soon as detected and confirmed. Often, warnings of possible volcanic activity are issued in advance, based on data from satellite or ground-based sensor networks. The status of US volcanoes is always available at the Volcano Hazards Program website.
Background: The Lavic Lake Volcanic Field is located in the Mojave Desert, south-central California (34.75 deg N / 116.625 deg W). Lavic Lake Volcanic Field is a collection of cinder cones and lava flows produced during effusive (non-explosive) eruptions of basaltic lava. The age of Lavic Lake volcanism is not well constrained, but the most recent eruption (Pisgah Crater) likely occurred about 25,000 years before present (Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program). It is a seismically active area cut by numerous Basin and Range faults.
My good friend Lin discovered this follow-up gem of Tin Foil Ass-Hattery on Youtube:
These two sweet, simple souls named Yvonne and Angie (sisters actually) went on a windmill jousting, er, "volcano-chasing" excursion to Pisgah Crater (actually they ended up at Amboy Crater 40 miles EAST of Pisgah Crater but let's not confuse the issue with annoying facts.)
Anywho, they did capture some cool scenery both geological (how can anybody not like the sight of a lava flow next to a dry lakebed?) as well as meteorological (monsoonal moisture) not to mention some cool Route 66 images.
The plumes they captured on camera are clearly located within the confines of the post of Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms. These plumes are caused by dummy shells containing no ordnance that are fired by either tanks or howitzers conducting gunnery practice. Quite possibly some of the plumes are alternately dust devils and/or dust-ups caused by military vehicles traipsing around in the desert conducting maneuvers.
That these two people conducted this Route 66 in full belief of Dutchy's Delusions and then posted it on Youtube days later by which time it was clearly not what Dutchy suggested is somewhat of a surprise to me but perhaps I'm being overly charitable or even just a bit naive ... or even a bit of both! Cheerio!
Check out the comments below the video on it's Youtube page... the peanut gallery has spoken and ignorance has become elevated to a high art form.
Okay, I freely admit I'm a gummint hack trying to trick you into disbelieving there has been a huge eruption of a volcano right next to Interstate 40 and within sight of Barstow, CA, and and the traffic between Sin City and La-La Land but that does not matter. It requires my elaborate lies to suppress this truth.
With the Birther Movement now fully discredited and the 9/11 Truth movement laying fallow within pseudo-intellectual confines of the lunatic fringe I call for the next big conspiracy theory movement to be the 2011 Pisgah Truther movement!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Like a Horse on the Way Back to the Barn
Previous Day: On To Kingman & Let's Win There
Goin' Back To Cali
We got up reasonably early and got our day started with breakfast from next door at JB's which has absolutely the best wheat toast anywhere on Earth.
It was much warmer than any previous morning of the trip but calm.
The Weather Channel on television and the National Weather Service online both warned of high winds across the Mojave Desert both in Arizona and California as well as put the area under a Red Flag Warning for high fire danger.
This might seem odd to you given we're talking about brush fire danger on a desert but given how much rain fell there earlier this past Winter along with the high winds predicted fire can propagate rapidly across a desert that has even sparse vegetation.
This was so impressively demonstrated by the Hackberry Complex in June, 2005, which burned over 70,000 acres of the Eastern Mojave Desert north of Goffs, CA, in eastern San Bernardino County.
By the time we hit the road the winds were blowing pretty good in Kingman, AZ.
After getting underway we took Route 66 out of town to the west which in Kingman is called Andy Devine Drive in honor of favorite son Andy Devine .
Heading out of the bottom of the canyon between Kingman and McConnico a large brown snake when shooting across the road in front of me.
Another such snake would pull the same stunt later in the morning in the California part of the Mojave Desert and come so close to getting run over I would be forced to take evasive maneuvers.
After getting on I-40 at McConnico we shot back into California which felt nice, especially after having accomplished so much on this trip and there being no feeling of having not accomplished much as I've sometimes felt in the past.
Over the Desert....
By the time we crossed back over the Colorado River and into California the winds were really ripping and the sky was very hazy in that Summery sort of way this area tends to have which leaves the sky looking rather brassy which seemed odd in April.
We passed through Needles on the interstate and I remembered something a high school classmate of mine who lives up the road in Bullhead City told me to wit the folks in that area refer to Needles as "Needless" to which I have to agree.
It does possess a really cool old train station though which deserves to be brought back to its former glory.
At the junction of I-40 and US-95 we jumped off the interstate as US-95 piggy-backs Route 66 which we follow as much as possible across the Mojave Desert.
A short ways up from the interstate is a roadside jerky-selling operation which has much signage in the area celebrating their "fresh jerky".
A short ways up the road from there is the location of where the late comic genius Sam Kinison met the maker he so often flippantly referred to in his stand-up act.
A bit further up and we turn off of US-95 onto National Trails Highway which is the modern name given to Route 66.
From there we took it through Goffs and Essex and Chambless and a short ways west of Chambless we began encountering some sort of bicycling endeavor with one of the riders having this double-decker bicycle contraption that had the pedals up where the bike seat would normally go and then another bike body was welded atop the bottom bike frame it appeared from what I could see going by at highway speed.
A steady stream of these people continued on the way westward towards Amboy where the event appeared to be based.
A bit further west I saw another rider on one of those double-decker bicycles and continue to wonder how they mount them and first get started going.
Several years ago somebody thought it would be cute to tie a pair of shoes to a desert tree by the south side of Route 66 east of Amboy which caused many other folks to do so filling up that tree and now other Shoe Trees have emerged in the general area of Amboy along Route 66.
On this day I noticed a new quirkily-themed tree: a bra tree.
There were all sorts of sizes and colors and styles and this tree is located on the north side of the road just east of Amboy.
Just west of Amboy and east of Amboy crater another high-speed desert lizard crossed the road in front of me.
If got to the east-bound side and froze with indecision but was safe. That little bugger was actually standing up on all fours, as opposed to crawling which seemed so unusual to me given the types of lizards I'm used to dealing with on the Central Coast.
We got back on the interstate at Ludlow so mom could use the lava bed rest area just east of Newberry Springs.
After we stopped there we got back onto Route 66 at Fort Cady Road.
I noticed that the eccentric desert rat who used to live on the north side of Route 66 just west of that intersection and sold rocks and junk is now gone and the place looks abandoned.
As I recall Huell Howser's interviewed that guy or somebody else did in another documentary on the area.
I fear he may be dead which makes me also wonder about the current condition of the other even more eccentric desert rat in that community known as "General Bob" who hangs out at the Baghdad Cafe.
By this point is was clear the winds were howling in the Barstow area to our west given all the sand and dust in the air to the west of our location.
By the time we did our usual shunpiking job around Barstow to the east and north via Route 66 to Daggett-Yermo Road to Yermo Road to I-15 at Fort Irwin Road to Old Highway 58 to Highway 58 we were in howling winds with occasional sand storms.
The pungent smell of upwind milk cow yards was rather jarring at times.
When we passed Hinkley west of Barstow it meant more this trip than ever before as now I know that this is where that Erin Brockovich story happened.
Just about every time I go through Kramer Junction I wonder when they will reroute Highway 58 around that horrible intersection.
With increasing frequency and intensity when I go by the borax quarry at Boron I feel this urge to visit their visitor center .
Lord willing one of these days I shall.
Given how bad the winds were particularly in the western half of the Mojave Desert I expected the Mojave area to be the worst as it usually is but luckily not on this day.
....And Through the Pass
Over the Tehachapi Pass the haze was not as bad but there were stringers and tendrils of smokey-looking haze or dust which led me to suspect there was a brush fire upwind but over the phone I got confirmation that was not the case so it was just weird-looking dust, perhaps ashes from burn areas.
We got off Highway 58 at Highway 223 and stopped in Arvin for a hard-earned break which was nice.
The grasses in the field next to the parking lot at the county library we were parked at are all brown now.
From there we headed on home following the usual route (223-5-58-46-41).
Heading up I-5 we encountered numerous dust storms as the winds raked newly-plowed fields.
At one point thick dust was blowing across the interstate which reminded me of that tragic incident on November 29, 1991, a bit further north along this same highway but between Coalinga and Los Banos in which folks drove too fast through similar dust storms and a series of fiery accidents ensued in which 17 people were killed, many of them burning to death and other surviving with horrible burns.
After that not much else happened of note accept for the beautiful flowers still evident even as the sun was setting as we passed through the rolling hills between Shandon and Creston along Highway 41 with lupines now dominating the poppies and fiddle necks that so dominated the landscape some weeks ago.
I was a great relief to make it home and find all was well with my cat and my household as I never take anything for granted when I drive away.
Goin' Back To Cali
We got up reasonably early and got our day started with breakfast from next door at JB's which has absolutely the best wheat toast anywhere on Earth.
It was much warmer than any previous morning of the trip but calm.
The Weather Channel on television and the National Weather Service online both warned of high winds across the Mojave Desert both in Arizona and California as well as put the area under a Red Flag Warning for high fire danger.
This might seem odd to you given we're talking about brush fire danger on a desert but given how much rain fell there earlier this past Winter along with the high winds predicted fire can propagate rapidly across a desert that has even sparse vegetation.
This was so impressively demonstrated by the Hackberry Complex in June, 2005, which burned over 70,000 acres of the Eastern Mojave Desert north of Goffs, CA, in eastern San Bernardino County.
By the time we hit the road the winds were blowing pretty good in Kingman, AZ.
After getting underway we took Route 66 out of town to the west which in Kingman is called Andy Devine Drive in honor of favorite son Andy Devine .
Heading out of the bottom of the canyon between Kingman and McConnico a large brown snake when shooting across the road in front of me.
Another such snake would pull the same stunt later in the morning in the California part of the Mojave Desert and come so close to getting run over I would be forced to take evasive maneuvers.
After getting on I-40 at McConnico we shot back into California which felt nice, especially after having accomplished so much on this trip and there being no feeling of having not accomplished much as I've sometimes felt in the past.
Over the Desert....
By the time we crossed back over the Colorado River and into California the winds were really ripping and the sky was very hazy in that Summery sort of way this area tends to have which leaves the sky looking rather brassy which seemed odd in April.
We passed through Needles on the interstate and I remembered something a high school classmate of mine who lives up the road in Bullhead City told me to wit the folks in that area refer to Needles as "Needless" to which I have to agree.
It does possess a really cool old train station though which deserves to be brought back to its former glory.
At the junction of I-40 and US-95 we jumped off the interstate as US-95 piggy-backs Route 66 which we follow as much as possible across the Mojave Desert.
A short ways up from the interstate is a roadside jerky-selling operation which has much signage in the area celebrating their "fresh jerky".
A short ways up the road from there is the location of where the late comic genius Sam Kinison met the maker he so often flippantly referred to in his stand-up act.
A bit further up and we turn off of US-95 onto National Trails Highway which is the modern name given to Route 66.
From there we took it through Goffs and Essex and Chambless and a short ways west of Chambless we began encountering some sort of bicycling endeavor with one of the riders having this double-decker bicycle contraption that had the pedals up where the bike seat would normally go and then another bike body was welded atop the bottom bike frame it appeared from what I could see going by at highway speed.
A steady stream of these people continued on the way westward towards Amboy where the event appeared to be based.
A bit further west I saw another rider on one of those double-decker bicycles and continue to wonder how they mount them and first get started going.
Several years ago somebody thought it would be cute to tie a pair of shoes to a desert tree by the south side of Route 66 east of Amboy which caused many other folks to do so filling up that tree and now other Shoe Trees have emerged in the general area of Amboy along Route 66.
On this day I noticed a new quirkily-themed tree: a bra tree.
There were all sorts of sizes and colors and styles and this tree is located on the north side of the road just east of Amboy.
Just west of Amboy and east of Amboy crater another high-speed desert lizard crossed the road in front of me.
If got to the east-bound side and froze with indecision but was safe. That little bugger was actually standing up on all fours, as opposed to crawling which seemed so unusual to me given the types of lizards I'm used to dealing with on the Central Coast.
We got back on the interstate at Ludlow so mom could use the lava bed rest area just east of Newberry Springs.
After we stopped there we got back onto Route 66 at Fort Cady Road.
I noticed that the eccentric desert rat who used to live on the north side of Route 66 just west of that intersection and sold rocks and junk is now gone and the place looks abandoned.
As I recall Huell Howser's interviewed that guy or somebody else did in another documentary on the area.
I fear he may be dead which makes me also wonder about the current condition of the other even more eccentric desert rat in that community known as "General Bob" who hangs out at the Baghdad Cafe.
By this point is was clear the winds were howling in the Barstow area to our west given all the sand and dust in the air to the west of our location.
By the time we did our usual shunpiking job around Barstow to the east and north via Route 66 to Daggett-Yermo Road to Yermo Road to I-15 at Fort Irwin Road to Old Highway 58 to Highway 58 we were in howling winds with occasional sand storms.
The pungent smell of upwind milk cow yards was rather jarring at times.
When we passed Hinkley west of Barstow it meant more this trip than ever before as now I know that this is where that Erin Brockovich story happened.
Just about every time I go through Kramer Junction I wonder when they will reroute Highway 58 around that horrible intersection.
With increasing frequency and intensity when I go by the borax quarry at Boron I feel this urge to visit their visitor center .
Lord willing one of these days I shall.
Given how bad the winds were particularly in the western half of the Mojave Desert I expected the Mojave area to be the worst as it usually is but luckily not on this day.
....And Through the Pass
Over the Tehachapi Pass the haze was not as bad but there were stringers and tendrils of smokey-looking haze or dust which led me to suspect there was a brush fire upwind but over the phone I got confirmation that was not the case so it was just weird-looking dust, perhaps ashes from burn areas.
We got off Highway 58 at Highway 223 and stopped in Arvin for a hard-earned break which was nice.
The grasses in the field next to the parking lot at the county library we were parked at are all brown now.
From there we headed on home following the usual route (223-5-58-46-41).
Heading up I-5 we encountered numerous dust storms as the winds raked newly-plowed fields.
At one point thick dust was blowing across the interstate which reminded me of that tragic incident on November 29, 1991, a bit further north along this same highway but between Coalinga and Los Banos in which folks drove too fast through similar dust storms and a series of fiery accidents ensued in which 17 people were killed, many of them burning to death and other surviving with horrible burns.
After that not much else happened of note accept for the beautiful flowers still evident even as the sun was setting as we passed through the rolling hills between Shandon and Creston along Highway 41 with lupines now dominating the poppies and fiddle necks that so dominated the landscape some weeks ago.
I was a great relief to make it home and find all was well with my cat and my household as I never take anything for granted when I drive away.
Friday, April 18, 2008
On To Kingman & Let's Win There
Previous Day: Route 66 & Preskit
West is Best
Last night my little Chihuahua/Jack Russell "terror" mix Tequila was very sick throughout and needed letting out a few times and otherwise was restless and stirred oft which disturbed my sleep leaving me overly tired today.
I suspect it was caused by either mom feeding her scraps of her leftover food which is richer than Tequila's dog food or by the multiple rapid altitude changes throughout the day of several thousand feet each time or maybe a bit of both.
We slept in a little bit to make up for that and given we only planned on going a few hours west to Kingman there was no rush to get going.
When we did finally get away Tequila was still sick as she was most of the drive to Kingman.
It felt good heading west as it always does.
West is the direction I belong.
West is the direction of home.
We took Interstate-40 down the hill off the Mogollon Rim to Crookton Road just west of Ash Fork and then jumped onto Route 66 which we took all the way to Kingman, AZ.
On Crookton Road just a mile or two west of the interstate is a diminutive new lumber mill that appears to be processing salvage timber from damaged trees on the Kaibab National Forest.
The pungent aroma of all that freshly bruised, skinned, and even cut ponderosa pine is intoxicating as one drives by the location and I always roll my window down while driving by that location.
As we drove through Seligman, AZ, we had to dodge running down tourists more focused on getting photos of Route 66 kitsch than avoiding being run down by me which forced us to slow down to a crawl near the parked tour bus from which they had been disgorged.
After gassing elsewhere in town we headed onto the Grand Canyon Caverns for a short break where I partook in my ceremonial Route 66 vanilla malt, my very worst remaining culinary indulgence.
Keepers of the Wild
Following that we got back on the road and headed on into Kingman, AZ.
The past several drives through the Valentine area about 20 miles east of Kingman I've noticed a new wild animal park called Keepers of the Wild and am intrigued by it.
During our eastbound leg of this trip I was stuck behind a school bus that turned into its parking lot with a load of kids from a charter school.
For more information about it check this blog.
Moving to a location along Route 66 was a great marketing move aside from any other reasons for doing so.
House Hunting
We were lucky to be able to check into the motel early and get freshened up before getting to work.
Our work consisted of hunting for homes and checking some developments/sub-divisions on the side of Hualapi Mountain, particularly, Pinyon Pines Estates and Linn Ranch.
Mom found a newer house for sale that she fell in love with and unlike the previous two homes in the area she had liked in the past that are no longer on the market, this one is not too much house for her and is much more fire-safe not to mention a bit less pricey so things look good.
Tomorrow we plan to head west across the Mojave Desert and on home.
Next Day: Like A Horse On The Way Back To The Barn
West is Best
Last night my little Chihuahua/Jack Russell "terror" mix Tequila was very sick throughout and needed letting out a few times and otherwise was restless and stirred oft which disturbed my sleep leaving me overly tired today.
I suspect it was caused by either mom feeding her scraps of her leftover food which is richer than Tequila's dog food or by the multiple rapid altitude changes throughout the day of several thousand feet each time or maybe a bit of both.
We slept in a little bit to make up for that and given we only planned on going a few hours west to Kingman there was no rush to get going.
When we did finally get away Tequila was still sick as she was most of the drive to Kingman.
It felt good heading west as it always does.
West is the direction I belong.
West is the direction of home.
We took Interstate-40 down the hill off the Mogollon Rim to Crookton Road just west of Ash Fork and then jumped onto Route 66 which we took all the way to Kingman, AZ.
On Crookton Road just a mile or two west of the interstate is a diminutive new lumber mill that appears to be processing salvage timber from damaged trees on the Kaibab National Forest.
The pungent aroma of all that freshly bruised, skinned, and even cut ponderosa pine is intoxicating as one drives by the location and I always roll my window down while driving by that location.
As we drove through Seligman, AZ, we had to dodge running down tourists more focused on getting photos of Route 66 kitsch than avoiding being run down by me which forced us to slow down to a crawl near the parked tour bus from which they had been disgorged.
After gassing elsewhere in town we headed onto the Grand Canyon Caverns for a short break where I partook in my ceremonial Route 66 vanilla malt, my very worst remaining culinary indulgence.
Keepers of the Wild
Following that we got back on the road and headed on into Kingman, AZ.
The past several drives through the Valentine area about 20 miles east of Kingman I've noticed a new wild animal park called Keepers of the Wild and am intrigued by it.
During our eastbound leg of this trip I was stuck behind a school bus that turned into its parking lot with a load of kids from a charter school.
For more information about it check this blog.
Moving to a location along Route 66 was a great marketing move aside from any other reasons for doing so.
House Hunting
We were lucky to be able to check into the motel early and get freshened up before getting to work.
Our work consisted of hunting for homes and checking some developments/sub-divisions on the side of Hualapi Mountain, particularly, Pinyon Pines Estates and Linn Ranch.
Mom found a newer house for sale that she fell in love with and unlike the previous two homes in the area she had liked in the past that are no longer on the market, this one is not too much house for her and is much more fire-safe not to mention a bit less pricey so things look good.
Tomorrow we plan to head west across the Mojave Desert and on home.
Next Day: Like A Horse On The Way Back To The Barn
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Route 66 & Preskit
Previous Day: Just Another Typical Day In California
Getting Our Kicks on Route 66
This morning we hit the road in Kingman, AZ, about ninish in the morning and headed down Arizona Route 66 which is the longest uninterrupted part that remains anywhere and I might add the most cool section and by that I don't mean to refer to the temperature. ;-p
We thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of this section of the road from Kingman through Hackberry and Valentine and Truxton and Peach Springs and Seligman to just west of Ash Fork, AZ.
Of all the sections of the Mother Road left in America this is absolutely the best.
Driving through the Hualapi Indian Reservation at Peach Springs is always interesting and today was no exception.
Between Seligman and Ash Fork and within sight of the former, somebody was burning piles of juniper just south of the railroad tracks in the strong and dry winds which seemed foolish to me given the fire danger in Arizona this Spring.
A short distance west of Ash Fork at Crookton Road the interstate swallows up Route 66 so one is forced onto the freeway there and thus we did.
Turning Point
We headed up onto the Mogollon Rim there and past Williams.
At the rest area near Parks we stopped and it was striking how almost all the snow that had been there the last time we were there which wasn't too long ago was nearly all melted but for one rapidly melting residual pile.
From Flagstaff down to the Meteor City Roadside Rest Area we ambled.
It was there that mom informed me she had for some time today been feeling like this part of Arizona is not for her as she is extremely intuitive like me and must follow the vibe wherever it leads (I'm the same way).
I had felt similarly all morning since we headed up onto the Mogollon Rim but kept silent until she spoke not wanting to bias her perceptions.
We jointly decided to reverse course and head back to the resort across the freeway from the Grand Canyon Deer Farm just east of Williams and drop anchor there which we did. On the way we gassed up at Parks and picked up the local real estate booklet.
Junket to Preskit
After getting settled in our rooms we had a confab and decided to head down to Prescott and check out that area as we both had never been there but had a feeling it deserved being looked into which we proceeded to do.
Going and coming it was rather obvious that they are putting in a major north-south water pipeline just to the east of US-89.
I assume this will carry yet more water from the Colorado River to the Phoenix area.
It turns out that mom strongly dislikes the Prescott area as it is incredibly congested and populated and is more arid than she imagined to which I strongly agree.
After getting back safely to our rooms we had a feast from the in-house restaurant that we took back to our rooms and had in front of the television.
Tonight is very cold outside and cozy inside our rooms.
Next Day: On To Kingman & Let's Win There
Getting Our Kicks on Route 66
This morning we hit the road in Kingman, AZ, about ninish in the morning and headed down Arizona Route 66 which is the longest uninterrupted part that remains anywhere and I might add the most cool section and by that I don't mean to refer to the temperature. ;-p
We thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of this section of the road from Kingman through Hackberry and Valentine and Truxton and Peach Springs and Seligman to just west of Ash Fork, AZ.
Of all the sections of the Mother Road left in America this is absolutely the best.
Driving through the Hualapi Indian Reservation at Peach Springs is always interesting and today was no exception.
Between Seligman and Ash Fork and within sight of the former, somebody was burning piles of juniper just south of the railroad tracks in the strong and dry winds which seemed foolish to me given the fire danger in Arizona this Spring.
A short distance west of Ash Fork at Crookton Road the interstate swallows up Route 66 so one is forced onto the freeway there and thus we did.
Turning Point
We headed up onto the Mogollon Rim there and past Williams.
At the rest area near Parks we stopped and it was striking how almost all the snow that had been there the last time we were there which wasn't too long ago was nearly all melted but for one rapidly melting residual pile.
From Flagstaff down to the Meteor City Roadside Rest Area we ambled.
It was there that mom informed me she had for some time today been feeling like this part of Arizona is not for her as she is extremely intuitive like me and must follow the vibe wherever it leads (I'm the same way).
I had felt similarly all morning since we headed up onto the Mogollon Rim but kept silent until she spoke not wanting to bias her perceptions.
We jointly decided to reverse course and head back to the resort across the freeway from the Grand Canyon Deer Farm just east of Williams and drop anchor there which we did. On the way we gassed up at Parks and picked up the local real estate booklet.
Junket to Preskit
After getting settled in our rooms we had a confab and decided to head down to Prescott and check out that area as we both had never been there but had a feeling it deserved being looked into which we proceeded to do.
Going and coming it was rather obvious that they are putting in a major north-south water pipeline just to the east of US-89.
I assume this will carry yet more water from the Colorado River to the Phoenix area.
It turns out that mom strongly dislikes the Prescott area as it is incredibly congested and populated and is more arid than she imagined to which I strongly agree.
After getting back safely to our rooms we had a feast from the in-house restaurant that we took back to our rooms and had in front of the television.
Tonight is very cold outside and cozy inside our rooms.
Next Day: On To Kingman & Let's Win There
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Just Another Typical Day in California
Hitting The Road
Today mom and I embarked on a journey to the Desert Southwest wherein I am accompanying her she narrows down her choices of where she's going to live out the rest of her life.
We left Atascadero in our own vehicles but drove caravan-style after I finished obsessively-compulsively making sure more times than necessary that I was not forgetting to take anything essential or do anything vitally necessary for the safe and smooth functioning of my household while I'm gone. I did have some important bills to pay and also needed to fill up my gas tank before heading out which added yet more time.
We finally got out of town about a quarter after ten this morning and headed east on Highway 41 through the grassy, rolling hills of northern San Luis Obispo County east of the Salinas River Valley.
Where fiddlenecks and California poppies had ruled in previous weeks it was now the purple lupines' turn.
At Shandon we jumped onto Highway 46 and headed east driving noticeably slower than we did a couple of Sunday mornings ago when I got my first-ever speeding ticket and mom got her first since she was young and foolish.
It was rather noticeable how fast the grasses are drying out in eastern SLO County and western Kern County.
At Blackwell's Corner which is the junction of State Highways 33 & 46, I came upon a sight such as I had never beheld before and would have never imagined seeing anywhere other than Mendocino or Humboldt Counties if ever at all.
On the north side of Highway 46 just west of Highway 33 was a tent set up not ten feet from the road replete with bicycles and backpacks and two hippy-looking people.
How this was legal I'm not sure but given how highly patrolled that stretch of road is by the CHP as I found out the hard way a week-and-a-half-ago I would imagine they were aware of it and allowing it, but it sure wasn't safe given how easy a car could drive into it or a semi-truck's wake could move it.
Diversion As Diversion
We turned south on Highway 33 and took it to Lokern Road and headed east on it to Highway 58 which we turned onto eastbound and stopped in beautiful downtown Buttonwillow for gas and then stopped at the city park to let Tequila out to run and relieve herself.
She did that and much more by running amok throughout the northern empty section of the park chasing the myriad of ground squirrels who've taken that area over.
After that we resumed heading east on Highway 58 to Interstate-5 and took it south.
After a short drive we passed a Cal-Trans digital information sign parked on the right shoulder that said the interstate was closed at Highway 223 which was where we planned to jump off and head east back to Highway 58 in the Tehachipi Mountains thus avoiding Bakersfield.
I quickly diverted us off the freeway before we hit traffic snarls and rerouted us onto Highway 119 and headed east which was a nice alternate route for a change as we always use Highway 223 paralleling to the south.
While in the Lamont area I called the automated Cal-Trans Highway Information Network and found out the closure was due to a controlled burn of tumble weeds by Cal-Trans that got into some dumped ammo dumped in the weeds by the side of the road.
Anywho, we took Highway 119 east to Towerline Road and south on that back to Highway 223 and headed east on it right up the shoulder of Bear Mountain and onto a reunion with Highway 58.
Over the Hills and Through the Desert
From there we quickly slipped over the Tehachipi Pass without incident and down into the Mojave Desert which was cooler in temperature than I had expected but the air was clearer than when mom and we passed along its western margin en route to the Owens Valley a few weeks ago.
We continued on Highway 58 on across the Mojave Desert to Barstow where we followed the path of the Old Highway 58 around the northern margins of beautiful Barstow for old times' sake and to avoid as much of the mess of Barstow' traffic as possible.
Besides, taking old roads is way cool.
It's kinda sad to see how much this corridor has died since Highway 58 was diverted west of Barstow to junction with Interstate-15.
By now the winds were quite noticeable in places but none of it rose to the level of being labeled a wind advisory or greater.
East of Barstow most of the hills and mountains having intriguing colors and diggings that seductively beckon the rockhound to pull off the road and spend time out there.
Later this year I intend to do precisely that.
We took I-15 a short distance from Old Highway 58 to Fort Irwin Road at which we exited and got onto the frontage road south of the interstate and took it east to Yermo-Daggett Road which we took south to Old Route 66 which we turned onto and took east to Interstate-40 which we got back onto just east of Newberry Springs driving right by the famous Baghdad Cafe which I still haven't stopped in yet.
A White Thing
At the Newberry Springs Roadside Rest Area near the lava beds from Pisgah Crater we stopped and took a break.
I walked with mom over to the bathrooms and stood near the women's room with Tequila on leash at the edge of the lawn with the intent of giving her to mom when mom was done and then I'd use the men's room.
While waiting there, the rest area maintenance crew composed of five black male adults sauntered my direction from the east en route to their utility room at the back of the restroom building.
One of them, the alpha male of the group came up to me all big, bad, and self-important (this must have been the Latrine King) and let me know I had to pick up my dog's poop.
I informed him that my dog hadn't pooped on the lawn but had done so over in the pet area.
This was a fib as she had not but she was done pooping for the day as she had cleared her system earlier in the day but I didn't expect him to buy that despite being true.
I asked him if he'd like me to remove my dog from that location to which he replied by repeating that he wanted me to clean up after my dog to which I asked if that meant even out by the fence at the edge of the desert in the pet area to which he affirmed "yes" which now proved beyond a reasonable doubt he was full of shit and trying to stir shit with me as NOBODY picks up the poops their dogs leave in the pet area of a rest area as that is where poops are permitted.
I didn't want to get baited into taking on five lower-class tough-looking black dudes so I played the part of the stupid, sweet, gullible, and easily-intimidated white guy.
As I walked away he left me something to remember him with by condescendingly handing me two doggy poopy bags.
I accepted them and walked to the men's room, did my business and walked back to my truck and told mom what happened.
I shared with her mom passing thought of going around the pet area and filling up the two bags with poops and returning to that jerk and while playing the character I had played with him earlier just hand the bags to him like they came from my dog and I had collected them and misunderstood that I was not supposed to bring them back to him.
On a more serious note, given how those guys acted, especially my friend the Latrine King and the hard way he looked at me and talked to me and given the standard by which many black folks seem to measure racism and bigotry against them I feel this was racially-motivated.
I feel the Latrine King wanted to show off for his buddies and make a fool out of that stupid white guy over there (me) and see how far he could take it and get by with it.
Had he been alone I would have been dismissive of him but I didn't feel like I could be certain the laws would be obeyed if I put the Latrine King in his place while he had the social and physical support of his pack.
Getting On In
From there we took Interstate-40 to Ludlow where we exited onto Old Route 66. A few miles east of Ludlow we wizzed by a young desert tortoise ambling northbound across the road on the westbound lane which caused me to rapidly break and turn around and go back and stop and get the little bugger off the road but not before taking this photo:
From there we headed on down to Amboy and by Amboy Crater and up through the Fenner Valley stopping for a break at the Goff's Store by the freeway where Tequila met her even smaller Chihuahua boyfriend who humped her last time they met.
We took the old road on up to Searchlight Junction then got back onto the interstate south of there not far from where the late comedian Sam Kinison was killed in a head-on collision by a drunk driver.
From there we I-40 on to Arizona exiting only for a brief break at the Yucca Roadside Rest Area and then got off for the day at McConnico where we again picked up Old Route 66 and took it on into Kingman and to our motel where I am composing this now much later than I should be up but I'm keyed up so what can I do?
Hopefully, tomorrow will be just as good a day but perhaps a bit less strange. ;-)
Next Day: Route 66 & Preskit
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