Most of the time one of my great pleasures in life is strapping the motorhome (or just about anything with a motor that moves) to my ass and going somewhere. Not this time, a 1000 miles of beat up California Freeway, going thru LA, and high winds kicked my ass. With the rough road and high winds, it was all I could do to keep the motorhome between the bar ditches and not be run over or hit something for the full 1000 miles. Just south of Sacramento I hit a really bad rough patch of road that knocked the passenger side mirror out of its mount. I happened to be looking at it at the time to see if I could mover over a lane, to bad Charley it's gone. Try going thru LA blind on your right side.
Here is Mt. Shasta before the road and wind started kicking my ass:
Anyway enough kvetching, it is good to be home.
A couple of thoughts: Times have changed. In Oregon there are very few liqueur stores, in a small town maybe one or none. Cannabis stores on the other hand are on just about every other street corner.
We spent a couple of days parked in the Evergreen Air/Space Museum parking lot (they allow two days free parking). It reminded me of how visionary Dale Smith was. He could be and often was a complete asshole to work for, the standing joke at Evergreen was "you were fired the day you were hired, you just didn't know what day it was".
Dale was a pioneer in the commercial use of helicopters, hauling freight by airplane, and of course developing the 747 wild fire fighter. Working for Evergreen and flying Dale Smith around the world was by far the most interesting job I had in almost 50 years of flying for beans and tortillas. I will never run out of "there I waz" bar or hanger stories.
While there we drove around town looking for our old home (two blocks from the center of town) and were reminded how beautiful McMinnville is. It is like a movie set of a small town or a picturesque European town with baskets of flowers on every corner, Working retail shops and cafes with sidewalk tables. Everything is within walking distance and you want to do it. MsBubba asked why we ever left, I didn't have an answer.
ken
Now that you are retired, maybe it is time to go back?
ReplyDeleteRalph,
DeleteIt could happen but one of the reasons it is so beautiful is rain. Question of the day is rain all Winter or hot as Hell during the Summer, take your pick. BTW, I knew I was near home when I stopped for fuel on the Arizona side of Blythe, CA and it was 115F.
ken
Here in California, it seems like the roads are the LAST thing on the maintanance list. And generally there's no money left for fixing them.
ReplyDeleteMcMinnville certainly sounds like a nice, easy-going town. If you did go back, what a change of climate that would be!
Matt,
DeleteTwo years ago I came south on I-5 and it was pretty good, much better than SR 99 at that time. Today it would be difficult to pick the roughest and this happened in a couple of years. With the population density, the shear number of 18 wheeler's on the road, and the distances, the state has an impossible job.
McMinnville is and would be: I didn't mention it is a college town as well. It is a little over an hour to the beaches both textile and non. Portland is slightly less than a hour and is great wine country. Wine country is also one of the current major problems (other than rain). Big money has moved in and turned what was a great small town throwback airport with a welcoming FBO and the usual assortment of airport bums drinking free coffee and telling stories into a cold fenced place just like almost every other airport in the States. When I went by and asked about some of the old "regulars" they looked at me like I had two heads.
ken
Welcome back home.
ReplyDeleteDriving a big ass motorhome without a side view mirror could get interesting, ouch!
My only experience driving thru California was from NAS Alameda (San Francisco) to NAS North Island (San Diego) We drove the scenic route No 1 mostly along the shore. Great times. Also went to Mexico near by, but could not take the rental car, took the bus. Interesting, novel experiences :-)
Welcome back home, settle in and try not to make to big of a mess before Ms Bubba comes back :-)
Bob, still soaking tools in Evaporust
Thanks Bob,
DeleteIt was, planned far ahead and stayed in the right lane and did not pass, of course the right lane was always changing. California is a wonderful place that could use a few less people but I can see why there are so many.
I've spent many hours eating and drinking in border town bars and cafes everywhere from Tijuana to Matamoros. Life doesn't get much better.
The experience of driving down the Central Valley and seeing all the RWNJ signs along the roadside, mostly by folks that exist because of the government they rail about, is a little disconcerting. But then it is California and there is a reason it was claimed to be full of nuts.
ken