Cross Country - A road trip, Day two

July 22. I'm up early enough. I get some coffee at the local drive through coffee place, and aim back toward Hwy 40. I make a note to myself to come back to Flagstaff. It's a pretty town with a distinct pine smell.

Before I go I take a few pictures of the vintage motorcycles, and meet a few fellow riders. (Note: I ride a motorcycle. It's also German and has horizontally opposed cylinders. Yeah, I guess that makes it a "thing" for me)





Highway 40 runs parallel to the Mother Road - Route 66. It is the freeway that Lightning McQueen referred to when he said that they move the road a few feet to save a few minutes. Years ago, the road was filled with odd tourist traps, strange claims of "worlds largest" or "route 66's longest (insert noun here)".

You can still see most of them from the road. Some of them are worth stopping for, most are not. I've loaded up the ipod for this trip, and have four versions of "get your kicks" on it. I've driving through the towns in reverse order. Barstow was yesterday. I just left Flagstaff. The sign for Winona was slightly smaller than the actual town.

Some of the tourist traps are completely artificial. For instance, twin arrows trading post. You know you have arrived there once you see the...



One tourist stop is not artificial, it is very natural. The Barringer Meteor crater is about a mile wide, and is named after the geologist who spent a quarter century establishing the scientific study of meteors, now known as meteoritics.

This rock weighs about the same as a VW bug.



The tour guide actually uses that reference.

That rock, created this hole.



I'm not the only creature that admires it.



The history of the crater includes some practice for Apollo missions.


I'm back on the road at 7:40, and heading east. More tourist locations all along the road.

There's the worlds longest map of route 66.




There's the petrified forest.



I stop at the one I couldn't pass up, Knife City.



Cars like this one are parked all around it.


The car I'm driving fits in perfectly.



The inside is about what you would expect. There are lots of knives. More accurately, they have all the knives.  They wouldn't let me take pictures. They did also sell rocks that were once trees.



I ogle, decide I have enough sharp items, buy a sugar drink and get back on the road. It's 9:00 am and it's starting to get a little warm.

Gallup New Mexico. I've passed over the New Mexico border and did not see the sign. If it weren't for the song, I may not have ever know.


I try to find that gentle meditation of the road again, but today seems a little different, so I resort to singing really loudly. I make up words to the lyrics I don't know, and find myself laughing at my own jokes. Then I find myself asking if I'm losing my mind since I am now talking to myself. Then I remind myself that I am driving alone on a long straight hot road in the middle of summer, and that I would probably be insane if I weren't talking to myself. Comforted by my own rationalization, I continue looking for tourist traps. Like the Cave dwelling.



And the teepee trading company.



Both places are near the Navajo Wingate village, on the far edge of Navajo Nation. Read about it here on Wikipedia. It's one of several nations within nations of which our nation seems to have no notion.

This guy passed me again.


I've reached Albuquerque. I had to look up the spelling of that town. It has pretty on/off ramps.



Not much is there to keep me entertained beyond that. I use Siri to book me a hotel in Amarillo. It books one in the middle of town, not along the road. Nice hotel, but a little farther out of the way than I wanted.

I have an excellent tex-mex meal, and go to sleep. I'm humming words to my new version of Route 66.

If you, ever plan, to motor east.
Take my car, it will go far, it's a beast.
Forty does not.
Got. A lot.

Don't expect poetry from me at this point, I just drove 608 Miles today.

Cross Country - A road trip, Day one

It's about time I got back to updating my blog. Apparently, four months flew by since my last update.

I promised a road trip story, so here it is:


--

In late July, I drove my wifes car, a 1990 Toyota Landcruiser, across Hwy 40 to Maryland. I had to tow a trailer, it was a slow trip. I'd like to tell you that I was abducted by aliens, or witnessed strange events that should be found on the pages of fantastic-minded magazines, but sadly, it didn't happen.  So forgive me if I make a few things up. I really wanted to see aliens.

---

I left on July 21. I don't name cars, but this one is Clyde - named after the blue ghost from Pac Man. Clyde had a lot of work done - Air conditioning, oil, tune up, brakes, steering knuckles, tow bar installed. I had a trailer loaded and ready the night before. Bags were packed, and I was on the Road at 4:00 am.


I find a certain comfort in the early morning drive. There is no commuter traffic, the truck drivers are on the road and seem happy to be making time. The sun makes those long shadows and the road warms up slowly.

My wife is a veterinarian, I totally misread this sign when I drove by it.




Highway 5 through California is long, and boring, and not much can be said about the drive other than you find a certain comeraderie with road companions that you recognize each time they pass you or you pass them. At 11:15, I reached Tehachapi pass on the way to Barstow.

Tehachapi sits at about 4000ft and is filled with wind power plants. The change of the high pressure system in the valley and the low pressure up in the Mojave dessert creates a great deal of wind, and somebody had the good sense to start using it years ago.

Once you pass through the last rolling hill that is part of the high sierra, you pass the airport graveyard. This is where jets sit to be dismantled, recycled, and used in films.



It's more high plains, it's hot, and Barstow is in front of me. I take the side road to put me through Main st. on officially on Route 66.



The movie "Cars" would have you believe that route 66 is adorned with small quaint towns filled with happy eccentrics and small towns just waiting to be discovered. As I found on this trip, that is both a lovely notion, and partially true, but predominantly a fantasy. Barstow has numerous old hotels. All of the Vacancy neon lights are on. I am confident that the "no" button hasn't been pressed in years. The only stores I saw open through mid town were alcohol/paycheck advance stores. The Uhaul place was busy.

I stop for lunch at the local yelp reviewed tourist stop and get back on the road.

This guy passes me for the first time.


So does this guy.


I think my wifes car has seen more offroad time.

There is not much to do or see out there, you have to find your meditation on the road and sky and count down miles with minutes. Road signs become welcome markers.



It's now 3:20 and I've reached the Colorado River.



And the Arizona border.




One day I'll come down here for the other tourist destination, but today, I'm settling for Flagstaff.

I start to go higher into the Arizon plains and the sky starts to change colors. Lightning is occasionally making the mountains light up, and some rain and wind make my driving a little more challenging.

There's this house on the side of the road in Yucca, AZ. Thats the house. The Ball. No Seriously, that's it.


More pretty clouds.



I roll into Flagstaff around 7:30. The hotels are booked up, and just before I try to head down to Sedona, I try one last time at the Sheraton. They tell me that they just installed an ice cooler with a loud compressor on the fourth floor, and as such, the room next to it can't be released. I ask for the key to find out for myself. Sure enough, it's a loud low bass hum, but about 2 minutes, it's white noise. I come back to the front desk and ask how much for the rooms. Since they were at capacity, they said they are normally $200 a night. But this room is available for $60. Sold.

Just before I have something to eat, I step outside and look at the Velocette Riders of North America who have come here for their annual ride.



These beauties are all around the hotel, I'll take a closer look tomorrow. Today I completed 15 hours of driving and 765 miles. I need some sleep.

Irvine Classic 2012

I went to the VW Classic in Irvine last year. This year, I was back in L.A. for the same weekend, so I made sure I went again.

There are 116 photos in this set. Peruse at your leisure. Otherwise, read on.

Did you say you wanted donuts? I know I wanted some. This bus obliged. (No seriously, there were donuts inside, they just weren't made using the equipment. I'm fine with Krispy Kreme.)

You can hack a VW motor into anything. I'm not sure you'd want to, but you can.

This is a Barris classic. You could even get a Revel model for this car.

Ummmm. What?

Ahhh. Here are my people.

Yeah, that's what the inside should look like.

I was short on time, so I didn't get to spend too much time in the vendor aisles or talking with like minded folks. The Bay Window and Eurovan crowd has come into theirs own and proudly display their vehicles now - I remember a few years ago when we were the red-headed step children. We were allowed to play quietly, but they didn't want us at the table around dinner time.

Kelley Park 2012

The Golden Gate Chapter of the Vintage Volkswagen Club of America has been hosting the Kelley Park show in San Jose for (ihavenoidea) of years. It's a show I have always wanted to attend, the best and brightest of the VW scene are there every year.

I had camped out with the Syncros the previous night, so it wasn't that far a drive up to San Jose. I think part of the fun of going to shows like this is meeting the people in line. I was waiting in line behind this guy.

People shine their vehicles to mirrors for this show.

It's a well organized show - they try to keep cars in the same class parked together.

I liked driving through this crowd so I could park Red with the rest of the Bay windows.

There was this couple, observant people will notice the picture of a certain Camper Family bus on the side. It's big and it's blue.

Pristine. Seriously

Red was cleaned up, and looking good enough for people to pose with it.

More Pictures can be found here



Also in attendence was Carole of Yes we can camper van.

I met the usual group of fine VW folk, Mark Merrill was there again winning awards, I took home one of my own.

Buses Gone Wild!

That is all.

Actually, that is not all - Big Blue likes Marcos Syncro, so here is one more pic of the Magnum PI bus. :)

Syncrofest

There is nothing so small that can't be divided into something smaller. Take for instance, the subgroups of VW owners. Bus/Buses/Ghias/Other. Split the buses, and you get splitties, bays, type IV, watercooled, etc.
Continue on and on ad infinitum. (Click here for the best joke ever on subdivisions.)

Syncros are their own special class of special - and I do mean "short-bus special". (See what I did there?)

They have their own language, their own special clubs, their own income bracket, and their own events.
Syncrofest is held every year in Hollister at the OHV park. This year, they were showing the Bus Movie, I wanted to see it, so I snuck in. They looked at me suspiciously, asked where my second drive train was, ignored my answer, and let me in anyway. I was only planning on staying for one night.

It's ok, I wasn't the only one.

Syncro owners are their own special brand of crazy, and I mean that in the best way possible. They have the obvious off-road drives and roads to take, but they also do stuff like this. (Future campouts - take note, we should try this...)

Fill this bowl with a predetermined amount of water.

Now, drive around the dirt track, as fast as you can with one hand, while holding the bowl out the window with the other. Your total time is determined by that actual time you took, + 10 seconds for each 1/4 cup that you spilled.

Marco didn't do so well. :)

Go Westy was a big sponsor of the fest, did you know they have an inflatable jumpy thing with a giant westy on it?

Their event trophies are exactly what I would expect from this particular crowd.

They customize like no one else.

And just because they are living in the lap of air-conditioned luxury doesn't mean they aren't hippies at heart.

They were kind enough to look out for wildlife before they hit the trail.

I will admit Syncro envy - I want to go to some of the places they do, and with the same level of comfort. One day maybe. Not now.

Thanks guys - looking forward to next year.

The winding road

It curves right and then goes up a hill, and then when you think you can drift downhill, there is a sharp left turn. Brake early, and then it veers right again and it's back up another hill. Watch out for the cliff around the corner, you won't have time to admire the view, just pay attention to the road. There are rocks and strong winds. It might rain today.

That's a road I know. And it's been my life for the past few months, so in order to try an regain some normalcy, I'm going to get caught up on my VW blog. Apologies to my smal list of subscribers - I've been behind.

Since my last update:
-Bus City
-VW Classic Irvine
-Several road trips
-Mark's museum again
-Kelley Park - San Jose
-Syncrofest (yeah, I cheated and snuck in)
-One really big road trip, not in the bus.

I'll get try to do this in Chronological order. I may mess up.

Vintage photos

Big Blue posts them often. Me, not so much.

But since the Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 years old, I thought this photo would be appropriate.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fritsklijn/3515415726/

I'll figure out how to embed other flickr photos later.

Sorry for being gone for so lone, it's been a busy couple of months.