Thursday, August 28, 2008

Slipping and Sliding



The video of the attempt to return the way we came from. It didn't work out so well. You can see the windshield crack in this video, so the truck isn't in THAT great of shape. It also has several scrapes on both the front and rear bumpers. It doesn't have a lot of miles on it, despite it's age, mostly due to the fact that it doesn't get great mileage, so it ends up sitting around a lot. Being as we live in an area where snow isn't a factor, there really is no reason to have a 4x4 unless you're going to do this kind of thing with it, or you are a poseur.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The Road Less Travelled



Know what that first picture is??? It's the front bottom edge of the rear differential on my dad's Durango. Here's a set of pictures from our off road excursion.



The trail we took was very dry and deeply rutted. Second shot is the descent where we put that mark on the diff. Crawling down with it in 4-low, and there's a meaty clunk on the suspension. Set the brake and take a look, and the rear end is hung up on this rock hanging out of the ground. Get back in, and try and back it out. It does nothing but spin the wheels on the dry dirt.



Put it back in the forward gears, and pull it over with the front wheels. Of course, gravity is in our favor going this direction, but it's still a bit of a grunt to get over. We pull up a few feet, set the brake again and take a look at the damage. It pulled the rock right out of the trail!!!



We get to the bottom of the descent, where there is a wide spot (actually a dry creek bed) have a snack and bathroom break, and consult the map. The trail loop deteriorates from here, going from a solid black line to a dotted line. We decide that if it gets worse, we ought to try to go back. Getting turned around in the loose sand of the creek bed was a chance to spin the wheels a bit more, perhaps that wasn't the best place to stop. Attempting to climb back up the previous stretch of trail was even worse. A short ways up, and it's nothing but wheel spin. Trying a bit over from there is no better.



Oh well, guess we'll try the other direction. Guess what??? From the condition of the trail from there, either it had changed drastically since the map was made, or they had the line types reversed!!! Second to last picture was scouting the trail forward of the dry creek bed.



Last shot is the only exterior shot I got of the Durango. Not afraid to take it off the highway!!!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me

My parents had us over on Sunday for a Birthday feast. My sister's birthday is next weekend, so they kill two birds with one stone. It was a lot of fun, my oldest sister and my niece and nephew Eyeball were also there. Always nice to catch up with them. They all were jealous of our garlic festival trip. My parents gave me some cash for my birthday. Thank you!!!

The next day, there was an ad for the printer I've had my eye on for a while, the Canon Pixima MP610. Actually, an all-in-one. It was still more than the best price I've seen it for, but it was a good $30 less than what it usually goes on sale for. This will be the first time I've had a working printer in probably six or seven years. I did, however, feel like a second class citizen at the store. Usually they try and sell you a USB cable, and more ink. I was lucky to get the printer. I rather like the style, and the pictures I printed out are stunning.


A funny aside, after I had the printer in my cart, I went over to the laptop area to see how the 17" Toshibas look, a lot of places had those on sale this weekend. A salesman comes up to me to try and sell me on something. Tells me I can get a much better printer for a lot less if I buy a laptop. He points out the deal on the MP310. Now, I'm no marketing genius, but doesn't the hierarchy for model numbers usually have the higher number as a better model???

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Life of Lesiure

I know it seems like I just got back from vacation, but in the time since then, I've gone on two more!!! Life is good!!!



The first was a week at the family camp up in the mountains that I had been to two years ago. My parents and niece and nephew came, and were in the cabin next to ours.



All but one of the days we were there, however, we spent mostly away from the camp.



We went to a couple of different creeks, on a hike, up a forest service fire lookout tower, and all us guys except the youngest went off roading in my dad's durango. That turned out to be an adventure. I'll likely post a little video clip of that later. The picture of the dirt trail there is where we had most of the excitement. Fun trip.



Yesterday I had to be in court again, for what hopefully will be the last time on this case. I think it went well, the judge will be mailing my verdict. To reply quite belatedly to one of my loyal readers, Pank-Anon, the reason I've not let this slide is because I stand to get a well deserved judgement of up to $12,000 or so. Probably won't be all that, but the only way I could not prevail is to not take it to court!!! AND, the defendant has insurance, suckly as it may be, and if they have to pay for insurance, the insurance should be made to pay up when they are called upon to do so.



ANyway, since I had to take the day off for that anyway, the boys and I, as well as my father and nephew all went up to Millard Falls for some actual tent camping.



It was also fun, but a lot different than staying in a cabin. Campfire and marsh mellows, hiking up to the falls, crapping down a hole in a hut.



Today we hiked probably more than two and a half miles each way to up above the falls. I had been that way before, but instead of going to above the falls we had gone the other way to some abandoned mines.



It was interesting to see some new areas, as well as what the falls look like from the top. Interestingly, the creek goes underground about 25 feet before it makes it to the falls.



This post is slightly abbreviated from what it was going to be. I had a computer freeze. Hate that.
Today is my birthday. A different way to spend my birthday.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Laffing Sal



Laffing Sal. A restored animatronic from the Santa Cruz boardwalk's early days. Looks like someone shot out one of her front teeth. Creepy.

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Up North

As promised, here's more of a rundown of the extended weekend we took to Northern California for the Garlic Festival.






We left out fairly early (Well, quite early) on Thursday morning. While we could have driven up, I'd just as soon spend a bit more on airfare and rental than blowing a day each way driving. We flew into San Jose and had our luggage all stowed in the back of our rental car (a sweet little PT Cruiser, AWESOME for the "economy, sub compact" I'd reserved!!! Lots of cargo area and plenty of room and power, while delivering decent fuel economy. The counter guy tried to sell me on a class upgrade to a Challenger for only four dollars a day more. I was greatly tempted, but am glad I didn't) before we likely would have been dressed and ready for the day on a regular weekend. From there, we headed south and towards the coast to Santa Cruz, a great tourist spot and where I had our first night's lodging reserved. Still before noon, our room wasn't quite ready, but the innkeeper gave us our parking pass so we wouldn't have to pay to park elsewhere. No problem anyway, we were going to the boardwalk!!!






I told my wife the name of the place, the Paradise Inn by the Sea, and she replied that it sounded like a pink, shabby place. It turned out to be just that. See their sign??? It says "The Fireside Motel", but it's been changed on the parking lot sign. No matter, the room was fine, and we didn't spend that much time in it anyway. The nice part is that it is indeed very close to the sea, as well as the boardwalk and the wharf. Oh yea, they had Mr. Pibb in the soda machine. We parked, and didn't move the car again until we left.




The boardwalk. It is pretty bitchen. The last of the coastal amusement parks on the West coast. It has been expanded since my previous visits there. Strangely enough, its all concrete, not even done up to look like boards. Got to go on several rides, some lady gave my wife some sugar coated greasy fritter thingys that she didn't like while she and the younger waited for the older and I to exit the Giant Dipper roller coaster.






After a while, wifey wanted to go get into our room and have a little rest. We got her set up, then the boys and I changed into our swim suits and went to play on the beach some. We dug holes and made castles, played in the surf, then made our way to the very end (probably more than a mile down) of the beach, where there is an inlet, and an archway that we needed to explore. It was full of water, and led to the next beach over. We explored back a ways, and there was what looked like a giant mouse hole in the cliff face. Turned out to contain a drainage pipe. To come back, we waded across a lake connected to the inlet (it was sizable) and, back on the boardwalk, rode the chair lift back to the other end. Time to get some food, so for dinner we went to the patio of the bowling alley next to the inn. The younger fell asleep waiting for his pizza to come. It was a long day!!! And not done yet, the older boy and I went back to the boardwalk and rode some more rides. We closed the place down, we did, and ended up with one last ride on the Giant Dipper.






The next morning, after a rather crappy continental breakfast in the inn's lobby (nothing but packaged pastries and coffee), we went for a walk on the wharf. Of the four times I've been to Santa Cruz, this was the first time for that, and for actually going on the beach. The wharf was pretty cool, longer than it looks!!! Sea lions (who we'd heard from the beach the day before) climb up on the underside of the end, and they have openings cut through so they can be observed.




From there, we went to a nearby place called Roaring Camp, a railroad attraction. Much like last year's vacation to Florida, where the timing was perfect for a shuttle launch, this coincided with a three day event going on at Roaring Camp, a "Day Out with Thomas". Thomas the Tank Engine, that would be, one of the younger's favorite things. Normally they have a narrow gauge railroad that does a trip through the giant redwoods, that I probably would have gotten us tickets to ride, but that day we got to ride on a train pulled by Thomas.









One more stop before we left that general area, the Mystery Spot. Cut and pasted from their web site, "Within the Mystery Spot you will be stunned as your perceptions of the laws of physics and gravity are questioned. Some speculate that cones of metal were secretly brought here and buried in our earth as guidance systems for alien spacecraft. Some think that it is in fact the spacecraft itself burried deep within the ground. Other theories include carbon dioxide permeating from the earth, a hole in the ozone layer, a magma vortex, the highest dielectric biocosmic radiation known anywhere in the world, and radiesthesia." In fact, it is a shack built on a 27° slant. Nonetheless, it is well presented and a lot of fun, as well as being one of the better deals on touristy places of the whole trip.





From there, we had a bit of a drive out to our next room, near Gilroy. Considerably nicer lodgings, but strangely almost exactly the same room arrangement. The next morning we had another innkeeper provided continental breakfast, MUCH nicer than our previous place. From there, a short drive to the focal point of our trip, the Garlic Festival!!! First, Gilroy: The place smells of garlic!!! Awesome!!! The exit ramp was jammed, and the roads leading up to the parking area was jammed, and there were big lines to the shuttle buses to the grounds, and big lines for the passes and to get in. It was a zoo, tons of garlic lovers there. The first thing we got was some of the fabled garlic ice cream. Con Agra was giving it away for free, and shockingly there was a huge line for that, too. It tasted OK, and interestingly was about the heaviest garlic flavored thing we had there. Garlic egg rolls, almonds, fries, and kebabs were among the other goodies we sampled. Garlic makes 'em good. Watched a bit of a cooking presentation, and let the younger go on one of the overpriced rides. They had a playground area that was inaccessible for the event, and some playground equipment that you could let your kids crawl through for the modest sum of $2.85!!! That wasn't going to happen. We had our fill after a few hours, and headed back.




Still having some day left, I checked to see if there was a theatre in the area, and we ended up going to see Wall-E instead of the X-Files movie (momma's pick), at the kids constant nagging. (Side note: we ditched the boys and I took her to that this weekend. The most first run movies I've seen in a LONG time. I'm glad I didn't take the boys to that, it really wasn't that good. Could stand up as a TV episode, but mostly it was a vehicle to get Fox and Scully together again, it seemed like. I wanted it not to suck. I narrowly avoided outright suckness, and if that's the best I can say... not good)









Our final day once again began with a continental breakfast, then we headed out. The first real unscheduled day, and we didn't know exactly what we were going to do. Montery bay and possibly the aquarium there were considered, but that was the wrong way for getting to the airport and a bit of a drive at any rate. I considered swinging up past San Jose to the Frisco area, but once again, the drive. Ended up just going back to San Jose. Thought we might go bowling, or see another movie before heading to the airport, but it turned out there were neither theatres nor bowling alleys in San Jose!!! I was stunned!!! Adjacent to the HP Pavilion, there was a park with a nice play apparatus and a carousel. We stopped and let the boys play and we all rode the carousel. That got old for my wife and I in a hurry, and we walked around the park a bit. At a visitor's center there, we found out there's a children's discovery museum not far from there. Made our way there, and it turned out to be quite awesome!!! Fire truck and ambulance to play on, a few electrical generation displays, a very cool water area with all kinds of neat things, bubble displays and devices, a special exhibition based on Alice in Wonderland, and so much more that I can't even remember. Of all the things we did, this was one of the better, and also pretty good in the value department, too.









A great vacation, every day we managed to get some fun adventure in!!! I may do another post or two of photos...