Visiting every BART train station in one go

Any logistics experts out there?  What's the most efficient route on a weekday?  I'll be starting and ending at the Lafayette or Orinda station (along the yellow line).  I need to reach Richmond, Pittsburg/Bay Point, Dublin/Pleasanton, Fremont, Millbrae, and the SFO airport spur (in any order).  I do not need to take Air BART to the Oakland airport.  TIA.

Driving geography buffs crazy

This ad for the San Francisco airport has been on my mind all afternoon.  The locations and distances of the cities from San Francisco are inconsistent!!! 

Iowa's Maid Rite sandwiches

Are there any Iowans out there?

I'll be in northwest Iowa for a wedding.  Along the way, I want to stop for a Maid Rite sandwich.  I've been fascinated by it ever since I saw it on the mouth watering PBS documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like (skip to 15:22):

If you know of any worthwhile sites between Omaha airport and Sioux Center (not Sioux City), Iowa, please let me know.  Thanks.

D-Day Normandy photos

I took these pictures during our honeymoon on July 11, 2005.  I remember the date because while we were at the train station cafeteria in Normandy, they showed TV footage of the London terrorist attacks.  Made for an even more somber day.

Air Wick National Park collection

Pardon my French, but this is bullshit.  Shame.

Forest Highway 7 between Willows and Covelo

The 37 mile dirt road cuts across the Coastal Range (and Mendocino National Forest) between the Mendocino Coast and the Central Valley of California.  In fact, Mendocino National Forest is the only national forest left that is not transected by a paved road.  The pass was at 5,006 ft above sea level (1,526 meters).  We saw just six pickup trucks and two motorcycles on this desolate road.

Hittin' the old dusty trail

I'll be doing this in a 2WD Toyota Tacoma/Hilux today, right after the Monaco GP.

Photo source.

Russian Far East road trip: Yakutsk to Chukotka

Am reading Travels in Siberia.  Had no idea that you can take a chartered flight from Nome and hop to Chukotka. This is the easternmost part of Russia, on the western edge of the Bering Strait.  There's mining,...and that's about it.  Not much is written about it.  In fact, of the dozens of books I've read about the Russian Far East, only two other books mention Chukotka.  One is Siberian Dawn.  The other is Farley Mowat's The Siberians. 

This is a video of a bunch of dudes in three Nissan Patrols and a Toyota FJ who drive from Yakutsk to Anadyr, which is quite a feat.  

Loading the Patrols in Moscow for train journey to Yakutsk:

Yakutsk and heavy mining equipment:

Prepping the trucks in Yakutsk:

Freezing weather, derelict towns, I want to go to there:

Magadan, and a rollover:

World's northernmost nuclear power plant:

Hoth:

Beyond Hoth:

If I had mechanical skills, winter driving skills, off-road driving skills, $100,000, no family, Russian fluency, and two months off, I could totally do this:

The final stretch:

Edvin's West Coast road trip wrap-up

- Never expected the food to be this good. Sure, it was greasier and saltier than what we're used to and there was a lot more of it, but almost every single meal was really, really good. I think I ate three or four of best burgers I've ever had. Umami burger deserves a special mention. Loved the Texan BBQ too.

- Expected to be drinking a lot of beer-flavored water like Budweiser, Miller and Coors. Boy was I wrong... We made a huge mistake right in the beginning by buying a case of Bud light(with the only discernible taste being the aluminum in the can it came in) and in Portland of all the places... Still, we had a quite a few excellent IPA's, amber ales etc along the way. My personal favorite being a large Sierra Nevada Pale Ale served in a chilled schooner right after walking around Yosemite for the whole day.

- I was equally surprised by all the the animals we saw. The list includes big birds like eagles and pelicans, several seals, two snakes, several kinds of deer, a bear cub, a few lizards, two coyotes and a lot more. Wanted to see a mountain lion and a rattlesnake in the wild. No such luck though (they probably saw/smelled us first).

- We were expecting to see some amazing vistas and we sure weren't disappointed. Counting from the beginning to the end we saw the impressive Columbia river gorge, huge rolling fields and deserted pastures in Oregon, the gigantic redwoods, breathtaking cliffs and beaches along the shoreline as the sun was setting into the Pacific, huge mountains and waterfalls in Yosemite, the unforgiving desert and paralyzing heat in Death Valley and the Mojave. My favorite was the coastline of NorCal.

- Being a Subaru dealer must be a good business in Oregon and NorCal. I think the amount of Outbacks we saw must be in the hundreds. The same thing goes for the Prius in and around Beverly Hills.

- Cars I've developed a craving for during the trip: The newest Mustang GT (they're everywhere!), the new Challenger, Toyota FJ Cruiser with some offroading kit added, the 2002-2005 Thunderbird.

- San Francisco was one of the nicer cities on the trip, it would be the city of my choice. It felt more pedestrian-friendly than the other places. A good workout climbing all those hills too!

- Las Vegas was something else. We went there on a Monday night so the nightlife wasn't as busy as it could've been, but then again that allowed us to stay in a suite in Luxor. It was a bit of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, so I'm glad we took it. Walking a few miles along the strip at 3 AM on a Monday night revealed the less glamorous side of Vegas.

- Mixed feelings about Los Angeles. The traffic was hell. The city felt a bit scattered because you had to queue on the freeway if you wanted to go somewhere and camera-wielding tourists like us were advised to stay out of certain areas. We did the obligatory touristy stuff in Hollywood and also visited the Petersen automotive museum (seeing the Batmobile from 1989 and some of Foose's creations IRL was great). Stayed right by the beach in Santa Monica for a few days. Should have had a bit more time (and heat) to enjoy the beach.

- The heat in the Mojave Desert felt ruthless. The highest temperature the Crown Vic reported to us was 104 degrees. That's the hottest I've ever been in. It's a good thing the humidity is low. The nice lady at the post office in Amboy along Route 66 told us it sometimes gets to 120 degrees and then the electricity cuts out disabling AC and the water pump. Can't imagine what that's like...

- You guys can't make toilet paper, or maybe all the motels just buy the thinnest paper ever conceived. Impossible to tear a whole piece off the roll. You just end up with a handful of shredded paper. Also, you guys need to standardize showers. The nozzles are installed way too low and the faucets are all wonky.

- Listening to the radio was fun. It seemed like the stations played better music than ours. Most of our stations just play the newest pop/rock music nonstop so your ears bleed. Some of the AM channels were really bizarre and entertaining.

- Your HDTV just looks so much more HD. No comments on the content of said TV...

- I was expecting to fall in love with the Crown Victoria, but that didn't really happen even though I like the concept on paper. I still think it was the right car for us out of what we had to choose from. You could easily imagine that it's the same car as back in the seventies and that it's just had a few additions along the years. The problem was that it was pretending to be a 2012 car and just felt too outdated. It would've been a different story had it been a genuine 70's land yacht. There was a number of small annoyances that haven't been present in modern cars for ages. For instance there's no check link/limiting strap in the doors, so if you open the door when it's windy outside it'll slam the door violently into the neighbors car. Then you need to remember to leave a lot of space for the trunk hinges if you don't want them to crush whatever is in their way. Also I guess the rear overhang is too long and the suspension is too soft because the tip of the exhaust kept hitting the road when entering a road from a driveway or yard. Never imagined a 4.6L V8 with 225hp could be so gutless. Still, it wasn't all bad. It never missed a beat and got us through some pretty hairy terrain ("high ground clearance only"-roads). When I jumped back in my VW Polo I was convinced there's something wrong with my steering because I couldn't turn the wheel with my pinky finger. I also tried shifting gears with the wiper stalk many times.

Edvin in Death Valley

We had quite an adventure again today in Death Valley. Drove on a pretty rough dirt road for many miles into the desert. We were looking for what should have been a ghost town according to LP, but turned out to be nothing but a sign in the middle of nowhere. Search for "Skidoo" on Google. The road was actually only meant for cars with high ground clearance, but somehow we skipped that part in the book. Had to drive really slow and look out for rocks that could bust the tires or oilpan. No signs of civilization around for miles, no cell reception. Exciting to say the least...

9 Circles of Hell: Detroit to Denver to Oakland edition

1. Ordered cream of broccoli soup and jambalaya pasta at Ruby Tuesdays at Detroit airport. Lava hot (microwaved) soup melts my taste buds yet somehow envelops totally raw broccoli. Realize that pasta contains 2,935 mg of sodium.
2. Flight delayed due to weather for 40 minutes.
3. Flight delayed for another 1 hour 40 minutes due to mechanical issues.
4. Airline has two reps re-routing a full planeload of passengers. I stand in line for over an hour in uncomfortable dress shoes.
5. Three people try to cut in line right in front of me. WTF!
6. Land in Denver. Connection to Oakland missed.
7. Issued hotel voucher in Detroit for a Doubletree Hotel in Denver. At the hotel shuttle stop, learn that there are FIVE Doubletrees next to the airport.
8. Over three dozen stranded passengers overwhelm hotel shuttle driver who speaks but does not understand English.
9. It's 12:39 a.m. here in Denver and the wake up call is for 4:00 a.m.

Dispatches from Ann Arbor, Michigan

That is a goat milk shake with a shot of dark rum. Saw a convoy with an SLS AMG and a CLK AMG driven probably by Automobile magazine's interns. The town has every obscure GM and Ford vehicle made in the last 15 years. Azteks, Montegos, and the only 14 Lincolns sold in the last three years. Also saw a Fisker Karma and a VW Jetta TDI taxi cab.

Edvin on Oregon and Northern California

(Ed. note: Edvin and his friends flew to Portland, Oregon, rented a Crown Vic, and took to the back roads.  These are his observations (along with my responses to them).  I'll be rendevzous-ing with them this evening in San Francisco.)

When we arrived in Portland after 16 hours of traveling and waiting we were pretty knackered. We went to pick up our blue whale from Budget (Crown Vic), left our stuff at the motel and headed into the city to look for some food. Portland is weird, but somehow it felt really cozy and relaxed. A bit European in a liberal sense, but weirder. 

The following day we headed east on the Historic Columbia River Highway. Wow! The scenery was something else. Reminded me very much of the Alps in Europe. After the river we turned south and the scenery changed completely. Suddenly we were surrounded by huge fields and a while later something prairie-like. The miles just racked up.  Slept in Madras, OR. 

The next day we carried on thru Oregon. We saw some really long and absolutely straight roads and a lot of really small towns. We tried to drive around Crater Lake, but the road was still completely snowed in. We ate lunch at Rogue River Gorge and enjoyed once again a totally different scenery than before. The way nature keeps changing around us is astonishing. Once we passed the slightly depressing lower part of Oregon and entered California, we were once again in for a surprise. The first Giant Sequoias we saw caught us off guard and really amazed us. We spotted an Econolodge in Crescent City and drank a few beers before sleeping.

On Tuesday we set off south along the 101. First we decided to check out the Native American reservation of Hoopa Valley. This turned out interesting as the narrow winding road just kept on rising until we were starting to get worried if our brakes could take the descent. Then the road surface turned to gravel. Then mud. This made for an interesting twenty miles, but the scenery was great and we even saw a wild bear cub. Then our maps didn't match the road we were driving, so we ended up descending the mountain blind on a really narrow and rough road (for a RWD sedan) without knowing if there's a locked gate waiting for us at the bottom. We finally made it and headed towards the Redwoods. After looking at the impressive trees and driving thru one of them we turned back to the coast. After countless miles of endless corners we were greeted by spectacular coastal scenery. We pushed on to Fort Bragg, where we found a really cool motel by the beach. Too bad the sun had set an hour earlier, so we had to drink our beers in our room.

Today we set off south from Fort Bragg. First we checked out a small lighthouse, checked out the town of Mendocino, ate some excellent Texan BBQ, stopped at a really windy beach, tasted some wines in Sonoma and checked into El Pueblo Inn. Not a whole lot to say of today yet, it's all still sinking in as I'm typing this and having a beer.

A few observations along the way:

- Portland is indeed weird, but we like it. Feels a bit European in some sense. It's also really tidy, no trash lying around, unlike in most large European cities.  (We Americans think Portland is weird too, but it's awesome.)

- Where is everyone? A lot of cars around but the streets are relatively empty of people. Everything is built around cars.  (Portland is actually a very bicycle-friendly city.  So in other cities, there are even less people outside.  In Houston, people with long driveways drive their cars to their mailboxes on hot summer days.)

- A lot of homeless people.  (Yes.  But wait until you get to San Francisco!)

- People are really friendly and polite. I'm having difficulties with similar small talk.

- It's almost as cold as back in Finland. We hadn't expected weather this cold.

- Cell phone coverage is amazingly poor in Oregon and NorCal (AT&T prepaid).  (The coverage in rural areas is spotty at best.  It's even worse in San Francisco if you have AT&T.)

- The nature and the diversity of it is absolutely amazing. Can't stress this enough. I totally understand why some people don't take global warming seriously with nature this lush. We've also seen a whole lot of wild animals we never expected to see.

- The Crown Vic is really comfortable and feels huge to drive, but is actually pretty small inside. The trunk is positively huge, but fitting four persons plus light luggage in the cabin isn't that easy. It handles like a yacht on tight roads.  (As much as we glamorize the Panther, it's positively prehistoric and has had absolutely no updates during its lifetime.  In fact, the last update on the Crown Vic was when FoMoCo added FM to the radio.)

- How can so many American cars be so bad at cornering with some of the roads you have (in California and Oregon)? This rivals the Alps in the amount of corners. Also, everyone is faster than us on these roads, we have to use the turnouts all the time.  (My guess is that the cars are designed in and built for the Midwest.  Flat and straight.  That's why in the mountains and along the West Coast, people buy more Japanese and European cars.)

- I never thought I'd say so, but I miss salad. The food is very heavy. I can easily see myself putting on quite a few pounds.  (You don't win friends with salad.)

We love it and we wouldn't mind moving here, at least for a little while. 

To be continued.

//Edvin

The eagle has landed

Our resident Finn Edvin and his friends just landed in Portland, Oregon, and are about to embark on a West Coast road trip in this Crown Victoria.  Let's wish them a fun and safe journey.

West Coast road trip time lapse video

Our very own F1Outsider did this 2,000 mile Los Angeles to Seattle road trip recently.  It is incredible.  Enjoy.

Lunch at Pismo Beach

The steamed clams and sourdough were perfect. The cheap Chardonnay...barely drinkable. Can't win them all.

Happy Easter from...Tarzana!

Am unexpectedly at the Tarzana Inn right now.  My plan yesterday was to visit some friends and then drive three hours north of Los Angeles and spend the night at some random beach town past Santa Barbara.  But with just two hours of sleep the night before, I was exhausted by 4 p.m. yesterday, just 15 miles into my three hour drive.  So I pulled off the autopista (I've been listening to traffic reports on a Mexican radio station) and got a room at the Inn.

Had a truly L.A. moment at dinner.  While enjoying lamb chops at a Persian eatery (if lamb were more available, I'd happily give up beef), I was eavesdropping on the two Chicanas seated next to me.  One was complaining to her friend about her Iranian mother-in-law and a scheduling conflict between a baptism/mass and Passover.  There's not only a large Persian population here, there's an Iranian Jewish diaspora here as well.

Finally, during my epic 15 mile drive, I heard this piece on the effects of global warming.  Spring has sprung early here in the U.S.  Last month, over 7,000 temperature records were broken.  As a result of the earlier warm weather, crime is up, outdoor accidents/injuries have risen, and people are suffering from allergies longer.  At one point, it was 90 degrees (32 C) here yesterday!

And yes, Tarzana is named after Tarzan.  Only in L.A.

A West Virginia story

The year is 1996.  I was driving from California to Washington, DC to start graduate school.  I spent the night in a small town in West Virginia.  In that town, on top of a hill, is a bar that literally has a sign that says "No N$#%#$s, F^%s, Or Dogs Allowed."

The next morning, I went to the center of town to use the only pay phone I could find.  It was in front of a restaurant/bar called Bubba's.  It was early so Bubba's wasn't open yet, but I could make out movement inside.

I was using the pay phone because there were complications with my financial aid package.  I called and was told that there was some sort of snag and I don't have my tuition covered.  I freaked out, then and there.  I must have made quite a scene because two guys came out of Bubba's to check out what was going on.

Bubba looked just like John Popper.  His sidekick reminded me of the skinny kid from Road Trip, but without the charm.  He had an old t-shirt with a print of Farrah Fawcett on the front.  As they approached me, I thought, "Oh great, trouble."  The banjo music from Deliverance was playing in my head.

Bubba asked me what was wrong and I told him everything.  I was broke; school was going to start next week; and I didn't know what to do.  Bubba calmed me down, had his employee run back and make me a couple of free sandwiches, gave me a couple of 2-liter bottles of Bubba Cola (for real), and gave me the phone number of his sister in DC.  "You tell her that you're Bubba's friend and you stay at her place as long as you need to."

Well, I got to DC, immediately rushed to the financial aid office, and straightened out everything.  I never called Bubba's sister.  

I learned that stereotypes suck.

High density cattle feedlot

Had a recent conversation about American feedlots.  There's one nearby that has thousands of closely packed, miserable cattle.  Here's a shaky video of it, taken from nearby Interstate 5:

Here is the ranch's PR video:

And this is what it reminds me of:

Columbia, California, trip

Youngsters in California learn two things about the state's history-- the Gold Rush and the Spanish Missions.  I had a lesson in the former last weekend, when I visited the town of Columbia, in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

The reason we went up there was for my friend and old neighbor John's wedding.  He and I were supposed to be exercise buddies.  We were supposed to encourage each other early every morning and walk around a nearby lake.  That didn't quite work out.  By the third week, we stopped walking in the mornings.  Instead, we ended up drinking beer and BBQ'ing after work almost every evening.

The ceremony was held in a converted barn.  It was the coolest wedding venue I've ever been to.

We stayed at a B&B atop a hill.  It was right next to the old school house, seen below.

The town was surrounded by these strange looking rocks.  There's supposedly a marble quarry nearby.

During the Gold Rush, about $150 million worth of gold was mined out of the town and its environs.  At one point, it was the second largest settlement in California.  The town is closed off to motorized vehicle traffic.  The historic buildings are all in use.  Schoolchildren are often bussed here to witness what life was like in the 1850s.

The Masons and Odd Fellows had a strong presence in the region.

When was the last time you saw a Bronco II?

This is St. Anne's Church, the oldest brick church in California.  There are not many made of bricks because of earthquakes.

There was a sign that told the story of three Chilean women who moved up here during the Gold Rush.  Somehow, against all odds in a male-dominated world, they bought up a lot of property in town and became successful landlords.

The building below is the only remaining building in the Chinese section of town.  That section used to be the French Quarter, but the Chinese pushed the Frenchmen out.  A fire that started in the Chinese section burned down all of Columbia.  When the town was re-built, the Chinese were not allowed to live within town limits.