Walts Travelogue

[WalterB]

Thanks, Andrew. Anything to keep life interesting, lol.

[Andrew35]

the same Walt

[WalterB]

Well, finally got my new(er) car. It's a 2016 Camry. Toyota's are pretty bullet-proof, so as long as I don't wreck the dang thing, I should be OK. Only got 43,000 miles on it - well, more now. I've been driving, lol.

Old one was a 2005 Honda. It was pretty low mileage, too, something like 93,000 when I bought it 5 years ago. I would have kept it, but someone rear-ended me last February. Car was perfectly drivable, but it gave me grief. The crash bent the rear end in far enough I couldn't close the trunk. I had to tie it down.

Something also caused a small electrical drain on the system. So, the battery would run down if I didn't go anywhere for a week or so. Long story, but basically I went thru a lot of crap(1) before my brain woke up and reminded me that I could just disconnect the negative battery cable and I'd be fine. A little bit of a pain, but the easiest solution. So I've been doing that for the last 6 months or so.

Well, my son repaid me about half of what he owes me, an amazing friend gave me a very nice present, I paid off a large loan ($400/mo,) and a couple credit cards, and finally, working for the elections dept. finally got me to where I could make a nice down payment.

So, right away, I'm headed to Arizona tomorrow morning to see my son. I haven't told him yet. Made up a big ole story about why I'm coming out that way. My Honda also had a power steering leak. Not severe, but overnight it could leave a little mess. So my son asked me to park out in the street, lol. But this time I'll park in the driveway and tell him. When he asks why, I'll take him outside and show him.

Only problem is, if you put both cars side by side, it's hard to tell them apart. They don't change designs very often these days.

(1) Before I got the new battery, I wasn't understanding the problem. The old battery reached a point where it wouldn't charge. So I bought myself a portable jump start unit. That worked fine. So I headed to Arizona one late afternoon. It was very dark along a stretch of highway just east of Benson. I still don't know what I hit, but suddenly there was noise and vibration. I guessed that a tire had gone down.

I wanted to make the next exit, but I knew that I could destroy the rim as well. Man, it was dark as hell out in South-Central Arizona. And I wasn't even in California, lol. (On a dark, desert highway, cool wind in my hair,... lol.) There was a guard rail along the side, so I couldn't pull off too far. I had no idea how far the guardrail might go, so I decided I had to stop. Maybe 2 feet clearance between my car and the (dark, desert) highway, maybe 18-24m inches between the car and the guard rail.

OK, I should be fine. I'll just leave my parking lights and flashers on so them damn big-assed trucks can see me. So, I pull out the spare and started to loosen up the lug nuts. Oh, CRAP! NOW what? The car died and the lights went out. Oh, shit! Here I am on a dark, desert highway (hahaha, I gotta milk that one, lol,) a flat tire, no lights and Mack trucks barreling by at 70 MPH just 2 feet from me, lol.

Well, I thought about it a bit. Behind the guard rail it was quite brushy with somewhat open spots. I figured that if I saw a truck headed my way, I would go over that rail and take my chances. The only light beyond traffic was a slight glow on the horizon. All I could do is get busy, so I did. One eye on what I was doing and the other on oncoming traffic.

Well, that part of the whole thing went smoothly. I got the (dinky little) spare tire on and threw everything in the trunk, used the portable jump starter to get me going again, and made it on to my sons. I wondered later if I could have connected the jump starter and just left the car running that way. The jump starter is basically a battery, so I think it would have worked.

Anyway, I'm hoping all that is behind me now.
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[LizLemon85]

Have a safe trip, Walt!
Toyotas are industructible, much like Volvos!
But just in case, could you please pack some sort of emergency light, a lantern, something, so you don't have to consider jumping over rails when you're on the dark, desert highway?
I really have to listen to some metal now to get "Hotel California" out of my head lol...

[WalterB]

Hahaha sorry about the music, I had to put you in the mood, LOL. Well, either that or drive in the daytime, Liz, I've already thought of the emergency thing. I carry a good flashlight, not big enough to warn Mack trucks doing 70 in the dark, lol. It surprises me the things I've picked up from my dad here. (I'm living in their old home.) I like to travel. First thing I learned was to carry a roll of toilet paper in a coffee can in the trunk. Let's just say I've been glad a couple times that I picked up THAT hint. Gas stations are far, far apart out on the dark, desert highway,


But there's an old plastic milk carton in the back yard I can put into the trunk. I'll put a couple flares in there, my TP can and whatever else I might need. Thanks for the suggestion.

[danamend]

Have a safe trip Walt. I hope you like your Toyota. I have been leasing them for the past 18 years & have never had any problems with the ones I have had.

[WalterB]

Thanks, Dan. I had one before, 1999, was Mom's old car. It was a great one and I would probably still have it if I hadn't wrecked it, lol (and I can't even remember how. This 'getting old' shit ain't near as much fun as you might think.)

I checked my security cameras this morning, and, believe it or not, there's SNOW in El Paso. Admittedly, not a lot. Pretty much bare streets. But it looks like some collected on the grass and the metal surfaces. It's probably worse on the West site. I think they were expecting a bit more.

This car, being somewhat newer, has a display screen that displays all kind of data. I normally don't trust mileage related readings except in a very Genera; way.. But I filled up as I left El Paso, and the gas gauge shows a bit over 1/2 tank, just under 300 miles. So I'll wait to fill up to see if I can make it back to El Paso.

I just looked at the El Paso traffic cams and can see that it's getting worse. I just hope it clears up be Monday afternoon. I really don't want to drive in those conditions. But I'm guessing that at least the roads will be clear.

[lance_s]

Thanks, Dan. I had one before, 1999, was Mom's old car. It was a great one and I would probably still have it if I hadn't wrecked it, lol (and I can't even remember how. This 'getting old' shit ain't near as much fun as you might think.)

I checked my security cameras this morning, and, believe it or not, there's SNOW in El Paso. Admittedly, not a lot. Pretty much bare streets. But it looks like some collected on the grass and the metal surfaces. It's probably worse on the West site. I think they were expecting a bit more.

This car, being somewhat newer, has a display screen that displays all kind of data. I normally don't trust mileage related readings except in a very Genera; way.. But I filled up as I left El Paso, and the gas gauge shows a bit over 1/2 tank, just under 300 miles. So I'll wait to fill up to see if I can make it back to El Paso.

I just looked at the El Paso traffic cams and can see that it's getting worse. I just hope it clears up be Monday afternoon. I really don't want to drive in those conditions. But I'm guessing that at least the roads will be clear.

I missed this thread - did not realize you were travelling. Have a safe trip.

From everything I've heard, Toyotas are pretty bullet proof.

But personally, I'd never get one. Some (many) years ago they turned me down for financing when I went to get a new minivan. I got one from Ford instead. I figure if Toyota doesn't like my money I can do without their cars.

[WalterB]

Well, Lance, I won't comment badly on your choice, except we used to say that FORD meant "Fix Or Repair Daily," lol. I know they're much better, now. I remember an episode or two like that myself. I was a Pontiac man for most of my life. Or actually, went back and forth between Chevy's and Pontiacs. But the Toyotas are dependable and, at 77, that's what I need. No more changing tires on a dark highway at night ( a dark, DESERT highway, in case Liz is listening, LOL)


(I'm expecting one of these from across the pond any moment now.)


My first - a '58 Chevy Impala

[lance_s]

Well, Lance, I won't comment badly on your choice, except we used to say that FORD meant "Fix Or Repair Daily," lol. I know they're much better, now. I remember an episode or two like that myself. I was a Pontiac man for most of my life. Or actually, went back and forth between Chevy's and Pontiacs. But the Toyotas are dependable and, at 77, that's what I need. No more changing tires on a dark highway at night ( a dark, DESERT highway, in case Liz is listening, LOL)


(I'm expecting one of these from across the pond any moment now.)


My first - a '58 Chevy Impala
1964-Roswell-MyImpala.jpg

FORD = Also, Found on roadside, dead. I've actually been pretty happy with all the Ford's I've had, (though quite a few were 3 year leases, so new and mostly under warranty).

Toyota's as you say, are ultra reliable. I remember an episode of Top Gear where the they tested one to destruction. In one scene, they transported the HiLux to the top of a highrise that was to be demolished. Explosives brought the building down, the car survived the drop and still ran!!

[LizLemon85]

No worries, you're safe Walt, even though I still have "Hotel California" stuck in my head
I don't know why people don't like Fords but even in german, there's "Drive off in a Ford, come back by train" ("Mit dem Ford fort, mit dem Zug zurück.")

[lance_s]

Well, Lance, I won't comment badly on your choice, except we used to say that FORD meant "Fix Or Repair Daily," lol. I know they're much better, now. I remember an episode or two like that myself. I was a Pontiac man for most of my life. Or actually, went back and forth between Chevy's and Pontiacs. But the Toyotas are dependable and, at 77, that's what I need. No more changing tires on a dark highway at night ( a dark, DESERT highway, in case Liz is listening, LOL)


(I'm expecting one of these from across the pond any moment now.)


My first - a '58 Chevy Impala
1964-Roswell-MyImpala.jpg

Wonder how much that Impala would be worth if you still had it. I don't think any of the current crop of cars will have the same staying power in folklore.

[WalterB]

I saw a '58 Impala convertible probably in the '90's or so. It had a $50,000 price tag on it. I probably had $50 to my name at the time, That was one thing about cars of the '50's and '60's (and earlier.) Just by looking, you could easily tell a Ford from a Chevy from an Oldsmobile from a Chrysler. The cars were all different and unique.

Several years ago, I had am 2008 Impala. I forget why, but I started looking up various years. I found out that Chevy had been using the same body style for 8 years. I think it was in the '70's when they first stopped changing every year. As you can imagine, it gets quite expensive to design an entirely new car every year. I remember reading that they had to start design work on cars about 4 years ahead of time. Then the factories had to be totally retooled every year.

But most of today's cars are bland. My new Toy is a 2016. But you could park it beside my 2005 Accord and it's hard to see much difference.

[lance_s]

I saw a '58 Impala convertible probably in the '90's or so. It had a $50,000 price tag on it. I probably had $50 to my name at the time, That was one thing about cars of the '50's and '60's (and earlier.) Just by looking, you could easily tell a Ford from a Chevy from an Oldsmobile from a Chrysler. The cars were all different and unique.

Several years ago, I had am 2008 Impala. I forget why, but I started looking up various years. I found out that Chevy had been using the same body style for 8 years. I think it was in the '70's when they first stopped changing every year. As you can imagine, it gets quite expensive to design an entirely new car every year. I remember reading that they had to start design work on cars about 4 years ahead of time. Then the factories had to be totally retooled every year.

But most of today's cars are bland. My new Toy is a 2016. But you could park it beside my 2005 Accord and it's hard to see much difference.

Of course the cars are bland. Its called efficiency and optimization.

You start with demographics - you know how tall your market is and how big their butts are so that defines cabin size.
You know their incomes and lifestyles so that defines engine size and luggage space.
Then you put a cube in front for engine space and a big cube for passengers and another cube at the back for luggage, then optimize for wind resistance and you come up with a solution.

Since all manufacturers have the same inputs and the same computer programmes, they all design the same car. The only permissible quirks are minor cosmetic customization. And even those get statistically analyzed to death with focus groups.

Is my cynicism showing?

[WalterB]

Efficiency and optimization, yes. Just not a lot of fun anymore.

No, no cynicism showing, but you read my mind

OK, it's cynicism,

[stickyvicky]

This is us, haha..

[lance_s]

This is us, haha..

Don't know about the magic bus, but the one corvette I drove once was very nice. As opposed to the Trans Am I tried just before it, which was unadulterated rubbish, in my opinion.

[WalterB]

I was on the hiway once when an absolutely gorgeous blonde passed me in a black Corvette. And yes, you're right. I had an orgasm right there in my drivers seat. She sure was gorgeous.

[lance_s]

I was on the hiway once when an absolutely gorgeous blonde passed me in a black Corvette. And yes, you're right. I had an orgasm right there in my drivers seat. She sure was gorgeous.

Two guys standing by the side of the road saw an immaculate E-type go by driven by a gorgeous blonde. One of them whistled and said "now that's a car I'd like to have". His friend looked at him and responded "you can keep the car, I just want the guidance system".

[WalterB]

Well, it's been awhile since I posted here. I haven't really been anywhere new, lol. So this one is an oldie but a goodie.

This is a mountain in Eastern Utah on I-70. There's another one in West Texas but I'm not sure where my pictures are.

I don't know what this mountain is named, but, want to hazard a guess what I call it?
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