Road trip

One of my favorite things is to get in my truck or car, or get on my motorcycle or boat and take a trip and be gone for a few days, or weeks. We made a trek to No Cal this last week. I worked in Benicia for a few days and Cyn worked in So. San Fran. By Friday, both of us were done, so we did a bit of touring. I've been driving through and around San Jose for the last forty years now and have often wondered about the Winchester House.

The Winchester House, in case you don't know about it was built and rebuilt continuously over and over by Winchester, the gun maker's widow. she was a class A, world class nutcase. Apparently some psychic told her to never stop working on the house or bad things will happen to her. I believe in live and let live, but please keep the psychic advisers and other Voodoo practitioners away from me. I'm a firm believer of religious freedom. Freedom of religion and freedom from religion, but I do think that most paranaturals are charlatans. And, having said that, should be shot on sight.

Anyway, after all of these years, I finally went to see it. Yup. It's bizarre. Yup. It's pretty big. OK, I've been there and done that. I also took lots of picture to bore the crap out of unsuspecting friends. Thanks to the digital camera, I now take way more pictures than I ever used to. I spent six weeks in Europe and only took maybe 20-25 pictures. The usual stuff, pictures from the Eiffel Tower, gondolas in Venice castles on the Rhine. I do know the secret of professional photographers. Take lots of shots. It's part of the If you throw enough shit on a wall, some of it's bound to stick theory. With the digital camera, you can just shoot away, my chip holds about 800 pictures. Review them when you have a chance, and then erase the crap. It works for me.

Afterwards, we drove up to the Lick Observatory late in the day. Too late actually do it justice. Gotta go back when I can devote at least half a day, if not a full day.

Now let's head on down the road to Big Sur.

The best road trip in America, if not the world.

Every year, or two, I have to do it. I like to do it best alone. In a very fast sports car that can really handle the road. Alone because I don't get distracted by passengers screaming and pleading for me to spare their lives. Fast is good. It is also almost as good to be a passenger to a driver who values their own life and drives sanely enough to allow you to view the spectacular scenery.

Huell Howser & Marsha Yockey

I just watched, once again, one of my favorite TV people last night. I am speaking of Huell Howser right now. More on Marsha Yockey later.

Huell, in case you don't know about him, is this Tennesse gomer who produces and hosts various TV shows like California's Gold and Visiting with Huell Howser on KCET, the local LA educational channel. He's like some Mayberry RFD throwback. Full of golly gees, aw shucks and howdys. He goes around California with a microphone in his hand followed by a cameraman and visits various famous, infamous and some of the more obscure places around our vast state. Last night, he did a half hour on the Transamerica Building in San Fran. Or as us So. Calers like to call the place, Frisco. As usual, lots of history about what was there and when it was built. And by whom. But the best part is ole Heull gee wizzed his way clear to the top with his cameraman. Above the top floor, the fourty eighth, is another 125, or so, feet of open ladder/staircase leading to the very top 800 and some feet above the street. Very cool.

Oh by the way, those big ugly rectangles sticking out of the sides near the top of the TA building in SF house the elevator shafts. In 1972, they couldn't build an elevator that wasn't vertical. Maybe they still can't make 'em tilt.

And who the hell is Marsha Yockey you're still mumbling to yourself?

When I was in the Navy in the sixties, and the bastards stationed me in Southern Indiana. Yeah Indiana. Yeah Southern. Those bastards.

In Evansville, on the evening news was the most unpretentious TV personality you will ever see. She's probably dead by now. Often, she would do the weather segment in a stuffed armchair with one of her legs dangling over the arm and a big coon hound sitting in her lap.

No airhead back-combed blonde was she.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdLrRqg1VPw

Jack Parr and Dorthy Fultheim were two other great TV icons,

but sadly they are both gone to the big studio in the sky.

Oil Island White. Gettin' to like the place.

We've been there a lot lately. Either as a jumping off point for Catalina, or just to hank on the hook and enjoy life. And this last weekend was no exception. We did a nice overnighter Saturday & Sunday. It's almost like a fifteen minute trip to Catalina. We motor out to The Oil Island and drop the hook in front of "The Waterfall". We call it that because it is a waterfall. A fake waterfall on a fake island with fake condos on it, of course. The condos are actually oil derricks which move around because they are on rails. Most locals don't even realize that they actually move. If you take a picture of The Oil island from the bluffs on a Monday and come back on Wednesday and compare. You will see that somebody moved the condo. How perfect. It's the essence of Southern California living. But do you know what? I'll take it. They actually turn The Waterfall on and off. It's usually on between 1900 and 2300. And it's lit up for our viewing enjoyment. How swell is that?

White's Cove, Santa Catalina

Well, we did it again. Two trips to "the island" in two weeks. Just like the good old days. Maybe these really are the good old days. We left the marina Friday morning, but being there were reports of bad weather over at the island, we went and anchored at Oil Island White in LB Harbor once again. Yah, yah, I know. What us wusses in So. Cal. call "bad weather" most people call Tee shirt weather. So be it. Even so, it did blow like hell in LB. So I'm glad we stayed there. Anyway, Saturday we got under way early and motored over to the island.

We anchored in 65 feet of water just east of White's Cove up against the cliffs, and there we stayed. It was very nice. Peaceful and quiet. Sunday morning we sailed back. About 8 miles out of Alimitos Jetty, we came up on a very huge whale that we recon was a Fin Whale. Huge thing and very close. About 40 feet. He, or she, was not at all intimidated by us. We were under sail and as we drew very close I did alter course to the left to keep a bit of respectable distance. I'm ready to go back any time now.

Avalon

Well we finally made it to Catalina Island this weekend. Thanks to a confluence of a few unhappy events, it had been a long, long time since I was there on Merrymaid. But bad times don't last and we got on with things, like sailing. We went to Oil Island White and anchored Friday evening and did basically, nothing. Saturday morning we were up at first light, hoisted the Japanese spinnaker, weighed anchor and were off on a course of 180 to Long Point. The Japanese spinnaker, in case you don't speak sailor, is the Yanmar diesel engine. A real little beauty. It's relatively small, 3 cylinders, and light. It sips fuel and is environmentally compliant even in pinko areas like Sweden and France. It is less than a year old and only has 55, or so, hours on it so far. It starts as quickly as a Chevy six and is a real joy after it's Ferryman and Volvo predecessors. Anyway, we motored all the way to Long Point and did a little coastal cruise up to Avalon. We tried to get a mooring in either Descanso Bay or Hamilton Cove but being it was a Saturday morning in late July, of course that was out of the question. So we anchored in 110 ft. of water between Descanso and Hamilton. We got to visit with our friends George and Melinda who are working in Avalon and living on a mooring and have decided to live there year round. We had a nice dinner at the Lobster Trap a new place, to me at least, in Avalon and took a stroll around town. Melinda is currently driving a tour bus around the island and when someone would point out some house, building or other point of interest, she would go into tour guide mode and spout out the pertinent facts. It was a lot of fun. Being we were anchored out, I was antsy about being ashore so we went back to the boat a bit early, and bounce about most of the night every time a shoreboat would pass by. Carl and his friend Freda were supposed to take the cattleboat from Long Beach over to Avalon for the sail back, but we got a text message that they were whimping out. Too bad for them. The sail back was a Nantucket sleigh ride. Lots of good reaching wind, lots of sun. We had a blast.

We're planning on going back Thursday morning and staying until Sunday. The plan, such as it is, is for G&M to return with us.