Road Trip!

fintail

I definitely remember rattlesnakes being a thing in Moses Lake. I also remember checking sleeping bags for scorpions.

iluvmysephia1

And, though I never saw any there, legend has it that eastern Washington has Black Widow spiders. 

fintail

I saw black widows in Moses Lake too, a friend's dad caught a couple.

iluvmysephia1

Apparently brown recluse are more poisonous biting us than Black Widows.

fintail

I never saw a brown recluse, but I heard about them. I also remember the huge spiders (wood spiders, wolf spiders?) that would come down out of the forest when I lived in Bellingham. Scary looking, but apparently not dangerous.

stever

Kind of like the tarantulas here. The locals say the sting of the scorpions here aren't much worse than bee stings. Have only spotted a couple of little drowned ones.

We best be careful before @grahampeters pops in with some tales of real scary creatures.

slorenzen

fintail said:

I never saw a brown recluse, but I heard about them. I also remember the huge spiders (wood spiders, wolf spiders?) that would come down out of the forest when I lived in Bellingham. Scary looking, but apparently not dangerous.

Black widows and brown recluse we DO have around here. Gotta be wearing gloves when going through the wood pile, for sure.

stever

Ok, you're not going to believe this. Another beautiful day and spent a lot of time hanging out in the garage that gets full on sun. Even drug a chair out there.

Going into the house, I heard this guy rattle by the door where you enter the house where we have a utility sink.



Okay, here's how to sweep up a rattler. Block the exit options and prod him with a stick while your wife aids with a push broom (this is an after the fact reenactment).



Flip the critter into the garbage can, flip the can upright and attach lid. Take a little ride.



If this keeps up, I'm going to start researching recipes....

Michaell

stever said:

Ok, you're not going to believe this. Another beautiful day and spent a lot of time hanging out in the garage that gets full on sun. Even drug a chair out there.

Going into the house, I heard this guy rattle by the door where you enter the house where we have a utility sink.



Okay, here's how to sweep up a rattler. Block the exit options and prod him with a stick while your wife aids with a push broom (this is an after the fact reenactment).



Flip the critter into the garbage can, flip the can upright and attach lid. Take a little ride.



If this keeps up, I'm going to start researching recipes....

Steve, this place has rattlesnake on the menu ... no recipe, but the description gives you an idea ....

http://www.buckhornexchange.com/appetizers.php

stever

You know what? The smoked part is okay, but TexMex is about my least favorite kind of food. Skip the chipotle sauce.

berri

I definitely remember rattlesnakes being a thing in Moses Lake. I also remember checking sleeping bags for scorpions

Isn't Washington kind of three climates, Spokane is sort of Midwestern, then there is the high desert and the lush green far western PNW.

iluvmysephia1

Yeah, the pine trees start appearing around Spokane but it's mostly desert like the rest of eastern Washington. The west side is drizzly, cloudy and rainy much of the year. Gorgeous when it is sunny, yes. And very green.

gagrice

Just took a quick 3 day road trip to Las Vegas. Had not been there since 2003 when my sister lived there. My brother contacted me Saturday night and said he and his wife were all alone in a 3 bedroom penthouse on the 51st floor of the Elara Hilton. Asked if we could come stay a few days. The 180 degree plus view from that luxury condo was worth the 6 hour drive each way. Averaged 27.1 MPG traveling 75-80 most of the way. That included side trips to Hoover dam and Lake Las Vegas. It has really changed since 2003. Pics taken with Samsung Note 4.

iluvmysephia1

Nice pics, gagrice! Great place ta go for a little vacation. I grabbed our son in April 2010 and took him along for a short hop up to Vegas then. We were living in Willcox, AZ, at the time. I had my eye on a 2010 Suzuki Kizashi and wanted a test drive at a place in Henderson, NV. Took the automatic silver '10 Kizashi out for a spin and loved it. They just didn't want to bend over backwards for me with the deal for a red '10 Kizashi 6-speed, so I walked.

But that was the first time I'd ever seen Las Vegas. I thought it was a pretty cool place to see. Nice weather - not as brutal as Phoenix weather but it still gets pretty hot there.

fintail

Last time I was in LV, I stayed at the Tropicana, now also a Hilton. It had been freshly renovated, and was a bargain for the $60 I paid per night via a bidding site. As I have a HHonors membership, I got a nice strip view room, great deal. I made a road trip there in a rented Impala LTZ (new style).

Today I took a trip on a road in a bus to the MB facility at Sindelfingen, and took a factory tour. It was a photogenic place today:

stever

You've had terrific luck with the weather. Nice timing.

fintail

I literally haven't seen rain since I left Seattle. There was maybe a light shower while I was sleeping overnight one night in Munich, but othewise, sun and near record temps. The weather gods like me this year

slorenzen

fintail said:

I literally haven't seen rain since I left Seattle. There was maybe a light shower while I was sleeping overnight one night in Munich, but othewise, sun and near record temps. The weather gods like me this year

Yeah, Germany is not known for their "California-esque" weather, are they?

The times I was there, it was quite bleak.

berri

Hope you're not connecting through Denver on your way back - they had snow delays today already.

Michaell

berri said:

Hope you're not connecting through Denver on your way back - they had snow delays today already.

That was yesterday .. everything is good at DIA today.

The snow removal processes have to be seen to be believed out there ... I believe C&D did an article on the equipment some years ago.

berri

Really, most big airports do a great job plowing. It's the weather above that causes the issues such as flight spacing as well as slower taxiways and ramps.

Michaell

berri said:

Really, most big airports do a great job plowing. It's the weather above that causes the issues such as flight spacing as well as slower taxiways and ramps.

DIA was specifically designed to address bad weather. No crossing runways, runways spaced far apart from one another.

Doesn't mean the airport doesn't get affected .. I've had my share of delays flying in and out over the years.

slorenzen

Michaell said:

berri said:

Really, most big airports do a great job plowing. It's the weather above that causes the issues such as flight spacing as well as slower taxiways and ramps.

DIA was specifically designed to address bad weather. No crossing runways, runways spaced far apart from one another.

Doesn't mean the airport doesn't get affected .. I've had my share of delays flying in and out over the years.

I remember once at DIA, we had just pushed back to taxi out, and a tornado came down and littered the taxiways all around us.

And, the plane was ROCKIN'!

Took almost 2 hours to clear the debris enough for us to actually leave.

Of course, we were stuck on the plane the entire time

Michaell

slorenzen said:

Michaell said:

berri said:

Really, most big airports do a great job plowing. It's the weather above that causes the issues such as flight spacing as well as slower taxiways and ramps.

DIA was specifically designed to address bad weather. No crossing runways, runways spaced far apart from one another.

Doesn't mean the airport doesn't get affected .. I've had my share of delays flying in and out over the years.

I remember once at DIA, we had just pushed back to taxi out, and a tornado came down and littered the taxiways all around us.

And, the plane was ROCKIN'!

Took almost 2 hours to clear the debris enough for us to actually leave.

Of course, we were stuck on the plane the entire time

Yeah, the one problem with DIA is that it's out on the plains more, and susceptible to the odd tornado.

berri

DIA is a very nice airport. I know they had to replace Stapleton as Denver grew due to runway separation and length issues on several of them, but I still miss the old place with those great views of the Rockies coming in and out. If it's cloudy, landing at the current DIA makes you worry there was a screw up and you're actually in Nebraska But the much larger facility has helped bring in a lot more business, including a Southwest hub.

Michaell

berri said:

DIA is a very nice airport. I know they had to replace Stapleton as Denver grew due to runway separation and length issues on several of them, but I still miss the old place with those great views of the Rockies coming in and out. If it's cloudy, landing at the current DIA makes you worry there was a screw up and you're actually in Nebraska But the much larger facility has helped bring in a lot more business, including a Southwest hub.

The problem is that the winds coming over those mountains makes for turbulent take offs and landings, even from the new airport.

berri

Heck, you can get sudden downdrafts at 30K+ flying over those Rockies!

fintail

Photogenic skies over the Austrian Alps today:



Zugspitze doesn't have any new snow:



On a stormy rainy day in Seattle, Innsbruck could't be more pleasant:

gagrice

Looks like Fall for sure. Any fresh snow on the mountains? Are you seeing the refugees that are MSM news here?

berri

Very picturesque

stever

Been decades since I was in that part of the world. Is hiking still the national sport?

fintail

Tons of hiking stuff here yes, older people especially walk around with walking/hiking sticks like they are normal accessories.

And yeah, the refugee thing is the big news in Germany anyway, drowning out the VW fiasco. It seems some are regretting allowing the mass influx. In the end, it will all be about cheap labor. Snow only on the highest peaks - it has been dry and unusually warm since I arrived.

gagrice

fintail said:

Tons of hiking stuff here yes, older people especially walk around with walking/hiking sticks like they are normal accessories.

And yeah, the refugee thing is the big news in Germany anyway, drowning out the VW fiasco. It seems some are regretting allowing the mass influx. In the end, it will all be about cheap labor. Snow only on the highest peaks - it has been dry and unusually warm since I arrived.

That was the general consensus, that Merkel wanted to replenish their workforce. Seems the Germans are having fewer babies than even the Japanese. Not very smart on their part. Leaves a void they may regret opening.

fintail

Some regret it already.  Lots of danger with non-assimilating new arrivals. Immigration can be a good thing, but there must be some thought to it.   The bleeding heart greybeard generation in Europe has felt guilty and this played into the hands of the industrial and corporate overlords, and brainwashed a new generation into being guilted into kicking the ball down the line.   There was a kind of slimy idea to create something not unlike this after the war.  We might have it now,  just tacit and in slow motion.  

My condolences to France.  This crap needs to stop yesterday.


gagrice said:

Tons of hiking stuff here yes, older people especially walk around with walking/hiking sticks like they are normal accessories. And yeah, the refugee thing is the big news in Germany anyway, drowning out the VW fiasco. It seems some are regretting allowing the mass influx. In the end, it will all be about cheap labor. Snow only on the highest peaks - it has been dry and unusually warm since I arrived.

That was the general consensus, that Merkel wanted to replenish their workforce. Seems the Germans are having fewer babies than even the Japanese. Not very smart on their part. Leaves a void they may regret opening.

slorenzen

"My condolences to France. This crap needs to stop yesterday."

Couldn't agree more.

Meanwhile, the US is continuing it's desire to commit suicide...

http://www.metro.us/news/us-senator-we-should-accept-100-000-syrian-refugees/zsJoip---p6DaI11r3xfI/

fintail

I won't get started, but I am sure we agree about a lot. And I think Europe has it worse, as it has been happening here for awhile, and the bleeding hearts who have control of everything are determined to see it to completion. Enjoy Europe now.

On more pleasant thoughts, it was a nice day in Sudtirol today:



And some here might know I am a movie filming location geek - easy hint: Guten Tag, my family and I are looking for sechs:

slorenzen said:

"My condolences to France. This crap needs to stop yesterday."

Couldn't agree more.

tjc78

European Vacation.  

fintail

Yep, classic movie and one of my all time faves. The "Germany" scenes were actually shot in northern Italy, in an area that used to be Austria. Probably 3/4 of the people there still speak German.

The Dolomites in the morning haze:



Which turned to fog in the Po valley:



Crossed the 45th parallel, excitement!

berri

You can put that accelerator down a bit more

stever

This would be a fun road trip.

These real 'ice road truckers' drive across sea ice and tundra on the North Slope (ADN.com)



(snake count is up to three)

gagrice

stever said:

This would be a fun road trip.

These real 'ice road truckers' drive across sea ice and tundra on the North Slope (ADN.com)

(snake count is up to three)

Those are rough riding. The oil companies build smooth ice roads every year further West. I have made many trips to Nuiqsut by 4 wheel drive. Not fun when it is blowing snow. Bet they use GPS now to keep from getting lost. we did not have that luxury.

fintail

Italy doesn't have unrestricted speed limits - there's a lot of speed cameras, and I think I even saw a speed trap on Sunday. I wasn't in a hurry, and 130 kmh (the speed limit) is still enough to get a massive ticket in most American states, where people care so much about safety and freeom, think of the children!

Not on the road today, but it was a nice day in Torino:

slorenzen

fintail said:

Italy doesn't have unrestricted speed limits - there's a lot of speed cameras, and I think I even saw a speed trap on Sunday. I wasn't in a hurry, and 130 kmh (the speed limit) is still enough to get a massive ticket in most American states, where people care so much about safety and freeom, think of the children!

Not on the road today, but it was a nice day in Torino:

You are really having great weather on this trip!

Who woulda thunk?

fintail

It's been unbelievable. I haven't seen rain since I left Seattle, which I understand has been overwhelmed by storms lately. Next chance of rain for me is Friday, when I am in Switzerland and Germany. That's the tail end of my trip as I'l be home in about a week - I am grateful to have had this amazing sunny stretch.

slorenzen said:

You are really having great weather on this trip!

Who woulda thunk?

gagrice

fintail said:

It's been unbelievable. I haven't seen rain since I left Seattle, which I understand has been overwhelmed by storms lately. Next chance of rain for me is Friday, when I am in Switzerland and Germany. That's the tail end of my trip as I'l be home in about a week - I am grateful to have had this amazing sunny stretch.

slorenzen said:

You are really having great weather on this trip!

Who woulda thunk?

My friend in NM just posted a picture of her yard. Was 70 degrees yesterday. 8 inches of snow over night. She is in Chamyo, NM. Steve will love seeing that headed his way....

Michaell

gagrice said:

fintail said:

It's been unbelievable. I haven't seen rain since I left Seattle, which I understand has been overwhelmed by storms lately. Next chance of rain for me is Friday, when I am in Switzerland and Germany. That's the tail end of my trip as I'l be home in about a week - I am grateful to have had this amazing sunny stretch.

slorenzen said:

You are really having great weather on this trip!

Who woulda thunk?

My friend in NM just posted a picture of her yard. Was 70 degrees yesterday. 8 inches of snow over night. She is in Chamyo, NM. Steve will love seeing that headed his way....

We got about the same here in the Denver suburbs. Still snowing, but supposed to stop in the next few hours.

I-25 between Denver and Co Springs was closed for a few hours this morning due to the blowing snow...

fintail

Wow, must be some elevation, and likely linked to the constant storms hitting the PNW. I understand Seattle is getting hit again this morning.

Meanwhile in Torino, view of a random piazza:

gagrice said:

My friend in NM just posted a picture of her yard. Was 70 degrees yesterday. 8 inches of snow over night. She is in Chamyo, NM. Steve will love seeing that headed his way....

xwesx

Michaell said:

We got about the same here in the Denver suburbs. Still snowing, but supposed to stop in the next few hours.

I-25 between Denver and Co Springs was closed for a few hours this morning due to the blowing snow...

Huh. White. Wake me up when we have some news. LOL

Michaell

xwesx said:

Michaell said:

We got about the same here in the Denver suburbs. Still snowing, but supposed to stop in the next few hours.

I-25 between Denver and Co Springs was closed for a few hours this morning due to the blowing snow...

Huh. White. Wake me up when we have some news. LOL

What we got today you'd probably consider a dusting.

stever

We had a dusting of snow on the Organs at around 8,000 feet. There's still a skiff of a bit left as I type this. Definitely chilly here, but the "weather" was far enough north for us to miss it.


I knew that Italy had a lot of old infrastructure, dating back to the Romans, but the citizens of Torino really should get a handle on those spewing manholes in their plaza....