Road Trip!

fintail

No fancy stuff for me, but I do like to sample local pizza. I have a couple places in mind already. Going out to Ft. Sumter tomorrow, too.

berri

Pizza - better drive your rear up to New York City or Chicago

fintail

In Charleston, which reminds me of Savannah with worse traffic and a weirder street grid.

Lots of NYers have moved south - I've found surprisingly good pizza in Florida, as there's a direct train line from Brooklyn, apparently.

fintail

I didn't drive there of course, but here's a view of Charleston from a cannon hole at Fort Sumter:



Pretty hazy and smoky earlier today - I think from fires in GA which are producing smoke being blown out by offshore winds. You could really smell it at times.

Michaell

That's a nice picture. How is the rental treating you?

fintail

It's been fine. I call it my 2016 Chrysler Newport - it's the modern equivalent of the big and smooth but not expensive car - kind of old school. Performance is more than adequate, mileage is OK for something of its mass, it's comfortable.

xwesx

fintail said:

mileage is OK for something of its mass

For a gasser....

fintail

Indeed. It'd get 10 mpg more on the highway with the little Bluetec engine, but I bet it would be even slower than the E250. It sure feels heavier and larger than the MB, visibility isn't as good either - and the E isn't exactly a fintail in terms of parking ease.

xwesx said:

For a gasser....

fintail

Castillo de San Marcos around sunset today:

berri

Margarita for supper?

fintail

Something like that. Pretty decent hole in the wall pizza place there, too.

Sunset from my hotel room balcony in Daytona Beach:

stever

Nice. We decided to blow off LA this week so thanks for posting an ocean pic.

(in lieu of hitting the car show, I swung by the Kia dealer that's now under new management and got a 2017 Soul brochure. The guy I like is still there although no longer the GM.)

Michaell

stever said:

Nice. We decided to blow off LA this week so thanks for posting an ocean pic.

Was upper 70's today here in Denver. Snow predicted on Thursday, however.

xwesx

Highs in the low 20s here with light snow; it is supposed to be in the single digit (highs) by the weekend. Hopefully we'll start pushing our arctic air down to the midwest by the time December arrives. I could get used to that pattern we had the last two years!

fintail

About 75 here this afternoon, nice day to walk down to the pier (where I snapped this pic)



Long day on the road ahead tomorrow, back to GA.

berri

You'll soon find out that pine trees become as boring as corn stalks.

gagrice

berri said:

You'll soon find out that pine trees become as boring as corn stalks.

My wife really does not like all the trees in Oregon. Born in the CA desert she likes the wide open vistas. She would probably be happy in this place in NM. I posted for Steve a while back. It just came down another $75,000. It is a real bargain if you want to own an historic monument with lots of room. Only 35 miles from Las Cruces, NM.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/105-N-Jose-Serna-St-Hatch-NM-87937/2116818542_zpid/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=emo-propalert-hdp&rtoken=3b5e5028-088a-4a44-9f87-37a035d93925~X1-ZUyw47n4pa9fk9_5i26a

iluvmysephia1

I love that, gagrice. And my wife and I love New Mexico. Buy it and enjoy it - it looks like an abode you can be proud of!

stever

The UP got confining that way sometimes. You'd often feel like you were driving down a tunnel. Living here is a lot like living in Alaska as far as the vistas. The tundra is warmer here.

My wife misses the brown hills of California too.

gagrice

iluvmysephia1 said:

I love that, gagrice. And my wife and I love New Mexico. Buy it and enjoy it - it looks like an abode you can be proud of!

I think back when my folks tried buying the Luna mansion in Los Lunas NM. They were instrumental in getting it on the register as an historic landmark. So it was a permanent place. They could not gather the money to buy it and fix it up. They tried to operate it as a Museum back in the early 1970s. Like so many of their wild plans they lost all their investment. It was finally sold and made into a high class restaurant. Looks like it is under new ownership again. I know the people that owned it when my folks were trying to buy it were not happy that it was made into a permanent historic site. They were planning on tearing it down and building apts. So it was my folks little bit to save some of NM history. The place in Hatch is also protected. Probably why it has not sold. Too far from Costco and Walmart. Lots of farm markets though.

iluvmysephia1

A place like that torn down? Pfft. Good for them for protecting it. A lot of homes made since the 1970's are junk...built too quickly and without enough skilled carpenters. Not those casa's!

fintail

Oh don't I know it. Thanks heavens for XM Radio to keep me awake. Long drive today, left Daytona around sunrise, now in Atlanta.

berri said:

You'll soon find out that pine trees become as boring as corn stalks.

gagrice

iluvmysephia1 said:

A place like that torn down? Pfft. Good for them for protecting it. A lot of homes made since the 1970's are junk...built too quickly and without enough skilled carpenters. Not those casa's!

The walls in the Luna mansion are over a foot thick. It is a cool place. I really thought about getting financially involved. I just did not want to end up with a big expense in NM, while I was living and working in Alaska. The place in Hatch is far more tempting. It would probably make a great retreat or B&B with the right people running it. I would buy as an investment and a place to spend a little time during the Chili harvest season. Not likely but fun to think about. Probably worth a few days road trip in the diesel this winter. Stay at our favorite Hampton Inn at Deming. Explore a bit from there.

fintail

Sunrise at Daytona Beach today:



Now I am back in GA

berri

If you're flying back to SEA tomorrow better not wait a long time to use the lavatory, may be rather choppy with plenty of seatbelt light ups. Some weather transitions taking place over the nation's midsection and heading east.

fintail

I can hold it I don't mind a little turbulence, adds some variety.

Upper 70s here today, back to the rain and low 50s in under 2 days.

fintail

Morning in Atlanta from my hotel room (you can really see the smoke in the air from the wildfires to the north), 77 right now per the NWS app on my phone:



It'll be 25+ degrees cooler and a bit wetter when I return home.

berri

Quick drive over to the Smokies Tthe southern cities like that can also be kind of hazy during the hot, humid summer weather without the fires.

It's not the up and down turbulence, it's the sideways stuff that ain't fun.

fintail

And now I am done with this road trip, car is returned and I will be going home soon. Farewell to the Russian dashcam style driving environment, hello to the slow motion PNW parade.

fintail

Last pic from the trip - nice view looking towards downtown Seattle from Kirkland:

berri

Sea-Tac - long, winding approaches in and out of clouds. I swear that area has more microclimates than Florida.

gagrice

fintail: Last pic from the trip - nice view looking towards downtown Seattle from Kirkland:

I have flown in and out of Seatac over 100 times and it always looks different. Good shot across the wing tip.

Michaell

Great looking picture. My last trip to SeaTac was 2002, IIRC. Business trip to Bellingham. Rented a crappy Chevy Cavalier. Ugh.

fintail

I usually don't snap shots from the window, but it was pretty photogenic yesterday.

I haven't flown into Seatac 100 times , but it seems there's a different route each time. This time we approached directly from the south, and made a U-turn over the eastside/north Seattle area.

The Cruze one would get today instead of a Cavalier must feel like a Lexus in comparison.

Michaell

fintail said:

I usually don't snap shots from the window, but it was pretty photogenic yesterday.

I haven't flown into Seatac 100 times , but it seems there's a different route each time. This time we approached directly from the south, and made a U-turn over the eastside/north Seattle area.

The Cruze one would get today instead of a Cavalier must feel like a Lexus in comparison.

Having rented a Cruze a few years ago, I completely agree.

iluvmysephia1

I love looking at Mt.Hood, Adams, St.Helens and the Big Daddy, Mt.Rainier when flying in to Sea-Tac Airport. Love Seattle, just not the lack of highway infrastructure.

fintail

No mountain views this trip, ceilings were too low.

Seattle is great from an environmental/scenery standpoint, and the dreary weather can have its pros, too. The job market is also one of the best. Too bad about the traffic, infrastructure, crooked housing market, insane cost of living, stuffy locals and arrogant transplants, etc.

iluvmysephia1

No mountain views this trip, ceilings were too low.

Seattle is great from an environmental/scenery standpoint, and the dreary weather can have its pros, too. The job market is also one of the best. Too bad about the traffic, infrastructure, crooked housing market, insane cost of living, stuffy locals and arrogant transplants, etc.

You know these things because you're there, what you say about Seattle is the honest truth. I can't afford ta live in my city of birth, and I have two sisters living in western Washington and one in the Okanogan region of eastern Washington. Gorgeous area - Okanogan region, too.

You're right about the "stuffy locals," too. Some call it part of the Seattle "freeze." They're talking about the dating scene, how women are very difficult ta deal with in the Seattle area. Housing is insanely expensive, there are many special interest groups there..."liberalism" has themes of this nature, yes, without getting in to a large political discussion on Edmunds forums, just suffice to say that pretty much any and every lifestyle is accepted in Seattle.

Arrogant transplants? Can you dig the "slow fade" car lane change without the turn signal being on thing I always talk about? Arrogant transplantitis could be ta blame for that one.

fintail

I hear ya. I have what I consider a decent job and salary, and I can't afford a detached house in a non-demilitarized zone within a reasonable commuting distance from where I work. And even the ones in the middle of Fort Apache, The Bronx are inflating. Lots of dirty money at play in the market here. I can afford shoebox condos or apartment conversions with HOAs the price of a lease on a nice German entry lux car though, fun times. Should I be lucky enough to make it that far, I could see myself retiring to eastern WA though. As you mention, it is beautiful over there too, a lot more affordable, and I like the more distinct seasonal weather. Sadly, the job market isn't so good.

The Seattle freeze is a real thing. I think it is a combination of the traditionally northern European background of people here (people are just as "cool" (not in a fun way) in Scandinavia and Germany, too), and being wary about newbies who have forced change here. Add to that the amount of people who constantly moan about how much better they had it when living in "Cali", and I want to scream "go back then, we don't need you". Sadly, I think they will eventually turn this place into SF or LA, and not in a good way.

I don't blame transplants for the drivers though, I think slow timid plodding driving has been a local phenomenon. Aggressive driving and lack of signals, I might give them that

iluvmysephia1 said:

No mountain views this trip, ceilings were too low.

Seattle is great from an environmental/scenery standpoint, and the dreary weather can have its pros, too. The job market is also one of the best. Too bad about the traffic, infrastructure, crooked housing market, insane cost of living, stuffy locals and arrogant transplants, etc.

You know these things because you're there, what you say about Seattle is the honest truth. I can't afford ta live in my city of birth, and I have two sisters living in western Washington and one in the Okanogan region of eastern Washington. Gorgeous area - Okanogan region, too.

You're right about the "stuffy locals," too. Some call it part of the Seattle "freeze." They're talking about the dating scene, how women are very difficult ta deal with in the Seattle area. Housing is insanely expensive, there are many special interest groups there..."liberalism" has themes of this nature, yes, without getting in to a large political discussion on Edmunds forums, just suffice to say that pretty much any and every lifestyle is accepted in Seattle.

Arrogant transplants? Can you dig the "slow fade" car lane change without the turn signal being on thing I always talk about? Arrogant transplantitis could be ta blame for that one.

iluvmysephia1

I don't blame transplants for the drivers though, I think slow timid plodding driving has been a local phenomenon. Aggressive driving and lack of signals, I might give them that

Yeah, you know fin, this one I might be reaching on a bit. I have heard the "slow fade" blamed on Seattle driver's "passive aggressive" driving habits on social media - just recently read that as an explanation. So it could be a combination of several factors. I'll need ta just get over it - get used to it and be fortunate I don't have to pick myself up off of the ground after a crash. Or something. Not gonna call this a rant but it is over.

berri

Isn't that housing being inflated by Chinese based investors? Probably worse now that Canada put a 15% (I think)tax on foreign real estate purchases in places like Vancouver and Victoria. I think many Asians like hard assets and real estate fits the bill nicely for them. As India develops, it will probably become the next wave down the road. Over time that may help Midwestern and southern technology centers as PNW becomes another Silicon Valley cost of living wise.

stever

After my wreck in the van today, I guess we should have gone to LA instead of blowing that trip off and vegging around the house.

The traffic cop was nice - from Puget Sound. Probably moved here to get away from the crazy drivers, lol.

fintail

There's already Indian money coming in. It's amusing to ask those of Indian descent who have been here awhile what they think about that money. The Chinese money has been coming in for some time, no questions asked, but a bit of it probably via means that would land you in prison here. IMO, it should be taxed here too, and even higher. If we are going to be the escape route for the corrupt and a money laundering center, we should at least fund some public infrastructure with it.

I predict this will be Silicon Valley part II, not a good place to take a road trip unless you like high prices and even higher traffic volumes.

berri said:

Isn't that housing being inflated by Chinese based investors? Probably worse now that Canada put a 15% (I think)tax on foreign real estate purchases in places like Vancouver and Victoria. I think many Asians like hard assets and real estate fits the bill nicely for them. As India develops, it will probably become the next wave down the road. Over time that may help Midwestern and southern technology centers as PNW becomes another Silicon Valley cost of living wise.

xwesx

stever said:

After my wreck in the van today, I guess we should have gone to LA instead of blowing that trip off and vegging around the house.

The traffic cop was nice - from Puget Sound. Probably moved here to get away from the crazy drivers, lol.

I'm not sure that link is the one you think it is. Honda CR-V page?

stever

oops, fixed. Brain must be a bit rattled. Doesn't explain the rest of the time though....

gagrice

Fintail: Add to that the amount of people who constantly moan about how much better they had it when living in "Cali", and I want to scream "go back then, we don't need you". Sadly, I think they will eventually turn this place into SF or LA, and not in a good way.

The migration North has been going on for a very long time. I was ready to get out of California in the mid 1960s. Had transfers in with Pac Bell in Oregon and Idaho. The offer to go to Alaska came first and the rest is history. The Problem was people left CA because of High COL, heavy handed regulations and red tape, and took it with them North. They mostly settled in Portland and Seattle. So you now have CA repression with PNW rain and gloomy weather. I am sure it is depressing.

Why do people leave places to get away from unpleasantness, and then try to make their new home like their old one??????

The go to place now is Idaho. Many of our friends & Family are happily in Boise and Moscow ID.

gagrice

fintail said:

There's already Indian money coming in. It's amusing to ask those of Indian descent who have been here awhile what they think about that money. The Chinese money has been coming in for some time, no questions asked, but a bit of it probably via means that would land you in prison here. IMO, it should be taxed here too, and even higher. If we are going to be the escape route for the corrupt and a money laundering center, we should at least fund some public infrastructure with it.

I predict this will be Silicon Valley part II, not a good place to take a road trip unless you like high prices and even higher traffic volumes.

berri said:

Isn't that housing being inflated by Chinese based investors? Probably worse now that Canada put a 15% (I think)tax on foreign real estate purchases in places like Vancouver and Victoria. I think many Asians like hard assets and real estate fits the bill nicely for them. As India develops, it will probably become the next wave down the road. Over time that may help Midwestern and southern technology centers as PNW becomes another Silicon Valley cost of living wise.

This explains a lot:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-21/cheer-up-america-1-700-millionaires-are-minted-every-day

fintail

That's right. Funny thing too - as western WA and OR become more like CA, eastern WA/OR/ID will become more like the west side - much to the chagrin of the locals (of course, they won't complain when they are able to sell the houses they bought for nothing for a windfall sum, just like the lucky generation on the west side).

Funny bloomberg link, trickle down won't save us, it fails in every application.

These explain a lot, too- take a road trip to see some of the craziest markets in the western world:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/foreign-investors-pose-threat-to-residential-real-estate-2015-06-15

http://globalnews.ca/news/2804304/vancouvers-real-estate-is-fueled-by-a-money-laundering-bubble-market-analyst/

gagrice said:

Why do people leave places to get away from unpleasantness, and then try to make their new home like their old one??????

The go to place now is Idaho. Many of our friends & Family are happily in Boise and Moscow ID.

stever

Boise is a nice town. Probably better for families than singles though. I noticed that lift tickets were up to $59 at Bogus this season. Cheap.

Lots of great funky drives up the Hells Canyon country, and around Lewiston, not to mention the forest service roads around the Middle Fork and Main Salmon.

iluvmysephia1

The go to place now is Idaho. Many of our friends & Family are happily in Boise and Moscow ID.

I would not disagree with southern Idaho but would pick northern Idaho, personally. Beautiful state, gorgeous, actually.