Road Trip!

xwesx

fintail said:

I am just a little sketchy

Oh, don't be so modest!

fintail

Felt somewhat like Seattle in December or January. I see they are getting nailed by rain and wind, just as things are clearing up a little here. No complaints, I have another week

xwesx

Yeah, a big storm is rolling out of Siberia and pushing everything in front of it. Not sure if that is what is causing Seattle's stormy weather, but it sure wouldn't surprise me. It's covered nearly all of Alaska over the weekend (and into today!).

cdnpinhead

I've driven rental cars on business to some of these places, particularly Salzburg & Vienna -- enjoy looking at your photos. My favourite season to travel is late Sep - early Oct, and even then the weather isn't always what you'd like.

berri

Hmm, Oktoberfest

fintail

I'd like a good "Arctic Outbreak" this winter. I remember we had a memone in November 2010, just as I was returning from another trip - snow closed Seatac, and I was stuck in Vancouver. Then once I got their, my ride chickened out, I took a taxi, and it crashed on 405. Fun day!

fintail

I was more than happy not having a car in Vienna, amazing transport. The train ride to Germany was relaxing, too. It's fun to have a car now, of course.

The reality of the autobahn, morning rush hour:

xwesx

So, what car do you have?! Gotta love those open roads....!

cdnpinhead

There are still areas where it's possible to open it up on the Autobahn, but they're becoming fewer and more remote. Then, to add to the mix, there's lots of construction delays in areas that might otherwise be wide open. My first visit to Germany in 2001 was far different to my most recent one a year or so ago -- glad I was able to see it more like it was in the good old days.

fintail

I think a big issue is truck traffic. In the olden days, it wasn't nearly as bad. Opening up Europe put Germany at the nerve center of truck-based shipping, and the roads are packed. Trucks have been banned from Autobahns on Sundays for some time, to give a little break.

There's also a Seattle-style issue of traffic growth outpacing road expansion. A lot of effort is made to maintain, but expansion is slower. Today on Autobahns in the southwest, there was plenty of construction, but probably not to add capacity - if anything, a lot of it seemed to be in lower volume areas. I suspect a lot of these roads were planned when there was less population, and fewer people owned cars. Planners being a step behind is likely a universal idea.

Cold morning when I set out around dawn. Morning traffic was as expected:



Heavy frost and temps in the 20s F once outside of the city. Some areas even appeared to have light snow. This pic turned out OK for being snapped out of a car window at speed:



I visited a special place, where I parted with some money:

fintail

Oh, just a typical rental sled

xwesx said:

So, what car do you have?! Gotta love those open roads....!

xwesx

LOL! Holy heck. That's gorgeous! I don't know that I could live with something like that over the long run, but as a rental? Wowza!

fintail

Yep, it was a surprise. Worth the small upgrade free from the modestly optioned 430i they had for me. Not an expense I planned for, but enjoy it while you can, right? This rental won't be forgotten.

I couldn't live with it as a DD though. Not a car for road trips with the tiny trunk, iffy sight lines and no fun to drive in tight spaces. I've taken a liking to driving with the top down just so I can see better, the blind spots with the top up are yuuuuge.

kyfdx

I'm pretty sure I can get Lindt at Kroger.

fintail

Not this stuff

Some of it is only available at the factory store. Shockingly busy place.

tifighter

I did a day at the Lindt factory outside Zurich. Got to make Lindor truffles and other chocolates. It was "totally OD on chocolate" day. We were told that we cannot get the stengli batons filled with schnapps in the US. In Europe, they can't get the peanut butter truffles that we get. Funny, as the factory guide got pretty worked about them not getting the peanut butter stuff. The grass is always greener, I guess.

gagrice

We have Sees candy, Not impressed by the Lindt Chocolates I have tried.

fintail

IIRC, peanut butter Lindor aren't made anymore, something about people who are allergic. A shame, as their peanut butter was amazing, insanely smooth. I saw those batons, too. There's a range that doesn't seem to be sold here, and some US market items are now made in the US. Not sure if it matters. The Lindt outlet store is cool, and the factory seconds are the bargains.

Took a not too long trip to MB Museum and Gottlieb Daimler memorial today, but I didn't drive the beast - damp morning, lazy, parking is tough, and actually quicker to use transit here. Had it been a top down morning, I might have reconsidered.

berri

Oh c'mon - you are scared of British makes in the rain

fintail

I'll admit I kind of crossed my fingers that it would start and wouldn't be full of water after the car wash

Drove around for about 6 hours today - was going to go to a small car museum a couple hours away, but it was closed when I arrived, doh. I took the back roads there, aside from a few dawdlers, it was fun. Then got into some unrestricted Autobahn on the way back, had some triple digit speeds for a bit - interesting with the top down. Then after about 10 minutes, this:



So I pulled off and got back on the back roads, which was more fun, being able to listen to the exhaust and drive through little towns. I'll be headed out again in the morning, hopefully lighter traffic and good weather. I drove with the top down the entire time today.

Here's the car at a Rasthof on the Autobahn, where I raised the top when I went in for a break:



Someone commented on the top up styling, it resembles an Aston Martin to me, with the top up. Really, the car seems to be like a "budget" (but still quite expensive) Aston in a way.

berri

Fin, you need to get to Sweden one of these days. Those quirky old Saab's, some of the old Volvo's were neat in their own way and of course, a large following of old Detroit iron.

fintail

Summer would be the time to go there. I think it would be like Germany in a way - go to the country with car, or city without a car, as I doubt one is needed in Stockholm.

fintail

Back in America, what fun it is to drive here. I didn't need to honk once on the trip, I didn't make it 10 miles here until I had to do it. So many distracted inept idiots, such insane traffic controls. We do have nice wide roads, rights on red, and cheap fuel anyway.

fintail

Cleaning out pics from the trip, here's a memory from Prague, Audi gonna Audi:

fintail

Took a drive up and back down 405 and 5 today - it's like slow motion compared to Germany. It's really apparent at interchanges, or anywhere where people need to change lanes - lots of timid dilly-dallying. I suspect it might be a PNW thing more than an American thing. Only one horn honk from me, maybe a little jerky, but people need to do something or get off the pot

The Bluetec also feels like riding on a cloud compared to the Jaaag. Not the same top down fun, but it was raining anyway.

Michaell

fintail said:

Took a drive up and back down 405 and 5 today - it's like slow motion compared to Germany. It's really apparent at interchanges, or anywhere where people need to change lanes - lots of timid dilly-dallying. I suspect it might be a PNW thing more than an American thing. Only one horn honk from me, maybe a little jerky, but people need to do something or get off the pot

The Bluetec also feels like riding on a cloud compared to the Jaaag. Not the same top down fun, but it was raining anyway.

I don't think it's a PNW thing - interchanges always seem to cause confusion for a majority of drivers in most major cities.

fintail

Maybe it helps that I always know where I am going, well, most of the time

The move around here is panic, hit signal, slam on brakes. Traffic behind you, well, they aren't really there.

Michaell said:

I don't think it's a PNW thing - interchanges always seem to cause confusion for a majority of drivers in most major cities.

fintail

Nowadays I am on the road more in the dark, and see an alarming amount of cars without lights. Lexus seem to be the prime local offender - do these people dink around with the settings and not know what they have done? I can somewhat excuse older cars, but those with automatic lights, owner error 100%.

xwesx

fintail said:

Nowadays I am on the road more in the dark, and see an alarming amount of cars without lights. Lexus seem to be the prime local offender - do these people dink around with the settings and not know what they have done? I can somewhat excuse older cars, but those with automatic lights, owner error 100%.

Toyota products in general. Yep. These are the most frequent offenders here, too... particularly Toyota pickups! These drivers seem to like their huge parking lights (by themselves!)....

iluvmysephia1

I pass those Toyota products on my way to work down Highway 97-A all the time. You can tell their regular headlamps are off. It's really annoying and something I will not do with my Toyota product.

xwesx

iluvmysephia1 said:

I pass those Toyota products on my way to work down Highway 97-A all the time. You can tell their regular headlamps are off. It's really annoying and something I will not do with my Toyota product.

You're a good man, iluv.

iluvmysephia1

Thank you, xwesx. My desire to get a 2017 Toyota Yaris iA 6-speed stick in the Chromium color is not going away at all. In fact, I am only wanting the small Japanese product more with each passing day.

fintail

Iluv, does your dreamboat Toyota have auto lights?

And to that xwesx, I see numerous parking lights and DRLs in the dark, too.

iluvmysephia1

It has daytime headlights. I still need to learn all about the car. Like stick did with his Elantra, I'm going to try and read the owners manual from cover ta cover. 

Michaell

The MINI and the Subaru have automatic lights, which are permanently set to the right position.

The Jetta has an old fashioned switch - either on or off. No parking light choice.

xwesx

Michaell said:

The MINI and the Subaru have automatic lights, which are permanently set to the right position.

The Jetta has an old fashioned switch - either on or off. No parking light choice.

Subaru and Toyota have had the ability to "set and forget" lights for decades. It shocks me that others do not! On my Q7, if I have it set to "on" rather than "auto", it will scream at me when I shut down the car and open the door. On our rental Escape, it does the same, but at least shuts off the lights anyway. On my Fiesta, it would not shut off the lights, plus it would scream at me, and it would also allow the lights to fully drain the battery rather than shut off. LOL

My preference is to always drive with lights on.

cdnpinhead

For whatever it's worth, I spent several years driving in Taiwan in the '90s and was surprised at how long everyone over there took to turn on their headlights. I tend to do it as soon as the sun goes down, but those folks preferred civil or nautical twilight ending (look it up) before they would even consider turning on their headlights. Maybe they thought they were saving fuel (which is true, but it's miniscule). There were a lot of other driving practices that aren't followed anywhere else I've driven, but many of them make sense. I still make reference to driving "Taiwan rules."

slorenzen

cdnpinhead said:

For whatever it's worth, I spent several years driving in Taiwan in the '90s and was surprised at how long everyone over there took to turn on their headlights. I tend to do it as soon as the sun goes down, but those folks preferred civil or nautical twilight ending (look it up) before they would even consider turning on their headlights. Maybe they thought they were saving fuel (which is true, but it's miniscule). There were a lot of other driving practices that aren't followed anywhere else I've driven, but many of them make sense. I still make reference to driving "Taiwan rules."

Some of those other "driving practices" include driving on the sidewalks when convenient. I almost had my elbow broken by an outside mirror of a car in Taipei. I was nowhere near the actual lane. The guy kept going...

fintail

Come drive around Bellevue, many new arrivals bring their skills with them.

Only one non-lights car this evening, a Leaf (another offender, EVs - the dopey owners thinking it will help their minuscule range, no doubt). Lots of non-signalers out there too.

berri

I've noticed the auto headlight setting on my Toyota does not turn the lights on a quickly as my other vehicles. So might have something to do with it. But that is a sunset or rainy day thing, not a "dark" sky thing.

xwesx

One no-lights vehicle noticed today. It had its markers on, though! And, you guessed it.... a Toyota Tacoma.

I need to post a few pics of my road trip from last week!

fintail

Saw 4 while jogging after 5pm in the rain - late 90s Astro cargo van (parking lights), late 00s Accord (DRLs), late 00s Sequoia (parking lights - I motioned to the driver, no response), and a late model Optima with nothing.

xwesx

fintail said:

Saw 4 while jogging after 5pm in the rain - late 90s Astro cargo van (parking lights), late 00s Accord (DRLs), late 00s Sequoia (parking lights - I motioned to the driver, no response), and a late model Optima with nothing.

Well, given the traffic volume differentials between our areas, I'd say that was a good evening for you!

fintail

Highlights tonight, ~1 hour after sunset:

X3: nothing, Elantra: nothing (I motioned to the driver and he turned on the lights), Prius: nothing, 2x CRV: 1 parking lights, 1 DRLs, Explorer: DRLs, Mazda 3: DRLs, mid 00s Malibu: parking lights, Leaf: parking lights I think.

Also saw a C-class cabrio gloriously honk a Kia (IIRC) that got stuck in a straight only lane, wanted to turn, so it just froze when the light turned green. Sorry dopey, you should just go forward and turn around, rather than holding up dozens of cars.

xwesx

fintail said:

Highlights tonight, ~1 hour after sunset:

X3: nothing, Elantra: nothing (I motioned to the driver and he turned on the lights), Prius: nothing, 2x CRV: 1 parking lights, 1 DRLs, Explorer: DRLs, Mazda 3: DRLs, mid 00s Malibu: parking lights, Leaf: parking lights I think.

Also saw a C-class cabrio gloriously honk a Kia (IIRC) that got stuck in a straight only lane, wanted to turn, so it just froze when the light turned green. Sorry dopey, you should just go forward and turn around, rather than holding up dozens of cars.

Fin, you're really getting into this headlight thing! You should start a blog!

I don't want to start on all my road-related frustrations. I might turn this into the "Inconsiderate Drivers" thread. Maybe, "Inconsiderate Thread Hijackers Anonymous?"

fintail

It's something fun to do while jogging. I usually keep track of visible dashcams (still quite few out there) or phone yappers, but it is tougher in the dark. Or I could keep track of the millions in revenue streams that could be generated if turn signal (and phone usage laws were enforced.

I don't recall getting as much as an acknowledgement when I asked about the old Inconsiderate Drivers thread, so no skin off my back - it either reached a maximum amount of posts, or offended a sensitive soul.

Looks like there's a software hiccup this morning, I wonder if this will post 3 times.

xwesx said:

Fin, you're really getting into this headlight thing! You should start a blog!

I don't want to start on all my road-related frustrations. I might turn this into the "Inconsiderate Drivers" thread. Maybe, "Inconsiderate Thread Hijackers Anonymous?"

fintail

Only 2 dummies tonight - QX60 with parking lights, Altima (IIRC) with nothing.

Also spotted a Rolls-Royce Ghost with a "driver" holding a phone and yapping (time for progressive fines!), and a typical Tesla driver making an unsignalled turn then veering across 2 lanes in the other direction with no signal - must have traded a BMW for his edgy normcore egg (ditto!)

And on the drive home, saw this mess - Jeep was mangled, probably a 25-30mph impact into the truck:

https://youtu.be/2dahVnmt2AA

fintail

Today's tally - 2x Camry: nothing, Prius: nothing, Maxima: parking lights, Fit: parking lights or really dim DRLs, Pilot: parking lights, Odyssey: nothing or DRLs/parking lights (only saw rear).

Easy commute too, which was weird.

xwesx

Some freezing rain here last night. For a little while, it made even a trip into town seem like a "Road Trip!" I was even able to perform my first vehicle recovery of the season, though I was snubbed on three others....

xwesx

Oh, and FINALLY have access to photos from our Oregon trip. Here is a panorama from Harris Beach, just north of Brookings, Oregon: