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We got another email from our hotel yesterday, saying they don't have any oil on their beaches and to come on down. I suppose they hadn't received the latest news on the oils arrival time. I don't see how this won't bankrupt BP, all of the lost revenue from hotels, fishermen, putt putt courses, go cart tracks, amusement parks, fruit stands. Florida will take a heavy economic hit.
There is, through reinsurance treaties, adequate funds to be available for legitimate claims.
As a native Californian I agree with most of what you say. I tell people who have sticker shock on the property that they are paying for the weather and the ability to have a large variety of activities within driving range.
But I would disagree that even San Diego has any warm water beaches. Water rarely gets over 70 degrees, even in late summer. So it looks nice but is still pretty cold. Not nearly as warm as the eastern seaboard.
Some of my favorite California locations are Yosemite National Park (almost a reverently beautiful place), Muir Woods, and Joshua Tree National Park.
Of course, in the "old days" people wore bathing suits in LA that you couldn't roll up and hide in a shirt pocket! :P
I was in Anchorage when the Exxon Valdez hit and then took a long road trip shortly after. Every Fezo in New Jersey (where Captain Hazelwood is from) would see our Alaska plates and wave like crazy. Their way of saying sorry I guess - we sure appreciated the gestures.
Remediation is a bit of a joke. I went back north in 2005 and went sea kayaking out east of Seward AK. Most of the beaches up there are shale-like and you'd think they'd be easy to clean. And they look clean. I dug down a few inches and found oily stuff. Lots of species still haven't recovered to pre-spill numbers.
I bet the only way to clean the sand is to bulldoze it, cart it off and landfill or burn it. Forget trying to clean the mangrove swamps and wetlands.
I only wish I had a sportier handling vehicle than our Jeep Patriot.
I'd recommend this drive to any car buffs. It's really worth doing it!
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Head south from San Francisco and you wouldn't hate that one little bit either - at least until you were closing in on LA.
+1 on that comment, fezo. Anything south of Santa Barbara and you'll be in perpetual gridlock until you get to the Mexican border.
Drove from my hometown just north of LA to Eureka on vacation once ... 12+ hours to do the whole drive (of course, I did get lost in SF for a bit). Nice scenery north of SF.
Next trip down there I'll make it a point to go down the coast from San Fran to LA.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Right now we're not sure what we're going to do. If there are only a few tar balls floating around, we may give it a go. We've always enjoyed taking the kids to the ocean... bouncing back and forth from the beach to the hotel pools. I thought maybe trying Daytona beach on the Atlantic. I would think their beaches may be safe for another couple of months. If that oil goes down one side of Florida and up the other, as some have said it will, then may be many years before anyone wants to step foot again on those beaches.
I bet the only way to clean the sand is to bulldoze it, cart it off and landfill or burn it
I read an article a few days ago about microbes eating the oil, and how certain chemicals can increase their growth. Don't know... but I would think the warmer waters of the Gulf would help break down the oil quicker than the colder waters, where the Exxon Valdez spill happened.
Yes. Exactly.
Give me unlimited money and I think that's where I land.
The good thing about Florida is that you can drive across it in a couple of hours from some spots. And there's always the Disney stuff I guess. John Pennekamp State Park is a good snorkeling site.
We're trying to bug out for Taos again soon and hit the other 100 weaving shops we missed the last trip.
So moving inland a bit, you might find something affordable, by California standards I mean. But you'll be in the boonies, like you were in the Ozarks or something.
There are some fun things in Big Sur, though---*great* camping spots (to die for), the quirky Henry Miller Museum, and of course the Ambrosia Burger at Nepenthe restaurant high on the cliffs. Affordable lodging can be found at Deetjens (http://www.deetjens.com/) but they are funky places---warm weather lodging as you can sometimes peek through the walls. Also, in Monterey, you can stay for pretty cheap at Asilomar, a former YWCA camp---also in a beautiful spot and a short bike ride right to the Monterey Bay Aquarium or Spanish Bay golf club. (I don't think you want to pay the link fees for Pebble Beach :surprise: )
I had a 1980 Datsun 200SX and took it down 101 and 1. I was soooo looking forward to all those turns in something somewhat sporty (especially compared to the car and trailer I was in with my parents as a kid).
It is very fun... until you get stuck behind an RV... which happens quite a bit. If you are a passenger and are prone to getting car sick, best to drive just a portion of it. I discovered that when I was the passenger I couldn't read anything... had to keep my eyes on the road. :sick:
So you better be good.
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At least I could LAUGH at Lawrence Welk.
A passport is a good idea to have anyway, makes domestic flight security easier too.
I've never had a hassle at the border, maybe because of what I drive or maybe I just look innocent. Rarely more than asking about where I live, where I was, and how long I was there/am going to be there. Never been searched or anything like that.
When I was in school I once made the crossing with a friend, who was a Taiwanese national. This was before 9/11 and the reactionary measures forced by it, and it was a headache even then.
Don't let them read your posts at Edmunds!
:P
How do we know they don't already have you? You might be posting under duress! These things don't happen by chance you know! :P
Are you really Hillary Clinton in disguise? :shades:
I got lost once in El Paso back in the early 70's trying to find the parking lot for the pedestrian bridge to Juarez. I wound up on the international bridge and when I saw Mexican customs ahead, I did a U-Turn right on the bridge.
US Customs asked me how long I had been in Mexico and I said about a minute. Uh-huh. It took me an hour to get back to the parking lot while they searched through everything. :P
Driving a '69 VW Bus probably didn't help either....
And there was the canoe trip in the early 80's where 4 of us drove two cars stuffed with gear with canoes on top through the Beaver Creek customs station in the Yukon. I stopped and exchanged pleasantries with the agent and then headed a mile down the road to the roadhouse for dinner. Ten minutes later our friends showed up and I asked them if they had any trouble with customs. She said no, she just waved and drove on through.
I told her she better go back and check in. Customs hadn't called it in yet, but it was good that she went back. I'd hate to think what would happen if you tried that today.
They'd probably shoot to kill today...but it would be impossible to breeze right through as public sector efficiency (like crossings staffed way under capacity during major holiday weekends) these days would ensure a line at any time.
This is the first trip in forever that we've had to deal with cats. So we crated them up and drove straight here from Boise. Took about 17 hours, including food and gas breaks. Not our usual mode of travel, but we had beautiful weather and the moon was mostly full. The last time we did this trip we took 2 days coming and going.
Passed one single vehicle injury wreck around Salt Lake City, and it was the first time I can ever remember the rubberneckers speeding up as we got close to the wreck to get on their way. Lots of road construction too, but we never had to wait nor had to slow down much below 40mph.
The only scary part was the last half hour after 11 pm going over the last pass in some good timber country - lots of mule deer out so I kept it around 45 and had to firmly break for critters twice.
Should be a fun place to hang out for a few weeks.