Thursday, October 29, 2009
Festus, Roger Rocka's Ruckus, and a Weather Event
Well, good morning, good afternoon or good evening depending on which time zone you are in. For me it has been an eventful time. Most of it was good, some of it I could do without, but for the most part I should not complain as I am still on the right side of the grass.
I apologize for not writing sooner, but unfortunately about the time my creative mode kicked in so did a really bad case of FOOD POISONING and so all my creative energies went south for a little while!!!!!!! {HOPEFULLY NO ONE IS EATING WHILE READING THIS PARAGRAPH?}
Well, now that my excuses have been made it is onward and upward to greater and glorious things such as what have I been doing since my last correspondence. I am sure you have all been waiting with baited/bated????? breath, bad breath or possibly no breath at all. So without further adieu or adon't or a will or a won't, or a should nor should not!!!!!!!!!!!!! See what you all have missed??????? Isn't this fun??????? YUP, Grampa, the wandering writer has turned it on again!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So here I am where I was not before, because I have since journeyed further south and to the East to continue my trip and start writing again. But remember that the stories until I tell you different all took place in a different place and time than where I am now. Obviously I cannot write about what has not happened yet, but I can write about where I was. Now does that make sense or do I need to explain all this, but that is another story.................
So first the Festus Part. I was in Clovis, California which is just east of Fresno and slightly north of Los Angeles. I always like to help the GEOGRAPHICALLY CHALLENGED whenever possible. So as I was saying, I was in Clovis looking for bird houses. Don't ask as that is a story for another time that refers back to a story of another time..... any way I was in Clovis looking for bird houses {didn't I already say that????} when I spotted a statue of Festus, now for those of you who did not know, the character of FESTUS was actually created during the series of HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL {a little trivia there} and then continued on as a character on GUNSMOKE.
Ken Curtis, the man who played Festus was from Clovis and thus the statue in the center of OLD TOWN Clovis.
So after an unsuccessful bird house trip it was on to Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater which I have been to twice before and as always the food was great. This time I saw "HAIRSPRAY" which was hysterical. I always like this place because the actors and the story always seem to end up in the audience eventually, at least part of the show does anyway. The man who played the mother was as good as John Travolta, at least according to my opinion which I have been told by various people at various times in my life is not really worth very much, but I still like to throw it out there anyway, just to see what happens.
And now for the most important part of this story. A little drum roll please!!!!!!! Did you hear the drums??????? Oh well to late.
THE WEATHER EVENT!!!!!!!
I think most of you know where I was and if not, it should not matter that much. I was sitting there watching the news and weather and they come on with
"SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN/BREAKING NEWS"
We are going to be experiencing heavy rains and extreme winds for the next 24 to 36 hours. So anything that is not tied down should be moved inside and there will be sandbags available. Well, I don't know about the rest of the country, but I know down south that means a BIG WIND is on the way!!! Well out here it meant 1 1/2 inches of rain and 15 to 25 mile an hour winds!!!
I ain't making this up folks. It is for real. I actually thought it was joke. Where I live we don't even get the kites out for a breeze like that!!!!!!!
Anyway fast forward 24 hours later and I am watching the news and there are sand bags everywhere and 29,000 people are without power!!!!!!!!!! That evening was the evening I went to Roger Rocka's and some traffic lights were not working!!!!!!!!!!!! I just wonder what would happen if a real weather event like we get ever got here??????????
So that is it for this one. A little trivia, a little fun and a little editorializing??????? Until the next time, from out there somewhere????????????
{;-)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A Train, A drink???????, and Some Trivia
Well, here I am again!!!!!!! Standing before you to stand behind you to tell you something I know nothing about....... So how is that for an opening. Trust me folks, it will only get worse from here.
Since I am where I am and not anyplace else and not going anywhere I figured I would take some time and do some touristy stuff. I am in wine country, but going to a wine tasting every day can be hazardous to your health.
First you have to get there and then you start tasting wine and that averages between 5 and ten tastes or small amounts which you do not want to eat before as that clouds your PALLET?????? {I hope I spelled that right????}, AND THEN, AND THEN, AND THEN,???? "ALONG CAME JONES"!!!!!!! and if you are old enough you will understand, if not find somebody who is cause you can't GOOGLE THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But that is another story.
So I decided that being a tourist of the first order or second order or whatever order you want to be in was in order and I ordered a round whilst I perused {pretty slick wording ain't it} what was available for the tourist to do this time of the year. It was decided to go for a ride on the SUGAR PINE RAILROAD, and what you ask is the SUGAR PINE RAILROAD????? and if you didn't then you should because that would be bad manners and you would hurt my feelings, and I am very sensitive to that sort of thing, but that is another story so I will just assume that everyone asked and make myself feel all mooey gooey inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So it was off toward Yosemite to catch the train which is not really in Yosemite, but really close. Of course me being from Florida and not realizing that I would be 4000 feet!!!!!!!!!!!! up in the air, I only wore a tee shirt and took a hooded sweat shirt. DUMB MOVE!!!!!!! but that was OK because there was ALCOHOL available afterwards to warm the body and soul!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But that is another story.... So everyone gets on the train {see pictures} and we all head off into the woods together. Doesn't this just sound like so much fun or BULLS@#T depending on how you look at it, but remember there is no light, but ALCOHOL at the end of the tunnel!!!!!!! Well, not really a tunnel, but I needed some way to write this and that sounded best????????????
So the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad (YMSPRR) is a historic three-foot narrow gauge railway with two operating steam train locomotives located near Fish Camp, California, in the Sierra National Forest near the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park. Rudy Stauffer organized the YMSPRR in 1961, utilizing historic railroad track, rolling stock and locomotives to construct a tourist line along the historic route of the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company. Service began with the purchase of three-truck Shay locomotive No. 10 from the West Side Lumber Company railway of Tuolumne, California. Built in 1928, No. 10 was recognized as the largest narrow gauge Shay locomotive—and one of the last ever constructed. After his retirement in 1981, Rudy Stauffer was succeeded by his son, Max, as the railroad's owner and operator. In 1986, the YMSPRR purchased Shay No. 15—also a former West Side Lumber Company locomotive—from the West Side & Cherry Valley Railway tourist line in Tuolumne. The two steam locomotives operate daily during the summer months, while the railroad's Model A "Jenny" railcars, capable of carrying about a dozen passengers, typically handle operations during the off-season.
From 1899 to 1931, the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company operated miles of narrow gauge railroad track. During that time, nearly one and a half billion board feet of lumber were harvested from the forests. Five wood burning Shay locomotives hauled massive log trains to the mill over the extensive rail network.
Today, the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad is a restoration of the old narrow gauge Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company Railroad. A section of the original railbed has been reconstructed using the same techniques used at the turn of the century. Two vintage Shay steam locomotives have been brought in from the Westside Lumber company and restored to provide authentic motive power for the trains.
Shay number 15 was built in 1913 and weighs 60 tons. Number 10, built in 1928 weighs 83 tons and is the heaviest operating narrow gauge Shay locomotive today. Railcars once used to provide transportation for logging and track repair crews have been refurbished and are now operated for passenger excursion. Antique Model "A" Ford gas engines power the trolley-like "Jenny" cars over the route.
The trip is approximately 4 miles long as you go around in the woods and well worth the time to get there and go for the ride. Of course after that the alcohol really made the whole trip worth while!!!!!!!!!!! Which brings me to the next part of the trip. THE ALCOHOL!!!!!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After saying good by to the train and the cool weather it was off to DUCEY'S to have some SPIRITS, raise our SPIRITS, and even toast the SPIRITS and maybe even have something to eat. I have been to Ducey's before. It is up in the Sierra's at Bass Lake. Really quite a spot. You can eat out on the Veranda/Deck and view the lake and the mountains and if you are lucky even see a Bald Eagle!!!!!!!!!!!!! all this while you are getting HAMMERED!!!!!!! Now how much more fun could you have, well maybe more, but that would be another story............ Unfortunately, the sun was in the wrong place so every time I took a picture, I just had a white out and besides it is much easier to blame the sun than my drinking!!!!!!!!!!!{;-/
So after a few, well maybe MORE THAN A FEW LIBATIONS it was off to NORTH FORK, California and what you ask and if you did not ask then refer back to PARAGRAPH 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and that is where the TRIVIA part comes in because North Fork is the Geographical center of the state of California Now aren't you all just a little more excited than you were a few sentences ago??????????
Well, now that my fingers are sore, I have had a little to much wine and I am thanking the SPELLING GODS for spell check. I bet you can hardly wait to see what happens next??????? Well, I already know what is next. you all will just have to tune in and find out what is next.........................
FILM AT ELEVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
{;-)
Friday, October 9, 2009
And AWAYYYYYYY I go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The weather turned cold......... How cold was it you ask and even if you don't ask I will tell you!!!!!!!!!! It got so cold that when we talked the words came out frozen and we just took the ice and put it by the heater so it could melt and we could find out what each other said!!!!!!!!!!! Not really, I might be stretching that just a bit, but it did get down to ICE ON THE WINDSHIELD!!!!!!! and that is tooooo cold for me so it was time to head further south.
So I gave notice and told everyone that the CHATEAU TO GO was closing it's doors for the winter and the coffee pot was being loaded up, my clothes were being packed up, Miss Mabel was being loaded up, Blue Boy was being hooked up, and then I got Miss Mabel started up and with a cloud of smoke and a "LET'S BLOW THIS TACO STAND!!!!!!! we all headed on down the road for warmer temperatures.
When I left there I really still was not sure where I would end up until I realized it is still a bit warmer than what I want where I was originally headed so I took a detour and ended up some place else instead.
But along the way it was fun to take a couple of pictures and note a couple of geographical items for those of you who are interested and for those of you who are not. TOO BAD!!!! Read it anyway as it may come up in Trivial Pursuit and then won't you be surprised to know the answer????????????
So first off I went over SISKIYOU PASS at 4310 feet and that is the highest point above sea level on all of I-5. Now isn't that a piece of interesting, but useless information for you trivia buffs???????
Then next came Mt. Shasta which is 14,179 feet high, also called UYTAAHKOO {I can say it, can you?} in KARUK which means WHITE MOUNTAIN and is the second highest peak in the CASCADES. Now aren't you just feeling all warm and fuzzy inside just knowing that, well maybe not knowing, but at least reading that stuff???????
I also saw the SUNDIAL BRIDGE in Redding, Ca. Unfortunately, no pictures as it is located in Redding and taking pictures from a moving vehicle in Redding would have been a not so smart a move!!!!!!!!!!!!
So off to LAKE SHASTA, which for anybody who reads this and has ever been there is a REALLY, REALLY BIG LAKE!!!! But now it is a REALLY, REALLY BIG MUDHOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The water level is 940 feet above sea level. The full lake level is 1067 feet above sea level!!!!!!! The shoreline now is approximately 217 miles. When the lake is full, there are 365 miles of shoreline!!!!!!!!!!!! The boats are on docks that are so far down that the parking lot is now the lake bottom!!!!!!!!!!! YUP, a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY big mudhole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anyway enough of that........ So on I went in search of other interesting, but useless information.
So the next stop or not really a stop, but sort of a pass through was French Camp, California. Not exactly a big hit on the tour bus destinations, but a tine little town located between I-5 and Hiway 99. The community was named after the Hudson's Bay Co. trappers who camped here in the 1830s and 1840s. It is only 20 feet above sea level which puts it just a little higher than where I live. I just thought I would throw that in for grins and giggles!!!!!!! Oh just get over it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, now I am where I am and will be until I leave. Now that is a statement just full of ????????????? truisms........ I have been here long enough that more stories will be coming along for those of you who do not fall asleep reading them. Now aren't we all just really excited????????????
{;-)
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