Random Thoughts – Page 3 – Singin' One's Journeys

September 6, 2020 by traveler 0

Bidding a Fond Farewell (Pt. 1)

My 2006 Food 500, which I’ve dubbed the Red Barron (or RB for short) because of the way she handled herself on the road and anywhere I deigned to take her, and I have been through a lot since I bought her in 2009. I’ve noted many of our road adventures on this site and its predecessor at https://singin1.wordpress.com. I’d hoped we would have many more road trips still to experience, but then it turned that RB was in the wrong place at the wrong time during a drecho that hit Iowa on Monday morning, August 10. This New York Times article described the extensive damage throughout the area. I was blessed to be at home inside a structure that provided plenty of protection from the storm’s destructive forces. Other than the experience of being without power for four days, I was just fine. RB was not so fortunate.…

Yosemite on Fire!!

In 2014, I had the thrilling opportunity to drive through the northwestern United States, a tale shared in pictures and words on my old : //singin1.wordpress.com/category/goin-west-2014/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Singin' One on the Road blog. Though time was running short at that point in my trip, I made it my business to stop at the Yosemite National Park.

: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Yosemite2014.jpg" alt="" width="1160" height="412" />

I took the bus tour of the park, which was not terribly crowded because it was early June and the public schools were still in session, and drove RB up to Glacier Point. Although I had only spent a few hours there, the park became my favorite of all those I've visited over the years.

So, it was distressing to hear that : //www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-yosemite-fires-closures-20170831-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the park is on fire. The Park Service has updated information on its site, and regional newspapers are reporting it along with other California summer blazes.

The site below is also posting news and images from the fire:

https: //snowbrains.com/yosemite-national-park-ca-fire-highway-41-glacier-point-rd-closed/

(View this : //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Yosemite-Fire-2017-Snow-Reports.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">.pdf file if the link doesn't work)Reports suggest the fires were not the results of arson, and I'm glad to know that no human got the idea to destroy such a beautiful site. However, a fire in a major national park would normally have made national news, but these are not normal times. The arrival and damaging impact of Hurricane Harvey to Houston, Texas, and surrounding areas--as well as the misadventures of the current president of the United States--have driven stories like this off the front pages of newspapers outside the park's region. I only learned about the fire because I happened to read a story in the New York Times online version about the darker history of Yosemite.

Most of the park is open, but visitors are advised to limit their outdoor activities even in those open areas because of the smoky air conditions. Since this is the Labor Day weekend, I'm sure there are a lot of people who either decided not to visit Yosemite or who have found their plans significantly affected. My prayers for the safety of those fighting the fires, and my hopes that all will be well again soon.

May 6, 2017 by traveler 0

Random Thoughts

Taking a moment to Check a List

This page claims to have the perfect road trip to see the most sites in the continental United States: http://shareably.net/perfect-road-trip-map-v1.com Well, my journeys have been far more circuitous over the years, but seeing the list has inspired me to compile form it a list of places I have not visited for future consideration. Here goes: 2. Bryce Canyon National Park, UT 3. Craters of the Moon National Monument, ID 5. Pikes Peak, CO 6. Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM 7. The Alamo, TX 8. The Platt Historic District, OK 9. Toltec Mounds, AR 11. Vicksburg National Military Park, MS 13. USS Alabama, AL 15. Okefenokee Swamp Park, GA 16. Fort Sumter National Monument, SC 17. Lost World Caverns, WV 18. Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center, NC 19. Mount Vernon, VA 20. White House, Washington, DC 22. New Castle Historic District, Delaware 23. Cape May Historic District, NJ 24. Liberty…

Historical Destruction

One of the last posts I posted on my Iowa?!? travel blog was a recounting of my trips last May to the six Bridges of Madison County--yes, the ones upon which the book and 1995 movie were based. In : //iowasites.wordpress.com/2016/05/15/the-bridges-of-madison-county-pt-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Part one, I wrote about my first stop, which was to the iconic Cedar Bridge. It was the only one still open to vehicular traffic, so I drove RB through the wooden structure before getting out of the car and taking several pictures.

Cedar Bridge sat adjacent to a : //www.madisoncountyconservation.org/cedar-covered-bridge-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pretty little park where one could take a picnic lunch and enjoy the afternoon. It was actually a reconstruction of the original 1883 bridge that was destroyed by fire in 2002.

Anyway, on my way to work this morning, I heard a radio DJ announce that the bridge had been : //www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2017/04/15/famous-madison-county-cedar-covered-bridge-destroyed-by-fire-winterset-iowa/100497976/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">completely destroyed over the previous weekend. As with the 2002 fire, investigators suspected arson, and the Madison County sheriff planned to provide an update at a news conference this afternoon. I worked throughout the day, but for some reason, the news stayed on my mind. I kept checking the Web to see what information was available.

They finally announced a few moments ago that a : //whotv.com/2017/04/18/arrest-made-in-cedar-bridge-arson-investigation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">17-year-old kid had been arrested and charged on Monday night, with the investigation still underway.

It saddens me that there are those who seek some sort of gratification from destruction--be that the burning of a historic bridge or : //www.cnn.com/2017/04/17/us/facebook-homicide-victim-trnd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">taking the life an innocent older gentleman who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Fortunately, the bridge can be replaced. : //whotv.com/2017/04/17/in-wake-of-cedar-bridge-burning-plans-in-the-works-to-rebuild-once-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Plans to do so are already under discussion.

: 2px; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; text-align: center; font: bold 11px/20px 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #ffffff; background: #bd081c no-repeat scroll 3px 50% / 14px 14px; position: absolute; opacity: 1; z-index: 8675309; display: none; cursor: pointer; top: 31px; left: 110px;">Save

: 2px; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; text-align: center; font: bold 11px/20px 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #ffffff; background: #bd081c no-repeat scroll 3px 50% / 14px 14px; position: absolute; opacity: 1; z-index: 8675309; display: none; cursor: pointer;">Save

: 2px; text-indent: 20px; width: auto; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; text-align: center; font: bold 11px/20px 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #ffffff; background: #bd081c no-repeat scroll 3px 50% / 14px 14px; position: absolute; opacity: 1; z-index: 8675309; display: none; cursor: pointer; top: 36px; left: 350px;">Save