Keeping the Tradition Alive

I thought maybe this year was going to be the end of a LONG string of years with snow trips to Mammoth Lakes; after all, that's where I met my (now) wife, that's where a lot of the "steel" in me today is from. I was subjected to a trial by snow, not fire, there, many times. I've watched as the trips have dwindled consistently, year after year. In my peak years, all of the '80's, into the early '90's, I ran at least 20 trips a winter! My peak year was 24 Mammoth ski trips. But that was a long time ago, now. Nonetheless, I've continued to run at least several trips a year. Until this year. When the one sure trip I have done in the past was scheduled, but there was a conflict with another trip I *had* to take, I figured 25 years of tradition had come to an end. Well, not quite yet. It appears I'll be heading for Mammoth in another couple days, after all. It may even be kind of like some of those legendary trips in the early '80's.... you know, before AIDS. Everything imaginable (and then some) happened on those buses. Believe me.... I was there! Well, the trip this weekend might be kind of similar... in a distant sort of way. You see, I'm bringing a gay group to mammoth, and I hear they "like to party". I guess I'll be diverting the rear-view mirror (boy, does that take on a new meaning!) and watching the road ahead. REAL closely *grin*. I dunno, maybe this is the "end of the road" for my Mammoth trips.... kind of like the boxer who wants one last fight, well past when he should have retired, maybe it's time I hang up on the mammoth trips. After all, I got a wife out of the deal, right? And much more than just a "wife", she's my soul-mate, my friend, my lover, my confidant. So hey, I'll do this trip, with an open mind (that's the only thing that's open), and we'll see how it goes.

A matter of perspective

Beauty in Paso Robles, at a Motel 6? Who would have believed? Actually, it's quite nice here in Paso Robles, a Central California community up the road a ways from San Luis Obispo. The weather's been absolutely spectacular, and, while staying at a Motel 6 is not high on my wish list, attempts have been made by the staff to make this one a bit unique. Little flower gardens adorn the property, with a wide variety of flower species, some of which I've never seen before. Also, across the street is a commercial property that is absolutely adorned with flowering trees of some sort. Someone else will have to advise me as to what kind of tree they are, not my strong suit. I'm sure the guys working at the small implement place are oblivious to the beauty in their "front yard", but I found it quite remarkable. I'll attach pictures to this post, of course. I'm also including a photo of a McDonald's that's just down the street. Why? It's a "retro" Mickey-D's, with the old arches going through the building, white and red tile outside, and a "Mr. Speedy" logo on top. It was too good to not take a picture of it!

Forgot to mention.....

BTW, I forgot to mention in yesterday's post.... Jacque and I grabbed the opportunity to get out to the desert this past Saturday (3-1-08), really glad we did. Little did we know that I'd be leaving town the next day. We'd originally talked about going on Sunday, but changed our minds. Goes to show you, in my job, you grab the opportunity when it presents itself. Anyhow, I put together a webpage with pictures and a video from our day. The desert was a carpet of color! Here's the link:
Desert Day

Suddenly out-of-town

OK, February is history; it's always a busy month in our family, there's a ton of birthdays (including mine). Daughter Melissa's is a few days away still, then there's a bit of a pause. It's also typically a busy month for my work, and there's one of my favorite trips annually in February, Yosemite Valley. It's beautiful there in the winter. But all that's behind me, it's March now. I wasn't expecting to go out-of-town again until near the end of the month, but a fellow driver where I work has developed health issues, and I was asked to cover a 5-day run he was originally scheduled to do. It wasn't anything I couldn't do easily, so I said OK. Now I'm sitting in my motel room in Paso Robles, CA, with another couple "down days" (no service), then pick up my group and return to San Diego. Today's focus was on getting the coach fueled and the "head" dumped. That's accomplished, so the next couple days are truly "no service". I always feel better once the fuel tank's topped off *GRIN*. Anyhow, on a serious note, the driver with the medical issues is dealing with some bad news, and still doesn't know exactly how his doctor plans to attack the problem. I'm sure he wants to get back to work, but apparently it's going to be a little while. In the meantime, I'm thinking that I, and probably others, will be asked to go out of town more than usual. Another driver who does a lot of out-of-town trips is also currently off, recovering from surgery. Runs like the one I'm currently doing, no problem. But there are some others that, while I may have done them in the past, it was like the DISTANT past. Things like San Francisco city tours. That makes my skin crawl just to think of it! Yeah, if I absolutely had to, I could pull it off, but I consider it a very poor fit for my job strengths. Guess we'll see on that.

Birthday Boy

Wow, 56 years old now! Geez, they're flyin' by.... you've all heard that at one time or another. Well, I'm here to say it's true. The older you get, the faster time seems to slide on by. My dad, who's about to turn 84, says time continues to seemingly compress. Anyhow, I guess I can't complain; I hiked a mountain on my birthday! Then my daughters stopped by, with a couple of the grandkids in tow, and Jacqueline fixed a wonderful meal for all of us. I'd say I'm a pretty lucky guy. No, make that VERY lucky!

Carrizo

We (Jacque and I) spent the day Saturday, February 9th, in my new truck, traveling the roads of far eastern San Diego County. For those who don't know, San Diego County comprises land ranging from the coastal strip and beaches, to the inland valleys, to mountains, to deserts. I've heard San Diego County is one of the 10 largest counties in the USA. We stopped at McCain Valley, a huge BLM preserve just over the top of the divide between coast and desert, and stopped at a spot along the way (see the cheesy video taken on my digital camera below). Then, on we went to Jacumba, a small community in far eastern San Diego County, at around 3000', on the way down to the desert floor. We stopped at the border fence with Mexico, a short jaunt from the highway, and took some pictures. I'll attach all the photos here, the first few are at the overlook at McCain Valley, the remaining are along the border fence at Jacumba. Anyhow, after that, we headed back west, but on CA hwy 94, and stopped for lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall place called "Tacos de Mexico" in Campo, CA. Had a great lunch there, then returned to San Diego. A great day all around!!!

Oh Well.....

Oh well- The Chargers lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, boo-hoo. They kept it interesting until about halfway through the 4th Quarter, then you could just feel the game slip away from them. In the meantime, the Giants surprised everyone by beating the Packers, in Green Bay no less. So a Manning boy is going to the Super Bowl, just not the one everyone presumed. I just talked to one of my co-drivers, he wanted info on the flight the Chargers are on, since the company I drive for transports the Chargers to the airport and back for out-of-town games. I guess it's "next year" once again.......

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all readers of my posts! It's been an eventful year, and today has been memorable here at our home in San Diego. Another Christmas has come and gone (well, almost... it's 2230 now, on Christmas day), and the memory banks have more to store *grin*. We slept in this morning, then got going, and visited my older daughter and family. Returned home, tried in vain to open our own gifts while the phone rang incessantly, then caught a short nap before my younger daughter and her family showed up. Now, everyone is gone, Jacqueline's in bed, and I'm going to be there soon too. This day always reminds one to appreciate the things you have, it doesn't take much looking around to see people who are struggling. So, 2008 is rapidly approaching, and with it, a whole new set of events and memories. From our house to yours, may it be a fruitful year, and may good health be your constant companion! Happy New Year!

Musings From my Visit to Minnesota

Well, it's 0030 here, now, and I really ought to be asleep. I'm at my parent's house, here in Bloomington, MN, but leave tomorrow for home. It's been a really rewarding visit, got to see all my brothers and most of their spouses. Also got to spend some "computer time" (basically, the equivalent of quality time) with my nephew Christopher, who's WAY too sophisticated for his age, when it comes to computers, anyway . Fortunately, he's pretty much your typical kid otherwise. Anyhow, my dad's crisis has passed, in a way. Yes, it's still very real, but the treatment regimen is fairly painless: one pill a day. Yes, there's side effects, but nothing that's really hard to tolerate. I think a massive weight has been lifted from him, he's obviously less stressed about the whole uncomfortable experience now. I had the opportunity to spend some rewarding time with both him and my mom, and am really glad I came back. It was great to see that my brothers were all doing well too. And I wish I'd had my camera for my brother Donn's house... boy, did he have that sucker lit up with Christmas lights!

From fires to rain

Hello again, it's been a while. Several significant developments of late; the fires are all over, thank God, and winter has started a bit early. San Diego got a significant storm about 10 days ago, and now it's raining again. Currently, I'm in Riverside, CA, at UC Riverside, with a group of high school students doing a campus tour, in the rain. I'm beginning to think we're in for a wet winter. But that's not the "big development". My dad's been diagnosed with cancer, but fortunately it's been caught early, stage 1. The lymph system appears to have been affected, however, and the doctors are discussing strategy and therapies. I'm flying back in a few days, just to spend a little time with them. My mom's worried sick, probably more than is necessary, it doesn't appear to be life-threatening. Of course, it's still a major concern, and everyone (especially my dad) wants it behind us. This little experience landed up being the subject of my Christmas letter this year, it's had a profound effect on me too.

After the Fires

They say the worst is over.... at least for us, here. There's still evacuation orders in effect, but all in East County now. The prevailing breezes have returned to their normal, from off the ocean, bringing us cool, moist air. There were actually a few raindrops a short while ago! However, the weatherman says we're going to be getting another high-pressure event, off the Great Basin, starting tomorrow. But they're promising no hurricane-force winds with this one, it's supposed to be a mild event. Unfortunately, it may result in the smoke from the fires still lingering in the East County to drift over us.... AGAIN. Wonderful. I tried to hike the mountain yesterday, got halfway up the grade, realized I could only see about 2 miles because of the poor air quality, and knew I wasn't doing my lungs any favors being out in that air. So, I went 1/2 way up the mountain, and turned around. Today is about as good as it's been since the fires started 6 days ago (geez, was it ONLY 6 days ago??), but, as I said, tomorrow may be worse.

One picture's worth a thousand words....

San Diego Wildfires

Wow.... this is a scary time here in San Diego right now; eerily reminiscent of 2003. At our house, we're actually faring a bit better than last time, the air quality hasn't been as bad, thanks in part to the fact that we're between the two enormous fires raging in San Diego County. The fire that's closest to us, the Harris Fire, put on quite a show for Jacqueline this morning, before sunrise, before she left for work. Yes, even though officials are recommending that people stay home, and stay off the freeways, some of us still have to go to work. I requested the day off, otherwise I'd probably be out there too. But, last night, Jacqueline and I packed up "the important things" into her car and my truck, just in case we had to evacuate. The weather was supposed to start reverting to the normal airflow, off the ocean, and here at our house (about 5 miles from the coast), it is indeed starting to change. But apparently, that's not the case further inland. Also, as the breeze starts up from the west, we're going to get all that smoke we've managed to avoid so far. Anyhow, as I said, Jacqueline had quite a visual experience this morning at 0430. Mt. San Miguel, a large mountain just southeast of San Diego, near Spring Valley, was fully engulfed. I found some pictures taken by another blogger, link here, that accurately depict what was happening about that time. Dante's Inferno would be an appropriate description. The viewing angle is a bit different from our house, but not much. And the view from our house is unobstructed, because we live on a high point. I'll include the photos here:

Can you understand now why we're a bit nervous?? This mountain is approximately 5 miles from us, as the crow flies. San Diego is experiencing a major disaster right now, I personally know a couple who *may* have lost their home (they don't know yet whether it survived). Here's a map showing the relative proximity of our house to the Harris Fire:

Ready to Roll

Wow, two blog postings in two days, that must be a new record *grin*. Jacque and I are done packing, all ready to head out tomorrow morning for Utah. First "road trip" for the new truck, my 2007 Toyota Tacoma. We're headed for Moab, as a staging ground, so we can go hike Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. I'm excited, we'll be leaving immediately after tomorrow's morning commute, heading for Richfield, UT. Go to bed there, finish the last 160 or so miles the next morning, hike Canyonlands on Wednesday, check into the motel later that day, hike Arches on Thursday, and leave Friday morning. Probably return via Capitol Reef and Bryce National Parks on Friday, go to bed somewhere along the way, maybe St. George or Mesquite.

Easy Livin'

Ahhhh, vacation! That's what's happening now, I'm entering week 3 of that blissful time of year called "vacation"! While nothing of real significance has happened so far (Jacque started her vacation about 5 days ago), this vacation will be remembered for several things; #1, I "reconnected" with my bike, my V65 Magna motorcycle. Many years ago, my life centered on my motorcycle, but that's been supplanted over the years with other interests. Well, I had a few issues with my bike, fixed those issues, and have been riding it A LOT, including a ride this evening. The bike's running great, couldn't be running any better, and it's so *renewing* to ride. Even though it's old now (it's a 1985 MC), I can't find it within myself to sell it anytime soon. Besides, my brothers Tim and Rob have been talking about our bi-annual trip, due next year. Looks like the V65's gonna be around for a while.....
#2- Jacque and I do have vacation plans, an idea I hatched a couple days ago. We're gonna do a whirlwind trip of southern Utah, in my new truck. We're shooting for Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. We'll possibly also hit Capitol Reef and Bryce National Parks as well. Jacque's daughter Sabrina is here visiting, it's been a wonderful visit, today we had a big family gathering at our house. Tomorrow morning we drop off Sabrina at the airport, and come home to start packing for our trip. Woo-hoo, off we go on another adventure! Pictures to follow!

Where the Road Ends...

Here it is, the end of the road *grin*. What you're looking at here is Clover Meadow Ranger Station, 50 miles from the nearest settlement, 70 miles from Oakhurst, CA (where I'm staying), in Sierra National Forest. It's where the pavement ends! I'm amazed the asphalt ran 50 twisty miles back into the Sierra backcountry. I (obviously) have a backpacking trip in progress, my passengers disembarked at this spot, and it's where I return to pick them up tomorrow. The coordinates for this location are N37.527 W119.277 , if you want to look it up. If you want to do it the easy way, here's a direct link to the location, via Google Maps. You will see, if you back out on the zoom, just how far from nothing this place is! I determined that Mammoth Lakes, on the other side of the Sierras, was only about 15 statute miles from this spot! In fact, two of my hikers are hiking through to Mammoth, and finding their own way home to San Diego. Now that's an adventure! It takes me 2 hours to travel the 70 miles, so I actually will need to get up at midnight tonight (0000 hours, Labor Day) and leave at 0030, so I can get 8 hours off near Clover Meadow. That way I have hours to drive back to San Diego. Fortunately, this is all on holiday pay woo-hoo! It's supposed to be HOT in the San Joaquin Valley on Labor Day, well over 100, so I guess the A/C will be getting a workout. Hopefully it doesn't let me down. Anyhow, I hope your holiday weekend was super, I guess this means summer is over, although you sure can't tell it by the temperature :(

Summertime... and the living's easy

Hello again- Well, once again, time has flown by, and I've realized it's been quite a while since I posted. It's currently 2330 (11:30 PM) on a Thursday night, not normally a situation in which I'd still be typing on a computer. But, it's been SLOW this week at the bus company, and so I've had lots of time to pursue other interests. I've been busy all evening, backing up a new laptop here at the house; no, it's not mine. I helped a friend of mine acquire a good deal on a new laptop. Nothing too out-of-the-ordinary there.... until I tell you the friend is going to be 92 next month! She complained that her old computer wasn't doing the job anymore, and she felt she wanted a laptop. Can you imagine? I said, OK,let's go have a look at a few models. Well, she liked the 17" screens (portability isn't real important here), and so we landed up getting an HP dv9410us, a dual-core Turion, TL-56 processor, 1 GB of memory, 160 GB hard drive, all the other usual bells and whistles. Nice unit! Anyhow, I've been "streamlining" it for her, to make the transition to Vista as painless as I can. Now that all the modifications are done, I'm backing everything up. That's what's happening now, and it's time consuming. Which is why I'm still at it, as it approaches midnight. But the end is in sight, 98% of the mundane stuff is over.
Woo-hoo, it's finishing now, I'm outa here, good-night! She'll love this computer...

Year's half over

Whoa, hard to believe a month slid by since my last posting. The end-of-school-year crush I spoke of in earlier posts is over, about 2 weeks ago. A sense of normalcy has returned to my life... wait a minute... there is no "normal" in my life!! Well, let's just say things have lightened up significantly. Currently, I'm in Lee Vining, CA, a small town nestled against the Eastern Sierra Nevada, north of Mammoth Lakes. This is where CA120, Tioga Pass Road, intersects with US395. Heading west out of Lee Vining, you travel from approximately 6800' to 9945', at Tioga Pass, the highest highway pass in CA. I have backpackers off on a (for them) 4.5-day hiking adventure. I dropped them off at their respective trailheads on Saturday AM, after a VERY short night in a B.L.M. campground, and will pick them up Wednesday, the 4th of July, noon-ish to return to San Diego. I suspect the bus won't smell very good with all those unwashed bodies aboard!
The motel I'm staying at is a kick. It's an "historic" motel, dates back to the 1880's, but fell into disrepair in the '60s, into the '90's. The county was about to condemn the property when a group of investors decided to sink some money into it. Well, let's just say it's an "ongoing project". Lots of repairs, but a ways to go yet. No need to go into detail, the vital necessities are here, but there's a LOT of room for improvement. Like, screens on my windows to keep out the bugs! I bought some screening material in town today (bought all the guy had, a couple square yards, for $2), and "fixed" the problem. All with the blessings of the proprietor, who's admittedly overwhelmed. No phone, no TV, WiFi that only works within 20' of the router, which is in the office, which may or may not be open at any time, you get the idea. Oh, and no A/C. Hence, the need for the windows to be open. Also, no furniture, (most of my stuff is on the floor), fixtures that either don't work or obviously haven't been installed correctly, you get the idea. I guess I did go into some detail! However, on the plus side, there's a fridge, microwave, nicely redone bathroom, and all the really critical stuff works. Oh well, another adventure! I'm typing this, in my room, via a weak cellphone signal, which I've enhanced by hanging my aftermarket cellphone antenna in the window! Works sort of half-assed, or maybe I should say "half-fast" .

Same thing, every year

It's that time of year... Grad Nights. And Days. And Nights. And Days..... get the idea? We deal with lots of different types of groups, among them schoolkids. Well, we get slammed with LOTS of school runs this time of year, every year. No problem, I don't have an "issue" with dealing with kids (some drivers do), but there is a downside here, too. Like, this time of year has lots of crazy hours, long days, and quick turnarounds. And, these runs are, shall we say, not very lucrative? Nonetheless, we all work hard to make this time of year a success, and will again this year. Oh well, check back in a few weeks from now, just don't expect to hear back from me quickly .

May Gray

Hello again... It's that time of year here now.... what we call May Gray and June Gloom. With global warming, it seems like it's happening a bit earlier in the year. Used to be the time frame was late May thru early June. Now, it starts in early May. So, what is "it"? This time of year, the desert starts warming up. That creates a thermal low, which acts like a giant vacuum cleaner, and sucks the marine layer in off the ocean. Marine layer is the typical cloudiness sitting on the Pacific Ocean when the water temperature is below the mid 60's. Right now the water temp is in the low 60's. Our prevailing breezes are from the west, off the ocean, as well. So, this time of year is actually the lousiest time of year to visit San Diego. Many days are totally overcast, occasionally drizzly, and generally yucky. Today's not too bad, the sun's out, but it's kind of chilly. Still, all in all, not a bad day.

A Positive Development

Hello again.... it's busy at work, but I've noticed that "insanely busy" doesn't seem to be the case any more. The company I drive for has had a protracted effort to hire more drivers, and I think I can honestly say that, for the first time in my almost-25 years there, that our staffing appears to be adequate. What does that mean to me, and my fellow well-established senior drivers? Uh, how about, that we can actually have a "life", even when it's busy? All those years of crazy hours are, hopefully, behind me now. There seems to be a new, better understanding with management of the importance of not "burning out" drivers, especially the most-experienced ones. This is a good thing!! Perhaps also in the mix is the new reality that drivers, good drivers, are becoming scarce, and the company can ill-afford to lose anyone, especially the experienced ones. All of this bodes well for me, as I have fought (griped, bitched, etc) for years to work LESS, not more. All dispatchers hate getting phone calls from unhappy customers, complaining about a driver who, in the customer's opinion, is not "up to the task" in some fashion. As a result, senior drivers tend to get the bulk of the runs that are the "more difficult" type; typically, single-bus moves out of the county, with the need for a working knowledge of where they're headed, and maybe some personality to boot *grin*. Well, that may not sound too complicated, but consider the responsibility involved with:
1) safely transporting 40+ passengers to their destination(s),
2) actually knowing where you're going,
3) negotiating your way through Southern California's notorious traffic,
4) being casual, easy-going, and congenial with the customer the whole time
5) exuding an air of confidence that puts the people at ease
6) have contingency plans for traffic, bus problems, change of schedule, etc.
7) do this day after day, with all sorts of different types of groups,
8) more often than not, have no clue what you're doing tomorrow!
That's just part of this job. Obviously, some of the above-mentioned items overlap, but each is unique. The job can be both exhilarating and depressing. But, for me, the biggest annoyances are LONG hours and QUICK turnarounds. So, the recent developments at my company go a LONG way towards mitigating my two biggest issues. Hurray!!! Maybe I'll stay till I retire *grin*

Busy, busy, busy

Hello again! Well, it's *that* time of year.... it's busy as H*** at the bus company I drive for. It actually was very placid, almost slow there for a while. And, during a timeframe that historically has been busy. So, while I'm not happy it's extremely busy right now, I'm not bummed either. Gotta have bursts of business, when my life revolves around driving, to cover for the lulls. Don't get me wrong, here; I'm looking forward to things not being so hectic. But, I guess what I'm saying is that I recognize these times as a "necessary evil". Oh well, it'll (hopefully) be over soon..........

Change of Plans

Hi, from Pismo Beach, CA! You never know where I'm gonna land up (and usually, neither do I...). I was *supposed* to be on my way to Yosemite tomorrow morning, but had a conflict with another trip that returned from last year. It's a "worker", a 4 day trip up the coast of California, with distributors of nursery plants (working for a VERY well-known National company), visiting a number of nurseries. Everywhere we go, the nurseries lay out the 'ol red carpet, it's BIG business. Anyhow, it a lot of work, but very, shall we say, lucrative? I have 2 drivers "in tow" with me, one from last year, and another well-established driver from the company we work for. I'm watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean right now, crystal-clear skies off to the west. A good omen for tomorrow......

OK, now this is different....

Hi, got something kind of unusual going on today... in fact, this is the first time it's happened in 30 years of driving buses. I'm picking up a group here at the mobile home park, taking them to a nearby Native American casino. A lot of people here, of course, are aware that a tour bus driver lives among them, pretty hard to miss the highway coach parked outside the gates when I'm able to stop home in the middle of some days. So, of course, they booked thru the company I drive for, and requested me! So, in about an hour, I'll be picking up everyone at the front gate (can't easily get the bus into the park itself) and off we go (Jacqueline's coming along too) to the casino! Just a short day, little 5-hour deal. Should be lots of fun....

Nice weekend in Mammoth Lakes

Hi again, we just returned from a weekend in Mammoth Lakes. I say "we" because Jacqueline was able to join me, and ride on the bus. Made it seem more like a vacation than working. The weather was pleasant, but turning as we left on Sunday afternoon. Perfect timing! We thoroughly enjoyed the trip, even though it was a short one. I just checked, the mountain has received 8-12" of new snow, and more is falling, so I guess we really did leave at the right time. It was in the 50's during the couple days we were there, and we exploited the nice weather by going for a long walk on Saturday, followed by dinner at a local pizza place, where Jacqueline and I had our first "dinner date" about 12 years ago.

Sittin' at the library

One week into the new truck, and all is going well. I just installed a box on back yesterday, black plastic, like the one I had on the Ranger. It looks really sharp, the black offsets to "Desert Mica" paint really nicely.
I'm in Anaheim, have a bus group at Disneyland. The nearby Anaheim City Library has wi-fi, so here I am! Besides, it's 90 degrees outside. March 12th, can you believe it? It's because we have a Santa Ana blowing, a wind reversal. Usually our breezes are out of the west, off the ocean. Typically in the fall and early winter, we'll get a reversal of that pattern, and our winds will come in from the desert, hot and dry. Kind of unusual to have this pattern at this time of year, however. It's supposed to "break" later today, tomorrow's supposed to be about 10-15 degrees cooler. But, for today, the Anaheim Library feels pretty good! Fellow driver Theresa is along, she's busy reading a book, or using one of the library's computers. I'm using my laptop, of course.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

What's new? Lots, here. My vehicle "companion" of 1/2 of my adult life, my Ford Ranger pickup truck, bit the dust a few days ago. With me through thick and thin, this truck has seen 'ol Scotty through 2 decades of change. Approaching 300,000 miles, I knew it wasn't going to be around much longer, and little telltale signs were there that it was rapidly approaching its demise. Still, I'd hoped to have it last long enough to cash in on a California program designed to get older, less-efficient vehicles off the roads. Jacqueline and I took a long drive this past weekend, in the truck (She suggested we take her car, I insisted we take the truck), and it started acting up before the drive was finished. However, in the fashion that is its trademark, it got us home. Then, crapped out. The clutch went, and not in the typical way. Usually, the clutch will start slipping. Never happened with this truck. Rather, something let loose, internally. So, tomorrow morning, I and a Mexican guy here at the mobile home complex will go to DMV, and transfer title. Mexican guys are amazing, they can fix anything! I have neither the time nor inclination to fix the truck. In fact, I already have a new truck, my first new vehicle in 20 years! I'm now the proud owner of a 2007 Toyota Tacoma pickup! Still getting used to it, but that new vehicle smell sure is nice! Anyhow, the transfer of the old truck is tomorrow morning, and the clock is telling me it's "tomorrow" already, so I'm outa here. More on the new truck to follow............

Happy Birthday to me!

Good morning! As of this morning, I am eligible for the senior citizen's menu at Denny's *grin*. I'm grinning because the alternative is to cry.... just kidding. I realized years ago there's no sense in worrying about the things you can do nothing about, like thinning hair or advancing years. More importantly, I am able to do just about anything I want, have no aches or pains, and am happy. In other words, not too different than when I was 30. Except, my life is so much richer and more fulfilling than when I was 30. That actually was a bad year for me, my first marriage was on the rocks. See? 55 is much better!
I got a special "birthday greetings" from Microsoft yesterday; a check (or, a "chit") worth $138.01 towards computer software or hardware, part of an antitrust class action lawsuit I jumped in on years ago. I'll use it to defray part of the cost of my new computer. The 2nd item, at first blush, was even more interesting; my order of Vista Home Premium arrived! It was part of a package when I bought my new computer. However, it's the 32-bit version. I wanted the 64-bit version. No joy apparently. After attempting to exchange online, and failing with the usual cryptic message from Microsoft, I called them today, and was told that the 64-bit exchange was only possible if the OEM had included that in their package. Mine didn't. Waa waa, I don't wanna spend my $138.01 check on a 64-bit version of Vista (plus more out of my pocket). Now I'm contemplating my choices. I had been considering running Vista on my laptop, and the 32-bit version would be a good choice for that. However, there are some unanswered questions I have about certain software I consider indispensable, and whether that software will continue to operate under Vista. The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor simply says "No data available", which makes me concerned. Running the 64-bit version on the laptop would definitely not work, since I already know there are no 64-bit hardware drivers for this particular device. Soooo, maybe I could use this copy I have in my greasy little hands to upgrade the laptop, and go buy the 64-bit version for the desktop. Hmmm, I'll ponder that one....
The other possibility is to do with the "main" desktop what I've done with this (#2) desktop; dual-boot Windows XP and Kubuntu Linux. It's available in 64-bit, and it's free! Pretty hard to argue with that. After a whole lot of time and configuring, I've gotten most everything to work correctly, and it handles all multimedia formats. But, it doesn't have that capability by default. And configuring can be a real pain. Microsoft eliminates a lot of that, but at a cost. Oh well, no need to do anything today, after all, it's my birthday! Why would I want to induce a headache today? *grin*

Change in the Weather

The weatherman says we're supposed to get some precipitation tomorrow.... maybe. It's currently showing a 40% probability. Not so certain is whether it'll be rain or snow. I suspect it'll be rain here in Yosemite Valley, but snow up at Badger Pass, where my passengers go every day (I take them there). I normally chain up a lot on this trip, but haven't had to yet. I got a sneakin' suspicion that's about to end. What's a pain is the following morning, Monday. There's always a few people who want to take the YTS bus up on Monday morning, then I pick them up at noon, on our way out of Yosemite. Fine, except it's usually that last 1000 feet of elevation gain that requires the chains. Highway 41 tops off at 6000 feet, Badger Pass is 7000'. Oh well, if it happens, it happens. I'm not going to worry about it.

Bizarre for February

I'm sitting in the lobby of the Yosemite Lodge.... why? Because this is where the wifi is! The only alternative here is a VERY slow (26.4) dialup connection in my room. Sooooo, here I am. It's amazingly warm out, I actually wore a tank top up to Badger Pass this afternoon, it was that warm. Like, mid-60's warm. Really bizarre for this time of year. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Only problem with sitting here in the lobby.... too many passengers pass through. I've already been "hit on" twice by ladies wanting (no, not that.........) to have me open up the bus for them because they forgot something *CRITICALLY IMPORTANT* on the bus. You know, like a jacket (lady #1) or snowshoes (lady #2). Never mind that either one could have easily retrieved the items in the morning. Oh well, I guess that means I'm still on duty...... Anyhow, enough ranting, I'm so happy about the weather, I'm gonna stop bitching :)

Off on another adventure

Hi! I'm just now getting ready to depart on a 5-day winter trip to Yosemite National Park. It's an annual event, in fact the picture on my home webpage is from one of these February trips. I'm all packed up, and ready to go. The forecast looks good, but I'm not taking any chances. It can get nasty there quickly, as I've discovered in the past. So, all the gear comes along. Gotta run, it's getting close to depart time. Bye..........

25 Years, and Running...

I'm in Mammoth Lakes, nothing too unusual about that, at this time of year. However, a couple items *are* significant; one, there are precious few ski trips this year, due to the lack of snow (that'll do it every time...), and this marks my 25th year of driving Mammoth ski trips! Hard to believe, a quarter-century of running US395, braving the elements and incompetent drivers. How things have changed; many of our trips in the 1980's involved alcohol, LOTS of alcohol. Not the drivers (grin), the passengers. Often, we would arrive at midnight or later, with a bus that was absolutely trashed. Bags and bags of trash off the floor, empty beer containers everywhere, the bus smelling like a brewery, and, occasionally, the "remnants" of someone's dinner, that they had been unable to keep down, due to too much alcohol. Those were the "bad old days", IMHO. Nowadays, a rowdy crowd is an aberration, downright rare. GOOD! At last count, I'm somewhere near 250 trips total, more if you include other "snow" trips I do to other locations, like Yosemite and Bear Valley. Oh, and BTW, I got a wife out of this deal! In the winter of 1985-86, I met Jacqueline, who was a housekeeper at the Sierra Nevada Inn, in Mammoth. We were friends for a number of years, but after her husband passed away in 1993, we started dating in 1994. She moved down to San Diego later that year, and we were married in 1995. Pretty amazing how things work out.
Anyhow, I'm kickin' it here at the Shilo Hotel, utilizing their Wi-Fi, but thinking about going for a ling walk. The weather's beautiful for January, too nice, in fact. The town needs snow, badly. But, at least for me, it makes my job much easier. The group this time requires very little service, another bonus. Oh, and it's crazy back in San Diego right now, tons of work, drivers putting in long hours. This is *MUCH* better (grin).

San Diego weather

Dang, this has been one cold January! Yeah, I know, friends and relatives "back east" are saying "oh, we feel so sorry for you guys", but I'm telling you, we're on a track to having the coldest January since 1950 or 1951, I heard on the news the other day. The related item is, no precipitation. San Diego is at less than 40% of normal,and it's worse in other parts of the state. Pretty weird. I'm headed to Mammoth Lakes today, my first trip of the winter. It may be my last! The bus company has almost no bookings for Mammoth because of marginal snow cover. Of course, the price keeps going up, as well. Kind of a sad state of affairs, this trip marks the beginning of my 25th season of doing Mammoth runs. There's always hope that the snow will start coming, like 1991 with the "Miracle March". But that won't help the ski season. I guess the good news is that the weather's supposed to be nice for the trip I'm heading out on, I might actually get thru the weekend without chaining up. I'll have lots of down-time there, so I'm sure I'll be posting from up there too, maybe with a picture or two included.

Melissa

Hey, Melissa... if you're reading this: GET BACK TO WORK! *grin*

Good News

The good news here concerns Dik, Jacque's cousin in Indianapolis. His long battle with cancer is over, and Dik is gone. I'm happy his struggle is over. I was thinking the other day, obituaries often say something like "lost his long battle with cancer" or something similar. But, do you realize, you never *lose* the battle with cancer? When you die, you kill it too! Meaning, you fought it to a draw. Yeah, I know, it's just semantics, but hey, if it were me, I'd be more likely to reconcile my fate if I knew, by dying, I was also killing the bastard that was killing me! Anyhow, Godspeed, Dik, to your destiny.
The second piece of good news is that Jacque's home! I was so excited to see her at the airport. She was tired from the last 10 days, but glad to be home. Ditto! It was so pleasant just to have her around the house again. Suddenly, everything seemed a bit brighter and more colorful (see last post). We went for two walks yesterday, hand-in-hand. It's SO nice to have her home!!!

It's called "Perspective"

Hi again. This past week-plus of Jacqueline being gone is starting to gnaw at me. I admire her for what she's doing, helping her terminally-ill cousin, and completely understand the need for her presence there in Indianapolis. Nonetheless, I miss her a lot, and will be really happy when she returns to our home and our life. It's been a bit of a "reminder" to me of what life would be like without her in it, and of those 11 years of bachelorhood I had between marriages. And, just like then, I'm surprized at how "gray" it is; not that it's depressing, or bad, just "insignificant". Am I having a good time? Yeah, it's OK, nothing to stand up and cheer about. It's not like I'm wallowing around the house, anxiously counting the minutes till she comes home. Nah, I'm busy, doing stuff, staying active. It's just that the quality of the time passing is diminished by her absence. She adds color to an otherwise gray existence. It's like this: those 11 years are the most significant for being "unremarkable", yeah, I had lots of fun, and there are some memories, but not too many. It's almost like a "gap" in my life, looking back now. Ironically, even though I was single, the main memories of that time concern my daughters, and my time with them, as a single dad with visitation privileges. The memories become more focused after Melissa, then Sage moved into my house. As a single dad, with my daughters there, my life began to get some "color" again. Then, my relationship with Jacqueline started, and it was like a rebirth. My world was filled with color. Maybe it's kind of a corny analogy, but the "adds color to my life" concept is the best way for me to describe how richer my life is with my loved ones around me. I really did have a good time when I was single; I have a vague recollection (grin). Of course, those memories are in black-and-white........

Bachelor Blues

I've been home for several days now, and am getting reacquainted with what single life is like. Hard to believe this was my life for 11 years! Not that I'm sitting around, depressed, doing nothing; quite the contrary, I've been quite busy. Yesterday, I watered the plants and garden, did laundry, cleaned up the kitchen.... get the idea? Today, I did more "manly" stuff. Had a 2-hour class I had to attend for work, then hiked a mountain, then jumped on the motorcycle for a ride with my friend Don, then tore into a computer! However, I also cooked up my meals and cleaned up the kitchen, and I've made up the bed every morning. Damn, Jacque's gonna realize I actually *KNOW* how to do this stuff *grin*. In reality, I do miss her, a lot. Especially when I climb into bed, and she's not there. Oh well, 6 more days.....

Happy New Year... Kind of....

Happy 2007, I just rang in the new year (Eastern time) about 45 minutes ago. Ain't gonna make it to New Year's Pacific time, however. Gotta be up and at it early in the morning, have a very long day ahead of me. It'll be nice to return home, but it will feel cold and lonely without Jacque there to greet me (see my last post). I did get to talk to her a couple times today, she's well, and doing what she needs to do there in Indianapolis.
Hey, the Chargers finished the regular season with the best record in the NFL! Home field advantage throughout the playoffs... at least as far as they make it. Hopefully, that's all the way to Miami, site of this year's Super Bowl. Wouldn't that be grand!
I'm outa here, gotta get to bed....... Happy New Year!

Da wife is gone for a while....

Yup, that's right, Jacqueline hopped on a plane for Indianapolis this morning. Why? She flew there to help out with a cousin who's very ill. I booked the flight for her, she'll be gone 10 days. Classic Jacqueline, it's one of many reasons I love that woman. She *always* thinks of others first. Anyhow, I'll be "bacheloring" it for the time, honing my rusty cooking skills and maybe even vacuuming the house (!). It will be a bit strange to come home to an empty house, day after day. With my non-existent "schedule", I often am around the house all day while she's working, or perhaps arrive home way earlier than she does. But, she eventually comes home! This will feel a bit different, that's for sure. I'll be talking to her daily, so it's not like there won't be communication. The ill cousin is in his final days, and Jacqueline's help will be appreciated, I'm sure. She's an "old pro" at this, unfortunately. Her first husband died in 1993, after a long fight with leukemia. But, as a result, she's well-qualified to be where she is right now. My heart goes out to her, this can't be an easy task. I imagine some of our conversations are going to be pretty emotional. I was able to talk briefly to Dik, her cousin, tonight. He sounds very weak and frail. I wish him Godspeed on his journey, and as little pain as is possible........

Kickin' it in Bear Valley

Well, the drive up to Bear Valley was relatively uneventful except for some seriously strong Santa Ana winds in L.A. Otherwise, just a long day, made a bit longer by a couple women (on two different occasions) who were inconsiderate and made everyone wait for them. Oh well, goes with the job...... Anyhow, I was able to get all the way here to Bear Valley without chaining up, a real bonus. After getting the people dropped and off to their condos (a 45 minute affair), I chained up there in the lot because I needed to move the bus and the immediate area there in Bear Valley was icy. One of the chains was incredibly tangled, making my long day just a wee bit longer, while I figured it out. No service today, tomorrow I drive 25 miles down the road just to dump the chemical toilet at a mobile home park. Gotta be done! I also have some service with my people tomorrow, as well. I'll probably be able to consolidate the two.
I figured it would be Internet access the old-fashioned way here again (dialup), as it has been in years past, but lo and behold, one of the condos nearby has an unsecured wifi! Not only that, he made it *real* easy for me to determine which way to point my directional antenna; the name of his network is "Condo88"! Haha, how good is that? Sooo, I have fast Internet access, and, as a bonus, my cellphone works here too (kind of). The signal's really weak, but, with the addition of the kewl aftermarket antenna I have for it, I can call out just fine. So, life is good. The only negative at this point is a pervasive smoke smell in the condo, upstairs (my room, fortunately, is downstairs). When we got in last night, the condo was full of thick, acrid smoke. Why? Some moron had put smouldering embers into the ash bucket, where they continued to smoulder and fill the condo with smoke. Brilliant! To add to the problem, the electricity was down, as often happens here, so there was no light, no heat, etc, and we had to open all the windows to air it out. Oh well, the electricity came on a short time later, and I spend as little time as possible upstairs.
The weather is cooperating, looks like it'll be a pleasant trip. I need to consider my routing home on the 1st, however; my normal route takes me thru Pasadena, and the Rose Bowl would be letting out about the time I'd be passing thru. NOT good!

Playtime's Over

Hello again, the majority of the past 2 weeks has been filled with family events and, of course, Christmas. Oh, and of course, "molding" my new PC to my liking. Also involved was the transfer of one of my previous desktops to my daughter and son-in-law. Being the holidays, I've had LOTS of time off, but that's about to end. Tomorrow I embark upon a 5-day trip to northern California, a ski trip. A major winter storm just swept through the area (it's hitting us now), and dumped up to 3' of new snow. Good news for the skiers, not so sure for me. The good news for me is that, as of now, the forecast for the entire time we'll be there is looking pretty good. Oh sure, I'm sure there'll be chains involved (there always is...), but as long as it's not really nasty weather, I'll take it. I'll have my laptop along for the ride, last year I was able to pick up a few wi-fi signals from our cabin. Maybe I'll post once or twice while there. Anyhow, it gets me out of going to Pasadena on the 1st, woo hoo! I'll be returning on the 1st, so that'll be a mega-big payday. Good, I need that, after the holidays!

WOO-HOO

Today's the day my new computer is supposed to arrive! Obviously, I'm pretty excited about that. Unlike all computers over the past decade+, I am not building this one. After reading an excellent article in PCWorld Magazine about under-$1000 PC's, and seeing that a small company just up the road in Irvine, CA, Micro Express Inc, had *by far* the best performance rating, I contacted them and we came to terms. Of course, there was "price creep", but it was all for items I felt were well-worth the additional cost. My thinking was, with all my obsolete hardware, I was going to have to buy a LOT of new components. After adding it all up, the costs were so close, I opted to let someone else do the "dirty work" for me. I save myself the hassles and inevitable snafus, and in return I get a warranty! Two years, at that! The system ought to be a scorcher, it's an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, 2 GB 800 mhz memory, 512 MB ATI video card, and lots of other goodies. Oh boy, oh, boy!! Santa is coming early this year!

Vacation #2- in Bishop

Hello from Bishop, CA! The wife and I are enjoying our vacation together, the first part was to see kids and grand-kids in Farmington, NM. This second part is to see kids and grand-kids in Bishop, CA. Notice a pattern here? *GRIN* Yeah, our kids are important, ALMOST as important as the grand-kids *DOUBLE-GRIN*. My daughters are in the San Diego area, close to where we live, so we benefit from their proximity. Not so with Jacqueline's kids.... the nearest is here in Bishop, 360 miles from San Diego. The only "kid" we're gonna miss is Jacque's son Dave up in the Eureka, CA area. We return to San Diego in a few days, then it's back to work for Jacque, me a couple days later. The vacation thing really grows on a person. Hmmm, how many more years till retirement? Well, in February, I'll be 55, so I *could* retire in 7 years. Probably won't, that early, but it's possible. Anyhow, we're enjoying our time now immensely, Jacque and I blend together so well, spending all my time with her is a wonderful diversion from the usual grind of work. I know, in retirement, we'll be just fine together. Not like some couples, who drive each other crazy. But, I'm kind of getting ahead of myself.... it's still a few years off. Dang! Vacation all year long.... now there's an attractive concept!

A Day Off (sort of...)

The day's mine.... mostly. The tough part was getting up at 0345 (OUCH!) to go do a quick shuttle thing we do for the U.S. Navy. That was over pretty quick, so *NOW* the rest of the day is mine! I've already gone hiking, but am thinking about going again, because I was a bad boy and ate a bunch of chocolate at lunchtime. I'm trying really hard to avoid that, but I just *LOVE* chocolate! I guess most women understand that craving.....
I was hoping Jacqueline would get off work early today, but no joy. Oh well, enough of this, guess I'll go hiking (again).

Just like the military.........

My job is pretty unusual; there's lots of "hurry up and wait" involved. The customer just wants to know we're "there", ready and waiting. I'm doing "outbounds" today, picking up people and their luggage, and transporting them to the airport here in San Diego. For this, I will get an enhanced rate of pay and, hopefully, a grat from the customer. I've been on duty over 5 hours, have so far transported 3 people to the airport! Not that I'm complaining, mind you, too often it goes the other way, and you work like a dog. Today, I'm sitting here, posting to my blog while being paid a nice rate of pay. Hmmm, not so bad! However, the tough part was rolling out of bed at 0330. See, there's always a reason why it's called a "job".....

At least I make *someone* happy.........

In my last post, I expressed some frustration at not knowing whether or not any of my posts were ever even viewed (not that it really matters). Daughter #2 got back to me, said that yes, she reads them... when she's bored at work! I feel so much better now *grin*. Actually, I've heard from a few other people saying they've taken a peek now and then. So, the blog continues!
It's gotten to the time of year when we're really busy at work. This will continue up until right before Thanksgiving, then, if it goes like it has in past years, it'll be generally slow until the 2nd or 3rd week of January. As a result, I have put in for my 2nd half of vacation (1st half was my motorcycle trip in Montana with my brothers), and Jacqueline and I are planning a road trip to New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of East-Central California. Should be about 2500 miles, total. I was looking last night, it's only about 6 weeks till we depart. Boy, am I looking forward to that!
Got my motorcycle tire patched AGAIN, yesterday. In nearly 40 years of riding, I've had perhaps 1 or 2 flats caused by nails or screws. I've now had 2 in the last month! This is getting real old....
Know the difference between a wise man and a fool? They both make mistakes, but the wise man only does it once. Well, today, I'm the fool *grin*. I have a moustache/nose hair/eyebrow trimmer, has a guard for things like eyebrows. Occasionally, it falls off. If I don't notice it's missing, and attempt to trim my eyebrows, oh boy, I'll trim them alright.... right down to the nubs! I did so about a year ago, had to put up with some teasing. Would you believe I just did it AGAIN?! So, once again, I'm in the "fool" category. Oh well..............

You know, I really have become sloppy about posting.... really gotta try to be more consistent. Of course, I have no clue whether any of these postings gets read anyhow. I'm currently in Mission Viejo, up the road from San Diego about 60 miles or so. Have a group of cheerleaders from a local high school aboard for (obviously) a football game. Pretty cut-and-dried run, pretty easy. The only tough part was dealing with the San Diego Friday afternoon traffic, what a hassle. Anyhow, more later....

Whoa, it's been a loooooong time since I posted. Sorry about that *grin*. I caught some flak from my younger daughter about my last post (she was just kidding me), so I thought I'd better update. I'm on vacation (yaaaaaa!!!) and am about to head out on a motorcycle adventure with my brothers. Our destination this time is the state of Montana, and its miles and miles of "big sky". The motorcycle is going into the back of the pickup truck tomorrow, and, early Sunday morning, I head out. REAL early. No A/C in the truck, so getting across the desert in relative comfort means going at night. Hopefully, I'll be able to post from along the road. I'm just glad the worst of the heat wave has passed, we were baking here in CA for about 2 weeks. Over 140 people died, that's how bad it was! I seriously watched utility breakdowns and power outages happening around us with great alarm, and made sure the generator was gassed up and had the oil changed. Never needed it, this time, but how long till we do??? Anyhow, temps have returned to more seasonal normals, and there's a cool Pacific breeze blowing here at my house right now. If I could just figure out how to take that with me to Montana......

Hot day here!

Dang! It's HOT here today! We *were* going to go for a MC ride, and probably still will, but not for long. The A/C will keep running, that's for sure. Since the A/C is only in our bedroom, I guess we'll be spending lots of time in our bedroom *grin*. OK with me..................

Father's Day

Well, Father's Day has come and gone, I was blessed with visits from both of my daughters' families, and Jacque's son Dave showed up as well! He was "in the neighborhood" (as in, Southern California) for a friend's wedding, so stopped on in to visit. We had a great day, but that evening, Jacque didn't feel well, at all. After a session "praying to the porcelain god", she went to bed, I cleaned up the house, and then I went to bed. About 0100, I awoke with nausea. Oh-oh, there's been a "bug" going around at her work, and I was starting to wonder. I ignored the nausea, and went back to sleep, had a long day (including Mexico) on-the-job coming up. That happened yesterday. I thought I wasn't going to make it thru the day a few times, due to "intestinal instability". Accordingly, I asked for today off. Of course, now I feel much better! Figures.... Oh well, it was a relatively slow day at work anyhow.

SPAB Days

So, what does SPAB mean? "School Pupil Activity Bus". In California, tour buses double (as in most other states) as school activity buses... meaning, extracurricular activity buses, field trips, band trips, and, this time of year, grad night buses. There's LOTS of that right now, and, since the bus company I drive for lacks enough SPAB drivers (it requires special certification from the CHP), I do *LOTS* of SPAB runs. Not that I really mind, dealing with kids is usually pretty easy and straightforward. When I call in to see what my assignment is for the next day, I merely ask "What SPAB run am I doing tomorrow?" (grin). It all comes to a screeching halt around mid- to late June, then it's back to the more traditional "mix" of work.

Me and Tom Bodett in Ventura

Hi again.... it's Memorial Day weekend, and you know what that means... I'm out-of-town with my backpacking group. However, in an unusual twist, they're not headed 300 or 400 miles up into the Sierras; just 200 miles up the coast to Ventura, CA. From there, it's onto the boat going to the Channel Islands National Park. A couple days camping on Santa Rosa Island, and then back to Ventura, where I've been waiting for them. Me and Tom Bodett, that is (grin). My "digs" on this trip is the Motel 6 here in Ventura. I can't really go anywhere, the cost of diesel fuel dictates that the bus be run as little as possible, so here I sit, except for long walks. Fortunately, I have this laptop to help pass the hours. I did go to Blockbuster yesterday and rented a couple movies. Another great use for the laptop! I spot today at 1400 to pick up my tired passengers, and then join the insanity on the freeways. Wish me luck!

Forgot about posting :-(

Geez, it's really been a long time, like, a month! It's been busy at work, but that doesn't really explain why I haven't posted. I basically *forgot* about it for a while! In the meantime, since that Yosemite trip I last blogged about, I did a 5-day Palm Springs trip, and am currently doing a 2-day military trip to Fort Irwin, the huge Army reservation where desert tactics are practiced and perfected, with hummvees, M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. They say that the decisive desert battles of the first Iraq war were the direct result of both superior equipment and superior training. The training part was largely due to Fort irwin's facilities and similar terrain to a lot of Arab lands.
I'll try not to forget about my blog again *grin*

A Great Trip

Lenny (fellow driver) & I did a major hike today... Yosemite Falls. What a butt-kicker! Goes from 4000' to 6750 or so in 3.4 miles. either of us made it to the top, me because I ran out of water (DUMB), Lenny because he's not (yet) in physical condition to do so. Nonetheless, I made it about 80% of the way to the top, Lenny made it to a point where he had a great view of the Falls. A perfect Grand Finale to a great trip. Not a "big money" trip, it has nevertheless been rewarding because of the hiking. We leave tomorrow , back to San Diego and "the world". It's been refreshing!

April in Yosemite

Wow, it's been a while.... been busy with work and a new laptop. I'm using it right now, on batteries, while sitting at a picnic table in Yosemite. Why? because it puts me within reach of the only unsecured wifi hotspot in the valley (grin). One of the employee trailers has wifi, it's part of their overall system here in the valley, but inexplicably, they didn't secure it. Lucky me! Anyhow, I'm here in Yosemite on a 6-day trip, a 2-bus move with Lenny. Got an 8th grade group, Lenny's younger daughter is in the class, and on the bus. Lenny and I are sharing a cabin... a little too "cozy" for my preferences, but it's going well. We've gotten in a hike every day, and plan another one tomorrow. We leave Friday to return to San Diego, and I'm hoping to have the weekend off. Guess I'll find out soon enough.....

In between trips

Hi all-
OK, the winter snow trips are over, and I've done one 5-day trip up US 101 since then. Would have blogged, but it was a VERY busy trip. Also very lucrative ($). I would do more, and have a sneaking suspicion that I will be. The customer was very pleased with the level of service (pat, pat). Anyhow, I'm sort of "between trips" right now, altho not for long. A 7-day Yosemite spring trip is just around the corner. Kinda different, I'm doing this with our #1 driver, Lenny (I'm #3, in case you're interested). It's apparently not a "big money" trip, basically take them to Yosemite, and wait 5 days to take them back. Or, at least, so I've been told. Kinda looking forward to doing Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall again, it's been a long time. I plan on bringing hiking gear, and using it. Probably won't have Internet access, like the last time, bt will shoot lots of pix with the digital camera and upload them later.

On the road again....

Hey, it's that time of year.... I'm on day one of a 5-day trip up the California coastal valleys, with stays in Ventura (where I'm at right now), Pismo Beach, Monterey, and Burlingame. It's a 2-bus trip, Theresa's my co-driver. We get along well, so no problem there. The group is seed distributors, or so I guess. We visit nurseries where the growers can showcase their efforts. Anyhow, it's a short night tonight, so I guess I'd better bail outa here and get my butt to bed! Good-night!

Da wife comes along

Hi, I'm back in Mammoth Lakes, doing my last snow run of the season. It's a whirlwind event, we left Friday night, return Sunday evening. As luck would have it, that coincided nicely with Jacque's weekend, and she was able to join me! Also along for the trip is my new notebook computer, an HP zv6130us. It's an AMD64 3200+ system, 80 GB hard drive, CD/DVD burner, on-board 802.11G Wi-fi, UltraBright 15.8" widescreen display, 128 Megs dedicated graphics memory on an ATI Mobile Radeon chipset. Not too shabby, got it for $699 from Fry's. Anyhow, Jacque and I are having a good time, it snowed last night and most of today, but not a huge amount. Our passengers are campers, they're out camping in this!!! Sorry, doesn't fit my description of a "good time". We leave later today, Sunday, should be home by maybe 2100 or so. Hopefully I will have Monday off, I'm gonna go get a Corsair 1 Gig memory DIMM that Fry's has on sale, for this laptop, to boost the total memory from 1/2 GB to 1.25 GB. Also high on the wish list is a Hitachi (IBM) TravelStar 7200 RPM drive that NewEgg has for $145, to replace the 4200 RPM drive that's currently in there. Spending my cash before I earn it, oh-oh (grin).

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

"In like a lion, out like a lamb".... no, this is not an xxx-rated post (grin). It's the way March is looking here in California, and especially in the Sierras, which is exactly where I am right now. Mammoth Lakes, around 7800', and it's been snowing and snowing. Not huge quantities, but steady and consistent. The weather people were starting to worry about our upcoming summer, due to way-below-average precipitation. I don't know where the numbers are now, but it's a certainty that they've improved considerably over the last couple weeks. Even San Diego, which was WAY below normal, has picked up some rain lately. Nothing like the record-setter last winter, but respectable. In the meantime, my chains sure are happy! Here's a picture from out my window, yesterday morning (it looks about the same right now).

Back in the snow

Hello from Mammoth Lakes, CA, where it's supposed to dump, big-time over the next 36 to 48 hours! I arrived in town a few hours ago, finally got everyone dropped and got my room, put the bus to bed (after I chained up...) and now, finally, am relaxing in my room. Got wi-fi here, so that's kewl, although I noticed it seems to be running a bit slow tonight. Maybe there's lots of other people online. I'm showing an "excellent" signal strength.
Anyhow, this is a 6-day trip, so the chains should have plenty of exercise. Unfortunately, if it's as crappy as the weatherman says it's supposed to be, looks like I won't be getting so much exercise. The hotel I'm at has a workout room, and a pool, so maybe I'll avail myself of them. Anyhow, it's gonna feel strange to be away from home for 6 days, although I gotta admit, I'm "missing out" on a whole lot of shuttle and airport transfer runs by being out-of-town. Geez, I'll miss that so much....

Kewl! Unexpected day off...

I'm keenly aware the forecast at work is very busy for at least the next two weeks, with a lot of questionmarks after that. Typically, the first 6 months of the year are quite busy. In fact, typically, the only slow times are *perhaps* some spots in July and August, and usually early December. So, I was happy to discover, much to my surprise, that I had today off! I'm sitting in bed with a newspaper, the laptop connected via wi-fi, and a cup of coffee. Oh, and 9 hours of sleep under my belt (grin). Guess I'll refill the coffee cup, finish up this stuff, and get my ass in gear! Supposed to drop some stuff off at Melissa's, I guess our newest grand-daughter has been giving them fits. She thought it was colic, but the pediatricion says otherwise. He says it's Arabella (at 4 days old) has already learned a "cause-affect" relationship. She wants to suck (like all babies), and, even though she's just been fed, she howls until Melissa picks her up and offers her what she wants. The she latches on, and falls asleep. Doctor says that's gotta end, right now. I had no idea a 4-day-old could actually figure out something like that! Anyhow, in an attempt to help out, Jacque has put together a couple meals, which I'm supposed to deliver today. Guess I'll include that in with my hike, which is near her house....

New Grand-daughter

Little miss Arabella Elizabeth Sullivan came into the world on Feb. 24th, at 10:36PM. Weighing in at 7 lbs, 1 oz, and 18 1/2" length, she let everyone know right away that she wasn't happy with having to leave the warm surroundings she'd just vacated (grin). Her color was good, and she had lots of hair. Mom and dad are both doing well. I have pictures posted here
I'll be updating that page and adding more pictures within the next few days! We now have *8* grandchildren! Here they are:
Tenaya
Breckin
Becca
Aiden
Chloe
Gracie
Jade
Arabella

Good morning! A fairly good night's sleep has left me feeling better, here in Mammoth, although I think a small nap might be in order. Between the noisy heater and the dry air, I couldn't categorize last night's sleep as "ideal". I did get in 2 long walks yesterday, did the "Meridian Loop" twice (about 2 1/2 miles each time). The weather is turning here today, becoming breezy and turning colder. Still not "cold" by Mammoth standards, though. Supposed to be mid-20's tonight, with a high of only upper 20's tomorrow. Then a low in the single digits Wednesday night, but we'll be gone by then. It's a quick turn-around for me, I return Wednesday evening to San Diego, leave Thursday afternoon for Yosemite. Here's the good news; Jacqueline's coming along! She was able to extricate a couple days off of work, and it's a "go" for her to join me. Makes it seem more like a vacation than work (grin). So, needless to say, I'm happy.
I talked to my parents for over an hour yesterday, they're both doing well. In fact, they've both embraced the South Beach Diet, in part because they saw the success that Jacqueline and I have had. My weight loss has been somewhat more spectacular the Jacqueline's, at my heaviest I was ~192, am down to 153 now. That's nearly 40 lbs! I read with interest that the *average* US male is 5' 9 1/2" (that's me...) and 191! (That *was* me...). I REALLY enjoy the added energy and mobility gained through the weight reduction. It used to be hard for me to do 1 Meridian Loop walk, between the altitude, the elevation gain and loss, and my weight. Now, it's no big deal to go twice, and yesterday I was running on "reserves", having gotten a terrible night's sleep the night before. Now that's a major difference. The dividends paid by dropping the weight are worth the effort, many times over. Besides, the South Beach Diet makes it relatively painless. Jacqueline hasn't lost as much weight, but proportionately, she's not that far behind. She continues to whittle away, moving in the right direction. She wants to get to 110 (she's 4'11") and she's within 6 lbs of her goal. I wanted to get to 152, I'm essentially there, 1 more lb to go. 150 will be my "base" weight, the number I don't want to go below. I may actually have to *increase* my carb intake to maintain 150 (grin). That's fine with me, I really miss that sourdough toast in the morning!
I ran the beta of Internet Explorer 7 that's on the Microsoft webpage, and, while I like the new interface (very reminiscent of Firefox), it messed up at least one element of my online experience.... clicking a web link in an email (using Outlook Express) no longer launches ANY web browser, UNLESS you make IE your default browser (pretty sneaky, Mr. Gates....). Well, what that has done is caused me to do something I've been intending to do for some time now anyway... break away from Outlook Express and make Thunderbird my default Email program. The Valentine's Day e-card I sent to Jacqueline couldn't be viewed by her, GRRRR. I'll "fix" the desktop when I get home. I've run Thunderbird for some time as a secong email app, looks like it just became my primary one.

Been a while

Hello again, it's been quite a while since I posted. No particular reason why, just life's little obligations and distractions. I'm in Mammoth right now, about to go get my people at the main lodge, bring them back down into town. More to follow later.....

Watchin' the snow fall

I'm currently in June Lake, CA, a small town nestled against the eastern Sierras, north of Mammoth Lakes. The 21st Century hasn't arrived here yet... 8 TV channels, no outgoing phone calls, cellphone coverage non-existent, but, amazingly, the motel I'm staying at JUST installed wi-fi. Sounds good, hey? Well, it sucks, can't get a decent signal anywhere, I finally found a spot in my room where I could get a half-decent signal. It's on top of the dresser/TV console, about 6 feet off the ground! So, I'm currently standing on a chair, typing this out *grin*. The weather outside is deteriorating, a winter storm's moving in, and I'm having some bus troubles. Nothing major (I think...), but the "Battery" idiot light is on, although my charge rate on the guage appears fine, and the charging system appears to be working normally. Cold weather does strange things to these vehicles. Anhow, we're supposed to leave tomorrow morning, so hopefully it won't cause problems on the way home. Guess I'll be keeping my fingers crossed......

Not too bad a week

Everything is relative, right? This week was looking ugly, with a big shuttle looming large, promising long hours and the usual "no life" scenario. It didn't really turn out that way, however, partially because of the way I was dispatched, and partially because we weren't the "primary" transportation provider. Soooo, it wasn't too bad. I'm watching the AFC playoffs right now, a barn-burner game between the Steelers and the Colts. Steelers were the unfortunate recipients of an incredibly bad call (IMHO), otherwise the game would be all but over. Instead, there's an incredible game in progress. The Steelers had the game won again, but "the bus" fumbled at the 1-yard line, and gave the Colts another chance. Incredible 4th quarter, the Colts are about to try a 46-yard FG to tie the game. My heart rate is about 150!! Oooooh, my, the Colts missed it, looks like Pittsburgh is headed to the AFC finals.

Woo-hoo, weekend off!

Jacque and I have the weekend off together, somewhat unexpectedly, so we're planning a busy day today. Maybe go hiking at Mission Trails Regional Park this morning, followed by lunch at Red Lobster (thanks, Donn & Chuleen), then I'm thinking about us going to see Syriana, with George Clooney. We haven't been to a ovie in a long time. Tomorrow's still being planned.....

Back in San Diego

Here I am, back in San Diego. The trip home turned out to be WAY less of a marathon than I'd feared, although still a long day. I had a day off (hurrah!), then worked a day, then off today (Thu). Tomorrow I have a relatively easy day, just local stuff. Jacqueline and I got out on the motorcycle today, one of the advantages to living in San Diego in January. It was a beautiful day here today, temps well into the 70's.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Here I am, up at Bear Valley, CA. Driving the bus, with a group of skiers, to 7000' up in the Sierras. The nasty weather we were supposed to get arrived shortly after our arrival (thank God) and I was able to drive up without chaining up. However, the trade-off was that, when the precipitation *did* start, it was rain, not snow! UGGGHH! Not fun at all. Yesterday, it finally changed over to snow, and we're supposed to get 14" tonight, 16" tomorrow. The chains will be happy............ Here's a view out the front window of my bus this evening.............

Filled with Fear and Trepidation

Aw geez, here we go...... I'm leaving on an annual trip to Northern California tomorrow morning. The weather, to date, has been just fine, for weeks. It all ends today, there's a major winter storm pounding Northern and Central California right now. I'm going to 7000' elevation, snow level's supposed to drop to 4000' (!). Oh man, this is gonna suck, I can see it coming........

Oh, BTW, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Just Kickin' Around the House

Hey, good morning! Just kickin' it around the house today, am LOVING the slow time around the holidays. It's about time we had a slowdown at the bus company! I'm sure there's already drivers worrying and fretting about the suddenly-reduced income right at Christmas, but not this boy! I am going to go hike the mountain this morning, guess it's time to get my ass in gear. BTW, my weight's down to 156 now..... Have a great day!

Life in the fast lane

A month or so ago, I sprung for Cox Communication's "Premier" high-speed Internet service, with an advertised rate of "up to 9Mb/sec". Well, it *was* noticeably quicker, and downloads were faster, but I wasn't quite getting the "kick" I'd hoped for. I looked at my cable modem, and went, "hmmmm, that sucker's about 6 years old now". Did some looking online, and came to realize my modem was quite obsolete. After reading some reviews, I came to the conclusion that the Motorola SB5120 looked like the best bet. Furthermore, I read a posting to a forum somewhere, where a guy said, print off the online ad from Wal-Mart, where they have it posted for $57.57, bring it to Circuit City, have them do the 105% price match, buy the modem for $55, then print out the rebate offer from them for $20 off, and mail it in. Net price= $35! I did exactly, that, it's hooked up and running great, noticed an immediate speed increase. I'm a happy guy..........

The posting below

What's with the tiny print in the posting below? Simple, Blogger doesn't allow cut-and-paste from another application (I now know this...) and I'd typed out the letter in Word, to be uploaded later. I *really* didn't want to retype the entire thing, so I did a "capture" and converted it to a JPG, which I then uploaded. Great, except Blogger wouldn't make it big enough. GRRR, I give up. Read it if you can, consider it a vision check (grin).

Great Cholesterol Numbers

Family and friends are pretty familiar with my battles with my cholesterol numbers, a heredity predisposition I contend with. Well, it's been an up-and-down battle, with me making big efforts to reduce my slightly-overweight body and increasing my exercise, resulting in great results, followed by "resting on my laurels" for a while, getting a little sloppy, eating the wrong food, and watching the numbers creep up again. As mentioned in an earlier post, the wife and I started on the South Beach Diet about 6 weeks ago. We've stuck to it, and my weight has dropped from ~178 to ~160. VERY impressive. Even more impressive were my cholesterol numbers, at the dooctor's office today. Total cholesterol= 132! Amazing! LDL=59 Off the charts! HDL=61, very acceptable, and Triglycerides=60 Incredible! Needless to say, I'm ecstatic, and am reinforcing my need to watch the recidivism.