Since last winter went so swimmingly, let's try it again! TFS has very graciously opened her home in the west San Fernando Valley to me again. This time her daughter AS (and dog and cat) are there too. Two women + two dogs + two cats = not my usual solitary winter again. Huzzah! Place name links like Los Angeles, CA go to Wikipedia. Place name links like Los Angeles use a local tourism or government website.
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| 2013.10.28 |
The Idea Strikes Me (Again)... |
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I have actually been planning this trip for about a month now, and it's been on my mind as fall approached. Problem was, I didn't have a title for this blog, until a Duh moment this morning.
This winter will be simpler and less traipsy than last. I'll be staying put mostly at TFS's place and seeing and doing more of what's around there. A few side-trips come to mind, like the Grand Canyon, which we missed last time to avoid a large storm, the Space Shuttle, the Getty Villa , perhaps the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ , and a bunch of other things I'm collecting in a list in my head. I'll visit my friend SR in San Diego at least once, and for some more time. I've already got a list of a dozen ranges and courses to continue my golf efforts. I'm looking forward to driving more canyon roads, getting to know the area better, and avoiding the indoor solitude of winter.
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Just about everything is Version 2 of what I did last time, so it's a matter of working through a checklist, waiting for the calendar to flip past, and watching the weather for a good run of weather on my path. The earliest I could leave is November 6 or 7, to keep within the 182 day limit for a stay in the US. That's a month later than last year, with corresponding increased chance of weather to be avoided, so my exact departure is fluid right now.
I'll be retracing, in reverse, my route home from the Beach in May. 2,848 km, 25 hours on the I-15 S. Pretty easy driving, mostly flat except between south of Great Falls, MT and south of Idaho Falls, ID . The weather in this stretch will determine when I leave - there's terrain, windy roads, elevation and potential for ice. I will be less leisurely on the way, driving to lower my latitude, but keeping each stretch to 8-10 hours at most for 3 days of driving.
I'm going to be flexible about my stops, to accommodate the conditions, but for reference I'll assume the stops from May which are the largest cities along the route. | |
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| 2013.10.30 |
Map and Weather Nerdery |
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While I wait, a little digital planning. This time weather is much more a factor. Surprisingly, as I head south there are fewer and fewer population centres, as the route skirts the desert from Salt Lake City south. Then the last hour of the trip will put me into a region of almost 20 million people and many centres.
| Weather Enroute:
Home
Red Deer
Calgary
Lethbridge
Great Falls, MT
Helena, MT
Butte, MT
Idaho Falls, ID
Brigham City, UT
Salt Lake City, UT
Provo, UT
St. George, UT
Las Vegas, NV
Barstow, CA
Woodland Hills, CA |
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Great Falls, MT
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Great Falls, MT
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Salt Lake City, UT
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Salt Lake City, UT
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Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas
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Woodland Hills, CA
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| 2013.11.05 |
All but for the Waiting |
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Got a little winter on me anyway... Early November is a bit much to ask for avoiding cold and snow up here. So, long-familiar habits are revived: warming up the car a little, hard car seats, walking stiff-legged on icy sidewalks, wearing a heavier flannel shirt to go out - things we all just fade into as the weather demands it that I avoided last winter.
Preparations continue, my checklist is filling with Xs. Thursday the 7th still looks to be my departure date, favourable for weather and avoiding any Friday border-crossing traffic. The Cabrio will have a new suspension by this evening, and tomorrow may have some new(er) tires and a wash.
If I leave at sunrise, just after 7:30 these days, I'll have light until 5pm or better, about 9.5 hours of daylight. This makes an overnight stop possible in Helena or Butte MT to take an extra hour or two off the trip for Friday. Crossing the border is still the biggest unknown - it could be busy with snowbirds, or they may notice I overstayed in the last time (oopsy!) and give me grief. I'm leaning toward booking my first stop in Helena, an hour before Butte and still pretty flat.
Until I am 1 mile south of the border, mid-afternoon Thursday, this trip will be be speculative. |
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| 2013.11.07 |
Departure |
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7:30 am, about an hour until I leave, just shutting some things down. Last this, last that, checking the checklist as the sun slowly re-lights the sky. In 12 hours I'll be somewhere, ideally Helena MT.
Since I haven't tested the blog-update procedure I'm going to use this time, it may be a day or so until I make any significant updates. Not sure I'll take a lot of pictures - there's not much terrain today, and tomorrow will be a top-up day and it's just not as much fun taking pictures through the windows. Plus, I'll have seen things already, just in reverse from last time which you can see here, here, here, and here.
Weather looks to be decent all the way to Helena, with light flurries or showers being the only significant events.
Made it! Easy trip, a headwind all the way, but very little traffic. Crossing the border took a whole 45 seconds. Tomorrow on to St. George UT where top-down weather awaits. |
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