Here Comes The Colonel Sun

    I am not sure who is not aware of this, but aside from roads, I am a HUGE fan of James Bond. I remember when ABC used to play a combo of the Roger Moore and Sean Connery entries during the summer on Sunday nights in the 80s and early 90s.

   Later on, I began to read the original source material written by Ian Fleming between 1953 and 1965. While some of the movies stayed fairly true to the books, a few strayed considerably, particularly The Spy Who Loved Me, You Only Live Twice, Moonraker, and The Man With the Golden Gun. Of course, we all know that theatrical license needs to be taken to make a movie watchable. Trust me on Moonraker, that book put me to sleep.

   In the early 1980s, an author named John Gardner picked up the Bond concept in a series of novels that ran between 1981 and 1996. These books were more in the vein of Roger Moore silliness than Fleming's cold and calculating secret agent. I read most of them quite easily within a day or so, which may have been the problem. Gardner's prose was was simple without diving too deeply into sensory detail, which at the time suited me fine. Even now, I skip past long paragraphs describing gorgeous sitting room furniture because the plot is at a standstill.

   Even Fleming's novels went through a metamorphosis. Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, Diamonds are Forever, and From Russia With Love were not overly inundated with long detail. Doctor No and Goldfinger started to get into more detail, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice had long paragraphs in tinier print that irritated the hell out of my eyes.

   The 1950s Bond novels tended to pit Bond against the Soviet secret service organization called SMERSH, with two exceptions. In the 1960s, the new enemy became SPECTRE, led by mega-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. SPECTRE was what many of the early Bond movies focused on and even rewrote from SMERSH material. And then came Roger Moore...and I don't want to talk about that...at least not in this article.

   In 1968, British author Kingsley Amis, fascinated by Bond, wrote his own Bond novel called Colonel Sun. I just finished this book and I have to say...meh!

   I picked up a copy at my favorite local thrift store months ago and just recently decided to delve into it. Now, this is the only Amis book I have ever read, so I have nothing to compare this book to except Fleming novels...particularly the SPECTRE entries in terms of long paragraphs I can do without. Thankfully, the story went only 194 pages.

   One thing I can say for Amis is that he had done his research, specifically on Bond's superior name M and M's domestic staff at him home Quarterdeck, as they were featured briefly in On Her Majesty's Secret Service 5 years previously. 

   The plot is a bit odd, but worthy of transformation into a movie. In fact, it would not amaze me if elements of the book were already part of other films. The basic idea is that M has been kidnapped by Colonel Sun Liang-tan and his men and taken to a Greek Island. Sun had intended to grab Bond as well, but Bond foiled that plot. After consulting with his higher-ups using a planted clue, Bond deduces that M was taken to Greece and once there makes contact with Greek blooded but Communist-leaning Ariadne Alexandrou who is supposed to take him to Soviet friends but not for evil purposes. In short time, Bond and Soviet Major Gordienko form an uneasy truce before Gordienko is killed. After Bond and Ariadne recruit the help of her father's old comrade Niko Litsas, they come to Sun's fortress on Vrakonisi, a Greek Island, where a Soviet detente gathering is happenig. Sun and Nazi von Richter intend to kill everyone at the gathering and pin the blame on M and Bond.

   Bond, as well as Ariadne and Litsas, is eventually captured by Sun's people and, after a brief reunion with M, is taken to a basement to undergo physical and psychological torture performed by Colonel Sun himself. This part of the book to the climactic ending is the most readable...and it is only about 30 pages, but at least the action is palpable. The torture described is gruesome and I was amazed that Bond did not suffer permanent damage from it...but this IS Bond! Litsas sees to von Richter's demise while Bond first stabs Colonel Sun and later kills him. At the end, Bond is offered a medal by the Soviets, which he must refuse. Like with other Bond girls, he and Ariadne vow to spend time with each other when they can. This is a pattern in Bond books...by the next one, the previous book's Bond girl left him. As the next Bond book was Gardner's  1981 Licence Renewed, we never hear of what happened with Ariadne.

   Ariadne Alexandrou is fiercely passionate of Greek legend and history...and probably the most erotically described Bond girl of all time. Put into context of Bond's tragically short-lived marriage, Bond completely gives himself to her, damn the consequences. James Bond was already world-weary by 1963, tired of the hopeless pursuit of Blofeld and in 1964 when he found Blofeld, he strangled his enemy to death, and in 1965 was temporarily brainwashed to think he was a Soviet assassin assigned to kill M. 

   I appreciate what Amis is trying to do here, showing Bond as a quite seasoned agent who is less active than he once was, taking many an opportunity to take a round of golf. In some way, his way with women has not changed, but he is the wiser for his experience, falling almost happily into Ariadne's clutches, knowing it was going to happen one way or the other.

   As for Colonel Sun himself, he appears to be a Chinese version of Blofeld, waxing philosophical when performing torture. The scene in which Bond undergoes this agonizing torture almost seems like it should have been in You Only Live Twice shortly before his swordfight with Blofeld and then strangling him to death. Sun is evil, and yet at the end his emulation of the Marquis de Sade is revealed to not have the satisfactory feel he expected and he even apologized to Bond for this failure before dying. Sun is in fact a recreation of SPECTRE in terms of a third party trying to destroy the other world powers.

   For a one-off attempt at a Bond story, Amis did ok. It was like he had an idea he had to run with so he could get to other literary inspirations. I know that feeling well. Sadly, there was no 1970s literary representation of James Bond, leaving fans to deal with....Roger...Moore! As much as I dig the last name, no thank you!

   

Motor City Beginnings

 What comes to mind when you think of Detroit?

Whoa WHOA! Watch your language! Yes, I know Detroit has a less than stellar reputation in more than a few areas, but HIGHWAY wise, Detroit was the starting point for many a U.S. highway....still is for two.

It does seem odd that Detroit is the starting point for anything travel-related because Detroit is in such an odd location, and as Canada is accessible in 3 areas of Michigan, any highway would not seem probably in terms of distance.

First, let's talk about the "in memoriam" highways.

U.S. 10 once began in downtown Detroit as Woodward Avenue and headed north-northwest to Pontiac, Flint, Saginaw, and Bay City before taking a more westbound course toward Lake Michigan. Via ferry, 10 continued in Wisconsin and crossed the state into Minnestoa where it serviced the Twin Cities and continued across the state into North Dakota, then Montana, Idaho, and finally Washington, where it ended in Seattle. For the most part, U.S. 10 was a route across farmland and prairies of the Midwest. However, from central Montana to northern Idaho and again through the Cascades, 10 took a curvy and steep disposition.

As the Interstate system developed, U.S. 10 was truncated to starting in Bay City and ending in West Fargo, North Dakota, having been largely replaced by I 90 and I 94.

U.S. 16 once began in downtown Detroit as well, radiating northwest from there as Grand River Avenue and serviced Lansing and Grand Rapids before ending in Muskegon at Lake Mchigan. Like 10, a ferry crossed the lake to Milwaukee and 16 continued across Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and most of northern Wyoming to end in Yellowstone. Like 10, U.S. 16 crossed the Midwest's farmland and prairies before climbing the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and heading north and then west to the gates of Yellowstone.  Now, the route from Yellowstone to Rapid City, South Dakota is all that is left of U.S. 16. 

In a way, U.S. 16 is still in need of a trim. After meeting U.S. 20 in Worland, Wyoming, it is shared with that highway along with U.S. 14 further north. Technically, 16 is just a tacked on route much like U.S. 70 was in California before 1964.

All right, enough with the old shortened stufdf, let's get to the highways that have lasted!

First up:

U.S. 12 has had what I would consider incredible luck in its survival. Originally ending in Miles City, Montana, it was extended to Missoula, then Lewiston, Idaho and then to Aberdeen, Washington, almost making it to the Pacific Ocean, but not quite. 

Not only has 12 been extended, it has survived the Interstate freeways that could have heavily truncated the route. Yet, U.S. 12 has managed to be a mostly independent entity, albeit there are times when 12 shares pavement WITH an Interstate freeway, but never for that long a time.

Similar to U.S. 10, 12 goes through the northern portion of America's heartland, and also sees a good amount of mountains in Montana, Idaho, and the Cascades of Washington. Unlike 10, however, 12 isn't connected via ferry across Lake Michigan. Oh no, it crosses southern Michigan before heading southwest into Indiana and then northwest and north into Illinois and the Chicago metro area before heading north into Wisconsin, then Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington.

If there were a journeyman status for any existing highway, U.S. 12 would be a contender!

Finally, we have a highway that does not exactly meet the criteria here in terms of beginning in Detroit. specifically DOWNTOWN Detroit, but rather begins just north of Pontiac, which is an ex-urb of Detroit. With that, I introduce our final act for this article.....

U.S. 24 is at heart a Midwest highway, only its last almost 160 miles is in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. In the Detroit area, it begins as Dixie Highway and then becomes Telegraph Road all the way to Toledo, Ohio. From Toledo, 24 begins a west/southwest journey through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois and some of Missouri before it settles on a mostly western excursion through Kansas and eastern Colorado. In Limon, 24 heads southwest to Colorado Springs and then enters the Rockies, eventually heading north to end at U.S. 6 west of Vail. It once traveled with 6 all the way to Grand Junction, but like U.S. 16 and U.S. 70, 24 served no other places on its own so it was decomissioned west of its end at 6 in 1975.

And there you have it! 4 historic U.S. highways had their beginnings in the Detroit area, 3 of them actually starting in downtown Detroit! 

The U.S. 1 and only!

 There are some cases where the number 1 is the best!

In athletics or academics, being number 1 is an achievement!

In the bathroom, it's the easiest to clean!

On a test, it's a low F!

And then we have the HIGHWAY

For the last few weeks, I have been celebrating the highways on the western side of the U.S.A., particuloarly the desert, and then we had U.S. 101, which can and should be interpreted as U.S. 1 hundred 1, not an offshoot of U.S. 1. Believe me, U.S. 101 and even California's own state route 1 have a particular advantage over U.S. 1, and that is OCEAN VIEWS!

101 offers many ocean views in southern California and when it is not near the ocean, CA 1 takes up the slack, rarely being further than 15 miles from the Pacific.

If one looks at a map of U.S. 1 from Maine all the way down to Key West, it looks like 1 affords many an ocean view in Florida and Maine, but in reality, the Keys contain most of the ocean views. That is impressive, of course, and there are miles and miles of ocean on this stretch.

Where U.S. 1 is quite impressive is MILEAGE. It is in Maine for 526 miles, while Florida claims 545 miles of U.S. 1! All other Eastern Seabord states claim anywhere between 7 and 223 miles. What is also pretty cool is that U.S. 1 has a presence in quite a many important city: Portland,Maine, Portsmouth, Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington,D.C., Richmond, Raleigh, Columbia, Jacksonville, and little ol' Miami.

In fact, U.S. 1 seems to have been designed almost 100 years ago to do just just: connect the dots of all the major eastern cities on the map. Scenery seems to have come at a distant second...but then again, who can define scenery? Some people consider the vast, empty desert as scenery (I certainly do!). An abundance of trees can be considered scenic, as well as farmland. A mile or so of a small New England village with autumn foliage could certainly be scenic.

Of course, there are the many pieces of urban blight along U.S. 1 that hold varying opinions of beauty. I once thought the urban feel was a good one, because all of the possible goods and services one could need or want were right there. As I have grown much older, the rural feel is more appealing.

U.S. 1 certainly has its share of ruralness, particularly in Maine once you are past Portland, and that is well over 500 miles! Of course, all of the other states, even New Jersey, hold at least one little piece of rural wonder.

There are times, of course, when U.S. 1 lies in the shadow of Interstate 95, but that is not as often as one may think. Where I 95 skirts many city centers, U.S. 1 is in the heart of them. Plus, U.S. 1 goes beyond I 95 to the south AND north. And as long as U.S. 1 remains a vital transportation corridor, meaning as long as the truck and automolile are around, so will U.S. 1.

In Memorium...U.S. 99

 I gather us all here today to pay our respects to a very dear and beloved U.S. Highway that is no longer with us...

By request, we have made this a closed casket service because how in the world could we fool you into thinking we could fit over a thousand miles of U.S. 99 in a coffin?

U.S. 99 began at the Mexican border in Calexico, California, thereby orginating in the low desert. In fact, 99 had over 140 miles in the desert from Calexico to Beaumont. It then headed into Redlands and San Bernardino before traveling west with U.S. 60 and 70 toward Los Angeles, serving the metro area's satellite towns.

From there, 99 headed north through more L.A. burbs before it became the Ridge Route, a steep and curvy mountain road, and a dangerous one at that. 

After coming down from the mountains into Kern County and the San Joaquin Valley, 99 transformed once again...from desert to urban to mountain to agricultural. This agricultural stretch would travel to important California towns such as Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, Modesto, Stockton, and Sacramento. North of Sacramento, the agricultural region continued as the Sacramento Valley. Also, 99 was split into 99E and 99W. 99W was the less populated road while 99E went through towns such as Yuba City, Marysville, and Chico before rejoining with 99W in Red Bluff. 

From Red Bluff, 99 began a gradual climb toward more mountains, and by the time it passed through Redding, the mountains were just beyond the town. 99 wound through the rugged landscape and through towns such as Dunsmuir, Weed, and Yreka before another steep climb up the Siskiyou Mountains to the Oregon border and then wind back down into Ashland.

While California provided a myriad of landscapes for 99, Oregon was more consistently rugged for almost 200 miles, traveling through Medford, Grant's Pass, and Roseburg before finally straightening into the Willamette Valley, a greener version of the San Joaquin Valey due to more rain. 

Incidentally, in Grant's Pass, an offshoot of 99, U.S. 199, still exists and travels 80 miles to U.S. 101 just north of Crescent City,California.

After servicing Eugene and Springfield at the valley's southern end, 99 once again split into an E and W, each servicing different valley towns. 99E went through Albany and Salem before enting the southern Portland burbs, while 99W passed through Corvallis and McMinnville before rejoining 99E in Portland to cross the Columbia River to Washington.

In Washington, U.S. 99 traveled along the northern banks of the Columbia before entering inland Washington, going through Vancouver, Kelso, Longview, Centralia, and Olympia before entering the Puget Sound region. Much of the southern portion of 99 was heavily forested and crossed many rivers and creeks. After Tacoma, 99 passed through many towns on the western side of Puget Sound before entering Seattle. From Seattle, 99 continued north into Everett, Bellingham, Mt. Vernon and Blaine before heading to the Canadian border.

Today, U.S. 99 no longer exists, being decomissioned in California in 1964, in Oregon in 1966, and in Washington in 1968, though Interstate 5 was not completed in many areas before the 1970s. 

In California, U.S. 99 was replaced by CA 99 from 25 miles south of Bakersfield to Red Bluff, a total of 450 miles. It was slowly developed into a freeway over time. In fact, I remember as far back as 1995 that the town of Livingston still had a traffic light.

In Oregon, there are many parts to OR 99 that are discontinuous in the southern part of the state, though I 5 is considered to join them. From Eugene, the route is more solid  and splits into OR 99W and OR 99E from Junction City to the Portland area.

In Washington, WA 99 only exists officially from Fife (jsut east of Tacoma) north to Everett. Up until a few years ago, WA 99 traveled on an old  structure known as the Alaskan Way Viaduct, but that has since been torn down and replaced with a long tunnel running under Seattle.

Of course, in all three states, there are several "business routes" that serve as the historic route, though many are unsigned as such.

Let us bow our head as I read from the Book of Roads..."Thou Shalt erect Historic Route signs for geeks like Moore who will hound the state transportation departments until they bend to his will, so sayeth Saint 66."

Get More Kicks On U.S. 6

    All right, I have covered a lot of western roads of late, many of them going through deserts and mountains. Also, these roads were north-south highways. To my horror, I realized that I had not tackled any east-west highways as a single focus, though I did write about U.S. highways 10,20,30,40,50,60,70,80, and 90, cut into 2 articles. OK OK, wasn't HORRIFIED...because the 100th birthday of the U.S. Highway System is not until next year, but I have been giving the deserts a lot of coverage. This partly due to the fact that I have been living in the desert for 23 years. Also, I am about to re-enter the classroom for another 9 1/2 months, so I will not have a ton of free time to write.

   First on my east west agenda is a single-digit classic, also a sad case of some truncation (though only a few hundred miles). In fact, this highway got some coverage in my "Lost California U.S. Highways" article. All right all right, Captain Preamble, on with it!

And with that, we go to...

U.S. 6 is extraordinary as it covers a lot of different terrtain in its long trek between Provincetown, Massachsetts and Bishop, California. Plus, for most of its length it manages to stay off of Interstate highways and keep its own  original identity.

Starting in Provincetown, 6 actually begins going more south instead of west as it cuts down the Cape Cod Peninsula, and then begins its westward trek across southern Massachusetts and then into Rhode Island and Connecticut and southern New York State.That is 338 miles before 6 even gets into Pennsylvania, which shows just how much terrain has been covered already! Between Massachusetts and New York, 6 crosses a myriad of creeks and rivers along with several bigger towns like Providence, Hartford, and Danbury.

After crossing the Hudson River, U.S. begins to see less in terms of waterways and more of what I like to call good old countryside. After passing through the greater Scranton area, 6 climbs into the northern tier of Pennsylvania, ascending and descending many high hills and going through just a few samples of what Pennsylvania is known for: small towns. After the hills of Appalachia end, 6 transitions into well over a thousand miles of agriculture, though it does pass througha few metro areas, most notably downtown Cleveland, along with the northwestern burbs of Indiana, though it shares road with the Indiana Toll Road for this. 

On a side note, if anyone passed through a great expanse of farmland with no end in sight on a nonfreeway, you're missing out. Case in point: a little over 10 years ago, we were taking care of Vickie's dad's funeral arrangements in northern Missouri. Flying into Kansas City, we took I 35 to Eagleville, and it was about 100 miles of boredom. Now, contrast that with U.S. 69 which ran close to I 35. U.S. 69 is a rolling highway that sees farms, residences, and towns...in other words, much more fun.

U.S. 6 is just like this. Of course there are some flat straight areas to contend with, that's why God created music! Pick a station or playlist and enjoy the ride!

In the Midwest, 6 does share some road here and there with I 80 In Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska, but not for terribly long stretches (meaning more than 50 miles). That said, one always needs to account for the fact that the Interstate highway system was created to improve upon older, slower, and narrower highways.

In terms of sharing with other U.S. and state highways, 6 does much of that, particularly with U.S. 34 in Nebraska. Not long before the Colorado line, they split.

Just east  of Brush, Colorado, U.S. 6 is joined with the western I 76 all the way to just a few miles north of Denver, a length of 83 miles, and from Commerce city, it joins U.S. 85 to I 70 and then I 25 to downtown Denver before striking on its own for a while, mostly in expressway status to Golden.

Once again, there is a choice from south of Golden to Idaho Springs. If one is in a hurry, then cutting to I 70 from U.S. 6 would make sense. However, to truly get a sense of a narrower highway through some of the Rockies, 6 is THE way to go! Tunnels, trees, curves, and fresh mountain air are what 6 offers until it is forced on to I 70 to just before the Eisenhower Tunnel. I have been on much of this, it is WORTH THE EXTRA TIME!

Just before the Eisenhower Tunnel, 6 departs 70 for the steep windoing journey up to Loveland Pass and then the descent toward Dillon and Silverthorne. If you have a good healthy car, 6 makes more sense in terms of scenery. It stays with 70 again to west of Vail and then is on its own to just before Glenwood Canyon. and again from west of Glenwood Srings to west of Rifle, offeirng much experience of its original routing, tohugh often in 70's lofty shadow. 

In Palisade, one can take old 6 into the greater Grand Junction area for several miles before joining U.S. 50 and I 70  just before entering Utah. Looking at Google Maps, there is an older but not very well maintained stretch of 6 and 50 going into Utah. This Interstate was built either on top of 6 or next to it for the first 72 miles. 11 miles east of Green River, there is another older and less maintained stretch of 6 and 50 that is driveable right into town.

In Green River, 6 and 50 end their association for a little while. 50 continues with I 70 through some fantastic desert scenery to Salina while 6 and U.S. 191 travel north to Price, then separate before 6 heads into picturesque Price Canyon and then other just as impressive canyons before joining with U.S. 89 to Spanish Fork. Here, 6 hooks up with I 15 south to Santaquin and then cuts west and south to reunite with U.S. 50 in Delta. Before I 70 was paved from Green River to Salina, 50 followed 6 to Spanish Fork and then north and west and south again before meeting 6 in Ely.

From Delta, 6 and 50 travel the desert to Nevada, granting access to Great Basin National Park and U.S. 93 down the road before the 3 enter Ely together. From Ely, 6 heads on a quite lonely road for almost 170 miles to Tonopah. For its 305 miles in Nevada, Ely and Tonopah are its only 2 major towns in terms of services. In Tonopah, 6 joins with U.S. 95 for 40 miles to Coaldale Junction (nothing fancy) before 6 continues on its own into California to end at U.S. 395 in Bishop.

Coming to 3,198 miles, U.S. 6 has an impressive number of miles to its name. Trailing that mileage is U.S. 20, though 20 is broken up in Yellowstone, where officially no numbered highways enter.

Now, let's talk truncation!

Before 1964, U.S. 6 continued with U.S. 395 from Bishop to just north of Inyokern, where 6 headed a little more southwest and west as the Sierra Highway to U.S. 99, which it followed to Los Angeles and then south to end in Long Beach. This extra 296 miles definitely put U.S. 6 over the top in terms of mileage! Even better, much of the old Sierra Highway between just south of Mojave and I 5 can still be driven and with decent road conditions!

All right, before I end this usual Moore Farce, I need to give credit where credit is due. You all know I am a road geek, but what you may not know is that watching road trip videos makes me an even bigger geek! Some of these videos are real-time, others are sped up mildly, and even more others are sped up a lot...as in you can watch an end to end highway video across the nation in 8+ hours.

I was going to write about old but no longer existent U.S. 99 today, but a video about U.S. 6 changed my mind...U.S. 99 will come later.

All of U.S. 6 video

I highly recommend watching this in whole or segments between bowel movements. It really does U.S. 6 justice.

With that, I will find my funeral clothes so I may conduct a proper service for old U.S. 99. 

Food and coffee after!

Stayin Alive on 395!

 Sorry, but I have to admit I can be a bit of a liar...well, not a liar, just a forgetful person.

I had said last week that I was done with the desert highways, but I had forgotten one, and this one was mentioned in my California U.S. Highways article. It definitely bears mentioning because I have a good deal of personal experience with this road, both in its current form and old and occasionally hard to find pieces. 

This is....

395 is unique in that even before the rise of the Interstate Highways, 395 never once connected with its mother route U.S. 95. I think the closest they come to each other is 75 miles apart.

395 is one of those highways that even before truncation was a "close but no cigar" in terms of border to border length, having previously ended in downtown San Diego.

Currently, U.S. 395 begins in the high desert town of Hesperia, California. After a few stop signs and traffic signals, 395 heads into the empty desert for a long while, seeing some relief stops at its junction with CA 58 (which until fairly recently was a frequently backed up 4 way stop), Randsburg, Inyokern, Lone Pine, and Big Pine.  Along the way, it provides access to the Naval base in Ridgecrest, sees the end of CA 14 (formerly U.S. 6 before 1964), and also access to Death Valley via CA 190. 

Many of the towns I mentioned are in the Owens Valley, which while completely desert, give some breathtaking views of the eastern Sierra Nevada escarpment. Gas in this valley can be a bit pricy since 395 does not connect directly to any major highways until entering Nevada.

Exiting the Owens Valley, 395 enters Bishop, which serves as a gateway to the mountains and mountain skiing resorts. It is a great town to gas up and eat after all of that desert. Bishop is also where U.S. 6 has its western beginning. 

After Bishop, 395 climbs into the mountains for a while, getting some cooler air while going through Lee Vining (where it meets CA 120 west, providing access to Yosemite National Park), Bridgeport, and Topaz before entering Nevada and evening out into the Carson Valley, serving Minden and Gardnerville before entering the Carson City area and becoming a freeway bypassing the capitol town. From Carson City to Reno, 395 is paired with I 580 before becoming its own route again after junctioning with I 80. 18 miles later, 395 is back in California.

The rest of 395 in northern California is fairly flat with some low mountain views. It completely bypasses Susanville before re-entering empty lands to Alturas and riding the east side of Goose Lake before entering Oregon.

Hate to break it to those hoping that Oregon is a bit better, but it is still a lot of desert on its eastern parts, and as towns are fairly scarce, gas and food planning is wise. It travels with U.S. 20 for a bit to Burns and intersects with U.S. 26 in John Day, getting in some mountain climbs before that junction. From John Day, 395 does some more mountains before descending into the agricultural region of Pendleton. 395 joins I 84 for 21 miles before leaving to go through Stanfield and Hermiston before joining I 82 into Washington.

U.S. 395 in Washngton is still desertlike after leaving the tri city area of Pasco/Kennewick/ Richland, staying that way all the way to Ritzville where it joins I 90 to Spokane. North of Spokane, 395 gets greener and even has the luxury of having a 2nd crossing of the Columbia River. From there, it is quite tree-lined to the Canadian border.

Like other desert highways, 395 sees most everything except ocean, though it does travel alongside many lakes in all 3 states.

All that said, what about the "lost" 395?

I am happy to announce that much of the old 395 is quite driveable. It is quite evident on the Cabrillo Freeway between I 5 and I 8, but after that, it is quite buried under freeway concrete along CA 163 and I 15 to the Pomerado Road/Miramar Road exit, taking drivers through Poway and Rancho Bernardo before ending at I 15. Granted, the current Pomerado Road replaced an older narrower one. If one takes 15 past North County Fair Mall to  Centre City Parkway in Escondido, they can continue on 395.

In Escondido, there are 2 versions of 395. The original alignment took drivers northwest to Vista and then cut norh to Fallbrook, Rainbow, and down the hill to Temecula in Riverside County. The later realignment went fairly straight north from Escondido and now serves as a frontage road for I 15, and even has an exit labeled "Old Highway 395". It is quite driveable and in fact acts as an alternate to 15 when it gets backed up in the afternoon rush hour out of the San Diego area.

From Temecula, 395 at one time went northwest to Lake Elsinore and then northeast to Perris, and meet US/CA 60 to travel to Riverside, San Bernardino, and the Cajon Pass. 395 is still a road from Temecula to Murrieta. Later, it was realigned to go more directly north from Temecula to Perris and to Riverside before turning north for San Bernardino.

Now, I did mention a personal connection, or rather history, with 395. Back in 1987, our family took a vacation from Pennsylvania to Yosemite. We flew to Reno and took 395 south into California. We stayed in Bridgeport for the night and then continued to the junction with CA 120 to take us to the park. Coming back, we did a little detour around Lake Tahoe. That trip was quite memorable if only for the fact that on the trip back, our flight from Minneapolis to Newark was canceled...not a 395 fact but a part of the whole.

A few years later, my sister had enlisted in the Navy and, after basic training, was assigned to China Lake. She met her first husband there and they welcomed their first child in the Naval hospital. We often traveled up 15 and 395 to visit, until they moved to Washington in 1995.

Even later, a colleague of mine and I took a class at UNR one weekend in 2004 and we headed home part of the way on 395, form Reno to Big Pine, stopping to eat at a Sizzler in Bishop.

A one of a kind highway with a unique identity, 395 has something for pretty much everyone.

U.S. 89...and a little of 91

  Continuing in the celebration of the U.S. Highway System's 100th birthday next year, I wanted to focus on two more desert highways, one of which is a mere shadow of its old self officially. The other one is what I like to call the Avenue of the National Parks. So let's get into it. 

   

U.S. 91 was once more or less a super north-south highway. I say less because it extended from the Canadian border in Montana to the Los Angeles area, so it was not border to border like some other western U.S. highways. Still, at its maximum, it was 1,431 miles long. This was due to the highway taking a diagonal routing through California, Nevada, Arizona, and much of Utah.

Although 91 was decommissioned in California, Nevada, and Arizona in 1974, along with Montana in 1980, many parts still exist and are even drivable, though road surface conditions vary. PLUS, it still exists for 172 miles in northern Utah and southern Idaho.

Probably the best state to see the original 91 is in Nevada, best known as Las Vegas Boulevard. Yes indeed, U.S. 91 was once the home of the famous Las Vegas Strip. Before 91 was decommissioned in 1974, the Strip was considerably more drivable and less skyscraper-lined than it is now. Currently, drivers can access 91 from the Jean exit on I 15 and take it for roughly 52 miles to U.S. 93 where it exits I 15. Granted, it will take a long time to get through the Las Vegas area with all of the traffic lights.

Another good portion of 91 can be accessed from I 15 at exit 112 as NV 170, wrapping around the small burgs of Riverside and Bunkerville, then north to Mesquite where it ends at Mesquite Boulevard, then onto that road until just before I 15, and right on Hillside Drive to almost immediately cross into Arizona. Until Littlefield, 91 acts as a more scenic bypass to I 15. After Littlefield, 91 takes a more straightforward path until Utah and then begins curving eastward to reach St. George. This was the main route for drivers until 1973 when I 15 was opened in the Virgin River Gorge.

From St. George, 91 exists as either frontage roads for I 15 or main streets of communities such as Leeds, Cedar City, Parowan, Beaver, Fillmore, and Nephi. From Spanish Fork, 91 more or less followed U.S. 89 (we're getting there) all throughout the Provo and Salt Lake City metro areas.

In Brigham City, 91 has its official beginnings, running with U.S. 89 to Logan, where they split. 91 headsnorth into Idaho for several miles until it meets 15, then acts pretty much as a frontage road for 15 until ending at U.S. 26 in Idaho Falls.

From there, it goes back to the occasional frontage road or community main street through the rest of Idaho and all of Montana. 

U.S. 91 was just one of those routes that got outmoded by the Interstate system. The route was mentioned in the original Ocean's 11 when the group was planning their attack and escape route. Therefore, it has a mark in history as well as a small official piece remaining in the mountain states.

And now we come to the Avenue of the National Parks, or the National Park Broadway, whatever one chooses to call it. U.S. 89 once traveled from border to border uintil...you guessed it, the Interstates made a portion of it obsolete. That said, most of U.S. 89 is intact.

In Arizona, U.S. 89 began in Nogales at the Mexican border, then proceeded to Tucson from where it went north and northwest to Phoenix, continuing northwest to and past Wickenburg. This part of the state is a lot of flat desert, and 89 being replaced mostly by I 10 and I 19 probably did not cause too much fuss. 89 also shared road with U.S. 60 and U.S. 93 to just past Wickenburg where it turned north then northeast to do some mountain winding before entering Prescott. Beyond thatm 89 took a fairly straight path to Ash Fork where it met Route 66 and had an affair all the way to Flagstaff.

From just north of Prescott, there was an offshoot route U.S. 89A which took drivers through more mountainous terrain to Cottonwood, Sedona and finally to Flagstaff where it met its parent.

Flagstaff is where 89 was truncated to the south. From there, it currently heads in a fairly straight course to Page, but not before giving access via AZ 64 to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Also before Page, the CURRENT U.S. 89A, which is the former route of U.S. 89, goes west from 89, crosses the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River, and goes through some beautiful country, giving access to the Grand Canyon's north rim via AZ 67. From there it heads north into Utah to meet 89 in Kanab.

Meanwhile, the real 89 heads from 89A at its south end through some red rock country and goes through the narrow by fantastic Antelope Pass along the way before entering Page, a town that did not exist until the the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1957, similar to Nevada's Boulder City when the Boulder/Hoover Dam was being buit in the 1930s. In 1959, 89 was rerouted to go through Page.

After the Glen Canyon Dam, 89 enters Utah and heads in a generally westbound path for 72 miles to Kanab where it meets the northern end of 89A.  After Kanab, 89 winds north to give access via UT 9 to Zion Canyon National Park and further north, UT 12 to give access to Bryce Canyon National Park. That's 3 so far!

From the 12 junction, 89 continues north to Panguitch and Circileville, then to the Sevier Valley communities, the biggest of which is Richfield. In this region, 89 can be taken as a surface road or along I 70 to quicken the drive to Salina. From Salina, 89 heads into some pretty country and through many mid-Utah communities before junctioning with U.S. 6 to head west to Spanish Fork. From just southeast of Spanish Fork, it goes north through the Provo metro area of Utah County before joining I 15 into Salt Lake County and going on its own in Draper as State Street, shooting straight north to Salt Lake City. 

From there, 89 alters between keeping its own road and joining 15 until Farmington, where it remains on its own thorugh the Ogden area. After Ogden, 89 courses into Brigham City where U.S. 91 joins it to beautiful Logan.After Logan, 89 climbs into Logan Canyon before descending to Garden City and to run along the west shore of Bear Lake into Idaho where it runs north through farmland and then east into Montpelier where it forms a brief junction with U.S. 30. before climbing into Montpelier Canyon to enter Wyoming.

Keeping close to Idaho for a while, 89 meets U.S. 26 to cross the Snake River. and then meet U.S. 191. All three stay together for a time, providing access to Grand Tetons National Park (4) before 26 heads east from Moran. At this point, 89 and 191 also pick up U.S. 287 and all three head north to Yellowstone(5). Since no U.S. routes exist OFFICIALLY in any national park, they more or less disappear until the park's northern end, where 89 travels into Montana where it eventually flattens out for a bit before entering Livingston and joining I 90 briefly before jaunting on its own to meet with U.S. 12 into White Sulphur Springs and then head itno some hills to later meet U.S. 87  and ride together to Great Falls, where 89 will ride with I 15 for 12 miles before departing to the west.

A few miles east of 15, 89 cuts north to meet with U.S. 2 just east of Glacier National Park (6) in Browning. After losing 2, 89 cuts west and north to ride through gorgeous mountain country and views to the Canadian border.

Indeed, 89 is the road for national park fanatics, but even with that asset, it still passes through a lot of goregeous western country for 1,252 miles. Also notable is that with the exception of joining I 15 in a few spots in Utah and Montana, U.S. 89 is mostly a regular 2 lane road throughout. I highly recommend this route for any lover of western scenery.

The Two Trumps

 I have been the proud voter in Presidential elections for 33 years. Even when I was not particularly enthralled with any of the candidates, my right to partake in the political system was fully exercised with enthusiasm. Let's sum this up by year.

1992: Bush-Clinton-Perot

1996: Clinton-Dole

2000: Gore-W

2004: Kerry-W

2008: Obama-McCain

2012: Obama-Romney

2016: Clinton-Trump

2020: Biden-Trump

2024: Harris-Trump

Only 1 name showed up 3 times, can anyone see it?

I will say that in many of those elections, I voted for the lesser-known names that were not on the main ticket, simply because, well, the main names meant nothing to me. That said, I voted for Gore and Kerry because I had zero confidence in the ass clown son.

Even in the one that began the era we have been stuck in for about 10 years now, I voted for some underdog name. I proudly confess that. Even since the mid-80s, I'd been more or less subjected to the Trump name because a friend of mine had all these magazine articles about him like he was a role model. And back in those days in terms of real estate, Donald Trump was a force to be reckoned with, and if you also had millions, you too could have a real estate empire.

And like many restaurant chains that overexpanded, some of his holdings had to suffer, particularly casinos.

For some reason, Trump felt that he could be President of our country and threw his hat in the ring in 2015. OK, now at some point between then and the 2016 primaries, there was a possibility of another Clinton-Bush ticket, almost like history was going to repeat itself in a yin-yang kind of way. So I was a bit relieved when Jeb was not the GOP choice...but Trump was not an improvement.

I bet many of us did not think of it then, but after all this time, I think there was an underlying reason for Trump to want to be in the White House. The resurfacing of Jeffrey Epstein this past week frames this narrative a bit better.

That's who was elected in November of 2016. Once again I was relieved to a point, because the DNC had played some dirty pool that year in terms of shutting out Bernie Sanders supporters...which showed that even when you're in the same club, not all are equal.

From 2017-early 2020, there was only one thing that bugged me and that was the tax cuts, but only because my tax refunds had paid for our summer vacations for 4 years...no longer. Eh, whatever. Trump said wild things and he tried wild things, all to the chagrin of the legislators who thought they could rein him in, Mitch McConnell comes to mind. It was Trump this and that all the time, making me understand even more fully that he was an attention hound. He dealt with the press in a fairly decent way and answered their questions pretty directly, even when he was full of it.

Then came COVID. To this day I have no idea what it was all really about, but the fact that a worldwide pandemic was pretty much done within 2 years does ring some alarm bells. I really wanted to think that our President was handling it the best he could, but things changed daily and we never knew what was really going on...ever! And because of that flip-flopping, I believe, he lost the election against Joe Biden.

I was surprised. I did not vote for either. However, until COVID, I was convinced that Trump had the election in the bag. I was resigned to it. As his Presidency had not hurt me or my family or others around me directly, it was like having the ass clown son in office for a while longer, only Trump had not created an absence of attention to domestic affairs like W had, which led to the recession of 2008.

I will not delve into the aftermath of that election in terms of theory and suspicions, I heard enough of them. But Trump could not conceive that he lost and he surrounded himself with people who not only convinced him (and his voter base) that there was a wide swath of election fraud (they STOLE the election) but that they would find ways to keep him in...and those methods were the fraud itself. 

And all that led to January 6, 2021. It happened, it failed, and 2 weeks later, Joe Biden was inaugurated, and Donald Trump was temporarily defeated. And when I say temporary, it was for a day or so.

This portrait was 4 years after his first inaugural portrait. Older, grayer, angrier. Beofre getting re-elected, he had gone through investigations and trials, but also had effectively taken over the Republican Party without the hint of a fight. Yes, after the events of January 6, he licked his wounds for maybe a day or so before going on the attack.

He had promised to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war, to end inflation, to resolve the border situation...and to make America great again.

Quite frankly, we were great a year ago despite what he wants the optics to portray. 

We had a solid place in the world economy. Illegal immigration according to the numbers was not the catastrophe Trump was making it out to be. And yeah, eggs were a problem but it was a bird flu thing which resolved itself a few months ago like it had once or twice before. Plus, between you and me, the Ukraine thing was just dragging out and we had put no dent in it...neither has Trump.

The tariff game (because it is a game to him) has alienated world leaders from the United States. We even alienated CANADA! 

He approved ICE agents to storm Los Angeles and then sent in the national guard due to ensuiing riots even though many of the supporting optics were old.

A prison camp was built in RECORD time in the Everglades recently.

We attacked Iran without any really clear solid unbiased intel.

And now Trump's past with a crooked mega investment guy/minor girl trafficker is coming back to haunt him.

Unlike his other endeavors this year that have failed, his MAGA supporters stop at child rape. He keeps begging his supporters to forget the past, but who can get that image out of their head. It's right up there with Catholic priests molesting Catholic youth, particularly male youth. And Trump wants his previous actions, like the actions of priests, to be forgotten or swept away.

We have been led by 2 Trumps. One was not exactly benign but shook the Federsl government up, which the establishment needs from time to time. The other is an angry, vengeful man who lashes out at anyone who does not lavish praise on him, particularly the media. And he still lets Vladimir Putin do whatever he likes to Ukraine. He still idolizes his dictator role model.

Or maybe this is the Trump we would have gotten in 2021? Maybe in some ways, but others not. He did not have the legislative support in 2021 that he gathered for 3 years after. This year was his time to go after those he had perceived to hurt him. And who knows what the next 3 1/2 years will bring? It is a scary thought.

We are not greater than we were a year ago.

It is not because of Biden.

It is Trump and those who kiss his...whatever is kissable anymore.

The Desert Prince

 I covered the other day my love for U.S. Highway 95. To me, it is the quint or hexa essential desert highway in America. However, there is another highway that is pretty close to matching 95's position. In fact, this highway shares some roadway in the Las Vegas area, 22 miles to be exact.

That would be... 

Like 95, it spends more than half of its length in the desert, and nowhere is the highway more at home than in Nevada, where is runs for 527 miles.

I have been on 93 for its entire length in Arizona and Nevada, and a little chunk in southern Idaho as far as Twin Falls. It is about as nowhere as it gets in those runs, with one little advantage over 95: 93 for the most part is more direct, whereas 95 winds around a lot in Nevada and Oregon direction-wise.

So let us take a look at this highway from its southern end: Wickenburg, Arizona. It actually begins as a traffic circle with U.S. 60 going west and 93 going northwest. From there, the highway travels sometimes two-lane, often four-lane, through the emptiness of desert, though scenic at times with mountains around all the time.

Incidentally, U.S. 93 between Wickenburg and I 40 was once one of the deadliest roads in America due to its formerly entire 2-lane existence and some blind curves, plus the truck travel, since 93 was the fastest and clearest route to Phoenix since I 40 to I 17 in Flagstaff was often snowed in.

93 joins I 40 for 23 miles to Kingman, where it exits and runs through desert lands as an at grade expressway, though the exit for AZ 68 to Bullhead City and Laughlin is freeway-grade. The expressway to the Nevada line has seen better times. More than 20 years ago when I would visit my grandma in Sun City West, Arizona, I would take 93 all the way to where it ended, then 60. Between the Hoover Dam and I 40, 93 was in pretty good shape then. Now it is full of potholes, at least in the northbound direction. However, good things are coming down the line, but with a potential catch...

At the Nevada line, 93 becomes a freeway and shares road with the sudden appearance of the fairly new Interstate 11. It passes over Hoover Dam and then after 2 miles it turns south and then west to bypass Boulder City proper to the north. It picks up U.S. 95 just before heading northwest to Railroad Pass and then into the Las Vegas Valley.

Before 2010, 93 went down a steep set of switchbacks to cross Hoover Dam and then switchbacked up again to head into Boulder City. West of Boulder City was where 95 joined just a half mile of where it joins now and after a traffic light at Railroad Pass, beocme a freeway. The events of 9/11/2001 resulted in trucks being disallowed on the dam, instead being detoured down 95 and then NV163 and finally AZ 68 back to 93,a 100 mile detour from what was once about 80 miles. In 2010, a new bypass was opened over Black Canyon and the dam, once again allowing trucks to take the more direct route into Arizona.  When I 11 opened for its initial 23 miles in 2018, 93 was rerouted onto it just west of the Hoover Dam Bypass.

I 11/U.S. 95/93 enter the Las Vegas Valley in a fairly westerly direction before turning northwest after the CC 215 interchange. Between southern Henderson and Downtown Las Vegas, 93 and 95 once ran along Boulder Highway/Fremont Street, being gradually rerouted along the freeway as it was built. For 30 years, this freeway was also known as I 515, changed completely over to I 11 in 2024.

At the Spaghetti Bowl interchange with I 15, 93 joins with 15 northbound into the not-so-glitzy North Las Vegas and then climbs up to Apex where Las Vegas Boulevard crosses it. At this point, I 15/U.S. 93 leave the Las Vegas Valley officially. Six miles down the freeway, 93 exits 15 and restarts its desert trek and wow it it a trek!

Between I 15 and the small town of Alamo is 73 miles of pure desert, and if one travels around sunrise, the colors on the mountains are striking. Along the way, 93 has a turnoff for NV 168, which runs to Moapa and is the former routing of 93, when it ended in Moapa. 

Note: if and when Interstate 11 is completed to the Phoenix area, U.S. 93 will be redundant as a route and will likely be truncated to I 15 and not even reach Las Vegas anymore.

After Alamo and Ash Springs, 93 meets the end of NV 375 (the Extraterrestrial Highway) and curves to the east for a little over 40 miles before turning north again. Passing through Caliente and then bypassing Pioche, 93 enters a vast barren valley before meeting U.S. 6 and U.S. 50 to run west together to Ely.

I distinctly remember going on a 4th grade trip 22 years ago on this route. On the bus, I closed my eyes for a bit and when I opened them, we were coming to that junction and the weather had turned cold, windy and snowy! And it was early May!

In Ely, the 3 routes separate...50 and 6 had been running together from western Utah for over 150 miles...almost like 93 came and caused a breakup, but that's me giving human qualities to highways.

U.S. 50 heads west into the empty yet fascinating heart of Nevada as tthe Loneliest Highway in America, later reaching Carson City and Lake Tahoe; 6 heads southwest as possible the second loneliest road toward Tonopah; 93 heads north, continuing into the desert. Over 120 miles away, 93 junctions with Interstate 80 in Wells, then continues through the barenness to Jackpot where there are some "last chance" casinos before crossing into Idaho.

Incidentally, between Ely and Wells, 93 branches off sister route U.S. 93A to shortcut to West Wendover which is another last chance town before corssing into Utah. 93A used to be part of U.S. 50 decades ago as well as a general path of the Lincoln Highway.

In Idaho, 93 continues 42 miles to the town of Twin Falls, one of Idaho's major cities, though not precisely a metropolis. After crossing the Snake River Canyon  and intercting Interstate 84, 93 continues into the desert, but also tends to follow rivers as well as go through several small hamlets such as Shoshone, Arco, Challis, and Salmon before climbing into the Bitterroot mountain range. 93 also shares road with both U.S. 20 and U.S. 26 through south central Idaho.

It is noticeable that southern Idaho is more barren golden desert, but as U.S. 93 heads further north, the greenery is more plentiful, gaining many evergreen trees along the highway's sides as it enters the Bitterroots. 

After ascending to Lost Trail Pass, 93 enters Montana and starts a long downhill through the mountains before taking a more straight route north through the town of Hamilton. 93 takes on U.S. 12 in Lolo and they continue together to the major town of Missoula. 93 and 12 separate just south of downtown, and 93 goes through the western portion of Missoula before meeting Interstate 90 for a 5-miles stand before exiting north to wind through more hilly territory before servicing the western side of Flathead Lake, which serves as the "Lake Tahoe" of Montana due to its size...my words, not Montana's . North of the lake, 93 serves the city of Kalispell and meets U.S. 2. Seventeen miles after is Whitefish after which 93 goes through wooden areas before reaching Eureka, the last town before heading to the Canadian border, on the other side of which is British Columbia Route 93...the legend continues Canada style I guess.

Like it's longer brother 95, U.S. 93 sees greener lands to the north as a "reward" for all of its desert "suffering". It is quite a fascinating road in all of its many terrains. I am not sure if I will live to see if 93 is truncated to I 15 in southern Nevada, but that will be a sad day for sure. U.S. 93 has been an important road for decades that connected Phoenix to Las Vegas. While a freeway does make safer and faster, a heritage tends to die when the old road is built over to left to the side...much like Route 66.

101 Ruminations...Because PETA Refused to Let Me Use Dalmations!

 

Aside from U.S. 95, which to me is a desert highway that really deserves honors, U.S. 101 is probably tied for greatness, but in a different way.

While 95 is king of the deserts (for most of its length), U.S. 101 is king (or queen) of the Pacific Coast.

As I lived in northern California, in Sonoma County specifically, for 8 years, I got to know the 101 pretty well for most of its length, minus the majority of Washington after the Astoria Bridge.

Oh, sorry about the 'the 101' bit, it's something I learned from living in San Diego for 2 years: every freeway starts with 'the', they were into their definite articles, I guess.

Now, 101 should be considered as one hundred one, and not an auxilliary of U.S. 1 which is 3,000 miles from 101.

First, the deleted bits. Prior to 1964, 101 began at the Mexican border in San Ysidro. It went into downtown San Diego and then proceeded north through several coastal towns, and then after Oceanside, enjoyed an almost 20 mile stretch of unadulterated ocean views before hitting San Clemente in Orange County. 101 then cut through many Orange County towns, taking many turns along the way before it entered Los Angeles County, where it again took several turns before reaching downtown L.A.

In 1964, 101 was truncated to end at Interstate 5. Historically for me, this was often a decision point. As I often traveled between Santa Rosa and San Diego, coming back after a visit would bring me to this point often. I had to decide if I wanted to take a nice leisurely drive and get some ocean views here and there, or take the faster but more boring Interstate 5. If I got an early enough start, it would be 101.

Starting at its split from I 5, 101 weaves northwesterly through East L.A. as the Hollywood Freeway a bit before offering a fantastic view of the Los Angeles downtown skyline, which is not as impressive as other downtowns in America...surprising considering the size of Los Angeles in square miles and square people. 101 is a depressed freeway (it refuses to take Prozac) through the downtown area, then proceeds into Hollywood, providing access to Universal Studios before it exits the Hollywood Freeway and takes over the Ventura Freeway from CA 134. The Hollywood Freeway turns traitor as CA 170 to return to I 5 like the snitch it is! Cutting a swath through the San Fernando Valley and Agoura Hills, 101 exits Los Angeles County and enters Ventura County where, after some hills and towns like Thousand Oaks (sure, go ahead and count them!), 101 gets its first ocean views as it passes through Ventura, and it keeps a steady access to ocean views all the way through Santa Barbara and its adjoining small towns. 

This is truly one of 101's gem sections. After Gaviota, however, 101 goes from a westbound to a northbound freeway, entering California's Central Coast region and coursing through the hills of Santa Barbara County. After Santa Maria, 101 enters San Luis Obispo County, going through the county's namesake as well as Paso Robles, Atascadero, and Pismo Beach (where one can catch a short glimpse of the Ocean again). Before long, 101 enters Monterey County's farming region, passing by several farms and small farming communities. This, to me, was always the most boring stretch of 101. After many many boring miles, 101 enters Salinas, the biggest town since Paso Robles. There was an IHOP I used to stop to eat at when I was going south.

After Salinas, 101 winds through the rest of Monterey County, a small slice of San Benito County, and then enters Santa Clara County, which indicates that the Bay Area is rapidly approaching.

In southern Santa Clara County, one can almost constantly smell garlic, which is because the town of Gilroy is known as THE garlic capital. Before long, 101 enters San Jose, which is actually bigger than San Francisco but less impressive-looking. From San Jose, 101 passes through several towns along the western shores of San Francisco Bay before passing SFO Airport and then entering the City and COunty of San Francisco itself. After providing access to the start of I 80, 101 continues as a freeway for a short bit before becoming a set of city streets, eventually coming to the northern section with access to the Presidio and them crossing the beautiful and famous Golden Gate Bridge. Having walked on that bridge several times, I can attest to its awesomeness.

Over the bridge, 101 enters Marin County, one of America's most expensive areas to live. As one travels along, they can see that the surrounding natural scenery has changed much from southern California, and if the window is open, the aromas are different as well. After passing through San Rafael and Novato, 101 becomes a bit rural for the first time since before San Jose. After coming into Sonoma County, 101 is a bit more civilized again as it goes thorugh Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, and then Santa Rosa, the biggest town it will engage for some time. Of my time in Sonoma County, 5 of those years were in Santa Rosa, a pleasant town to reside in.

After Santa Rosa, 101 is fairly rural again as it passes through Windsor and Healdsburg, then enters the Alexander Valley, known for its many independent winerie along with a few well-known wineries such as Gallo. After Cloverdale, 101 finishes up Sonoma County and enters Mendocino County.

After Ventura and Santa Barbara's long coastline features, Mendocino County is a jewel I'd put in 2nd place, and it's not a distant second. After Hopland and Ukiah in really beautiful countryside, 101 finally becomes a nondivided highway even though it still has 4 lanes, and begins to wind and climb through the countryside. It once again becomes a short freeway as it bypasses Willits...which is a disappointment to me as when I lived in California, 101 ran right through this nice little town. After the bypass ends, 101 is an even narrower road as it heads to Laytonville, then Leggett where CA 1 ends its long journey from Orange County (1 and 101 share road in a few places). After passing through Piercy, 101 enters Humboldt County, offering a vast array of forests and tree-covered hills, rarely on a straightaway at all until it gets to Fortuna where 101 is divided again until it reaches Eureka.

In the heart of Humboldt County, one can take CA route 254, which is old 101 as a very skinny 2-lane road, along the Avenue of the Giants, passing by and under many redwood trees, several of which form a canopy over the road, an experience one should try...I've tried it many times.

In Eureka, 101 is once again a road through town. Eureka is a bit old, but it has its charms. After Eureka, 101 is an expressway through Arcata, a popular university town where many 'herbs' are grown if you catch my drift. After several miles, 101 gets a few coastal viewpoints again before getting quite forested and curvy on its way into Del Norte County and its seat Crescent City. 

I love Crescent City! It has that feel of a town big enough to meet one's basic needs while also providing a sense of getting away from it all, at least for a short while. If I could afford to live in California, this would be the town to settle in: trees, mountains, and ocean...plus a good deal of rain. Nah, my arthritis would never let me stay. After several but not many more miles, 101 enters...

Oregon!

Wow, after over 800 miles, 101 enters another state...this is not unlike Texas where the haul is very long...but not quite as scenic as 101.

101 serves the Oregon coast quite well, though it turns inland more than just a few times, but is never more than 20 miles from the coast. Brookings is first, followed by Gold Beach, then Bandon and finally Coos Bay, one of Oregon Coast's jewels. After Coos Bay, 101 wends through coast and forest lands as it passes through more towns like Florence and Newport, plus a long and traffic-light strewn town called Lincoln City. From there is Tillamook, and about an hour away is Astoria, the historic end of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In Astoria, 101 climbs a long ramp to reach a LONG bridge that crosses the Columbia River to enter Washington. 

Now, I know that I spent a LOT of words on California but not too many on Oregon. That is not to slight Oregon at all, for 101's trek through Oregon is nothing short of beautiful. It's just that the landscape does not change much: it is forests and towns and ocean views for about 350 miles. It is truly worth spending 2 days or more along 101 in Oregon, for each town has their own charms and each beach is worth getting out of the car and breathing some good salt air.

Even fewer words for Washington!

Once in Washington, 101 cuts through a variety of lush green forests and many waterways before reaching the twin towns of Aberdeen and Hoquiam, then cuts north to enter the Olympic Peninsula, a gorgeous area of the state with lots of forests and mountains. 101 almost seems out of its element as it goes west through Port Angeles and then goes south and east to end at I 5 in Tumwater.. From what I have heard, 101 is also worth more than a day in the Olympic Peninsula alone.

Opposed to California where 101 has seen much freeway upgrades from its old 2-lane self in many areas, Oregon and Washington maintain most of 101's original alignment with very few freeway sections.

And there you have the jewel highway of the West Coast! Some might think that Interstate 5 holds that distinction, but 5 only sees the Ocean in San Diego County, nowhere else.

Up Up and Away Goes The Novelty!

Tomorrow Vickie and I are going to see the new Superman movie. I've been pretty excited to see it for a few reasons. One, it looked like the best lot in a summer full of crap. Does anyone remember the summer of the blockbusters practically every year back in that other century? We don't get that anymore, sad to say...or maybe not so sad considering ticket and food prices!

Two, judging from the trailers, that dark depressing Superman suit has been retired and the classic bright blue, yellow, and red are coming back. Somehow the super hero genre has taken on a fairly dystopian feel for several years. I can't even keep up with the vast Marvel universe that has evolved in the last decade or so.

And third, it will be good to sit in someone else's AC other than mine.

All that said, I grew up with superheroes, only the universe was not so extensive.

Of course, I watched the campy classic Batman, which ended up being rerun each summer on channel 29 in Philadelphia. As a kid, I didn't think it was all that silly, but later I saw the humor and, well, still loved it.

I got Spider Man in two forms. One was the 1960s cartoon that had the catchy theme song. The other was the silent Spidey who spoke in comic book, form on The Electric Company, which meant WE read his lines.

The most extensive the groups got was the 1970s-80s Superfriends, which gathered the coolest of the cool DC comic heroes...only Aquaman was always getting a lift from Wonder Woman in her invisible jet...I always suspected a different 'lift', but that's me. In fact, I could never figure out why Aquaman was even part of that group since he was the least cool, at least until Jason Momoa played him in recent years. That show's only other downfall was the annoying voice-over announcer.

Then we had The Incredible Hulk, which took Stan Lee's concept and The Fugitive premise for some reason and made it more of a drama...somehow it worked for 5 years but I think Michael Landon did it best with Highway to Heaven...the wandering stranger coming to help managed to stay viable for almost 30 years.

We had the one-season Flash series, and Mark Hamill's occasional turn as the Trickster was about the only thing I liked about it.

I think 1989 renewed the movie trend with Batman. If it had ended there, it would have been more legendary, but that darn Hollywood just couldn't leave it alone. At least the seocnd one kept Michael Keaton, but after that, it was a revolving Bat door with only Pat Hingle and Michael Gough being the constants. 

And then came the Spider Man movies with Tobey Maguire. I thought those were well done and had a good story arc stretching across three movies. But then later we had The Amazing Spider Man, which was a rehashing of the origin story way too soon, though not with the exact storyline. 

Later, we got The Hulk and Iron Man, both seeds for the growing Marvel Universe that was developed. I won't go into all that now simply because I don't want to.

And then we have Superman.

Of course, I grew up watching the 1950s series with George Reeves. Overall it was an entertaining program if slightly cheesy, with Reeves putting his hands on his hips in that bullet-deflecting pose.

However, I think 1978's rebirth truly defined Superman with Christopher Reeve. There was drama,  sadness, romance, light comedy, and a sense of rooting for the good guy to triumph. The soundtrack helped as well. The 1981 sequel holds up well even though Richard Donner's cut came out in the 2000s and killed the cheesy light comedy moments. Superman III to me seemed like a lame excuse to put Richard Pryor in something, though the evil Superman vs good Superman fight was well done. As for Superman IV...it was a disaster and Christopher Reeve knew it would be.

In 2006 I was excited for Superman Returns and enjoyed Brandon Routh's portrayal. I was not so taken with Henry Cavill in Man of Steel, where the famous Superman costome looked a bit too shiny and menacing.

And then there were the TV shows. Lois and Clark, Smallville, Superboy, and Superman & Lois. So many takes on a character, maybe too many, and the plethora of interpretations of any character tends to kill whatever novelty was left.

Still, I am hopeful for this new interpretation by David Corenswet. Perhaps I'll be impressed, perhaps not.

Still, free AC!

Get Your Desert Kicks on U.S. 95!

 You know, I never thought I would ever say it, but in many ways, the desert has become home for me. After all, I've been living in Las Vegas for 23 years come this August. I really did not think I would last this long here. 

Well, Las Vegas itself it not my center of being. No, my desert center of being is actually 100 miles from here, in a town called Laughlin on the Colorado River, just across from Bullhead City,Arizona. Vickie and I go there often and when I'm there, I feel some sense of inner peace, moreso since last summer when I had a bit of a breakthrough in my mental health.

The reason I bring all this crap up (I hear your toes tapping, how rude!) is because there is a U.S. highway that for most of its Canada to Mexico length is a desert road. That highway is U.S. 95, and at nowhere is 95 more at home than in good ol Nevada.

Some stats first:

Mileage in each state:

Arizona: 123

California: 130

Nevada: 647

Oregon: 123

Idaho: 538

Major Cities

Yuma

Henderson

Las Vegas

Is anyone seeing why this is the desert highway of desert highways? Of the 647 miles in Nevada, I'd guess that maybe 40 miles are in a town or city setting. 95 is a freeway from Boulder City to a few miles west of Indian Springs. Currently, the new Interstate 11 shares road with 95 from Boulder City to the Mt. Charleston exit, about 42 miles. The Las Vegas metro area is THE ONLY metro area that 95 services. 

All right, let's get this tour started!

Arizona

U.S. 95 begins in San Luis at the Mexican border, then travels across the farrmlands of the lower Colorado River up to Yuma where it crosses Interstate 8. Yuma is sizeable enough to be considered a sort of major town for 95, even though it does not get freeway status. From Yuma, 95 enjoys some good empty and flat desert to Quartzite where it joins Interstate 10 into California...the road pavement equivalent of hitching a ride. 

Interestingly enough, north of I 10 is where Arizona route 95 begins, traveling close to the Colorado River's eastern 'shores', servicing Parker Dam, Lake Havasu City, and the Colorado River Valley's unique comminuty, running almost 30 miles from just north of Needles to the northern end of Bullhead City.

California

In contrast to the flatness of Arizona, 95 in California takes on more curves and hills. From Interstate 10 in Blythe, 95 winds along the Colorado River's western region, passing a few desert resorts along the way, traveling 86 miles to Needles, where it meets some remnants of old Route 66.

A short note about Needles: it is a desert town in all respects, from old and low buildings to smokers  with missing teeth and a faraway look in their eyes. I say this because many people envision Las Vegas as the desert. Las Vegas is is giant desert OASIS, much like Phoenix.

In Needles, 95 hooks up with Interstate 40 (as does classic 66 albeit silently) for a 10 mile stretch before going on its own...well, 66 does follow for a few miles before going off on its own decades old journey. After many miles of less than pleasant roadway (CALTRANS apparently does not think of 95 as a priority), 95 enters...

Nevada

It also gets better quality road and a divided highway status for a while. Just 2 miles inside of Nevada is the turnoff for Nevada 163, a nice divided highway taking travelers the 19 miles to Laughlin...I know this highway well!

After that turnoff, 95 gets a 75mph status for about 19 miles except for the tiny town of Cal-Nev-Ari. After a mile long 25mph speed trap called Searchlight, 95 resumes its expressway status for 35 miles, passing several solar farms,  to meet Interstate 11 and U.S. 93 just west of Boulder City...and here the Las Vegas 'fun' begins. After crossing Railroad Pass, travelers get a wide shot of the Las Vegas Strip even though it is about 20 miles away. It is a freeway for sure, but it is often congested in many places. After intersecting Interstate 15, 95 continues into the western Vegas burbs, going west and then curving north and then later northwest after Rancho Drive merges with 95. After passing through the Centennial and Skye Canyon areas and providing access to Mt. Charleston via NV 157 (this was once an at-grade turnoff but is now a full freeway exit), the 95 freeway sheds I 11 (for now) and re-entered the real desert, taking an often westbound  direction for several miles. 

Passing Indian Springs and Creech AFB, 95 soon enters Nevada's largest county (Nye) and is again reduced to 2 lanes for the first time since leaving California. Soon, 95 enters the Amargosa Valley and provides a few access points to Death Valley on its way to Beatty, a town that is over 100 miles from Las Vegas, and the next town of note is Tonopah, which is 93 miles from Beatty! That is how it is in the desert, so travelers need to plan their gas stops strategicallh.

In Tonopah, U.S. 95 meets U.S. 6 and they travel together for 40 miles until 95 gets tired of 6's whining and turns off to head to Hawthorne, an oddly-placed hamlet that was once home to a piece of Cold War ammunition plant history...ah those were the days!

After Hawthorne, 95 traveles along Walker Lake, a beautiful but oddly placed waterway. After Walker Lake, there is a turnoff for 95A, which provides access to Yerington before heading north to meet I 80 in Fernley. 95 continues north for 39 miles to Fallon, the current home of Top Gun (is Kenny Loggins in your head?). From there, 95 is back in the desert for several miles before meeting Interstate 80 and joining it to Winnemuca, where 95 heads back north 73 miles to McDermitt, a typical Nevada state line town with some gaming. 

Oregon

95 is all high desert through its 1-county (Malheur) march through Oregon with little to no services for 123 miles. As with almost all desert roads, there is some nice scenery here if your mind is in it. Otherwise, feel grateful that Oregon raised its speed limit from 55 to 70 a few years ago. There are some small services in Jordan Valley, otherwise a nice quiet and hopefully clear desert drive.

Idaho

At well over 500 miles, Idaho contains a good chunk of U.S. 95. The funny thing is that 95 doesn't go through anything big in terms of towns. It gives mileage for Boise but other roads go there. Near Marsing, 95 enters  agricultural regions served by the Snake River. Near Parma, 95 is joined by U.S> 20 and 26 for a few miles before they exit into Oregon. 95 then intersect sI 84 and U.S. 30 in Payette.

The next city that 95 shows mileage for is Lewiston, which is well over 200 miles away...and like Boise, 95 doesn't go into Lewiston, either. Same with Moscow. 95 does get a good-sized town at last in Coeur D'alene, but still skirts the center of Sandpoint but does get to cross thorugh Bonner's Ferry before ending at the Canadian Border in a forested region.

In fact, as 95 gets futher north in Idaho, the deserts give way to lush greenery and mountainous areas and beautiful lakes. This can't be the same 95 that had absolutely no shade in Arizona! Oh, but yes it is...it is almost like 95 got put into a swank retirement home after years of hard labor.

U.S. 95 has a little of everything, though very little city. However, that is part of its charm, like other highways in the country...built to serve the smaller towns  and the vast nothingness that lies between them.