Canadian Buffoon's DISmeet vacation - 09/14 - Bowled Over

Just catching up. The zen garden looked beautiful. It’s a shame you didn’t get to walk in. I loved the food market pictures. I have never been to one. The food looks so fresh. Your motorcycle drive sounded a bit stressful. I’m glad you made it back safely. I was beginning to worry. Those planes were very cool. It must be terrifying to land one on a ship. I wonder if any planes ever missed the hook? So scary.
 
Wanna come along?
Fair warning, I can only
take one of you with me.

That's ok. I'll travel by map.

I was given the option of rental insurance.
It would cost $60USD for the day.
But I can get motorcycle rental insurance
from my own agent for about $20CDN.
(Which is about $3.75USD, I think.)

Sweet. Good deal.

But when I went to pick up the bike,
I was told I needed to put down
a $3,000 deposit.

:scared: Might as well make a down payment on your own bike.

My view for the next few hours:

I'm making my own vrroom noises.

I passed through a few picturesque towns.
I could've taken hundreds of photos
and regretted that I didn't have more
time to do so.
You'll just have to be content with these
two shots I took In Carlsbad.

It looks very California.

I did take a few opportunities
to take photos of sand and sea:

I can't wait to see the Pacific coastline next year.

California is the only State
in which lane splitting...
Well, it's not exactly legal...
but it's not illegal too.
They'd defined it...
just haven't said what to do with it.

So... let's just say that it's
kinda allowed.

As long as no one opens their door.

I then passed about a mile of cars.
I passed the bottle neck,
within about five minutes.
(I never did see why four lanes were blocked,
I was too busy watching the cars around me)

In a car, it would've been well over
an hour before I'd gotten through.

Man! This is the way to go!

Sweet! Everyone should drive these.

I parked the bike and checked with Betty.
For whatever reason, Betty refused to help.
She kept telling me I was.... nowhere.
I pulled out my map and...
Well, it's more of an overview of
Southern California.
It wasn't detailed enough to help.

You were probably somewhere between LA and the Mexican border.

I was going to go on a boat.

With your flippy-floppies?

No, not that boat.
(Pretty, though.)

That one looks pretty neat.

This boat.

P1040495_zpsrceno01w.jpg


Yes!:thumbsup2

One of the cool things about the ship/museum
is that the guides all served aboard her at one time.

That's really great. Probably lots of great stories.

Most people won't mess
with a bike or a biker's stuff.
Probably because one percent
of the bikes you might mess
with might be the last thing
you mess with.

I know I wouldn't take that chance.

The Vought F4U Corsair.
Love that plane.
Used primarily in WWII,
it was made famous by
Greg "Pappy" Boyington
who received both
the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross
for his 26 enemy planes shot down
while commanding the famous
Blacksheep squadron.

Cool! I just finished a good book about some of the men who flew the Corsair during the Korean War.

I'll try not to bore you too
much with airplane photos.
I'm partial to jets,
so that's what I mostly looked at.

Can't blame you there. You're not boring me at all.

F9F Panther
I was surprised at the way
the wings folded on this one.
Never heard of this plane before.

Pretty ingenious how they can get so many of those to fit on a carrier.

He was really interesting.
He discussed the mechanics
of landing a plane on a carrier.
And he would know...
since he's done it himself,
on this very carrier.
How cool is that???

Incredibly cool. I'm amazed at what those pilots can do. Amazing more of them don't kill themselves trying to land on such a small deck. That's moving.

Except sometimes, in rough seas,
the stern might be going up and
down by twelve or so feet.

Have a lot of respect for a person
willing to do that.

::yes:: I can't imagine even attempting that.

F-14 Tomcat
Made famous by
Tom Cruise in Top Gun.

I feel the need...
If you can't finish that line,
then you need to see the movie.
Stat.

The need for speed! I can't hear "F-14 Tomcat" without thinking of that movie.

(Don't mind the blatantly 80s music.)

What's wrong with blatantly 80's music?

Highway to the danger zone...

A plane touching down
had to grab one of them
with the tail hook in order
to stop.

So, you know, they won't skid off the edge.

The deck is too short
for aircraft to be able to
take off without assistance.

So to get 'em going,
they attach the front wheel
to a device that is driven
forward by a steam catapult.

Interesting. I didn't know that.

And one time, I actually got
"Is that near Minnesota?"
Dude... it's your country.
You don't know where North Dakota is???

You've been in North Dakota. "Forgettable" is probably the best way to describe it.

Come to think of it....
I really can't think of a good reason
to care where North Dakota is.

See?

So... "Where you from?" She asked.
"Canada." I replied.
"Where in Canada?" She said.
Oh boy... here we go... fingers crossed.
"Winnipeg." I said.
"I'm from Calgary. (Alberta)" She responded.

:laughing:
I had to go all the way to San Diego
to meet a fellow Canadian!

No wonder she was so nice and polite!

And Betty was dead.
She didn't even turn on.
(I am so used to that.)

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

And... did you see it?

Kinda hard to miss that one. I guess he's a skilled pilot to land it on the deck of a carrier.
 

One of the most beautiful drives in the States!

Wanna come along?
Fair warning, I can only
take one of you with me.

Does the offer include a helmet?

(note the oh-so-appropriate tune.)

I did! Love to sing that one on road trips!

D'oh!
Not even two minutes
into the drive and I'm
already lost!

Well, that didn't take long! :headache:

And on this beautiful California sunny day,
the journey definitely was the destination.

As it should have been!

I really need to take more
time and re-do this.
There was so much that I wanted
to stop and look at.
Several of the little towns
I passed through looked
like they were frozen
in time back in the 50s or 60s.

Then you should!

And you're right. Many of the little towns have tried very hard to keep their old timey appeal and look. Super fun to visit.


I love this shot! The solitary figure against the wind evokes a nice story!



And while I love that last one, this one is really nice too. I like the fog layer (mist) in the distance Definitely showcases SoCal 101 perfectly.

So... let's just say that it's
kinda allowed.

Still scares the crap out of me when one buzzes by you when they're doing it.

I parked the bike and checked with Betty.
For whatever reason, Betty refused to help.
She kept telling me I was.... nowhere.


"Oh, you're way off." He said.


Swell.

Intentional or not.. nice one.

:lmao:

No, not that boat.
(Pretty, though.)


I've seen it many times, but have never done the tour. Impressive for sure!

The attendant came out
and told me that bikes
normally park over on
the side for free.

SCORE!!! Free is good!

I sashayed over to the ticket office
and paid my fee.
Twenty three bucks.
Not cheap, but not too bad.

If you'd sauntered it'd have been $20

I was surprised at the way
the wings folded on this one.

Yes, that is pretty cool. Not sure I've ever seen that before!

How cool is that???

Ummm! VERY!

He described how the lights
were designed to bring the pilot
in with twelve feet of clearance
over the stern.
Except sometimes, in rough seas,
the stern might be going up and
down by twelve or so feet.

:scared::scared::scared::scared:

and back-folded wings.
These are even cooler though!

:laughing:
I had to go all the way to San Diego
to meet a fellow Canadian!

:laughing:

And Betty was dead.
She didn't even turn on.
(I am so used to that.)
Nothing but a black screen.
The old "silent treatment".
Betty? Now is not the time.

A lot of drama on her part and you've done nothing to her! Rude!
 


Just catching up.

Welcome back! :)

The zen garden looked beautiful. It’s a shame you didn’t get to walk in.

Yeah. Bit of a bummer.
Ah well.... next time?


I loved the food market pictures. I have never been to one. The food looks so fresh.

I love markets.
I love just walking around
seeing what the sellers offer.


Your motorcycle drive sounded a bit stressful.

It did?
It was the opposite, mostly.
Just that last part where
the GPS died was a bit unnerving.


I’m glad you made it back safely. I was beginning to worry.

:hug:

Those planes were very cool. It must be terrifying to land one on a ship. I wonder if any planes ever missed the hook? So scary.

They do miss on occasion.
When a plane comes in to land,
the pilots always do so
with the intention of touching down
and taking off right away.
So if/when they do miss,
they safely take off again.
 
That's ok. I'll travel by map.

Thank you Google Street View.

:scared: Might as well make a down payment on your own bike.

No kidding. :sad2:

I'm making my own vrroom noises.

You're supposed to!

It looks very California.

It does?
I have no idea! :laughing:


I can't wait to see the Pacific coastline next year.

Wait....

I thought you were going to WDW next year?
No... okay! It's WDW this summer and west coast next year?


As long as no one opens their door.

Actually....

It was interesting. You certainly had to be careful.
Some people would deliberately move over to block
your way while others would move over
to give you room.
It was an interesting dynamic to say the least.


Sweet! Everyone should drive these.

:rolleyes2

You were probably somewhere between LA and the Mexican border.

Oh! Thanks! That helps.

With your flippy-floppies?

::yes::

That one looks pretty neat.

It did... but some other time.
#priorities


That's really great. Probably lots of great stories.

Oh yeah.
I asked him. "So are you a pilot?"
He looked me square in the eye and said.
"I am a pilot. I just fly smaller planes now."


I know I wouldn't take that chance.

No kidding!

Cool! I just finished a good book about some of the men who flew the Corsair during the Korean War.

That looks interesting.
Might have to look that one up.


Can't blame you there. You're not boring me at all.

Well, that's one person.

Pretty ingenious how they can get so many of those to fit on a carrier.

Necessity is the mother of all invention, no?

Incredibly cool. I'm amazed at what those pilots can do. Amazing more of them don't kill themselves trying to land on such a small deck. That's moving.

And pitching... and rolling...

Insane.


::yes:: I can't imagine even attempting that.

Oh... and in the dark, too.

The need for speed! I can't hear "F-14 Tomcat" without thinking of that movie.

::yes::

What's wrong with blatantly 80's music?

Highway to the danger zone...

Story to that.
I was on a course that was filled
with aviation people.
One person said "I've never seen Top Gun".
Every other person in the room turned
and stared at him.

He went and watched it and that was
his comment.


Interesting. I didn't know that.

Yep. They don't take off
on their own power.
They'd never make it.


You've been in North Dakota. "Forgettable" is probably the best way to describe it.

Probably the kindest.

No wonder she was so nice and polite!

:laughing:


;)

Kinda hard to miss that one. I guess he's a skilled pilot to land it on the deck of a carrier.

He does have his moments.
 
One of the most beautiful drives in the States!

Is it?
I'm not surprised.
I really enjoyed it.
And am especially glad
I did it on a bike.


Does the offer include a helmet?

Well, they're only $10 to rent...
Sure!


I did! Love to sing that one on road trips!

Me too. :goodvibes

Well, that didn't take long! :headache:

:sad2:

Then you should!

And you're right. Many of the little towns have tried very hard to keep their old timey appeal and look. Super fun to visit.

I'd love to take a few days doing it. :)

I love this shot! The solitary figure against the wind evokes a nice story!

I debated whether to wait
for a shot with or without.
I prefer... with.


And while I love that last one, this one is really nice too. I like the fog layer (mist) in the distance Definitely showcases SoCal 101 perfectly.

Thanks!
The "mist" is actually water blowing
off the ocean.
It was windy. Lots of surfers.


Still scares the crap out of me when one buzzes by you when they're doing it.

We do that on purpose.
We're jerks.


Intentional or not.. nice one.

::yes::

I've seen it many times, but have never done the tour. Impressive for sure!

You should!
You'd enjoy it for sure.


SCORE!!! Free is good!

::yes::

If you'd sauntered it'd have been $20

:lmao:

I have a feeling we're not going
to convince the other.


Yes, that is pretty cool. Not sure I've ever seen that before!

Really surprised me.
But... if it's on a carrier... they must
have foldable wings.


Ummm! VERY!

I know!!!


I don't recommend it for your first solo.

These are even cooler though!

They are, aren't they?

And I can't see the video since I'm at work,
but I'll look later. :)


A lot of drama on her part and you've done nothing to her! Rude!

Next time she starts acting up
I'm gonna unplug her!
 
Last edited:


So, after posting the thing yesterday about Lucifer being cancelled.... my husband sent me this message just now... apparently they left the season on a cliffhanger so Fox COULDN'T cancel the show and they went right into filming season 4. WELL, they found out AFTER they had already shot 2 episodes for season 4 that they weren't being renewed for another season... which means: https://geektyrant.com/news/fox-will-air-two-bonus-episodes-of-lucifer-before-it-goes-away-for-good
I did see that.
Only problem being that the two
shows they're airing are stand-alones.
i.e., I don't think they deal with
the cliffhanger aspects of the finale.
 
Hi! :wave: First time over here since our last trip to WDW in 2009 so I thought I would stumble over and see if any of the oldies but goodies had TR's going and here you are! Can't wait to read more.

I was sorry to read about Nebo :-( I have thought about him and Smidgy a lot during my hiatus.
 
Finally caught up (again?). Yes I saw it--pretty clever!
My favorite Canadian is Nathan Fillion. Funny, charming, great hair, good lucking, a brown coat (KUDOS TO YOU IF YOU GOT THAT, WE ARE NOW BEST FRIENDS!).
:wave2: Hi new bestie!

You keep posting things that make me want to go back and visit! Grew up going to CA in summer--spent some time in San Diego--I haven't been there in over 20 years. I need to get more time off and start planning some cool vacations!

Enjoying seeing all the sights with you!
 
Hi! :wave: First time over here since our last trip to WDW in 2009 so I thought I would stumble over and see if any of the oldies but goodies had TR's going and here you are!

Hi there!
:welcome: to the TR!

How have you been???


Can't wait to read more.

Should be writing again by tomorrow.
All the photos are ready to go. :)


I was sorry to read about Nebo :-( I have thought about him and Smidgy a lot during my hiatus.

I just talked to him on Monday, actually. :)

He was really struggling last fall,
(no pun intended)
but is doing better now.
It looks like they might
even let him go home soon.

Fingers crossed.
 
Finally caught up (again?). Yes I saw it--pretty clever!

Thanks! :)


You keep posting things that make me want to go back and visit! Grew up going to CA in summer--spent some time in San Diego--I haven't been there in over 20 years. I need to get more time off and start planning some cool vacations!

Glad I could spark the travel bug for you.
Only a couple more updates
from California.
And there won't be any more
photos of places visited I don't think.
Unless you count photos from the race
or Disneyland.


Enjoying seeing all the sights with you!

Glad you enjoyed! :goodvibes
 
Hi there!
:welcome: to the TR!

How have you been??? [\QUOTE]

Thankfully all is well.




Should be writing again by tomorrow.
All the photos are ready to go. :)

Great




I just talked to him on Monday, actually. :)
He was really struggling last fall,
(no pun intended)
but is doing better now.
It looks like they might
even let him go home soon.

Fingers crossed.

I am really glad to hear this. Please tell him I was asking for him.
 
Wait....

I thought you were going to WDW next year?
No... okay! It's WDW this summer and west coast next year?

Ding ding ding! WDW with the family this summer. West coast next spring AND summer. As long as we can afford it.

Actually....

It was interesting. You certainly had to be careful.
Some people would deliberately move over to block
your way while others would move over
to give you room.
It was an interesting dynamic to say the least.

I'm not surprised. But glad you didn't get hurt.

Story to that.
I was on a course that was filled
with aviation people.
One person said "I've never seen Top Gun".
Every other person in the room turned
and stared at him.

He went and watched it and that was
his comment.

Sounds like he brought it on himself.
 
So, here I am, sashaying back to your trip report after shamefully not reading it for nearly a month.

PlaintiveAntiqueAmericanriverotter-max-1mb.gif

Yeah, life and work got in the way...again.

But I finally caught up on your TR and enjoyed the read as usual. The Warner Bros tour was interesting. I really would like to get down there one day and do some of those studio tours.
 
So, here I am, sashaying back to your trip report after shamefully not reading it for nearly a month.

plaintiveantiqueamericanriverotter-max-1mb-gif.325003

Woe upon thee, forsaker of TRs!


Yeah, life and work got in the way...again.

No worries.
Trust me... I get it.
(says the guy on day
eight of thirteen in a row.)


But I finally caught up on your TR and enjoyed the read as usual.

Good! Glad you liked it. :)


The Warner Bros tour was interesting. I really would like to get down there one day and do some of those studio tours.

I really enjoyed that tour.
Better than the back lot Universal
tour in some ways.
No, there's no ride component...
But you do see more actual props, etc.
 
Ding ding ding! WDW with the family this summer. West coast next spring AND summer. As long as we can afford it.

Sounds like we've got a couple
more Oblivious family TRs on the way. :)


I'm not surprised. But glad you didn't get hurt.

To say I was reeeeaaaaaly watching
would be an understatement.


Sounds like he brought it on himself.

Who doesn't watch Top Gun?
It's unethical!
 
Poking my nose in to say hello.

Hello! :wave:

We just booked a last- minute Disney trip (6/12-18) so I’m back to cruising the boards. I see I have 29 pages to catch up on so I better get started!
 
Poking my nose in to say hello.

Hello! :wave:

Well, hello stranger!
Long time no see!

Been well?

And... :welcome: to the TR!


We just booked a last- minute Disney trip (6/12-18) so I’m back to cruising the boards.

Nice!
Congrats on the very
quickly approaching trip!


I see I have 29 pages to catch up on so I better get started!

Yes.
One mustn't miss
the prosaic prose
that is a pkondz TR.



Whoa.... Even for me
that's pretty hoity toity.
 
Last edited:

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top