Posted on 07/26/2013 4:30:32 PM PDT by Daffynition
The sun is out! The birds are singing! The open road calls! Your vinyl interior is burning itself into your thighs! Yes, summer is here and it's time to go on some road trips. What car do you take, though?
(Excerpt) Read more at jalopnik.com ...
When young camp. In 1971 took a cool trip with a 1967 VW camper.
When older, touring car and hotels. In 2006 took same trip with a 2004 Audi allroad, AWD, twin-turbo V6, adjustable height, navigation, satellite radio.
The OC through Vegas, St. George, Brian Head pass, Zion park, Bryce park, Northern AZ strip, North Rim GC, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Jerome, Prescott and back to OC.
Au Contraire.
http://www.bobgear.com/bike-trailers
And it gets over 100 miles on a single quart of Fosters and a can of chile ;-}
GOLDWING
On my weekends, I took the opportunity to visit France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Austria.
That was a lot of driving.
My rental car was a Ford Kuga. The U.S. equivalent is the Ford Escape (except the Kuga had a diesel engine and a manual transmission).
I had a surprisingly good time driving it.
Probably didn't hurt that I got to drive 200+ kph on the Autobahn most of the time.
You might place in a cruise night on irony alone...
My bimmer is scheduled for some pretty serious work in about a month. It’s leaking oil around the timing cover. Normally I’d do it myself but I’m so busy I’m going to take it to the local independent BMW shop. The funny thing about old BMWs is how utilitarian they are. Mine is a top of the line 5 series which was considered the primo yuppie sedan back in the day, but it has almost zero bells and whistles. Cruise control, a trip computer, intermittent wipers and anti-lock brakes and that’s about it — stuff that’s standard on any Altima or Accord nowadays.
In 1969, Daddy bought a new Rambler. We liked to camp and that Rambler would convert into a bed. Mother made curtains for the windows and Mother and Daddy would sleep in the car while my two Brothers and I would sleep in the tent.
That ability to convert the car into a bed was really a good idea.
Oops, that was a 59 Rambler not a 69.
Good times. Good memories worth more than gold.
LOL..I might! That would be funny! I can start a trophy collection! When you think about it, this car could become *more* valuable as years tick by. Nice to have reliable transportation that doesn't depreciate.
Guys who know cars, can't believe how easy this engine is going to be to work on. Lee Iacocca was right.
Goodness! Very nice. If I saw you in the rearview, I’d think you were a state trooper ready to pounce on me!
Germany is so centrally located to lots of great road trips. Driving the Autobahn is a adventure of a lifetime.
Compared to the drivel of today, I recall her as being very wholesome...and YES! I remember that commercial.
Sikorsky made short film demonstrating the CH-53. At primary flight school in Pensacola, they marched us all over to the base theater to see it, in a recruiting effort for helos. (Everyone, me included, wanted to be a 'jet jock' and fly Phantoms)
The film started with the camera aircraft flying alongside on a -53, which began to pull nose up, more and more and more until it was inverted at the top of a loop. By then, the rotorheads in our class, the ones already sold on flying helos, were standing in on their seats cheering. That -53 went on to do barrel rolls.
Next the scene switched to a Sikorsky demo done in Japan. They had the reviewing stands alongside the runway packed with Japanese admirals & generals. The -53 comes trucking down the runway at about 50 feet altitude and 170+ kts, pulls up into a zoom climb (I've seen 6,000 fpm rate of climb doing this), then levels off at altitude. A brief pause, straight & level, then it does a Split-S. Levels off, then comes flying by the reviewing stand at something under 500ft altitude, doing aileron rolls!
Next we see the -53 parked, rotors stationary. A single line of Japanese troops is walking up the back ramp. The camera pans down the line which snakes its way into the distance, disappearing over a small rise. They put 125 troops (no gear) inside, took off and climbed to 4,000ft, then returne for a single engine landing.
I'm hooked! Sign me up!
BTW, this was the old CH-53D, two engines. The Ch-53E now has three, 10% stronger engines and a much higher gross weight. With the -53D we could hover at sea level on a cold day at max gross weight, single engine. We had an 11,000lb concrete block we used for practice sling load lifts. I never used nor than 75% power climbing out with that on the hook. Our max sling load was 16,000 lbs. The -53E has a sling load capacity of 32,000 lbs
You must have a death wish to want to kayak to Catalina...what is that? 25 miles? :)
[Yes, I’m a coward]
This was my baby before it was sold, SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hpwPUoIO8c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZtyyRrJuRQ
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