Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Bringing the Heat

I'm feeling like this is gonna be a "kitchen sink" kind of blog. There's lots of little things going on across the CorduroyPlanet...none of them Earth-shaking. I'm still lacking focus...I blame the Dog Days, though the weather isn't the normal dog days inferno here in the Inland Valley.

I've been glued to the internet a little more than I should have been over my weekend...I was keeping the Twitter machine on the front burner watching MLB's Trade Wire to see what moves if any the SF Giants would make as the July 31 deadline approached...unfortunately I became psychic collateral damage as even sports writers were tweeting the ins and outs of the Debt Ceiling/Budget Battle back in Washington DC...I'll spare us any politics here.

Another story leaked into my brain's inbox while I was digging around to find some more detailed information on the Lincoln Highway...my interest hasn't turned to an obsession yet, but it might if the local county library doesn't have some of the books on the Lincoln Highway by state.

I'm curious about Utah, Nevada, and California's routes...after looking around the 'net over my weekend, I realized that I've lived in four places right on the historical Lincoln Highway, but I've never seen an original Lincoln Highway Signpost or even a facsimile...There's lots of photo evidence online, so I'll bet that I've driven right by several signs in Reno, Sacramento, Auburn and elsewhere, but haven't seen them because I wasn't looking...I imagine that the signs are there...but are "lost" in the modern day visual cacophony. This is going to be like an Easter Egg Hunt.

 Another thing caught my eye on Twitter...lightning fires up and down the High Sierra. Reno and the Northern Sierra have been dealing with numerous lightning starts for a week or two, and Tuesday morning I saw a tweet by @R5_Fire_News that said: "Wrapping up 40+ lightning fires in southern CA that began over the weekend. ~6,500 downstrikes in 24 hr. period. Most fires 1/4 acre or less"!

Fire Season begins July 1st. With this year's heavy La Niña-fueled snow and rains, history says we'll have a mild fire season. The lingering winter-like spring weather and the cool so far summer temps almost insure it, despite the local news teasers touting the "extra fuels from the wetter-than-normal spring growing season"

While I don't compulsively scan every AFD this time of year, I do dig into any fire stories I happen upon. Again when I do look at the AFD and Fire Weather Discussions, it's clear that the heavy winter snows are keeping a lid on the mountain Fire Danger outlook.

Highway Hypnosis
Well, my local county library made for an interesting trip. I walked in and realized that I haven't been in my library in Truckee since I got internet service back in 1996! That's 15 years! So as I was walking through the metal detector/stolen book array, I wondered if libraries still have card files...my Dewey Decimal System chops are rusted out...I asked for help at the desk. The nice library scientist showed me where the computer was... a quick keyword search and I found five books...all close but no cigar...the nearest tome on the Lincoln Highway is three towns away...another day, when I'm out that way, I'll bundle the library trip...

Back at the Ancestral Digs, I hit the internet a little harder...I found some intriguing info on the Lincoln Highway in Reno, learned that the Truckee Branch went through Verdi, and out Dog Valley Road. I read some stories on the road through Livermore and southern Alameda County, and wonder of wonders, the road used University Avenue to reach the Berkeley Pier which was the ferry terminus to San Francisco back in the day!

That's enough of a closed circle for today...Once upon a time I went to school on University Ave...I belonged to the YMCA a block off the road, and my Dad taught us to fish off the Berkeley Pier...SturgeUrge and I still pursue halibut within casting distance of the pier...but that's a story for another day...

3 comments:

  1. Get up and take a walk. I'm sure it will do the senses good and clear the mind a bit also. Nothing like a bit of exercise to get things rolling.

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  2. Go to the Big Bend Visitor Center (if it's still open) and ask about the Lincoln HWy there. Or maybe even the local RD. Phil Sexton was the buff on it all but I think he now works at the Railroad Museum State Park down in Sacto.

    the Hwy went through Truckee up the ole 40 crossed where there's a Heritage site and a whole bunch of petro and picto glyphs up that kinda trail and then down on over through Soda Springs and so on down the hill. Nice painted sign on a big boulder up there advertising an hotel in Truckee. And of course the modern day grafitti in the ole RR snow shed protector.

    There's even a Lincoln Hwy club somewhere about. They have events every so often.

    And by the way, our library here in the Day doesn't has both cards, computer and knowledgeable peeps. I just usually cruise through the shelves as I'm not sure if the cards or the computers are as helpful as the peeps.

    Plus there's always Melvyl through the UC system. You pay for it might as well use it.

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  3. Dang the timing.

    The Lincoln Highway Association had their 19th Annual Conference in South Lake Tahoe June 20-24 this year!

    I just got back from Berkeley...no sign of the Lincoln Hwy on University Ave, or at the Berkeley Pier.

    The new Bay Bridge eastern span is coming along nicely.

    I found a LH Signpost in Davis...I'll snap a photo next time I cross the Big Valley.

    West Sacramento has a survivor too.

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