81F and 94%RH this morning. With light and occasional sprinkles yesterday, the humidity was miserable.
Later this morning I’m hitting the road for Chi-town. Well, near to it anyway. Nearer than I like.
Two days there, work on stuff for mom, two days home. Posting will probably be light. I will post as I travel as I found that to be helpful on the last trip.
I sure hope the world holds together while I’m away from home. I really don’t want to live out a ‘road movie.’
Talk amongst yourselves…
n
Based on weather, it looks like I’m going N59 thru Texarkana, to 30 thru Little Rock, 40 to memphis, then 55 to 57 the rest of the way home. (That avoids St louis)…Don’t know yet when or where I’ll stop for the night. T storms are sweeping across the upper part of that trip, but I should get to Memphis before they do.
What? This again?
Folks, Oprah came way too far too fast for the skeletons to not exist in a closet somewhere. Hers would probably make Dr. Laura’s, who rose with similar speed, seem tame in comparison. At a minimum, I’m guessing that Roger Ebert’s widow Chaz has pictures and an axe to grind.
https://deadline.com/2019/06/donald-trump-bill-maher-oprah-winfrey-is-the-only-sure-thing-winner-for-democrats-in-2020-1202636487/
Maybe Trump paid Maher. Trump may even have pictures of his own.
@paul How is the Traeger? I have thought about getting one, but have read of problems with the thermostat control with only a 25 degree window being the best it can do.
The Traeger works well. It’s not a grill like the propane beast. More like a wood fired oven.
The original controller went wacko. Out of warranty, of course. I bought a replacement from Ortech on eBay. I think they make the controllers. All of the wires matched, just un-plug and reconnect.
I tend to get mud daubers so it seems I have to pull the fan once a year. Which is a good time to give the bearings a few drops of oil. Mud daubers work fast, too.
I bought some gasket for the lid. “Lavalock ™ gasket for Traeger Wood Pellet Grill, self stick”. eBay again. That almost stopped the smoke leaking around the lid and makes it easier to control the heat. The Traeger can be set and the temp bounces a bit… say from 290 to 305 with it set on 300. No worse than my electric oven. Before gasket it would bounce from 275 to 325 while set on 300. Also, the chimney has an adjustable cap. That took a bit of time to adjust.
Hey, Mr. Nick. Don’t forget your wheel barrel in case you have to walk back to Texas after Oprah takes over.
Bill Maher is one of the creepiest ProgTurds out there with his sex clubs. *He* probably has pics of Oprah and is enticing her to run. Lol!
Hey, Mr. Nick. Don’t forget your wheel barrel in case you have to walk back to Texas after Oprah takes over.
He won’t be gone that long. Chicago has gone Socialist, but it will take a while before they’re really rockin’ and rollin’. When we went in March, Trump’s building in Chicago still had the big “TRUMP” sign in the middle of the picture postcard view of the city from the Michigan Avenue bridge.
We escaped fairly unscathed, but flying out of that place involved a *lot* of tipping because everyone hustles around luggage handling situations, trying to lay hands on baggage. And we headed to the airport early to avoid the valet and all of that tipping.
Do IRS forms have a box for tips?
Of course they do. That would be the request to give $ to elections. Not me, I think graft is better.
Do IRS forms have a box for tips?
Do you think any of the tipping is reported considering the probably city, county, state, and Federal tax hit to someone working a block down and across the river from Michigan Ave and Whacker Drive?
I understand the hustle, especially since we are a family of four, big suitcases, with a wife who stresses during travel and will break my balls for effect in front of service people.
The deal is essentially, “Just give us the $10 and we’ll let the emasculation continue while we look the other way.”
Bill Maher is one of the creepiest ProgTurds out there with his sex clubs. *He* probably has pics of Oprah and is enticing her to run. Lol!
Maher dated Ann Coulter. ’nuff said.
I also remember that he provided an early forum for Ariana Huffington, back when she pretended to be conservative, driving her deeply closeted husband towards the CA Governor’s mansion and, down the road, a Republican nomination for a shot the White House.
Gotta wonder what was going on backstage in those days. She suddenly popped up on all the talking head shows.
Leaving tomorrow for a trip out west to Oregon. Four days on the coast then inland to Rogue River for the class reunion for three days. Then to Crater Lake, north to Eugene for a night, over to Mount Hood, The Dalles for a night, Columbia River Gorge and back to Portland for an early morning flight back home on the 4th.
A couple of the nights are at no cost due to the Hyatt credit card and the benefits it provides. I generally like Hyatt Hotels as the rooms are very nice, comfortable beds, and staff has always been most helpful and courteous.
I did some calculations on the cost. The rental car agency is charging almost $250.00 for taxes (1/2 the rental car fee) to support the airport. Last time I flew into Portland PDX was a dump, probably still is a dump. Hotels averaging about $120.00 a night and of that almost $30.00 is taxes for Oregon. Oregon has no sales tax so they need to get the money somewhere so let’s rip off travelers who use very little of the services that taxes are supposed to support.
I may take advantage of no sales tax and purchase a couple of items I want from the Apple store if I can find one close. I really want a couple of new watch bands with some color to augment my white hair (grey went a long time ago).
Amazing that the entire trip could be planned online, airline reservations, car rental, hotels, etc. without ever talking with a human. I was able to use Google Earth to scout the locations for the hotels on the beach to see the location and the condition of the hotel before choosing.
GPS will guide me on the journey so I may not know where I am but the GPS will get me to where I am going. Taking along a map to see about getting on some more interesting roads rather than the GPS suggestions. Went online to request information from Oregon Tourism bureaus and had them send some information. And they sent a lot, good for them.
This will be my last trip out west. I have no reason to ever return as all the people that I really knew are dead. This trip is only for the 50 year class reunion and if it weren’t for that I would not be going at all.
In 2023 we are taking a trip with my son, his wife, and grandson to Walt Disney World. Balls to the wall, spare no expense. On-site resort, character breakfasts, express passes, etc. Figure about $10-12K for the event. Lot of money but worth it to provide a once in a lifetime experience to the grandson and the son. Son went with us when he was five years old and has very little memory of the event. Except where Minney Mouse stiffed the people that had waited in line for an hour and just walked away when we were 10 minutes away from having the son meet her. I will be booking through an agency as they know all the tricks and what to do. That booking will be happening in 2020.
I have sort of decided I would like to spend my money and not leave it to someone else when I die.
I sure hope the world holds together while I’m away from home. I really don’t want to live out a ‘road movie.’
Have a good trip ! I’ve got a couple of walking home stories after an EMP for ya to ponder while driving.
“77 Days in September: A Novel of Survival, Dedication, and Love (The Kyle Tait Series) (Volume 1)”
https://www.amazon.com/77-Days-September-Survival-Dedication/dp/1499616015/?tag=ttgnet-20
and
“Going Home: A Novel (The Survivalist Series)”
https://www.amazon.com/Going-Home-Novel-Survivalist-American/dp/0142181277/?tag=ttgnet-20
I may take advantage of no sales tax and purchase a couple of items I want from the Apple store if I can find one close. I really want a couple of new watch bands with some color to augment my white hair (grey went a long time ago).
Portland Apple Store is the busiest store in North America thanks to nearly 10% sales tax in WA State and 23% GST on computers in Canada.
The new location is easily accessible from the airport or train station via MAX. We joked that the Amtrak Cascades line might as well be called the Apple Express.
If you don’t want to bother with Downtown, the Best Buy near the PDX exit to 205, just down from IKEA, has a decent Apple selection. Both Best Buys in Vantucky closed while we lived there, and the store at PDX is pretty much it northbound until Olympia.
Last time I flew into Portland PDX was a dump, probably still is a dump.
PDX is much better than SeaTac. Even if I’m flying to Seattle, I’ll go to PDX and drive up.
And PDX is light years better than Austin’s fairly new airport.
I will be booking through an agency as they know all the tricks and what to do. That booking will be happening in 2020.
We don’t fly in/out of Orlando anymore even if we go to Orlando as a destination. Tampa is a lot less hassle, especially the Southwest gates which used to belong to AirTran, and quality Cuban food is 10 minutes from the rental car complex.
BTW, if you do fly in/out of Orlando, yes, the two gas stations near the airport are allowed to charge that much legally and are exempt from the state’s anti-gouging laws.
Just crossed into Arkansas on my way up 59 caught up with the weather hoping for the weather to pass us while we had North hoping to hit Memp
Nhis tonight but might stop early
Just crossed into Arkansas on my way up 59 caught up with the weather hoping for the weather to pass us while we had North hoping to hit Memp
Remember, contrary to the script for “Smokey and the Bandit”, Texarkana is ‘dry’.
Or, at least was.
Soon the entire trip could be done on line 🙂
As for your big Disney World trip, good for you. We need to do some domestic trips, having done several other countries. Would like to do some sort of river cruise in the US or Canada.
Arrived at hotel, east of little rock. Headed to dinner. Got some intense storm action for about a half hour. That was fun. Not.
N
Well, at least lightning rarely hurts people inside the Faraday cages we call cars. Probably not convertibles, though.
Heavy rain and poor visibility are a different matter.
Not clear where you are getting this 23% sales tax rate. GST (a federal sales tax) is 5% nationally. Provinces then add their own sales tax rate either in harmony with the GST (same rules for what is taxable and collected for them by the federal government) or separately using their own rules for what is taxable. Since you were discussing Portland, I assume the concern was residents of British Columbia – combined sales tax rate of 12%. Provinces with the highest rates are all out east with a 15% rate. This link may help: https://canadabusiness.ca/government/taxes-gst-hst/federal-tax-information/overview-of-charging-and-collecting-sales-tax/
The duty on computers purchased in the US and brought back to Canada is 0%. You may have to pay the sales tax at the border.
Not clear where you are getting this 23% sales tax rate. GST (a federal sales tax) is 5% nationally.
I stand corrected. I was told 23% in combined taxes at one point. Still, the Portland Apple Store is (or was) the busiest in North America for a reason. 10-15% is a big number on a $3000 laptop.
The duty on computers purchased in the US and brought back to Canada is 0%. You may have to pay the sales tax at the border.
In theory, WA State residents are supposed to pay the sales taxes on purchases brought back over the Glenn Jackson bridge into Vantucky (Vancouver, WA, USA). In theory.
If you want to know what Portland retail would look like if they ever passed sales tax, drive through Downtown Vantucky or, better, head out to the mall on that side of the river.