Weird Routes

I decided to have a hike in Utah, after getting caught in a California storm, a couple of weeks ago. I did a nice hike in southern Utah back in 2014. This time I wanted to do a mountain. The only problem is May still is not a good time for hiking in high elevation. Lots of snow.

I wish it was the only problem! 

I didn't find a good flight to Salt Lake City in any of the available airliners. It seems that the state is not a popular destination to Albertans! Or perhaps I shall say southern Albertans. Both the major airlines take weird routes to get to the destination. In other words, they drop you where they want to go and leave you in the hands of another airline and you will have to wait a long time, at time! 

Same thing happened when I was trying to go to Albuquerque back in 2021 and I ended up in Houston by changing my entire trip plan!

(Photo: WestJet goes to Los Angles and then delivers to an American Airliner who will took you back to Salt Lake City in Utah!)

Indian Canyon and some Businesses in Palm Springs

 My third goal in my short southern California trip was a native land which has been partially turned to a park: Indian Canyon. I was one of the first vehicles entering the park, considering it was Sun. and everyone was still asleep! This place has several trails is is surrounded by mountains by unfortunately I didn't have enough time to spend there. Rain was another issue which started after almost 1 hour to an easy hike. I decided to go back as I don't like this sort of nerve racking situation, especially because my flight had been scheduled for the afternoon and had to be there in the airport 2 hours ahead of the flight which is most of the time unnecessary!  
The other problem was the vehicle. My rental, despite being a good brand and good model had a problem and I don't want to name the renting company because that was not certainly their fault. It seemed to be a problem with either the battery or the starter, although it could've been anything else as the new vehicle have computer and electronic systems. The pick up truck refused to turn on and it happened at least 4 or 5 time when I went here and there, especially when I left the park to get something to eat. 

I checked 4 businesses during my short stay: Ralph's, Jensen's Finest Food, Stater Bros Market, Koofi and one convenience Store which I don't recall its name. It was interesting to me that a small town has three different brand of supermarket and that is in addition to Wal-Mart that these days you can see in any North American city, if not everywhere in the world! 
The quality and price of the said stores are sorted from the top to bottom, in case you end up in Palm Spring and would like to buy something:

 
1) Jensen's Finest Food: It truly is the finest. If you drive something less than a VW SUV, you'd better not go to this store! Most of the vehicles I saw there, were either high-end models of top brands or today's EV that not everyone is able to afford. Everything is top quality and priced accordingly. I just bought bar for some $4 and that was good. I think it was on sale or something.

2) Ralph's: It's part of Kruger family. It was jammed pack the first time I was there and prices were reasonable. However I only bought to small pieces bread for $1!

3) Stater Bros Market: It looks like a place that mostly Hispanic, Black and lower income people would go there. I didn't buy anything, not because it looked cheap. I simply didn't find anything appealing. 
Now going to Koofi which seems to a major coffee brand in Palm Spring, was a disappointing experience for me. It seems that the franchise has at least 3 locations in the town but whether they have other ones in California or elsewhere, I don't know. 

How hungry should you be to eat this so-called wrap? The price is in US Dollars and it is presented in one of the Koofi location in Palm Spring, California. There are people who make only a few dollars more after working 1 full hour and there are people who spend way more than this on a lunch or breakfast without wondering. I'm neither of them and despite the fact that I totally understand today's inflation and cost of running a business, I can't eat something like this, no matter how hungry I am.

I checked out the one close to my hotel as it was only 5 minutes walk. It's a small place with tables outside as well. The first thing is they close at 17:30 or something, assuming people don't drink coffee at that time of the day but they could have extended their menu to have longer hours. The other thing is despite the quality of the coffee which is good but not superb, they have a limited menu with skyrocketing prices! One thing must be added here is that apparently taxes are high in this town because I also saw that a medium glass of Orange Juice in McDonald's cost nearly $4! So, it shall be consider that California and specifically Palm Spring are expensive places. 
Palm Spring is such a beautiful place and had I done my hike, I would have enjoyed my trip much more. Not to mention that the continuous rain was really nerve racking when it was coming down. Will I go there again? If I plan for San Jacinto, I thing PSP is the closest unless Alphonse says he would join and agrees to drive from LAX.

(Photo, top: Palm trees in Indian Canyon in southern part of Palm Spring on an Indian Reserve)

One Failed and one Passed

This damn CWB Level I Inspector closed book examination, the one out of three that one shall write to be come such an inspector has become a major problem for me. It's not that the reading material is very hard. It's just too much and I have neither time nor the mode to focus and finish the damn things. I did once and that was when I was laid off last summer but just week before the exam. I was offered this job and I cancelled the exam!
The postponement lead to another delay and I finally wrote it before my trip to California and the result came after I came back from the trip: I had failed 2 out of 3! The closed book, I can understand because it's a long 75-question examination which requires to cover 5 booklets but the damn practical examination is not hard. Nevertheless I have no choice rather than writing and doing the exams again.
The other exam., though, was successfully defeated. The XRF Level I Certificate gives one the permission to operate the Fluorescent Positive Materiel Identification handset under the certification issued by Natural Resources Canada, a subsidiary of the Government of Canada, of course. This was not such a hard exam. either but one shall still study and my trick for that was to ask my manager to give us time to perform a Group Study session. It work particularly because the long weekend before exam., which was unintentionally selected was spent in California! Mon. is usually a busy day because you come back after two day and this time the return was after three days! So the only time I had for preparation, after nearly 10 days of barely looking at the material was Tue. morning, before the exam. but because the hours spent in the Group Study was positive and effective, I was able to pass by 76.6% while I needed at least 70%. It's not a good score but it is a pass. So now I will have to worry about the Level II exam., only! The satisfactory part was the success of a fella worker. He had failed once and when we came out of the exam. room together, knowing that we both have passed, he shock my hand and thanked me. That was rewarding.

(Photo: A newer model of fluorescent analyzer. This small piece of machinery is used to analyze soil, alloys and mineral, in case you did not know)

Caught in a California Storm

 

I tried to go to sleep early and set the clock at. I think 05:30 or something but sleeping was not so easy. These hotels, all of the, no matter how much you pay, the majority of them have no comfortable bed. I paid over US $250 for each night at Renaissance Hotel and despite its cleanness and being nice, both the mattress and the pillow where uncomfortable. The blanket was no better. You would expect a hotel in that price range to be different from Travelodge or Motel 8! Signs of storm was seen at night but I didn't mind it and got out early in the morning. I don't even remember whether or not I got coffee or where I got it but I headed north and that was where I saw so many flashing lights! I went" What the hell is all these. It was raining and it got heavier when I hit I-10 East. It didn't take long to realize that I had make a mistake in two senses! 

1) A rainstorm on the road means a snow storm in the mountain! 

2) I-10 East is not a good road for a driver like me who barely gets close to 20 miles hour bellow the posted speed limit and is heavily dependent on the highway signs and an old GPS! 

I decided to stop for a coffee at a McDonald's and then turned back! By the time I got back to the town it was 07:30 or something or perhaps I shall say that I don't remember. Then I decided to try going to Joshua Tree National Park and the first time I ended up Desert Hot Springs(!) and came back realizing that the GPS is not updated. It was nothing but waste of gasoline, time and money, of course. I eventually got myself into I-10 West and hoped to get to the said park. Not a chance! There were problems!

The hotel's parking lot. Such a beautiful place. Not jam packed at this time of the day

1) There was construction alongside the road and lanes were limited. 
2) You would think you're in desert and all you have to drive in is flat road. Wrong! Big trucks had difficulty going up the hills and there was a backup!
3) The rain was pouring down and was driving me nuts! Nothing bothers me more than driving in heavy rain where I have to have the wipers on, constantly and listen to the annoying noise!
4) Further up the hill, I realized why there was a backup! A Highway Patrol had pulled over an speeding asshole and the entire left lane was blocked! 
I eventually reached the park but then decided to back(!) because it meant nothing to get out in heavy rain! 
So entire days passed by driving around Palm Spring area, eating snacks and taking a few pictures! What would have I done, had I stayed home?!(Photo, top: Rainbow over Road 86. You think the storm is done but I went back to I-10 East again and it was the same!)

Palm Springs Air Museum: A True Gem

The year 2023 was finished with only one hike and that was a failed attempt! So, I decided to make 2024 a productive year and for that I planned for my first hike in southern California, Mt. San Jacinto near the town of Palm Spring. I contacted Alphonse who lives a little over 2 hours from the town and his answer was that he couldn't join because it was Easter! He added that he had invited his relatives over! What an asshole! I don't know why I still hang out with this rat filth! Every time we have a hiking plan he either chickens out or screws it up on the trail! I know why I still hang out with him! First of all he's a good company, although not a good hiker. Secondly I feel bad that I haven't paid my dues. I owe his a fare amount of money.

With that said, I flew to Palm Spring International Airport in a cold and snowy Alberta morning but when I reached there it was nice and sunny. I got my rental, a Toyota Tacoma and the first thing I did, as I had planned was checking into Palm Spring Air Museum. Now here is the thing you need to know: Not many people visit museums these days, especially if they're going to a sunny and nice town in southern California and not many people would like to work in museums. So, a place like that is heavily dependent on volunteers and the elderly. 

I walked in and there were two old men at the counter, at least 70 years old! One of them had tubes coming out of his nose, meaning he was probably using an Oxygen tank! I have nothing against the gentlemen and I'm not teasing them or anything but why a nation cannot be able to preserve their history by maintaining a museum? The admission is $23 which was completely fine by me but when I handed the money to him, he missed one of the Dollar bills! So I had to gave it grab it from the counter and handed it to him! 

The one who greeted me, handed me a brochure and told me how to navigate through the museum was an old lady and she could not be less than 70 as well!

This F-117 is known as Black Devil is on display in Palm Spring Air Museum. I was afraid to touch it but when I did I realized that it has a foamy coat on the top of the actual metal structure, perhaps to help it to avoid radars. It was difficult to get a good shot due to both the length of the airplane and crowd but I had a few good ones, including this. I had a short discussion with the gentleman attendant there, possibly a volunteer, in the hanger and at the end he told me to get a panorama! And I did and it turned out great! It would not have happened, had he not told me. The shot is not seen here, of course but thank you sir for your help!

The museum has different section which is divided based on different timeframes that there was a conflict such a Vietnam War and then there's a large open space that a number of airplanes and helicopters are displayed and that's how you make a museum! You gather all of old and out-of-service airplanes in one location and there you go! You have a museum! The only thing left is to gather a few small things and you're complete! But the museum has more than that and it will be an experience of life-time. For me seeing MiG 21, A6, F-14 and other fighter planes and alike and reading about them was a great experience.

But the highlight of the day was seeing an F-117 on display, one of the only 64 that has ever built! The story of F-117 is a long one but there're a few interesting segments here:

1) The F-117 design and test program started as early as 1980's. Many tests took place in town of Tonopa where I visited in late 2022 and had another failed attempt! I will go back there to hit the summit. Nevertheless the plane was mainly known during the Operation Iraqi Freedom or Desert Storm, the one that the bastard Saddam called Westerns in Arabian Desert! 

2) Despite being considered Stealth, one F-117 was shot down during the Yugoslav War. The story of that is very interesting and too long to be said here. 

3) The plane is retired now and is only used for training purposes!

(Photo, top: A MiG 21, one of the earlier developments of Mikuyan-Gurovish Soviet/Russian aircraft manufacturer on display in the open space of Palm Spring Air Museum. This most likely has brought back to the US from Vietnam)

Cutting Corners

I was driving home from work today and the gasoline price caught my eyes at a Shell station: More than ¢158 for a liter! The funny thing is that the Provincial tax will kick in soon, meaning that there will be some ¢15 added to every liter of gasoline price. In the meantime the bastards of the Provincial Government implemented a $200 annual tax on EVs! 

It is obvious that only a small portion of people can purchase EV and those don't care about that annual tax but for me who has been trying to buy a vehicle for a long time now and hasn't been able to yet, there're no solution but cutting some corners. 

What is that I can remove from my list? It's very easy for me but let's start from an upcoming trip! I'm heading south soon and I have a big bag which I thought I shall check it in. I haven't check a bag in the past 9 years or so and now I need to do that! Not such a good idea! WestJet is asking $30 for a freaking bag! What am I going to do? Easy! Take as much as I can out! I don't care! Do you think I will pay $30 to these guys?! I eat for a week with $30! 

Now going back to the normal life:

1) Internet: I'm not going to renew my contract with the pirates of Rogers/Shaw when it ends in a few months! I will save $52.50 every  month, a total of $630 a year! I don't care about anything on the net. I have internet at work, at my siblings and at a local McDonald's! I $630 is a one-way ticket to a destination to the US! 

2) Milk for coffee! It's been a long time since I tried to avoid the outside coffee of any brand and have been mostly successful. I either use instant coffee or get my coffee from work but I need milk or cream for that as I don't add sugar. I usually buy Organic Milk or Cream but at times regular too. A 2 liters Organic Milk cartoon lasts me a week. It is about $8. The same amount of regular milk is half of that price. That will reduce a total of $20 every month from my bills.  

Why not?!

(Photo: Don't panic yet! This was taken in June 2022 in Downtown Calgary!)

Glory

I have a good number of old movies that I watch one from time to time and I have to admit that I enjoy a lot. I do have access or am able to watch the new ones but being a loser(!), I don't want to go to a movie theater all by myself! There was a time that I used to do that. Now I don't! Perhaps I should give up the idea that if someone sees a movie by themselves is a loser and go but I haven't been able to do that yet. For example when all these blockbuster were being shown, Top Gun: Maverick, Barbie, Killing of Flower Moon, and Oppenheim, I tried to convince myself to see them or perhaps to go with a date or my brother. None of them ever occurred and I ended up having a few of them in digital format but I only have watched and enjoyed the first one!

With that said, I watched Glory, last week. Such a fabulous movie. I intended watching the Civil War era movie once a couple of years ago but was discouraged by the hospital scene with all the blood, screaming and suffer they showed. This time, I skipped that and went all the way. Such a glorious movie, I'd like to say. 

Without spoiling the movie, I'd like to add that Hollywood rarely makes good movies like this, unfortunately: Interesting story, which is based on facts, great acting, good cinematography and great scenario. That's all I need to say about this 1989 film. Find and enjoy. 

(Photo: Both Matthew Broadrick, left and Denzel Washington provide excellent acting this movie. The latter received a well-deserved ACADEMY AWARD for male actor in supporting role)