Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Monday, August 20, 2018
You can lease an Arctic Truck in Antarctica
This tip is from our intrepid Antarctican car nut, Charles. He was at a conference in Davos and apparently the Icelandic truck customizer will lease their trucks to Antarctic clients!
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Eating the Globe: An Update
Africa remains a challenge. But I persist.
Future stops:
Since the series started, the Cameroonian, Haitian, Emirati, and Senegalese restaurants I wanted to go to have shut down before I got a chance to go.
Sudanese https://www.yelp.com/biz/z-zoul-cafe-san-francisco-4
Romanian https://www.yelp.com/biz/sauls-restaurant-and-delicatessen-berkeley
Swiss https://www.yelp.com/biz/matterhorn-restaurant-san-francisco
Haitian https://www.yelp.com/biz/caribbean-spices-san-francisco
Land Cruiser Heritage Museum in Salt Lake City
Here's a hidden gem, just 10 minutes from the airport. There are 75 cars in the collection, along with lots of toys, literature, and random memorabilia. A lot of money and expertise went into the display.
The museum was in a warehouse district. There is no signage outside and I almost passed it twice.
This is the predecessor to the Land Cruiser, the Toyota Jeep. This was found in Adelaide and there are only about a half dozen survivors left in the world.
This is the dash of the Japanese Self-Defense Force Mega Cruiser.
I want the white civilian version of the Mega Cruiser so badly!
This Hilux has been to all seven continents.
I just learned about these Blizzards, which were built by Daihatsu. There's even a Bertone version with a BMW engine.
I think these are the internals of a Lexus LX450.
Underneath the Mega Cruiser.
Here's that Hilux again. The metal tubing beneath the doors comes off and can be hooked up front to become a crane for glacier crevasse rescues.
The miscellaneous corner.
This sled can pull a 150-gallon fuel bladder.
The museum was in a warehouse district. There is no signage outside and I almost passed it twice.
This is the predecessor to the Land Cruiser, the Toyota Jeep. This was found in Adelaide and there are only about a half dozen survivors left in the world.
This is the dash of the Japanese Self-Defense Force Mega Cruiser.
I want the white civilian version of the Mega Cruiser so badly!
This Hilux has been to all seven continents.
I just learned about these Blizzards, which were built by Daihatsu. There's even a Bertone version with a BMW engine.
I think these are the internals of a Lexus LX450.
Underneath the Mega Cruiser.
Here's that Hilux again. The metal tubing beneath the doors comes off and can be hooked up front to become a crane for glacier crevasse rescues.
The miscellaneous corner.
This sled can pull a 150-gallon fuel bladder.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Eating the Globe: Congo
I've eaten South African, North African, West African, and East African food. But not Central African, until today.
When I planned my trip to Utah, I found this Congolese restaurant in Salt Lake City. Totally random, right?
The restaurant was nestled in a weathered strip mall between Korean and Vietnamese businesses. Upon entering, there was a chalkboard with a handful of items listed. I asked for something that is traditional Congolese. The waitress pointed to "Goat Meat".
And this is what I got. The goat was rich in flavor and contained unrecognizable spices. The rice was normal. The vegetable on the left is, I believe, matembele. It's like spinach.
Countries tried so far:
Africa: Algeria, Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
Europe: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark,
North America: Belize, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad & Tobago, USA
South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Bonneville Speed Week 2018 photos
I'm here! And it's amazing.
The salt flats are/is about 1h45m west of Salt Lake City, on the Utah-Nevada border. I checked into the casino hotel last night and made it to the cars first thing this morning.
The layout is interesting. Once you take the freeway exit, you travel north on a paved road on BLM land for five miles. Then, you are on salt. Vehicles stretch for another five to seven miles. This week, three straights are open. Two long ones parallel each other. A shorter rookie straight is perpendicular to the long ones. To the west of the long stretches, you have paddocks, concession stands (not many), and the scrutineering area. Because of the heat and low humidity, walking from end to end is not advised. I parked my car at three or four different spots and walked in between. This is what I saw.
Many of the cars need to be pushed to begin the speed runs. And on the returns, the cars have to be turned off and pushed/towed back. So these rigs are everywhere.
This old Autocar tractor brought everything to the venue from Montana.
I was particularly drawn to mundane 80s and 90s cars that have been turned into racers, like this Citation.
The salt was extremely flat and fairly smooth. Aside from a few divots, passenger cars can go 45. Someone told me that railroad ties pulled behind trucks were used to groom the surface of the straights.
This Dodge Shelby Charger was neat. It was never registered for street use because it was a test model for Chrysler/Shelby. It's owned by a former Shelby manager. It should be capable of running 200 miles per hour once the clutch is replaced.
I learned that the field was most crowded at the beginning of Speed Week (last Saturday and Sunday). Once the teams have broken their respective class records, they pack up and leave. Today, Wednesday, half the cars are already gone. That may be why I was able to get a hotel room so easily.
I did not take that many photos of motorcycles because I don't know anything about them. But this one looked cool.
I've been following this Jensen since it was in England.
This could be a GM ad.
Rotary pickup!
This is the line to do the speed runs.
Note the Crown Victoria being used to push the yellow dragster.
Another cool looking bike.
This badass Ford Torino Talladega was by far my favorite car today.
There were a lot of Kiwis at Bonneville.
This is the start line.
What a weird HHR.
Dodge truck pushing Dodge truck.
I had to go back to that HHR.
A lot of people commuted between the hotels and the track in rusted hot rods.
Isuzu!
I took this parting shot of an RV because Independence Day was filmed here. Tomorrow, I see where the trans-continental railroad connected. Just a short three hour drive from here!
The salt flats are/is about 1h45m west of Salt Lake City, on the Utah-Nevada border. I checked into the casino hotel last night and made it to the cars first thing this morning.
The layout is interesting. Once you take the freeway exit, you travel north on a paved road on BLM land for five miles. Then, you are on salt. Vehicles stretch for another five to seven miles. This week, three straights are open. Two long ones parallel each other. A shorter rookie straight is perpendicular to the long ones. To the west of the long stretches, you have paddocks, concession stands (not many), and the scrutineering area. Because of the heat and low humidity, walking from end to end is not advised. I parked my car at three or four different spots and walked in between. This is what I saw.
Many of the cars need to be pushed to begin the speed runs. And on the returns, the cars have to be turned off and pushed/towed back. So these rigs are everywhere.
This old Autocar tractor brought everything to the venue from Montana.
I was particularly drawn to mundane 80s and 90s cars that have been turned into racers, like this Citation.
The salt was extremely flat and fairly smooth. Aside from a few divots, passenger cars can go 45. Someone told me that railroad ties pulled behind trucks were used to groom the surface of the straights.
This Dodge Shelby Charger was neat. It was never registered for street use because it was a test model for Chrysler/Shelby. It's owned by a former Shelby manager. It should be capable of running 200 miles per hour once the clutch is replaced.
I learned that the field was most crowded at the beginning of Speed Week (last Saturday and Sunday). Once the teams have broken their respective class records, they pack up and leave. Today, Wednesday, half the cars are already gone. That may be why I was able to get a hotel room so easily.
I did not take that many photos of motorcycles because I don't know anything about them. But this one looked cool.
I've been following this Jensen since it was in England.
This could be a GM ad.
Rotary pickup!
This is the line to do the speed runs.
Note the Crown Victoria being used to push the yellow dragster.
Another cool looking bike.
This badass Ford Torino Talladega was by far my favorite car today.
There were a lot of Kiwis at Bonneville.
This is the start line.
What a weird HHR.
Dodge truck pushing Dodge truck.
I had to go back to that HHR.
A lot of people commuted between the hotels and the track in rusted hot rods.
Isuzu!
I took this parting shot of an RV because Independence Day was filmed here. Tomorrow, I see where the trans-continental railroad connected. Just a short three hour drive from here!
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