Los Angeles Drivers, Boo

[Gone in 60]

Traffic here in Orange County has been weird lately. Yesterday morning, the commute was like a bank-only holiday. Still a bit on the heavy side, but moving. This morning, the same highway was flying at 60-70 the whole way. I'm in the car pool lane either way on my bikes, so I'm an observer of traffic, and not a participant for the most part.

Due to the weird "semi, are we or aren't we in a lockdown, sorta maybe" nature of traffic, there are a lot more spots on my commute that run from full speed to sudden stop at random. So, there have been more high speed accidents. And, due to what must be state reductions in highway sweepers, the shoulders are strewn along my route with more bumper covers, shattered grilles and glass, broken headlights and other debris than normal.

This only creates a problem for me, when I'm behind someone who wants to be "helpful" by moving his car half-way onto the shoulder once he sees a motorcycle in his mirror. While he thinks he's doing me a favor, he's kicking up all of that debris at me.

Over the weekend, my wife and I were watching Itchy Boots' videos of India and Thailand. Holy Moley, I can't imagine riding in their cities. It looked crazy!

 

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

Traffic here in Orange County has been weird lately. Yesterday morning, the commute was like a bank-only holiday. Still a bit on the heavy side, but moving. This morning, the same highway was flying at 60-70 the whole way. I'm in the car pool lane either way on my bikes, so I'm an observer of traffic, and not a participant for the most part.

Due to the weird "semi, are we or aren't we in a lockdown, sorta maybe" nature of traffic, there are a lot more spots on my commute that run from full speed to sudden stop at random. So, there have been more high speed accidents. And, due to what must be state reductions in highway sweepers, the shoulders are strewn along my route with more bumper covers, shattered grilles and glass, broken headlights and other debris than normal.

This only creates a problem for me, when I'm behind someone who wants to be "helpful" by moving his car half-way onto the shoulder once he sees a motorcycle in his mirror. While he thinks he's doing me a favor, he's kicking up all of that debris at me.

Over the weekend, my wife and I were watching Itchy Boots' videos of India and Thailand. Holy Moley, I can't imagine riding in their cities. It looked crazy!

I rode in Thailand when I was stationed there in 1969, but only in my local area. The bike rental vendor would make me and my buddy agree to not ride in Bangkok, and we didn't. I spent a lot of time in BKK, and would not want to drive/ride there. But, there were not a lot of accidents because everyone knew the rules and abided by them.

 

[E11even_Hunnit]

Traffic here in Orange County has been weird lately. Yesterday morning, the commute was like a bank-only holiday. Still a bit on the heavy side, but moving. This morning, the same highway was flying at 60-70 the whole way. I'm in the car pool lane either way on my bikes, so I'm an observer of traffic, and not a participant for the most part.

Due to the weird "semi, are we or aren't we in a lockdown, sorta maybe" nature of traffic, there are a lot more spots on my commute that run from full speed to sudden stop at random. So, there have been more high speed accidents. And, due to what must be state reductions in highway sweepers, the shoulders are strewn along my route with more bumper covers, shattered grilles and glass, broken headlights and other debris than normal.

This only creates a problem for me, when I'm behind someone who wants to be "helpful" by moving his car half-way onto the shoulder once he sees a motorcycle in his mirror. While he thinks he's doing me a favor, he's kicking up all of that debris at me.

Over the weekend, my wife and I were watching Itchy Boots' videos of India and Thailand. Holy Moley, I can't imagine riding in their cities. It looked crazy!

I rode in Thailand when I was stationed there in 1969, but only in my local area. The bike rental vendor would make me and my buddy agree to not ride in Bangkok, and we didn't. I spent a lot of time in BKK, and would not want to drive/ride there. But, there were not a lot of accidents because everyone knew the rules and abided by them.

I rode in Thailand when I was stationed there in 1969, but only in my local area. The bike rental vendor would make me and my buddy agree to not ride in Bangkok, and we didn't. I spent a lot of time in BKK, and would not want to drive/ride there. But, there were not a lot of accidents because everyone knew the rules and abided by them.
That sounds like a good time. Bikes aside

 

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

Traffic here in Orange County has been weird lately. Yesterday morning, the commute was like a bank-only holiday. Still a bit on the heavy side, but moving. This morning, the same highway was flying at 60-70 the whole way. I'm in the car pool lane either way on my bikes, so I'm an observer of traffic, and not a participant for the most part.

Due to the weird "semi, are we or aren't we in a lockdown, sorta maybe" nature of traffic, there are a lot more spots on my commute that run from full speed to sudden stop at random. So, there have been more high speed accidents. And, due to what must be state reductions in highway sweepers, the shoulders are strewn along my route with more bumper covers, shattered grilles and glass, broken headlights and other debris than normal.

This only creates a problem for me, when I'm behind someone who wants to be "helpful" by moving his car half-way onto the shoulder once he sees a motorcycle in his mirror. While he thinks he's doing me a favor, he's kicking up all of that debris at me.

Over the weekend, my wife and I were watching Itchy Boots' videos of India and Thailand. Holy Moley, I can't imagine riding in their cities. It looked crazy!

I rode in Thailand when I was stationed there in 1969, but only in my local area. The bike rental vendor would make me and my buddy agree to not ride in Bangkok, and we didn't. I spent a lot of time in BKK, and would not want to drive/ride there. But, there were not a lot of accidents because everyone knew the rules and abided by them.

I rode in Thailand when I was stationed there in 1969, but only in my local area. The bike rental vendor would make me and my buddy agree to not ride in Bangkok, and we didn't. I spent a lot of time in BKK, and would not want to drive/ride there. But, there were not a lot of accidents because everyone knew the rules and abided by them.
That sounds like a good time. Bikes aside

I rode in Thailand when I was stationed there in 1969, but only in my local area. The bike rental vendor would make me and my buddy agree to not ride in Bangkok, and we didn't. I spent a lot of time in BKK, and would not want to drive/ride there. But, there were not a lot of accidents because everyone knew the rules and abided by them.
That sounds like a good time. Bikes aside
Two of the best years of my life! I was a Marine Engineer on an army Large Tug at the Deep Water Port of Sattahip, near Camp Samesan, down the road from U-Tapao AFB. There was always a sea breeze blowing, great food, pretty girls, plenty of time off (we worked a weird schedule), and very little army BS. I wrote my first novel, "The Bangkok Blues" based on my time there. You can find it on Amazon.

 

[Cormanus]

We need a Kindle edition!

 

[Gone in 60]

I've never been to Thailand, but it sounds pretty neat. When I was a kid, my dad worked on oil platforms in Southeast Asia, and took his vacations in Bankok so often that he became part owner of a Bangkok bar called The Yellow Brick Road. He'd send me Polaroids of himself at the bar surrounded by young girls, and would caption them "One of these might be your new step mom". He sent me some t-shirts from the bar that I'd wear to school.

 

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

We need a Kindle edition!

There is a Kindle edition of my third novel, "The Maui Blues", where the same lead character sails from Puerto Vallarta to Maui, then to Puget Sound to fulfill a promise he made to a beautiful girlfriend. If you like boats, you'll love my novels. I've been around boats all my life, and been a sailor and owned a sailboat most of my adult life. I had to sell my last boat 'cause I wasn't using it enough to justify the 10k annual nut. I'm looking for a partnership on something 28'-35' in Long Beach, CA.
List of my books, all featuring the same lead character,
"The Bangkok Blues"
"The Puerto Vallarta Blues"
"The Maui Blues"
and "The Desolation Blues" is in the works. As you can probably tell, I am a blues music fan.

I've never been to Thailand, but it sounds pretty neat. When I was a kid, my dad worked on oil platforms in Southeast Asia, and took his vacations in Bankok so often that he became part owner of a Bangkok bar called The Yellow Brick Road. He'd send me Polaroids of himself at the bar surrounded by young girls, and would caption them "One of these might be your new step mom". He sent me some t-shirts from the bar that I'd wear to school.

If possible, ask your Dad if he knew of a bar near the Port of Bangkok called the Mosquito Bar, commonly known as the Skeeter. It was a rockin'n'rollin' bar right at the port gates, and it was jammed with pretty girls. That's where I met the babe that was to become my tilok, a live-in girlfriend at my hooch in the 'vill that all tug crews had near our home port.

 

[Gone in 60]

Looking for a partnership on a boat in Long Beach? I thought you were heading to Texas. I'll have to check out your books! I've never owned a boat, but I have enough friends who do. So, it's like owning a boat without the storage hassle.

My dad passed away in '05, but if The Skeeter had girls and booze, I gurantee he was a regular. When I was going through his stuff (which wasn't much, as he never gave up the "might get a job overseas tomorrow" lifestyle), I ran across an envelope labelled "Thailand", stuffed with photos of his time there. Looks like he had a very good time. (He and Mom broke up before I was two).

 

[Charlie Bravo_imp]

Looking for a partnership on a boat in Long Beach? I thought you were heading to Texas. I'll have to check out your books! I've never owned a boat, but I have enough friends who do. So, it's like owning a boat without the storage hassle.

My dad passed away in '05, but if The Skeeter had girls and booze, I gurantee he was a regular. When I was going through his stuff (which wasn't much, as he never gave up the "might get a job overseas tomorrow" lifestyle), I ran across an envelope labelled "Thailand", stuffed with photos of his time there. Looks like he had a very good time. (He and Mom broke up before I was two).

The TX thing seems to have stalled. My beautiful and loving wife who I love very much has SO MUCH STUFF that this 5 bedroom 3 bath 2 car garage house is crammed floor to ceiling with it. To be fair, she did close her business and much of that stuff came into the house, but darn! Our son keeps calling, when are you guys getting here? I want a non-equity partnership, where you pay a monthly fee for use of the boat, 25% on a Catalina 30 would be about $200/month, give or take, so when we do finally move, I just walk away, but it isn't looking like it's going to happen. If you know anyone who has a sailboat and would like to have skilled and experienced crew, send me a PM. You can believe that the Skeeter had booze and girls a'plenty!

Looking for a partnership on a boat in Long Beach? I thought you were heading to Texas. I'll have to check out your books! I've never owned a boat, but I have enough friends who do. So, it's like owning a boat without the storage hassle.

My dad passed away in '05, but if The Skeeter had girls and booze, I gurantee he was a regular. When I was going through his stuff (which wasn't much, as he never gave up the "might get a job overseas tomorrow" lifestyle), I ran across an envelope labelled "Thailand", stuffed with photos of his time there. Looks like he had a very good time. (He and Mom broke up before I was two).

The TX thing seems to have stalled. My beautiful and loving wife who I love very much has SO MUCH STUFF that this 5 bedroom 3 bath 2 car garage house is crammed floor to ceiling with it. To be fair, she did close her business and much of that stuff came into the house, but dang! Our son keeps calling, when are you guys getting here? I want a non-equity partnership, where you pay a monthly fee for use of the boat, 25% on a Catalina 30 would be about $200/month, give or take, so when we do finally move, I just walk away, but it isn't looking like it's going to happen.

 

[Gone in 60]

I love my wife very much too, and it was quite a challenge when she sold her two-story, three bedroom house in Riverside, and moved into my two-bedroom condo in OC. We weren't married yet, but she watches the real estate market very closely, and in '07, she had a feeling that things were about to turn very bad. Her timing was perfect. Her stuff was way nicer than mine, so we did a lot of purging, and I still don't know how we fit everything in and are not paying for external storage somewhere. Man, if you had hit me up a year ago, I have a friend with a Hunter 36 that was looking to get out from under it, but that boat has sailed (to a new owner).

 

[j3gq_imp]

Yikes, a 150cc scooter on the freeway is terrifying even in the far right lane. I once took a new 250 dual-sport on the freeway, entering from a dedicated carpool entrance off the street, and found out it's top speed was only about 60-62 flat out.

It was my regular commute route over 15 years, and it spreads into 2 lanes. Probably the most terrified I've ever been, couldn't move out of the carpool lanes into the 70-75 mph of the regular #1 lane. Had to ride in the median until traffic got jammed up. My error, not anybody else's.

Yeah, 150 cc scooter on freeway is just all wrong.

(+1) regarding the 250 dual-sport. In addition, the steering head would just be too rickety to be safe at 60+ mph.

Yeah, 150 cc scooter on freeway is just all wrong.

(+1) regarding the 250 dual-sport. In addition, the steering head would just be too rickety to be safe at 60+ mph.
I wonder what's wrong with your scooters over there (or with the weight of the Kymco rider / chuckle). I own an Italian 125cc for 25+ years, 2-stroke and powerful. With her top-end she 's always just fine on the right lane. No truck ever creeps up on her from behind. Cracks in poor freeways, that's another thing for her little wheels.

"If you drive an expensive car you're probably a jerk" was the title of a CNN article this week on a UNLV study that reinforced what we pretty much already all thought.

LA probably has more Audi/BMW/Mercedes/Porsche/Land Rover/Tesla drivers than anywhere else.

So what conclusion can be reached from those two statements? 'Nuff said.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/world/expensive-car-drivers-study-scli-scn-intl/index.html

Thanks, interesting read. But I am worried that sb might turn around and come to the same conclusion for owners of high-end motorcycles.