I think today was my longest planned drive. 420 miles made longer time wise as first 100 miles mostly just 2 lane roads. 10:30 am to 6:30 pm. Didn’t rush and stopped for lunch, short breaks and some photos but mostly just dashcam shots. If was REALLY living the van life would have stopped at a petrified forest state park and maybe the Grand Coolie dam and would have hiked up to the Wild Horses Monument.
I have NEVER forgotten watching the filmstrip in elementary school of the brand new Tacoma Narrows Bridge swaying and then crumbling in 1940. Somehow a windy day produced oscillations that grew and grew. Engineers don’t allow that anymore 🙂
And BOOM! It is almost 10:30pm. Staying at a Hampton Inn tonight here. Campsites last 2 nights did NOT have showers so I took a hot bath and tomorrow will shave, don’t want to grow the beard again like in Tanzania.
Lovely, Dave. When I first moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1986, logging trucks often had one big log with a few tiny ones taking up the space in the corners. That’s when Reagan had them cutting the last of the old growth like there was no tomorrow. Now it practically takes an act of congress to take down one of the last stands of old growth.
I first learned about “Galloping Gertie”, the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge in high school physics. The chapter on simple harmonic oscillation.
Long drive yesterday! Love the photos! My wife is from one of the smaller towns (North Bend) on 90 before you cross over the Cascades.
Great visuals, but the long stretches of nothing were tedious to watch.
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