Travel 4: All Around the World Same Song

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

I love visiting San Francisco on work-trips, but it's really getting killed by wealth inequality. I read one article that showed significant observable impact on housing prices in San Francisco every time one of the "app companies" (Twitter, Square, Air B&B, etc) went public. A lot of these companies that are based on a single phone app are based right in San Francisco instead of Silicon Valley. I mean, there was crazy inequality before the app economy, but now it's an order of magnitude worse. Now it's like everyone is either wealthy or living on the fringe. Last time I was there for a work trip to the Apple World Wide Developer's Conference, which was quite a while ago now, I was in a $600/night hotel room. If I walked for a block or two in one direction from my hotel I could shop at a Tiffany's. If I walked a block the other direction, I could be in a sketchy liquor store on the border of the Tenderloin. I walked over to buy a six pack to stock up my hotel fridge, and a dude decided to whip his dick out and **** on the sidewalk right in front of me on broad daylight. I met some interesting characters hanging out at the bar at the Gold Dust Lounge on Powell St, during various work trips, but sadly I believe that bar is no more.

My last trip there, after stuffing myself stupid at The House of Prime (don't order the King Henry VIII cut if you've got an upcoming cardiology appointment), I was at a bar where I had to explain to a fellow patron with a thick Scottish accent what the word "misogyny" meant (in the context of a CNN headline on The Former Guy, naturally). Walking back to my hotel at midnight, I crossed the street a few times to dodge the druggies and got propositioned by at least three hookers. In hindsight, it didn't help that I was dressed like I had a wad of money.

Otherwise, you'll see the usual big city scams. The charity pimps who try to get you to sign up for monthly donations, the JW proselytizers, etc.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

back from an excellent trip from the Southern California Desert (Death Valley National Park and Joshua Tree National Park).

Nice! I still need to get to both of those parks.

[BassAle]

How did you like Death Valley? How much time did you spend there? I spent an afternoon driving around in 2017ish, and I loved it and can't wait to go back.

loved Death Valley, I was there a couple days. Hit the major spots: walked a few miles through the Mesquite Dunes (and pretended I was on Tatooine), hiked through the Golden Canyon, saw Artists Palette, went and explored an old gold mine, saw the Borax Works, the Badwater Salt Flats, drove through 20 Mule Team Canyon, drove to Dante's View, etc. I have a friend in the NPS that just got transferred to Death Valley a week or so ago and I want to go back and do a backcountry trip with him (probably driving on some of the 4x4 roads and do some backcountry camping / explore some off the beaten path areas by foot).

In Joshua Tree we went rock climbing, went on some short hikes, and pretty much drove on all the paved roads and saw the major roadside stuff. If I ever go back it will be for a backcountry backpacking trip. There are tons of rock climbing routes in the park, but the day hikes are a bit limited (I live next to Acadia National Park, which despite being much smaller, has tons of options for day hikes).

[BassAle]

Follow-up question... how did you like Joshua Tree?

I've been to both and was amazed at DV but underwhelmed by JT. The latter partly because it's a long, boring drive that's out of the way when also doing DV, Sequoia, King's Canyon, and Yosemite.

Spent 3 days/ nights in DV and I could have done a week. It's surprisingly versatile. Of course, you have Badwater Basin, but there are also waterfalls, great hikes up mountains on the west side, and a lot of variety. I highly recommend it, especially in the shoulder seasons.

I think for a casual park person, Joshua Tree can be experienced in a day. It's definitely not my favorite park. We were there three days, but really only spent one full day in the park and then some partial days. First day we drove around the park and did several short hikes/ did some roadside exploring, drove to all the scenic lookouts, etc and were pretty much there all day. Second day we went rock climbing in the morning, and then went back to the cabin and used the hot tub and hung out for the afternoon. Thanksgiving day we went back in the morning and did another short ~2 mile hike, went to the cactus grove, and drove through the park to the Cottonwood visitors center. I was there during a busy holiday week, and everything was pretty busy. We skipped a couple stops because of lack of parking. If I ever go back, it would be to get a backcountry permit and go on backcountry backpacking trip.

[dxmnkd316]

I’ll never forget one encounter in San Fran my only time there which was in college. Was with a guy who lived there years prior. We were walking back to the hotel at like 9 maybe. Darkish out. We started walking up a street and he aggressively hailed a cab as it passed by.

I wasnt sure what the **** was going on because we were walking distance from the hotel and didn’t really want to spend the cash. We get in and he says, “just get us to [the street two blocks up]. Here’s a $20.”

now im kinda freaked out. We get out and says we narrowly dodged getting mugged or worse by the guys up the street I didn’t even notice. They had split up and half crossed the street to our side and started walking towards us.

[Swansong]

loved Death Valley, I was there a couple days. Hit the major spots: walked a few miles through the Mesquite Dunes (and pretended I was on Tatooine), hiked through the Golden Canyon, saw Artists Palette, went and explored an old gold mine, saw the Borax Works, the Badwater Salt Flats, drove through 20 Mule Team Canyon, drove to Dante's View, etc. I have a friend in the NPS that just got transferred to Death Valley a week or so ago and I want to go back and do a backcountry trip with him (probably driving on some of the 4x4 roads and do some backcountry camping / explore some off the beaten path areas by foot).

Nice! I saw the Borax Works, Furnace Creek and the Artists Palette. Just an amazing place.

[BassAle]

Nice! I saw the Borax Works, Furnace Creek and the Artists Palette. Just an amazing place.

my 13 year old son and I were excited for the Star Wars filming locations:

Mesquite Flat Dunes is where the escape pod landed, and where the droids split up and where C-3PO spotted the sand crawler off in the distance.
Golden Canyon is where the Jawas abducted R2-D2.
The Tuskan Raider scene was filmed in Desolation Canyon.
Dante's View is where Luke and Obi-Wan looked out over Mos Eisley.
The exterior close up scenes with the Jawa's sand crawler was filmed just off Artist's Drive, near a pull out before you get to Artist's Palette.
20 Mule Team Canyon is where they filmed R2-D2 and C-3PO's approach to Jabba's Palace in Jedi.

[Jimjamesak]

Uh, wasn’t Star Wars filmed in Tunisia?

[state of hockey]

Uh, wasn’t Star Wars filmed in Tunisia?

Little here and a little there. The Lars household was definitely Tunisia, the droids and Jawas stuff was in California.

[BassAle]

Uh, wasn’t Star Wars filmed in Tunisia?

not all of it. They started filming in Tunisia, but ended up moved a bunch of filming to California. Death Valley specifically (at that time Death Valley National Monument). The Banthas were elephants from some zoo in California.

https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvis...ath-valley.htm

Luke's home, the Cantina, etc were Tunisia. The shots I mentioned were the ones that were picked up when they moved back to California.

[Swansong]

my 13 year old son and I were excited for the Star Wars filming locations:

Mesquite Flat Dunes is where the escape pod landed, and where the droids split up and where C-3PO spotted the sand crawler off in the distance.
Golden Canyon is where the Jawas abducted R2-D2.
The Tuskan Raider scene was filmed in Desolation Canyon.
Dante's View is where Luke and Obi-Wan looked out over Mos Eisley.
The exterior close up scenes with the Jawa's sand crawler was filmed just off Artist's Drive, near a pull out before you get to Artist's Palette.
20 Mule Team Canyon is where they filmed R2-D2 and C-3PO's approach to Jabba's Palace.

I completely forgot about Dante's View. "Breathtaking" doesn't cover it.

[dxmnkd316]

my 13 year old son and I were excited for the Star Wars filming locations:

Mesquite Flat Dunes is where the escape pod landed, and where the droids split up and where C-3PO spotted the sand crawler off in the distance.
Golden Canyon is where the Jawas abducted R2-D2.
The Tuskan Raider scene was filmed in Desolation Canyon.
Dante's View is where Luke and Obi-Wan looked out over Mos Eisley.
The exterior close up scenes with the Jawa's sand crawler was filmed just off Artist's Drive, near a pull out before you get to Artist's Palette.
20 Mule Team Canyon is where they filmed R2-D2 and C-3PO's approach to Jabba's Palace in Jedi.

20 Mule Team must be close to Borax Works.

[BassAle]

20 Mule Team must be close to Borax Works.

I'd say the entrance to the canyon is about an 8 mile drive from the Borax Works, although I think there are a number of old borax mines in and around 20 mule team canyon.

[mookie1995]

the return of the hoops cause mookie to cancel up the travelin’

refunds for the US for Christmas and Greece for new years….

[burd]

We're visiting our daughter in Vancover in August and are considering a stay on Haida gwaii. Anybody been?