Posts Tagged ‘driving’

Random observation: bridges

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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What’s black and white with yellow stripes?

No, not a bridge, but a road with a bridge! So I’ve been doing a lot of flying lately – from LAX to IAD, then from IAD to MCO and back – and quite a bit of driving (or being driven) too – from VA to PA and back – and it started to become really obvious to me that when I saw a patch of lighter pavement, it was a small bridge or overpass. Have you ever noticed that too?

black road with white bridge aheadMy theory is that the bridges are made with a different paving material (concrete vs. asphalt) for two possible reasons: 1. to ensure that they are sturdy enough to hold under the weight of all the passing traffic and 2. to use the lightest/least possible material. Asphalt can be poured onto the base layer of concrete for roads directly on the ground, but when it comes to bridges, adding that extra weight isn’t necessarily worth the benefits of easier maintenance. So while you’ll find black asphalt roads most everywhere, once you approach a bridge, don’t be surprised if it’s white(ish). Then again, maybe you’re not a nerd like me, noticing and trying to understand this difference. Just thought I’d share one of the many random things I notice and think about as I go about my daily life.

365great Day 113: road trips

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 113: road tripsIt’s such a fun, exhilarating, even romantic concept, isn’t it? Road tripping is super popular with Americans, if only as a fantasy, but plenty do manage to do at least some small ones. Whether you’re driving 3 hours or 3 days, it can be quite the experience to pack up, hop in the car, and hit the open road. Panda and I made a little one for the 4th of July break, trekking up to Pennsylvania to check out Hershey and Gettysburg, with a stop in Harrisburg. It was fun to be alone in the car together, with plenty of time for conversation, sightseeing, and overall bonding. It reminded me of trips I took with my parents as a kid – I’d spend a lot of time reading or looking at the landscape passing by as my parents sang Chinese songs playing on the cassette. We’d make pit stops for gas and food and I’d snuggle in with a blanket and pillow. What fond memories! Road trips are great for that.

Traffic gaps & freeway weaving

laelene Posted in general blog, video blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Have you ever been driving down the freeway when it’s not too crowded and traffic is just rushing on by when suddenly you find yourself alone? There’s a cluster of lights up ahead maybe a mile or so and another behind you about the same distance away. I love it when I get in a situation like that – I’m away from the crowds and it’s just me and the road (until either I catch up to the cluster in front or get bombarded by the cluster behind).

It’s times like that that I want to weave back and forth like those highway patrol vehicles that do so to slow down traffic. I was actually caught behind one of those for a few miles recently and we even ended up at a dead stop for awhile (see videos below). Maybe there was debris on the road that needed to be cleared? I couldn’t tell because I was about 5 cars behind and there were too many red lights in my way to see. Luckily, it wasn’t like that one time I got stuck for two hours on the 405. This barely lasted three minutes and we were on our way again, rushing off into empty expanse ahead.

I wonder if you’re ever allowed to ride along when the highway patrol is doing that, because I’ve always wanted to. I mean, when else do you get to weave back and forth on the freeway without getting in trouble? And it’s gotta be fun to see all traffic yielding to you, crawling along as they wait to see if you’re bringing them to a stop or just slowing down the speed of traffic. Then when you’re done with your task, you turn off your flashing lights and race off to the next thing as the cars behind finally get to continue on their way.

highway patrol slowing traffic from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

stopped on freeway from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Cyclist delay

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , ,
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On my way out today, I went to drop off some books at the library, only to get stuck due to road closures for a cycling event! I ended up parking my car and walking the rest of the way to the library.

street closed off with orange cones and police cars due to cycling event

All blocked off to traffic (but at least not pedestrians).

parking lot coned off for special cycling event

Even the library parking lot was closed for the event.

guys removing orange gate barriers off street from cycling event

As the final cyclists made it through, the barriers were then taken down.

cop cars driving by and parked while managing traffic

Cops round up the end of the parade of cyclists and vehicles.

Empty nest

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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I got a brief feeling of empty nester syndrome today, as I dropped off our visitors at the airport. It was a whirlwind of taking out the luggage, trying not to get run over by traffic, and waving goodbye. In just a few seconds, I was back in the car and they were off into the airport. As I pulled away, I suddenly felt a little lonely. There were no more guests to drive around town, no more big meals, no more chatter. I’ve always lived a pretty quiet and solitary life, even when my parents were in the same house. This flurry of activity is a rare occurrence and it was rather fun to have a change of pace from my usual daily patterns.

I’m pretty pooped though, so I’m off to rest with my adorable kitty! Just look at her. 🙂

cat sleeping in corner of couch with head at funny angle

If you’re happy and you know it

laelene Posted in video blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Honk your horn! 🙂 I can’t remember why the vehicles started honking, but people had fun and you can hear the people in the car next to me having a blast!

honking happiness from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Driving thoughts

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Driving is a great time for me to think – in fact, I think it’s even more effective than showering.  It used to be that I’d get tons of reflection and inspiration while showering, since you don’t have much to think about beyond your routine.  However, now that I’ve taken to really enjoying all the bath products I’ve gotten, I tend to think just about those brands, why I like the products, and how I feel about it all.  Doesn’t leave me as much thinking space as I used to get.  Nowadays I’ve found that it’s driving time that is really precious and useful.  From reflections of life to rehashing business ideas, it’s an ideal way for me to get some creative juices flowing.

Unfortunately it’s not like I can sit there and take notes about what I’m brainstorming, and I always found it challenging to try to dictate my thoughts to remember.  So, I’m getting used to summing up those thoughts into a few to-dos and dictating that to my phone.  I set a few reminders to trigger sometime after I get home, and then I can sit and reflect some more.  It’s a decent system and I kind of wish I had more driving to do!  Perhaps I’ll take up some other similar activity like biking, jogging, or getting back on my beloved longboard.

Swerving madness

laelene Posted in photo blog, video blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Today while driving to Green Festival LA, I got in an accident.  A car was merging into my lane and I was watching it, letting off my gas so it could get in.  Suddenly, the car behind it decided to also merge into my lane, but then I guess the first car had braked, so it had to swerve and cut in front of me, which caused me to swerve to avoid it.  I managed to narrowly miss it, only to roll off the shoulder into the mud and slide right into the guardrail.  The one good thing today?  Bruins beat Trojans 38-28.  😀

chp officer who arrived at the scene stepping away after talking to some firefighters

First an ambulance stopped to check on us, then a tow truck pulled over but it wasn’t with my insurance, then this CHP officer came along, and then the firetruck pulled over briefly.

A total of three or four CHP vehicles stopped at one point or another, and I had to explain what happened over and over as each batch came. Three of them asked if I wanted to file a report and by the third, I had one thing clarified: the only thing filing a report would do is confirm that I am to blame for hitting the guardrail. Ok seriously, why would I file a report so you can charge me for the guardrail?! So random.

Oh, and while talking to the ambulance ladies, we happened to witness another crash right in front of us as a car got rear-ended. Eventually all the law enforcement personnel migrated between our two sites and finally figured out that we were two separate incidents.

front left of car smashed into guardrail at side of highway

Just as I was reacting that I might not hit the car in front of me, I realized I was hurtling towards the guardrail and the mud was too slippery to stop in. In retrospect I should have stayed on the road more or maybe even swerved again (though that could have caused me to spin out), but alas I hit. Boom.

front left car wheel and bumper smashed into guardrail

Oh my poor car! One of my first reactions was relief that the airbags didn’t deploy. That must mean I had slowed down enough that the impact wasn’t as bad. When I went to open my door, it got a bit stuck and creaked (see video).

creaking car door from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

car pulled away from guardrail awaiting tow

The AAA tow guy couldn’t get my car to start without some serious shaking and coughing from my poor Corolla, so he called in a flatbed and pulled it away from the guardrail in the mean time.

damaged car being placed on tow truck

And there she goes, getting atop the flatbed for the ride to the tow yard.

the damage to the front left part of the car

The tow guy thought the axle might be broken – yikes! We’ll see what the ultimate verdict is.

One way

laelene Posted in photo blog, video blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Last week, we were driving by the Kennedy Center when all traffic got diverted to the opposite side of the road and suddenly we found ourselves on a one-way on the wrong side of the road.  Once the cones were gone, we were free to get back to the right side (which Panda did), but some of the cars continued on their merry way like nothing was wrong.  So random!  Well, now that I’ve heard that Ellen was getting an award in the Kennedy Center recently, I wonder if that’s why our route was disrupted…

driving on left side of road divider due to traffic redirect for special event at kennedy center in dc

The right side was reserved for Kennedy Center traffic only.

driving on left side of road after getting redirected due to special event at kennedy center in dc

A few blocks later, the divider was gone and we got back over to the right again.

one way, two way from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

To the left, to the left

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , ,
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There was an intense storm last Friday, which downed a lot of trees and created power outages across the area. Little did we know that even signal lights were blown askew! When I first saw this is was so unexpected I laughed out loud.

left turn signal light tilted left after windy storm

This signal’s taking its own advice and making a left turn too.

two hanging signal lights blown crooked by a windy storm

Wait, wouldn’t gravity have pulled them straight again?

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