The Wandering Minstrel

A couple of days ago, I posted about preparing for our next road trip by investigating the gun laws of states we might potentially visit. I was using data available at the NRA-ILA for reference. In a comment to that post, Linoge, of Walls of the City, recommended HandGunLaw.us as a very good alternate for state gun laws.

I spent about a half hour visiting the HandGunLaw site today - it looks like their site is up to date and offers a more concise presentation of state gun laws. The summaries I consulted before were somewhat difficult to use, requiring you find the data embedded in paragraphs that weren’t consistent from state to state.

HandGunLaw.us has been added to the sidebar links under “Interesting Stuff.” Thanks to Linoge for sharing the information.

One of these days, the Better Half and I plan to hit the road for a long vacation. We’re going to travel to “flyover country” and have a look around at some of the attractions and drink in the local history, scenery and Americana. Also, I have a personal goal to visit the last two states where I have yet to set foot. This trip will do it.

I figured that since we are going to be in places we’ve never visited, that a good itinerary will be needed. I usually do a plan and use it as a guide and not a strictly disciplined journey. The inset map is for discussion purposes at this point.

Since we’re going to be bringing some of our arsenal for personal protection and possible sport, I further concluded that looking into the local gun regulations for states we may visit would be essential. Using data from the NRA-ILA Gun Laws by State page, I constructed the table below. Since we both have our Utah CCW, I included a column to indicate reciprocity.

Examination of the data in the Transportation Issues column reveals a wide range of things that must be considered while en route and when camping or lodging. Bottom line: we will avoid camping in states with quirky laws and no reciprocity with our CCW.

Disclaimer: The information below the fold should not be used to determine current laws.
Continue Reading »

We left Arizona this morning to head back home. One of our rest stops was at the Patton Museum, located along Interstate 10 at Chiriaco Summit. We walked the dog, stretched our legs and took some pictures. We were in the museum a few years ago, but not today. I promised the Better Half we would visit Joshua Tree National Park when the flowers are in bloom in the springtime. Since the museum is near the road into the park, we will visit the museum then, when we have a little more time.

Meanwhile enjoy this clickable image of General Patton, realized in bronze and bird shit (the artist did not provide the latter).

Clickable image: T-38 Talons on Flatbeds

Last week, I posted about seeing aircraft being hauled on flatbed trucks. In the comments to the article, DrJim and I speculated about the destination for the Talons. We thought either a rich collector or perhaps a museum like Pima Air Museum in Tucson.

Today, the Better Half snapped another photo of a third Talon on a flatbed (bottom) in the same location we saw the first two. The two at the top, each with a different tail number, were headed out last week.

I now speculate that the Talons are headed for the Davis-Monthan “Boneyard,” in Tucson, AZ. There are a couple of places near Tucson that aircraft are ‘mothballed’ after their service life. Davis-Monthan and Pinal Airpark in Marana. The former is used for military aircraft while the latter for retired commercial airliners and such. Since this is the third military T-38 Talon that we have seen near I-10 in Arizona, I now strongly suspect that Davis-Monthan is the destination.

We had these delicious New York Strip Steaks for supper last evening. They were easy to prepare - just spread extra virgin olive oil on the steaks before applying salt and pepper to taste. I tossed them on the portable grill after spreading the previously ignited briquettes under the cooking area. Cooked them with the lid closed for 12-15 minutes each side.

The Better Half made up a couple of salad bowls with romaine lettuce and sliced tomatoes, tossed in balsamic dressing. The steaks were pink and juicy and the salad was crisp and delicious. Very happy camping, indeed.

Clickable image.

Watching Football at the moment, so this is a non-verbose post.

We ran out to do some errands today, when we saw this biker pass us on the road. Clickable image to see the DEA message on his shirt.

Located along the Pinal Pioneer Parkway, between Florence, AZ, and Tucson, AZ, we found a roadside marker erected in memory of the famous silent film cowboy star, Tom Mix. It turns out that this is the spot where the actor was killed in 1940. I barely remember the Tom Mix reruns on TV in 1950’s.

From WikiPedia:

On the afternoon of October 12, 1940 Mix was driving his 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton near Florence, Arizona (between Tucson and Phoenix) on Arizona State Route 79 when he came upon construction barriers at a bridge previously washed away by a flash flood. A work crew watched as he was unable to brake in time and his car slid into a gully. A large polished aluminium suitcase he had put on the seat behind him flew forward and struck Mix in the back of the head, shattering his skull and breaking his neck. The 60-year-old actor was killed almost instantly. Accounts vary as to whether Mix was speeding before the accident, along with the role alcohol consumption may have played.

The site of his death is located on what is now State Route 79. There is an historical marker and the gully is named Tom Mix Wash. Mix is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Alcohol MAY have been involved? Heh.

We pulled into the Apache Junction RV campground after picking up our trailer in Mesa, AZ. After getting the hookups squared away, we set up our computers to check out the news and blogs. We connected to the WiFi the park offers and signed on for an evening of cyberspace adventures.

Image: Finch in Palo Verde Tree - Credit: The Better Half

While we were sitting at the table in the trailer, several finches lighted in a palo verde tree just outside the window where we were sitting. The Better Half grabbed her camera and took a photo of the birds, a mere three to four feet away. You can click on the image to make it bigger.