Car Watching in Italian Lands

One of the more uncanny parts of the adventures in world travel happens when one sees something terribly familiar, yet terribly different.  There are plenty of essays and observations about toilets, toothpaste tubes, and milk containers in other parts of the world.  Variations in what one knows as an every day object creates a certain sense of not-at-home-ness that can be entirely delightful or terribly alienating, depending on one’s frame of mind.  Traveling for short periods is often a series of surprises, and the experience is over before anything has even begun to digest.  But when traveling for longer periods of time, there are almost always moments when the new or unfamiliar becomes too much.

Because so much depends on perception, there are things a traveler can do to make their own experience go more smoothly.  Going to places where there is a sense of familiarity can be very helpful, or to focus on the things that a particular country is known for.  Traveling in Italy means great food and great design.  And people watching and car watching are free.  Most travelers are probably not looking to pick up a new set of niche wheels to take back home, so the usual preoccupations with car maintenance can take a back seat to the aesthetic appreciation.  With Fiats and Ferraris, Alfa Romeros and Maseratis, it’s impossible not to feel that unusual pleasure that comes from having one’s imagination sparked by the combination of beauty and utility.  It’s also a very easy way to avoid any kind of homesick blues that might be coming along.

There is a familiarity about some of the cars, certainly, because most observant people have noticed Italian cars in their home country at one point or another.  But when there is a critical mass, the sense of design is almost overwhelming, and it becomes something else.  Car fanatics might start calculating the maintenance of a foreign car, realizing that the cost of toyo tires makes it very tempting.  But even die-hard pedestrians will probably be struck by the unusual taste in the vehicles.  Beauty is important in all things, and cars are no different.  And although there is a certain kind of fanaticism in Italian futurism, where love of speed and technology can override other concerns, this has by and large receded into the past as a design element.  Today’s cars match speed with comfort, and the vehicles are simply pleasing to look at.  So while they may not make the homesick traveler feel surrounded by the familiar, the cars can open up a space for understanding a culture where art is a core value, and that’s when Italy just might start to feel like home.

Tags: italian cars, tires, travel

Traveling by Vespa or Cafe Racer?

Folks who admire the style, as much as the lifestyle, of life on two wheels, are in a unique category.  It’s not that the club is exclusive, or even particularly choosy.   Anyone with enthusiasm can be a member, and the only membership requirement is the desire to share and collect information about the ride.

It’s not at all like it was a few years ago, or maybe it’s a generation or two ago by now.  The days when the mods and the rockers would face off in Brighton cast a spell over the whole vintage motorbike scene, but it’s not one that affects the day to day relationships between its members.  This doesn’t mean that there aren’t bikers out there who scoff at the tastes of the vintage enthusiast, but generally speaking, the veterans of the road tend to love old bikes, no matter what they might ride themselves.

It’s an important distinction.  Experience on the road does tend to buy more currency or credibility on the street, and miles traveled do add up to more than a head full of details but nothing upon which to tack them.  That has been true for most of the history of motorcycles and scooters.  The time of the battles between biker gangs, at least in terms of the vespa vs. café racer competition, was pretty short-lived.  Now there are more things to worry about then who likes Gene Vincent or who likes the Kinks, as one seasoned veteran puts it.

That is, in fact, a hint about the central force that unites everyone who rides on two wheels.  It might not be widely acknowledged that it isn’t the safest way to travel, but it should be, because it is definitely in the back of every riders’ mind.  Anyone who has forgotten that, even for a moment, has been the recipient of a tough reminder, through close calls, or worse.  Camaraderie in the community comes from a sense of survival, and watching out for each other.  That tends to cut out the white noise of any other simmering rivalries, even in the contemporary vintage community.  Whether or not one takes their bike to a mechanic, fixes it entirely on their own, or depends on websites like www.hotrodhanks.com to keep their ride looking sharp, it doesn’t matter.  The things that separate are much less important than those things that unite.  And at the end of the day, we all get to ride the same road together.

Tags: mods and rockers, motorcycles, motorcycle and scooter tires

Road Trip!

Time to hit the road, it’s summer and what a better way to see the country than a road trip? Road trips spark the best memories, jokes and they will take you to places you would never think to see.

Planning a road trip can be tricky but it is also a lot of fun. You will want to pull out a map of the U.S. and start deciding where you want to start, stop and the places you want to see in between. When planning the road trip you will want to figure out estimates of how long it will take to get there, how many miles it will take and the appropriate stopping places along the way.

Depending on how many people are going should be how long you want your road trip to be, the more people the shorter you will want it. Also if you have younger children then you are not going to want them in the car for too long, as they will get restless. A 30 day road trip across the country sounds nice in theory but in actuality you might want to scale it down just a bit.

Once you have figured out how long you want your trip to be and where you want to go, it is time to start planning the routes. You will want to take a look at a road map and decide which freeways, highways and interstates you are going to want to take to get to your destination. You will also want to take note of places to stop: to get gas, food, go to the bathroom or just places of interest. Try stopping in a small town with a funny name for ice cream or go see the world’s largest ball of string.

After everything is all planned out, make your hotel reservations and take your car in to the mechanic to make sure it is in peak condition to handle this trip.

Once all the arrangements have been made, hit the store for snacks for the trip and get ready for a memorable time!

Tags: map, road map, Road Trip, travel

Wheels and Choices

Finding the right wheel for a vehicle can be one of those all-day affairs, or it can be something fast and painless. At the same time, it’s a rather important consideration, because the wheel, along with the tire and rim, can have a radical effect on what the car looks like. So it’s important to choose well, not only to make sure you’re getting the right diameter , but also so that you may not have missed the opportunity to make bold and brave statements with your truck or car.

It’s an interesting dilemma when we live in an era with so much choice. There are times when it seems as thought there’s simply too many options to choose from, whether it’s peanut butter to a life partner. At the same time, there are also times when it’s pretty grand to have so much to choose from, and no one seems to complain about too much choice when it comes to wheels. They are as varied as the vehicles themselves are, and this is indeed a good thing. Being able to select among multiple options to find what suits you best is a great benefit, and there are plenty of choices just waiting.

Just as tire size and manufacturer are elemental considerations to consider before setting out to shop, style is really central to the idea of a car. It’s up to you entirely to create the car or truck you’ve always wanted, and after the initial choices are made, then something else starts to take over. It is true, certainly, that there’s an art to it all, and some of the most obvious right decisions are inspired by the act of inspiration itself. No one in the world can tell you how to customize your ride, and no one in their right mind would want to take that right away from you.

Tags: art

Hawaii Dolphin Watching

Hawaii is known for being a beautiful tropical island and also for being home to amazing underwater creatures. With the clear water and warm temperatures scuba diving and sailing are huge industries in Hawaii, as well as dolphin watching. All across the state there are plenty dolphin watching tours to choose from. After a long day out you will want to stay at a affordable hotel .
The Ko Olina Ocean Adventures is one that will have you snorkeling amongst the beautiful coral gardens and swimming alongside dolphins.
The Oahu Dolphin Snorkel Sail is a tour that will have you riding the waves of the Walanae Coast. You have the option of snorkeling of just kicking back and relaxing while enjoying the sun and the sights. On this tour you can swim with the dolphins as well.
Oahu Ocean Joy Cruise Adventures is a nice cruise that will have you sailing alone on the Ka’ena Point, it is the only vessel that has access to that area. You ride on a luxury power catamaran. Once again you have the option of snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, or just relaxing with a few drinks.
The Hawaii Volcano Helicopter Tour & Afternoon Snorkel Dolphin Sail is a great way to see Hawaii from a different angle. You will be high above the islands and have a birds eye view of the largest volcanoes in the state. After that you can view the island from another angle as you snorkel with dolphins, huge turtles, and large schools of fish.
The Maui Adventure Cruises Ocean Rafting Dolphin Adventures is another chance to have a good time on the beautiful clear water but this time you will be in a raft. You will be exploring the islands of Maui and Lanai on a fast paced dolphin watching rafting adventure all across the ocean.
If you are tired of seeing dolphins, fear not you can go whale watching. On board the Big Island Blue Sea Cruises Whale Watch Adventure you will be able to catch a glimpse of a huge humpback whale up close.
There are other ways to traverse the Hawaiian waters as well. They have kayak tours available that have you rowing along side playful dolphins up and down Hawaii’s western coastline.

Tags: tour

Steampunk: An Automotive Repair Manual Love Story

There is a nephew of mine who loves manuals. His name is Hoyt. He is only thirteen but he is obsessed with them. He has a special kind of autism the name of which I can never remember because it is him I remember and not the way his brain had been wired. Besides, our ancestry, past and present, is spread out here and there throughout the world. There are small clots of us in locations that are always close military bases, but those bases dot the globe the way pushpins might decorate a map.

But this kind of autism, though it makes him kind of awkward in social situations not really because I always get what he is trying to say though the words might come out in jigsaw puzzle piece makes him a kind of expert in his interests. But he has a thing about manuals. The mechanical is his kind of thing, the automotive kind. He is a sort of steampunk with preference for things that are made with all the gears and guts visible, where you see where the hand that touched the small engine. Repair manuals from the old days are what he wants to read these days because those kinds of repair manuals suit him, demonstrating how baroque and yet seemingly elegant mechanicals things went together to make things make the road turn to an oil painting blur.

Manuals from the 1970s are his current thing. He says this was the last decade before we got detached from our technology. I always thought it was the Victorian era because of the whole steampunk thing, but he insists it was the 1970s. People still touched engines and gears and pipes and bolts in a fond way, constructing a mechanical artwork from the metal and oil. He wants an automotive repair manual for his birthday, which is soon coming upon me. I browse old antique shops hoping to find repair manuals to sate his automotive addiction of late, but I come up empty and I do not want his birthday to be empty. Because while others find his words empty and dislocated from logic, I find those same words maintain a fond touch and art.

Tags: autism, automotive repair manual, small engine Repair manuals, steampunk

How to Keep New Tires in Tip-Top Shape

So you finally made the decision to purchase a new set of tires.  What you may or may not know, is that there are many things that you can do that will make certain your tires will last for a long time, and will remain safe.  Tires are of course one of the aspects of your vehicle that keep you moving forward, but worn tires, or wheels that are out of balance may cause problems when you must do the opposite of moving forward, which is braking.

And while there are many great deals, great discount retail shops, and online companies for which to buy new tires at good prices, tires are still an expense.  And with just a bit of care and diligence each month, you can find the advantage of taking part in extending the life of those tires.  There are a few factors that will affect the life of a car tire.  One is the conditions of the roads and streets that you regularly drive on a day to day basis.

Environmental conditions such as the areas or cities where the temperatures can soar in the summer time, will have an affect as well, as the hotter the pavement the quicker your tread will show signs of wear.  The overall condition of your car will play a part as well, in the forms of alignment and balance. And while certain environmental conditions will be out of your control, there are many steps your can take.  Once you are familiar of the roads in your neighborhood that may be in need of repair, avoid them.

This may not always be convenient, but think further down the road so to speak, you could add miles to the life of your tires by simply staying on the well paved and well maintained roads.  Have your wheel alignment checked, sometimes up to two times a year, especially if you are constantly driving on roads with pits and potholes.  Take care to check the air pressure regularly and to inspect your tires for signs of damage.  Just a few steps taken will save you money in the end, and keep you safe on the roads well into the future.

Tags: alignment and balance, buy new tires, conditions of the roads