Amskeptic wrote: has outfitted his Vanagon with an aircraft-worthy engine monitoring system displayed all over the dashboard.
Ah, well, it is a bit messy, somethng no aircraft pilot would put up with. I would dearly love to replace it all with an
MGL Avionics Xtreme EMS to consolidate all the functions. Should fit nicely in the stock pod where the tach/clock resides.
Amskeptic wrote:and if the interior were not so occupied with carrying things, I was sorely tempted to fling it loose in a parking lot.
Heck, we could have cleaned out the detritus in the back for a bit of spirited flinging.
Amskeptic wrote:I came in to Livermore on Patterson Pass Road (had a lovely chat with the local police near a defensive vineyard
It's quite possible that you may have parked Chloe somewhere that had an excellent overview of Sandia National Lab. They can be rather protective around here. Just be grateful that there wasn't a DeLorean parked nearby and that you don't appear to be Libyan.
Amskeptic wrote: had been thwarted from some Diablo something the day before because it was a private community.
That would have been Diablo Grande Golf and Country Club, quite a ways south of here. Yes, strange place.
Which means that you must have snuck up on Livermore from the south via Del Puerto Canyon and Mines Road. Neat country up there.
Point of interest: had you turned left at the junction and taken the road to San Jose, you would have gone over the peak of Mt. Hamilton and past the
Lick Observatory there. The Lick is well worth a visit. They have a 36" refractor which is an absolutely beautiful example of Victorian-age engineering, as is the dome which encloses it.
Amskeptic wrote: look! here comes a BMW 3 Series right now, veering into my lane . . .
Ya really should stop posting while driving...
The twisty roads around here do attract the racer wannabes. Evolution in action, I suppose, although risk-takers of that caliber have likely already procreated, so they're not really Darwin Award candidates.
Thoroughy enjoyed your visit. Happy trails,
Lyle