In 2012, autonomous vehicle testing in California officially began. This was before I retired in 2014 as a media spokesperson for the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The Department was overseeing this entire thing in California! It was a fascinating time. Tech enthusiasts and skeptical onlookers alike were wondering if self-driving cars would ever become a reality. I didn’t realize those days at the DMV would come full circle in 2024. In 2024, I found myself riding in a Waymo through the bustling streets of San Francisco. I was very skeptical back then, but here we are!
Here’s the thing… Self Driving cars, Waymo have 29 cameras and 360 degree view. No blind spots like us humans who sit inside of our cars, having to crane our necks to see things. Humans are distracted, emotional, angry, tired, and sometimes under the influence while operating cars. Are self driving cars perfect? NO. They’ve had their issues, but as I see it, like all technology, they will get better with time and innovation. Moving from horse and buggy to automobiles wasn’t perfect either, but look at cars now! I think in 50 (maybe sooner?), these cars will be the norm.
Buckle your seat belt because self-driving big trucks are next!
2017 Reunited after not seeing each other for 32 years! College Roommates 1978
Where are all my Friends? Hey there honorary members of the “Been There, Done That” club! I’ve been thinking a lot about all the people that I’ve met through the years as I turn 65 this year. Some were tight friends that I have lost contact with for various reason and some friends I’ve had since my teen years and am still in contact with. My photo albums are filled with people I’ve known over the years, dead and alive. Strap on your hiking boots and grab a cup of herbal tea.. or….., because we’re about to embark on a journey through the highs and heartbreaking lows of social circles at in our “Golden Years”.
The Lowdown on Friends vs. Acquaintances Acquaintances are like the neighbors you wave to while picking up the morning paper, or the cashier at the local grocery store who knows your name but you for, but of the love of God, can’t remember theirs. Acquaintances are the salt to your pepper—nice to have around, but they don’t exactly spice up your life.
Friends are the crème de la crème of companionship. They’re the ones who’ve seen you through thick and thin, from bad hair to bad divorces and break ups. Friends are like fine wine—they only get better with age, and they’re always there to toast to your triumphs and console you through life’s drama. Do you hear a song and immediately think of a certain person in your life? I sure do, and some people have a string of songs that remind me of them! You reading this Lauren and Patti?
Friendships are Fleeting Our 20s and 30s The Great Migration: Ah, the glory days of our twenties, when the world was our oyster and our social circles were tighter than grandma’s knitting needles. But alas, life had other plans, and before we knew it, we were spread across the country like butter on toast, chasing dreams and trying to find our place in the world. With each move to a new city or state, we left behind a trail of memories and a Rolodex of friends scattered to the winds.
Remember the Christmas Newsletter? With all of my good friends scattered between two continents, I used to relish the Christmas season and the cards and newsletters I would get from my missed friends. Then friends would move and my Christmas card would come back undelivered-no forwarding address. There was no internet to just “Google” to get current address. Decades would go by before I had the internet and could possibly find some long lost friends. I have found many, but some I have never found to this day. They are only fond memories of good times and faces in my faded photo albums.
Friends Die Yep, the older we get, the better the odds our friends will move on to the afterlife. I’ve lost a few friends in the past few years. They were much too young to die in my book, but they are gone none the less. I do have a few regrets of not making that one last phone call, but I can’t dwell on that. I must go on and remember the friendship and the good times we had. My dad lived to be 101 and he outlived pretty much all of his long time friends! It was kind of sad for him. The price of living to be over 100. Not many get to.
Pick up the Phone and Use your Vocal Chords! Social media has helped reunite friends, but I find that my friends are now 2 dimensional photos and video on my computer screen. Picking up the phone every now and then is like hearing a favorite song when they say “Hello”. That familiar voice you belly laugh with when you reminisce about that cringeworthy “thing” you did back in the day! You know.. that thing where you may or may not be able to run for public office?
So, my fellow Medicare age posse, cherish your friends like prized possessions, because in a world filled with acquaintanceship and fleeting friendships, true companionship is as rare and precious as a winning lottery ticket. Whether you’re reminiscing about the good old days with old pals or forging new friendships in the twilight years of life, one thing’s for sure: life’s a lot more fun when you’ve got someone to share it with. So grab your aging buddies, raise a glass and toast to the friends who’ve stood the test of time, no matter how far the winds of change may blow us. Cheers to friendship, laughter, and the sweet symphony of shared memories!
After taking a wrong turn and completely lost on a quiet country road in the Arboga area of Yuba County California, I spotted a very strange sight in a field. Big posters of faces and metal cutouts of building silhouettes.
I pulled over to take a closer look and found it to be a memorial to a Japanese Detention center from World War II in a large vacant field. I was all alone and it was very windy which made the mood of the place even more somber than it already was.
This very thought-out and meaningful display was erected in 2021. If I hadn’t gotten myself lost, I would have never seen this. So only armed with my iPhone, I went about putting this short somber video together.
I could go on an angry rant about the all social injustices humans have put upon one another on this planet, but I think I made my feelings clear by bringing you this video.
With my heat related issues, I’ve had to scale down my summer hiking. In the summer months the sun is almost straight above at 9:00am! The temps are already climbing into the 80s and it’s not even noon. In the high country where it’s nothing but granite and lots of uphill, its HOT! So, that means I need to be at the trail head at sunrise which is 5:30am, and that means leaving my house at 4:00am! If that’s what I have to do to keep hiking in the summer, then so be it! I’ll also be doing more Kayaking!
Advantages of the early morning mountain hike: No people and more wildlife! Win Win!
***There were a few trails which I hadn’t done before which are highlighted.
It’s been a long minute since I’ve recorded a song. Here is my rendition of Madman Across the Water by Bernie Taupin and Elton John. I remember buying this masterpiece album when I was in high school (just a couple of years ago).
With a little help from “Eva” the 109 year Violin, (a little amped up) I put my own little twist with my limited resources… AKA… no orchestra nor band.
I haven’t been hiking as much the past couple of weeks, it’s just been too hot! Even up in the Tahoe Basin, it’s been in the 90s.
So what do we do??? KAYAK! I have my usual go-to lakes in the Sierra, but I’ve had my eye on this trip for a while.
Sand Harbor on Lake Tahoeis on the Nevada side just south of Incline Village on Hwy 28. The water is crystal clear and the boulder structure in the water is amazing to see.
Here are your instructions if you want to do this:
Go to the Nevada Wildlife website and get a mussel sticker for your boat. It costs 6.00 and it’s mandatory. Don’t get caught without one!
Get there no later than 8:00am in the summer months. Seriously, we got there at 8:30 and got one of the last parking spots! This is a state park so you’ll need to bring $15.00 CASH if you are from out of Nevada. If you are a Nevada resident, it’s $10.00 CASH.
Be prepared to carry your kayak from the parking lot and walk in the deep sand through the hoards of people on the beach that miraculously got there at 7:00am when the gates open and already have their blankets and Easy-up shades set up! There is no boat ramp (it was closed). The walk isn’t a huge distance, but two people carrying one kayak helps!
Once you are in the water, you paddle away from the crowds on the beach and head to the right to get to the awesome water.
PART 2!! Follow our favorite operatives as they fight the hoards of insurgents at Arches NP, discover mysterious ghost establishments in the desert, embark on an exploration assignment in Canyonlands, fly a reconnaissance drone in the Ruby Mountains among other classified missions.
The Mission: Deliver special package to Colorado Springs….contact operatives and other secret agents along the way for further instructions. You have two weeks to complete this mission.. Good luck.
HEAT INTOLERANCE: I’ve always been a wimp when it came to extreme heat. When I was 10 years old, I passed out on the neighbors driveway smack on my face while playing “tag” with the neighborhood kids in 100+ temps. I woke up to find my front teeth broken in half and passed out again! Fast forward to adult life, I seemed to tolerate the heat better as I became acclimated – I was young! The next time I became dangerously over-heated was when I was performing at a rodeo in the California foothills in August in my early 40s. The temps were well over 100 and I was wearing the usual rodeo garb of long sleeve spandex shirt, jeans, boots, thick leather chaps, cowboy hat, etc. I did this for years and rodeo season is always in the summer. It was HOT but I tolerated it.
Jan and Oreo Folsom Pro Rodeo
On this day, I remember going straight back to my horse trailer to strip off all of that garb in my tiny un-air conditioned dressing/tack room… a literal hotbox that was most likely over 120 degrees. I quickly changed into shorts and a tank top and I came out of that trailer staggering, almost puking and about to pass out. Thankfully, we had a couple of ER nurses on our drill team that started pouring cold on me to cool my core down. They gave me the nickname of”code 2″. ER code for “person passing out”. Later, the nurses bought me a little water spritzer fan to carry around with the words “Code 2” taped to it.
Now that I’m 60 and post Menopausal, my thermostat is all jacked up (as my husband calls it) and I go code 2 quickly. One would think that hiking in 85 degrees would be a nice day. But, 85 degrees at 8500 feet or more equates to 95+ in that thin air, especially if you are climbing a steep grade for a few miles in full sun and on granite slabs. I do hike with a light UV hiking sun umbrella which helps some.
On this particular hike, I was almost at a Code 2 just 1/8 mile from my destination. I became nauseous and I knew I was in trouble. When my body talks, I LISTEN! I immediately stopped in the shade, took off my pack and sat… for a really long time. I chugged my electrolyte enhanced water (that I had been drinking throughout the hike), ate a salt tab and munched on some salty snacks. When I felt I had re-set my body temp, I hiked that last short distance to the top.
The rest of my summer will most likely be kayaking and water sports until it cools down about 20 degrees in the high country.
I highly recommend reading the book “Death in the Grand Canyon” It was written by the Park’s doctor and river guide that worked in the Grand Canyon for many years. I learned a lot about heat exhaustion, hypothermia, and all of the other ailments and disasters at the park, etc. The stories are horrific, but a great learning tool for all who venture into the wild.
Here is the video of my HOT hike this week. No Dialogue, just views, an unbelievable array of wildflowers and some soothing music.
Take a minute and enter your email on the right to get alerts when I upload a new blog post! You won’t regret it, and I’m pretty sure Unicorns will appear at your door. I think… Not sure.. but pretty sure… give it a try!
I know… that was kind of harsh.. right? Let’s talk about the current state of our Forests, Mountains, Water Falls, Trails and other nature areas during this time of Pandemic. Simply put, they are being mobbed by bored humans! Is it because venues such as movie theaters, concert venues, etc are closed? Maybe. Is it because we had to spend two months in our homes? Maybe. Will this wave of crazed humans that suddenly want to explore the outdoors fade when this pandemic is over? Hopefully!
Now don’t get me wrong. I’ve been encouraging people to get outside and explore our fabulous wonders of the Earth for a long time! This current situation has put me in a quandary! And, I know some of you longtime outdoor people feel the same! What I’ve been seeing on social media, with the mountains of trash that has been left in the wake of all of these humans, sickens me! The mile long line of cars at trail heads where emergency crews can’t get through. Big Foot is getting pissed and I don’t blame him! I just have to tell myself that these people are temporary tourists and they will soon be back going to the movies, bars, concerts and other stuff that typically keeps urban dwellers busy.
If the pandemic got you out for the first time, and you decide that this hiking lifestyle is for you, then WELCOME! But know this… romping around in the woods comes with responsibility for yourself and others. THE WILDERNESS IS NO JOKE AND SHOWS YOU NO MERCY.
Forest Service personnel are working harder than ever to put out illegal campfires, pick up trash, and RESCUE lost and injured hikers.
Do your part and be smart. Like that rhyme? Here’s another one for ya.. Stay safe and leave no trace!
Let’s go hiking! But, let’s go hiking the responsible way! Don’t Piss off Sasquatch!
Here is the link to what I carry in my Day Hiking pack and other useful information to help in your quest for the outdoors.
twylaworld.com 
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