TVSF - The Very Special Forum!

THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL HIGHWAY

Move over Douglas Addams; we already have one here in the US. Its not far from Area 51, an off-limits military installation that supposedly houses one or more crashed flying saucers. That part of Nevada is a Mecca for UFU buffs world-wide. Probably the highway name was chosen to attract more tourists. Read more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_State_Route_375
No, I have not actually been there, nor have I seen any ETs recently.

THANK YOU!

I'm looking forward to read more of your tips and info about USA. I know pretty much about Sweden, but USA..............is something else.

GARLIC ICE CREAM?

In California, agriculture is big; its right up there with IT, tourism, and the movie industry. It should come as no surprise that we have a variety of agricultural festivals. I have only been to the Asparagus Festival, near Stockton. However the biggest one is the GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL in July, which has everything you always wanted to know about garlic, but were afraid to ask. And yes, for adventuresome souls seeking a culinary rite of passage, they do have garlic ice cream! Here is a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilroy_Garlic_Festival

There is another garlic festival that is closer to home for Europeans. It is held on the Isle of Wight. Here is a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic_Festival

Garlic Ice Cream!

Huh?

That was something different. Maybe i would like it, after all i like garlic.

Thank you for interesting info.

THE SKUNK TRAIN

We Americans are so in love with our cars that we don't have much in the way of passenger trains, compared with the Western European countries. However I have heard about one tourist line in Northern California that is supposed to be a pretty good. The Skunk Train runs through the rugged mountains and redwood forests between Willits on Highway 101 and Fort Bragg on the coast, for a total distance of 64 km, each way. Originally the Skunk Train was used for hauling logs. An effort has been made to preserve some of the old-time ambiance; so don't expect champagne and caviar. If you want to read more, here is a link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_Train

I think you will find much of that in England. They crazy about old railroads. btw, i found this excellent linkpage. Check it out.

http://www.railserve.com/Tourist/World/

(you will find some swedish old railroads in there as well)

THE WESTERN STATES 100: The Toughest Footrace in the World?

There is a 100-mile (161 km) endurance horse race from the Squaw Valley ski resort (which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics) to Auburn, California. The course involves a grand total of 5500 m of elevation gain and 7000 m of elevation loss, all of which is on mountain trails.

For the past 3 decades, there has been a separate event for long-distance human runners. The fastest time so far is less than 16 hours! Two years ago, I met a guy on a hike who had run the course in 28 hours, which is still pretty incredible. I think that day-hiking the Western States 100 in 10 segments on 10 separate days could be fun, and more within the capabilities of ordinary people.

Here is a link to the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_States_100

THE WORLD'S OLDEST TREES

are bristlecone pines, one of which is 4700 years old! The best bristlecone area (high and dry) is in the White Mountains just East of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. (On a California map, look for the town of Bishop; the White Mountains are East of there.)

Earth scientists examine the tree rings of bristlecones to study climate history, and to calibrate Carbon-14 dating. Here is a link for a few professional photos of bristlecones in their native habitat:
http://www.terragalleria.com/california ... tains.html

Some people in one of my hiking groups have visited the White Mountains, and taken photos with more emphasis on the scenic beauty of the mountains themselves. If anyone is interested, I'll post a link.

I loved them all but this reminded me of NM skies in the morning. That very special light that apparently exist at the mountain area.

Larry wrote:THE WESTERN STATES 100: The Toughest Footrace in the World?

Nope.. Toughest footrace in the world would be the Badwater Ultramarathon.. 135 miles.. ALL UPHILL. Starts off in Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level.. in Death Valley, of all places... in the middle of summer.... and ends at the "Whitney Portal" at 8,360 feet.. (the original course went to the top of Mt. Whitney, but US Forest Service regulations prohibit it now ) So a 135 mile uphill run, in temperatures that run around 120F (49C).. That's pretty much the "Toughest in the world" by my book..

A good runner up would be the Arrowhead 135.. kind of the "sister race" to the Badwater.... 135 miles across northern Minnesota in the dead of winter.. lol with temperatures dipping down to -20F (-29C) at night...

There are some other kind of obscure "Extreme Races".... including the "4 Deserts" series... 155 mile (250km) footraces across the Atacama desert in Chile, the Gobi Desert in China, The Sahara desert in Egypt, and "The Last Desert".. in Antarctica. These are slightly less extreme as they are run over 6 days each.. Badwater is typically run in 2 or less.

There's also another one that's run across the Kalahari desert too.. but I don't recall much about it

Then there's this other bit... and I'm not sure what the hell to think of it...

The Self Transcendence 3100 Runners loop a single block in Queens, NY... over and over and over again till they get to 3100 miles... they have to do it in under 51 days. It's officially certified as "The world's longest footrace"... but I also think it deserves listing as "The World's Largest Human Hamster Wheel"... Even if I could run 3100 miles, physically... my brain would explode from the boredom of running *THAT* many laps in a row around the same freakin block.....

Personally.. I think everyone involved in this sort of things has some kind of mental illness... You kinda gotta be nutso to think this sort of thing is "fun".... but I suppose it takes all kinds to make the world go around.

Druegan wrote:

Larry wrote:THE WESTERN STATES 100: The Toughest Footrace in the World?

Nope.. Toughest footrace in the world would be the Badwater Ultramarathon.. 135 miles.. ALL UPHILL. Starts off in Badwater Basin, at 282 feet below sea level.. in Death Valley, of all places... in the middle of summer.... and ends at the "Whitney Portal" at 8,360 feet.. (the original course went to the top of Mt. Whitney, but US Forest Service regulations prohibit it now ) So a 135 mile uphill run, in temperatures that run around 120F (49C).. That's pretty much the "Toughest in the world" by my book..

I saw a special on PBS about the Badwater Ultramarathon. In some ways, comparing the BU with the Western States 100 is like comparing apples and oranges.

The WS 100 is an individuals' event. The BU is a team event. Each runner is accompanied by a support vehicle. The people in the support vehicle frequently throw buckets of cool water over the runner. That partially mitigates the extreme temperature.

The total elevation gain for the WS 100 is double that of the BU. As a mountain hiker, I can tell you that the altitude gain is more telling than the mileage.

The BU is run on pavement. The WS 100 is on trails, and a good part of the trail-running is at night. I've hiked a few segments of the Western States Trail. Even if I had Olympic caliber endurance and agility, I'd be afraid of breaking a leg running that trail at night--even with a headlamp.

But a broken leg is better than dying from heatstroke! The WS 100 is an extreme sport, which requires more athletic ability than the BU. The BU measures one's ability to survive extreme heat at least as much as it measures one's athletic ability.