Monday, September 14, 2026
Sunday, September 13, 2026
the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved a coastal development permit for Humboldt County, to shut down Centerville Beach vehicle access, one of the only places in the state where vehicles were allowed to access the beach.
Southern California has no legal beach driving areas (unless you include Fiesta Island). Central California is lucky enough to have just one area at Pismo Beach, and Northern California has the rest. Outside of the locals who drive these northern beaches regularly, most people don’t know about them.
The complete list of beaches you can drive on is shown at https://www.californiabeaches.com/california-beaches-you-can-drive-on/
https://www.sfgate.com/northcoast/article/humboldt-beach-vehicles-22426505.php
https://www.times-standard.com/2026/09/08/california-coastal-commission-meeting-in-eureka-to-consider-centerville-beach-closure/
https://www.times-standard.com/2026/09/08/california-coastal-commission-meeting-in-eureka-to-consider-centerville-beach-closure/
https://www.times-standard.com/2026/09/08/california-coastal-commission-meeting-in-eureka-to-consider-centerville-beach-closure/
https://www.times-standard.com/2026/09/08/california-coastal-commission-meeting-in-eureka-to-consider-centerville-beach-closure/
It seems in nearly every way that they can, the govt will take what it can, as elected officials do not seem to share the same financial limits the rest of us have, we have to earn what we have.
California has officially concluded production on its 46-year-old standard license plate sequence, and is now moving from the 1AAA000 format to a reversed 000AAA0 setup.
just like every other major data base, ID Scan has been hacked, and hackers stole the driver’s licenses, passports, people’s full names,and identity numbers from other government-issued documents of 150 million Americans
Just like Target, the VA, the National Voter ID, Equifax, etc. None of our digital info hasn't been hacked.
Saturday, September 12, 2026
The Ariens Company was officially born on this date in 1933, the year that Henry Ariens and his three sons developed America’s first rotary tiller in Henry's garage in Brillion, Wisconsin.
Many commercial tiller models followed, all aimed at improving output for vegetable growers around the country. AriensCo introduced the more compact Model B Tiller, the Roller-Tiller, the Multi-Tiller Tractor Tiller, the Jitterbug single-row front rotary tiller and the Tillivator RC for celery growers in Florida.
It's still family owned, and family run!
What you might not have learned about the Union Pacific in the mid 1800s - The Crédit Mobilier scandal
the directors of the Union Pacific owned a lot of construction companies, and those were the companies that got more than 1/2 of the govt contracts to build the cross continent railroad... at exorbitant rates, were 94 million dollars worth, by 1869.
Those construction companies for the Eastern portion of the transcontinental railroad were in a front company created by the UP directors, called Credit Mobiler, whose stock profits they used to buy senators, congressmen, cabinet officers, a future president, and two vise presidents.
The railroad cost only $50 million to build (equal to $1.2B today), Crédit Mobilier billed $94 million and Union Pacific executives pocketed the excess $44 million. (1.1B)
The ballooned costs swindled millions of dollars in taxpayer-backed funds, which went straight to the company's investors and directors
Within 3 years, those who owned shares of Credit Mobiler shared profits of 33 and 50 million dollars... in 1870s dollars
Congressman Oakes Ames sold discounted Crédit Mobilier stock to powerful Washington politicians to prevent a congressional investigation
When news of this reached the public in 1872, it resulted in the impeachment of two congressmen and a financial panic that brought on a nationwide depression
A congressional inquiry implicated high-ranking officials, including Vice President Schuyler Colfax. The event became a defining symbol of Gilded Age political corruption
The depression of 1873 as well as the one in 1882 and the one after that in 1893, resulted in layoffs and wage reductions that, in the railroad industry, were invariably challenged by workers, who formed unions and went on strike. Whenever possible the railroads broke up these strikes by hiring desperate men from from among the the most recently arrived group of immigrants.
Though Part of the excess cash and $9 million in discounted stock was then used to bribe several Washington politicians for laws, funding, and regulatory rulings favorable to the Union Pacific.
Train and Durant aimed to present to both the government and to the public the appearance that an independent corporate enterprise had been impartially chosen as the principal contractor and construction management firm for the project.
In fact, Crédit Mobilier was created to shield the company's shareholders and management from the common charge that they were using the construction phase of the project, as opposed to the operating phase, to generate profit.
Because the conspirators believed they could not expect conventional profits from the operation of the railroad, they created the sham company so they could charge the U.S. government extortionate fees and expenses during the construction phase.
In 1867, Crédit Mobilier replaced Thomas Durant with Oakes Ames, a member of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts.
Ames, being a member of Congress, distributed bribes in the form of cash and discounted shares of Crédit Mobilier stock to fellow congressmen and other politicians in exchange for votes and actions favorable to the Union Pacific
As I mentioned when commenting on a post last week, you can't tell when or where you might stumble across the little bit of info that results in an interesting research post, this came from the forward of a book about photography that I finally found cheap on Ebay, that I'd mentioned years ago when I learned of Angel Rizzuto's photography https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2022/02/im-guessing-one-kid-lost-bet-coin-toss.html
Friday, September 11, 2026
1963 Corvette Rondine Concept Pininfarina, a unique design by Tom Tjaarda
dichotomy
a Datsun Cherry 120A Coupé prepared for Group 5 touring car racing, sponsored by Aannemersbedrijf J.G. Winter Zandvoort and driven in Dutch national races at Circuit Zandvoort
good idea for a low budget camera car
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1969289213782606&set=gm.2366001157260425&idorvanity=804065043454052
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Monday his department is shutting down 110-plus driving schools after they issued driver's licenses to more than 5,000 individuals who failed ELP exams.
The department is also launching a nationwide audit of third-party commercial driver's license (CDL) skills testers and states' oversight of those testers
the UK hates, and has outlawed, bikes that can go faster than 15 mph... so this highly modified one really pissed them off when they caught it going 30 mph (and not paying for vehicle registration and insurance)
the bike had a scooter motor roughly wired to a battery held on by tape. The rear wheel had also been replaced with a smaller solid wheel.
Grass Valley, California, is one of the many cities that has ended its contract with Flock and removed all cameras from the city, the Flock reinstalled at least two of them without permission
the Grass Valley Police Department said that Flock Safety was following the maintenance provisions of its contract despite receiving a letter canceling the contract on August 11. GVPD said it continually takes down any reinstalled cameras and monitors other locations.
Wednesday, September 09, 2026
Only a week after posting Jim''s Comet, I found this Cyclone, with an old fashioned fuel tank solution (probably for weight transfer) - fishing boat, outboard fuel tanks, which I've never seen in any car, not even a rat rod
the Hi-Risers '65 Mercury Comet Cyclone. the Hi-Risers were a group of Ford employed engineers who raced on weekends, and set the NHRA B/XS national record for elapse time in September of 1966 at Ubly Michigan by going 10.24 at 136.75.
One for water, one for gas
interesting photo from Airstream's facebook page, a bas relief of Shapur I, who triumphed over the Roman emperor Valerian, in Iran, in 260 CE... the first time a reigning Roman emperor was captured alive in battle (photo from 1964)
In the summer of 1964, an American caravan arrived in Iran with its ambitious “Around the World” tour. Although founder Wally Byam (inventor of the travel trailer) had passed away earlier, his dream of global overland travel lived on through this extraordinary journey.
One unforgettable stop brought the caravan to Naghsh e Rostam, the ancient necropolis near Shiraz, Iran, dating back to around 1000 BC. Here, travelers stood before millennia of history carved in stone, including the relief of Shapur I’s triumph over the Roman emperor Valerian.
The Battle of Edessa (260 CE) was a dramatic encounter between empires, where the Persian king defeated and captured the Roman ruler, a moment which echoes +1750 years later as modern voyagers stay in awe of this timeless site.
One unforgettable stop brought the caravan to Naghsh e Rostam, the ancient necropolis near Shiraz, Iran, dating back to around 1000 BC. Here, travelers stood before millennia of history carved in stone, including the relief of Shapur I’s triumph over the Roman emperor Valerian.
The Battle of Edessa (260 CE) was a dramatic encounter between empires, where the Persian king defeated and captured the Roman ruler, a moment which echoes +1750 years later as modern voyagers stay in awe of this timeless site.
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton says he wants to eliminate the DMV and lower vehicle registration costs (if he's elected) to a flat $73.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton Tuesday unveiled a proposal to abolish the California Department of Motor Vehicles as a stand-alone agency and reduce annual vehicle registration costs to a flat $73.
Hilton announced the proposal while appearing outside a DMV office in West Hollywood Tuesday as part of his "Califordable" campaign platform.
Under the proposal, the DMV would undergo a three-month audit before being eliminated as a stand-alone department. A smaller state operation would remain responsible for driver's licenses, fraud prevention, REAL ID and other records and safety functions, according to Hilton's campaign.
Routine vehicle title, registration and renewal services would be shifted to county offices and certified local service centers. Hilton's campaign said no DMV field office would close until an equivalent or better in- person service option was available nearby.
"California does not need a better DMV line. It needs no DMV line," Hilton said. "This is the miserable symbol of this bloated nanny-state bureaucracy, bossing people around while charging a fortune for the privilege."
Hilton also proposed capping annual vehicle registration costs at $73, which his campaign said would reduce state registration revenue from about $11 billion to $2.7 billion.
Hilton announced the proposal while appearing outside a DMV office in West Hollywood Tuesday as part of his "Califordable" campaign platform.
Under the proposal, the DMV would undergo a three-month audit before being eliminated as a stand-alone department. A smaller state operation would remain responsible for driver's licenses, fraud prevention, REAL ID and other records and safety functions, according to Hilton's campaign.
Routine vehicle title, registration and renewal services would be shifted to county offices and certified local service centers. Hilton's campaign said no DMV field office would close until an equivalent or better in- person service option was available nearby.
"California does not need a better DMV line. It needs no DMV line," Hilton said. "This is the miserable symbol of this bloated nanny-state bureaucracy, bossing people around while charging a fortune for the privilege."
Hilton also proposed capping annual vehicle registration costs at $73, which his campaign said would reduce state registration revenue from about $11 billion to $2.7 billion.
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