The Driving Thread

Who remembers the Thomas Guide?

 

And if you recognize this place, you know how I misspent my youth.

 

I was reminiscing about that recently with a buddy. Priceless, “WAIT where’s page 195??

 

I was going to post something similar.
When we moved to a different county 17 years ago, I bought two on our first shopping trip, for the car and the house. I still have one that I never use. At work, we had a Thomas Guide wall map. Since it was next to the bathroom, everybody saw it. I used to study it, trying to figure out how to get places if the freeway was closed or a main street was closed, i.e. how to get from home to work on surface streets.

Interesting when I found out that they intentionally put in mistakes in order to catch other mapmakers who were stealing their work.

 

I bought a Thomas guide when I worked construction in Portland. Invaluable when I finally figured out how to use it.

 

When you get toward Red Mountain/Johannesburg/Randsburg 395 gets better. Between Victorville and Red Mountain is the pits. Just flat desert with too many semis on a two lane highway passing through some really interesting places that I’d sooner do 80 to get past.

But then you get to Ridgecrest/Inyokern, make a stop at Indian Wells Brewing and then head up into the Eastern Sierra, it’s just amazing.

 

I know Kramer Junction through driving the 58 once between Barstow and Bake. No shrooms. All I got.

 

Saw this at the end of a very long walk this evening. Would love to take this for a spin on the freeways.

 

I once stopped in Kramer Junction to pee on my way to Ontario late at night. Saw one dude giving another dude a shave in the bathroom. I don’t know if they were spiffing up before going to Vegas, but it was seriously late. Also, no Shrooms.

 

A euphemism?

 

No. Thankfully, I'm being literal.