Riding The Mustang 4

A Subtle Significant Squiggle

There it is on a bus and there it is on a stairwell leading under ground. 

And this logo below has nothing to do with Greater Manchester (that's in the UK, you know!).

That is the San Francisco Municipal Transport Agency; once known as the San Francisco Municipal Railway. Both names are something of a mouthful for the public,  which explains the squiggle.

Obviously (?), there are four letters in the logo ...

M

U

N

I

Yes folks, that squiggle spells MUNI, short for MUNIcipal, less of a mouthful than the official name. Sons sent fbb several public transport pictures, notably of a bus ...

... some trolley overhead ...

... and a trolleybus ...

... plus a very ancient tram!

So let's tidy this up. Frisco runs five modes of public transport.

There are buses with the obligatory bike hangers ...

... trolleybuses which they call trolley coaches (two words); and trams ...

... which they call the metro. This is a mixture of street running ...

... and underground.

The older tram is not part of the fleet that is due for imminent replacement, but one of a large collection of "heritage" trams, running in something very much like a normal service. Some are very heritage ...

... and just like the Seaton Tramway ...

... they have a "boat car" ...

... two actually!

... but San Francisco's are full size!

The cable cars ...

... (but not that sort of cable car) are hauled by a continuous rope in a conduit in the road surface. The driver controls the car by gripping a clamp on to the cable.

These are the vehicles that ascend and descend one of Frisco's very steep hills; climbing upward to the stars, one might say.

But sons eschewed all these astounding delights and rode a Waymo electric car! How could they?

They also visited a gallery showing modern art. No 1 son is Dean of Distance Learning at the University of the Arts, London, so that visit was a must.

Remember when "mobiles" were a craze back in the swinging sixties? 

Then there was some of this ...

... and one of these to peer at in a bemused fashion.

But best were the animals (?) from the planet Zog ...

...  surely kept behind a toughened glass wall lest they escape! 

This display looked realistic ...

... possibly because it was a window.

Or was it?

This took some figuring out!

Whoops, fbb has checked his notes. It was their breakfast.

Or was it?

But, whatever non GMO soy curls might be ...

... (possibly to feed those spotty animals), they looked like something from the planet Zog, But the lads bought a huge bag.

Two sons are feeling better now.

But their stay was brief ...

... with little time for sightseeing and even less for exploring the Muni!

It was farewell to the Golden Gate Bridge ...

... and southbound to L A.

The bridge opened in 1937 ...

... two sons drove over it in the Mustang in 2025!

Wowsers!

The final Mustang blog will follow next week.

 Next Variety blog : Sat 5 Apr 

Riding The Mustang 3 (mini blog)

Lake Tahoe Is Big

It is approx 22 miles north to south and 12 miles east to west, both being maxima. Very roughly the lake is the size of the Isle of Wight rotated by 90 degrees but more of a blob than a diamond.

From a public transport point of view it splits into South Lake and Truckee at the north.

It was renamed Truckee after a Paiute chief, whose assumed Paiute name was Tru-ki-zo. He was the father of Chief Winnemucca and grandfather of Sarah Winnemucca. The first Europeans who came to cross the Sierra Nevada encountered his tribe. The friendly chief rode toward them yelling, “Tro-kay!”, which is Paiute for 'Everything is all right'. The unaware travellers assumed he was yelling his name, so 'Truckee' both he and the settlement became.

The Truckee area has its own transport (use "transit" or "transportation") area ...

... Truckee Area Regional Transportation with its own livery ...

... and route map.

But fbb is going to concentrate on South Lake Tahoe where two sons stayed and where they photographed one bus! 

It was the rear end ...

... of a service 50.

The company web site ...

... shows the scope of the operation.

Each coloured blob takes you to a computer driven map, not as good as it should be for the tourists. 

The 50 runs every half an hour, seven days a week, and is the most frequent of the operator's routes.

The route starts in the north at a destination called "Stateline" where a Google Maps extract gives a subtle clue as to why that name is appropriate.

Here there is a rudimentary bus station, called optimistically, Stateline Transportation Center.

At the other end of the route is another "Transportation Center".

That is the South Y Transportation Centre.

It's a posh bus shelter, innit?

This is where "the lads" photographed their route 50. It was just along the road from their gaff.

The map also shows the North Shore Water Taxi ...

... providing a two hourly circular. On-line pictures also show Tahoe tour buses ...

... and we are reminded that one of the main sporting activities is skiing. It snows a lot because you are 6,700 feet above sea level (1,900 metres in the new money). 

Sons 1 and 3 (sort of) did not realise this until they woke up ready for the trip to Frisco ...

... when a bit of snow the night before had become ...

... quite a lot of snow. The buses are used to it ...

... but the Mustang needed careful coaxing to get on the road and lower down the contours.

Most pictures of the Lake are taken in summer sun, but its crystal clear waters ...

... and gorgeous mountainous surroundings ...

... are a treat at any time of the year.

The buses are interesting, too!

 Tomorrow we rock up here ...

... and here!

 Next 'Riding the Mustang' blog : Fri 4 April