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Subject: Re: I wonder if Randy could fit this in during spring break week. Author: ralph058 [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 06:06:30 03/18/13 Mon In reply to: Rob 's message, "Re: I wonder if Randy could fit this in during spring break week." on 21:09:30 03/17/13 Sun Actually, the Clark Construction issues and its effect on his getting away could add to the conflict. Also, an early mud season would affect things. The Grand Canyon crew might find this pleasant, too. If they didn't have to do it all in one day, a car could be used to go from ski lodge to surf spot to white water. There are some 4s in the area. So, most should like that. Driving on the other side of the road could add some comic moments like going around a traffic circle the wrong way or turning the wrong way onto a boulevard. (Not that there are boulevards in Queenstown or on the west coast, but there are plenty in Christchurch. I was stopped for trying the wrong way around a traffic circle in Gore. The cop was the most pleasant I had dealt with in my life. He sympathized because he had just come back from Chicago (where I lived at the time). > >I suspect that he would only consider that if he had >someone he could count on to run Clark Construction >during the time he was gone. > >As it's been mentioned before, he's had to many plans >go bad at the last minute as a result of his >responsibilities towards his customers and employees. > >Rob [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> [> [> [> Subject: Re: I wonder if Randy could fit this in during spring break week. Author: Javahead [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 21:28:02 03/27/13 Wed I've always had visiting New Zealand high in my "someday" list. I'm surprised you had troubles with the traffic circles - my biggest problems in a drive-on-the-left country have always been judging left & right clearance (in a vehicle) and remembering which direction to look for oncoming traffic (both driving and on foot). Traffic circles were actually a relief - they made turns much easier since I only needed to check one direction for oncoming traffic, and I knew that I'd always be turning left out of them. I will admit to going around more than once while trying to determine the correct exit, however. How do rural NZ roads compare to the US? I found that British rural roads seemed awfully narrow (and I grew up in a rural part of the US) - by US rural-road standards, many of the roads in Britain seemed about 1.5 lanes, not a full 2. And twisty. >Actually, the Clark Construction issues and its effect >on his getting away could add to the conflict. Also, >an early mud season would affect things. > >The Grand Canyon crew might find this pleasant, too. > >If they didn't have to do it all in one day, a car >could be used to go from ski lodge to surf spot to >white water. There are some 4s in the area. So, most >should like that. > >Driving on the other side of the road could add some >comic moments like going around a traffic circle the >wrong way or turning the wrong way onto a boulevard. >(Not that there are boulevards in Queenstown or on the >west coast, but there are plenty in Christchurch. > >I was stopped for trying the wrong way around a >traffic circle in Gore. The cop was the most pleasant >I had dealt with in my life. He sympathized because he >had just come back from Chicago (where I lived at the >time). >> >>I suspect that he would only consider that if he had >>someone he could count on to run Clark Construction >>during the time he was gone. >> >>As it's been mentioned before, he's had to many plans >>go bad at the last minute as a result of his >>responsibilities towards his customers and employees. >> >>Rob

[> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: I wonder if Randy could fit this in during spring break week. Author: ralph058 [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 14:58:45 03/28/13 Thu Since I look both ways, even on one-way streets, that wasn't a problem. However, I did have problem with the turn signals. I usually turned on the windshield wipers. >How do rural NZ roads compare to the US? I found that >British rural roads seemed awfully narrow (and I grew >up in a rural part of the US) - by US rural-road >standards, many of the roads in Britain seemed about >1.5 lanes, not a full 2. And twisty. I didn't run into any narrow roads except for what would be best described as trails (two lane ruts) in a few locations. I only got off the state highways in a couple of locations, but they were OK. The road along the south side of Otago Harbour wasn't narrow but followed the cliffs and was quite twisty. The road up to the Royal Albotross Colony offered a definite pucker factor because of the severe drop off on the wrong side of the car. There are very few expressways in the country. I think Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin have the only ones. Wellington's wasn't particularly crowded during the rush hour, but Auckland's was.

[> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: I wonder if Randy could fit this in during spring break week. Author: Javahead [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 15:28:05 03/28/13 Thu I always look both ways - problem was the missing gut-level understanding of which was closer to my side of the road. So I ended up doing several back-and-forth cycles; good neck exercise, but I suspect I amused observers. I'd forgotten the windshield wiper vs turn signal issue - yes, I did that more than once too. Between work and family, I visit these countries reasonably often, but just long enough between trips to lose the acquired reflexes. I'd feel worse about it if a British-born colleague who I traveled to the UK and Ireland with mentioned that *he* sometimes took a day or so to fully adjust back. Even so, I was still happy to let him handle the majority of the driving. >Since I look both ways, even on one-way streets, that >wasn't a problem. However, I did have problem with the >turn signals. I usually turned on the windshield >wipers.

[> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: I wonder if Randy could fit this in during spring break week. Author: ralph058 [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 19:15:50 03/28/13 Thu NZ paints the yeild signs as triangles on the pavement. They look like arrows coming toward you. The instant reaction was that I thought I was going the wrong way. Fortunately, I never used them to chose the lane to turn into. >I always look both ways - problem was the missing >gut-level understanding of which was closer to my side >of the road. So I ended up doing several >back-and-forth cycles; good neck exercise, but I >suspect I amused observers. > >I'd forgotten the windshield wiper vs turn signal >issue - yes, I did that more than once too. > >Between work and family, I visit these countries >reasonably often, but just long enough between trips >to lose the acquired reflexes. I'd feel worse about >it if a British-born colleague who I traveled to the >UK and Ireland with mentioned that *he* sometimes took >a day or so to fully adjust back. Even so, I was still >happy to let him handle the majority of the driving. > >>Since I look both ways, even on one-way streets, that >>wasn't a problem. However, I did have problem with the >>turn signals. I usually turned on the windshield >>wipers.

[> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: I wonder if Randy could fit this in during spring break week. Author: Mike [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 11:46:19 03/29/13 Fri >I found that >British rural roads seemed awfully narrow (and I grew >up in a rural part of the US) - by US rural-road >standards, many of the roads in Britain seemed about >1.5 lanes, not a full 2. And twisty. Ah, but you are comparing apples & oranges here ... The country roads here are generally there because they were originally pathways, and then wagonways. As such, they tended to follow the contours a lot, and latterly (say from the 14th Century) they followed field boundaries. No need to be wide if you have a wagon, after all there weren't too many about ! The ones local to me are about a car wide and, as you say, twisty. Generally, when I meet another vehicle on one, one of us reverses to the closest side entrance (field or driveway) so the other can get past (can depend if it's on a hill or not - easier for the lower one to reverse back) if the land on the side isn't accessible. Neither NZ nor US country roads have the history tied to the British country roads. Mike

[> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Re: I wonder if Randy could fit this in during spring break week. Author: Javahead [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 18:23:00 03/29/13 Fri Ah. Your explanation makes perfect sense. Though in some of the longest-settled parts of the US roads may have a similar history, even rural mountain roads in the western US are generally a (sometimes scant) two lanes. The single-lane-and-backup sounds more like logging roads. My dad's father was a logger, and I remember him using the CB radio to coordinate who was on the road, and who would layover when necessary. This needed to be arranged in advance if possible - nobody wants to back a loaded logging truck up on a rutted, twisty, hilly, dirt road. But paved roads were usually wide enough that if you were familiar with them they could be driven fairly fast. Generally you could distinguish locals from visitors easily, since locals normally drove 10-20 mph over the posted limit. Though country people also are generally pretty good about pulling over to let would-be faster drivers pass. I'm not certain if this is courtesy, or just a desire to have that crazy #$@#%% out in front where they're easier to watch. >>I found that >>British rural roads seemed awfully narrow (and I grew >>up in a rural part of the US) - by US rural-road >>standards, many of the roads in Britain seemed about >>1.5 lanes, not a full 2. And twisty. > >Ah, but you are comparing apples & oranges here ... > >The country roads here are generally there because >they were originally pathways, and then wagonways. As >such, they tended to follow the contours a lot, and >latterly (say from the 14th Century) they followed >field boundaries. No need to be wide if you have a >wagon, after all there weren't too many about ! > >The ones local to me are about a car wide and, as you >say, twisty. Generally, when I meet another vehicle >on one, one of us reverses to the closest side >entrance (field or driveway) so the other can get past >(can depend if it's on a hill or not - easier for the >lower one to reverse back) if the land on the side >isn't accessible. > >Neither NZ nor US country roads have the history tied >to the British country roads. > >Mike