American Towns Tourists Ruined

Above, Key West, Florida was one of the towns named. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The term overtourism is something I first heard about in articles about Japan. Besides Japan, it now is applying to U.S. towns.

World Atlas has posted an article on American towns ruined by tourists. I have been to several of them over the years (Key West, Sedona, Moab, Jackson, Carmel-By-The-Sea, Estes Park) and I have to agree with their conclusions on them.

They begin with:

Ask people in a dozen American resort towns how they feel about tourism, and you will hear a version of the same story. Moab traded uranium mining for the crowds heading into Arches, and three million visitors a year now overload its water and sewer systems. Bar Harbor capped cruise disembarkations at 1,000 a day and has defended that limit in federal court since 2022. In Nantucket, the median home now runs about 3.5 million dollars, and the workers who keep the island running commute in by ferry. Each of these ten towns ahead bets on tourism, and each is now wrestling with what it won.

To read more, go here.

Movies In The Mail

Today's mail included three DVDs. One of them I ordered and two were Christmas presents from my former roommate Jessica.  

The two from Jessica were GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), which star Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. I hadn't warmed up to Brosnan as Bond until after some years went by, so I hadn't added them to my collection. But more on those two movies tomorrow.

The one I ordered was Clint Eastwood's directorial debut, Play Misty For Me (1971). I had it on VHS from taping it off of HBO or Cinemax back in the 1980s. I always enjoyed it as Jessica Walter gave a great performance as a psychotic fan of radio D.J. Eastwood. 

From what I read of critics's reviews, watching the movie now (50 years later), the period clothing really dates it, but the movie itself holds up great. They are amused by the bellbottoms and loud early 70s clothes. 

What I liked about it was that it is set in Carmel-By-The-Sea, California. Eastwood, as many should recall, eventually was elected mayor of the city. I've always loved that area of Carmel and Monterey. 

I'll watch Play Misty For Me Tomorrow evening.

So Much For A Roadtrip On Highway 1 This Year

Above, Morro Rock across Morro Bay. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It had already been closed due to an earlier landslide and bridge repairs, but California's Highway 1 in Monterey County will probably be closed to through traffic until 2018 due to a massive landslide.

According to Condé Nast Traveler:

If you were hoping to road trip along the entire length of Highway 1, California's scenic coastal road, you'll have to make a few detours: Saturday night, more than one million tons of rocks and dirt from the mountainside about 65 miles from San Luis Obispo slid onto the highway, destroying about a third of a mile of the iconic Pacific Coast Highway, known as PCH, and leaving it covered in 35-40 feet of debris, according to CNN. The highway had already been closed as crews were working to repair damage from an earlier landslide; no injuries were reported.

We were thinking about a roadtrip along Highway 1 to go to Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel, but the earlier landslide and bridge damage dashed those plans long ago.

At least from the southern end of Highway 1, people can still drive to Morro Bay and Hearst Castle.

To read more, go here.

Father's Day and Summer

Above, got my Trump hat!

Tomorrow is Father's Day. Monday is the Summer Solstice.

Amber and I are planning to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Air Force One tomorrow in Simi Valley for Father's Day. They currently have a temporary exhibit, "Treasures of the Vatican", which, although I am not a Catholic, I think will be interesting to see. This will be our first visit there since former First Lady Nancy Reagan passed away. She is entombed at the library with her husband.

Monday marks the Summer Solstice, which (for the unsophisticated) is the first day of the summer season. It is already hot in the San Fernando Valley. According to my Weather Channel app on my phone, it is 95 degrees Fahrenheit outside in Tarzana.

The summer will bring to television views the political conventions and the general election campaign will begin. It will probably be a rough campaign. I have my campaign paraphernalia for Donald Trump (including the famous "Let's Make America Great Again" baseball cap). Trump may not be a polished or anywhere near the "perfect" candidate, but he alternative of electing Hillary Clinton to the White House is unthinkable, especially after the disasterous eight years of Obama.

Amber and I are planning on heading up the California coast in The Beast to the Monterey-Carmel area for this year's vacation. We have yet to decide when to go. We'll have to decide soon so that reservations can be made for campgrounds and RV parks.

2016 Vacation Up The California Coast

Above, Morro Bay."Usa edcp location map" by Uwe Dedering - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons. 

During dinner last night with my daughter Amber, I asked her where she would like to go on vacation next year in The Beast. Almost immediately, she said, "Monterey!" Specifically, she wants to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

She had been there before, but that was when she was still a baby. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was used in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986).

Since our dinner, I've been thinking about what sort of itinerary we should follow. I am leaning towards a 9-day trip up the California coast on Highway 1. It has been ages since I've driven on that route.

I am leaning towards making short drives, with the first night (or two) in Morro Bay, which was a favorite place to fish of my grandfather. There's great seafood to be had in Morro Bay.

Then going further north to Big Sur for a night or two there.

Next, we head into Carmel, which is next door to Monterey. Carmel is one of my favorite California towns to visit. Clint Eastwood was once the mayor of Carmel and had a restaurant there, The Hog's Breath Inn.

From there, Monterey!

We will have to discuss it further. I like the idea!