"Pacific Rim Uprising" and Chili Rellenos

Above, the Red Rock 10 Theaters in Gallup. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to yesterday's little snow squall, I was not able to go to Gallup to see the new Pacific Rim Uprising and go afterwards to Genaro's Mexican restaurant for chili rellenos.

Fortunately, today's weather was much better and the snow is completely gone. I headed to Allen Theaters' Red Rock 10 in East Gallup and saw the movie and went to Genaro's for my chili rellenos.

On the movie, it was okay, but there was too much time taken for setting up the second half. Sure, the battles were spectacular and the CGI was good but the story, to me, dragged.

I thought the first Pacific Rim was excellent (even better than Legendary's Godzilla). The best grade I can give Pacific Rim Uprising is a B.

Above, Genaro's Mexican restaurant in Gallup. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At least I could give Genaro's chili rellenos an 'A' grade. When ordering, I was asked if I wanted red or green sauce. The waitress said the green sauce is hotter. So I went with the "mild" red sauce.

Above, the chili rellenos. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Well, if the red sauce was "mild", then the green sauce has to be hotter than a solar flare. I was sweating so much that I had to use about 5-6 napkins (thank goodness they have napkin dispensers on every table). The red sauce was great, but hot!

Now to just relax at home and digest the rellenos.

California Sanctuary State Resistance Growing

The People's Republic of Commiefornia has a major problem.

Several governmental entities are resisting the state's "Sanctuary State" laws by voting to opt out or notifying ICE about impending releases of criminal illegal aliens. This will likely put the Democrats who run the state into a bind.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune:

The clash between California and President Donald Trump over the state’s so-called sanctuary laws and immigration in general has been portrayed as a conflict pitting the entire state against the president, but now pockets of California are making it clear that their leaders do not agree with laws that shield unauthorized immigrants. 

California laws that went into effect on Jan. 1 restrain how federal agents go about detaining unauthorized immigrants for deportation in cities throughout the state. Trump’s justice department has since sued the state over its three laws — Senate Bill 54 or the “California Values Act,” Assembly Bill 450 or the “Workplace Raid” law and Assembly Bill 103 or the “Detention Review” law — arguing that they are unconstitutional. 

In recent weeks, some cities and at least one sheriff’s department in California are also pushing back against the laws. Here’s who is opposing them, and how.

If leftist California Attorney General Xavier Becerra decides to sue these cities, counties and sheriff departments, it just may backfire in his and Governor Brown's faces if the courts rule that the laws are unconstitutional. Grab some popcorn and sit back and watch!

To read more, go here. 

News From JAPANiCAN

Wake Up and Smell the Flowers

Spring Only Treats

Fuji's Best Cherry Blossom Spots Tour plus All-you-can-eat Strawberry Picking Departs: Tokyo Located 2 hours away from Tokyo, enjoy the sight of cherry blossoms and Mt. Fuji covered in snow, and pick all the strawberries you can eat!  Per Person JPY 10,900Book Fuji Shibazakura & Tulip Flower Festival plus All-you-can-eat Strawberry Picking Departs: Tokyo Enjoy three spring highlights all in 1 day! Admire a vast field of around 800,000 shibazakura (moss phlox), an in-bloom tulip field, and strawberry picking. Per Person JPY 9,980Book

Hitachi Seaside Park & Ashikaga Flower Park Flower Festival and All-you-can-eat Strawberry Picking Departs: Tokyo Visit famous flower spots that can be tricky to get to alone. Located just 2 hours away from Tokyo, the flowers in Hitachi Seaside Park and Ashikaga Flower Park are so beautiful they will take your breath away.  Per Person JPY 9,900Book Mt. Fuji Panorama & Hakone Flower Tour Departs: Tokyo Admire 3,000 rhododendrons in May, and 4,500 hydrangeas spanning 70 varieties at Hakone Venetian Glass Museum. See some of Japan's best dynamic scenery for yourself with 360-degree vast panoramic view of Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi! Per Person JPY 10,500Book

Outside Tokyo Area

1-Day Bus Tour: Hakkoda Snow Corridor & Hirosaki Park Cherry Blossom Viewing Departs: Aomori See both spring's cherry blossoms and winter's snow corridor on the same day! Hirosaki Park is renowned as one of Japan's most spectacular cherry blossom viewing spots. Includes admission to parts of Hirosaki Castle.  Per Person JPY 13,000Book Fukuoka City Nighttime Cherry Blossom Walking Tour Departs: Fukuoka Visit Fukuoka’s best cherry blossom spot on this tour to Fukuoka Castle Ruins at Maizuru Park. Admire the nighttime cherry blossom illuminations here before heading to the Tenjin area for a delicious kaiseki cuisine meal.  Per Person JPY 13,000Book SEE MORE

Popular Areas

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Rental car Tickets Blog

New Book By The Yosemite Conservancy

Above, low clouds shroud Yosemite Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When planning trips to any of our national parks, one really doesn't have enough reference material to aid in the planning.

Happily, a new edition of a guidebook on Yosemite National Park by the Yosemite Conservancy is now available.

The Sierra Sun Times reported:

March 27, 2018 - In 2017, US national parks hosted 330 million visitors, 4.3 million in Yosemite alone. Anyone heading to the crown jewel of the national parks system needs to know with where to go, what to do, where to stay and to eat, and all the other details that make a vacation in a popular park more enjoyable. For years now, Yosemite visitors have relied on the advice in The Complete Guidebook to Yosemite National Park, published by Yosemite Conservancy.  

This eighth, revised edition includes all the major and minor recent updates, such as the new concessioner, Yosemite Valley road changes, how to visit the newly restored Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, and Ackerson Meadow, a lovely destination now open to travelers. 

To read more, go here.

Fire Damages Oasis of Mara At Joshua Tree National Park

Above, Joshua Tree National Park's south entrance sign. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

An upsetting report from Joshua Tree National Park is making headlines.

Fox News reported:

LOS ANGELES –  A suspected arson fire at Joshua Tree National Park in California has damaged a historical landmark. 

The fire that broke out late Monday damaged the Oasis of Mara, a site settled by Native Americans who planted the 29 palm trees that inspired the name of the nearby city Twentynine Palms, according to the National Park Service. 

Strong winds stoked the rapid spread of the fire, which was contained at less than a square mile (2.58 square kilometers), Eric Sherwin said, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

I remember first visiting the Oasis of Mara when I was around 5 years old right after my grandmother moved to Twentynine Palms. The Oasis has a nice trail with descriptions of different plant life, archaeological sites and other things of historical interest (including a girl's grave). I have revisited the Oasis about two more times.

I hope the trees are able to recover from the fire and, if is arson, the person responsible is arrested.

To read more, go here.

************************************
UPDATE (3/28/18):

A suspect has been arrested for suspicion of arson, according to the Desert Sun. For details, go here.

Monument Valley KOA Open For Season

Above, "Ear of the Wind" in Monument Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Monument Valley KOA is open for the 2018 camping season.

I have never stayed at this KOA as I prefer Goulding's Lodge Campground instead. However, if Goulding's is booked up, the KOA would be a good alternate choice.

According to Lake Powell Life:

The Monument Valley KOA Journey campground, located at MM2, US Highway 163 in Monument Valley, is now open for the 2018 summer camping season. 

“Campground owners at KOAs throughout the U.S. and Canada have been working hard to get ready for the season ahead,” said KOA President Toby O’Rourke. “They’re ready to provide outstanding experiences to their guests, and we are all looking forward to a fantastic season ahead.”

To read more, go here. 

Snow...Again!

Above, a view of the backyard. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Snow is falling here in Jamestown.

There goes my plans for heading into Gallup today to see the new Pacific Rim Uprising and going to Genaro's afterwards for chili rellenos. I guess I can do both tomorrow. (The car is covered anyway.)

Above, earlier this morning. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Right now, the snow is coming down pretty heavily. 

Looney Left Report: California Out of Control

The Looney Left Report

Seeing articles like the one I am about to present makes me even more glad that I moved out of California (i.e., Commiefornia).

I've long said that the state has been taken over by a party (the Democrat Party) filled with lunatics. There is no opposition party to speak of. The lunatics have been passing laws, raising taxes and coming up with policies unfettered.

Fox News posted an Opinion article, "Trump Is Right -- California Is Out of Control". It presents a number of things the Democrats have done in the state.

Just to name a few:

What is out of control is California’s ruling class. Much of its political agenda is hostile to basic human liberty and mocks the limits on what government should be allowed to do in an ostensibly free society.  

Likely the sharpest thorn in Trump’s side is California lawmakers’ contempt of our federal system. States enjoy wide latitude to pursue their own destinies. The 10th Amendment provides states with “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,” but it doesn’t allow them to conduct their own foreign policy, which is the province of the federal executive branch. 

Yet California has decided that it is a sanctuary state where federal immigration laws don’t apply. Since Jan. 1, state and local law enforcement officers have been barred by law from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. 

Like the Legislature, Gov. Jerry Brown has also dabbled in foreign affairs. He’s invited “the whole world” to a climate summit in San Francisco this year and has signed climate deals with Chinese officials.  

While Brown played on the world stage, state lawmakers were hard at work at home banning plastic shopping bags from grocery stores, proposing to criminalize what they see is the irresponsible use of plastic straws, and continuing to raise taxes, which are already the most backbreaking in the nation. 

If all this isn’t enough to convince the rest of the country that California lawmakers are out of control, add to it legislation that regulates cattle flatulence in the name of the climate; a law that requires greenhouse gas emissions to be cut 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, even though the law’s language says it will “at least” cost “hundreds of millions of dollars” a year; and a $15 minimum wage by 2022 that Brown admitted “may not make sense” economically and will without question depress employment.

To read more about the "the Land of Kooks", go here.

Zion's Angels Landing Trail Closed For Repairs

Above, the Great White Throne. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Zion National Park's popular Angels Landing trail is closed for repairs.

According to the St. George News:

SPRINGDALE — The popular Angels Landing Trail at Zion National Park will be closed Tuesday for repairs. 

The trail will close at 7 a.m. in order to allow crews to fix a broken post in a steep section of chain, according to a news release issued by the National Park Service. 

The fixed post will require 24 hours to cure. The trail is expected to reopen after 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to the park service.

To read more, go here. 

Transfer Money To Japan

Above, Japanese yen. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

What are the best way(s) to transfer money to Japan or out of Japan? This question came to me more than once during my trips to Japan. But, fortunately, I never had the need to do either.

Just in case one does have to do one or the other, Tokyo Cheapo has an article on the best way of tranfering money in Japan.

They begin with:

Being the international cheapo that I am, I’ve battle-tested all sorts of methods and means of transferring money to Japan. In this article, I chronicle the results of my quest. NB: If you’re a tourist looking to exchange foreign cash for yen, go to this article. If you’ve been here for a while and want to send your yen home, check out our transferring money out of Japan article. 

tl;dr: One of the cheapest and best ways to transfer money to Japan for residents is the OFX currency exchange provider. Bonus: Sign up here and mention Tokyo Cheapo—they’ll give you a special account with NO transfer fees. Cheapo win!

To read more, go here. 

Snow Today?

Above, a shot of a February snow. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Expect occasional wintry mix to continue for the next several hours.

The above message is posted at The Weather Channel's forecast for today.

It is supposed to snow from now until about 11:00, and then it will be a mix of rain and snow.

So far, it is cloudy out but not a drop has fallen. It is currently 29° outside.  

Rattlesnakes Beware!

"Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" - Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Above, the box of "Shotshell" anti-snake rounds. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As we are now in springtime and getting nearer to April, I had been advised to beware of rattlesnakes. I was told that they generally come out of hibernation in April. In fact, a former resident of my home had lost a dog to a rattlesnake.

When I visited Warrior Women Gun Supply last week, I was shown some special .38 SPL/.357 Magnum "Shotshell" ammo. I was told that this ammo is very effective against rattlesnakes. These rounds can blow their heads clean off!

Today, I went down to the Flying J to pick up my mail and to have lunch at Denny's (it was a cheeseburger, in case you were wondering). On the way home, I stopped at Warrior Women Gun Supply to pick up some rounds of "Shotshell" ammo. I figured that I should get it now before the other locals buy up the supply.

It's a good thing I never got rid of my two .38 SPL/.357 Magnum revolvers. They may just come in handy this coming snake season.

You gotta ask yourself a question, "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, snake?

Yosemite Nat. Park Gets $12.5 Million From Yosemite Conservancy

Above, Yosemite's Bridalveil Fall. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yosemite National Park is the recipient of $12.5 million from the Yosemite Conservancy.

The funds will be used for improvements for Yosemite's Bridalveil Fall trail, among other projects.

According to the Sierra Sun Times:

March 26, 2018 - Yosemite National Park - Yosemite Conservancy is providing $12.5 million in support to Yosemite National Park to improve the Bridalveil Fall visitor experience, rebuild a section of the trail around Tenaya Lake and collect data using 3-D aerial mapping to improve resource management parkwide, among 36 projects funded in 2018. 

“We want everyone’s visit to Yosemite to be inspiring, just like the park itself, today and for future generations. Our grants focus on protecting and preserving the park and enhancing the visitor experience,” said Yosemite Conservancy President Frank Dean. 

Projects funded by donors to the Conservancy include trail and habitat restoration, wildlife management and education programs, among others. In 2018 funding will go towards a major project to restore Bridalveil Fall involving improvements to trails, viewpoints and traffic circulation, and habitat protection at the 620-foot waterfall in Yosemite Valley. Another grant will help scientists use data from airborne laser scanning to produce a 3-D map of Yosemite to learn about and help manage forest health, drought impacts and rockfall hazards. Support also will help complete the trail loop around Tenaya Lake, Yosemite’s high country “jewel.”

To read more, go here. 

Gaijinpot's 8 "Coolest" Movie Locations

Above, the Wako Department Store in Ginza that was trashed by Godzilla in 1954. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Many fans of movies have journeyed to Japan to see locations used in movies set there. The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan was published in 2010 for fans of Godzilla and other giant monster (kaiju).

Gaijinpot.com has an article on the "coolest" movie locations you can visit in Japan. Of course, Godzilla is one of the eight listed.

They begin with:

Japan has served as the setting for a number of Hollywood films. For foreigners dreaming of the Land of the Rising Sun, these films might be their first exposure to the sight of certain real-life places across the country. Here we take a look at some of those places — an elite honor roll that has served to provide the most memorable set pieces in major motion pictures depicting the country. 

We have a separate GaijinPot guide to the best Lost in Translation spots in Tokyo, where we tour the locations featured in that movie. This list covers a range of other films from Silence (2016) to the Americanized crossover hit Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956). If you want to live the movies in Japan, this is your must-read crash course on the best spots.

Speaking of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan, I am working on an updated edition. Funny thing, each time I think I may have everything together, something gets added or changed that puts me back. The latest is the new Shin Godzilla statue that replaced the Heisei-era Godzilla statue in Hibiya. Obviously, this has to be included. I was also going to use a different photo of the old statue for the cover. That had to be scrapped! Back to the drawing board!

Above, Miki with The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Copies of the original edition are still available at $9.95! Go here for ordering details.

To read the full article, go here.

Feeding The Bunnies

Above, one of the resident rabbits during a recent snow storm. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping at Walmart. While there, I picked up a bag of rabbit food for the wild bunnies who inhabit my yard.

The rabbits I've seen here are usually desert cottontails. I did see one jackrabbit in the neighbor's yard.

My "honorary sister" (who has pet rabbits and knows a lot about rabbits in general) said the food I bought was a "good choice". She also said they are more nocturnal (and will be actively looking for food at night). Once they do, she says, they'll be "regular visitors".

The rabbits don't seem to mind me when I sit outside. They will keep their distance, but will sit and "chill out" with their eyes closed. Maybe they figure that since I am out there, no predator will dare show up.

Here is the bag of food I bought:

I put some food in an old cat food dishs after getting home and placed them outside in areas where they have been known to frequent. I checked it this morning and they haven't yet discovered the food. 

Starbucks Opens In Yosemite National Park

Above, Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. The falls are within earshot
 of the new Starbucks in Yosemite Village. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Despite a petition (or two) campaign, Starbucks has opened in Yosemite National Park.

The news Starbucks is located in the food court in Yosemite Village and it is most noteworthy that there is a lack of signage.

According to The Guardian (U.K.):

It looks and feels just like any of the other roughly 27,000 Starbucks locations that have opened around the world. The green apron-clad barista makes tall, grande and venti coffee concoctions that are handed over in familiar mermaid-endowed cups. 

But from the parking lot outside – where there is an intentional lack of Starbucks signage - the world-famous Yosemite falls can be heard through the patter of an early spring rainstorm. 

The Starbucks is part of a major remodel inside the 128-year-old Yosemite national park. It was built to provide comfort, convenience and caffeine to the 4 to 5 million visitors who arrive each year. To many, however, the Starbucks represents a trend of encroaching commercialism inside one of the nation’s most beloved natural landmarks.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with having a familiar brand as a vendor in Yosemite. Starbucks is not the first such vendor in a national park. For example, next to the Grand Canyon Village market is a Chase bank branch. It came in very handy the last time I visited Grand Canyon National Park.

To read more, go here.

Preventing RV Awning Damage By Wind and Rain

Above, The Beast at the Beaver (Utah) KOA. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

RV Life has a new article on RV awnings that people with awnings ought to read and those who are planning on adding an awning to their rig. Since I have an awning on The Beast, it caught my attention.

It is, "Don’t Let Wind & Rain Destroy Your RV Awning".

It begins with:

One minute you’re laying in bed on what you thought was a warm spring night—the next you’re hearing rain pouring down, your awning whipping in the wind, or worse, a loud bang from a gust of wind that tore your awning off its track. 

Most RVs come with an awning already attached.  Some are automatic and even have weather sensors that retract on their own.  But if you have a manual awning, you’ll want to pay extra attention to rolling it up in bad weather to avoid hundreds or even thousands in repair costs.

To read the full article, go here.

Ronald Reagan In San Diego

Above, Gov. Reagan addresses the rally. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now that I have my old photo albums easily accessible, I have been going through them.

This morning, I was going through an album from 1979. In it, are some photos from the Fall convention of the California Republican Party (those were the days when there really was a California Republican Party) in which former Governor Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan attended a rally at the Town & Country Hotel in San Diego on September 15, 1979.

Above, Paul (Mike) Evans, lower left, is approached by the Reagans. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Reagan was getting ready for his 1980 campaign for president. He later won the nomination on the first ballot at the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit.

I scanned a couple of photos of that rally. They were slightly faded, but I did some tinkering and made them look marginally better.

Tokyo-Kyoto-Hiroshima Trip: Which Rail Pass To Get?

Above, inside of the JR Kyoto Station. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To save money on a trip to Japan, people who plan on venturing out of Tokyo to see other places will pick up a JR Rail Pass voucher in their home countries to exchange in Japan for the pass.

If one plans to head down to Kyoto and/or Hiroshima from Tokyo, which Rail Pass is the best one to get?

Fortunately, Tokyo Cheapo has an article on just this subject.

They begin with:

When talking about what to see and where to go during your time in Japan, the Tokyo-Kyoto-Hiroshima itinerary comes up as a must-do. The three prefectures are well connected by high-speed rail networks, and with discount passes available, the route can be traveled easily and economically. The question is: which rail pass, if any, works best for your budget and plans? And what are the alternatives?

To read more, go here. 

David Hogg Logic

Trump Bent Over And Spread His Ass Cheeks

Yesterday, after President Trump signed the Bush/Obama spending bill, I was so pissed off that I just had to get out and head over to the Flying J for an ice cream sundae.

As the old saying goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough gets ice cream." Admittedly, the sundae did brighten my mood a little bit.

Today, Fox News reported that this has been the general reaction of other Trump supporters (I don't know if they went out for ice cream as well). There is definitely a backlash going on!

They wrote:

President Trump faces losing support from his base in the wake of his decision Friday to sign a controversial and much-derided $1.3 trillion spending bill -- over not only its size but its failure to fund his campaign promise of a wall on the U.S. southern border. 

Trump briefly threatened to veto the legislation, voted through the House and Senate on Thursday and early Friday in order to avoid a government shutdown. 

Conservatives balked at the $1.3 trillion price tag, as well as the failure to promote Republican causes such as the defunding of Planned Parenthood and the funding of the wall on the southern border in particular. While the legislation served up $1.6 billion for border security, it mainly consisted of repairs and additions to already existing fencing.  

Yet despite his distancing himself from it, the very act of him signing it enraged his base. A White House official told Axios that the reaction to the signing "is the hardest I've ever seen the base turn on Trump over anything." 

"A big reason why people voted for him was because of his apparent willingness to stand up to the entrenched political class in both parties," the official said. "Voters wanted a fighter who wouldn't back down to 'the swamp' like a 'typical politician.'"

Frankly, President Trump, by signing the bill, essentially bent over and spread his ass cheeks for the establishment Republicans and Democrats.  The $1.3 trillion was bad enough, but the bill also contained some language that jeopardizes the Second Amendment rights of senior citizens. This was something that Obama would approve of. (I wrote about this in another blog post.)

Accordingly, as of now I am suspending my support for Trump and the Republican Party. He and the GOP would go a long way in regaining my support if they correct this anti-Second Amendment language. But as of now, "I am out of here!"

To read more of the Fox News article, go here.