Sunday Travel Funnies: “TAXI!”

If you are superstitious and planning a trip to San Francisco in the near future, you’re probably better off leaving your fear of the number 666 at home… especially if need to rely on taxi cabs to get around. The head of the city’s taxi commission says he will not be getting rid of taxi medallion No. 666, regardless of the fact that some riders refuse to patronize a cab bearing the number of Satan. A cab driver who had “666” assigned to him last year recently asked the agency to retire the number because it had brought him nothing … Continue reading →

Sunday Travel Funnies: Freeway Fondue

We’ve all heard of (or seen) highway accidents involving overturned semis. In most cases the truck in question spills its contents all over the road. I’ve personally witnessed overturned beer trucks and in one case a tractor-trailer carrying thousands of pounds of corn overturned near the freeway exit I take to get home. However, neither quite compares to what occurred last week on a California highway. According to news reports, a tractor-trailer hauling dozens of gigantic blocks of cheese erupted in flames, turning much of its cargo into freeway fondue. The good news: no one was hurt. The bad news: … Continue reading →

Sunday Travel Funnies: Someone’s Not Laughing

Not everyone gets to ride to work in a space shuttle (though more and more people are getting to blast off after they die) so it stands to reason that when NASA gets ready to send astronauts into orbit the media comes out in full force. Recently, though, having all eyes on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center proved a bit embarrassing for the space agency. A few days ago the spacecraft Endeavour was moved out on the launch pad amidst pomp, circumstance and a huge banner that read “Go Endeavor.” A festive touch… only the shuttle’s name … Continue reading →

Hitting The Road In A RV

Call me naïve, but I figured with the price of fuel hitting record highs there would be far fewer gas guzzling recreational vehicles on the road this summer. Boy, was I wrong. Apparently, Americans (at least those driving through Illinois and Wisconsin) are denying high gas prices and hitting the highways in RVs. I know this because I was stuck behind a caravan of them on the way back from our family’s 4th of July festivities. About a year ago I wrote a blog about the costs involved in traveling in a RV. Price, it seems, has not affected the … Continue reading →

What’s In Your Glove Compartment?

Glove box… glove compartment… whatever you call it I have a feeling that you aren’t storing your gloves in it. In fact, my vehicle’s glove box has just about everything in the world crammed in it except for a pair of gloves. And, I’m not alone. According to a new survey, 84% of Americans no longer use the glove compartment to store gloves. Despite the fact that the original use for the space — when car manufacturers originally introduced it in the 1920s — was for the sole purpose of storing those handy hand protectors. (By the way, according to … Continue reading →

Sunday Travel Funnies: “OUCH!”

Talk about feeling the pain at the pump… Well, not quite the gas pump, but the gas tank. That’s where an Alabama driver recently got his finger caught when he was trying to clear gunk from the opening of his gas tank. According to police reports, Dwight Clark says he was innocently trying to clean his truck’s gas tank when his finger went in past the knuckle and got lodged in the tank. According to rescue personnel, people had sprayed WD40 all over his hand, but that didn’t work. Now, here’s the part that gets me—Clark reportedly didn’t want rescue … Continue reading →

Travel Warning: Hide Your GPS Units

What car thieves really want is a free set of wheels, but apparently they will settle for expensive GPS units. Just ask my neighbor. He was parked on a busy street, in a well-lit area and ran into a store to pick up a box of battery packs. When he returned less than 15 minutes later he found his car had been hacked into and his $750 GPS unit was gone. Yes, you could wag your finger and make the comment that he shouldn’t have left the unit exposed in his vehicle. But he figured he was in a well-traveled … Continue reading →

Gas Tank Giveaways

Are high gas prices making you reevaluate your summer road trip? We are paying more than $3 a gallon around here, but judging by the number of SUVs (weighed down with jammed packed bike and luggage racks) I saw lined up at out local Shell station on Sunday I doubt many people are calling off their vacations and opting to stay home. Perhaps those travelers were taking advantage of one of the many gas promotions being offered by hotels nationwide. Several companies are trying to make road trips a bit more affordable by footing the bill for your gas. Take … Continue reading →

Thou Shall Not Commit Road Rage

They are being called the Ten Commandments for drivers and they take their cue from the original set carved in stone. Yesterday, the Vatican issued a set of rules that warn motorists not to kill, not to drink and drive and… not to tailgate. I’m serious. And so is the intent of these new “Commandments.” The document’s official name is: “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road.” It was created by Catholic Cardinals who felt it necessary to “address the pastoral needs of motorists because driving had become such a big part of contemporary life.” While it highlights the … Continue reading →

Would You Rent A Hybrid?

I’ve been trying to find a good deal on a rental car in preparation for our trip to Indianapolis. I told the customer service representatives at the various rental companies I called that I was contemplating renting a van (we don’t really need one, although the extra space would be nice) but was concerned about the astronomical gas prices. That’s when the employee at Hertz offered me the use of a new, fuel-efficient hybrid car. Apparently, car rental giants such as Hertz and Avis have recently added thousands of hybrid cars to their fleets. According to the Hertz representative, the … Continue reading →