The Domino Effect - Brake Test

Wind in your hair, music blaring on the stereo and the freeway is moving at normal speeds and you hope that you can make the drive without incident, then, bam – “out of the blue”, you’re slamming on your breaks, shifting into low gear and praying or swearing that you can get the car to slow down from a speed in excess of 65 miles per hour to a crawl of less than 10 mph. This slow crawl can go on for miles and eats into all of your drive time.






Driving the freeways all over Southern California we become so inconvenienced by slow traffic that we say “this better be good,” meaning there better be a reason at the end of this slow traffic possibly a car accident or an animals crossing the street. However, the slow down in traffic is usually the result of nothing, except the domino effect. The “Domino Effect” happens when cars put on their brakes to slow down for no reason other than they feel that they are driving to fast, obviously, they’ve never heard of taking their foot off the gas pedal, and this will send the brake lights shining for miles.

Lost time in traffic is a fact of driving the freeways in Southern California. That’s why we judge our destinations in time rather than miles, because a distance of 70 miles could take hours to complete with congested traffic.

Have you ever experience the Domino Traffic Effect in Southern California or elsewhere?

Thursday Thirteen - Thirteen Reasons for Car Accidents

If you live or have had the chance to drive in the Southern California you’ll know that southern California drivers are notorious for our hurry up and go nowhere attitude. Traffic congestion tops the list of trying your patience and is probably responsible for car accidents, but certainly it is not the only cause of accidents. Here’s a list of thirteen reasons for car accidents.

Speeding through the yellow light as it’s turning to red.

Being distracted by talking on the cell phone, changing the radio, too much talking in the car

Women putting on their makeup and men shaving, (yes, I have witnessed both of these events)

Drivers changing lanes – not checking their mirrors for traffic and cutting off the next car

Not being courteous to other drivers and always thinking that you have the right-of-way

Not knowing the rules of the road and not knowing when you have the right-of-way.

Using main streets for drag racing

Following too closely to the car in front of you

Taking chances

Not using your blinkers

Driving while intoxicated

Driving while eating

Driving over the recommended street speed limit

There is no place that you have to be in such hurry that you have to risk your own life and those of others. Drive safely and we will all get to where we need to be sooner or later.

~Valley Girl~

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

As kids we used to sing the cute little jingle, Rain, rain, go away come again another day. Well, I think all those times we wished the rain away were all saved up for this storm. The prediction for this first storm of the year is that it's supposed to dump an excessive amount of rain in the valley areas and more in the mountain regions. In Southern California we can see and feel a rain storm coming days before it starts. It begins with the smell of rain in the air, then the clouds move in gradually over a period of a few days. For it to rain the sky has to be as dark as mud and then it sprinkles and finally rains, until it pours and pours. We are at that point now, it is sprinkling. The first rain storm of the New
Year is here.

The SFV has had its share of big rainstorms that have left a lot of destruction and water behind. There have been a number of big record rainfall years the most memorable in 1992 when the Sepulveda Dam overflowed and people had to be rescued out of their cars. In 2005 we saw over 33 inches of rain in California. The greatest amount of rainfall in recorded California history was in 1883-1884 with 38.18 inches.

The rain is desperately needed to feed our thirsty vegetation and replenish our water
supplies but, a storm this early in the year means more trouble for all those regions burned by fires last October. There hasn't been enough time for new plants to regrow and that means mud slides in the mountain regions. It's hard to imagine those people who had to flee their homes by the threat of fire will now have to flee their homes because of the threat of mudslides.

Here's some song titles appropriate for the first rain storm of the year 2008.

It Never Rains in California, it only pours and pours. (Albert Hammond)
All I Needed Was the Rain (Elvis Presley)
After the Rain (Matthew and Gunner Nelson)
Funeral in the Rain (Chris Isaac)
Over the Rainbow (Rosemary Clooney)
Rain, Rain, Go Away! (Bobby Vinton)
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head (B.J. Thomas)
Riders on the Storm (Doors)
Smoky Mountain Rain (Ronnie Milsap)
The Thunder Rolls (Garth Brooks)
Slip Sliding Away (Paul Simon)
Who'll Stop the Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

All of these could have been recorded by multiple artists, but I just picked a few that were memorable with these artists.

Stay Dry!

~Valley Girl~

10 Things to Know About the Griffith Observatory

Here’s my pick for an afternoon of fun with the family that won’t have you reaching into your children’s college fund.

10 Things to Know About the Griffith Observatory;

1. Admission is FREE. If you visit the food café or the gift shop it can be costly.
2. Recently renovated the observatory showcases more displays on science, and space.
3. The parking situation is not so great. There is a small lot outside of the observatory, but other than that there is free parking along the hillside. You will be walking up a hill to enter the observatory, so wear some walking shoes.
4. The Observatory came very close to being burned down in the fire of October, 2007
   and the charred hillsides are still evident of how close the fire came.
5. There are picnic areas and trails that provide an afternoon of fun. Dogs are welcome
   on the trail, but must be leashed.
6. The observatory sits on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood and the land mark HOLLYWOOD sign and view of the L.A. basin is visible from the terrace of the observatory.
7. A feature attraction is to see how much you weigh on other planets. You might be
   pleasantly surprised by how little you weigh on the Moon, Mercury, Mars and others.
8. If you’re in the science room you can have your picture taken with a bronze statue of Albert Einstein.
9. The view of the neighboring towns below the observatory is breathtaking. On a clear day one might be able to see to the ocean.
10. As dusk settles the lights come on from the L.A. basin below and as darkness descends the
    view is absolutely amazing, truly a city bathed in lights.

Some Historical Facts about California Observatories • Observatory builders looked to the western states to find places with good observing weather in the 1800’s.

• California was the perfect spot. It had coastal mountain ranges rising into dry air blowing off the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. These conditions combine to provide the calmest air in the country.
• Griffith Observatory is 1,050 ft above sea level, opened in 1935

• Other Observatories in California include;
• Mt. Wilson Observatory, established December, 1904 in the San Gabriel Mountains of
  Southern California
• Lick Observatory, opened June, 1888, in San Jose County
• Palomar Observatory, opened November, 1949, in Northern San Diego County