DOTS: Bike Ride Edition

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 04/09/2020 at 20:02 • Filed to: Dots, walkaboutlopnik, bikelopnik

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I took a nice long afternoon bike ride today, therefore this post is somewhat long.

It turns out stopping a slightly oversized bike in the middle of a bike path to take pictures of parked cars was awkward both socially (distantly) and physically.

Now that’s a one make two car garage. Chevy Corvette Cadiallac XLR and a CTS Wagon in red no less.

Slammed Honda Wagonvan with bright gold wheels. Neat.

Police truck. Take that, rest of the world!

This patched together Chevy dually has a real nice patina to it.

Speaking of Chevy trucks, this more pedestrian Silverado was an unusual color but I kinda dig it.

Nice colored convertible Camaro here as well.

I was riding through a side street on my way back to take a picture of an ornate bank with plenty of stained glass when I saw this amazing photo opportunity.

Pretty nice, huh? It was just perfect. I barely even has to tweak it in post.

This old Buick, Century I believe, seemed emblematic of the backdrop, so I took a few shots including it. The interior was somehow in way better condition than I expected. I guess the hard wearing vinyl did its job.

Then suddenly, I see in a gap between buildings in the distance, a very uniquely modified Ford F100. I race to a position to capture it the next time it was visible.

However, just then, I saw a car that I had meaning to document for quite some time: An all original VW Type 2 Single Cab Pickup complete with scuffed up white paintjob. But in missing it vanishing behind a building by inches, I still captured something worthwhile.

And then the F100 cruised on through.

And then I noticed a Ford Raptor parallel parked next to me. The side alley lies next to the monolithic AT&T building which has always fascinated me, which almost makes the Raptor look small.

I will post the non-car related pictures I took biking through the Confederate cemetery and around Marietta in general later. But for now, what do you think? If I had to choose a two car garage out of these I would probably pick the blue convertible Camaro and the CTS Wagon.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/09/2020 at 20:53

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Ye’, that’ll teach us.

Police Ford R anger Raptor,

Police Ford Focus ST estate.

Police Toyota Hilux.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/09/2020 at 21:46

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I’m more envious of the Focus estate than the old Ranger. The Hilux though!

The difference with the F150 is that it will never be used for something an wagon couldn’t do while those seem to be rural units that may have to tackle some dirt. Well it might be used for towing but I never see police trucks around here 

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/09/2020 at 22:02

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That’s the latest Ranger Raptor. While pickups are quite common for rural areas, they are quite popular with BTP (British Transport Police), who police the rail network, etc... across the whole country and across county lines, they could be asked to attend an incident out in the middle of nowhere or the middle of a city.

We use our estate cars/wagons for motorway patrol and ARV (Armed Response Vehicle) use, Range Rover, Discovery's, etc... are used for motorways to get a higher vantage point for seeing into cars but also for removing vehicles and debris with the extra power they have. 

The Hilux is my county’s vehicle. There are several of them, the mountain rescue teams also use them also

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/09/2020 at 22:14

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Ford interceptor Utilities are very popular but I haven’t seen many police trucks for patrol duty. The city owns plenty of them for road maintenance but then again it is a pretty urban county. I imagine plenty of more rural counties have trucks because they are cheap and the bed can be useful.

I can certainly see why the transport police might like them. Do they have the retractable wheels for track driving? The tracks are all private so no police vehicles have them here.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/09/2020 at 22:21

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The vehicles used here vary from county to county, each county finding vehicles suitable for their needs.

The BTP vehicles don’t have retractable rail wheels, they go along roads, and cut across fields where needed to.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/09/2020 at 22:26

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Cutting across fields is generally frowned upon here and it isn't really possible to drive through them without cutting locks, not that there are many fields around here. There are some crazy steep or treacherous roads cut along power line cut outs that I've seen. I think they use smaller recreational vehicles like ATVs and four wheelers for that. Why on earth would they need to cut across fields?

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/09/2020 at 23:49

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Just like anywhere else in the world, the railway line rarely has a road, etc... that follows it, so the likes of the rail network, electrical and maintenance companies can get to where they are needed for maintenance, downed power line, crashed train, etc...  

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/10/2020 at 00:07

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Not sure about that first part. There is rarely a train line that doesn’t have a road smack up next to it. Usually too close for a proper junction to be easy for perpendicular roads. But then again the railroad came first in many areas of the US while in England the villages and roads would have come first. I never considered that at all, but whatever industry came first defines the region.

The nearby Chattahoochee river is not navigatable and there are no natural lakes nearby, so the only real boundary for cities around here is the railroad, unlike most of the east coast where river   powered mills   defined inland cities.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/10/2020 at 01:27

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I think the likes of the U.S. and Canada are quite different from many countries (certainly smaller more densely populated ones) that had already parcelled off their land around horse and cart tracks or old Roman roads. The trains coming much later and working a direct route cutting through many plots of land or wild land.

In the U.S. you had wagon trains much later than say our Roman roads which didn’t always follow a set track but generally or loosely followed a track. When the trains came along much of the land up to that point hadn’t or wasn’t used and towns sprung up along the track, roads coming later connecting them would of been easier to make following along the side of the cut track rather than cutting out a newer course, well not until later when the motor car really took off creating the likes of Route 66 and later interstates.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/10/2020 at 06:54

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I hadn’t really considered how or why this was so, but you’re right. Interesting how the progression of industrialization changed where roads were built. Instead of a winding road going through all the villages the main road just heads a direction for the most part to connect points A and C. Point B in the middle has to figure out how to profit from people passing by. In the case of route 66, the interstates took siphoned off the customers of the entrepreneurs who built eclectic roadside attractions, eventually causing them to close.

This KFC shaped like a giant chicken (we call it the Big Chicken) is actually visible from the highway but most of its traffic comes from people who know it’s there. 

pip bip - choose Corrour > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/10/2020 at 08:17

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honda wagon and Lexus 4wd for me

:D

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > pip bip - choose Corrour 04/10/2020 at 11:06

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Good choices. Were those called Lexus or Toyota on your side of the pond?

pip bip - choose Corrour > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/10/2020 at 19:09

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both 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > pip bip - choose Corrour 04/10/2020 at 19:22

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Not sure of how they could sell them simultaneously like that but I guess that works.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/10/2020 at 19:25

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Toyota were workhorses, Lexus for the luxury

different front end treatment