Not the best headline
Near the eclipse and on the radio
In Oakland, we weren't in the path of total darkness for this afternoon's annular eclipse, but we were close enough for there to be a noticeable effect. The path of total darkness passed to the north and east of us, going right through Eureka and Redding and Colfax. The sun dimmed, as if someone had pulled a shade, but we were outside. The temperature dropped 8 degrees and the westerly sea breeze died down. Here's what it looked like at 6:32, just about the maximum.
Sacramento-area stations showed similar effects: 1320 and 1380, not received well here if at all, were coming in. KFIV (1360) from Modesto also made it in. The more powerful stations at 650 and 710 were like locals.
I might have expected more from up north, say Chico or Redding, but no such luck. Of course, one challenge I have in Oakland is that there are so many strong local stations, including a couple running digital sidebands, which splatter interference.
Even so, I reconfirmed observations I made during the 1994 partial eclipse, when I was living in Kansas City. The effects of a solar eclipse aren't dramatic, but reception does seem to be enhanced and you might get some stations you normally wouldn't get. This time, I didn't expect (and didn't get) Los Angeles, but regional reception certainly seemed to get a boost.
Fewer roads and radios - a brief metapost
You may have noticed fewer posts about roads lately, and even fewer about radios. Some of it is demands on my time. I have some older road photos I'd like to post, but first, I'd need to re-scan them. That can be a bit time-consuming. Regarding radios, I decided earlier this year to stop buying vintage radios, at least for a while. I have too many as it is. It's fun collecting them. It's not so fun trying to figure out where to put them all.
None of this should be construed as a complaint, by the way. I just have a lot going on right now.
You're seeing lots of short posts with photos because Posterous has a mobile client that makes it easy to post such things.
Beyond that, I feel "social media" can too often substitute for more personal forms of interaction, especially with friends and acquaintances.
Springtime
The Campanile at the University of California
A streetcar ride
Sunday, I went on a commemorative ride in a PCC streetcar in San Francisco. Car 1040, built in 1952, was the last PCC streetcar made in North America, and it went to San Francisco. Two years ago, the car was taken out of service for a complete overhaul and renovation. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco Municipal Railway, the Market Street Railway, an organization of volunteers (http://www.streetcar.org) chartered 1040 for the day.
The car can't travel in the underground Market Street subway, but it can run on most surface lines. Our tour started at the Ferry Building and then went onto the J line on Church Street. We stopped at 20th & Church.
Westward to the M line, where we stopped to let revenue traffic clear on Ocean Avenue.
Here's the historic Muni logo, just ahead of the streetcar's front door.
Then it was back on the L to West Portal. I managed to get this window shot of a typical Muni traffic signal.
From there, we took the shorter loop through Ingleside on the K, joining the J back at Balboa Park, running down the J to the F-Market and thence back to the Ferry Building.
There was a short loop up to Pier 39 and back, and that was it for the four-hour tour. You get to see parts of San Francisco that you don't see very often, and that most tourists never see. I enjoyed it tremendously. Thanks to the Market Street Railway for putting this event together!
Just preparing
Photographed today at the Embarcadero and Mission Street.
Missouri 110 and Interstate 49 in pictures
I've updated the Missouri Road Signs & Sights site (http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/mo/) with new photos from contributors Matt Roberds, David Backlin, Gene Van Dusseldorp, and Scott Manness. Included are photos of the new Missouri 110 designation for the Chicago-Kansas City Corridor: Interstate 35 between Cameron and Kansas City and US 36 between Cameron and Hannibal. Matt found that MoDOT is replacing Interstate 35 reassurance markers with Missouri 110 markers. MoDOT told Matt that, for the main I-35 designation, MoDOT will instead rely on 0.2-mile markers along the route, which show the Interstate 35 symbol. Other photos show 0.2-mile markers on US 71 for the soon-to-be-designated Interstate 49 between Kansas City and the Arkansas state line. It's not I-49 yet, so take a look to see how MoDOT is handling that in-between state.
Mad March
In a big turnabout from the rest of the winter, March was a cold, wet month. Earlier this week, there were storm clouds over the Ferry Building, but not much rain until today. What a strange winter it's been for weather in Northern California.
