Simanaitis Says

On cars, old, new and future; science & technology; vintage airplanes, computer flight simulation of them; Sherlockiana; our English language; travel; and other stuff

Category Archives: Just Trippin’

PRINCE ROY, R.I.P.

PADDY ROY Bates passed away at the age of 91 earlier this month. You may not have known him by this name, but how about Prince Roy of Sealand? Roy … Continue reading

October 25, 2012 · Leave a comment

BROWN PALACE HOTEL

“AND THEY’LL all want lifts to Brown’s Hotel, ’cause lots o’ them been travelin’ for quite a spell.” Just as Judy Garland sang “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa … Continue reading

October 20, 2012 · 2 Comments

BAEDEKER’S HANDBOOKS FOR TRAVELERS

I LOVE Baedeker’s handbooks, especially those published during their glory years of 1900 to the onset of World War I. Pocket sized—provided one’s coat has generous pockets—these little red guidebooks with … Continue reading

October 13, 2012 · Leave a comment

PONTCYSYLLTE: A WELSH WONDER

THE NAME Pontcysyllte is Welsh, its nearest English pronunciation “Pońt-ker-suck-tay.” The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is an architecture wonder along the Llangollen Canal. Some more Welsh: Llangollen is, sort of, “Thl’an-gothl’n,” with those … Continue reading

October 6, 2012 · Leave a comment

NEW ZEALAND’S SOUTH ISLAND

SEASONS IN the southern hemisphere are opposite of ours, of course. This turns out to be very convenient for those wishing to do winter tire testing in July and August, … Continue reading

October 1, 2012 · Leave a comment

COOLSPRING POWER MUSEUM

INTERNAL COMBUSTION engines built before 1900 are celebrated as “centennial engines.” And, among enthusiasts of things mechanical, the Coolspring Power Museum is a real treasure trove of these wonderful devices. … Continue reading

September 25, 2012 · 2 Comments

THE ENGLISH MOTORWAY, 1959

WE THINK of freeways, expressways, motorways, autobahns, autoroutes and autostradas as ubiquitous. And, in fact, in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France and Italy, respectively, these high-speed limited-access highways are … Continue reading

September 24, 2012 · 3 Comments

LITTLE AYING MAKES ITS MARK

THIS IS a tale of a Bavarian village and international trade. Aying is about 15 miles southeast of Munich, Germany; its population is 4652. Belying this diminutive size, it’s the … Continue reading

September 20, 2012 · 1 Comment

MUSÉE CHEZ MANUEL

MAYBE YOU share M. Manuel Ribeiro’s love of stuff. I certainly stand in awe of the degree of his passion. He’d see something to collect, and then another of them, … Continue reading

September 19, 2012 · Leave a comment

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

AS I observed back in Road & Track, June 1991, “Partway across the vastness of Delaware, I realized I had made a dreadful mistake.” The idea was simple, if not … Continue reading

September 9, 2012 · 10 Comments