Road Signs That You May Have to Double-Take to Understand!

Bears and playing children do not seem like a good mix.

Good to know that this metal sign has sharp edges, BEWARE!

Avoid this intersection at all costs!

I guess we'll just sit here and wait for directions...

This is needed to confirm total boredom for the next 30 minutes.

You can see more goofy signs here: http://bit.ly/1np6y8m

Courtesy of : DriveSteady.com

Cleaning Your Own Headlights

1.       Clear headlights of every bit of excess grime you are able to and outline each headlight with tape.  This protects your paint job while you’re cleaning.

2.       It is likely that any product you try will require sanding of some sort—so be detailed, meticulous, and careful during this process.  After wards, the headlight should be rough and dull, yet clear of any yellowing.

3.       Polish them up!  This will rid your headlights of the small scratches caused by the sandpaper.  It will also rid them of the dull look and make them clear again.

4.       Since you’ve removed any protective layer that was on your headlights originally during the sanding process, it’s important that you apply a sealant with UV protection.  If possible, choose one with promised extended protection.

If you’re in the dark about the best UV sealant to use, check out what Popular Mechanics says on the issue.

Defender Challenge By Bowler Round 3 Rides Into Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest

Whitley, Thursday 5^th June, 2014: Round 3 of the Defender Challenge by Bowler series will take place this weekend as part of the Dukeries Rally in Nottinghamshire.


Fans will be able to see seven teams compete for top honours as the inaugural year of the Defender Challenge by Bowler rally series progresses into its third round.


Teams will be based at Southwell Racecourse, the hub of the 55^th Dukeries Rally, where scrutineering will take place as well as the official start/finish and awards presentations activity.  The rally course will test the teams and their Bowler-prepared Land Rover Defender 90 vehicles across 44 stage miles through Sherwood Forest, comprising dirt roads and loose gravel tracks including stages through the Sherwood Pines.


Competition amongst the Defender Challenge teams is building ahead of the race.  Driver Edd Cobley is set to return after his victory in Round 1 at the Mid Wales Stages rally, whilst the Race2Recovery team will be aiming to build on their win in the last round, a race that also signalled their series debut.  Damian Taft, a previous Camel Trophy rally competitor, will also be up for the battle as he seeks to hold onto his status as number one in the driver rankings.

Read the remainder of the article by following the link below!

Courtesy of JLR Media Online:
Link: http://bit.ly/1k1pSlz

Hack: Simple Tools to Improve Your Camping Trip

We wanted to give you a few easy tips and tricks on how to make your next camping adventure a bit more comfortable! Follow the link at the bottom of the blog to see more details on these great ideas.

1. Pencil Sharpener for Kindling:

Traditionally, most campers have a pocket or utility knife with them to shave off some kindling to make a fire. But, you may have lost or forgotten your life during your travels doing other activities with it.
Bring a pencil sharpener with you to create some simple kindling for your fire. You’re less likely to lose it since you’re probably not going to be using it else where.


2. Ice Shower To Go:

Made infamous from comment threads online, the ice shower involves using common household items to make a chunk of ice with half soap water and half clean water. One side to clean, one side to rinse.
Follow these detailed ice shower instructions and throw your ice shower in your cooler to keep on hand for your next trip.


3. Foam Tile Flooring:

If you’ve got little ones at home or know someone with kids, chances are you’ll be able to access foam tile squares quite easily. Bring some along to create a more comfortable flooring for your tent.
Alternatively, you can bring a yoga mat or two to achieve the same effect.

Courtesy of route66rv.com

Link: http://bit.ly/1jama8o

Quick Guide: Auto Detail 101

Supplies:

To properly Quick Detail your car you'll need a few high quality, plush microfiber buffing towels, and quick detailing spray. A car duster also works well at removing the top layer of dust prior to quick detailing, but is not necessary.
Quick Detailing is not just for the exterior of your car. There are detailing sprays for your car's interior as well. Sonus Cockpit Detailer or the multi-use Ultima Detail Spray Plus are excellent interior detailers. They will remove dust, fingerprints and light soil from all non-fabric surfaces.

INTERIOR QUICK DETAILING

About three to four times per year you should clean and protect your interior, but that that is simply not enough to keep your interior fresh and clean. A few years ago due to the popularity of the exterior quick detailer, a new interior quick detail emerged. Why not have the ease keeping the outside clean available for the interior too! The idea is about the same as the exterior quick detailer, just mist and wipe to maintain freshly detailed interior look.

To use an interior detailing spray, fold your microfiber detailing towel, spray it with a few shots of detailing spray, and wipe down the dashboard, console and leather seats, door panels and door jambs. The interior detailing spray was made more for dusting than cleaning, just as the exterior spray, it is a maintenance product and is not meant to replace interior cleaners or protectants.

EXTERIOR QUICK DETAILING

The number one concern most people have with quick detailing is scratching or dulling the paint. This is a genuine concern and warrants discussion.
Quick detailing your paint is perfectly safe if you follow a few cautionary measures:
•    Use only high quality microfiber buffing towels with a thick, plush nap
•    Use plenty of quick detailing spray
•    If in doubt, if you think your car might be too dirty, don't quick detail, wash it instead.

QUICK DETAILING PROCEDURE

Paint Condition: To prevent scratching and swirl marks, a Quick Detail Spray should not be used to clean large areas with heavy dirt. If in doubt or when heavy dirt is present, wash your vehicle with quality car wash shampoo.

Always use a high quality microfiber buffing towel and fold your towel into quarters.

Start at the top and work your way down to the lower surfaces of your car. Holding the Quick Detail Spray 12" to 15" away, lightly mist about a 2' by 2' area on the surface of your car with a Quick Detail Spray like the Ultima Detail Spray Plus, one of the Sonus Quick Detailing Sprays, Detailer's Pro Series Final Gloss Detailer, or Pinnacle Crystal Mist.


Gently wipe in a straight line back and forth , then flip the microfiber buffing towel and buff dry

As the surface of the microfiber buffing towel gets dirty, flip it to a clean side.

If needed, when all sides of the towel start to look a little dirty, switch to a fresh microfiber buffing towel.

Courtesy of autopia-carcare.com

Link: http://bit.ly/1joFrHZ

THE STAGE: An Iliad

Adapted by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare

Based on Homer's The Iliad

Translated by Robert Fagles

April 9-May 4, 2014

Performances:
Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 pm,
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm and
Sundays at 2:00 pm

“spellbinding...smartly conceived and impressively executed" — The New York Time

Poetry and humor, the ancient tale of the Trojan War and the modern world collide in this captivating theatrical experience. The lone figure onstage is a storyteller, who is fated to tell this story throught history.

5 Spectacular Roads You Need To Drive On

1. Rohtang Pass — Himachal Pradesh, India

2. Great Ocean Road — Victoria, Australia

3. Atlantic Ocean Road — Averøy, Norway

4. Hana Highway — Maui, Hawaii

5. Highway 99 “Sea to Sky Highway” — British Columbia, Canada

5 Roadside Attractions You Have to See!

We wanted to provide a quick list of roadside attractions around the U.S.A. On your next road trip take a look at some of these wonders if you are passing by!

1.  Ave Maria Grotto | Cullman, Alabama

The Benedictine monk of St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Ala., devoted some 50 years to the project. "To pass the time, I started hobbies," he once said. After he made 5,000 small grottoes, which were sold to support the abbey's work, Zoettl began work on his magnum opus, the Ave Maria Grotto. Today, spread out across three acres of the abbey's forested grounds, stand tiny replicas of St. Peter's Basilica, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the grotto of St. Theresa, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, an Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine, the Great Wall of China and miniature versions of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Rome, among others. He even crafted a mini St. Bernard's Abbey, complete with the abbey's power station where he once worked shoveling coal.


2. Carhenge | Alliance, Nebraska
 













On a 10-acre plot in Alliance, Neb., stands Carhenge — a monument that looks like the artistic offspring of Stonehenge and Cadillac Ranch. Envisioned by artist Jim Reinders in 1987, Carhenge is an arrangement of 38 autos, painted slate gray and placed in a formation mimicking England's medieval wonder.


3. Desert of Maine | Freeport, Maine

When you think of Maine, you think of fresh seafood, idyllic sunsets and endless blue water. So a desert is probably the farthest thing from your mind. But if you're around the Freeport area, this natural wonder is a must-see. Bad farming after 1797 led to soil erosion and the creation of natural desert-like conditions. Surrounded by green hills, this unlikely wonder covers nearly 50 acres and can be explored with 30-minute coach tours or on foot.


4. Lucy the Elephant | Margate City, New Jersey














Victorian speculator James V. Lafferty, who hit upon the idea of driving up interest in beachfront property he owned by constructing 'Lucy,' a building shaped like an elephant. Though 'zoomorphic architecture' failed to take off, Lucy became a popular tourist attraction, her belly serving variously as a restaurant, summer home and speakeasy. Though she fell into disrepair in the 1960s, Lucy was soon saved from the wrecking ball, moved onto public land and designated a National Historic Landmark.



5. The Blue Whale | Catoosa, Oklahoma














Drive along Route 66 through a pair of side-by-side bridges and you're bound to come across an even more bizarre sight: a famous beached whale. Built in the 1970s as an anniversary gift from one man to his wife, Oklahoma's grinning Blue Whale is 80 feet long, and rests in a pond that has since become a favorite watering hole for locals and passing travelers.


If you have a suggestion or a favorite roadside attraction, tell us and post a picture to our Facebook page!

Courtesy of Time.com

Link: http://ti.me/1gSfeMw

Maintenance Tip of the Day!

Hi friends! We're here to provide you with your car maintenance tip of the day. 

Buy gas at reputable service stations

Ask whether the gas you buy is filtered at the pump and if the station has a policy about changing the pump filters regularly. If you get a song and dance, find another gas station. Some stations don’t have pump filters, making you more vulnerable to dirty gasoline. Other stations may not mix alcohol and fuel properly — or worse, water down their product. Find a station you trust and stick to it.

 

Land Rover Legend Roger Crathorne ‘Heads For The Hills’ After 50 Years Service

Whitley, UK, 27 March 2014 - Roger Crathorne, one of the best known and most highly respected Land Rover employees for more than five decades, is retiring from the company.


From Royalty, VIP customers and senior military figures to journalists from all over the world, global explorers and countless generations of company management, Roger is known simply as 'Mr Land Rover'.


As an instructor, he has passed on his vast knowledge and experience of off-road driving in the world's most inhospitable regions to thousands of people; all with passion and patience. 
Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, commented: "Roger has been instrumental in the development and promotion of Land Rover's breadth of capabilities for over half a century. His enthusiasm, vehicle knowledge and his deep understanding of the philosophy of the company, right back to the beginning, is unsurpassed. Roger has been an outstanding advocate for Land Rover, and his contribution has undoubtedly played a part in the global success we are enjoying today. He will be missed and I wish him all the best for the future."


Roger joined Land Rover in 1963 as an apprentice, but the story of his association with the company starts even earlier than that. Roger was born in 1947 in Lode Lane, Solihull at the local hospital - less than a mile from the factory where, at the exact same time, the idea for the first Land Rover was being conceived. Appropriately, 'Born in Lode Lane' became the title of his memoir, published in 2008.


After serving 15 years in engineering, and being closely involved in the development of the first Range Rover, Roger's reputation as an off-road expert came to the fore in 1978 when he became head of the company's vehicle demonstration team. The team went on to become Land Rover Experience which itself celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year. The brief was simple - to showcase the outstanding off-road capabilities of Land Rover vehicles to people of influence.

Courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover Media: http://bit.ly/1hjdEYm

Read more by following the link above.

The Best 5 Road Trips in the USA

We wanted to present to you some ideas for a great road trip!

1. The Pacific Coast Highway:
 

1,700 miles along the Pacific Coast from southern California to Washington's Olympic Peninsula. The scenery is breathtaking with stops that include Hearst Castle, Big Sur, San Francisco, Point Reyes National Seashore, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and Olympic National Park. Open the windows and enjoy the fresh air as you drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and watch giant container ships glide underneath. 

 2. Florida State Highway A1A and the Overseas Highway:

 

This 600-mile trip traces Florida's Atlantic coastline from northeast of Jacksonville to Key West. Interesting stops along the way include St. Augustine, the oldest town in the U.S. (sort of); Daytona Beach, where you can drive on the beach; Canaveral National Seashore; and the John F. Kennedy Space Center. Highway A1A meets U.S. Highway 1 in Miami. Thus begins the scenic 127-mile drive on the Overseas Highway that boasts 42 bridges, including famed Seven Mile Bridge.

3. Newfound Gap Road/Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive:
 

This seamless, leisurely drive through three national parks offers some of the East Coast's most scenic landscapes. Newfound Gap Road (32 miles long) cuts across Great Smoky Mountain National Park and connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway (469 miles), which connects with Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive (105 miles). This wonderful drive is void of billboards, traffic lights, roadside trash, and speeding 18-wheelers.

4. U.S. Highway 2: 

The northernmost U.S. highway zigzags through mountain ranges, traverses the northern Great Plains, and swings around lakes as it connects Everett, Wash., with Houlton, Maine. The entire route, including a 700-mile stretch in Canada, covers 3,300 miles. In the West it crosses the North Cascades and the Rocky Mountains. In the East it meets the Green and White mountain ranges. In between it passes through small towns with local museums and inviting coffee shops. 

5. U.S. Highway 395: 

Connecting southern California with the Canadian border, this 1,300-mile drive traverses high deserts and mountain valleys through a large portion of the scenic West. The highway runs in a north-south direction through some of the most beautiful, but uncrowded sections of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. The best portion is arguably California's Owens Valley, which bisects two major mountain ranges.  

Courtesy of USA Today: http://usat.ly/1l5LsuP

How to Organize Spring Cleaning

Springtime is the traditional time to remove the winter blues from your home and make it ready for the long days of summer fun. It's also a good exercise in taking stock of your home and its contents. Just make sure that you share the work--and the credit for a job well done.

Instructions

1. Make a list of each room in the house that needs to be cleaned.
2. In each room, breakdown the individual items that need to be cleaned with a bulleted list. For instance, a kitchen might include refrigerator/freezer cleanup, silver tarnish, cabinet organizing, etc. This way, you can tackle each room piecemeal.
3. Do a double-check for items that exist independently of a specific room's list. For instance, filters in your air conditioning unit might be due for a change, or you gutters may be clogged with late winter's heavy rains.
4. Farm out responsibilities to the members of your family. If you have young children, you might give them something small to do.
5. Schedule a weekend for the spring cleaning. Make sure your family knows that this weekend is dedicated to cleaning.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the weakest cleaner first, then graduate to stronger solutions when needed. This way you're least likely to harm surfaces with harsh, inappropriate cleaners.
• Pop moist sponges in the microwave oven for 20 seconds to kill germs.
• Spring cleaning is also a great time to change out your wardrobe. Wash and pack away winter clothes, and break out the short sleeves and beach towels.
• Stock up on trash bags, boxes, cleaning supplies and rags.

(courtesy of eHow)

The Top Eight Check Engine Light Issues

Something none of us likes to see is the “Check Engine” light illuminating our dashboard. After the initial horror and disbelief, our thoughts turn to hoping it is not a major issue. And, the worst thing we can do is avoid seeing a mechanic right away – some issues just get worse if left unchecked. So, what is that little light telling you? Here are the top eight issues it could signaling you to address:

 

1. Oxygen sensor failing

Oxygen sensors keep engines performing at peak efficiency levels, and they manage emissions. O2 sensors monitor gasses leaving the engine. Engines need exact ratios of fuel and air for the most efficient operation. Malfunctions can drop your fuel economy by up to 40 percent. Engine performance is also negatively affected.

2. Ignition coil problems

Ignition coils take electric current from the battery and ignite the spark plugs. Without properly functioning coils and spark plugs, the electric current powering your car's engine are disrupted. All the parts in the car's electrical system take a lot of wear and tear from the electricity passing through them.

3. Spark plugs and spark plug wires

Along with the ignition coils, spark plugs and wires are critical components of the vehicle electrical system. Symptoms of problems with plugs and wires include rough engine idling, engine misses or pings, erratic engine power including power losses and power surges. When engines misfire, fuel economy drops. Ignoring spark plug and plug wire problems can permanently damage the car's catalytic converter, leading to very expensive repairs.

4. Mass airflow sensor malfunctions

The mass airflow sensor, or MAF, measures the air coming into the engine and calculating how much fuel to add to the mix. This data goes to the Engine Control Unit (ECU). Without correct information from the MAF, the ECU cannot correctly balance or deliver the right amount of fuel to your engine. The result is very poor engine performance and 10 to 25 percent decreases in fuel efficiency. Replace this critical component immediately if it begins to fail.

5. Faulty vacuum hose or evaporative emission control system

The evaporative emission control system (EVAP) of a car keeps gasoline vapors from the fuel system and gas tank from release into the air. Leaking vacuum hoses and vents, defective valves and faulty
gas caps all contribute to EVAP system problems.

6. Exhaust gas recirculation valve and ports are dirty

The exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR) controls your car's emissions and helps cars run more efficiently. Rough idling, engine hesitation and misfires can indicate an EGR problem. Worsening performance and fuel economy often result from EGR problems. Often the components of the EGR system are dirty or clogged.

7. Catalytic converter failures

Catalytic converters are often the most expensive mechanical repairs made to vehicles. As a part of the exhaust system, it converts dangerous chemicals in car exhaust into less harmful compounds to release into the air. Catalytic converters should last for the lifetime of the car. Most problems with catalytic converters come from underlying problems such as those that occur with bad spark plugs or ignition coil problems.

8. Dead battery and charging system problems

Most cars have computer systems that monitor voltage in the electrical and battery systems. The computers activate the check engine light when anything appears amiss in the charging system of the car. High temperatures in the engine compartment contribute to rapid aging of batteries.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8211449