Slightly OT: HoHumYNWA out & about

Friday afternoon (06/09) did something somewhat different - had to make a trip down to Fresno.

The drive is mostly highway (Hwy-99) so I figure the 64-mile ride should take about 60 - 75 min. It took longer, about 100 min. Though there is always some type of road construction on Hwy-99, that was not the cause of my delay. No, Hwy-99 alternates between two-lane and three-lane road for major stretches (and four lanes in certain sections e.g. near major cities), so traffic jams up at various points. In particular, any three-lane to two-lane section.

My trip was car-related, so I figured I would end up in a car focused area (either car repair related or used car sales locations). Nope, I ended up on the edge of agricultural & light industrial. After I settle my car related business, I opted to explore “the edge of Fresno” by opting for a different route to Hwy-41. This “edge-of-Fresno” has lots of warehouses, including a huge Amazon location & a Sikh temple.

Got back on Hwy-41, and transfer to Hwy-99, and encounter the traffic mess plus some element of home-bound commuter traffic. About 6 miles up the road in slow moving highway traffic, an unusual road sign caught my attention - a curry location at the next exit.

Turns out the exit led to a TA Travel Center, which hosted multiple eateries, including this curry business in one building. Besides the eateries, there was a dog park area, shower facilities for drivers, fuel stations for cars and … a row of Tesla charging stations (about half the 12 spots were occupied).

Got back on Hwy-99, and decided on another detour. Exited in Madera, drove past that ARCO station (many many years ago I stopped at the location which had 15 - 20 drink dispensing spigots available), and through the city of Madera. Hwy-145 used to be a somewhat boring driving section between Madera and one of my intended destinations (either Yosemite NP or a tribal casino). Lots more interesting stuff on this drive - more homes on one quadrant of the Hwy-145/Hwy-41 junction, the Madera Wine trail
OUR REGION | Madera Wine Trail (themaderawinetrail.com)

and onto my planned destination – a tribal casino (Chukchansi). Location has gone from a smallish casino with one restaurant, to this massive complex that includes a hotel, casino with a huge gaming area and multiple eating options, built on a mountain side. A little downhill from there is a gas station with a Sonic fast-food outlet. Played a few hours, and walked away from casino about break-even Yay!

Could have returned on the same route I used to get to the casino. Instead I went into Coarsegold proper, and onto Oakhurst, to join Hwy-49. At 1:30 AM, it was amusing to drive 49 mph on Hwy-49 for some miles, then exit at the butterfly i.e. Mariposa. The town is bustling with some activity during daylight hours (at least when I have visited prior), but really quiet after hours. Mariposa was my exit because I wanted to connect with Hwy-140, which would get me home.

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Sounds like a great drive.

Heard on NPR Asian Indians are major in the trucking business. Dumbas spelling? are Indian food cafeterias along most of the US truck stops now.

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An Indian restaurant off a freeway/highway exit is certainly quite a “rare” sighting. Though, not as much to me - as this location is now the third that I know – the other two are off CA I-5 exits (down South there is an Indian restaurant in Buttonwillow, while up North there is an Indian restaurant in Yreka, close to the border with OR). The latter has a couple of highway signs promoting the business.

Getting caught up on this item–
Indian Dhabas reimagining roadside truck stops (newsnationnow.com)

Had no idea that there were that many US truck drivers with Indian origins.

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I did not know either till a few days ago NPR told about this.

Webpage related to the TA where I stopped.
TA Madera | Travel Centers of America (ta-petro.com)

Did not realize that BP had purchased TravelCenters of America (TA)?

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I had heard they sold but did not know either.

Oh and the Indian cantinas are supposed to be the closest to Indian home cooking in the country.