Color them contented: Story on trip on U.S. 395 inspires them to hop in the car

Mike James’ story on U.S. 395 inspired us to immediately take a road trip [“On the 395? Stop!,” Sept. 24. The picture of Red Rock Canyon State Park was the draw.

Thanks so much for a great three-day trip. Keep suggestions like this coming our way.

We saw the article on the front page of the Travel section about the Finger Lakes [“Fall for Finger Lakes,” by Margo Pfeiff, Oct. 1] and said, “Oh, oh, we may need to go to upstate New York!”

Kathy and Ron Stecher

Upland

A lift for Ontario airport

Thanks for covering Ontario airport in the Oct. 1 On the Spot [“Ontario Looking Up as its Fares Drop,” by Catharine Hamm]. We live in Glendora and used it often, but the flight prices went up and up. And some airlines pulled out.

It is so much closer, so much easier, so much more pleasant than the extremely crowded LAX.

But guess what? We fly many times a year and nearly always out of LAX, which has infinitely more flight times and cheaper fares. We’ve tried Orange County, Burbank and Long Beach, but there is nothing like Ontario.

We really, really hope Ontario can begin to compete again.

Janet and Don Campbell

Glendora

Kamakura sights

I have made numerous business trips to Yokohama and Tokyo, and a favorite weekend day trip for me has been to go to Kamakura [“Slip Away From Tokyo,” by Andrew Bender, Sept. 24].

I have been to see the Daibutsu (giant Buddha) twice and still marvel at its structure. Visitors can go inside through a doorway in its side.

What is remarkable about it is that it was created in the mid-13th century, yet the technology involved in making it is unbelievable. It’s not a set of single-piece castings laid on top of each other, but is actually a structure of scores of pieces of bronze that have been somehow welded together.

Given when it was built, imagine the ingenuity and creativity needed to envision how to join and transform the individual pieces of bronze into a life-like, giant structure of a Buddha.

Among the many interesting temples in Kamakura is one that I call the “money-laundering temple.” It’s in a cave up a hilly street. People go there to wash their currency in water from a spring for good luck, thus “laundering” their money.

Emanuel R. Baker

Los Angeles

Early-bird flier

My opinion and experience differs from that of the letter writer who preferred to avoid early-bird flights [Feedback, Oct. 1].

In recent years, I have scheduled departures for 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. for LAX Southwest flights, finding curbside check-in taking only 10 to 15 minutes.

John Loggins

Rancho Palos Verdes

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