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Who Do You Trust?

Posted by Tim at 08:52 on 2009/07/18

Jul 182009

Greetings from Canadia! We made it to Calgary yesterday afternoon. [Turns out it was cheaper to fly to Calgary and drive down than it was to fly to Montana and rent the RV there. We just needed to factor dealing with customs into the plan as far as getting and transporting food across the border. Anyway...] The weather forecast is calling for the hottest day of the year! Thirty-one degrees! Of course that’s degrees Celcius, but it reminds me of a story that I have probably told before. [You don't really think that's going to stop me from repeating it do you?]

A few years ago I was in Calgary. We were going up to Banff and Jasper that time. The morning after our arrival we had the TV on while getting ready and the weather report called for the temperature to be “soaring up to 35 degrees!” To my ear that sounded really odd. It took me several seconds for that to register that, of course, it was 35 C. And another several seconds to make a mental estimate of the conversion. Damn, that really is hot! So today may be the hottest day of the year so far, but it’s no 35….

I am also saddened to hear the news of the passing of Walter Cronkite. I always liked him. Even though I’ve never been a news hound I’ve really come to appreciate how good he really was by contrasting with how bad TV news has gotten since he retired. [I briefly considered selling T-shirts with the caption, "I'd Rather Not," under Dan's face with the universal red circle/slash -- is there a name for that thing? Seems like I should know. Anyway...]

We pick up the RV today and we’re off to Waterton. Did you know that Canada has a National Park adjacent to Glacier NP in the States? Well, they do. And that’s where we are heading first. The rest of the week we’ll be south of the border [meaning back in the U.S.]. Don’t worry, I’ll take notes. And photos, of course. I know that’s what you really want anyway. I’ll shut up now.

There’s no automatic spell-check on this hotel computer and I’m road-weary so be kind if I’ve got mistakes here. Point them out and I’ll fix them later. BTW, “Canadia” in the greeting was on purpose. No offense intended. Look for a couple ghost posts this week; I don’t know whether I’ll have access before I get home. Be well!

All I Want is a Piece of Ice

Posted by Tim at 01:20 on 2009/07/16

Jul 162009

I’m off [yeah, always a little off] to see Glacier National Park in Montana. I may not be near interwebs access for a week or so. But I may schedule a ghost post or two to publish next week anyway. Hope all is well with you!

I plan to have lots of photos to share when I get back.

Little Big Hike

Posted by Tim at 22:49 on 2009/03/02

Mar 022009

Saturday we had an unseasonably warm 80+ degrees. Yesterday morning a cold front blew through bringing some rain and unseasonably cool high temperatures in the low 60s. This is winter in central Florida and I am not missing the snow that is blanketing the northern climes one little bit.

We took advantage of the pleasant weather by hiking one of the trails by the Little Econ.

Little Econ

We saw this little critter on the trail.

When I was in college I had a professor at Eastern Kentucky that told us he worked his way through school by coming down south and getting armadillos. Then he would take them back home and sell them as ‘possums on the half shell.

An Hour Away from Ridin’ on Your Prayers Up in the Sky

Posted by Tim at 16:57 on 2009/01/07

Jan 072009

Driving between central Florida and Louisville usually takes between 13 and 15 hours, depending on traffic, weather, and how tired I am. Still, I am able to make it in a single day. So far.

About half the trip is through Georgia. It occurred to me recently that on most of these drives I am in Georgia when the sun sets. “The sun sets in Georgia” seems to have a ring to it. Maybe a song title? I don’t know.

In my car, alone, is just about the only place I sing. Out loud. Sometimes really loud. Be grateful you aren’t there to hear it. Of course, if you were there I wouldn’t be singing so you wouldn’t hear it. Never mind.

There are a few CDs that I listen to on almost every long drive. Some songs that I know will make me laugh. Some that bring me to the verge of tears. [Not that I would ever really cry while I'm driving because of some stupid song because that would be... stupid. And unmanly.]

I have spent almost half my life [so far] in Florida. [You know the difference between uranium and me? Uranium has a half-life more than I do. bah-DUM-bum] With the current state of the economy, this is a terrible time to think about changing jobs or moving. But I do. Think about it.

Oh, hello. Nothing to see here. Move along now.

Alaska Laughs*

Posted by Tim at 21:21 on 2008/11/21

Nov 212008

*This is NOT a political post. I finished those up back here.

I am reminiscing about my summer trip to Alaska… because it’s colder here this week than it was there in June and because I think I would rather be anywhere but here right now and because can’t we all use a laugh [or threee]? And I’m not going to write anything about the fact that I was in Wasilla briefly, except that I was and had no idea their governor was from there….

ONE:
In Denali, there are lots of shrubs on the tundra. We noticed that the bark was eaten away on them several feet off the ground. Naturally, we wondered if the moose or elk eat the bark in addition to the foliage. We saw tons of snowshoe hares but, unless there were mutants that were MUCH larger there was no way they could be responsible for munching at that height. What we had failed to consider was the snow. Since we were there in June, most of the snow was gone. But it was indeed the hares that had eaten the bark while they were standing on several feet of snow. And as the snow melts, they eat lower and lower off the shrubs. And [are you ready for this?] we learned that the tour bus drivers refer to that area of the bark being munched as a receding hare line.

TWO:
After spending three days in a mostly primitive campground we went to the Mercantile Laundry and Shower Facility [and Dump Station, but that's another story...] because showers could be had for $4.00 each — real showers with hot running water, which after three days we needed. So the deal is you go into the Riley Creek Mercantile Camper Convenience Store and pay the money and they give you a key to one of the shower stalls and a towel. So the three of us [is the number three popping up an unusual number of times in this post?] went in and I say to the clerk, “We want three showers.” And he says to me, “Will they be together or separate?” … … … … “Um, we each want one…” … “Do you want me to ring them up together or separately?” Whew! So the question wasn’t as personal as I thought…. [We were three single men vacationing together -- is there something weird about that?]

THREEE:
When we went climbing on the glacier there was a guy in our group that was going to be best man at a wedding the next day. [The next day being June 21 -- summer solstice, which you need to know for the punchline to make sense. I hope this does not ruin it for you....] He knew that he needed to make a toast at the reception, but did not know for sure what he wanted to say. I suggested, “If you thought today was the longest day, just wait till you’ve experienced a day of being married….” Really, sometimes I slay myself. [And really, is it any surprise that I am still single? You don't need to answer that....]

Laugh, laugh, laugh….

Summer Song Refrain

Posted by Tim at 22:44 on 2008/08/05

Aug 052008

I made one of my semiannual treks to Louisville a couple weeks ago. The whirring of the cicadas filled the air. There are lots more cicadas where I grew up than where I live now. Their song is part of the soundtrack of my youth. [There are more lightning bugs there too, but that's another story....]

Elizabethtown is about an hour south of Louisville. [We always call it E-town, not that it matters....] The Cameron Crowe movie [supposedly] based there was pretty mediocre in my opinion. I found the errors in geography especially distracting.

[rant]Yeah, I know… movies require suspension of disbelief. I suppose exit 60-B was intended to be a comic device. (And it’s really exit 94 anyway; you can even see that in the film.) But Drew (Orlando Bloom) didn’t miss an exit so much as he drove in the wrong direction! I guess taking a wrong turn out of the airport is not as funny as missing an exit later…. And cute young flight attendants that give out their phone numbers to help with directions? Now that’s southern hospitality! I would say that I clearly fly the wrong airlines but you could as easily point out that I am clearly nowhere near as good looking as Orlando Bloom….[end rant]

Anyway, when Drew stepped out of his car after [finally] making his way into E-town the cicadas were there in force. It sounded just like home. “Wow. He nailed that,” I remember thinking at the time. And then… well you’ve probably seen it already. At least it had a good soundtrack.

Summer Song

Posted by Tim at 21:05 on 2008/08/04

Aug 042008

When spring yields to summer, insects renew their annual concerts. Warm evenings bring cricket chirps — their frequency an unofficial, but accurate, thermometer. June bugs and bumble bees buzz around sunny days and katydids chime in with their urgent tirades. “Katy did… Katy didn’t….”

Come the dog days cicadas are in full “voice”, their whirring almost constant. Their cacophony is truly deafening. Ounce for ounce, I suppose they must be the loudest creatures on earth. Anatomy is all that keeps the bullfrogs from hanging their heads in shame…. [A few species of cicadas are notorious for a 17-year life cycle. After all those years underground they emerge to mate and die in a few short weeks. But there are many more species with life cycles of only one year or a few years.]

At dusk, the light show starts. Lightning bugs blink in the failing light. Deepening shadows fill in and before you know it the show has moved higher — stars peer down and chase away the last outrageous rays of the sun. And still the cicadas insist, “Here here here here here here here here here here….” Pick me.

Anchorage Aweigh

Posted by Tim at 23:05 on 2008/07/24

Jul 242008

Finishing the story I started here, here, here, here, and here:

On Friday we returned the RV and checked into a hotel. We walked around the nearby airport and rented bikes for 24 hours. I rented one with an electronic assist — I had banged up my knees a bit on the ice and the motor helped even though none of the hills were especially steep.

The city has a decent trail system, especially the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. We rode out to Earthquake Park and back before supper.

When we were in Anchorage two years ago we were directed to what I’m sure is the best Italian restaurant in town, Fiori D’italia. It was within walking distance and we made a point of returning to it. I had a halibut parmesan, one of the house specialties that was too yummy for words.

We tooled around the city for a while with a friend-of-a-friend. We visited Alaska Wild Berry Products, home [they claim] of the world’s largest chocolate waterfall. Sadly, it is just for show; no dipping or samples. But they did have free samples available of many of their confections. Yummy.

After returning to our hotel we took a midnight bike ride from the Coastal Trail partway across the Chester Creek Greenbelt. We had time for another brief ride in the morning (in a light drizzling rain) before returning the bikes and heading for the airport.

All in all it was a good trip. Alaska has a rugged beauty that I find very attractive and even a “big city” like Anchorage has a small-town feel to it. The state is so large and I’ve seen just a small part of it, but I’ve had a good variety of activities. This has been just a summary of the trip, of course, and given half a chance I still have stories to tell. Just not today.

Where would you like to go?

The Coolest

Posted by Tim at 10:49 on 2008/07/23

Jul 232008

Continuing the story I started here, here, here, and here:

The Mat-Su valley is a glacial valley rimmed by the Chugach Mountains, Talkeetna Mountains, and the Alaska Range. The name comes from the Matanuska and Susitna Rivers, two glacial streams that empty into Cook Inlet near Anchorage. We started our journey on the Susitna side of the valley and we were winding down on the Matanuska side. On the glacier.

Leaving Hatcher Pass we went through Palmer and then northeast to the Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site. We had a reservation with MICA Guides for a day of climbing.

I have walked on a glacier before (in the Canadian Rockies) and I’ve seen a glacier calving (near Seward, AK) [that was really cool btw], but I was a little nervous about climbing on one. We had assurances from the guides that it is a challenge well within the reach of beginners though. And it’s not like we were summiting Denali. Our longest climb was no more than 50 feet or so.

It is a strenuous activity — mostly because it takes a while for someone as naturally unathletic as I am to learn the proper technique. But it is something that pretty much anyone can do and I liked it enough that I would do it again. Of course, it helped that we had absolutely gorgeous weather that day — clear skies and temps in the 70s. (Although it was cooler than that on the humongous block of solid ice, I was not cold at all that day.) And our guides did a good job.

The scenery was breathtaking.

And I did alright.

Overall, it was the best part of the trip. But we weren’t quite through….

The Fever

Posted by Tim at 12:20 on 2008/07/21

Jul 212008

Continuing the story I started here, here, and here:

We had to get some gas by the time we left the park, but with prices like these sticker shock we decided not to fill the tank just yet. After Denali we took a brief side-trip to Talkeetna. If you’re not going to summit the mountain or hire a plane for a fly-over, you can skip this town in my opinion.

We traveled back down the Mat-Su valley then north of Palmer to Hatcher Pass and Independence Mine. Hatcher Pass actually cuts through the Talkeetna Mountains and would have been a shorter distance to drive except that it’s closed to traffic most of the year and even then is not suitable for driving an RV.

The area around Independence Mine is gorgeous with several hiking trails and a couple campgrounds. It was a lot less crowded than Denali. The park includes historical displays, a museum/gift shop, a few maintained buildings, and several ramshackle buildings.

Independence Mine

We had another midnight hike this time on the Gold Mint Trail that parallels the Little Susitna River. The whole trail is nine miles one way up to the glacier that feeds the river so we hiked a small fraction of it. Near the trailhead it’s well-maintained and easy hiking. We saw several beaver lodges along the way and watched one beaver patrolling his domain.

beaver

The next day we spent some time in the park opting for a self-guided tour. Then with pans (loaned for free from the gift shop) we spent a couple hours panning for gold. The chances of finding any real gold are pretty remote, but it was still fun (and you are allowed to keep the gold if you find any!). Our hearts beat faster a few times when we saw fools gold sparkling in the pan but our dreams of paying for the trip were in vein. [smirk]

panning

We really enjoyed the Hatcher Pass area, but the coolest part of the trip was yet to come….

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otoh

Random Quote:

Who Do You Trust?

All I Want is a Piece of Ice

Little Big Hike

An Hour Away from Ridin’ on Your Prayers Up in the Sky

Alaska Laughs*

Summer Song Refrain

Summer Song

Anchorage Aweigh

The Coolest

The Fever

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