My trip to
Oh well. Maybe I'll have more to say next year but I doubt I'll get out to the wild for more than some hiking for the remainder of this year. Stay strong, everybody. Hopefully things will turn around.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The painful economics of camping
You know, you set down to write a blog and suddenly you discover, you just don't have the time. At the end of the day, the economy happened. Time for camping, blogging and just about everything else I was interested in doing has been replaced with trying to keep a job and, as my company failed, then trying to find a job. It's a mess out there, folks, and I pity anybody who isn't setup with steady work right now.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Going Camping in Style
Well it's finally happened, folks. I'm going camping! Sort-of. My cousin in Georgia asked me invited me into town. Actually, she invited me to go on a fishing trip with her husband, Rick. Rick's a good guy and we've hit lakes before but this will be our first overnight fishing trip and I'm really looking forward to it. The drive down isn't going to be all that great, but it'll be nice to be away from civilization for a while so it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
I'd planned on flying down but Rick asked me to bring my truck. He went camping with me once before and loved my rig. I have a Ford F150 and a tent rig that goes over the back. Even includes a "walk in" space off the back of the truck and you sleep in the bed of the truck.
On our last trip in West Virginia, we got hammered by some rain but the raised truck bed kept us nice and dry. Only problem was we slept on blankets and that cold truck bed chilled us down a bit. This year I'm going to get an air mattress and I'm hoping to pick it up on my way tomorrow. I was reading about air mattress beds at a site (linked should you be interested) and there's a post on the site about a pretty good mattress that packs down tight like one of the self inflating models I bought over the winter but it's thick enough like a guest air mattress. If the dimensions fit, Rick and I'll be livin' large!
Those of you who own pickups or suv's should check these tents out. They're a great way of extending the room of your vechicle into a functional camping option. There are a couple companies that make these things but I picked up my tent from tentsontrucks.com. I'll write more about them when I get back from my trip.
I'm starting out tomorrow. Pray the rain's all through down there and I'll let you know how the trip goes.
I'd planned on flying down but Rick asked me to bring my truck. He went camping with me once before and loved my rig. I have a Ford F150 and a tent rig that goes over the back. Even includes a "walk in" space off the back of the truck and you sleep in the bed of the truck.
On our last trip in West Virginia, we got hammered by some rain but the raised truck bed kept us nice and dry. Only problem was we slept on blankets and that cold truck bed chilled us down a bit. This year I'm going to get an air mattress and I'm hoping to pick it up on my way tomorrow. I was reading about air mattress beds at a site (linked should you be interested) and there's a post on the site about a pretty good mattress that packs down tight like one of the self inflating models I bought over the winter but it's thick enough like a guest air mattress. If the dimensions fit, Rick and I'll be livin' large!
Those of you who own pickups or suv's should check these tents out. They're a great way of extending the room of your vechicle into a functional camping option. There are a couple companies that make these things but I picked up my tent from tentsontrucks.com. I'll write more about them when I get back from my trip.
I'm starting out tomorrow. Pray the rain's all through down there and I'll let you know how the trip goes.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Happy Camper
Well, gang, I'm not much of one for pointless flag waving or getting all excited at the least little thing, but I'm damn proud of my country today. If you haven't heard the news, a few Navy Seals killed some pirates. 3 shots, 3 dead scumbags. And they pulled this off from the back of one buckin' boat while shooting targets on another buckin' boat. And, no, there's nothing here about camping today. That's not the story.
This is a classic American story. It's the kind of "tough-guy" image we've always held but have recently failed to uphold. That's not that there aren't plenty heroes here today. They brave the streets in foreign lands proudly wearing a uniform every day. They land planes in the Hudson and get everybody off alive. We have plenty heroes. But, more and more, it seems that the bleeding hearts carry the news and make us more and more a paper tiger.
And before you get your panties in a wad, I don't have a problem with liberals. I have a problem with the extreme left. Just like I have a problem with the extreme right. Anybody who thinks they can force their particular belief on others strikes me as worthless and that's about all you see on the news these days. If you're on the extreme side of anything, you aren't politically viable. You're just opinionated and vocal.
We've lost a lot this decade; from our false sense of security on 9/11 to our civil liberties after 9/11. Yeah, that's right…, a conservative who feels that condoning torture was always a betrayal of what made our country great. But bowing to every liberal butt-kissing philosophy is just as bad (as is an American president bowing to a foreign leader).
What happened in those waters off Somalia shows that America is still a can-do nation. That we take care of our own and we're the baddest son's of bitches on the earth. And that's the way you do it. By showing we won't be pushed around. Not by bullying. Not by forcing our agendas and politics on others but by proving over and over that honor, nobility and bravery are not dead or outdated concepts but the very things that all nations should strive towards.
So I'm off topic again. Nothing in this post about camping, but it is about the strength and greatness this country has always had if it would just chose to recognize and embrace it. A single great man sacrificed himself to save his crew. A small band of great men ensured that sacrifice didn't go further than it needed. And a bunch of scumbags, in whom there was neither nobility of character or purpose, got exactly what they deserved.
God bless America.
This is a classic American story. It's the kind of "tough-guy" image we've always held but have recently failed to uphold. That's not that there aren't plenty heroes here today. They brave the streets in foreign lands proudly wearing a uniform every day. They land planes in the Hudson and get everybody off alive. We have plenty heroes. But, more and more, it seems that the bleeding hearts carry the news and make us more and more a paper tiger.
And before you get your panties in a wad, I don't have a problem with liberals. I have a problem with the extreme left. Just like I have a problem with the extreme right. Anybody who thinks they can force their particular belief on others strikes me as worthless and that's about all you see on the news these days. If you're on the extreme side of anything, you aren't politically viable. You're just opinionated and vocal.
We've lost a lot this decade; from our false sense of security on 9/11 to our civil liberties after 9/11. Yeah, that's right…, a conservative who feels that condoning torture was always a betrayal of what made our country great. But bowing to every liberal butt-kissing philosophy is just as bad (as is an American president bowing to a foreign leader).
What happened in those waters off Somalia shows that America is still a can-do nation. That we take care of our own and we're the baddest son's of bitches on the earth. And that's the way you do it. By showing we won't be pushed around. Not by bullying. Not by forcing our agendas and politics on others but by proving over and over that honor, nobility and bravery are not dead or outdated concepts but the very things that all nations should strive towards.
So I'm off topic again. Nothing in this post about camping, but it is about the strength and greatness this country has always had if it would just chose to recognize and embrace it. A single great man sacrificed himself to save his crew. A small band of great men ensured that sacrifice didn't go further than it needed. And a bunch of scumbags, in whom there was neither nobility of character or purpose, got exactly what they deserved.
God bless America.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Oh Come On, Already!
Two months ago I was anxious for winter to move on out. Last month I enjoyed a couple teaser days in the high sixties before less enjoyable temperatures reasserted themselves. Well, spring is finally here and, rather than camping, I'm still huddled in layers of clothing only now it's raining, too. The title of this post represents the precise words that came out of my mouth when, just one day after some promising sun and warmth, I glanced out the window for probably the 18th time today to see it still raining.
And not the kind of rain we enjoy, either. It isn't full of power and emotion like a summer thunderstorm. Oh, no. Wouldn't want something that, while still inconvenient, we could at least label as "cool." No, this is that half-assed, persistant, non-stop, dreary, mind-numbing, depressing kind of rain that makes you want to slash your wrists if you're even mildly predisposed to depression.
And it doesn't help that I'm soon to be unemployed. Don't worry, I'm not about to cry about it. I'm support staff for a large company that's selling all its business units and I've been in the industry long enough to know that we're always the first to go. But I'm hardly alone in this economy and the last thing the blogosphere needs is another crying unemployed idiot who was dumb enough to believe that hard work and corporate loyalty would somehow pay off. Kids, it doesn't. Hard work is its own reward and you should reserve loyalty for your friends and family. You'll certainly never get it returned by a company.
But my point is, with looming unemployment and crap weather that seems determined not to let go at all costs, I'm reaching the end of my rope. I just want a warm, sunny day full of singing birds and a dash of hope on a gentle breeze. I want to be outside enjoying nature without being sopping wet and miserable while I'm doing it. And I want it yesterday.
So to all of you suffering the same frustration, the same wavering hope, the same sinking sensation in your souls, I say; hang on. Just a little while longer. There's a job out there for us if we work hard enough for it. It won't rain forever. And spring..., not chronological spring but real spring full of flowers and sunlight and critters chirping as they get naughty with one another, is right around the corner. Do what I'm going to do and repack your camping gear. Inventory everything and make a list of what you'd like to update, add or improve.
Then go look out the window again (for the 19th time now) and grumble a bit.
And not the kind of rain we enjoy, either. It isn't full of power and emotion like a summer thunderstorm. Oh, no. Wouldn't want something that, while still inconvenient, we could at least label as "cool." No, this is that half-assed, persistant, non-stop, dreary, mind-numbing, depressing kind of rain that makes you want to slash your wrists if you're even mildly predisposed to depression.
And it doesn't help that I'm soon to be unemployed. Don't worry, I'm not about to cry about it. I'm support staff for a large company that's selling all its business units and I've been in the industry long enough to know that we're always the first to go. But I'm hardly alone in this economy and the last thing the blogosphere needs is another crying unemployed idiot who was dumb enough to believe that hard work and corporate loyalty would somehow pay off. Kids, it doesn't. Hard work is its own reward and you should reserve loyalty for your friends and family. You'll certainly never get it returned by a company.
But my point is, with looming unemployment and crap weather that seems determined not to let go at all costs, I'm reaching the end of my rope. I just want a warm, sunny day full of singing birds and a dash of hope on a gentle breeze. I want to be outside enjoying nature without being sopping wet and miserable while I'm doing it. And I want it yesterday.
So to all of you suffering the same frustration, the same wavering hope, the same sinking sensation in your souls, I say; hang on. Just a little while longer. There's a job out there for us if we work hard enough for it. It won't rain forever. And spring..., not chronological spring but real spring full of flowers and sunlight and critters chirping as they get naughty with one another, is right around the corner. Do what I'm going to do and repack your camping gear. Inventory everything and make a list of what you'd like to update, add or improve.
Then go look out the window again (for the 19th time now) and grumble a bit.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
A Different Take on Hiking
If you've spent any time in Germany, you may have learned that, aside from passion for beer, Germans also have a passion for the outdoors and hiking in particular. In fact, they're so passionate about it that they even have a different type of hiking called a Volksmarch. Spend enough time there and you'll be surprised at how many amazing scenic places you will see in the course of a year of attending weekend volksmarches.
A volksmarch is basically an organized hike. Associations sponsor them and they range from 10-20K marches. The routes are preset by the organizers and you pay an entry fee at the start of the march. Routes often travel through beautiful countryside, amazing forests, mountains, quaint towns and villages and beautiful farm trails running by orchards. It's an amazing way to get outdoors and experience the wilderness while enjoying the company of others.
Unlike hiking here in the US where getting away from it all and seeking an escape from others is often the motivator, Volksmarches are social events in which friends and families cater both to their wanderlust but do so socially. The midpoints of the longer hikes often have a hiking rest facility where a temporary station might serve up beer, soda, brats and fries. The end of the event is often the beginning of further festivities including more beers and brats. If there's no facility to provide it, fellow volksmarchers are likely to plan a reconvene at a nearby bar or restaurant to continue getting to know eachother better.
There aren't many organizations popularizing this form of hiking in the US, but there's no reason why you and your family can't plan your own volksmarch. The most enjoyable element of hiking like this is that it doesn't require you traveling to the nearest national park. In fact, it's a great way to get to know your own neighborhood and surroundings. Just pack a light pack with some snacks and drinks and start wandering. The outdoors await and if you don't have time for a camping trip, this is just the thing to appeal to your need to be outside despite a shoestring budget and little time to spare.
A volksmarch is basically an organized hike. Associations sponsor them and they range from 10-20K marches. The routes are preset by the organizers and you pay an entry fee at the start of the march. Routes often travel through beautiful countryside, amazing forests, mountains, quaint towns and villages and beautiful farm trails running by orchards. It's an amazing way to get outdoors and experience the wilderness while enjoying the company of others.
Unlike hiking here in the US where getting away from it all and seeking an escape from others is often the motivator, Volksmarches are social events in which friends and families cater both to their wanderlust but do so socially. The midpoints of the longer hikes often have a hiking rest facility where a temporary station might serve up beer, soda, brats and fries. The end of the event is often the beginning of further festivities including more beers and brats. If there's no facility to provide it, fellow volksmarchers are likely to plan a reconvene at a nearby bar or restaurant to continue getting to know eachother better.
There aren't many organizations popularizing this form of hiking in the US, but there's no reason why you and your family can't plan your own volksmarch. The most enjoyable element of hiking like this is that it doesn't require you traveling to the nearest national park. In fact, it's a great way to get to know your own neighborhood and surroundings. Just pack a light pack with some snacks and drinks and start wandering. The outdoors await and if you don't have time for a camping trip, this is just the thing to appeal to your need to be outside despite a shoestring budget and little time to spare.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Made in America Camping Products - Tektite Lights
In sticking with the theme of my original post in which I lambaste Americans for our disloyalty to our country in our constant quest for cheap (in all senses of the word) products cheaply made elsewhere, I'd like to introduce you to one company that still does it the old fashioned way… at home. Tektite is a US company which manufactures rugged LED flashlights, dive lights, tactical lights and markers. Their products are made here at home. I'm not only an advocate, I'm a customer.
My first Tektite product was a dive marker which, years later, still occupies a loving space on my dive vest. It has experienced rough treatment and weathered it well. My next Tektite product was a dive light which has also outlasted the majority of my dive equipment. This light is so dependable that I take it with me on camping trips. I never worry that it will get water-logged and have not only dropped it in water on camping trips, I even used it to hunt out a set of lost car keys in 3 feet of water at night!
As you hunt for camping equipment that is made in the USA, you may find yourself frustrated by the limited availability out there. Folks, I promise that if you buy more made in America products, they'll make more made in America products. One begets the other. By supporting the home team, you encourage home growth. It's something we need as a nation.
So before you set out on your next camping trip, check that old Made in China lamp you've been lugging around. Is it cracked or worn? Does it look like it's been through hell and back? Well then UPGRADE to a product that not only promotes America but with which you're sure to be happy. Tektite isn't just a patriotic company, they are also the makers of some of the best LED lighting solutions you're likely to find. Quality and Country. What more could you ask for?
My first Tektite product was a dive marker which, years later, still occupies a loving space on my dive vest. It has experienced rough treatment and weathered it well. My next Tektite product was a dive light which has also outlasted the majority of my dive equipment. This light is so dependable that I take it with me on camping trips. I never worry that it will get water-logged and have not only dropped it in water on camping trips, I even used it to hunt out a set of lost car keys in 3 feet of water at night!
As you hunt for camping equipment that is made in the USA, you may find yourself frustrated by the limited availability out there. Folks, I promise that if you buy more made in America products, they'll make more made in America products. One begets the other. By supporting the home team, you encourage home growth. It's something we need as a nation.
So before you set out on your next camping trip, check that old Made in China lamp you've been lugging around. Is it cracked or worn? Does it look like it's been through hell and back? Well then UPGRADE to a product that not only promotes America but with which you're sure to be happy. Tektite isn't just a patriotic company, they are also the makers of some of the best LED lighting solutions you're likely to find. Quality and Country. What more could you ask for?
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
What's Wrong with America?!
What the hell is wrong with this country? The egos. That's what's driving me insane. America, our economy is in shambles, the majority of the world is pissed at us, we are incapable of manufacturing just about anything ourselves and we're so bad with money that we can't survive unless there are people (and countries) out there willing to lend us money. Oh, and we might as well add Property of the People's Republic of China to the Declaration of Independence.
Is this where we wanted it to go? Is this what our forefathers envisioned for us? Is this the freedom they envisioned when they fought and died to drag us out from under the boot of tyranny... that we'd just sell our souls to new debtors in a different foreign land? We're a bit like teenagers. No, strike that, we're exactly like teenagers. We're a nation of pimply-faced whiners who are bad with money, can't manage our debt, are dependent on others for just about everything we own and yet still run around with an overdeveloped sense of entitlement and undeserved pride.
About the only things we as a nation have left to be proud of are our freedoms, our nation's natural beauty and the men and women willing to fight and die for us. And, folks, that's not enough! Why? Because our freedoms mean nothing if we're handing them away to foreign debtors. Our nation's natural beauty exists whether we're here or not, not to mention the fact that we're rapidly destroying what little of that beauty we have left. And the men and women of our armed services should NEVER be asked to sacrifice their lives if we're not willing to be responsible custodians of the very things they're fighting and dying for.
Now, maybe this isn't an appropriate post for this blog. After all, I'm a camping freak and that's what I intended to write about here, but I've come to realize that I spend more and more of my time outdoors not to casually get away from it all but to REALLY get away from it all. Away from the shame of what Americans are doing to this, the greatest nation to ever occupy space on a map. Away from the corporate world from which I hungrily lap up a paycheck twice a month doing a job for a company that doesn't produce any tangible product at the end of the day.
So, again, what's this post doing here in a site about camping? Because here, at least, is an area where we can do the right thing and that's to BUY AMERICAN! I know finding American made products in this day and age is a little like stumbling across aliens (the kind from space, not the kind our nation welcomes in abundance). But there are still a few hold-outs out there. There are still people and companys manufacturing products right here in the good ol' US of A. So before you even consider venturing out into the wild in a pair of boots made by somebody in Taiwan or sleeping in a bag sewn together in China, please, for the love of all of us, see if you can find some camping equipment made by some redneck (God bless all of them) somewhere on our home turf. Our economy will thank you and so will all of those who have died on foreign soil trying to keep us great.
If you want to support a country other than America, that's fine too. Just do it with your tourism dollars. Let's get back to what we once had a talent for - manufacturing hideous but utterly indestructable and exceedingly high quality goods that only Americans were able to afford in the first place. See the connection? One begets the other. Manufacturing here means the prosperity to afford our own product!
Is this where we wanted it to go? Is this what our forefathers envisioned for us? Is this the freedom they envisioned when they fought and died to drag us out from under the boot of tyranny... that we'd just sell our souls to new debtors in a different foreign land? We're a bit like teenagers. No, strike that, we're exactly like teenagers. We're a nation of pimply-faced whiners who are bad with money, can't manage our debt, are dependent on others for just about everything we own and yet still run around with an overdeveloped sense of entitlement and undeserved pride.
About the only things we as a nation have left to be proud of are our freedoms, our nation's natural beauty and the men and women willing to fight and die for us. And, folks, that's not enough! Why? Because our freedoms mean nothing if we're handing them away to foreign debtors. Our nation's natural beauty exists whether we're here or not, not to mention the fact that we're rapidly destroying what little of that beauty we have left. And the men and women of our armed services should NEVER be asked to sacrifice their lives if we're not willing to be responsible custodians of the very things they're fighting and dying for.
Now, maybe this isn't an appropriate post for this blog. After all, I'm a camping freak and that's what I intended to write about here, but I've come to realize that I spend more and more of my time outdoors not to casually get away from it all but to REALLY get away from it all. Away from the shame of what Americans are doing to this, the greatest nation to ever occupy space on a map. Away from the corporate world from which I hungrily lap up a paycheck twice a month doing a job for a company that doesn't produce any tangible product at the end of the day.
So, again, what's this post doing here in a site about camping? Because here, at least, is an area where we can do the right thing and that's to BUY AMERICAN! I know finding American made products in this day and age is a little like stumbling across aliens (the kind from space, not the kind our nation welcomes in abundance). But there are still a few hold-outs out there. There are still people and companys manufacturing products right here in the good ol' US of A. So before you even consider venturing out into the wild in a pair of boots made by somebody in Taiwan or sleeping in a bag sewn together in China, please, for the love of all of us, see if you can find some camping equipment made by some redneck (God bless all of them) somewhere on our home turf. Our economy will thank you and so will all of those who have died on foreign soil trying to keep us great.
If you want to support a country other than America, that's fine too. Just do it with your tourism dollars. Let's get back to what we once had a talent for - manufacturing hideous but utterly indestructable and exceedingly high quality goods that only Americans were able to afford in the first place. See the connection? One begets the other. Manufacturing here means the prosperity to afford our own product!
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