Independence Day, 2011

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands..."

Despite that pledge, most Americans claim ours is a democratic form of government. A Democracy and a Republic aren't the same thing:






Watch the video, and decide which one YOU want the United States to be, and whether it is or not.

Another SF update

Okay, I've got a little more time today, so here's a little more about how things are going and what all I'm up to...
The othe evening, as I was having a fine dining adventure (canned chili), I got the pleasure of watching a couple of hummingbirds looking for something to eat.
In the mornings, when I'm drinking my coffee, I leave the door open; during those times, my tent serves very much like a game blind, letting me watch any critters that happen along without causing them any alarm. I've seen plenty of rabbits and lizards, a few ground squirrels, and innumerable birds and it makes for a pleasant start to the day.
My general routine is wake up (anywhere from 5:30 to 7:00), take care of my morning ablutions, and then fix myself a cup of coffee to wash down whatever I'm having for breakfast (usually something quick and light, like an energy bar). That done, I head out for the day to do some permutation of walking and looking around, think Deep Thoughts, reading a book (I carry my Kobo almost constantly during the day), or just sit and watch the world go by. Very infrequently I see another camper/hiker, and if they see me, we generally raise a hand or nod in passing; so far, everyone I've seen as been as interested in "getting away" as I have. I'm far enough into the toolies that I don't figure I have to worry about my tent and possessions: transients, hobos, bums, and the like don't seem to have the motivation to come out this far.
Anyway, late afternoon (usually) I head back to my tent; that's when I top off my water suppy (I go through about a gallon a day) so it's cool/cold during the evening when I use it most, have supper (one of a dehydrated meal [stroganoff, lasagna, etc.], instant noodles ["Ramen"], or open up a can of something [Ravioli, chili, spaghetti, stew, etc. I don't carry a lot of canned stuff at a time, since it's bloody heavy to be hauling around. I know that's not a real nutritious menu, so I take daily multivitamins, too.
After supper, it's cleanup time - my dishes AND me (a hospital-type "sponge" bath), followed by recreation time: one or both of some reading (I've gone through several books by now, including George Tenet's "Center of the Storm" and Mark Bauerlein's "The Dumbest Generation" - both are recommended reading, btw) or listening to my radio. Several times, I've forgone the local stations in favor of catching some shortwave, such as the BBC.
Sunset happens along the way, and I'm usually in my sleeping bag around 10P. As you can tell, it's a frantic, excitement-filled, non-stop adventure - and I'm loving every minute of it.

Part of the reason for making my first stop someplace near "civilization" was to have resources nearby while I shake things out - and there have been a couple of relatively minor things that I've had to deal with. Which is how I've ended up learning more about Santa Fe than I particularly wanted too:

• There are dipshits here that bicycle everywhere: work, the grocery store, the mall, etc - most of them for the "health" benefits and/or reducing their "carbon footprint".
• Typical of the shipdittery: a big construction project was delayed because local (to the site) residents were vocally adamant that a small colony of ground squirrels be safely/humanely trapped and relocated. Cost: HIGH. Project delay: several WEEKS.
• The local concept of "sporting goods" is places that either specialize in a particular sport (kayaking, skiing, etc), or dedicate themselves to the high-end brands (North Face, etc). There IS a "Big 5", but other than that, it's Wal*Mars or Target.
• Whacking great stretches of roads are completely without gas stations, convenience stores, or fast food establishments - because the HOAs in the area scream bloody murder about losing their "view", the risk of additional traffic, and so on.
• Santa Fe is what's called a "refuge city", meaning that anybody that makes it into town is all but guaranteed not to have their immigration status questioned.
• Santa Fe is the damnedest mix of art galleries (price range proportional to nearness to downtown), tourist shops, yoga establishments, real estate brokers, wide-ranging ethnic restaurants, and so on.
• As a general rule, the city is uber-liberal, and the vast majority of residents are committed (personally, I think most of them should BE committed, but that's another matter) to an assortment of Causes: climate change, treatment of animals (dogs and cats aren't pets, they're "companion animals"), Nature, cosmic awareness, karmic alignment, New Age spiritualism, or any of a multitude of other niche interests - and they're MORE than willing to gather as a political force for any one or more of their causes. I don't doubt for a moment that they drive the city government nuts at times.

Anyway, here's a few more pictures (as usual, make with the clickie to biggie-size). I know I don't have a lot of pics of beasties and critters yet - other than the few I've already mentioned, they're kind of sparse around here. That, and not many of them have the patience to wait for me to dig my camera out and immortalize them. :-)

The view across the Southern part of the valley area.

The west is experiencing a plague of Pine beetles; this is what's left of a pinion (Spanish for "pine", if you didn't know) tree. Dead as a hammer and just *waiting* to be set on fire.

PLEASE don't drink and drive. It makes all the difference in the world (rolls eyes)

The view across the northern part of the valley

The central part of the valley.

Santa Fe update

I'm making a brief foray out of the wilds to resupply and give any interested parties an update:

A few pointers for those going camping:
1) The ground is often times lumpy.
2) No matter how good you think the ventilation is in your tent, no matter how "okay" or appropriate it may seem, do not fart in your tent.
3) Ants will get perturbed if you pee on their anthill. (I swear, I didn't know it was there!)

Okay, now about Santa Fe. First, it's the state capitol of New Mexico, and thus full of politicians and political types; this alone should make it a target for nuclear weapons. Second, it's full of artists of (WIDELY) varying degrees of talent. Third, there's an above-average amount of moon-battery: eco-wackos, New Age cosmic aura gibberish, third-world fair trade karma vibe, and about anything else you can think of. The downtown area is a mish-mash of pseudo-streets that date back to the founding of Santa Fe - rather like downtown Boston or Annapolis, only with a Latin flavor. If you ever visit Santa Fe and find yourself downtown, be prepared to fire flares and seek assistance before feeling you have to abandon your vehicle and walk out. If you DO decide to walk out of downtown ("the Plaza"), have a compass and keep going the same two directions (i.e. North/East) when facing the twisty maze.

Between the arteests and the social dipshittery and politicians, it's a city best avoided if at all possible. That being said, here's some photos to distract you while I make my escape...

There are a few more, available in my Picassa album.

I'm off!

And besides that, I'm going places...

Tomorrow morning (Thursday, 9 June) I head off to the wilds of New Mexico. Okay, maybe not so wild: the Santa Fe National Forest, which conveniently directly abuts the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico (it's that green part on the right).

I initially planned to start at Storrie Lake, but because of the the rather nasty drought going on in New Mexico, and some political and economic short-sightedness, Las Vegas (NM) and Storrie Lake are running rather low on water (which isn't a good thing for lakes to do, if you didn't already know). Between that and the Arizona wildfires threatening to invade New Mexico, I'm going to hang out in the SFNF. Doing so will put me a little farther away from "civilization" (it's a big-ass forest, and I'm going in several miles) for a more realistic shakedown of gear and preparation, but still leave me close enough to deal with any issues that crop up. I'm also going to stay there for a bit longer than I would have at Storrie, too - most likely a couple of weeks.

I'll still come down out of the mountains a few times to resupply, which will give me the chance to post here: not just written descriptions of what I'm doing, but whatever photos I take along the way.

Later, peoples.

Ready to go

Well, it's getting pretty close to that time - I expect I'll be heading out something pretty close to the 9th of June (plus or minus a day).

I'd be leaving THIS week, except that I let somebody borrow my alcohol stove, and the idiot managed to step on it and squish it beyond usability. Much to my surprise, he readily accepted responsibility and has paid for a replacement; the new one is arguably better than the one I had, so I'm not too put out by the delay.

The new stove should be here the early part of next week at the latest, so with a couple of days to deal with last-minute stuff and packing, I should be ready to go Thursday of next week. Per my itinerary, I'll be starting out at Storrie Lake. Since it's in the immediate vicinity of Las Vegas, New Mexico, I'll have something approximating civilization handy while I do my shakedown campout. I'll do another post here right before I leave; after that, it's going to be catch as catch can. :-)

Gun Control is being able to hit your target.

When I was first getting started on this little journey of mine, one of the things that I recognised the need for was bear spray. As part of learning what I could about it so I could make an intelligent and informed decision about which one to buy, I naturally wondered what the difference was between BEAR pepper spray and DEFENSE pepper spray.

What I learned is that, essentially, there is none: both are capsicum sprays meant to deter or disable whatever they're sprayed at/on. The big difference between them seems to be primarily the container - and more specifically, how it works. Personal defense pepper spray is generally fired in a stream or narrow spray for a relatively short distance; Bear spray goes out as more of a fog and appreciably farther (keep the bear farther away).

Interestingly, both products would seem to be capable of being used in the other situation - at least, theoretically (bear spray comes in a MUCH larger cannister to compensate).

So where am I going with all this?

One of the things I found during my research is that a lot of bear spray dealers will NOT sell to anyone in New York City, Washington (DC), and other locations that have laws prohibiting the ownership/carrying/use of "defensive" pepper spray (among other potential weapons - all an extension of anti-gun sentiments).
When I learned that little detail, I got off on a tangent of why... and ultimately ended up learning about Warren v. District of Columbia, and a few others. Basically, no less that the U.S. Supreme Court (and a multitude of similar judgements) have ruled that:

(the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that local law-enforc­ement had no duty to protect individual­s, but only a general duty to enforce the laws.) South v. Maryland, 59 U.S. (How.) 396, 15 L.Ed.433

The consensus is that this means that while the police and other law enforcement have a duty and obligation to protect the public in general, any failure on their part to do so does not make them liable in a court of law (i.e. you can't sue them for not protecting you INDIVIDUALLY).

So here we are in an "interesting" situation: if you get mugged, shot, killed, raped, or experience some other Bad Thing, you are not allowed to seek redress against the police - yet places like NYC, DC, and others are telling you that you can't have anything even remotely effective to protect yourself. Wait... what?

Is it me, or is there a pretty big disconnect there: I can't EXPECT protection by the police, according to the courts, but local government is telling me I can't have anything to defend MYSELF with?

Fuck that.

I'm carrying my bear spray everywhere, and if some shitbird tries to rob me, he's getting a face full of capsicum; if law enforcement has a problem with that, then I'm perfectly willing to let a jury decide whether the government has the right to tell me I have to be a victim or not - and, hopefully, throw out an unjust statute. As Dave Barry says, I am not making this up: juries can do that, even though the courts don't like to admit it.

Rarin' to go

I'm semi-busy with taking care of niggling little details before heading out roughly the first week of June; stuff like:

• Trying to find the old-fashioned "strike anywhere" kitchen (wooden) matches - there's a plentiful supply of that size in strike-on-box, but it's proving somewhat tougher to find the good kind. Why do I have this suspicion that the product safety protect-us-from-ourselves bunch are involved?
• Making sure my GPS data logger works as advertised. I was thinking about an actual GPS unit, but learned that the ones in my price range stiff suffer from one notable defect: the software for them (and data formats) is pretty much exclusively Windows-based. Manufacturers of hardware that can be hooked up to computers are still having trouble accepting that the whole world doesn't use Microsoft (or, sometimes, rarely, Macs); it's something I'm used to, running Linux. Don't like it, of course, but I'm used to it. So instead of buying somebody's nice GPS unit, I went with a basic data logger that actually plays well with my Linux laptop. Too bad for you, Garmin.
• Enlarging my collection of ebooks (now up to 1200+) and movies (178 and growing).
• Checking all my gear to make sure it's in good shape, like re-sealing the seams in my tent, that my assorted tie-downs aren't frayed, etc.
• I've got the basic non-perishable supplies topped off (i.e. alcohol for my stove, T.P., etc).
• I've got maps for the places I'm going (USGS, suitable for land navigation).
• All my assorted batteries are fully charged.
• Anything that can be damaged/destroyed by water is inside a watertight container.

And so on. It isn't anything major or bothersome, since I take care of my gear as I go along; what I'm doing now is mostly to kill time, actually.

One thing I have added to my gear is something called a KnotBone. It's something so simple and versatile that it actually impressed me -- particularly considering the price. I haven't gone all gung-ho with them, but I did buy a package of my own to give them a "real world" try.

Anyway, once I hit the road, I'll be posting as often as I can, with links to my GPS data and geotagged photos.

UPDATE 20110515: just using this update to see if I can include a link to a Google Earth file. The file is just the results of when I took my GPS data logger out for a test drive, and doesn't have any noteworthy significance.

Meh.

Windy season is still in effect (supposed to taper off by the end of the month, thankfully), which isn't as bad as the fact that Northern New Mexico is still getting mountain snow. My sleeping bag is only rated to 30F, so I'm not real wild about going camping in the wind AND snow (even with my surplus Army blanket for extra cover).

Guess it's going to be another couple of weeks (hopefully ONLY a couple of weeks) before I can get started.

Pride

Never, in my entire life, will I be as proud of being a Navy vet as I am right now -- knowing that it was Navy Seals that put an end to the reign of Osama bin Laden.

My only regret is that the chicken-shit, goat-fucking, pork-eating cocksucker couldn't be brought back  to be tried in a court of LAW, convicted, and executed publicly.

Leave No Trace - "Green" - Sierra Club rant

Dear Leave No Trace, "Greens", and Sierra Club members:

As a backpacker, I started learning about hiking and camping as a member of a Boy Scout troop that spent a lot of time in the mountains in New Mexico back in the 60's.

From the very beginning, the ethos of taking care of the wilds was drilled into me, and it was something I readily embraced. It's also something I still do as a matter of habit and routine. Please note that I was doing things such as packing out my trash, going out of my way to not pollute streams with dish/bathing water, attending to bodily functions in an environmentally and animal-friendly way, and damn near everything else you espouse well before "Leave No Trace" became such a big hit.

Accordingly, I would like to suggest that as you use some of your enthusiasm for keeping the wilderness as pristine as possible through your education programs, you also caution people agains becoming rabidly holier-than-thou judgemental self-righteous assholes toward those that don't do things exactly the way THEY approve of, or don't agree on the One True Way to minimize their impact when backpacking and camping.

To wit:

• Just because I use an e-tool to dig whatever holes are necessary, instead of the suggested tent stake or similar implement, it doesn't mean that I'm single-handedly destroying the entire fucking planet by taking a crap in a hole bigger that you approve of.
  
• Yes, I'm using alcohol as a cooking fuel, and sometimes a little bit of it spills. This isn't the End Of Life As We Know It. Please note that the cans of compressed gas that so many of your members use aren't any better environmentally (in the Big Picture you're so fond of) than the alcohol I use (think: manufactured cans, lack of refillability, etc).
  
• IF I find some wood already on the ground, or an already-dead tree, I may build myself a small fire in the evening. Kindly observe that said fire IS small, and located in a shallow pit. I A) watch it closely, and have plenty of water handy for if it even THINKS about getting out of hand, B) make sure it's not just out, but COLD before I go to bed, and C) put the sod/dirt back in and return it to as near-normal as can be done well before I leave. So fuck off.
  
• I neither need, nor want, your supercilious approval that I use rechargeable batteries for my electronics. Nor do I want to hear your comments or "suggestions" about my gear; I've got what works for ME, with my limited resources; I can't run out and buy the high-end specialty gear that you find so appealing. Mind your own business, 'kay?
  
• I really don't much give a rat's ass where you've been and what you did when you were there; I'm "here", "now", enjoying myself - or was until your yuppie ass came along. I've been places and done shit you've got no idea about, and I came out here to get AWAY from assholes like you, so piss off and leave me the fuck alone.
  
• Don't bother giving me your advice, suggestions, recommendations, hints, tips, or other unsolicited comments, lest I lose my self-control and tell you what your input is worth to me - you probably won't like what I have to say.

Basically, I came out here to be by myself and get away from noisy, intrusive, obnoxious assholes. If you'll show me the courtesy and respect of leaving me the fuck alone, I do the same in return. How does that sound to you?

Itinerary - I has one

After going over the maps, looking at what facilities are where, and all that, I've got my itinerary pretty well figured out.

As mentioned previously, I'm looking at starting around Santa Fe, New Mexico. From there, the sequence will most likely be:

1. Storrie Lake State Park, NM
2. Trinidad Lake SP, CO
3. Lake Pueblo SP, CO
4. Barr Lake SP, CO
5. Sylvan Lake SP, CO
6. James M Robb SP, CO
7. Starvation SP, UT
8. Deer Creek SP, UT
9. Anderson Cove, UT
10. Masscre Rocks SP, ID
11. Curlew Campground, ID
12. Hyrum SP, UT
13. Antelope Island SP, UT and/or East Canyon SP, UT
14. Yuba SP, UT
15. Fremont Indian SP, UT
16. Green River SP, UT
17. Buckboard Campground, UT
18. Graham Creek Campground, CO
19. San Luis SP, CO
20. Lathrop SP, CO
21. Storrie Lake, NM (again)

From the look of it, I'll have plenty of opportunities for such things as re-supplying, doing laundry, eating food that I didn't have to reconstitute, hit an ATM, and the other assorted things necessary for a journey like this. Also, with my flexibility as regards time and timing, the route could take me anywhere from 3 to 4 months -- or even a little longer; and that's figuring a few days at each stop and a day or two between stops in travel time. All things considered, I'd just as soon not be in Idaho when they get the first blizzard of the year...

I've got my digital camera, and will be taking lots of pictures; I'm waffling on whether or not to go ahead and get a handheld GPS unit so I can "geotag" the photos so any interested parties can find exactly where they were taken via Google Maps. If there's any interest, I may even tell the GPS unit to log my position every so often, and publish the data so folks can see where I was when I got lost and how I found my way back again. I can do either or both using some nifty free software for my laptop, which runs OpenSuSE Linux. I'd been assured that handheld GPS units are not only a lot more reliable and sensitive now, they're also cheaper; checking into it, I found some that aren't outrageously expensive, do what I'd want without a bunch of crap I don't need/want, and aren't too freakin' heavy. In particular, I'm kinda eyeballing the Garmin eTrex Vista H. We'll see.

Well, CARP!

I made a little oops when I did my preliminary route: kinda forgot that the Hopi and Navajo reservations are up there in the Four Corners area (UT, CO, AZ, NM). That kinda shot angling up into Colorado from Arizona in the butt.

Besides that (or perhaps because of it), there isn't much in the way of BLM land or state parks in northern Arizona or southern Utah.

So the emergency fallback position is to re-route, of course -- which is why the previous plan was "proposed" :-)

Latest updated revised rumor (as modified) is to run the route below (do the click thing to biggie-size):

Still starting around Santa Fe, but on the way down Utah's west side, I jog back to the east a bit before heading generally southeast so I can catch a route that takes me along southern Colorado. I have absolutely no fixed schedule for this; if I like a place, I may stay an extra day or three. If I don't, I may move along earlier. For anybody that's interested and wants to play the home version, here are links to the State park sites so you can see if you can figure out where I might stay (or find it when I tell you where it is/was); keep in mind that I'll be moving (mostly) by hiking and/or hitching.

New Mexico State Parks
Colorado State Parks
Utah State Parks
Idaho State Parks
and don't forget the BLM maps.

Gearing up to go

I've started planning out my summer adventures -- something that isn't as easy as I wish it was.

I'm starting with a simplified roadmap of each of the states that I plan to go through, then having to (manually) add in notations about what types of campgrounds are scattered around in those states. I prefer to stay at BLM facilities or state parks, since they don't draw the kinds of crowds that end up in the commercial (*cough*KOA*cough*) parks. Plus, they're cheaper (I did say I'm on a budget, yes?).

The process is made marginally easier by the recreation.gov website; there, I can just scroll around on the map and locate facilities that are reasonably close (10-20 miles, or so) to highways. Those spots get marked on the maps in one color, then I got to the individual state park maps and add them in a different color (just so I can keep everything straight). Once I'm done with that, I position the individual maps appropriately and I can start looking at what (rough) routes I can take -- trying to maximize my outdoor time, versus travel time, versus cost, versus having to retrace steps (sometimes almost literally). So far, I've come up with the general plan shown here:

I'm looking at starting a bit north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, heading north through Eastern Colorado, across Northern Colorado and Northern Utah, with an option to do a loop through Idaho, back down through Utah, across Northern Arizona (mountain country, not suck-ass heat and desert like Phoenix) until I can move north far enough to come across Southern Colorado, and then back down.  Maybe it looks kind of goofy, but if you look at the highway system, it makes perfect sense.

It's still Wind season around these parts, and since I'd just as soon not have to chase my tent across the continental U.S. if I don't have to, I'll be staying put until the beginning of May when the winds start dying down. When I firm up my itinerary, I'll  post it here.

"This ain't Disneyland, partner"

The past few months, there has been one particular type of person that I've seen over and over and over and over...

Specifically, I'm referring to the person(s) that turn up in a (semi-) wilderness area, and then calmly proceed to act like they're just in a different kind of city park.

In Idaho, I met a small family that was out walking around well off the regular trail system and were about as unprepared and unequipped as they could be: the adults were in shorts and tank-tops, she was wearing freaking sandals, and they weren't paying a whole lot of attention to where their 4-year-old was (or what she was doing). Neither of them had any kind of pack or bag (she didn't even have her purse with her), no bear spray (despite warnings that there were plenty of bears around), a small bottle of water each, and not paying the slightest bit of attention to what was going on around them: I'd been standing propped up against a tree as I watched some critters, and the lot of them walked by within 3 feet of me without noticing I was there. My critter viewing was interrupted (ruined) when their little girl ran by, spotted an animal, and started screaming for mommy and daddy to come see. Scared the hell out of the animal, of course, and it was off like a shot - all mommy and daddy got to see was a distant look at its ass as it faded over the horizon.

Both adults nearly had heart failure when they turned around and saw me; after apologizing for scaring them (I wasn't sorry, really, but...), we got into a little bit of a conversation. Trying to clue them in, I casually mentioned the stuff that I carried in addition to the 2-qt canteen on my belt. They expressed wonder that I'd haul all that stuff around, since "it's just a park - it's not like we're out in the wilds, someplace!" (her words).

It was still early in my travels, and I felt a certain obligation to try and help them; I patiently and gently pointed out the lack of traffic, building, pavement, and other indications of city life - then emphasized that, yes, we were out in the wilds. The male half then tried to tell me that they had their cell phones with them, and could call 9-1-1. When I asked how many bars he had, he discovered that he didn't have ANY. Nor did she. I asked them how long they had to drive from the nearest town, and then suggested that even an emergency vehicle travelling TWICE as fast as they'd driven would still take a long time to get there - and that was only to the area, two hours away, that they'd PARKED. That's when I used the title for this blog post, telling him "This ain't Disneyland, partner. The critters here don't speak English, and they don't have ANY manners. All they know is how to survive, using whatever God gave them to do it with: teeth, claws, horns, hooves, or whatever. Any bears you see aren't related to Yogi, and the critters aren't out of some movie."

Both of them were offended and upset with me for pointing that out, and said something about having to get back. I asked if they could find their way, and after a fair amount of looking around (and discovering that trees have a lot of resemblance to each other), they admitted it might not be easy. I checked my map, and after giving them a cheap-ass keychain-type compass I'd bought on a whim, gave them directions on how to get back to where they'd parked - to their visible (but unspoken) relief. As a coup de grace, I told them that they should probably get someone to remove the ticks that had gotten attached to their legs.

The last I saw of them, they were in a tight group headed (generally, anyway) in the right direction.

Since then, I've seen other folks that weren't much (if any) better prepared for where they were and what they were doing; it didn't take me long to give up on trying to help them. Fact is, now I leave them be and move away from them - sooner or later, the problem will be solved, since Stupid is not a survival trait.