Author Archive

Prep Hike

Sunday, March 11th, 2012

The weather was beautiful today so I decided to take a short hike. There were a couple of reasons to get out and do some serious walking: I wanted to test out my knee to see how it has survived the winter, and I also have a new backpack I’ve been dying to strap on. Everything went well, and I can report that the knee feels good. In fact – this point is baffling to me – it feels better after I give it a good workout. I’m wondering where the dividing line between moderate exercise and too much is drawn.

I would like to climb a few hills but that would mean driving at least 80 miles from Buffalo. With the price of gas I decided to walk in a town park not far from where I work in Cheektowaga. It’s a nice little park with several miles of graded trails. The paths wind through woods on level terrain with boardwalks constructed over the swampy areas. When the weather is nice, I walk there quite often. But this was the first time I had sported my full backpacking equipment and I received quite a few strange looks. The nice weather had also brought out tons of people to the park.

Most people would smile and greet me politely, although some kept their heads down and hurried by, like you do when you pass a homeless person with a sign. I explained to a couple of people that I was just getting used to my pack before I went on an overnight camping trip in the Spring, but for the most part I just smiled back.

My new pack is a ULA Catalyst. They don’t sell them in stores so I ordered it online. I’m not in favor of buying something as expensive as this pack was without trying it on or even seeing it in 2012-03-11 20.47.40person, but it had good reviews from the trail community and I figured I could send it back if I didn’t like it. I needed something a little bigger than my Gregory pack for cold-weather gear and several days of food while still remaining ultralight. It feels good and I like it.

Everything is set for my AT hike at the end of this month. I’m hoping to last a couple of weeks, anyway. After that I may drive through North Carolina and look at the small motorcycle I’m interested in. I called a dealer and they have two in stock. Then I will head indirectly west. I know the timeline flor visit is extended longer than some would like, but except for backpacking in the mountains, summer in the southwest is too brutal. I will try to update with more stories along the way, even if they seem pointless to me. I know everyone is thinking of me.

Conjunction Junction

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

I just reread a couple of my recent posts and realized that I use the conjunction ‘but’ in quite a few of my sentences. It puzzled me why I write this way and I came up with several reasons to explain it. I might be trying to convey an opposing view, or maybe I’m not sure about my point, or I could just like the way the sentence sounds. I’m not sure exactly why I do it, but I don’t think I can stop.

Everyone is probably wondering where I’m living. The last information I posted hinted of staying in a motel, getting a room at the YMCA, or just living in my van. One by one I ruled these out on the grounds that they were too expensive, too far away, or invited uncleanness. Even though the Y was up in Niagara Falls, I probably would have stayed there. Unfortunately, when I went back to check on rooms, they had rented the last one. I was stuck. I resigned myself to either cough up the money for a motel or jump in my van and take off for a warmer climate.

Fortunately, Louie found me a place to ride out the rest of the winter. His cousin had a vacant apartment, only a couple of miles from where we were staying that I could rent without security deposit, hooking up utilities, or signing a long-term lease. We made an agreement for a set amount and I moved in. It’s not in the best neighborhood or anything pretty to look at, but it will do for now.

I did just buy a luxury. Every since I bought the new van, I’ve thought about getting a bigger TV for it. One van-camper told me how he installed a flat screen on hinges so it could be stowed against the ceiling when traveling, and lowered for viewing when parked. I liked the idea and decided to splurge early so that I could enjoy it while I’m waiting for departure. It’s a Vizio 27” razor. I chose it because it was so thin.

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I’m limited to about eight over the air stations. There’s not a lot that I like on TV anymore but I do get some PBS stations and a couple of local broadcasts that have sitcoms I like. Over the weekend, I got hooked on a public broadcast and watched three hours detailing the life of Lincoln. The FOX news channel comes in crystal clear. Who knew I would be able to get fair and balanced news every night!

Upgrade

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

When I was at Dave & Lisa’s this weekend, I bought a new phone.

Karen calls me a traitor!

I couldn’t be loyal anymore after taking a look at Dave’s new phone and the Android operating system. If Apple would have upgraded to 4g, I probably would have remained with the iPhone, but the speed and power of this phone is amazing.

The phone is a Samsung Galaxy II Skyrocket, just a short generation above Daryl’s Thunderbolt. It has a 1.5 g dualcore processor, support for the newest 4g speed, and a gazillion more electrons flying around in a frantic frenzy.

I don’t know enough about it to judge every feature but I think it should work for me. The screen is a lot larger than the iPhone and its incredibly thin. I thought maybe it wouldn’t fit my pocket but I don’t notice any difference.

Dave and I were concerned about loosing our unlimited data plan, but I think AT&T is trying to keep customers happy and still supporting those of us grandfathered in.

One thing that I lost was the ability to toggle my laptop. I could still do it but would have to switch to a different data plan or install a third party program not legal with our provider. David and Lisa use very little data because they are connected to WiFi most of the time. I, however, used 85 gegibites last year- they charge $10/g for anything over 3/Mo.

Ill let you know how I like it in a month.

Downsizing

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

After only a few months of living in an appartment it is amazing how much stuff I have accumulated. In ten days I have to clean up, throw out, give away, and find a home for everything that overflows the space of a van.
It’s hard to believe how my possessions have grown since last year. I don’t think of myself as a hoarder but I can see how it sneaks up and overtakes you when your not looking.
I have several books that I bought last year. I really enjoyed reading them but can’t see myself reading them again in the near future. They’re not the type of book any of my friends or relatives would like and I don’t want the hassel of taking them to the library. I probably should just throw them out but can’t bring myself to do it.
I have a couple of pieces of furniture that I picked up at Goodwill. Nobody wants those either. I’ll probably end up leaving them for the next tenant. He may throw them out too, but at least I wont know about it.
I have way too many clothes to ever fit in my van. I don’t remember buying half of them and I regularly wear less than that. They must have seemed like a good idea at one time but I’m thinking the best option is to toss them.
I have a few item that I couldn’t throw out so I made a trip to Karen’s and another to Dave’s and Lisa’s, with instructions to yard sale all of it at their earliest convience. If they can’t sell it I hope they toss it and never tell me.
I have more to tell you but I think I will upload this much in case I mess up.

The New Year

Saturday, January 7th, 2012

I’m bringing in the New Year suffering with another virus. In less than a month, I’ve caught two colds. I see so many people all day and it seems like everyone on my route is sick with something – colds; flu; laryngitis; bronchitis. I guess I don’t have a very good immune system because I always catch more than my share of colds. If only I’d had those tonsils and adenoids out when I was a kid.

I had a wonderful time with David and Lisa at Christmas. My present was new Black Diamond trekking poles from them and Karen. I can’t wait to try them out! Lisa made a delicious ham dinner, and afterwords, we all went to see a movie. When we got back to their house, Dave jail-broke my iPhone for me. I was thinking of moving up to the iPhone 4, but I really didn’t need any of the new features, and I would be hesitant to tamper with a new phone. I can now use my phone as a modem to connect my laptop, anywhere I get a data signal.

Trekking Poles

Trekking Poles


The next weekend, it was off to spend the New Year with Karen and the boys. It’s always great to see them. The boys are growing so fast and it won’t be long before they’ll all be leaving the nest. Next year, Zack heads to college, and the year after that, Nate will be going. Whenever I’m in Pittsburgh, I always get Karen to take me to the local REI. They were having the usual after-Christmas sales and we both bought some outdoor garments. I like the hiking clothes they have there but it always stuns me to see the prices. With the new rain jacket that Jen and Louie gave me, I should have everything I need to hike in the spring.

That’s about it for the holidays. In a way, I’m glad it’s over. The traffic and turmoil of delivery around Christmas time can be a nightmare. We will be giving up the apartment on February 29. I’m still looking for someplace to stay until spring. My plan is to continue to work until the end of April and then retire again. After I become tired of being retired, I may work so that I can afford new tires.

I found a company in Taiwan that makes small model motorcycles and exports them to the USA. The encouraging news I’m reading is that there are other people like me that want to relive their glory years with the 150cc bikes. It’s possible I may look into something like the SYM Classic 150.

Just for Donna, I’ve included a table of statistics on the motorcycles performance, and a couple of graphs detailing the power vs. torque analysis through the acceleration curve.

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