Homer's Travels

Book: David Ewing Duncan's "Experimental Man"

2012-02-16T11:07:00.003-06:00

I am a data person. I think we should collect more data ... on everything. If we knew more about ourselves and our lives we could live more efficiently, healthier, and, very likely, more happily. David Ewing Duncan's "Experimental Man: What One Man's Body Reveals about His Future, Your Health, and Our Toxic World" is one man's attempt to collect and understand data about himself to help improve his health and life.

The book is divided into four sections: genetics, environment, mind, and body. In the genetics section the author has his genes mapped to looks for indicators for susceptibility to diseases such as heart disease and cancer. He also has his parents and daughter's genes mapped as well for comparison. The result is confusing, contradicting, and ambiguous data. You can sense the author's frustration when one gene says heart attack imminent while another says don't worry about it.

The environment section just confirms the soup of potentially deadly chemicals that we are exposed to every day. The section also confirms just how little we know about the long term effects of the chemicals we use in manufacturing, agriculture, and food preparation. This time the author is not only frustrated but worried as well.

The section on the mind discusses brain scans. While I found this section interesting, I come out without any useful conclusions.

The last section, the body, summed everything up and discussed new health models that are being developed to predict future health problems and how they affect our expected life span.

I wish the author would have talked more in depth about our attitudes about having this health information. Would you want to know that you may get some untreatable condition? I think I would. Some people think, if they couldn't do anything about it, they don't want to know. The author touches upon these choices but doesn't really dig into them.

Duncan is a writer for Wired magazine. His writing style felt a little chaotic, sometimes digging too deep into the too technical and sometimes digging too deep into his own feelings. I can't say I enjoyed his writing style.

The final conclusion I got from reading this book is we are a researching some really cool stuff that will do wonderful things someday but we're not there yet. I kind of finished this book feeling hopefully frustrated. I give the book a mediocre recommendation as there were some interesting stuff in the book. Just as the science could be better, the book could have been better as well.

A Cherry Chip Soft Sugar Cookie Hangover

2012-02-12T15:50:00.004-06:00

I woke up Sunday morning with a cherry chip soft sugar cookie hangover. It started Friday.

When we didn't make it up to the Lake Cornelia Winterfest last weekend, we rescheduled the family get together for this weekend. Everyone was bringing food. The Wife provided the Chili. I baked soft sugar cookies with cherry chips.

I found the original cookie recipe on allrecipes.com. At the suggestion of the Wife I added some cherry baking morsels to the recipe. I think I may have overdone it a bit when I added two bags of cherry chips. Turns out that the cherry chips alone added 50 calories to each cookie (that's about the same calories as the sugar and the lard - yes, lard - combined). To walk off ten cookies worth of cherry chips, you would have to walk seven to eight miles ... JUST for the chips. For ten cookies ... close to 16 miles. Before the weekend was over, many more than ten were consumed.

On Saturday we drove to Lake Cornelia and met up with th Mother and Father-in-Law, The Wife's uncle K_N and aunt E_L, and the Matron of Honor (MoH) and Best Man (BM). The first order of business was for the Wife, MoH, BM, FiL, and uncle K_N to go out on the ice and set up two ice fishing shelters and fish for about an hour. I helped set up the shelters and then went back in the lake house (It was around 10 - 15 °F and windy - lately I haven't been handling cold well and fishing ... not my thing). In the warm house I ate some cookies.

Not having caught anything, they came back in and we had lunch. I had cookies for dessert.

In the afternoon the ice fishers went to another spot on the lake and fished. The BM and I drove into town to check into our hotel. I took the time there to nap ... and watch cartoons. I needed the time to rest ... and to get away from the cookies.

Ice Fishing Catch

I went back to the lake house and, waiting for the ice fishers to return, ate more cookies. When they got back to the house they'd caught six fish (and at least a dozen nibbles ... if you believe the stories). The ice fishers were excited except for sore "bucket butt". The Wife, trying to get one of the shelters off the ice, fell and banged up her elbow. I swear we need to wrap that woman in bubble wrap. We ate dinner, Chili and homemade garlic bread, and ... I ate more cookies. They were very good.

The evening was filled with our usual attempt to fix all the problems of the world ... this time not totally successfully. Some subjects are a little too divisive for solutions. Not even cherry chip soft sugar cookies can fix everything.

That night in the hotel, the lights out, I laid in bed ... my mind racing a mile a second. I had trouble sleeping ... imagine that. I finally drifted off just to wake up around 3:00 AM with a headache. I sighed and tried to fall back asleep which I managed to do.

When the alarm went off Sunday morning I felt pretty crappy. I think my blood sugar will be high for a few months. Fortunately my next blood test isn't til 2013. I felt like I was crashing and burning ... over and over again.

Back at the lake house I ate more cookies ... hair of the dog ... before breakfast and heading home. We left the bag of cookies with the FiL and MiL ... where I can't get to them.

I have no idea how many cookies I consumed this weekend. Four on Friday, four more on Sunday, and an unknown large quantity on Saturday.

... and now, back to my regularly scheduled diet, already in progress.

P.S. I took pictures of the fish but I did not take pictures of the cookies. An sad oversight on my part.

Photograph: Winter Robin

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

When I see my first robin, I often think that Spring is just around the corner. I saw my first robin the other day, right before eight inches of heavy, wet snow was dumped on us. Now I'm trying to figure out if Spring will be early this year or if Winter is just coming late this season. I bet the robin wished it knew what was going on too.

Winter Robin
by Bruce H.

Photograph: Claws Of The Snow Beast

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

Like icy fingers reaching from under our deck. What manner of beast lives there?

Claws of the Snow Beast
by Bruce H.

Plans Are Fluid And Fluids Are ... Planned ?!?

2012-02-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm writing this post in m our living room, not from Lake Cornelia. The weather, having been so spring-like of late, decided to assert itself by dumping eight inches of heavy, wet snow. We knew it was coming and the family festivities were postponed. As I suggested last post, our plans were fluid.

It took a couple snow blowing sessions to clear our driveway and sidewalks (and those of our neighbor whose snow blower I'm using). We're kind of lucky the snow was heavy and wet. It was also windy and a dry, fluffy snow would have drifted making the chore of clearing the walks even worse (it tends to drift in front of our house).

Not the best way to end such a beautiful week weather-wise but there were a couple things that made this a pretty good week for me. The first were my blood test results.

You may remember that my blood tests last August were terrible with all my number being out of range. I'd been a bad boy during my Camino and Route 66 adventures. On Thursday I went in to have blood drawn and I am proud to say that all my numbers are back in range (except for my good cholesterol which has always been low). Not only that but my doctor has asked me to not come back for a whole year. This is a change from the every six months I've been doing since ... 2007 (???). He didn't tell me why (his nurse gave me the good results) but I can think of two reasons. I've proven, several times, that I can control my number by diet alone - as long as I'm 'good'.

The second reason may be that they changed the 'good' range for Hgb A1c. Hgb A1c is a measure of your average blood glucose control over two to three months. A high A1C can be an indicator of diabetes. The old normal range for A1c was between 4.5 and 5.7. As of December the range is between 4.5 and 6.3. Using the new range, my highest A1c measurement (back in 2009) was at the top of the normal range. My number from last August was easily in the new good range. I guess I became healthy at the stroke of a pen ... or a change of a range.

The second good thing that happen this week concerned my knee. My right knee has been bothering me for a couple months. It hurts in two places - the kneecap - which is a pain in the front of the knee - and the joint - which is a pain in the side of the knee. Last Tuesday I had a headache. Before I went to bed I took an ibuprofen (some of my leftover pilgrim's candy). The next day I got out of bed and ... NO PAIN in my knee. At first I figured that the the Ibuprofen hadn't worn off yet but the pain has not returned, at least not all of it. I still have some kneecap pain when I walk but the joint pain has been greatly diminished. I'd kind of given up on my knee ever healing but now I have new hope.

New hope ... and just in time for me to clear the snow off the driveways. Perfect timing. Oh, and the snow ... makes everything look clean, white, and beautiful ... at least for a couple days.

The Weather ... And The Fluidity Of Plans

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

So ... what season is it anyway? The calendar says it's Winter but the weather is saying Spring. Monday the high in our back yard was 70°F (21°C) ... in January ... a record ... incredible. The first few days of February ... 50s and 60s.

Now it's hard to complain that we're having spring-like conditions in the middle of winter but I miss the snow. It hasn't snowed - real measurable snow that lasts more than a day or two on the ground - since mid December. Everything is brown and dreary looking. It's seriously interfering with our plans.

Our plans. We were going to go dog sledding in Minnesota with the Matron of Honor (MoH) and Best Man. No, or little, snow means no dog sledding. I'm majorly bummed about this. Hopefully we'll do it next year.

The other activity is Winterfest at lake Cornelia this weekend at the in-law's lake house. We're hoping that there is ~~more~~ some snow there for the festivities. Hopefully there will be enough ice so the wife and MoH can go ice fishing. Hopefully there will be enough snow for me to go snowshoeing. There is a 2 mile (3.2 km) walking trail around the lake and if there is enough snow, and my knee is willing, I'll try to do a loop around the lake. I'm not that optimistic (I'm trying to be positive, I really am, but ...).

Now I'm not too worried. If there isn't enough snow or ice there will still be lots of good food. The Wife's family always feeds everyone well.

There is one potential fly in the ointment though. Ironically the weather forecast is predicting rain followed by snow Friday into Saturday. This should make me happy but I can see it coming already: Snow over ice ... and we won't be going anywhere. The weather is being a real pain.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Book: Rob Gifford's China Road

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

Since we'll be going to China this summer I decided to follow the Best Man's suggestion and read Rob Gifford's "China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power". The book reminded me of another book I read a few years back, Colin Thubron's "Shadow of the Silk Road". While Thubron concentrated on China's history and the role the silk road played, Gifford viewpoint is firmly planted in the modern China.

"China Road" follows Gifford's trip along route 312, a road stretching 3,000 miles from Shanghai to the Kazakhstan, often described as China's Route 66. Gifford, an NPR correspondent who lived in China for over six years, traveled the road talking to people along the way for a series of radio segments. The book is a compilation of the fleshed out radio reports.

I liked Gifford's perspective. When I think of China I often catch myself thinking of the pre-communist China which barely exists anymore, decimated by Mao. Gifford's view of the modern China struggling between the rather soulless communist world, one where history and ancient culture were frowned upon and actively destroyed, and modern capitalist China searching for a modern identity.

The one thing Gifford shies away from is predicting the future of China. He waffles between China muddling through and China torn apart by violent revolution. I don't fully blame him. China is changing so rapidly, rushing into uncharted territory, that predicting it's future is probably an exercise in futility.

I like Gifford's views and his writing style and I would recommend the book to anyone interested in the modern China. I can't wait to see China for myself, even if it's only a small sampling over a two weeks.

Route 66, California, Camino - A Pilgrim's Epilogue

2012-01-27T18:22:00.001-06:00

The summer of 2011 was my summer of pilgrimage. For ten weeks I walked and rode along roads, both old and ancient. On pilgrimages like these, people are often looking for something. I wasn't looking for anything in particular except adventure. I found a desire to change.

The Camino de Santiago took me to a world of of unstructured routine. A world of few worries and carefree wandering. A world of new places to explore and new friends (whom soon became old friends). Time faded into the distance as one day became like all others. It was surprisingly comfortable. In Santiago de Compostela the feelings of friendship and camaraderie reached a crescendo as we celebrated our accomplishments and exchanged hugs and tearful goodbyes as we all scattered back to our homes, wherever they may be. It was not the end for me - my pilgrimage didn't stop in Santiago de Compostela - it just changed modes of transportation.

My pilgrimage continued along Route 66. Few minutes passed by on the route where I didn't think about the Camino, it still so fresh in my mind. Reminders of my Camino were everywhere. I'd walk into a restaurant and there would be a sign welcoming the pilgrims of Route 66. Everywhere I drove I saw the shell sign reminding me of the shell of Saint James. The long quiet stretches of the route gave you time for your mind to wander just like the dusty roads of the Spanish Meseta.

California, all of the places we visited there, felt like Santiago de Compostela. Both were the end of the road. They were a place to visit with friends and to reminisce on the times we'd shared and the places we'd visited. They marked the end of the journey ... and time to go home, to return to the real world.

These journeys will stay with me for a long time. They will stay with me in many ways. I'm still recovering from the aches and pains developed over 513 miles of walking with a pack and sitting in a car for a few thousand miles more. My right leg ached all the way along Route 66. I'm still recovering from the Topa Topa hike. My knee makes noise and aches more than ever. These things will persist for a while but with time, and physical therapy, they will fade.

The memories of the road, the way, the pilgrims, the people, the places, the monuments to our past, the yellow arrows and the route markers, they will persist for a while but they too will inevitably fade with time and age.

They say that the Camino changes you. So does Route 66 to some extent. I think any adventure, done properly with abandon, will alter your perception ... of the world around you, the people you interact with, and ultimately, of yourself. I have changed or, more correctly, I have developed the desire to change. A desire to improve myself, broaden my horizons, improve my self-image, and become more positive.

These desires aren't new - they have been there all along - they just have a new sense of urgency. Peru, Jordan, Camino, Route 66 - Each adventure makes me thirst for more. They make me relish that carefree, no worries world. That world that, along with the aches, pains, people, places, and memories, persists for only so long. I embrace them, keep them with me wanting to never let them go, until they too become immaterial and fade, slipping through my fingers ... leaving only the real world.

Bruce ... Bruno ... Batman

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

The Wife and I often have weird conversations. Especially at the end of the day. Once it was a discussion on which were more real, Unicorns or Chiggers. The Wife doesn't believe in Chiggers (or at least she claims she doesn't). To prove there existence I pulled out a dictionary. While Chiggers are in the dictionary the Wife pointed out that the entry for Unicorn has a picture while the entry for Chigger does not.

Another time our discussion was about the Gurkhas, Nepalese soldiers who fought with the British during the World Wars. Needless to say, our discussions are ... eclectic.

Recently, the Wife told me one of her students had started calling me Batman. This had mystified her until she finally asked why. "His name is Bruce ... just like Batman ... Bruce Wayne," he said. This sparked a whole new discussion. I jokingly suggested that maybe I should be called Bruno because in Spain Batman's alter ego is named Bruno Diaz. I learned this while in Burgos recuperating from my tendinitis. One of the TV shows I watched while resting my ankle was an animated Batman movie. Batman's alter ego was not Bruce Wayne but Bruno Diaz. Her class, upon hearing about our discussion, and confirming the Bruce-Bruno connection, are more convinced than ever that we are weird.

While I like Bruno as an alter ego, I think I'll just stick with Batman.

Route 66 & California - The Way Home

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

We were going to spend three days in San Francisco but this vacation had gone on long enough. I'd spent only three days home since 11 May and it was now 20 July. We decided to head for home in the afternoon but first we had a date.

While I missed meeting with my old work friends I did manage to meet a friend from high school I hadn't seen in ... thirty years. We met B_B at the Broadway Grill in Buringame and had a delightful lunch talking about old times and Spain. My 30^th high school reunion was a week away. I'd considered going but the idea of traveling more this summer, to Guatemala no less, was just too much. I asked B_B to say hi to everyone as we said our goodbyes. I had a nice time and the lunch was a nice end to our stay in California.

Back in the car, we headed east. We had no more scheduled stops on our vacation. We spent the night in Sparks, NV. It was my birthday so we went to In-N-Out Burger for dinner and then went in search of a Dairy Queen. We didn't find one but we did find a Cold Stone Creamery where I indulged in Birthday Cake ice cream with chocolate chip cookie dough mixin's.

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The next day we continued east and entered Utah. I'd considered stopping in Salt Lake City for the night but my mind was changed. After driving most of the day through salt flats and desert we were approaching Salt Lake. I was passing a truck. I saw a police car in my rear view mirror so I pulled in front of the truck as soon as I safely could to let the police pass me. The police car pulls behind us and flashes his lights. *sigh* We pull over and the officer comes over to the passenger window and I ask him why I was pulled over. He said that I hadn't flashed my turn signal for more than two seconds before pulling in front of the truck. WTF?!? I told him I had only moved over to let him go by and that if he hadn't been behind me I probably would have waited before I moved over.

Then he started asking weird questions. "Are you married?" "How long have you been married?" When were you married?" "How long have you been on the road?" "Where have you been staying?" Several of these questions he asked multiple times. Then he asked me to get out of the car and to go with him. I sat in the front seat of his cruiser as he filled out paperwork. As he did he continued to ask weird questions. "How long have you been away from home?" "Where's your luggage?" "Are you married?" (Again!?!) On and on.

The officer then smiled, gave me a warning, and I was free. WTF?!? While I was in the cruiser, the Wife was in the car stewing. The questions he's asked had pissed her off royally. I'd remained relatively calm but I tend to talk fast when I'm nervous and I think I was talking a mile a minute in the cruiser. I got back in the car and we left. I tried to calm the Wife who wanted to kill someone at that moment. I think the officer was looking for drug runners. While he didn't ask about drugs, surprising since he asked about everything else, I think he was seeing if my story would change ... which it didn't. I was laughing and relieved, both because it was over with just a warning and that I'd fought the urge to ask the officer how many wives he had. The Wife was fuming. We decided not to spend our money in Utah that day and continued on to the first town we found in Wyoming.

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The next two days went without incident. We stayed in North Platte, NE one night and were home the next. I was happy to be home.

What a summer to remember. The best either of us had had in a long, long time.

Stress ... Sleep ... Sponge Bob

2012-01-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

I haven't made much progress in the two weeks since I announced my Optimism Resolution. This isn't much of a surprise since it has only been two weeks and changing one's attitude is not an easy thing to do. Having said this I have made progress in a couple areas - one where I have the control, the other a surprise side effect.

I am a news junky. When the TV is on you'd be safe to bet it's on CNN, MSNBC, or, on occasion, CNBC (FOX is never on - too much stress). I've come to realize that the more news I watch, especially if it has to do with the Republican primary or the upcoming election, the more stressed I feel. I've always known this, really. Every time I've taken a vacation alone (in 1995 and on the Camino in 2011) the television stays off and, not only do I not miss it, but I feel happier. When I'm home, though, I have always found it hard to keep the TV off.

So I am fighting my news addiction. I can't kill my news habit completely - I like to be kept informed about the world around me - but I think I can minimize it and my stress along with it. I will keep the TV off when I'm not watching it. I know that sounds odd but the TV is often on for background noise. When I do watch TV, I think I'll stick to cartoons and CSI reruns. Hard to remain stressed when your watching Sponge Bob.

The other thing that's happened to reduce my stress was totally unexpected. Starting late in December I started sleeping better. Instead of waking two or four times a night I started sleeping through the night or waking only once. After a couple weeks of great sleep I realized I was sleeping better and I started wondering why this was happening. I've come to the conclusion it is a byproduct of my physical therapy (PT).

You all know I have a bad back. I hurt it way back in college ('85 or '86). This is one of the issues I'm working on at PT. One of the results of my bad back is I can't sleep on my stomach. When I'm on my stomach, I start getting uncomfortable in less than a minute. I suspect, while I'm asleep, I get myself into a position that irritates my back and this wakes me up. As I've done my PT exercises, I've strengthened my lower back to the point that it doesn't bother me as much. I think this has resulted in me not waking up as much and me sleeping better. One thing I've discovered is stress levels go down if you get a good night's sleep.

These are only a couple small things but they're moving me in the right direction. I'm feeling happier so I must be doing something right.

Route 66 & California - San Francisco - Angel Island

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Our second day in San Francisco started with us driving back down to the piers. We had reservations for a ferry going out to Angel Island.

We parked, picked up our tickets and, being a little early, walked over to Johnny Rockets for breakfast. The day started off cloudy but cleared up nicely as we took the ferry out to Angel Island. The ferry ride out was comfortable like the Alcatraz Trip had been the night before giving us views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge.

Golden Gate Bridge from Angel Island.

We arrived a little late at the dock and looked for where our tour would leave from. Being late had raised my anxiety level a bit but it turned out to not be a problem as the Wife and I were the only ones on the tour. This was no ordinary tour. It was a Segway tour.

The first fifteen minutes were spent familiarizing ourselves with the Segways. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to learn ride these things. Five minutes of explanation and five minutes apiece testing our knowledge - go forward, stop, go backward, stop, turn left, turn right, park it. The one challenge, and I use that word loosely, was to drive the Segway down a steep boat ramp, turn around, and go back up. I kept seeing myself driving into the water but it was incredibly easy.

The guy (he looked like your typical surfer duuude) led the way around the island stopping periodically to explain the island's history. The island has a long history as a military outpost, anti-ballistic missile site, prisoner of war camp, hospital, and immigration station. At one point he told a story about a prior tour group. He was explaining that over a million years ago the water was shallow enough for animal life to walk across from the main land to the island. One of the tourist spoke up and said "That's not possible. The Earth is only 6,000 years old." He let the comment slide ... what else could he do.

San Francisco skyline and Alcatraz Island from Angel Island.

The tour circumnavigated the island. We stopped a few times to get off the Segways to rest and explore old buildings. I learned that riding a Segway is not the relaxing activity it would suggest. Your leg muscles tend to tense up a bit as you lean forward to make it go. This can be tiring and my legs were still recuperating from my Topa Topa ordeal. Another thing I found out is it is possible to run yourself over. To get off a Segway you just step off the back quickly. The problem is you want to pull back on the handle to steady yourself when you step backward - this causes the Segway to move backward running yourself over. This happened to the Wife. It didn't happen to me but I managed to have my Segway get away from me (I think I pushed the handle forward as I was getting off sending the Segway forward uncontrolled).

We got back to the main pier. We had some time before the ferry would leave so we ate some lunch at the snack bar before going through a small gift shop. I saw a really nice t-shirt and magnet but, since we were planning to do some more walking, I decided to buy the stuff after I got back.

We took a path up the hillside to the main road and walked back to the immigration station buildings. The Wife had taken a teacher's workshop at Ellis Island and, since this Angel Island facility was referred to as the west coast's Ellis Island, she was interested in checking it out. Unfortunately the buildings were closed (we were there during the week and they are only open on the weekends when most people come to the island). I took some pictures and we walked back to the pier.

The little gift shop ... was closed. The guy with the keys was already off the island for the day. poop. No t-shirt for me. We waited for the ferry and headed back to the city.

That evening we walked around Chinatown stopping at the City Lights bookstore (the Wife has an interest in the Beat poets) and decided to get dinner at this bar we'd stopped at the last time we were in San Francisco. We walked in the San Francisco Brewing Company and we hardly recognized the place. It'd changed a bit since we were there in 2008. It was a little hipper and the menu was definitely more esoteric and upscale. There was only one item on the menu that seemed even a little appetizing and ... they were out of it (that should tell them something when the most conservative item on the menu is sold out). We paid for our drinks and left.

Old military building on Angel Island.

Wondering where to go we ended up in a small hole in the wall across the street from out hotel. Sam's was a burger/pizza place. The grill was in the front window. There were a couple tables but the three people eating there were sitting at the bar. We joined them at the bar and ordered a couple cheeseburgers from whom we assumed was Sam. Turns out, the gentleman was Mike. He'd bought the place from Sam back in the early '70s and had run it ever since. We talked about the history of the place. The history of the hotel (three original owners, only one still alive ... barely ... not sure what will happen when he passes). We talked about the earthquake a few years ago. He kept his grill working to cook all the meat in his freezer before it all went bad and fed the rescue crews until the police told him to shut down for safety reasons. The cheeseburgers were some of the best we'd had on the trip.

Segways. Angel Island. Sam's. Highlights of a great day. The vacation was almost over and it was ending on a high note.

These pictures and more can be found in these Flickr sets: Angel Island 2011, Alcatraz 2011, and San Francisco 2011.

Route 66 & California - San Francisco - Alcatraz

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

The next morning we drove up the pacific coast highway (PCH), one of the most beautiful drives in all of the United States in my opinion. The stretch from north of San Simeon up to Carmel is truly jaw dropping as you wind your way along shear ocean cliffs and through coastal forests.

Pacific Coast Highway View.

We made one stop along the way to see the elephant seals just north of San Simeon. The best time to see these tubs of blubber is in December when they calve but there were quite a few there in July. A few more pictures of the seals and the PCH can be found in my PCH Flickr set.

Elephant seals. Looks like they're laughing or singing.

As we approached San Francisco I did as I've always done when I've gone to this city, I missed a turn. I ended up downtown on streets I've never been on before but I managed to get some bearings (though I wasn't very sure of myself) and got to where I wanted to be. We reached our hotel, the Royal Pacific Motor Inn, and checked in. This is one of those hotels that we can not recommend to anyone really. It's located on the border of Chinatown and the red light district. It's a little scruffy around the edges ... and it's seen better day. Having said this, we love this hotel. Nothing fancy but we don't travel for the hotels. While the location, at first blush, appears sub par, it turns out to be in a great location. It's a couple blocks from the cable car line. Chinatown is right there for those who like exotic smells and sights, which we do. Getting to fisherman's wharf and the ferry terminals is easy-peasy.

The hotel is multifloor and the other two times we were here we were a few floors up. This time we were on the ground floor and on the street side. It was their last room and it turned out to be noisier than our past stays. It was also a larger room than the other times. They also improved their WI-FI which I'm finding to be indispensable when I roadtrip.

We'd been to San Francisco two times before ( in 1997 and 2008 - I've been there four times). Each time we tried to go to Alcatraz but were thwarted either by bad planning (you need tickets ahead of time for Alcatraz) or family emergencies. This time we had tickets for the night tour and our families were healthy so we had a good chance of success.

Sunset behind Alcatraz.

We reached the pier where the tours departed and found a place to park. We got our tickets at the will call window and then went to the gift shop, which also served food, and ordered some burgers for dinner while we waited for out tour to start. As the tour boat left the fog rolled in (San Francisco fog - shocker!!!). The tour boat was comfortable and circled the island before pulling up to the dock. We met a tour guide on the island who gave us a quick overview of Alcatraz before taking us inside. At this point we picked up audio tour guides and did the self-guided tour.

Inside Alcatraz prison.

It was pretty cool. The recording was made by ex-guards and ex-prisoners. Their descriptions and stories added to the tour experience. You were marched around the prison like you were a prisoner - in a nice way. The prison was definitely worth the fourteen year (!?!) wait. I took a few pictures of the prison and they can be found here in my Alcatraz 2011 Flickr set.

Sun setting through the clouds.

The boat ride back was was shortly before sunset (it was July so the sun was setting late). The ruddy sunset and the low clouds made for some gorgeous "pink moment" views. It was interesting seeing the city lights slowly turn on as it got darker. San Francisco lit up. The fog obscured the tops of some buildings but it was still pretty cool. I tend to prefer the beauty of nature but there are times the labors of humanity can be just as beautiful.

San Francisco skyline.

Tomorrow we would visit another island, Angel Island.

Anyone Up For An Artistic Challenge?

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

So, when you load Homer's Travels, up in the tab you see a little icon. This icon, a white 'B' on an orange background is called a Favicon.

The rather dull default Blogger favicon.

I've been thinking about designing a custom one for Homer's Travels. Unfortunately my artistic ability and creativity when it comes to things like this are limited. For a while I thought about using this one:

Chinese characters for "Homer".

I'm just not sure how this favicon would fit with Homer's Travels. I contemplated this dilemma and thought, I bet there are people out there, people who occasionally visit Homer's Travels, who have the skill and creativity to design a kick-ass Favicon. I know at least one who is very talented at drawing and illustration.

So I submit to you, Homer's Travels readers, what should my new Favicon be? Better yet, design one and email it to me. It should be either JPG, PNG, or ICO format, less than 100KB in size, and square (preferably 31 x 31 pixels but it can be larger). It should be relatively simple as it will be shrunken down to tiny size and I would imagine that simpler pictures would shrink better.

This is not a real contest. The only prize will be to see your work displayed on the browser tab every time you visit Homer's Travels. I'll also add a "Favicon designed by ..." blurb in the sidebar if you want. Since my readership is rather limited , I suspect there will be very few, if any, submissions but, if there are more than one submitted, I will have the final say. It is my Blog after all.

Most important, have fun with this. Let the creative juices ... flow!

Route 66 & California - Cambria

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

We left the Oxnard - Ventura area and drove north. Our goal for the day is one of our favorite towns, Cambria, CA. We discovered this place way back in 1998 and we fell in love immediately. Despite having loved Cambria, we'd never actually spent the night there. Usually our visits were day trips. The only overnight trip to the area was when we went to Hearst Castle but we ended up staying just north of Cambria in San Simeon. This trip we would correct that oversight.

A couple hours north of Ventura, just south of Cambria, is the tiny town of Harmony, CA. Every time we went to Cambria we would always take the time to stop here. This little town, population 18, had lost its post office a while back, and for a while I thought the town was going to die, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the place was coming back. Besides the pottery place that stubbornly refused to die, a glass place (artisanal glass, blown glass, that kind of stuff) had opened up. The tiny wedding chapel was also open and available for weddings. Other renovations were evident hinting at more galleries/stores being opened in the future. The number of people we saw in Harmony was many times the usual number we see there. I'm happy for the place. It always had character. It has character still. A few pictures I've taken in Harmony this trip and on other trips can be found in my Harmony, CA Flickr set.

Candles hanging in a store, Harmony, California.

We pulled into town and had lunch at our favorite place, The Main Street Grill. They have some of the best BBQ Tri-Tip sandwiches I've ever had. We browsed the eclectic stores and enjoyed the warm summer day.

Every time we've visited Cambria we spent all our time in the main street area. I've known there was a boardwalk running along the beach for a while, I learned about it while investigating Geocaches in the area, but we'd never actually seen it. On this trip I'd made a reservation in a hotel along Moonstone Beach across the street from the boardwalk.

Moonstone Beach boardwalk.

After checking in and moving into our nice room, we crossed the street and walked along the boardwalk. While it had been pleasant on main street, along the ocean it was a little windy so the walk along the ocean was a little chilly. Despite this, I enjoyed the ocean views. We took stairs down from the boardwalk to the beach and walked on the sand. It was really beautiful and I took pictures of the surf, rocks, and fat squirrels.

I lived near the ocean for almost twenty-one years. In those twenty-one years, you could count the times I actually entered the water on one hand. I lived there for eight or nine years before I swam in the ocean. You would think I don't like the ocean. You would be wrong. I like the ocean. I miss the ocean. This may sound odd. It sounds odd to me as well. To me it's less about swimming and more about the whole sensory experience. The motion, the spray, the roar, the smell of the ocean. Every time I see the ocean after a long time apart, I feel in awe.

We probably would have walked the beach longer but my knee was screaming, so we returned to the hotel and took a soak in the hot tub (which made my leg and knee feel great) before falling asleep in the sun.

Rocks and surf along Moonstone Beach, Cambria, CA.

That night we ate at the The Sow's Ear. I sort of felt out of place. Even Cambria casual is a little dressier than I like but the food was good and I enjoyed the meal.

We enjoyed our return to Cambria. We managed to do things we should have done years before. The day was relaxing and set the right vacation tone. Next stop, San Francisco and Alcatraz.

Pictures of Moonstone Beach have been added to my Cambria, CA Flickr set.

Route 66 & California - Topa Topa Ridge

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

On our second day in Oxnard-Ventura area I did a hike. When I was planning this trip I'd narrowed my hiking choices down to two: Potrero John or Topa Topa Ridge. Potrero John is a relatively flat five miler while Topa Topa is a 15+ miles with 5,000 foot of elevation. I figured I would decide after talking to GeekHiker.

As I discovered, and mentioned in my last Route 66 & California post, GeekHiker was not available so the choice of hikes was up to me. I ended up choosing Topa Topa.

Now let's look at the rational for doing this hike, the hardest one day hike I'd ever done. I'd just finished walking 510+ miles on the Camino. I'd crossed the freakin' Pyrenees mountains with a pack on my back. The Topa Topa hike wasn't very much different from the first day on the Camino. On top of that, I'd already done this hike and I didn't remember it being too hard, - difficult yes, too hard no. I felt like a superman, baby! Bring it! Heck, I figured it would be so easy I could do Potrero John the next day. Yeah ... right.

Flowers on the way up Topa Topa Ridge.

So I drove up to the trailhead. There are a couple parking spots one at the trailhead itself and another about a half mile down the dirt road. The last time I was there they had just done maintenance on the road and you could take a regular car to the trailhead. Apparently they haven't maintained it since I left California because there were ruts in the road big enough to swallow up the Honda Civic I was driving. I ended up parking in the parking area about a half mile from the actual trailhead. PFFT! a half mile is nothing.

I didn't have a pack. I had a camelback full of water and a few snack bars in my pant's pockets. I was back in my pilgrim garb (The first time in boots, long pants, and hat since I returned from Spain). I had my hiking pole. I confidently started up the trail.

The trail up to Topa Topa ridge.

It was mid-July and usually it can get quite hot but the weather this day was overcast and in the 70s. The last time I did this hike it had also been cloudy and I wasn't able to get a clear picture of Topa Topa ridge. Apparently Topa Topa is shy and she kept herself hidden from me once again.

I felt pretty good until I didn't, which is usually the case. After the White Ledge Campground, following the arrow (white ... not yellow) the trails turns steep and the energy just drained out of me. Several times as I plodded up that hill I asked myself "what was I thinking?" My walking speed declined steadily. I berated myself all the way up to the top to Nordhoff Ridge road. I almost turned around twice.

I knew there was a picnic table just up the road and I figured I could rest there. I turned a corner and there were a couple trucks and several people camping by the picnic table. The table was full of stuff and I decided that I would just keep going. One of the guys said hi and asked if I was okay. I said yeah. He said "You don't look it." I should have taken that as a hint and quit there but I didn't. I'd just walked across northern Spain Damn it!!

The sign says it all.

I reached the trail that took you to the top of Topa Topa ridge aptly named Last Chance trail. At this point the trail really turns up and becomes a bit treacherous. I stopped a lot on the way up this trail and when I finally reached the top I collapsed on a stone bench at the top.

I set the timer on my watch for thirty minutes and decided not to move until it went off. I was wiped. Totally wiped. This was so much harder than the last time I did it. It was harder than any day in Spain. I guess sitting in the car for the last two weeks had erased any benefit I'd gained in Spain. I was completely spent. I had nothin'.

My alarm went off and I figured if I didn't get going I would never make it. I took in the views - the ridge was above the clouds and the views were quire lovely - and headed back down the way I came. (I found a geocache on the way down ... the second one found without using my GPS on this trip - "Middle Switchback")

The view from Topa Topa Ridge.

Usually I find that going down is easier than going up. At least it feels like it take less energy. It is also hard on the knees. By the time I made it down my legs and knees had taken some major punishment. Even my walking stick hadn't helped much. I cursed myself for not listening to my inner voice when I wanted to turn around.

The last mile or two ... or three or four ... I was staggering. I probably looked like an extra on the Walking Dead. I was cursing myself all along the way down. It didn't help that I'd run out of water three miles from the car. This superman had met his kryptonite. This hike was very humbling. At the hotel I had the first ibuprofen since I'd returned from Spain. Actually it might have been the only Ibuprofen I've had since I returned from Spain. I also had three blisters on my feet, which were the least of my problems.

For the next five or six days my right knee hurt like heck. I've learned since then, talking with my physical therapist, that the pain I felt was joint pain possibly caused by damage to the cartilage and/or meniscus. My twisted pelvis, aggravated back injury, and my over-pronation probably conspired together to put extra stress on the right knee. As of the writing of this post I still have issues with my right knee. I've been wearing a sleeve on the knee when I walk which seems to help.

Oh ... and I didn't do Potrero John the next day. Couldn't have done it if I wanted to. Could hardly walk.

These pictures and more have been added to my Hike - Topa Topa Ridge Flickr set.

Total Distance: 15.82 Miles (25.46 km)
Total Time: 8 Hours 31 Minutes
Total Elevation Up: 5,105 ft (1,556.00 m)
Total Elevation Down: 5,108 ft (1,556.92 m)

[Click on map for a larger version]

Note: In the map, the bottom to plots show the elevation in red and the speed in the blue. Each spike down is a rest stop. That's why it took over eight hours to complete this hike.

Book: China Miéville's "The Scar"

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

I've been reading good things about China Miélville. Many of his books have been on people's top ten lists for several years. I decided to dip my toe in by reading China Miéville's "The Scar", the only Miéville book at the local library. Miéville is considered a writer of fantasy though some people, including himself, have described his style as "New Weird." "The Scar" is a fantasy book but it is unlike any I've ever read.

For me, the typical fantasy book involves magic, Kings/Queens, and, often, epic quests. "The Scar" has none of these really. This is both unsettling and intriguing. It took me a while to get comfortable with the "world" Miéville was building.

The book follows the main character, Bellis Coldwine, as she is captured in a Pirate raid and assimilated into the pirate community of Armada, a huge floating city of captured ships. Bellis is a strong willed, self controlled woman intent in not giving in to her captors while slowly letting her guard down and forming friendships. As the story progresses she becomes entwined in intrigues wrapped in conspiracies. She navigates these intrigues skillfully until, as the climax of the novel approaches, she realizes that she has never been in control and she has been used by all sides from the very start.

The book was okay. It's well written. The fantasy aspects of the book were subtle. In fact the book had more of a science fiction feel to it. I'm not sure how to feel about this book. I didn't dislike it but it took me longer than normal to get through it. The pace was slow at times and rushed at the end. I may have to read more of his stuff to decide if I like Miéville's style or not. His lates book, "Embassytown", is in fact science fiction. I'll have to check it out. I'll reserve recommendation until I've read more from China Miéville.

Route 66 & California - Oxnard & Ventura

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

The next three days were spent in the Oxnard-Ventura area where I'd spent almost twenty-one years of my life - more than any place else on this planet of ours.

Before I left to Spain I emailed three of the guys I'd worked with in an attempt to arrange a get together. Since I'd made our Route 66 plans back in May I had a good idea when I would be available and figured there would be a good chance to get together sometime in the three day window. I also emailed GeekHiker (GH) hoping to fit in a hike. I figured wrong.

One guy was literally driving east as we were driving west - He would be driving through Omaha when we were nearing California. Another guy was going on a vacation to visit with adult children. The third said sure until about a week before we got to California when emergency business travel got in the way (emergency business travel is very common where I used to work).

Oh well at least I would hike with GH. Oops. Unknown to me at the time GH was going through a life changing event (being let go from his work, selling/storing all his worldly possessions, and getting ready to leave on a four month roadtrip to try to figure out where he was going next) and, on top of that, this was Carmageddon weekend in Los Angeles (They were shutting down the 405 freeway and everyone was predicting epochal gridlock but it turned out to be a non-event - typical media exaggeration) and he wasn't sure if he could make it to the trailhead in a timely fashion.

So it turned out that everyone I hoped to visit with in my old home town was not available. Turns out some of the Wife's friends weren't available either. Oh well. What are you going to do?

We had to make the best of it so we got up and went to Mrs Olson's Coffee Hut for breakfast. The food was just as good as we remembered it. We went back to the car and ... the rear driver's side tire was low. *sigh* We had an appointment so we got in and drove the short distance to the Anna Day Spa & Salon. By the time we got there the tire was completely flat. I guess after driving so far we should have expected something like this to happen. It could have been on some secluded desert road so we were lucky.

We went in and the Wife had a facial while I had my first ever Swedish massage. I successfully put the flat tire out of my mind while I had an hour long relaxing massage which I enjoyed greatly. For Christmas, the Wife bought me a gift certificate for a massage in Omaha which I will probably indulge in later this month.

I put the spare on the car, which was not fun as the masseuse had greased me up pretty good and the parking lot dirt kept sticking to my arms, and we went to a place to have it repaired. Turned out the tire could not be repaired so a new tire had to be bought.

We took the repairs in stride and headed over to a World Market to shop (They closed the one in Omaha) and had lunch, and a Pizookie, at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse.

After some afternoon shopping, we picked up our friend the "J" and headed to Winchester's to eat ... it was closed ... so we ate at the Anacapa Brewing Co. instead. We also got to meet Molly, the "J"'s new ~~dog~~ roommate. She was a cutie!

----------

Day two in the Oxnard area I did a hike up to Topa Topa. I will discuss this eventful day in another post to follow shortly.

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Day three was our last day on the Oxnard Plain. I woke up sore. My right knee was killing me. I must have been in a funk because I don't remember much about what I did this day. I think we went to In - N - Out Burger for lunch and we walked along the beech and visited the Ventura Pier. Other then that it's a little foggy.

The evening, on the other hand, was memorable. We met the "J" at Winchester's and had some good grub before we walked down to the Ventura Improv Company and caught a funny performance. It was my first improv experience and it was fun. (Great idea "J"!). We had a great evening with the "J" as always.

I would have liked to see my old friends but we still had a great time in my old stomping grounds. We did drive passed the old house. I had no feelings toward it. Neither did the Wife. Our time in California felt like ancient history. I didn't take any pictures in Oxnard or Ventura. There will be pictures from my hike on day 2.

Stay tuned for me being humbled by Topa Topa.

For Want Of A Tool ...

2012-01-03T12:44:00.001-06:00

From Dictionary.com:

op·ti·mism [op-tuh-miz-uhm] noun

1. a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

2. the belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world.

3. the belief that goodness pervades reality.

4. the doctrine that the existing world is the best of all possible worlds.

So, a resolution I mentioned in my last post, though I didn't explicitly call it a resolution instead lumping it in with posting more regularly, is to become more optimistic. While I think it's a worthy change, it's also hard to get my head and hands around how to do accomplish it.

For my resolution, definition 1. seems to be what I'm striving for. It's a state of mind. It's related to how your brain perceives and reacts to the world around you. So how do you alter how your brain perceives and reacts? How does one become more optimistic?

Many resolutions have tools a person can use to keep the resolution. To lose weight you watch your diet and increase your exercise regimen. To eat better you learn about nutrition and begin looking at food labels. What tools do you use to increase your optimism?

I have more questions than answers and I need some suggestions. If anyone out there has any ideas of tools for increasing my optimism, please pass them along in the comments. I'm sure I will find what I'm looking for.

A New Year ... No Excuses.

2012-01-01T13:24:00.000-06:00

We finished 2011 with a bang. We had dinner at the Rock Bottom Cafe in downtown Omaha. I had Chicken Lettuce Wraps, a 12oz New York Strip Steak, mashed potatoes, and a triple chocolate brownie ala mode for dessert. The Wife had Firecracker Shrimp, 14oz Prime Rib, mashed potatoes, and her own triple chocolate brownie ala mode for dessert. It was a great meal to end the year with (I was burping chocolate all night).

The weather was a little windy and, as we ate rain started to fall (rain on New Year's eve ... very odd weather we're having). We worried that this might cancel the scheduled fireworks but, just before 7:00 PM the rain slowed to a light drizzle and the fireworks were set off. Our table, that we'd reserved a week earlier, was by a window facing the fireworks so we didn't even have to brave the cold drizzle to watch the fireworks. We invited four girls in a table with no window to join us as the fireworks lit up the night sky (our good karma move of the night). We'd skipped the fireworks the past two years, not willing to brave the frigid temps. Now that we know the secret of watching them from inside the restaurant, we will probably make this our annual ritual. The rest of the eve was spent at home watching the celebration of the new year's arrival on television (and, after the Wife had gone to bed to read, the SyFy channel's Twilight Zone marathon).

So What's in store for 2012? I won't even pretend to believe it will be as good as 2011. Since I've been pretty bad at sticking to my plans and achieving my goals I will commit myself to only one major goal:

Enjoy our month long China/Tibet/Nepal/India vacation. I hope to document it in pictures and I will write in the journal my Mom gave me for Christmas (and post on Homer's Travels when I get home of course).

This isn't my only goal but experience has taught me that if I put plans in writing, especially plans that require effort on my part, they will inevitably be followed by a post explaining why I couldn't meet my goals. Therefore I am keeping these goals, three or four of them, to myself. As I complete them, or at least come close, I will share them with you ... I promise.

One lesser goal that I will share with you, at the risk of having to explain next December why I couldn't meet it, is to post more regularly on Homer's Travels. For the first three years of Homer's Travels I managed over 200 posts each year. 2010 and 2011 witnessed a decline in my posting. Some of this may be a result of Facebook. Some of this may be a result of my lack of creativity. Some of this may be a result of my depressed mood (in 2010 at least). Whatever it was I want to return to the long form posting that Facebook cannot accommodate. I want to rekindle my creativity. I want to strive for a an optimistic outlook conducive to a good mood.

No excuses.

A Homer's Travels Look Back At 2011

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's time for, what has become a ritual here at Homer's Travels, the look back at the year gone by. After a very lackluster 2010, 2011 turned out to be amazing. While I only had two goals, they both panned out.

2011 turned out to be a year with a very different feel to it. The first part of the year was full of anticipation (and a little misplaced dread) with a little fun mixed in. The second part was all adventure, all the time. The third part was slow, simple, relaxed, and full of nostalgia of the summer gone by.

Let's look back at 2011, shall we:

In January, after realizing my rather disappointing results at meeting my 2010 goals, I set only two rather large goals - The Camino and Route 66 - both that I managed to complete. My mood, having been rather bleak for the second half of 2010, was turning around. My eyes, corrected by Lasik back in 2006, finally fell to the ravages of age ... so I got my first pair of reading glasses. I snowshoed for the first and only time in 2011. January was also when I really started planning for the Camino in earnest, starting to look at how to get to Saint Jean Pied de Port and putting together a packing list.
In February I addressed dental issues, having my first root canal. We went to high and low brow events like roller derby and Poetry Out loud. I decided to stop posting under my old moniker (Homer-Dog) and started posting under my real first name (A decision that I'm still struggling with actually). As I finalized the Camino transportation plans and bought things on my packing list, I began my usual freak out.
March was a fairly muted month punctuated with two major events: a roadtrip to eastern Iowa, including the birthplace of Captain Kirk and the Antique Archaeology home base, followed by participating in our first curling tournament. I received my pilgrim's credential this month (though I would not use this one along the Camino) and I bought the train tickets and made the hotel reservations I would need in Spain and France. My Camino plans were coming together nicely.
In April I started putting together the Route 66 vacation plans. I failed at a good deed, I consulted an expert about my Camino, and I met another Blog friend, Dobegil, in the real world.
In May, the Camino started. After a rocky start I walked from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Boadillo Del Camino. (This portion of my Camino was recounted in Homer's Travels starting on August 1 through September 11.) I saw amazing things, met amazing people, and had an amazing adventure with ups and downs and amazingly amazing amazement.
In June my Camino continued with more amazing places, amazing people, amazing things, and more amazing adventure ending with me returning to Madrid. (This portion of my Camino was recounted in Homer's Travels starting on September 12 through November 8.)
In July the Wife and I went on our Route 66 vacation. After stopping at the lake for the 4th of July visit with the in-laws, we headed for Chicago and another adventure ... just as awesome as the Camino ... started in an amazing way. (I started posting about Route 66 on December 1 and will continue into January 2012.) A week after returning from Route 66 we gathered at the Haverhill Social Club and celebrated family. The Wife and I also started planning next summer's blockbuster China/Tibet/Nepal/India vacation.
In August I started the Camino post marathon as I started writing three posts a week and posting pictures from my adventure. I also started to realize that the leg pains I was experiencing since returning from Spain were not going away.
In September the post writing marathon continued. GeekHiker stopped by for a few days. The aches and pains didn't go away so I started physical therapy.
October ... the post writing marathon continued ... though with a week long break. Not much happened this month. Physical therapy continued. The only thing of interest was seeing the movie "The Way".
November saw the completion of the retelling of my Camino. I slowed down my writing soon after that. I broke a shell (and my heart a bit). The month ended with a large family Thanksgiving get together at our place that was great.
December, a month of unusually warm and dry weather was dominated in documenting our Route 66 vacation and Christmas at the Brother-in-Law's.
This year I hiked 756.44 miles, 513.61 of those were on the Camino. This year I covered more walking distance than the last three years combined! Crazy!!!
I biked eleven times this year (five times the prior year) for a total distance of 122.17 miles. I've done better but it was a definite improvement over last year.
Snowshoeing ... once again I only did it once this year. While it was my longest outing yet (5.35 miles) it was not very impressive.
I started this year thinking I wouldn't read any books in 2011. This didn't last long. I got my library card and started reading books from the library. This year I read a whopping 10 books, down five from last year. Being out of the country or on the road for ten weeks probably didn't help. I read about 3,552 pages - almost 43% fewer than 2010.
We went to several concerts this year: James and Benjamin Taylor, Decemberists, John Mellencamp, and, of course, U2. I didn't post about it but we took the Parents-in-Law to see Johnny Mathis. The MiL saw him during his first year as a singer almost 54 years ago.
The number of posts, after dropping 36% in 2010, bounced back a bit because of the Camino and Route 66.

While most of my years have been filled with a multitude of small things, this year was dominated by two big adventures. The Camino and Route 66 made for the most awesome three months I have ever experienced and that's no exaggeration. It was the best summer we've both had in a long time, if ever. While my Camino ended six months ago, my mind has never left the Way.

What will 2012 have in store for Homer's Travels? Well, I'll save that question for another post and another year.

Here's to a Happy and Prosperous New Year for all.

May all your dreams come true in 2012.

Route 66 & California - California

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

It was the last day of the Route 66 section of our vacation. The route parallels I-40 for a while driving through the California desert landscape.

There wasn't much reason to stop along this stretch of the route. The little towns you drive through were all small and dusty. Most of the old route landmarks were now fallen down, graffiti encrusted, ruins. One place we did stop at was a lone tree along the road decorated with shoes. It reminded me of the Camino ... as just about everything did back in July. The place we should have stopped at was the Amboy Crater. I probably could have gotten some interesting pictures of the volcanic cone but we decided to pass it by. We were both tired and anxious to get to the end.

Route 66 Shoe Tree.

After Barstow we passed by Elmer's Bottle Forest without stopping. We'd been there before. We ended up stopping in Victorville for lunch. Emma Jean's Holland Burger not only had good food but the staff was a real hoot - rough around the edges and full of piss and vinegar.

After a satisfying lunch we decided that we needed to visit at least one Route 66 museum along the way so we stopped at the California Route 66 Museum and saw relics of the old road. We bought some more magnets and I got a Route 66 pin for my hat. This stop was the high point of the day. Sadly, it went downhill really fast after this.

We decided to skip the route as it went through Los Angeles. We wanted to visit Olvera Street and China Town (which happens to be on the route) and have time to do some shopping. I consulted the map and figured out where I had to exit the freeway to get to Olvera Street and we got on the freeway. It shouldn't have taken us very long. Sadly, my navigation skills that day weren't any better than the Wife's during the sleeping bag saga. I totally misread the map. Where I thought there was an exit, there wasn't.

We realized the error of my ways and then made a slew of errors and miscalculations. Frustration, irritation, arguing, and general unpleasantness ensued. An hour and a half to two hours later, after fighting bumper to bumper traffic, driving streets that I'd never driven before, we finally managed to reach Olvera street. We were very fortunate that we didn't kill each other along the way ... multiple times. The only thing that saved us was the fact that most of the stores we wanted to visit were still open ... but just barely. If they had been closed I would have feared for my life.

After shopping we rejoined the route and battled the traffic again until we reached the Santa Monica Pier - the official end of Route 66. It was almost dark. We drove past the famous sign without even stopping. We'd had enough.

The Route 66 stage of our vacation was over so we stopped at a McDonalds in Malibu (with flat screen TVs and comfy sofas) for a fast food meal.

The drive up the coast was in the dark. It's much more interesting during the day. It wouldn't have been dark if I hadn't got lost. We reached Oxnard, the town I'd lived in for almost 21 years and then ... I got lost again. I missed my turn at Wooley Road. Why did I miss my turn? It fell into another of my memory holes. My first hole was the James Taylor concert that I have zero recollection of. This time I forgot a whole street.

Yes, I forgot the entire Wooley Road. This wasn't some little side street or alley. This was a street I took almost every Sunday for at least eleven years on my way to grocery shopping. This was a major road that ran only a few blocks from where I lived. It's existence was completely wiped from my memory in three and a half years. I compared notes with the Wife and I realized that my mind had divided the characteristics of Wooley Road with two adjacent streets. Some of Wooley Road went to 5^th Street, some went to Hemlock Street. Weird.

I was relieved when we got to our hotel in Ventura and I could put this day behind me. I can now say I've driven Route 66. I can say it was a mix of ups and downs, starting on a high note and ending with a frustrating, snarling, whimper. Now it was time for the California portion of our Vacation. Hopefully it would be a little smoother.

Pictures of our Route 66 vacation can be found in my Route 66 - 2011 Flickr set.

Approximate distance driven this leg: ±345 miles (We were lost ... probably drove a bit more than this that last day).

Saga Of The Sleeping Bag

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

One of the items on my Christmas list this year was a lightweight, compact sleeping bag. I've been looking for one since ... July 2009 when I used my prize winnings to buy some things for my planned Camino. Back then I went to Cabelas and purchased an Eureka Cheyenne sleeping bag, Soon afterward I had buyers remorse. The bag was too heavy and bulky so I returned it. I left Cabellas without a sleeping bag.

For my 2011 Camino I chose to use a sleeping bag liner as a sleeping bag. It worked well but, in some albergues, it was not warm enough and I had some chilly, sleepless nights. I decided to fix this problem for my 2013 Camino. Going back to Cabellas I found a relatively cheap, very compact, and very light Eureka Hoback sleeping bag. It's only good down to 60°F (15°C) but, with my bag liner, it should be fine down to 50°F ( 10°C). It weighs about 1 lb 3 oz (0.54 kg) and packs down to 7" x 5" (10 x 12 cm).

So I put the Eureka Hoback on my Christmas list. I specified the make (Eureka), model (Hoback), and size (Regular). Unfortunately I did not specify the temperature because I didn't think it would be necessary. I did not foresee the ordeal the Wife would go through.

The ordeal. It started last Thursday in the parking lot of the Wife's school. She was getting her billfold out of her car trunk when a gust of wind closed the trunk lid on her head ... hard (It was still hurting four days later).

She got in her car and, distracted by the cranial throbbing, turned right instead of left. After driving a while the pavement turned to dirt and the Wife realized that she'd turned the wrong way. She made a right thinking the interstate was north of her. The interstate turns southwest as it leaves Omaha so it was, in fact, south of her.

Realizing this mistake the Wife turned right on Pacific and, one more turn later, made a complete circle around her school. She gets on the interstate knowing that you could see Cabelas from the interstate. She headed west. Cabelas was east (I am surprised actually ... I would have guessed west as well). Before she knew it she passed the last Omaha exit, realized her mistake, and had to drive to the next town (Gretna) before she could get off the freeway.

She exited the interstate. It was almost 2:00 PM and had not eaten lunch yet. Being hungry and frustrated, the Wife pulled into the drive-thru line at a McDonald's. She opened her wallet, reached in for the $20 bill inside and ... tore it in half when she tried to pull it out. She left the drive-thru line even more frustrated and still hungry.

She got back on the interstate and made it to Cabelas. It had taken her over an hour to make, what should have been, a ten minute drive from school. She went in and, not finding what I was asking for, asked a helpful Cabela's person. He looked it up on the inventory and found one. When the Wife saw that the sleeping bag was only rated to 60°F she said "This can't be right." The Cabela guy assured her that this was the only Eureka Hoback they had. The Wife insisted that it couldn't be right. After discussing what I was going to use it for, the Cabela guy suggested an ... Eureka Cheyenne. Not wanting to leave the store empty handed after her ordeal, she bought it ... and a Snickers bar for lunch.

Yesterday I returned the Cheyenne and bought a Hoback ... which was now priced 36% off. I guess it all worked out and we got a funny story to boot.

Route 66 & California - Arizona & California

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

We left New Mexico and headed west into Arizona. The route alternated between frontage roads and the freeway and passed through small desert towns.

In Holbrook, AZ the route passes the Wigwam Motel with its concrete Tepee cabins. When I think of Route 66, it is places like this that I think about. Each cabin had an old car parked next to it to add one more vintage detail.

The Wigwam Hotel in Holbrook, AZ.
This is what I think of when I think Route 66.

Next stop along the route for us was the Jackrabbit Trading Post. The gift shop appeared to be closed but the real attraction in my mind was the giant jackrabbit out front. The Wife and I took turns getting our picture taken riding the rabbit (my picture is up on Facebook).

Lunch time was approaching and fortunately for us we were getting close to Winslow, AZ. We drove downtown and parked near the town's main attraction: a statue "standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona". For those who don't recognize the quote listen to this. Awesome song. Across the street from the little park, statue, and mural is a gift shop. Eagles music is playing both outside and inside of the store with "Take It Easy" playing every now and then. We walked through the store and scored some cool t-shirts, magnets, and a Route 66 sign that now adorns our den/computer room.

"Standing on a corner in Winslow, Az.
Note the "Girl in a flat bed Ford" in the background.

After asking the store clerk for restaurant recommendations we walked a block or so down the road to a small sports bar. It was closed (we forgot to take the time change into account) but we decided to wait for it to open. It was worth it as the food was great. The Wife had a burrito that was a little famous in the area. It was made by a Chinese lady in the kitchen and the Wife agreed it was a tasty burrito.

Next stop was Meteor Crater just down the road from Winslow. This was my second time here having visited it in 1995. Up to this point the weather had cooperated but as we approached the crater the skies got wicked dark (the picture doesn't do it justice) and all around ugly. It started to rain when we got out of the car and headed into the visitor's center. The visitor's center was much bigger than when I was here last. As it rained outside we checked out the gift shop, watched the historical movie, and listened to the ranger stories (normally held outside but inside a theater today). We came out of the ranger session in time to see the rain stop so we went outside and took pictures. The hiking trail around part of the crater was no longer open and had apparently been closed for quite a while.

Meteor Crater Panorama

Farther west, past Flagstaff, Williams, and several small towns, the route finally leaves I-40 and heads out into the desert. After a couple days of desolation and freeway driving, this part of Route 66 was very welcome. The scenery was still desert but to me it was beautiful. We passed Burma-Shave signs. We stopped at an old trailer park to take pictures of a giant Tiki head reminiscent of the Easter Island heads (Easter Island is on our short list of places to visit someday).

Tiki (Easter Island) head near an old trailer park.

Farther west the road hits the Black Mountains where the route became a twisting mountain road (I like this kind of road but the Wife ... not so much). The guide book talked about Shaffer's Fish Bowl Springs which sounded like a picture taking opportunity. Unfortunately we must have passed it by without seeing it. I'm a little disappointed with this as the area was very picturesque.

Black Mountain desert scenery.

The drive through the Black Mountains was one of my favorite stretches of the route. Eventually you start driving through mining areas and small towns that service the area mines like Oatman, AZ where you can see wild burros wandering the streets (we saw one).

Hazy Black Mountains.

The road eventually reaches the Colorado River and Goose Lake where soon afterward you rejoin I-40 heading west. We stopped in Needles, CA for the night. We ate at Juicy's Famous River Cafe which was next door to our motel. A place with an awesome name and awesome food. This was followed by Dairy Queen. Yum.

To me, this day turned out to be one of the better days along Route 66. A good drive, interesting things to see, and good food. The route was almost over - just one more day. We were both tired of being in the car but we were holding up pretty well I think. Tomorrow, the end of the route in Santa Monica, CA ... and one of the worse driving days of this vacation (Damn Los Angeles!).

These pictures and more have been posted in my Route 66 - 2011 Flickr set.

Approximate distance driven this leg: 428 miles.

Merry Christmas To All Family And Friends, Old And New.

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

I want to wish a very Merry Christmas to my family and friends from all over the world. You all made this year very special.

Merry Christmas!