Travel Resolutions for 2020

My top 13 personal 2020 travel resolutions - or, as someone coined - "travelutions" - include:

1. Regular carV practice in Chez Prius before the big road trip to Alaska
2. Road trip to Alaska
3. Road trip with my mother
4. Loose ends closure: New Mexico: A hike in the Bisti Wilderness
5. Loose ends closure: Drive to the southern end of Highway 1 in Louisiana
6. Indirectly related to travel: When I leave Tucson, I will have slashed my inventory of belongings to the point where I can carV in Chez Prius as I migrate on the way to whereversville
7. A second trip to Nogales
8. A trip to Yuma, forever riveted into my brain with The Devil's Highway
9. A trip to San Luis Rio Colorado, MX, which is just south of Yuma
10. A trip to Naco, Sonora, MX, which is south of Bisbee
11. A trip to Agua Prieta, Sonora, MX, also south of Bisbee
12. While still in Arizona, push out of my comfort zone by staying solo on public lands
13. Push out of my comfort zone by hiking solo more often

Below are past travel resolutions, which continue to be relevant today. I've looked at more recent lists, but they generally repeat the content of previous years' lists. This is because the best resolutions are timeless best practices not only for travel, but for daily life.

• 2015
• 2014
• 2013

Travel Security: Digital Prey

My brick phone in Caucasus Georgia, June 2012.

After leaving Ferguson at the end of October, I've got an international trip planned. Ooo, yeah.

Since my last sojourn out of the country (well, other than walking over to Juarez from El Paso), an ugly law enforcement practice that's spread across our national body like a case of poison ivy: Border officials demanding to see communications and other data in travelers' phones and laptops without good cause. Putting travelers in untenable positions if they protest the exposure of their devices' contents to border officials.

Am I likely to be singled out for such attention? Probably not. But I object to abuses of power on principle.

So on my trip, I'll take with me:

• An old phone that is stripped of everything personal except the barest essentials I might need for travel; and
• Little Red, my sweet, childlike laptop with a toddler's memory. 

There's another advantage to the above decision. Although my complexion, dress, and accent might not trip the typecasting alarms of border officials, my gender, age, and solo traveling status might juice up the salivary glands of tourist hunters on the other side.

Hopefully, a penetrating gaze that suggests I can kick your ass, despite appearances to the contrary, will ward off attempts to cull me from the herd. But in case that fails, well,  I might get my phone or Little Red ripped off, and that would suck.

But they are my expendable Star Trek extras, and my lead actors will be safe at home.

My brick phone in Caucasus Georgia, June 2012.

A useful article about digital security: The traveler's guide to keeping electronic devices secure during international travel, published in Travel and Transport, February 2017

"Is It Worth Going to ...."?

A most excellent day in Gardabani, near Rustavi, Caucasus Georgia. March 2012. Photo courtesy of Eva K, who was part of that remarkable day.

On travel forums, I cringe when people ask if a place is "worth" going to.

Vakhtangisi, how many km to Rustavi, Caucasus Georgia. March 2012.

And on the other side of such a question is the response from self-appointed experts who rush to reply that, no, a place is not worth going to.

Music venue in the Lupus Garage, Lupus, Missouri. October 2013.

Or worse, when they offer such advice, unsolicited, to an individual expressing interest in a particular destination.

Antelope Wells, New Mexico. March 2013.

For example, touring the historic Route 66 (the Mother Road) in the U.S. is a popular draw for foreign tourists. But invariably, when these folks announce their Route 66 itinerary plans on a popular travel forum, a passel of Americans jump up to gleefully proclaim it's not "worth" doing the Mother Road because "there's nothing there." Which is false, of course.


Obviously, if you seek something very specific, it makes sense to know if the size and caliber of your specific something exists in a potential destination.

Columbus, New Mexico. April 2013.

But if you are:

• Looking for generally good travel experiences;
• Open to adventure;
• Observant; and 
• Flexible ....

... then just about everywhere is worth going to.

Cemetery in east El Paso, Texas. April 2017.

Like these:

• Gardabani, Part 2: Men in Black
• Lupus, Missouri: The Chili Fest, Part 3: Before You Die
• Columbus, New Mexico, Part 1: You Mean There's More Than One Part? Are You Kidding?
• Keshalo: A Tiny Adventure

Passport Ritual and the Beginning of Good-Bye

Moving house, Louisiana.

 
Today I sent in my passport renewal application.

Today is the first day of my last month in South Louisiana.

It is a good day to remember what Temperance "Bones" Brennan once said about what her future held:

"I await my own surprise."

Taking a Budget Road Trip, Part 6: Road Trip Technology

Louisiana Road 3083

My biases

1. Budget
This is a series about budget road trips. Therefore, the recommendations reflect same.


2. New not always better
A new technology might be better than the old. And it might not be. Its value depends on the user's wants and needs, in addition to the road trip route and a reasonable risk management plan.

A new technology can actually result in an unintended consequence of engendering a false sense of security, which - at worst - can result in a trip disaster.


3. Hidden costs
Every piece of equipment carries a cost in regard to:

• Safe-keeping from theft (think big-ass camera)
• Protection from damage (think sizzling summer heat inside a parked car while you go for a hike)
• Worry about forgetting it somewhere (motel room, hanging on restaurant chair, on a restroom counter) 
• Practical portage (how much gear do you want to carry on your shoulder, around your neck, or in your pockets?)
• Freedom to be spontaneous (Wow! A street festival! Let's stop! Wait. What about our stuff?) 

4. The joys of being out of touch
Some simple joys of a road trip are:

• Being in a place and no one knows where you are
• To get lost figuratively and literally
• To be alone with yourself or alone with your travel companion(s)

You deny yourself these pleasures if you tether yourself too closely to technology, including social media, texting, and phone calls.

Mule deer crossing, Bosque del Apache road, New Mexico.

Technical gear recommendations

Into this category, I place: 

• Cameras
• Phones (smart and dumb)
• Laptops, tablets
• Dedicated devices for listening or reading

Cameras

Do you have a big expensive camera? If yes, think carefully about the pros and cons of taking it with you on a road trip.

Decision variables include: 

1. What are the expected temperatures on your route - will it be too hot to leave the camera in your car for several hours while you do something without the camera?
2. How anxious do you get about theft - will you worry too much about leaving the camera in your car on occasion? 
3. How will the camera - if you have it on your person - affect your freedom of physical movement if you go on a hike, go dancing, walk through a museum, visit an amusement park, walk to the hot springs for a dip, attend a crowded festival? 
4. What do you generally do with your photos? Post them on social media? Scan through them and then toss the SD card in a drawer? Produce creative work for personal or professional satisfaction?
5. Do you feel confident about how to use your big, expensive camera? 
6. Is photography a major component of your road trip or is it a visual footnote of your trek? 
7. What are the photographic subjects you're likely to encounter on your road trip? Jaw-dropping scenery that you will stop to contemplate? Micro-beauty such as flowers or insects? Or mostly fun shots of people, places, and things you come across to document your trip?
8. Depending on the answers above, is your phone camera good enough for your needs? Do you have an inexpensive point-and-shoot that you could take with you?

Phones

Dumbphones
Do you still only have a dumbphone? No big deal.

If you want a mapping application, then you can buy a dedicated GPS device, although this is a financial investment that may not be worthwhile. Better to borrow a device, if possible. Or maybe you're bringing a tablet with you, and you can use that for your mapping.

But my experience is that a paper map works just fine. Plot out the trip's (or just a day's) route in advance and mark the route with a bright highlighter marker.

A mapping application is most useful when I'm looking for a particular address within a city, and when push comes to shove, I can call the destination point for directions.

Smart phones

• See Road Trip Apps below. 
• Consider taking a spare charging cord and keeping it in your trunk, in the event you leave one behind in a motel room.
• If you don't use a pass code to access your phone data at home, think about using one while you're on your road trip. When we're outside our familiar surroundings and routines, some of us get more alert, while others of us get fuzzier. If you fall in the latter camp, then you are more vulnerable to leaving your smart phone behind in your motel room or at a restaurant. 
• Consider enabling the emergency alert feature on your phone, if it isn't already. You never know. 
• Be a fanatic about charging your phone. If you've got the ability (see Power Recommendations below), think about keeping your phone plugged in while driving. 

Laptops, tablets
On a road trip, I do take my laptop. I've weighed the pros and cons and decided that having my laptop with me maximizes my enjoyment of a road trip.

But many folks are extremely comfortable conducting all of their online activities on their smart phones. They may have cameras with wifi capability that allows them to upload photos to their preferred internet destination.

As with the camera variables, think through if you really want to bring a laptop or tablet on your road trip. Remember that every piece of equipment you bring adds to your protection and portability "cost."


Dedicated devices for listening or reading
Currently, I diversify my gadgetry portfolio by having an mp3 player for my music and a basic Kindle for my electronic books. I bring both on road trips.

Dedicated device pros:

• I don't drain my smart phone's juice when I play music or read an e-book
• My mp3 player and Kindle have long battery lives
• Arguably, I enjoy better sound via my mp3 player
• It's easier to read ebooks on my Kindle than on my phone
• I just feel generally better when I diversify my limited resources across several devices

Cons: 

• The more gadgets I take on a road trip, the more I have to babysit
• If I've got limited charging capacity in my car, then I've got to be assiduous about charging the devices at night when I've got access to wired resources
• The assumption about better sound on my mp3 player is untested; it is possible the sound is just as good on my phone
• Although I don't want to read an ebook on my phone, I could choose an audio book instead and listen to that on my phone

 

Highway 54 train between Corona and Vaughn, New Mexico. 2013.

Power recommendations

Source: Cable Wholesale

Three-prong to two-prong plug converter
You never know when your overnight accommodations will lack accessible three-prong wall outlets. A converter costs less than a dollar, doesn't take up much space, and you can find one at any big box store.



Surge protector power strip
Whether you're staying in a motel, at a friend's house, an airbnb or a couchsurfing place - outlets can be scarce. If you've got a travel companion, this could double your demand for outlet access.  If you don't travel all that much, just bring a power strip from home. Throw it in your trunk and only bring it out if needed.

If you decide to buy a strip: 

• Check for roominess between the plug slots. It's annoying to have three or four plug slots on a strip, but the slots are so close together you can't actually fit two plugs right next to each other if one of the plugs is fat. 
• Consider cord length. My power strip is designed as travel-friendly (with universal plug slots), so its cord is only ~ 13". This is great for packing, but sometimes it presents minor challenges in a motel room where the only available outlet is hard to reach. This writer uses this travel-size power strip. It has no cord at all.  
• If you don't travel much, then a longer cord might be more practical for you. In that case, choose a power strip that you'll like using at home so you don't add to your special-occasion clutter load.

USB wall charger

USB wall charger. Credit: Philips

I've used this one for several years, and it's worked well for me. I like the blue light that glows while mine is in use because I'm less likely to forget it in a motel room. I also like the foldable plug. I can plug the charger directly into a wall outlet or into my power strip. In the latter, however, it falls into the category of a fat plug, so this sometimes affects my ability to plug in neighbors.

If I were to buy one today, I'd get one with two USB ports like this one.


Car lighter adapters
OK, yes, today's cars have handy USB ports and outlets stashed all over the place. If you have such amenities, then skip ahead.

My car is 20 years old, so I've got one power source for charging and playing music: My lighter.

I do have two lighter-based powering gadgets, but they are geezers.

Portable power inverter. Credit: ebay seller

One is a big, heavy, one-outlet power inverter that I bought back in 1990 maybe. I bought it for the road trip to Alaska I took with my daughter.

Upside: It still works. Downside: It's big, it's clunky; it has only one plug-in. I have to use my USB adapter to charge devices on it.  And while I'm charging something on it, I can't listen to my music player because I've only got the one lighter and the one port. 

FM transmitter device. Credit: ebay seller.

My other gadget is a Gigaware FM transmitter device to plug into my mp3 player. It's been a wonderful tool for me on road trips. In the past year, however, I have to place the player in just the right position to get the appropriate volume, so it's on its way out.

When I replace the above two devices, I'll get an FM transmitter that also has a USB port. This one, perhaps. Consequently, I'll be able to listen to my playlist and also charge my phone. Evidently, such a device would allow me to talk on the phone hands-free if I receive a call. Nice, if true.

Pearl Street Mall, Boulder, Colorado.

Road trip apps


I offer my recommendations below. Manage your expectations. It is a humble list.

Road trip planning and management
Evernote is a well-designed application that you and any road-trip companions can use like a file cabinet. Toss into Evernote screenshots, websites, photos, articles, lists, links - a repository of information that helps you plan and manage your trip. Here is a list of articles about how to use Evernote for a road trip. Set it up on your desktop, laptop or tablet, and sync it to your phone.

Directions
I use Google maps.

Gas price app
I'm trying out Gas Guru. It seems straightforward. Gas Buddy is more popular, but seems to have too much interaction.

Road attractions
Roadside America has an app that looks very cool. Alas, it is only for iphones or ipads.


Related links:

Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip, Part 5: Loose Ends
Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip, Part 4: Pack List
Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip: Part 3: Food and Drink
Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip: Part 2: Lodging 
Updated: Taking a Budget Road Trip: Part 1: The Basics

Or click on the Take a Road Trip tab at the top of this blog. Or click here.

Top Five Free, Travel-Easy, Pack-Friendly Beauty Secrets for Women of a Certain Age

Obligatory weird and kinda gross picture for this kind of post. But in fact, these are actual eggs inside an actual chicken. Rustavi, Georgia.

Yes, you heard right.

Five weird tricks that plastic surgeons don't want you to know about!

Free!

They take up no space in your luggage!

No messy liquids to measure and carry in four-ounce containers loaded into a ziploc bag!



1. Close your mouth

When we get to a certain age, I've noticed that many of us have a tendency to let our mouths hang open a bit. Don't believe me? Start looking for it. It adds 10 years to our looks. Easy fix. Close your mouth. Get your nearest-and-dearest to tell you when you forget. They'll love to oblige.

2. Smile

I've seen miraculous transformations when a woman of a certain age smiles. Years drop off in a nano-second. Works with an open- or closed-mouth smile. Being a rather serious sort myself, I try to remember this tip, otherwise I can look very stern (which could also explain this).

3. Avoid locking your upper and lower molars together. 

This creates a severe look. When your mouth is closed, let your jaw relax away from your upper teeth. Look in a mirror at the difference between the two positions.

4. Look alert.

Look like you've got your wits about you. Make direct eye contact with people you're talking to. Look with purpose at things around you.  

5. Put your shoulders back and stand up straight. 

Just like your mom told you.

6. A lagniappe: Borrow some bad-girl attitude:

Numbers 4 and 5 have the side benefit of making you look less of a target when you're traveling.

Travel Resolutions for 2015

Highway 3, New Mexico

Here is my tiny round-up of travel resolutions for 2013. Salt plays a prominent role.

An even tinier round-up of travel resolutions for 2014 is here. Greg Kohl's list remains solid.

A common theme for 2015 travel resolutions is to unplug. As is local travel, a model I've long espoused.

I especially like two of Pauline Frommer's 2015 resolutions: 

1. Connect with some of her social media's "friends of friends" on her travels - what a keen idea to arrange a meet-up with someone who is a stranger to you, but with whom you share a friend! 
2. Use an outlet multiplier at public venues so nearby strangers can still get plugged in. Open source in a  literal way - love it.

I also favored two of Wanderlust's resolutions for 2015: 

1. Remember to look up. The Wanderlust author refers to the heavens, and I agree. Looking up also applies to treetops, surrounding hills, ceilings, and rooftops. 
2. Call on local guides to get more local back-story. I have smiling memories of a local guide in Harar, Ethiopia, who took me to see the hyenas.  

After dipping in and out of dozens of lists, what I've got above is the best of the lot.

Revisiting My Portable Gear

It's been a few years since I bought some of my portable gear.

I took a look at my gear in 2012, and it's time for me to do it again.  

Jewelry bag

I bought this zippered jewelry bag in 2010 and I use it every day. I still wish it were a brighter color so it would stand out more clearly in a suitcase or offer better contrast against a dark-colored motel bedspread, but other than that, it still gets five stars from me.

zippered jewelry bag

Mini flashlight

Photo from onebag.com

I still love my flashlight.



Yeah, I know everyone's gone over to the headband thing, and I am sometimes tempted, but being able to tuck my light into a pocket, in a small bag, or hang it around my neck - all excellent qualities. I've lit up an entire room when the power has gone out in Ethiopia, in Caucasus Georgia, and I don't even remember where else.












Laptop

I bought my laptop in 2010. It's showing some age: 

• The fingerprint scanner doesn't work anymore; 
• The optical drive is cranky and unreliable; and
• I'm on my second battery - an after-market brand, as the HP replacement battery was prohibitively expensive. 

I know I'll have to replace it in the next year or two. Assuming I'm still working online, I'll replace it with another laptop (versus a tablet). And I'll still want various ports, although I may give the optical drive a pass.

  
Electronics case

Still use the red Ethiopian Airlines "case" to keep my small electronic paraphernalia.

Ethiopian Airlines case for my electronic paraphernalia

Ethiopian Airlines case for my electronic paraphernalia

Rain poncho 

I've got the rain poncho I bought while on a break from Caucasus Georgia, and I've used it on a few occasions since I bought it, but my earlier conclusion still holds - an umbrella is handier and lighter. I especially crave an umbrella on brutally sunny, hot days. Some day, when my decrepit black umbrella bites the dust, I'll replace it with a lighter-colored new umbrella (to offset the sun's hot rays). 
 
There's a good bit on umbrella v. ponchos on onebag.com here.


Kindle

I went with the basic Kindle in 2012.

I think I'm glad I made the choice I did, though I feel a little sad I don't have the paperwhite version. The basic Kindle does what I want it to do, even though it's rather clunky to get from some points A to some points B.

I've downloaded quite a few library books to the Kindle. Nice. 

Also, my reasoning about not wanting to feel too much of a financial loss if it were lost or stolen remains valid.



 

Trekking poles

A great purchase in 2012! They collapse into a size that fits into my backpack. So lightweight. I love to have them on trails with uneven surfaces, just for the balance.

 








Portable speaker

Yup, I still use this! I attach it to my laptop for better sound. I hook it up to my mp3 player. To my Android phone. To my voice recorder for playback.





My "puppy"

I bought an Android in July, 2014. Glad I bought it. In addition to serving as a backup to my online work in the event to a wifi or laptop failure, I find it a quality-of-life enhancement. I have not introduced it to social media or games, and I don't intend to do so.

Travel Blasphemy #6: It's OK to Pay for Photos

There are travelers who refuse to pay locals in exchange for taking their photos. Some tourists indict locals as greedy or exploitive (!) if they ask for payment. Some tourists think their photos aren't "authentic" or "candid" if they have to pay for them. Then there are those travelers who believe it is corrupting a traditional society if they pay for photos.  


And yet these very same photographers use the photos for their own tangible or intangible benefit, and in ways that the subjects have no control over.

This makes no sense to me. Especially when we're snapping pics of folks who live in a place where it's difficult to earn a sustainable income.

We've all got the right to support ourselves and our families, don't we? 

Doctors and attorneys aren't going to dispense their services for free just because they happen to be standing on the street, are they?

Travel Tip: A Simple Cure for a Headache

Oh no. I had staked out my spot for the big parade in Church Point, Louisiana. The same parade where people had been laying their claim since before 9:00 a.m. for the parade that would start at 1:00 p.m.

And it started coming. A headache. First a soft thumping and then more insistent. I felt frustrated because my little pill box with over-the-counter drugs was at home.

And then I remembered. .... Didn't I have this same situation months ago in New Mexico? Righhht. In fact it was more than a year ago, when I went to the Cowboy Symposium in Ruidoso. The headache just wouldn't quit.

What did I do then? Oh yeah, I took off my hat because it was too tight.

Here I was today wearing the same hat as then. 

I took it off. Immediate relief. I swear to God.

Worst Travel Advice

The Lonely Planet has a list of the worst travel advice ever here. It's not bad. 

Here's my list of worst tips:

1. "Let's ask if they can help us buy some coke." 

Yes, a temporary travel companion did propose this to me in Ecuador.

Don't do this.


2.  Bring candy, pencils, and small coins to give to the children in the streets.

This tip is offered to those visiting a country such as Ethiopia.

Do not do this. Do not do this. Do not do this.

It promotes begging in lieu of school (for those who have access to school). It causes a plague upon the tourists who follow you, as you set up the expectation that foreigners are walking Santas.

Besides, you will never have enough stuff to distribute. Never.

Finally, it is at best, a gesture of noblesse oblige. At worst, it is akin to feeding bread crumbs to pigeons - dehumanizing. 

If you want to contribute in some way to a country you're visiting, to offset in some way the terrible disparity of resources between you and most of the country's population -  identify an in-country organization that you admire and give it a donation.



3. Take traveler's checks. 

Travelers checks have gone the way of rotary phones. ("Rotary phones" - look it up.)

No matter how remote the country you're visiting, trust me, travelers checks are over.

Instead, take some cash (dollars or euros) + cash (local currency, upon arrival) + two cards that you can use as debit for ATMs. Stash the second card in a place that's separate from the other card.

And remember to inform your financial institution that you'll be traveling - you don't want to be abroad and find your card is locked.


4. From locals, about an area in their country - "Don't go there, it's too dangerous." 

This can be superb advice that you'd do well to heed. 

But.

I've discovered that locals in all countries suffer from the same malady as the locals in my country. How many times do we hear compatriots caution against going to a particular U.S. location, be it an entire city or a part of a city, or a certain rural location? Again, sometimes the advice has merit, but more often than not, it's a generalized and unsubstantiated fear that has little connection with reality.

So if a local cautions me about going to a particular place, I'm going to listen to her, but I'm also going to ask more questions, do some independent research, and then make a decision.


5. Wait for the official instructions ... 

Like #4, this is sometimes the exact right thing to do. I learned in Ethiopia to be patient and let staff, such as those at a bus terminal, help me. They knew what they were doing and it was in their best interest for the maintenance of efficient operations to get me through the process smoothly.

But in an unusual situation, look at what the locals are doing. Are they waiting for instructions or are they moving?

In Ecuador long ago, a trio of us (all Americans) were on a train from Ibarra to San Lorenzo. En route, we encountered a landslide that had obliterated a section of track.We passengers disembarked and milled about for a bit. The train maestro said we should wait for instructions about what to do next.  While we waited, we noticed that all of the other passengers began streaming on foot through the compromised pathway.

By the time we decided to follow, our fate was sealed: On the other side was a waiting train - older, smaller -  in which all of the seats were taken.

This experience was a laugh-about-it-later one.

But on a much more serious level, there were people who died in the World Trade Center when they complied with instructions to "stay put."


6. Go here - the food is AMAZING!!! 

Yeah, OK, maybe.

But I invite you to redefine the term amazing!!!  to mean:

It is the ultimate experience in mediocrity! Nowhere else will you spend more money for such a stupendously average experience than this! 

I promise: If you redefine the word amazing as I suggest, you will never be disappointed. In fact, your expectations may be exceeded. Win-win.


What's your worst travel advice? 

2014 Travel Resolutions

Columbus, NM, and Las Palomas, Chihuahua, border.

Last year

I did a round-up of some online travel resolutions for 2013 here.

The CNN (on choices), the Travel Troubleshooter's "Don't Be A Jerk", and Arthur Frommer's lists are still good today.


For 2014

Geoff Kohl's list, 8 Travel Resolutions for 2014, speaks to quality and personal expansion. I'm a proponent of local travel, both in attitude and in action, and so is he. His is a list almost anyone can implement regardless of disposable income or time.

..... and after some time searching for other worthy resolutions lists .... the one new list above does it up just fine for this year.

Long Journeys: The River .... and a Sidebar on Journeywomen

Love Your Big Muddy

I love that this river adventurer is a woman, she's of a certain age, and she's a fellow Missourian. She lives 30 miles from my hometown.

Her precís (I've added the links):

My name is Janet Moreland. I am a Missouri River paddler from Columbia, MO, most often found at or near Cooper's Landing. I recently graduated from college with a degree in Education, and am now certified to teach middle school social studies and/or science. Currently, I am in the midst of a 3700-mile Source-to-Sea solo kayak expedition from the Missouri River source at Brower's Spring, Montana, to the Gulf of Mexico. I left Columbia on April 14, 2013, and anticipate a November completion. My mission includes elements of education, environmental stewardship, and empowering youth, women, and men to confidently pursue their dreams.

Here is a podcast interview with Ms. Moreland at The Pursuit Zone.


Fear

In her post here, Ms. Moreland talks about times recently when she felt fear. It was good to see how she felt it and what she did about it. [The bold and underlining are mine.] 

On a treacherous lake crossing that she'd received numerous warnings about, she wrote in her journal: “I need to stop wondering if I’m making the right decision and just trust my judgment. I can SO do this!”

At one campsite where she worried about mountain lions, she reported: " .... That very night, after I was zipped up in my tent, some animal made a loud noise right around dusk just outside my tent. Holy mackerel! It was a honk, cough, yell, growl, screech, or something, I don’t know what.  “Stay calm,” I told myself. “What do you need to do to survive?”  I took the safety off of my bear spray, got my buck knife out, grabbed my machete, and put my whistle around my neck.  I was hoping it was not a mountain lion. ..... "

During a nasty electrical storm: " .... I couldn’t help but think I had just inserted into the ground a lighting rod, which seemed to be the high point on shore, and right outside my shelter.  Oh well, there was nothing more I could do.  I had to wait out the storm, and I did it squatting with only my feet touching ground and my hand on my SPOT “SOS” button.  I thought if lightning struck me, my reflex would press the button....." 

How Ms. Moreland's handled her fear reminded me of two other women who undertook long journeys:

This hilarious telling of Molly Langmuir's four-day solo hike in the Tetons, where she was terrified of encountering a bear. My favorite bit:

On a scale of one to 10, how much fun did you have?
I'm actually not sure I had any fun. The trip was challenging, which I always like, and now that I'm through it, something I'm glad I did, but I basically spent the entire time in a state of sheer terror, so there wasn't much room for fun. I guess a one?

And the book, Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. She told herself that she did not fear mountain lions, bears, or rattlesnakes. That this was necessary for her to be able to embark on the hike. If she'd allowed herself to consider fear, then she couldn't have gone.


But here's the sidebar on journeywomen

There's a lot of debate in the news right now about banning the niqab in some places or not banning, and about imperialist countries imposing their cultural shoulds on other cultures, that a culture will stick up for itself, thank you very much, and so on.

The other day, when I went to the Alamogordo Balloon Invitational by myself, without asking the permission of a brother or father or uncle or husband or son, having driven to the event by myself, in a car that I alone own, and walked around the event unescorted, I appreciated - yet again - how lucky I am that I have the choice to do all of the things I just listed.

When I think about Ms. Moreland, or Ms. Strayed, or Ms. Longmuir's journeys, it is with appreciation that these women have the choice to do such things.

"Such things" including the fundamental human right to use our intelligence and talents to their fullest, without religious, cultural, or other restriction imposed on us because we are women.

This right is called self-determination: the determination of one's own fate or course of action without compulsion; free will.

So while the debate goes on, I'd like this basic tenet not to be lost.


When I'm feeling exasperated about the latest indignity done to women somewhere - control dressed up in the guise of culture - I like to play this video.

Some might consider it a metaphorical middle finger. 

"One Thing That Scares You Per Day Keeps Apathy at Bay"

Rattlesnake, Rattlesnake Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico

One thing that scares you per day keeps apathy at bay, said one of my thoughtful readers in response to this post.

It's funny about fear. What doesn't scare me, scares you. And vice versa.

For awhile, I did Something Meaningful every year on or about my birthday. It had to be something that pushed me out of my comfort zone.  One year, I considered three choices: 1) go dancing, 2) engage in a gestalt therapy session, or 3) jump out of a plane. All three caused fear, and I chose the one that was the least scary. You guessed it. I jumped out of a plane.

I want to get around to the point that fear, after you complete the act that causes fear, is often funny. My skydiving story is very funny.

I laughed til my sides hurt on reading Bill Bryson's account of a possible bear (or two!) outside his tent, in A Walk In The Woods.

I was gasping for breath laughing at Molly Langmuir's story of her four-day hike in the Tetons, during which she was terrified of mountain lion or bear encounters every moment.  An excerpt:

On a scale of one to 10, how much fun did you have?
I'm actually not sure I had any fun. The trip was challenging, which I always like, and now that I'm through it, something I'm glad I did, but I basically spent the entire time in a state of sheer terror, so there wasn't much room for fun. I guess a one?

What was your main terror?
The bears. From my summer in Jackson I knew people out there take the bear situation very seriously — most years at least one person is attacked, if not in the Tetons, in Yellowstone — and to prepare I read the “Be Bear Aware” chapter of my trail guide about ten times (it is filled with this kind of thing: “a large percentage of hikers mauled by bears were hiking alone”) and dutifully bought bear spray. I still managed to keep my fear in check until I got to the park ranger station to sign up for campsites. The ranger who gave the canister you're supposed to keep all your food in and leave 100 yards away from your tent at night explained that even if you drink an Emercen-C in your Nalgene you should put it in your canister, and that was actually what put me over the edge. Because if bears can smell an Emercen-C in a closed Nalgene, they were clearly a sort of advanced supercreature that could definitely sniff out the crumbs I’d likely drop on myself at some point. Plus, for all I remembered the last time I had used my sleeping bag I had been binging on beef jerky right next to a barbecue smoker. Also I didn’t know how far 100 yards was.

Cheryl Strayed said in her recent book, Wild, the story of her 1990s hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, that she told herself that she did not fear mountain lions, bears, or rattlesnakes. That this was necessary for her to be able to embark on the hike. If she'd allowed herself to consider fear, then she couldn't have gone.

I'm currently trapped between the Strayed and Langmuir approaches --> telling myself there is nothing to fear on one hand, and on the other, continuing to walk with fear, when I go on a New Mexico trail. Where we have mountain lions and bears. I've not broken the fear barrier as I would like. I laugh at myself about my fear, although this doesn't make it less palpable when I'm in the moment, on the trail. 

Sign at Antelope Wells border crossing, New Mexico

Rattlesnake artwork, Chiricahua Desert Museum, Rodeo, NM

A funny thing about my predicament is that I'm not scared of rattlesnakes, but that's just about all anyone talks about here as far as scary things go. Indeed, in two out of three NM/MX border crossings, the first sign you may see is a Watch Out for Rattlesnakes sign.

On Solo Dining

Lalibela, Ethiopia

I know there was a time long, long ago that I felt trepidation about dining out solo, but it's been so long I don't recall the negative feeling.

Once I began solo dining, always with a book or newspaper at hand, I loved eating in restaurants alone. For an introvert like me, it's perfect - I get to enjoy perfect solitude while in the ambient company of people, amidst the noises of activity and social conversation, but not of it.

Trabzon Restaurant, Istanbul

But I didn't get how someone could dine alone without anything to read. (Or texting or listening to music or using any external diversions whatsoever.) When I saw such a person, usually a man, I'd wonder what he was thinking while he was eating. It wasn't a matter of him just looking at his plate and shoveling the food in. No, the typical solo-diner-without-something-to-read often sat quietly while eating, looking out into space.  

I just didn't get the attraction of this.

Tlaxcala, Mexico

Until. I think I noticed it in Georgia, maybe as early as Ethiopia. I'd go to a restaurant and have a book with me, and then realize I wasn't reading it. I was just .... being there. Just eating. Just drinking. Just looking out into the distance. And it was OK. Sometimes when I caught myself, I'd pick up the book, and then let it go again. ... just eating, just drinking ...

And now, if someone were to ask me, what are you thinking about when you dine alone and you're not engaged in a book or newspaper or music or texting or whatever, the answer would have to be: I don't know, nothing really. 

Keshalo, Georgia

Travel Blasphemy #5: Sometimes a Postcard is Better Than the Real Thing

Postcard I sent to my parents from Mt. Rushmore, my first solo road trip

Sometimes a postcard is better than the real thing .. or at least just as good.

I remember when I first discovered this unmentionable side of travel. It was my first solo road trip on an Important Birthday.

I drove to the Black Hills in South Dakota from Missouri. I stopped at Mount Rushmore, got out of my car, walked over to my first sighting of this national icon, and felt .... stunned.  Looking at Mount Rushmore face-to-face elicited no different a response from me than when I'd looked at postcards of same. What a revelation this was.

Since that trip, I've occasionally had similar experiences. Istanbul was the most recent, where in fact, watching a virtual tour of such famous sites as the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern was a better experience than my real, live visits. No crowds, no waiting in line, and no annoying muzak intended to enhance one's enjoyment.

The next time I go to a city filled with "must-see" sites, I'll look at the virtual tour first (maybe while I'm kicked back on a sofa in my pajamas and drinking some good coffee) and then decide if it's a place I want to visit in person.

I'm not going to feel guilty about it, either. After all, I've got finite resources in time, money, and hassle-tolerance - every hour and dollar I invest in a "must-see" is time and money I can't apply to another place or activity that isn't a "must-see," but that I might enjoy far more.

The New Thing I Collect From Hotel Rooms

To-go coffee cups.

Used to be that hotel rooms only offered little styrofoam cups in the rooms (other than ceramic mugs).

Now they provide the nice reinforced-paper coffee cups, sometimes with lids, sometimes not.

I like.

Dixie Perfect Touch Hot Cup

I don't collect the shampoos and conditioners anymore, and usually, not any soap, either. But if there's lotion, I still take that.

Rootless Weaponry, Part 2

Mino woman warrior. 

Back here, I noted I wanted a knife.

Yesterday, I set about making that happen. 

Step 1: Identify the qualities I want in a knife
Step 2: Look at knife reviews
Step 3: Choose my knife and order it

 

The qualities I want in a knife

1. I have learned in life that no product will do everything beautifully. There are always compromises, especially if you have a limited budget.
2. In light of the above, it's important to watch out for mission creep. In other words, I must focus on why I want the knife and not get distracted (too much) by other uses. 

My mission: To own and carry an accessible, effective self-defense tool with me on hikes.


So with these tenets in mind, I found a really good analysis of what to look for in a knife at  ... yes ... The Art of Manliness, in this article: How to Choose the Perfect Survival Knife.  It's a well-written, straightforward, common-sense article. The author addressed these qualities cleanly:

• Blade size - Not too long; not too short
• Fixed blade, not folding blade
• Full tang, not partial tang
• Sharp-pointed tip rather than angled, hooked, rounded, or squared off tip
• Single-edged blade rather than double-edged blade
• Solid pommel (the handle bottom) rather than a hooked or rounded pommel

He doesn't address metal materials, serrated v. smooth blade, sheaths, handle grips, etc.

Knife reviews

With these qualities in mind, I searched out specific knife reviews and found this article by Ben Brooks. Mr. Brooks'  review introduced me to the Esee brand which, I subsequently discovered, is way over my budget. So I had to back up and look at knives under $50.

Somehow I ended up over at Amazon and ...


Decided on this

SOG M37-N. Credit: Amazon

The SOG M37-N.  I bought it at $41.xx, which included shipping. 

Good reviews on Amazon.

It has most, but not all of the features I sought:

• Blade size between 4.5 and 5.5 inches (in close quarters, don't need as much range of motion to pull out of sheath, stab, and pull out again, repeat)
• Full tang
• Fixed blade (no fumbling to open knife while being mauled by a bear)
• Sharp-pointed tip (to get to business ASAP in a self-defense situation)
• Single-edged blade rather than double-edged blade, though I'd prefer most of the spine (the non-edge side) to be straighter (can use non-sharp edge to "baton," a bit of mission creep here)
• Solid pommel, aka butt (to use as mallet if necessary - another bit of mission creep)
• Has a decent-sized quillon, aka finger guard (so I don't cut myself)
• Handle seems to have a good grip surface (so I don't slip and cut myself)

What I'm not crazy about  is: 

• Serrated part of blade, but that's toward the bottom, so it's tolerable
• I'd prefer the quillon (finger guard) to be on both sides and to be longer 

 A New Mexico knife maker, Jay Fisher, presents a thorough study on knife anatomy here.  


Sheath

The knife comes with a nylon sheath that I'm happy with. Until I watched the Continental Divide movie, I didn't know I could have a knife in a sheath in a draw-down position versus a draw-up-and-out position, and I think this nylon sheath is constructed in a way that I can do that. (One of the hikers, toward the end of the movie, pulls out his short but lethal knife. [That sounds a little titillating, doesn't it?].)

My plan is to have it on my right-side, front backpack strap, set up so I can pull it down and out.

Will I feel more secure when I've got the knife with me? Don't know yet, but even if not, it's still something I should have with me.  

Travel Resolutions for 2013

Lonely Planet has weighed in here [2020 update: Thanks to the Wayback Machine for revivifying this defunct link.] with staff lists of where they intend to go in 2013.

Salt flats, Bolivia. Credit: Best Travel Places

Sidebar: Reading about one staffer's desire to enter a new continent, with a photo of Bolivia's salt flats, made me wonder about an itinerary, executed over the course of several years or so, based on salt.

I like salt. It's necessary for one's survival, and has been demonized unfairly by so-called advanced medical experts. It figures prominently in local histories.

In a favorite book of mine, Alas, Babylon, there comes a time when the survivors of an apocalypse have a desperate need for salt, which prompts the search for same.

Salt Flats, Texas

I've already been to the site of a war over salt (and other things) - Salt Flats, Texas. 

The movie, The Wind Journeys, showed spectacular scenes of the salt mines in Colombia.

]

But I digress. 


Back to travel resolutions for 2013.

CNN offers a list of 2013 travel resolutions that isn't about specific destinations, but about choices and planning. I like it.

The "Travel Troubleshooter" offers one 2013 resolution for us to consider: Don't Be A Jerk.

Arthur Frommer [2020 update: Thanks to the Wayback Machine for revivifying this defunct link.] offers a thoughtful list of 2013 travel resolutions. I like it so much, here it is in full:

"At the end of last year, I hastily scribbled a list of 18 New Year's resolutions for travel in 2012, realizing as I did so that I was including too many marginal and minor ones. I have since pared down the list to 12 important rules for the year ahead, which I genuinely believe reflect important and realistic suggestions. Here they are:

1. I will be courteous and respectful to airport and airline personnel and members of the TSA; they work under stressful conditions, and deserve our smiles and understanding.
2. I will constantly remind myself of the moral obligation to leave a generous daily tip to the housekeepers who have made up my hotel room -- theirs is an underpaid profession, and we should supplement the measly wages of the hotel chains.
3. I will avoid traveling on airlines that delight in public-be-damned attitudes, the companies that exult in an openly-expressed disdain for the traveler.
4. On my very next flight, I will politely ask permission of the person sitting behind me to recline my seat.
5. I will stop burying my head in a newspaper or book, and converse with the airline passenger sitting beside me, if they have indicated a desire to talk.
6. I will continue to argue for high-speed rail -- either in journalism or meetings -- to make a case for a technology so urgently needed in a nation that will soon have 400,000,000 people, as dense as any other on earth.
7. I will agitate as well for an easing of our nation's overly-restrictive visa requirements for incoming tourism, that have prevented so many foreign residents from visiting our country.
8. I will bring sandwiches with me, prepared at home, to substitute for that atrocious airline food.
9. I will never leave on any trip before spending at least a few hours reading about the history and culture of the place I am about to visit.
10. I will supplement the recommended tipping policies of the cruiselines with additional sums meant to recognize the hard labors of the people who staff the ships.
11. I will never book any Caribbean cruise that stops at the many artificial "private islands" or "private beaches" that the cruiselines are substituting for encounters with actual local people.
12. And finally, in the writing I do and the talks I deliver, I will continue to regard travel not as a mere recreation, but as a serious learning activity, a way of understanding the world, an essential element of a civilized life."