Category Archives: Travel

You Canceled It For What?

February 16, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Imbolc Valentine Moon

Sister Mary had a chance to keynote a conference on education. She’s spoken at several conferences, but never keynoted before. An honor. But.

She wrote that her flight to the island of Java had been canceled and she would not be able to make it to the conference. Why? Volcanic eruption. Mt. Kelud. (see right)

It grounded planes and caused tens of thousands of people to flee. I wrote back and said that was a new one for this flatlander, located mid-continent. Snow, yes. Ice, yes. Even flooding. But volcanic eruption? Quite the exotic reason for cancellation sitting in Minnesota. Not so exotic in Indonesia, a very volcanically active and earthquake active region of the world. It is, too, the fourth largest nation in the world by population.

Where is Mt. Kelud?

Family, Travel

It’s A Big World After All

February 11, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Imbolc Valentine Moon

It’s so easy to sit here, exurban house with woods, center of North America, a long string of way below zero nights and three feet of snow on the ground, it’s so easy to sit here and not see the rest of the world.

Case in point. My brother writes from Muhayil, Saudi Arabia. It’s in the southern third of Asir province, red on this map. You can see that Asir borders Yemen, right where the red touches the gray.

He received a warning from the American embassy today about terrorism. The embassy does not allow their staff within 50 miles of Yemen. He’s 100 miles. That’s not far as the shrike flies. In the same e-mail he talks about a man crucified nearby for practicing witchcraft. That was 2011. He says the Saudi government can and does publicly behead criminals, then flys their body around attached to a helicopter.

That’s terrorism, witchcraft, beheading and public display of a body by helicopter. True, we have Michelle Bachman, crack houses, pick-up trucks on the lakes and snowmobiles but we can’t touch that four.

Travel

Da Fish Shack

February 11, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Imbolc Valentine Moon

On the north shore of Kaua’i there is a small cabin, no air conditioning, set right on the beach. The shore is outside. It’s called Da Fish Shack. If you go there, you’ll find entries in its book from two Woolly Mammoths, Mark Odegard and me. Mark’s are beautiful images drawn in his immediately recognizable style, mine carved in my cursive, also, unfortunately, immediately recognizable.

(Na Pali coast)

It’s a treasure at $90 a day (now $99, I discovered.), a place to sink into the island and the ocean. Today it is on my mind. Instead of looking at the weather console reading -17 earlier this morning, I could look out on just another day in paradise. The Pacific would be there, waters and weather streaming down from Alaska and the Bering Sea, but tempered by the more southerly ocean. Not far away lies Hanalei and the Na’pali coastline. The Limahuli gardens, too.

The pace is slow. from a February 26th, 2008 entry: “4:45PM 75. Cloudy. Ocean breeze. Languid is the word. Da Fish Shack has a languid atmosphere right now; I feel enervated by the languidness of it all. Or something.”

Family, Travel

Minnesota RV and Camper Show

February 9, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Imbolc Valentine Moon

America. You know you’re in the land of the free and the home of the credit card when you pay to get into a place so you can convince yourself to buy something pretty expensive. That’s what Kate and I did today. We went to the Minnesota RV and Camper Show at the Minneapolis Coliseum.

(class A)

We’ve gone on several memorable RV trips, all earlier in our marriage and both enjoy the road. Kate in particular prefers modes of transportation that involve packing and unpacking least. RV’s and cruise ships match up well. Take the stuff out of the suitcases once, then pack it up to go home. Bliss, as far as Kate’s concerned. It’s not as important to me, but I see the advantage.

Our decision to keep multiple dogs has hampered our traveling by adding the cost of boarding. Otherwise, we might have set out on a third phase wanderjahr, cruising the blue highways.

(class C)

The show has row after of fifth wheel trailers with pull-down picnic decks, slide-outs and fireplaces. Yes, fireplaces. The class C motorhomes, the cabforward and bedroom, kitchen, living area immediately behind, used to be somewhat affordable. Now they’ve gone above $100,000, about what you would have paid for an A-class motorhome ten years ago. Unless you have a very ample wallet, the design and craftsmanship on the lower and mid-range vehicles veers from cheesy to tinny. $100,000 is a lot of money to pay for something with a door that flexes as you open it and stairs that wobble.

But Kate had seen something in the paper, something interesting. Not cheap exactly, but approaching affordable. The Vistabule teardrop trailer. Made here in Minnesota by a man whose commitment to good work is evident, these units intrigue me. A good way to see wilder places on the cheap without all the huffing and puffing of a pack.

Might be more on this later.

Our Land and Home, Sport, Travel

Steady Heat Theory

January 22, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Winter Seed Catalog Moon

The stove’s thermostat got fixed today. Now I can maintain a constant temperature without the highs and lows of previous days. One of those things I always meant to get around to and now is done.

Returning to normal life, the daily flow of dogs and learning and writing and exercise. That’s good. Over the last few years I’ve noticed a gradual resistance to travel, partly to air travel in particular, but also to leaving home and its comforts. Once I get away a lot of the old buzz comes back and I enjoy the new place, the differences in culture and the natural world. The beds are never as good away.

Not sure I said anything about the fact that the Bronco’s won their game on Sunday. There were a lot of people excited about it. At the rodeo the announcer (the scumbag) asked several times, “Are there any Bronco fans in here!” When I took the rental car back to Enterprise, one of the check-in people, maybe their supervisor was shaking an orange pom-pom to guide us. He was very enthusiastic with it, even jumping and down a couple of times.

When I got out, he asked me if I liked the pom-pom. I said something like, “Uhhh.” It’s sort of a weird thing to do since folks returning rental cars are almost always going to be from somewhere else. And they, like me I imagine, aren’t Bronco fans.

Travel

In A Zen Place At DIA

January 21, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Winter Seed Catalog Moon

At DIA. No, not dead in action, but Denver International Airport. So is my cell-phone, unfortunately not with me. How did I lose it? No clue. It’s like a disappearance, a disappeared cell-phone. After just listening to one guy speak loudly on his, fo a long time, I can understand the motivation to steal them an destroy them. But I want mine back.

I’ve also made a discovery today. My flight out is at 3:44 pm. The Olsons are all back in school so I could have left earlier. At first I bemoaned this lack of efficiency. I’ve spent a traveling lifetime trying to shave hours, even minutes off connection times and getting in and out of places with just enough time.

Instead today I got up, ate a leisurely breakfast, packed, checked out, drove to the Enterprise rental car return around 11:15 am. Got on the bus and made it to the airport around noon. Got my boarding pass, navigated the walk bridge to Gate A security (much quicker), found the terminal associated with A34 and had lunch. Then I lost my cell phone.

Here’s the learning. I’ve not felt pressed, instead, even with the phone I’m relaxed. Plenty of time. So, in the future I will plan my travel for relaxed comings and goings, not the most efficient. There’s no prize for most efficient traveler. Is there?

Family, Sport, Travel, US History

Write About Baby Animals.

January 20, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Winter Seed Catalog Moon

Gabe, to whom I read some of my blog entry about our trip to the Children’s Museum, asked me, as we were walking away from the MLK Rodeo, “Grandpop, write about baby animals. About how cute they are and how I love them.” We’d just seen a Holstein and her calf bedded down for the night in a pen behind the Denver Coliseum.

This was our usually annual visit to the stock show. (I missed last year with another round of doggy surgery and expense.) We go walk through the exhibits, look at farm equipment, see livestock exhibitions, admire the Cinch cruel denim ads, the cowboy hats and boots for sale, the cattle stalls and leather vests. One booth, Colorado Tanners, had hides and pelts which could be made into anything you want. Can’t forget the really big belt buckles, lots of’em.

It was busy this year because we came on MLK day. In the past I’ve tried to hit weekdays when the crowds are smaller. This time, though, I wanted to take the kids especially to the MLK rodeo with all African-American cowboys and cowgirls. It was a good choice, as it turned out, but it meant the holiday crowds were there.

106 years old this is the largest stock in the world by number of animals involved. It’s a big deal and people come from all over to participate. I always see folks with Iowa State sweat-shirts, for example.

The rodeo announcer distinguished himself as a racist, saying, “There’s one thing about this crowd. They’ve got rhythm.” But worse, at another point, when a second announcer described a 24-year old cowgirl as looking 14, the announcer said, “But that never stopped you did it.” This tarnished the event for me. Which is putting it mildly.

The events themselves though were good. Calf-roping, considered a high art among the rodeo crowd, was good. (if you weren’t the calf.) So was the bronc-riding and the barrel racers.

When we got back to the hotel, Ruth grabbed me and said, “I don’t want you to go Grandpop.” Gabe came around the car and gave me a big hug. So did Jon and Jen. It was family. Three generations appreciating each other. Wow.

Family, Memories, Politics, Travel, US History

DANK

January 20, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Winter Seed Catalog Moon

Dank. That’s the name of the place. The medical dispensary that now has a retail recreational marijuana cash register, too.

This hidden store is in a setting of low warehouse and light manufacturing type buildings. The brick exterior has no sign and the only evidence of its existence is a black and white piece of 8.5 by 11 taped to the window that says: Dank. Keeping it kind.

Once inside the entry way there is a long hallway with office suites off to both sides. Only at the far end of the hall, maybe 100 feet away is any human being evident.. Sure enough, DANK is the last office suite on the left.

A colorful sign advertising various forms of marijuana: loose, baked, oil and kief (a product unfamiliar to me).

A guy in the required knit hat, ear buds and baggy sweater, a couple of days of growth says, “I have to check your I.D.”

As you might imagine, I gave him a look. The gray-hair and wrinkles? “Sorry, man. The state requires it. I know you’re more than 21. But I have to check the expiration date.” General laughter in the room.

Off to the right is a glass vitrine with three shelves holding hand blown pipes and bowls and bongs, artistic. A roped walkway, ala security lines, held a dozen or so people, mostly young men in their twenties, but there was another older man like me and one woman.

At the end of the line were two cash registers flanking a glass display case with white chocolate with marijuana baked in, chocolate chip cookies, lighters, including a bic lighter, green and with DANK written over a marijuana leaf. The cashiers served as marijuana sommeliers, answering questions about various strains like indica and sativa, prices per ounce.

To an old 60’s guy this was a scene resonant with memories of bags scored from furtive dealers, parties with just a hint of paranoia. And here, in this state where my grandchildren live, and in a store not a mile from their home, people bought and sold grass. Legally.

It was, as we might have said, a trip.

Asia, Family, Travel

Bristling with Trailer Hitches

January 18, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Winter Seed Catalog Moon

The parking lot here at the Best Western bristles with trailer hitches sticking out into the driving lanes from six wheel pickups. The side streets have fifth wheel cattle and horse trailers lined up one after the other. This is Stock Show time in Denver. Big belt buckles, boots and Stetson’s.

It’s also NFL title game weekend. There are New England Patriot fans and their jerseys, Bronco fans and their orange. Jon and Ruth took a couple of hours getting home from A-basin due to MLK holiday traffic.

Gabe’s stretched out on the bed watching a large fish and an absurd saggy breasted ballerina. TV goes off at 9:00 pm. Thank god.

Ruth and I will hit the Science Museum tomorrow morning and go to Steve’s Snapping Dogs for lunch. I may miss most of the big game while I nap.

Tomorrow night we go to the Japanese restaurant, Domos. This is a different Japanese experience, a country food menu. Should be fun.

Cinema and Television, Travel, Weather +Climate, Writing

Oh. My.

January 16, 2014 Charles Leave a comment

Winter Seed Catalog Moon

Discovered, thanks to my copy editor, Robert Klein, that I had named one of my characters in an unintentionally humorous way. Two-arcas Merkin is a character who kills two arcas (bear-like creatures) and becomes known for it. Turns out, you may know this but I didn’t, a merkin is a pubic wig. First, I didn’t know there were such things. Second, as a result, I didn’t know they had a name. It’s the kind of thing I’m glad somebody caught. Geez.

(Russian ambassador and President Merkin Muffley in Dr. Strangelove)

The weather outlook in Denver is consistent with what I’ve experienced several times over the Stock Show trips: 50’s, high 50’s. Always seems weird, but northern moving Gulf air pressed east by the Rocky Mountains brings spring like temperatures to winter Denver often. Jon likes it. I don’t. I like my seasons true to themselves. Cold winters. Warm, wet spring. Hot summers. Cool falls.