There will be a lot of time in the car (2009 VW GTI), and since I am a devote of audio books, I'll mention them as I go along.
Currently playing is Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein.
I stumbled across this book because John and Ctein (Kah-tine), are both photographers and hang around TheOnlinePhotographer.com. Sandford is a well known author of a lot of books, most of ones I've read, I enjoyed.
The TheOnLinePhotographer is an interesting blog if you are interested in photography, cars, billiards, photo books, and stereo gear.
Aliens have come into the solar system and left something, maybe, at Saturn. The US and Chinese are off to take a look.
The book so far deals with technical problems with the space vehicle. Ctein is a technical guy and there is a lot of details about heat exchanges and other space things.
I'm enjoying it and the pace is pretty good. I recommend it so far.
Next up will be a Lee Child Jack Reacher novel. I've got a few on hand.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Itinerary
I've realized that I've not laid out the expected path for my travels.
Don't tie me down to this, but here is the overall plan:
5/31 head to Pismo Beach - a county park on the ocean. Rumored to have homeless and not campers, but we shall see. I've seen the campgrounds and it looked ok. The beach is a few hundred years away and there is a butterfly "forest" next to it.
6/1 go to Santa Monica. I'll be hanging out with Jay and Jess for a few days, with some golf on the schedule.
6/4 head from Santa Monica to Kingman, AZ. Camping just for the night.
6/5 Head for Holbrook, AZ. I'm going to spend two nights here. During the day, I'm going to check out Canyon De Chelly Nat. Monument. It's north of Holbrook, but looks like it will be a useful day trip. It has overlooks and hiking, so pictures may be collected. The Petrified Forest is on the way to Holbrook, so may drop in on that. Always been a sucker for petrified wood.
6/8 End of leg 2 as I go to Albuquerque, NM. The folks are there and I'll be spending a couple of weeks at least with them.
6/? Stop by Austin and spend time with Ed and Judy!
6/? Next stop is St. Louis to see Ann Marie and Kaz, and take some pictures.
6/? Then head towards Chicago.
Finally, there is the option to keep going and meet Barb in North Carolina in mid July.
Blog via Tablet
2/29/16
One of the things to test is how easy the tablet will be to maintain the blog. It says there is a tablet view of the blog. Does that apply to editing said blog?
I'll let you know.
Blogspot is on the job and I can do all I need from the tablet. I'm not sure what the mechanism is for pictures. I'll work on that when I start moving.
Rich
One of the things to test is how easy the tablet will be to maintain the blog. It says there is a tablet view of the blog. Does that apply to editing said blog?
I'll let you know.
Blogspot is on the job and I can do all I need from the tablet. I'm not sure what the mechanism is for pictures. I'll work on that when I start moving.
Rich
Gear Assembled
2/29/16
I started with a 4 person tent - thinking big and I wanted leg and gear room. Found it on Woot, I think. If someone wants brand name, let me know. Wasn't very expensive, maybe $100. I found the matching foot print for $30 on Amazon.
I've added a tarp and some tent pegs. Also some line, 2.5 mm or so, and some light weight carabiners for easy attachment.
I splurged on a 3.5 inch sleeping pad with some R value -- REI on sale, maybe $130. I got the long model, it might be fairly wide too. I'm a side sleeper for the most part and I don't hit the floor when I tried it in the house. Good night sleep will make the trip work well. Tossing and turning will sour me on the whole thing. I found a pillow on Amazon that have a soft cover and inflates (update, seems to auto-deflate a bit too!). Should be ok as long as it's not too inflated.
I got a butane single burner stove and a cute minimal cook kit to match. A case of fuel too, which Asian markets sell for a couple of bucks a can. Supposed to get 1.5 hours per can. How many meals is that?
I found a table that is pretty trick, with a cloth top and instant setup. It has two levels and drink holders below the surface.
I have a tripod chair around here somewhere. The table is a bit tall and I'm not sure the chair would be comfortable with the table.
I don't have a cooler yet. As for food, I'm thinking simple meals. Eggs and hot links! Maybe sandwich stuff for lunches. I've never eaten a lot of breakfast, so no plans for that for the moment. But a cool drink during the day seems like a good idea.
I'm not expecting a lot of cold weather and thus while I think a tea kettle would be a good idea, I'm not sure it's needed for this trip. If evenings are cold, a hot drink would be a nice idea. Instant Oatmeal might work too.
Water -- maybe grab a case every few days or just refill at camp grounds. I'll play this by ear too. Cooler might mean ice and is probably a good idea. Local shopping is kind of interesting. I can see a pan fried steak at the end of the day. Might need a fry pan for that. I'm keeping a look out for kitchen stuff at the local resale shops!
I also bought a hammock. Woot again and it was about $30. I think it might be better for camping in the woods and not at KOA. We'll see. I can see hanging it in NC under the house for a relaxing lay about. I got one with an integral mosquito net -- bugs be gone! A suspension kit is probably a good idea. I have some stuff, climbing webs and the odd carabiner, from my rock climbing days. I may use that for the initial go.
There are probably a few other items. I'm be talking about this stuff as I use it. Drop a comment if you have questions and I'll try to address them.
Just ordered a full size micro USB keyboard for the tablet. A foldable full sized micro USB KB seems not to exist. Blue tooth yes, but I'm trying not to drain the tablet battery. The KB will require some power, but it should be one less thing to charge.
I bought a 4 port high output car charging port. I'm hoping that things will charge as I drive along. Also seems like a lot of the KOA campgrounds have power at the tent sites, so may bring along a power strip and some USB converters. They sell 5 port high output ac powered usb charge stations. Might be on the list at some point.
5/30 update
I got a softsided fairly large cooler from Costco. I'm planning on putting that in the passenger foot well. It has the easy access port on the top, so I can grab stuff on the fly without stopping.
We also have a very soft sided insulated bag. I'm going to put the fuel canisters in it. They have the warning about 140 degrees. I'm hoping that the insulated bag will avoid that issue. I may toss in an ice pack too.
I'm trying not to over think a lot of stuff. I can get things as I need them. Since I am not planning monster long drives, I'll need things to do, so a bit of shopping can fill that in.
Where's the app that lists all the driving ranges?
Rich
I started with a 4 person tent - thinking big and I wanted leg and gear room. Found it on Woot, I think. If someone wants brand name, let me know. Wasn't very expensive, maybe $100. I found the matching foot print for $30 on Amazon.
I've added a tarp and some tent pegs. Also some line, 2.5 mm or so, and some light weight carabiners for easy attachment.
I splurged on a 3.5 inch sleeping pad with some R value -- REI on sale, maybe $130. I got the long model, it might be fairly wide too. I'm a side sleeper for the most part and I don't hit the floor when I tried it in the house. Good night sleep will make the trip work well. Tossing and turning will sour me on the whole thing. I found a pillow on Amazon that have a soft cover and inflates (update, seems to auto-deflate a bit too!). Should be ok as long as it's not too inflated.
I got a butane single burner stove and a cute minimal cook kit to match. A case of fuel too, which Asian markets sell for a couple of bucks a can. Supposed to get 1.5 hours per can. How many meals is that?
I found a table that is pretty trick, with a cloth top and instant setup. It has two levels and drink holders below the surface.
I have a tripod chair around here somewhere. The table is a bit tall and I'm not sure the chair would be comfortable with the table.
I don't have a cooler yet. As for food, I'm thinking simple meals. Eggs and hot links! Maybe sandwich stuff for lunches. I've never eaten a lot of breakfast, so no plans for that for the moment. But a cool drink during the day seems like a good idea.
I'm not expecting a lot of cold weather and thus while I think a tea kettle would be a good idea, I'm not sure it's needed for this trip. If evenings are cold, a hot drink would be a nice idea. Instant Oatmeal might work too.
Water -- maybe grab a case every few days or just refill at camp grounds. I'll play this by ear too. Cooler might mean ice and is probably a good idea. Local shopping is kind of interesting. I can see a pan fried steak at the end of the day. Might need a fry pan for that. I'm keeping a look out for kitchen stuff at the local resale shops!
I also bought a hammock. Woot again and it was about $30. I think it might be better for camping in the woods and not at KOA. We'll see. I can see hanging it in NC under the house for a relaxing lay about. I got one with an integral mosquito net -- bugs be gone! A suspension kit is probably a good idea. I have some stuff, climbing webs and the odd carabiner, from my rock climbing days. I may use that for the initial go.
There are probably a few other items. I'm be talking about this stuff as I use it. Drop a comment if you have questions and I'll try to address them.
Just ordered a full size micro USB keyboard for the tablet. A foldable full sized micro USB KB seems not to exist. Blue tooth yes, but I'm trying not to drain the tablet battery. The KB will require some power, but it should be one less thing to charge.
I bought a 4 port high output car charging port. I'm hoping that things will charge as I drive along. Also seems like a lot of the KOA campgrounds have power at the tent sites, so may bring along a power strip and some USB converters. They sell 5 port high output ac powered usb charge stations. Might be on the list at some point.
5/30 update
I got a softsided fairly large cooler from Costco. I'm planning on putting that in the passenger foot well. It has the easy access port on the top, so I can grab stuff on the fly without stopping.
We also have a very soft sided insulated bag. I'm going to put the fuel canisters in it. They have the warning about 140 degrees. I'm hoping that the insulated bag will avoid that issue. I may toss in an ice pack too.
I'm trying not to over think a lot of stuff. I can get things as I need them. Since I am not planning monster long drives, I'll need things to do, so a bit of shopping can fill that in.
Where's the app that lists all the driving ranges?
Rich
Wired Keyboard for the Tablet
I just got a Belkin k/b with a micro USB connector. I didn't want bluetooth due to power consumption.
So far this is working just fine. The tablet doesn't fit great into ts holder, but its workable.
There doesn't seem to be a delete key, but the backspace is of a good size and well spaced.
The keys are big and I'm not hitting multiples.
Well, this is interesting, the Belkin kb truly does not have a forward delete key! Having done VMS kbs for many years, this won't bother me much, but it might bother you. Strange key to leave off as control alt del might be useful.
The other missing things are arrow keys. Want to go back and remove an errant letter? Well, that's a finger jab at the screen. This may bother me.
So far this is working just fine. The tablet doesn't fit great into ts holder, but its workable.
There doesn't seem to be a delete key, but the backspace is of a good size and well spaced.
The keys are big and I'm not hitting multiples.
Well, this is interesting, the Belkin kb truly does not have a forward delete key! Having done VMS kbs for many years, this won't bother me much, but it might bother you. Strange key to leave off as control alt del might be useful.
The other missing things are arrow keys. Want to go back and remove an errant letter? Well, that's a finger jab at the screen. This may bother me.
Smart Phone...
Well, I've joined the rest of humanity with a new smart phone.
They can't put marshmallow on a flip phone apparently.
It's a Moto x Pure at the 32 gb size. Amazon had it for sale for $399.
I've put bank apps and facebook and the usual thing. I'm very interested in the navigation apps.
I loaded Waze and Google maps is built in. I'll try them going back and forth to work.
Other items of usefulness are the voice commands and the timers. Alarms and stop watch and count up timers -- all somewhat useful.
5/30/16 Update
I've tried to add as much stuff to the phone as is on my laptop. I do have a tablet that I'm going to use as the main I/O device, but I wanted controls and knowledge at hand. Campground reservations were made a long time ago. In CA, campgrounds fill up and getting somewhere where they forgot you, might be a minor pain. I wanted to access reservation numbers easily.
As I am late to the smart phone party, I am amazed at what they can do. I'll be leaving my slide rule at home. I do wish my near term vision were like the old days, the screens could be bigger. But, still impressed.
What is really nice is the voice to text features and interfaces for some of the apps. Useful and mostly accurate. I hope they continue to make it better. I used Dragon Naturally Speaking 15 years ago and it worked pretty well. It did want you to talk in complete sentences -- a skill few have.
Waze seems useful and I used it a few times around home. "Traffic is not moving!" not really useful news since I was in it. I intend to use it for final destination directions and the gross stuff is up to a Garmin GPS. In a couple of days I'll be trying to get out of LA -- we'll see what works.
Power in the car may be an issue. I suddenly have a lot of stuff that has a thirst for power. I was intending to charge as I drove, but that may be problem. Some of the devices want a lot of current. The tablet will not charge on the typical USB plug in. I believe they are about an amp. I'll have access to more than that in the car. I alos have a Lime Fuel brick that has a lot of juice, so I may be relying on that more than I suspect. All questions for the future!
Today is final stuff. Gathering of the goods. I'll do the packing tomorrow. Food and stuff will be light for the first night. I'll not worry about that until after Santa Monica.
If anyone is interested in more gear details, drop in a comment and I'll try to answer it.
Rich
They can't put marshmallow on a flip phone apparently.
It's a Moto x Pure at the 32 gb size. Amazon had it for sale for $399.
I've put bank apps and facebook and the usual thing. I'm very interested in the navigation apps.
I loaded Waze and Google maps is built in. I'll try them going back and forth to work.
Other items of usefulness are the voice commands and the timers. Alarms and stop watch and count up timers -- all somewhat useful.
5/30/16 Update
I've tried to add as much stuff to the phone as is on my laptop. I do have a tablet that I'm going to use as the main I/O device, but I wanted controls and knowledge at hand. Campground reservations were made a long time ago. In CA, campgrounds fill up and getting somewhere where they forgot you, might be a minor pain. I wanted to access reservation numbers easily.
As I am late to the smart phone party, I am amazed at what they can do. I'll be leaving my slide rule at home. I do wish my near term vision were like the old days, the screens could be bigger. But, still impressed.
What is really nice is the voice to text features and interfaces for some of the apps. Useful and mostly accurate. I hope they continue to make it better. I used Dragon Naturally Speaking 15 years ago and it worked pretty well. It did want you to talk in complete sentences -- a skill few have.
Waze seems useful and I used it a few times around home. "Traffic is not moving!" not really useful news since I was in it. I intend to use it for final destination directions and the gross stuff is up to a Garmin GPS. In a couple of days I'll be trying to get out of LA -- we'll see what works.
Power in the car may be an issue. I suddenly have a lot of stuff that has a thirst for power. I was intending to charge as I drove, but that may be problem. Some of the devices want a lot of current. The tablet will not charge on the typical USB plug in. I believe they are about an amp. I'll have access to more than that in the car. I alos have a Lime Fuel brick that has a lot of juice, so I may be relying on that more than I suspect. All questions for the future!
Today is final stuff. Gathering of the goods. I'll do the packing tomorrow. Food and stuff will be light for the first night. I'll not worry about that until after Santa Monica.
If anyone is interested in more gear details, drop in a comment and I'll try to answer it.
Rich
New Gear
I've acquired a 16 inch Estwing axe. I wanted something to pound in the odd tent peg (piton por la camping! From my excursion in France, many years ago. I may write that story here, if it seems to fit) and Karen J., at work suggested that an axe was a really good thing to have.
I've ordered a bunch of "on the go" connectors and stuff, which might allow me to move pictures from camera to blog. I'll let you all know how that/they works out.
Three more work days, then I'm retired.
Oh, I got a Motorola Moto X Pure for my connection and navigation needs. I ordered a wind shield iOtter holder for it. I see this as setting up nicely in the left corner of the windshield as I travel.
5/18 updates
I've retired and enjoyed a few short nice weeks, then they wanted me back for a few weeks to cover as folks are on assignment. So back to see friends and pass on some details.
There is a not a lot of detail here as I wanted to get on the road and then write about what works and what doesn't.
But I'm going to release some posts and pass out the address.
RSH
I've ordered a bunch of "on the go" connectors and stuff, which might allow me to move pictures from camera to blog. I'll let you all know how that/they works out.
Three more work days, then I'm retired.
Oh, I got a Motorola Moto X Pure for my connection and navigation needs. I ordered a wind shield iOtter holder for it. I see this as setting up nicely in the left corner of the windshield as I travel.
5/18 updates
I've retired and enjoyed a few short nice weeks, then they wanted me back for a few weeks to cover as folks are on assignment. So back to see friends and pass on some details.
There is a not a lot of detail here as I wanted to get on the road and then write about what works and what doesn't.
But I'm going to release some posts and pass out the address.
RSH
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Test Trip
2/29/16
Before I hit the road, I want to test the gear and do it while I can still change what I schlep with me.
I also wanted to try it with Barb and there is a couple from work who camp and are interested in doing a modest local trip.
There are a number of camp grounds near here, Pleasanton, CA and there is no need to go a long way off to do some testing.
I don't know when this will happen. I want to finish working, which is at the end of the month.
I'll update this as it happens.
5/18
I never managed to get away and do it. But I set up the tent in the backyard and spent the night there. Barb thought that was pretty funny.
I had not located the sleeping bad yet, so I used a sleeping bag liner and some throws. I ended up cold towards morning.
The tent is quite roomy, but does not have standing head room. Experiences may revisit this.
I also managed to drag in some leaves and stuff with just a couple of trips in and out. Dirt and debris may be a bigger issue than I had thought.
Before I hit the road, I want to test the gear and do it while I can still change what I schlep with me.
I also wanted to try it with Barb and there is a couple from work who camp and are interested in doing a modest local trip.
There are a number of camp grounds near here, Pleasanton, CA and there is no need to go a long way off to do some testing.
I don't know when this will happen. I want to finish working, which is at the end of the month.
I'll update this as it happens.
5/18
I never managed to get away and do it. But I set up the tent in the backyard and spent the night there. Barb thought that was pretty funny.
I had not located the sleeping bad yet, so I used a sleeping bag liner and some throws. I ended up cold towards morning.
The tent is quite roomy, but does not have standing head room. Experiences may revisit this.
I also managed to drag in some leaves and stuff with just a couple of trips in and out. Dirt and debris may be a bigger issue than I had thought.
Introduction 2/28/16
Greetings.
This is a blog about the travels of Mr. Hume. I will be retiring in about a month and I'm going to hit the road early June or so.
The current plans are to head from the East Bay area of San Francisco, down to LA to see Jay, then over to Albuquerque.
The folks are there and I will be spending some time with them.
Then off to Brother's home, he and Judy are in Austin, TX. From there St. Louis to visit Ann Marie, then to the Chicago suburbs.
There are old friends in the Chicago burbs. I used to live there prior to 1984 and there are some golf courses to be played -- maybe for the last time. Pizza at Rosotti's in Schaumburg and some visits with old friends and former colleagues.
Then it's off to North Carolina to visit with Barb's kin. That's located in Elisabethtown and also out near Wilmington on the beach. Plans for the mountains too, we shall see.
Then head for home, perhaps along a more northernly route.
The intention is do some or a lot of car camping. I'm cheap and it ought to save a few bucks as I wander.
Will I like it and sleep well and meet interesting people? You will have to stay tuned to find out.
I have about one more month to work and there is vacation to take out of that and maybe, if the Gods are kind, a few days of jury duty (they were not!). If the gods are angry, maybe a lot of jury duty. But it counts towards time served at work and the court is just a few block from the house -- so it seems an experience not to miss. :-)
I'll try and enter something every day. However golf and visitations may block that. I suspect that when I'm on the road, I'll have time to do it as I'm not planning long driving days and should have time to jot down notes and thoughts.
Most of the campgrounds I've look at have wifi, so uploads shouldn't be an issue.
I'm taking a tablet with a keyboard. Like a lot of this, we'll see if that works out.
Next Post is about camping gear...
Rich
2/28/16
Updated a bit 5/18
This is a blog about the travels of Mr. Hume. I will be retiring in about a month and I'm going to hit the road early June or so.
The current plans are to head from the East Bay area of San Francisco, down to LA to see Jay, then over to Albuquerque.
The folks are there and I will be spending some time with them.
Then off to Brother's home, he and Judy are in Austin, TX. From there St. Louis to visit Ann Marie, then to the Chicago suburbs.
There are old friends in the Chicago burbs. I used to live there prior to 1984 and there are some golf courses to be played -- maybe for the last time. Pizza at Rosotti's in Schaumburg and some visits with old friends and former colleagues.
Then it's off to North Carolina to visit with Barb's kin. That's located in Elisabethtown and also out near Wilmington on the beach. Plans for the mountains too, we shall see.
Then head for home, perhaps along a more northernly route.
The intention is do some or a lot of car camping. I'm cheap and it ought to save a few bucks as I wander.
Will I like it and sleep well and meet interesting people? You will have to stay tuned to find out.
I have about one more month to work and there is vacation to take out of that and maybe, if the Gods are kind, a few days of jury duty (they were not!). If the gods are angry, maybe a lot of jury duty. But it counts towards time served at work and the court is just a few block from the house -- so it seems an experience not to miss. :-)
I'll try and enter something every day. However golf and visitations may block that. I suspect that when I'm on the road, I'll have time to do it as I'm not planning long driving days and should have time to jot down notes and thoughts.
Most of the campgrounds I've look at have wifi, so uploads shouldn't be an issue.
I'm taking a tablet with a keyboard. Like a lot of this, we'll see if that works out.
Next Post is about camping gear...
Rich
2/28/16
Updated a bit 5/18
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