As my low end DJI Mini SE has NO OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE, I wanted to see how difficult it would be to shoot in the trees. 🤔
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Category: hiking
DJI Mini SE Drone Test #1
I tried and failed to fly a DJI Spark drone when it was released 2017. Did not once get it off the ground. It was a dead weight on my Patagonia trip that year.
In 2021 the (Mavic) Mini SE is their entry level model. CAD $349. … How long before I break it? 😀
I’ve either gotten a lot smarter — or their drones are much easier to operate now.
Click PLAY or watch the 1st flight on YouTube.
Lisbon, Portugal in November
I arrived Lisbon Nov. 2nd, 2021 — my birthday. During a pandemic.
My excuse was ESSENTIAL TRAVEL 😶 to get a dental implant done. Expen$ive — but excellent. And finished within 2 weeks. A dental holiday.
Click PLAY or watch highlights on YouTube. (3min)
I avoided museums and restaurant because PLAGUE — but ordered out from famed Time Out Market at least 6 times.
Tourists love Lisbon.
Fantastic street art for pretentious influencers. 😀
I stayed at Sunset Destination. Not the best hostel in town, but definitely the best located. On top of a train station transportation hub. AND they have a great rooftop patio.
I walked more than on a typical hiking day. There’s much to see. Many viewpoints to visit.
I really liked climbing the Christ statue at sunset.
I’ll be back in Lisbon next Spring to get my implant installed.
Birthday Party in LISBON
I’m 64-years-young on November 2nd.
I’ll be celebrating in Lisbon, Portugal. You know — the most vaccinated nation in the world? 😇
No quarantine. No covid test. BLAST. Connecting in Montreal, I was one of about 10 connecting passengers informed that we did need a Covid test before getting on the plane. I got a 20 minute test at the airport for $150. Very confusing as Portugal allows vaccinated passengers to arrive without a test on TAP airlines and others. I blame Air Transat for poor communication.
I’ll be hiking famed Fisherman’s Trail. And Seven Hanging Valleys.
Renting a touring bicycle from BikeIberia.
BUT if anyone asks, I’m there mainly looking to get some dental work done. North American dentists are the most overpaid in the world.
As usual, I’m flying to Europe on Air Transat. Cheapest by far — BUT they don’t have many flights / week.
As it happens, I celebrated my 53rd birthday in Porto, Portugal. So this is something of a re-do.
Yukon/Alaska – Packraft, Canoe, Bikepack
I’d love to do a trip like this.
Manuel Jutzeler put together an excellent video.
You must watch it on YouTube.
My NEW Touring Bicycle
Due to the pandemic, it’s very difficult to TEST RIDE bikes. Shops simply don’t have much inventory.
I knew that the Trek Checkpoint line were often included in lists of top Gravel Bikes for All Terrain.
I was looking for something more rugged and with more carrying capacity than my otherwise excellent Ghost.
I ended up with the Checkpoint ALR 4 … mainly because I lucked into finding one in stock at West Point Cycles in Vancouver. Still — it took over 4 months to get the accessories I wanted.
This bike is Aluminum, not steel, so it’s relatively light at 10.26 kg / 22.62 lbs. Carbon fork.
It’s got a ton of attachments. I special ordered the deluxe BONTRAGER racks front and back. I’ll load up with 4 full size panniers for longer trips.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I bought an inexpensive (CAD $43) 25 litre rear top pannier bag for those trips I want even MORE capacity.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I upgraded the tires to BONTAGER HARD-CASE editions. That should mean fewer flats. Just in case, I have a saddle bag basic repair kit.
After considering wearing bike shoes, I’m happy to have decided on flashy flats with adjustable straps. Deftrap nylon platform pedals.
I’ve hidden an AirTag so can locate the bike with the FindMy app.
Internal cables are tidier.
I now have the option to use drop bar grips — but I normally prefer flat bars. Happily, I can switch between several handlebar positions on this rig.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I put a quad lock for my phone central on the Blendr Stem. It has two attachments, normally my light and GoPro.
Once in a while I’ll take off the saddlebags and use it like a mountain bike.
Click PLAY or see it action on YouTube.
What is the Rule of 430?
… a formula that demonstrates replacing about 430 driving miles with 430 riding miles can offset the carbon cost of your new bike. Anything above 430 miles, and your bike is now carbon-negative.
Future BIG bikepacking trips I’m considering include:
- Iceland, Norway and Scandinavia (possibly summer 2022)
- returning to the Carretera Austral in Patagonia, a ride I did in in 2019
- Yukon and northern BC
- northern Vancouver Island
- Italy and Europe
Lookout: Love, Solitude, and Searching for Wildfire by Trina Moyles
Trina Moyles is a northern Alberta woman who decided to write a book about climate change and the resulting increase in forest fires.
Forest fires are one of the few outdoor “dangers” that truly worries me when hiking and cycling.
Over several 5-month summers alone in fire towers, it evolved into more of a life memoir.
And Trina has had a very interesting life.
While searching for smoke, Trina unravels under the pressure of a long-distance relationship–and a dawning awareness of the environmental crisis that climate change is producing in the boreal. Through megafires, lightning storms, and stunning encounters with wildlife, she learns to survive at the fire tower by forging deep connections with nature and with an extraordinary community of people dedicated to wildfire detection and combat. In isolation, she discovers a kind of self-awareness–and freedom–that only solitude can deliver. …
Amazon
I learned a lot. And found the book very entertaining.
Canadian Geographic REVIEW.
visiting Newport, Oregon
I happily joined in the Adlard family and friends vacation to Newport, Oregon following our climb of Mt Adams, Washington.
Newport only has a population of 11,000 yet is a big tourist destination. Great beaches.
Here’s the vista from their rented beach house deck.
We enjoyed cycling the HUGE beach. (VIDEO)
It’s WINDY so Kites and Kite Surfing are popular.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
That’s close to Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area. A fun stop.
Oregon Coast Aquarium is well worth a visit too.
We had 3 terrific dinners at seafood restaurants on Newport’s Historic Bayfront. Research for Chef Dave Adlard.
Local Ocean was great. Clearwater Restaurant, as well.
Tom enjoyed our stop at the Rogue Nation Brewery & Spirits factory. We did well, as well, at a boutique wine tasting shop.
Dave cycles every day. So our group cycled every day.
The iconic image of Newport is the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Art Deco and Art Moderne design motifs as well as forms borrowed from Gothic architecture.
When you have destinations like Newport, who needs Hawaii? 😀
Gone HIKING — mostly offline in August
I want to tell God about my PLANS … 
We’re hiking a section of the Pacific Crest Trail out of Tuolumne Meadows, CA starting Aug 5th.
Nothing could possibly go wrong.
Flash Drive Back-up for iPhone
For my purposes, an iPhone X (for example) is better in many ways than a dedicated camera like the Sony ZV-1.
I want 4K video at 60 frames / second. The iPhone does that. The Sony doesn’t.
One BIG downside of using your camera for video is running out of storage.
But I solved that with the purchase of a tiny SanDisk 256GB iXpand Flash Drive Go for iPhone CAD $82.
It works well and quickly to back-up all your photos and videos, freeing space to take more.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Rick McCharles 