Category: travel

CYCLING Alberta, Montana, Idaho, BC summer 2020

On By Rick McIn cycling, hiking, travel2 Comments

If all goes well, I’m planning to start June 12th from Banff alongside some real cyclists.

UPDATE ➙ this adventure was postponed.  Perhaps 2024.  More likely 2025.

The Tour Divide is an annual mountain biking ride traversing the length of the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to the Mexican border.

Following the 2,745-mile (4,418 km) Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, it is an ultra-distance cycling ride that is an extreme test of endurance, self-reliance and mental toughness.

The ride format is strictly self-supported, and it is not a stage race – the clock runs continuously from the start until riders cross the finish line, usually more than two weeks later.

The ride has a very low profile, and is entirely amateur. There are no entry fees, no sponsorship, and no prizes. …

I’ll not be racing but will follow the same route down into Montana.

There I plan to hike the Chinese Wall.

Then divert to the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes

I’ll circle back to Calgary … somehow.

This is less a plan than a dream at this point.  😀

I Am Malala with Christina Lamb

On By Rick McIn books, education, government, human rights, Islam, travelLeave a comment

If you want to know more about life in Pakistan I recommend this autobiography of a teenager.

If you want to know more about the plight of girls and women in extremist Muslim nations, this is the book. Malala is a symbol. She was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.

I hadn’t recalled that the Taliban assassin shot Malala and hit both girls sitting either side of her as well. All three survived.

Christina Lamb is an excellent writer, expert in this region. She too was nearly killed by the Taliban, on Benazir Bhutto’s bus when it was blown up in October 2007.

2013

I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban (2013) is an autobiographical book by Malala Yousafzai, co-written with Christina Lamb …

The book details the early life of Yousafzai, her father’s ownership of schools and activism, the rise and fall of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in Swat Valley and the assassination attempt made against Yousafzai, when she was aged 15, following her activism for female education.

It has received a positive critical reception and won awards, though it has been banned in many schools in Pakistan. …

Swat Valley has been an important tourist destination in the past. And may be again in future. Malala is a Pashtun, the majority of whom follow Sunni Islam.

The leader of the Swat Taliban in Malala’s day was Maulana Fazlullah.  He was killed by American drone strike in 2018.

Today Malala is a student at Oxford studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics. 

She and her father run the Malala Fund, an organization dedicated to every girl’s right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. That’s an important cause for me too.

I’m proud to say Malala has honorary Canadian citizenship.

 

 

 

 

South Beach, Miami during Super Bowl week

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

By accident I booked myself to fly out of Miami on Super Bowl Sunday.

Doh.

There are few people who care less about the annual concussion-fest than me.

I found myself surrounded by even more crazies than usual on the beach. Many of them football FANatics.

There were plenty of sinners. And plenty of self-appointed soapbox religious zealots to convert them. The many classy Jehovah’s Witnesses proselytizer were soft spoken and well-dressed by comparison.

Over 4 days I attended zero Super Bowl parties. Watched none of the dozens of sports TV shows taping.

Instead I jogged, cycled and worked in the library.

Miami Beach comes alive for weekend parties ahead of Chiefs-Niners in Super Bowl LIV

I stayed at the hostel in this Art Deco building above the Voodoo Lounge

Citi Bike Miami

On By Rick McIn cycling, product endorsements, travelLeave a comment

Surprisingly — for the first time — I used a bike sharing program.

BRILLIANT.

Citi Bike provides locals and visitors with a healthy transportation option. Fun, efficient and convenient.

There are docking stations everywhere close to South Beach. It works.

Often you need a phone app to use these things. But for Citi Bike, instead, you can rent with a credit card (expensive) or travel to their office to purchase a fob.

That fob is only $35 / month for unlimited use. Both for locals and tourists.

By comparison, the Miami electric scooter sharing program is a mess. Scooters abandoned randomly all over town. Companies include Bird, Bolt, Jump, Lime, Lyft and Spin.

Click PLAY or watch GIRLS GONE WILD CITIBIKE on YouTube. 🙂

I’m a Whole Foods buffet guy now

On By Rick McIn food, product endorsements, travelLeave a comment

Dana always called the snooty grocery chain Whole Paycheque Foods, and I wouldn’t walk in the door.

What?! … No Diet Coke?

But in South Miami Beach where food of any kind costs $10, the best deal I can find is the food court at Whole Foods.

I spend $6-9 dollars for a great, tasty meal. Soups are good too.

Pizza excellent.

For another opinion, read Exposing the dark side of the Whole Foods food court.

For coffee I go to McDonalds.

And Subway is still quite a good alternative for about the same price as my buffet.

 

Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Great for kids. 

Great for me as most of the exhibits are FREE.

Exhibition halls explore the state’s unique habitats and rich cultural history, including information about some of Florida’s early Native peoples.

Mammoth and mastodon skeletons from the last ice age.

It’s BIG on the wildlife of Florida.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

My Apple Watch 5 Review

On By Rick McIn Apple, audiocasts, books, hiking, product endorsements, travelLeave a comment

I went decades without a watch ‘cuz TIME ain’t the boss of me.

When I finally got around to trying Apple Watch 3, I was instantly hooked. It’s an essential part of my life now. I can’t live without a smart watch. 

LOVE IT. 

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Having broken two Apple Watch 3 faces already, when I decided to upgrade the 5 I paid the extra for Apple Care. It covers everything for 2 years.

The normal warranty is 1 year and does not cover cracked glass, the most common way to break it.

In addition, for even more protection, I added an OtterBox Exo Edge Rugged Apple Watch Case.

Watch a video on that product.

Initially I thought the much cheaper Apple Watch 3 would do everything I need.

… Until Rene Ritchie convinced me to upgrade to the 5. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

How much does it cost?

If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

Get a Casio. 😀