Checking the weather for an upcoming hike to Paria Canyon …
» next travelogue post on this trip – exercising while travelling
Category: travelogues
jogging the Las Vegas Strip
Running The Strip each morning, I have time to ponder.
If mankind should disappear off the Earth, alien archeologists will certainly rank Las Vegas the finest ruins of them all.
You could spend a lifetime trying to visualize what was going on in these fantastical, gargantuan resorts.
Of 2,763 rooms in the Mirage Hotel, mine is one of the best. (I assume. Haven’t seen the rest.)
Of course casinos nickle and dime you to death. And not only in the slots. No free internet. Phone calls steep surcharge. Weight room an extra $20 / day.
But this is an astonishing fantasy world to visit. Like a decadent dream.
original photo – out helicopter window – on Flickr
» next travelogue post on this trip – weather forecast in Vegas
Green Tortoise, San Francisco
I had a couple of days free in San Francisco. Headed straight for the Green Tortoise, perhaps the best hostel in the USA.
I knew the Tortoise from the reputation of their excellent bus adventure tours. A bargain at as little as US$40 / day. But it was Mollie’s raves about the hostel that put it on my must visit list.
So, $25 / night for a bunkbed in a cramped dorm. That’s typical.
But everyone at the hostel is happy. Free internet, free breakfast, free dinner, amazing party room, special events daily. (My team bowed out in the first round of Beer Pong.) Party tours go nightly.
It’s in the perfect location on the edge of Chinatown.
» next travelogue post on this trip – jogging the Las Vegas Strip
San Francisco?
Tourists love San Francisco: Eclectic architecture, diverse population, Alcatraz, Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, etc.
They love the restaurants and shops.
I was underwhelmed. This is not the destination for me.
I was let down, having had some vague idea I would visit the Googleplex, or Apple HQ — like they have nothing better to do than tour me around.
Though I had my bread bowl of chowder, I managed to miss the chance to ride a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge.
» next travelogue post on this trip – Green Tortoise, San Francisco
hiking Mt. Shasta California
Thanks to Tom Mangan, a hiking blogger from San Jose, I travelled to the first annual outdoor bloggers meetup. Tom put together a nice photo report on the weekend.
Tom first collected myself and Szu-ting Yi (a Taiwanese blogger living in Philadelphia) from the airport, then drove us 5hrs to gorgeous Mt. Shasta to rendezvous with the rest of the gang.
Though strangers, we had much in common — the outdoors and the internet.
Russ the Wine Hiker supplied us with great reds and prepared gourmet Thai food. The best meal I ever ate around a campfire. Though he knows the lyrics, I am quite sure he never actually toured with the Eagles.
Tom Chandler (Trout Underground) and his wife Nancy provided the local information — they live in Shasta — though we did not find time for Tom to teach me to fly fish. Perhaps he was worried I might be a natural Brad-Pitt-River-Runs-Through-It-type and make it look too easy.
The hard-core hiker amongst us was techie John Fedak who lives down the street from Apple Computer (but works mostly for Intel). John’s a blogger — but his forte is photography. Check some of his favourite pics.
Lastly, Adam and his almost-3-year-old son kept up to the rest of us on the trail. Adam is a climber who loves Mt. Shasta. He blogs as climb_ca on GoBlog which supports the GetOutdoors.com — everything you need to GetOutdoors.
Photos of camping, fishing, drinking, dining and even some hiking on Flickr.
» next travelogue post on this trip – San Francisco?
Vancouver airport sucks
This is my 4th trip to the States in 2006. I’ve passed through over a dozen airports.
Despite the security nonsense of the summer (don’t point that toothpaste at me!) I had no major airport hassles.
Then I arrived 5:30AM at the Vancouver, BC airport American departures cattle drive. It was a mess. Long lines at every stop including Tim Hortons coffee shop. Clearly they do not have enough capacity for the volume of traffic.
Or — speculating wildly — insane union contracts (15min smoke break every hour?) results in this kind of shocking service.
Happily the airport will be much improved in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. … Wait a minute…. It seems the Olympic budget has doubled from the original estimate and could get worse.
Avoid Vancouver airport if you can.
» next travelogue post on this trip – hiking Mt. Shasta California
thanks Stacey, thanks Bevan
I first met Stacey & Bevan Hughes in Peru. We hiked Alpamayo and later hooked up for Paine in Chile.
They are a prototypical cool Vancouver couple with diverse interests, a fascinating history and some exciting things happening in the future.
They hosted me for a couple of days. Good, lively fun.
Stace was almost … glowing.
» next travelogue post on this trip – Vancouver airport sucks
boating Alberni Inlet with Dad
It was too late to fish — the (poor) fishing season had ended — but Dad thought we might run his boat for a couple of hours then take it in to be winterized.
The Fall weather was so good he decided to leave it at the marina in Port Alberni for at least one more trip.
» next travelogue post on this trip – thanks Stacey, thanks Bevan
Jack Russell dog races
We took my parent’s Jack Russell “Pete” to the dog races in Parksville, BC.
Pete could have won the “Senior / special needs” division — there were no other entries at his advanced age (11) — but Pete decided only to cheer on the younger dogs.
The competitors were alternately cute and snippy. There was a fair bit of trash talk between races.
Click PLAY or watch Jack Russells on YouTube.
» next travelogue post on this trip – boating Alberni Inlet with Dad
a day with Reg Taylor
Uncle Reg toured us around his retirement town of Crofton, BC on the Island.
A great host, we managed some off-road, a bit of a hike, visited several marinas, a good fishing spot and finished the day with Halibut and Ice Cream!
» next travelogue post on this trip – Jack Russell dog races
Rick McCharles 
