Weekend Photo 45
Uncompahgre River Valley, Ridgway, Colorado
Test: ThermoGear Rechargeable Hand Warmer
IN MY CONTINUING QUEST for ways to keep warm I was reminded of the existence of hand warmers. My hands are always cold, even in hot weather. So yeah! Hand warmers! Gimme a couple of those! Thanks to modern technology, hand warmers have progressed from the fuel burning...
Beyond the Cul-De-Sac Life
FOR ALMOST A CENTURY, new housing developments have been designed with a minimum of through streets and a maximum of cul-de-sacs. It’s what the market wants. A little quiet corner of the world. A retreat from the grind. With a tall wall and a locked gate. A bit of...
Introspection
Possessed by Possessions
ONE DAY, as a friend was sorting through her things, she pointed to a pot and said, “That doesn’t belong to me anymore.” It wasn’t that someone else was about to take possession of it. She simply no longer felt ownership. She didn't feel connected to it. It didn’t fit...
Secret Destinations
Test: Heating with an UCO Gear Candlelier
THE CRISCO CANDLE HEATER I TESTED EARLIER was a completely amateur contraption. But what result would I get with a professionally designed and manufactured candle-based heater? To find out I bought the UCO Gear Candlelier Candle Lantern.UCO Gear’s promotional...
Weekend Photo 44
Passage — 20 September 2017 — Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
Test: Self-Heating Food
THERE WAS SOMETHING NEW to me in the camping foods section at Walmart. I wasn’t particularly interested in prefab pizza. What caught my attention was that the pre-fab pizza was self-heating. Just add water. Any water at any temperature. So no need to boil water first....
I Think We’re Coyotes
I’VE ALWAYS HAD A FONDNESS FOR COYOTES. Perhaps because I like dogs. Perhaps because I sympathize with hapless Wile E. Coyote (really, the Roadrunner is a jerk). I smile whenever I see coyotes or hear them yipping and howling. While camped at Fortuna Pond near Yuma...
Charlie Brown on Being Yourself
Review: Garmin InReach Mini 2 and InReach Messenger Personal Locator Beacons
BACK IN APRIL WE EXPLAINED PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACONS (PLB), gave reasons you might want one, and reviewed three versions of them. To freshen your memory, PLBs are pocket sized devices that use satellite networks to send a distress signal and your GPS coordinates to a...