Yummy!

Yummy!
Apfelstrudel at zum Wildschutz Restaurant, Garmisch

Monday, December 4, 2017

           Still awaiting comments.  So in the interim here are some recommendations for travel based on my future Camino pilgrimage (yes, it seems all pilgrims try to return),  First of all, is a travel item called the Clipa2.  You can see it demonstrated on Youtube if you do a search.  It's a handy device that looks like a plain bracelet and it can be used as such.  They come in a few different colors.  But its purpose is more utilitarian.  It opens on a hinge so you can hang your pack or purse or whatever on a table.  More importantly, it has great utility at toilets.  You can hang your pack/purse near you instead of putting it on what could be a nasty, germ-filled floor.  It also offers a bit of security in that you can hang your item near you instead of on a hook on the toilet door.  Thieves often simply put their hand over the door and take your item off the door hook, then run.  It's not like you're in a position to immediately jump up and run them down. I highly recommended this item and have given it as a gift to traveling friends.

          Another item I think is great for travel or simply at home when you're a bit cold is what some military members call a "woobie."  The official term for it is poncho liner.  Prior and present military members sing the praises of a woobie for good reason.  It is a very light-weight, reasonably sized, super warm blanket.  It can be stuffed in a compression stuff sack and return to its shape immediately when removed.  It would take up some, but not a whole lot, of room in a pack but not as much as the standard sleeping bag.  I bought a 3.3 to 10 liter AEGISMAX Compression Stuff Sack for it on Amazon.

        Speaking of AEGISMAX items, I bought a couple of their down sleeping bags for when my wife and I go on our Camino pilgrimage in the future.  I made sure to buy the whitish-gray ones so any bedbugs can be spotted easily and done away with.  The bags are very lightweight quite warm, and reasonably roomy.  They come with a compression stuff sack and the bag will fit in it but you have to work at it and that's something you don't want to do when getting up early to start walking in the dark.  So I bought the same compression sack mentioned above.  Works very well.

       And, speaking of those nasty bedbugs that can infest even the best hotels, I bought a couple Sea to Summit Coolmax Adapter Liners with Insect Shield.  Great for travel (used them when we went to Machu Picchu in Peru).  They are comfortable and come with their own stuff sack.  It seems I buy most of my stuff on Amazon.  I often research potential buys on Youtube.   It's a great way to see if an item fits specifications/uses you are looking for.

       That's it for now.  Hoping for some comments, etc.  Don't be shy!

Friday, November 17, 2017

For the Gearheads

Gear time!  I have a few recommendations based on gear I've recently purchased.  Inflatable pillows have always been a great idea in concept but in practicality, they can sometimes lack in comfort.  I still like my Cocoon inflatable pillows but I really am impressed with Trekology's Dreamer Comfort Ultralight inflatable pillows (you can find them on Amazon) which my wife and I used while stuck in an airport in Peru.  They are easy to inflate.  They are big enough.  And, they are really, really comfortable.  One now resides in my grab-and-go travel pack.  I recommend their newest iteration which makes it even easier to inflate and deflate.  When rolled up in its case, it takes up hardly any space at all and it's super-light.  Trekology has a pretty good self-inflating pillow as well but it takes up more space.  My goal is to travel with a small backpack and, for me, size and weight matter.  What I'm most impressed with about Trekology, however, is the fantastic customer service they offer.  I had a question about an inflatable pillow and they responded to my email very quickly.  They want satisfied customers so if you have a concern, they will make it right.  I would imbed a picture and link but I have to relearn how to post them on this blog so my apologies at present.  Check the pillow out on Amazon and get one (or two).  You will be impressed!

Speaking of inflatables, I recently purchased a Rugged Mountain Inflatable Compact Sleep Mat, also on Amazon.  There are others very similar to it so just search Inflatable Compact Sleep Mat and see what comes up.  I believe I got the very last one Rugged Mountain was selling.  I chose that one out of all the others for a few reasons.  It was a bit bigger than the others in width.  I chose the orange one.  Why?  Well, first of all, I can spot it easily and so can others.  Also, I learned a lesson on the Camino about bedbugs--I was bitten numerous times (I'm a bug magnet).  Although I did a pretty good search, they still got me.  Those bugs are gonna show up really easy against a bright orange background.  Speaking of background, if you find yourself having to sleep at an airport, put your mat across from a security camera.  The bad guys typically are on the lookout for them and will hesitate or simply pass on coming over to steal from you when there's a camera potentially watching and recording their every move.  Here's part of the advertising copy for that mat: Inflates to an accommodating 76x25x2 inch tall & wide pad with plenty of room to sprawl out comfortable, & compacts into a small 9x3x3 inches weighing in at only 14.4 ounces; Fits in your backpack with ease;  The features are truly equivalent if not better than pads priced three times higher; With an R-value of 1.3, water proof materials, & full size design, our pad crushes the competition on features and value;  Perfect for travel, military or emergency use.

Speaking of bedbugs and security, you will recall I recommended a Streamlight flashlight for security earlier in the blog.  It is still a good choice but in addition to security, you can use the flashlight to look for bedbugs where you stay.  Bedbugs can be just about anywhere humans sleep, even in the most expensive hotels.  They like to come out at night and feast.  So far there are no reports they carry any diseases, but the bites will make you miserable for days (I can certainly attest to that) and they hitch rides on your bags and clothing to infest other places you stay and finally your home when you get back.  It costs a lot to get rid of an infestation if they come home with you so it's best to stop them from getting you and your pack in the first place.  By the way, put your bag in the bathtub when you first arrive at your lodging so the bugs can't easily infest.  You'll see them first.  You can then place the bags on the room luggage rack after you've done a thorough flashlight search for them.  I've found a few other flashlights that put out mucho lumens and are not too pricey.  They should make it easier to spot the nasty little critters or signs they are there.  The lightweight penlights are the "Sleuth Black AA" penlight, the "Coast HP3 LED Universal Focusing 105 Lumen Penlight," and the "Thorfire PF04 Pen Light."  All three can be found on Amazon and are reasonably priced.  The Thorfire is good for those who work in the medical field for patient assessment as it has three levels of brightness that would be great for both the hospital setting and for regular use.  I have had some interaction with Customer Service at both Coast and Thorfire and they, like Trekology, want satisfied customers so if you have a concern, they will make it right.  I found a great Youtube video on using small tactical flashlights (the Sleuth Black AA and the Coast penlights can fit that category) from CRKT entitled "The Best Personal Defense Tools and How to Use Them."  Great advice!  You don't need a knife.  A metal pen in combination with one of the penlights above (or the Streamlight) will make a good defense.  Speaking of items to be used as weapons, the penlights should make it past TSA as they are actually penlights--it's just that they can be used for defense if needed.  Before my wife and I traveled to Peru, I queried a friend, a highly respected self-defense expert, on what I could carry for defense that wouldn't be confiscated at the airport.  He recommended a penlight that could be used tactically and said his daughter was presently backpack traveling in Europe.  She was carrying a "tactical" penlight as well.

So there are a few gear suggestions for the gearhead readers out there.  Do ya'll have any suggestions/experiences with similar gear you would like to share?

Thursday, November 16, 2017

           Hi folks!  I'm back.  It's been a long time since I last posted.  Lots of things have happened since then.  During the Fall of 2015, I was a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile trek on foot across Spain.  Folks have done this pilgrimage since at least 900 AD.  I learned a lot and am still learning from the experience.  Every pilgrim will tell you the same thing about the pilgrimage: "It will change your life."  It's absolutely true!  There are lots of reasons to walk the Camino:  religious, spiritual (me), dealing with grief or a life event requiring time and uncluttered thought to sort  through, travel, even adventure.  There are lots of blogs about the Camino so I won't write too much about it at this point.  A few neat things happened to me on the trail that I will just put out there:  I have Native American blood and I started to embrace that aspect of my heritage around Summer 2015.  I walked the Camino during Fall 2015 (started a week after my 60th birthday) and told some of my Native friends of my plan.  They remarked I was going on my vision quest.  I had to go research what exactly a vision quest is--I grew up as a white guy (Celtic and North European heritage) in Appalachia.  Turns out, Native Americans do their vision quest while undergoing puberty.  So at 60 years old, I was a bit of a late-comer.  In essence, persons seeking their "vision" typically go out alone and wait at a place, sometimes for days, for their totem (spirit guide) to assist in providing a "vision" or epiphany that indicates what life-path one will or should take.  My totem is the crow and in recognition of such I had a crow feather hanging from my pack as I walked the Camino.  A crow alerted me to my vision during that trek and I didn't even have to stay at one static location.  Got it while walking alone.  Bottom line is I did get my vision and it turns out I had intuitively chosen the right life-path decades ago.  Also, I believe I met an angel on the pilgrimage.  I am an investigator by profession so I'm a bit conflicted by that conclusion as the investigator in me needs additional evidence but spiritually I can't say with certainty the interaction was not with an angel.  I also met a friend for life from South Africa and we correspond multiple times a week.  I consider her part of my family.  While on the Camino, I had opportunity to put the gear I had chosen for the walk through the paces and most of my choices were spot-on in terms of utility, weight, pack space, function, and durability.  Just about every pilgrim will tell you they long to return to the Camino.  There are numerous routes to explore.  I also long to return and to that end, I have selected improved items to take on my next pilgrimage.  The next few topics will discuss my upgrade choices and why.  They can easily be used during any travel so I hope you will like them and find this blog helpful.  As always, please ask questions and tell us all your thoughts, experiences, and reviews of travel gear and destinations.  Looking forward to it!