Category Archives: What’s Up With That?

Biden tweets demand for gas stations to ‘bring down’ prices, gets praised by Chinese state media

What’s Up With That?

I don’t do Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram, or any other social media. The screenshot above came from a news article. In addition, I normally don’t care to write about political issues. But I have to <rant> about this!

For many of us with RVs, the current high price of gas is a concern. I’m not happy about the current $6.30 per gallon price in California either.

What is the President suggesting? Is he saying gas stations should sell gas at cost? Why is China, a communist country, praising him? Doe Joe want our government to nationalize the industry, like China (China National Petroleum Corporation)?

Continue reading Biden tweets demand for gas stations to ‘bring down’ prices, gets praised by Chinese state media

2022 Camping and the High Price of Gas

Today the average price of regular unleaded gas in California is $6.32 per gallon

The national average is $4.90 per gallon for regular unleaded.

What’s Up With That?

Will this stop us from camping this year? Why is gas so high?

No, we will continue camping. 

Why gas is so expensive is a complicated matter, which I will delve into towards the end of this post.

Continue reading 2022 Camping and the High Price of Gas

PopUpBackpacker Attacked by Russia !!

What’s Up With That?

This email was sent from your website “PopUpBackpacker” by the Wordfence plugin at Tuesday 19th of April 2022 at 09:34:35 PM
The Wordfence Web Application Firewall has blocked 197 attacks over the last 10 minutes. Below is a sample of these recent attacks:April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents
April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents
April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents
April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents
April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents
April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents
April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents
April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents
April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents
April 20, 2022 4:30am  81.177.175.244 (Russian Federation)     Blocked for Known malicious User-Agents

Continue reading PopUpBackpacker Attacked by Russia !!

The Time of COVID: Out of Stock and Backordered

What’s Up With That?

Joyce and I don’t buy much “stuff.”

And even if we did, this has been common during the past few months . . .

When we do purchase an item, we do our research, and buy the best we can afford with an eye to quality, durability, and functionality. So the pandemic hasn’t affected us much, other than I would like to buy another telescope, which will probably not be available until next year.

Last summer I read, and friends confirmed, that many outdoor products were not available. Tents, canoes and kayaks, exercise equipment, telescopes, binoculars, cameras and similar equipment were in short supply and often completely unavailable.

Back in August we drove past an Airstream Travel Trailer dealer in Las Vegas, which usually has dozens of shiny new trailers on the lot. At the time there were only around 6 on the lot, and all were used.

Continue reading The Time of COVID: Out of Stock and Backordered

Backpacking, Camping, and Herd Mentality

What’s Up With That?

So here we are, 5+ plus months into the COVID-19 pandemic with on and off shutdowns in our lives. Along with this, we now have common words to describe our situation, words that most of us almost never used prior and are now everyday terms, such as “social distancing” or “herd immunity.”

On word that doesn’t get much attention, and should, is herd mentality. Last month herd mentality came to the forefront while I planned and then executed a camping trip for Joyce and me. This herd mentality didn’t harm us or ruin our trip, but, once again, gave me pause to think about how we act out our lives. Continue reading Backpacking, Camping, and Herd Mentality

Courage in the Time of Coronavirus

Triumph of Achilles, by Franz Matsch

What’s Up With That?

About a week ago I went with Joyce to the grocery market, which I rarely do. I hate going to the market because it is so cold inside, plus I go bonkers when people are in the express lane with twice as many items as are supposedly allowed. We have plenty of food and staples at home. Since we both have been through a couple devastating earthquakes, we keep enough stuff at home to get us through at least a couple of weeks of isolation.

Joyce likes to buy fresh fruit and vegetables.

I had read about the panic buying, but was surprised how bare the shelves were after a couple of weeks of public shaming of the panic stricken people who swarm the stores. There was no bread, no canned goods, no cereal, no rice or beans. Not a problem for us. However a big problem for those who need these necessities.

Reflecting on this and the coronavirus, it should be obvious that larges segments of the population lack courage. I want to discuss courage in this post – what it is – and more importantly how we should think and act in this difficult time. If you are expecting I will tell you what to do, this isn’t a post for you. If you want to reflect on how you should live your life, you might find this of interest, or even valuable. Continue reading Courage in the Time of Coronavirus

The Daylight Savings Time Conundrum

What’s Up With That?

A few days ago I had to drive to the hardware store. On the way, my phone rang. When I am driving I ignore the phone. IF the call is important, I can deal with it later. If it isn’t important, then I didn’t waste my time.

I went into the store, pick up the item I needed, and then walked around looking at a couple of things which might work for my next project. When I got back to my car, seeing my phone laying on the console, I remembered someone had called. Looking at the “Recents” list, I noticed the time on my phone was exactly one hour ahead of the car’s clock. Aha, we must have recently sprung forward; that is, we must have switched to Daylight Savings Time. What a pain… as I racked my brain trying to figure out how to change the vehicle’s clock. Ah, hell, just leave it. I don’t need to know what time it is anyway; a benefit of being retired.

It then occurred to me that almost everyone I know prefers to stay on Daylight Savings Time all year, and I bet most people in the US concur. So why don’t we?

Continue reading The Daylight Savings Time Conundrum