The cross bands (also know as X bands) apparently have been around for some time. But what do I know? I don’t keep up with trends. On a recent trip I ran into a guy that had one of these cross bands securing the lid to his cooking pot. What a clever idea!
Ah, so why would I be so impressed?
Well, maybe not senior moments. We try to avoid senior moments. Seems many seniors are just waiting to die, we’re out living.
We just returned from a couple of weeks of camping in the desert. It was a totally relaxing. I didn’t take any pics, so you’ll just have to use your imagination and picture the amazing scenery and wildlife we saw, like a whole herd of majestic big horn sheep.
But here’s something that caught my eye: I saw this really interesting spare wheel cover on a travel trailer that said ‘Adventure Before Dementia.’ The phrase sounds pretty catchy, and it also made me think about our own lives. It’s all about perspective, you know? What it means to you can totally change depending on how you look at things.
My friend Paul recently shared a series of articles about his camping and backpacking trip to Big Bend National Park. In Part 2, he recommended a Driving Guide for visitors to the park. (by the way, I recommend you read Part 1 and Part 3 of Paul and Joan’s recent adventures in Texas).
He said, “If you decide to drive the backroads of Big Bend, we found the $7 backcountry road guide a great purchase. You can get it online or at the visitor centers. It has mile-by-mile descriptions (sorry to those in the civilized world, it only lists Freedom Units TM), a brief description of the routes, and even some history.” <bold is mine>
I was curious about the term “Freedom Units.” I’m not really into slang words or phrases, and I don’t know much about current urban dictionaries. So, I did a quick search online, and I found out that Freedom Units is a joke about the Americanized Imperial measurement system that the United States uses.
Guess what? Only three countries in the whole world officially use the Imperial System: the United States, Liberia, and Myanmar (also known as Burma). The rest of the world uses the metric system. I don’t mean to knock Liberia or Myanmar, but they don’t come to mind as places that are at the forefront of scientific research. The United States is.
Also, I found out that every country in the world, except these three, has laws that require people to use the metric system.
So, what’s the deal? Is the metric system some kind of communist plot? Is there a good reason why the United States should keep using the Imperial System? Let’s take a closer look at this topic.
Guess what? California just made history! They’re the first state to ban the sale of those disposable propane cylinders. Starting January 1, 2028, you’ll only be able to buy refillable propane canisters and cylinders in California. So, here are a few questions to ask:
Is this just another crazy move from the Golden State, or is it something we should actually cheer about?
Why did they make this decision?
And what are the alternatives?
I’ll break it all down for you!
Continue reading California Bans 1-lb Disposable Propane Canisters
After two weeks in the Sequoia National Forest we packed up for the second leg of our month of camping.
We still had over 50 gallons of fresh water on board. After hooking up the trailer to our truck, we drove a short distance to a water spigot in the campground and topped off the fresh water tanks. To off-load our black and gray water holding tanks, we had to drive about 30 miles to a dump station in the town of Isabella. We also stopped at a super market to get some fresh vegetables and other food items. A final stop, at a gas station to fill up the Ford F-250 and one of our propane tanks, completed our pre-trip tasks.
Destination: the Mojave Desert about 300 miles southeast of our first campsite.