For almost as long as I can remember, every spring I am out backpacking or camping in search of wildflowers, as I documented last year. This year, we are apparently in the midst of El Nino, meaning we could have one of our best displays in 10 years or so. Time will tell. Over the past few weeks I have been wandering around our deserts looking and waiting. So last week we took off for a few days of camping and observation.
It is said that when you retire you have to keep busy if you want to live long. Well, with all the work I’ve been doing, I’ll live to be 150 years old! We have a lot of deferred maintenance and much to remodel. Last month I wrote about our Home Energy Upgrade improvements.
Here are some of the other things we are making progress on. To be honest, the improvements are cutting into my camping and backpacking time, but since Joyce is still working, it’s okay. I need to get everything finished so she can retire too and we can finally play full time.
Many people want to turn over all our Federal lands to the states. These people are as shortsighted as Mr. Magoo. I wrote about this danger last year in A Call to Action, that I recommend you read since it is now being discussed by some of our Presidential candidates. No need for me to retake it here.
In this article “Ted Cruz vows to sell-off or give away the state’s national parks, national forests, national monuments, and other public lands.” The article goes on to say that of the Republican hopefuls, only Donald Trump and Jeb Bush are against transferring our Federal Lands to the states. Bush is now out of the race, so at first thought, Trump would be the only acceptable Republican candidate to the millions of Americans who support setting aside and protecting our wild lands.
You may have read about my preference for the inexpensive Timex Expedition as my go to backpacking watch.
It occurred to me recently that my Timex won’t survive the impending climate change global melt-down, so a gear search was in order, because I know the Government supported climate scientists, who get more and more money proportional to how bad a picture they can paint about climate change can’t be wrong. And in the tradition of the new wave of modern technology focused backpackers, I want gear that will survive the Apocalypse, even if I will be vaporized in a mere nano second. Gear must survive, even if I don’t.
I found the watch I need! The HM6 ‘Space Pirate’ watch from MB&F. What initially drew me to this particular watch is the retractable shield that protects the watch from copious amounts of severe UV radiation.
Continue reading Best Backpacking Watch to Protect You From the Impending Climate Change Apocalypse
In My Thoughts on the Presidential Race I concluded that we do not have a single acceptable candidate in either party. But the race does have one redeeming value, since I no longer have cable TV, the campaign has become more entertaining than the Comedy Channel.
So today the Pope said (or inferred) that The Donald can’t be a Christian because he wants to build a security wall along our southern border.
My first thought and something I would want to ask the Pope is,
“Dude, what’s’ that big thing surrounding the Vatican?”
Dear Reader, in case you don’t know what the picture above is, it’s the BIG frickin’ security wall that surrounds the Vatican and it is probably at least twice as tall as what The Donald wants to build along our border.
Okay, I’m really pissed off.
I have pontificated here many times about finding and keeping secret places secret. In that article I mentioned that one of the places I have hiked to many times and never, ever disclosed how to get there is Carey’s Castle in Joshua Tree National Park. In that post I chastised a unethical author who included directions to this site in a trail guide. That author is an asshole. And worse than this author is the prick who posted GPS tracks to Carey’s Castle. Most hikers don’t have the skill to locate Carey’s Castle on their own, which is why directions to the site should never have been published – ever!
On Monday of this week, Joshua Tree National Park closed the area containing Carey’s Castle and his abandoned mine.
Today I received my first Social Security payment. 
Not a check, but a direct deposit into my bank account. So the Government of the United States now classifies me as retired. As much as I am generally frustrated with our Government, the experience with the Social Security Administration (SSA) has not been what I anticipated.
This weekend I thought we were going camping, but instead I had to deal with some irrigation problems and then do our income tax return. All in all a good weekend. When you’re retired you don’t feel guilty about 4 hour “work days.” This evening we sat in our backyard and watched the sun set behind the San Jacinto Mountains. Once it got dark, I checked the temperature – a balmy 79 F. Much better than what I had been dealing with the past three winters.
“Salute the rank, not the man.”
Maj. Richard Winters
Band of Brothers
Today Joyce wanted us to have lunch together and watch President Obama land at the Palm Springs Airport, which is only a couple miles from our house.
The President’s views on just about everything and mine are diametrically opposed, just about 100% of the time. But I learned in the military that you respect the rank and he is our Commander in Chief. Given that, it was exciting to watch Air Force One land. Besides, it dismissed me from the Honey Do List, and I couldn’t go hiking on the trails leading out of Palm Springs into the San Jacinto Mountains… the Police shut down access for security reasons. Too bad I don’t have a camera with a large telephoto lens.
In January I wrote that home solar might be lipstick on a pig, and it makes more sense to make a home energy efficient before even considering solar. I also promised to post monthly updates on our utility bills.
Here is month 5:
