The Digital Life: Blog Facelift
Since I needed to stay home this past weekend to get some things done, I decided to revamp this blog at the same time.
The Digital Life: Gear Ambassadors
Let’s face it, the Internet, blogs, and social media are changing the world we live in. For the most part, I think it is bad – people hiding behind little itty bitty hand held screens, large mega-pixel screens, all potential barriers to real interpersonal relationships. As the digital world moves ahead at the speed of light, there is nothing I can do to stop it, nor should I try. I shall be mostly left behind. People have the right to do as they please, as long as they don’t infringe or obstruct another individual’s personal rights.
One of the effects of our digital world is the ability of small companies to reach thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of potential customers for little cost at all. It is a marketing executive’s dream come true.
Clarification on the Deschutes CF Post Yesterday
I got a very nice email from the owner of Six Moon Designs, Ron Moak. My description of the seam construction was not exactly correct. The original post has been updated with the following information:
The Deschutes CF is constructed from several pieces of Cuben material and all of the seams on the Deschutes are sewn first then tapped. The sewn seam allowance is not seen as it is buried under a wide 1.5” piece of seam tape. This protects the stitching and makes for a very clean seam.
SMD also uses their own custom seam tapes and glue. The normal transfer tapes used on Cuben can peel under the right conditions. However, SMD wet tape bonds more completely to the Cuben when it dries. The tapping also waterproofs the seams.
Other than that, he liked the comments about using a tarp, and of course the write-up on the Deschutes CF.
Six Moon Designs Deschutes CF Shelter
DESCHUTES?
What kind of a name is that? I can’t pronounce it and can barely spell it. So I looked it up via Google. It is a river in Oregon that is a main tributary of the Columbia River. The Deschutes also flows north, which is atypical for a North American river. The manufacturer of the Deschutes CF tarp is Six Moon Designs and they are located in Beaverton, Oregon. Mystery solved. What a sleuth I am.
CF?
That one is easy. Cuben Fiber. Also known as CTF3. It is a non-woven fabric that is strong and extremely light. A lot of my gear is made from Cuben Fiber.
Oh, and yes, I bought a new shelter, the Six Moon Designs Deschutes CF tarp.
ProPride 6,000 Mile Update
The more I use this, the more I like it! Hitching up the trailer takes seconds, not minutes. But a while back I ran into a small problem.
When I unpacked the hitch, the upper dust caps were dented. The dents didn’t affect the functionality of the hitch, and was really just a cosmetic issue. However, they caps really should have fitted a little more snug.
Eventually one fell off, lost in the wind while traveling.
How I Save Time With Bloglovin’
This may not be news to you. There are websites and apps that can search blogs for new posts and notify you or simply assemble the unread new posts of your favorite blogs. Well it was a recent revelation to me.
I try to streamline everything in my life in an effort to save (not waste) time. Surfing the Web can be the largest black hole in the universe of time wasters. I mostly limit my Internet time to a few favorite blogs and occasionally visit one backpacking site and one camper trailer site.
Backpacking 500 miles in the Mojave Desert (part 5)
In November and December of 2000 I backpacked from my house in Palm Springs to Lake Mead and back.
Part 4 can be viewed here.
I purposely had a short day as I left the shore of Lake Mead. I needed to stop at the Alan Bible Visitor Center and research the next section of the hike. I would be heading south generally following the course of the Colorado River. My conundrum was whether to walk on the west of east side. I knew the Black Canyon Wilderness Area just below Hoover Dam was rugged and access to the river for water wouldn’t be worth the effort. So I had to walk around it.
Continue reading Backpacking 500 miles in the Mojave Desert (part 5)
How To Hang Toilet Paper
I will be 65 years old in a few months, and apparently don’t know the proper way to hang a roll of toilet paper in the bathroom.
I was enlightened on the subject this past weekend on a camping trip. The source of this awakening wasn’t a roll of toilet paper, but a roll of paper towels. For years we have used a countertop paper towel holder in our campers, which made sense because our tent trailers didn’t have kitchen cabinets due to the fact the roof has to be lowered when traveling. Our current travel trailer has less counter space than our 2006 Niagara tent trailer did, so I suggested to Joyce we buy one of those holders that mount to the bottom of the kitchen cabinet. She agreed, but it took her several weeks to locate one that met her specifications, whatever those were. She did not entrust the paper towel rack procurement process to me, because she knows I would have gone on Amazon and bought the cheapest item available, via my thought process that cost triumphs aesthetics.
Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart, the book
An Adventure On The Pacific Crest Trail, by Carrot Quinn
This is a book I shouldn’t have read. This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed.
Continue reading Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart, the book