A Song With Deep Meaning from DJ-LX
Nineteen year old me in 1982 was really into the album, and specifically this song. And enjoy the link to my second favorite Fagan song (actually Steely Dan). Here’s to better days…
Buy Dirt
I was buying dirt. Then I sold dirt. I think I should buy more dirt. Image from Humbug Acres, April 21, 2021. Spoiler alert - more snow was on the way.
Daily Happiness from DJ-LX
This song always pops up on my walks on sunny days. Like Magic.
Fun to watch the live versions, too.
Live versions of Put It On from 1973. The drumming is awesome. I assume the drummers’ instructions were to just do whatever you want.
Getting Ready to Travel
Another Spring day, and I’m wondering what I’ll do this summer, and where I’ll go. As of today, I have no idea - but plenty of ideas.
Since I usually travel via motorcycle, I still have a few months to make plans, clear some dates on my calendar, and scheme the routes. This may be my favorite part of travel - getting ready and the anticipation. Being organized is important with this mode of travel. What I carry is similar to what is possible with a big backpack, so there are always trade-offs. Can I fit a pair of shoes and my compact camp chair? Am I cooking or buying food along the way? Is my coffee making kit ready?
The weather is typically a big factor, too. How many days in a row getting swamped by rain can I take? What about cold AND rain? In the planning stage, I’m always an optimist, but out on the road, weather changes always happen.
Time to get my maps out.
The results of perfect trip planning is a photo like this, near Stanley Lake and the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho. Not shown: 10 million hungry mosquitos.
My Butler maps and park maps have a distinct Western USA bias. Time to add some better Midwest route maps.
Coffee, A Love Story
Genesis
When did it all start? I can remember with precision. Sophomore year of college. Saxe Hall at CMU. My roommates and I had dinner together every day outside of soccer season. We lived at the far end of the dorm hall, so we’d usually pick up guys and gals on the walk to the stairs. We usually had a fairly large group. Just a small indication that we had a really nice dorm floor of friends.
As we finished up our meals, people who had stuff to do (homework?) would peel away. We almost always had a group that would hang around and grab a cafeteria coffee. I'm not sure if the coffee was any good. Sugar packets for the win.
Doesn't matter, I'm hooked on the coffee habit.
Pacific Northwest Amplification
The view from West Seattle’s Alki Beach back towards Seattle.
Immediately upon college graduation, I loaded my car and drove from Michigan to Seattle. I had an apartment a block from the water, and coincidentally, a Starbucks right at the beach. This became a regular part of my day, especially on weekend mornings. Always an interesting place for watching the Washington State Ferries cross on their way to Bremerton or just catching a view of the Olympic Mountains across the Sound.
Even in the late 1980’s, coffee was a big part of daily life in the Northwest in a way that wasn’t common in the Midwest. Blame the 6 months of cool rainy weather each year or a more international mix - whatever - most folks joined right in.
It wasn’t really even Starbucks that was pervasive. It was the small coffee shops and the many kiosks strategically located at the entry point to a day commute. Snarly traffic was always a constant. Getting a large coffee for the road was important. I had an out-sized commute while working at Boeing. I’m not sure it would have been possible without the caffeine.
Brewing Perfection
Of course you can’t drink the coffee until you make it. Over the years, the coffee machines got more complicated, to include espresso, and then simpler again, but with a timer to start the morning automatically. The trusty Cuisinart shown above had the coffee ready and waiting. Such simple joy.
Sometimes too much joy leads to pain. For a number of years, I drank too much coffee. Brew a pot, drink a pot. Adjustments were made.
The Pour Over Phase
Like many things in life, eventually quality over quantity will prevail. That has been my approach to coffee for the last 5 years. I source good coffee, then make a cup or two a day, as I need it. I think the pour-over method of brewing makes a better tasting cup of coffee and wastes less coffee too.
I’ve always enjoyed coffee while traveling. Whether making my own while camping, or visiting cool coffee shops from Austin to Australia. Coffee shop culture is a good indication of culture more generally. Especially since COVID times, I’ve found coffee shops to hold less appeal. Too many people ordering in advance and just swooping in to grab and go. This defeats the community, the third place, of a coffee shop. Almost universally, a great coffee shop has no drive through. Even so, I still like to give them a try.
My Top 5 Coffee Establishments
McDonalds (Kalispell, MT)
A stop here on a roadtrip opened my mind to possibly moving to Montana. Seeing a lobby full of “retired guy” fly fishermen made a lightbulb go off above my head.Thomas Hammer (Pullman)
Most memorable as a destination while walking the dog.Starbucks on Alki (Seattle)
Walking distance from home with the best scenery.Degraves Street is an iconic Melbourne laneway that distills everything into one pint-sized street. Stop and sip specialty coffee at hole-in-the-wall cafes.
My kitchen.
Featuring high quality pour-over coffee from Mexico or Guatemala.
Winter Wonderland
“There’s no crying in baseball!”
Also, there is no complaining about snow in Michigan, in February. It is OK to cheer for a little global warming, like the past 3 weeks. No snow in late January and early February is just a bit weird, but also the new normal.
You’ll see me out in the driveway, enjoying a crisp (15°) sunny morning, pushing the snow around. No complaining here.
Why I Ride
In mid-February, as I see the snow melting, my thoughts turn to the road. Since relocating to Michigan from the PNW, I have pondered how I will find interesting places to travel to easily. It may turn out that there is no rival for the places I have already seen via motorcycle. Time to go hunting for the hidden gems here in the Midwest.
Finding Awe - Living Off The Slab
My riding story is very similar to Craig’s, who runs the Living Off the Slab channel. His content is very thoughtful, and thought provoking. He is based on the East Coast, so when he decides to ride the great roads of the Western USA, it takes him a week, just to get to the “good stuff”. I now understand the challenges he has.
Mountains scenes from my GoPro.
When I look back at the awesome scenery that I have ridden into, that gives me the spark to do it again. Never the same trip twice, but when well executed, the awe is out there, waiting.
North Cascades Highway, Washington State.
Snake River canyons, west of Lewiston, ID.
Exploring farm roads on the might Ural Gear-up bike near Pullman, WA,