Category: Activity Level

Active / Logistics / Off-the-beaten-path / Strenuous / USA

Off-grid Power in Quartzsite

Life — all three months that I plan to be out here — in Quartzsite is a lot different from life in the “real world”. I’m not really sure what the term self-sufficient means to most people. In fairness, this isn’t like living on the open prairie in the 1800s....

Adventure / Modes of Transport / Strenuous / USA

Cross Country in a Weekend (or Two)

A 2,500 mile thunder run is absolutely not my preferred pace of travel. I put a great deal of time and effort into building a life that would allow me to travel and explore at a somewhat leisurely pace. Unfortunately, elements of this particular trip are dictated by constraints that...

Activities / Adventure / High Adrenaline / USA

Backyard Carnival

The place where I hid out for winter of 2021-2022 was on a very tiny horse farm outside Mobile, Alabama. Aside from the two horses, the family that owned the farm had a collection of toys that rivaled any church carnival. A trampoline A motorized train made from rain barrels...

Adventure / Culture / Laid-back / USA

New Orleans, pre-Mardi Gras

It was an accident of timing that I visited New Orleans two weeks before the start of Mardi Gras. But I can now definitively say that’s the best possible time to go. The French Quarter is a ghost town. You get none of the drunks, vomiting, crime, or other unseemly...

Christmas Trees in Adrian, MI

Culture / Off-the-beaten-path / Sedate / USA

Adrian, Michigan Christmas Trees

The small town of Adrian, Michigan very briefly held the world’s record for largest number of decorated Christmas trees on public display all in one place. Within a few hours, another town took the record. But seeing these trees was still quite a sight, even for someone who hardly cares...

Logistics / Moderately Active / Modes of Transport / Off-the-beaten-path / Strenuous / USA / Wandering

Boston (Electrici)-ty Party

This story will have more twists and turns than a goat path through the Ural Mountains. It will also be a really long story. For those who don’t want to read the whole thing… TL;DRRV’s engine broke down. I fixed it. The end. First, a key take-away:When I was involved...

Strenuous / USA

You couldn’t pay me to do this… well, it turns out actually you could.

Housesitting generally entails living in someone’s home and taking care of things while they are away. In my most unusual housesitting assignment yet, the homeowner was there the whole time. She was preparing to move across the country and the assignment was to help her pack and also to help...