Deep Thoughts

   I grew up watching Saturday Night Live. It's an absolute train wreck now, but some of my fondest TV memories were of Hans and Franz, the church lady, Mr. Robinson, Wayne and Garth, and Bass-o-matic. I don't know if I ever laughed harder than when I heard some really great Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey. There were always snoozers, but every 3rd or 4th thought was pure magic. To this day, I still get online and read one now and then. It's a quick and easy way to put a smile on your face. And now...Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey. 

"To me, it’s always a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, “Hey, can you give me a hand?,” you can say, “Sorry, got these sacks.”

"It’s funny that pirates were always going around searching for treasure, and they never realized that the real treasure was the fond memories they were creating."

"Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis."

" I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chose a king, they don’t just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas."

"Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes."

"Children need encouragement. If a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way he develops a good, lucky feeling."

"If you’re a cowboy and you’re dragging a guy behind your horse, I bet it would really make you mad if you looked back and the guy was reading a magazine."


"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: “Mankind.” Basically, it’s made up of two separate words, mank and ind. What do these words mean? It’s a mystery, and that’s why so is mankind."

Coffee

I read Sarah West's post tonight about creating good habits (eating healthier).  I definitely need to eat healthier and become more active and exercise,  but that is not a post for today.

   Her post got me thinking about some of my favorite habits.  If I had to pick a personal weakness, it'd have to be coffee. I'm not sure what my life would be like if I didn't have coffee. I'm guessing It would consist of 2 to 4 weeks of existential crisis followed by a return to life as normal. Since I like being nice to people,  I'll take a hard pass on that idea for the time being.  For the past few hours, I've been reveling in the joy of my newest coffee-related purchase.

    I don't know how many 36 year old men have ever driven home anxiously to pick up the box sitting on the doorstep containing their new stainless steel 6 cup pour over kettle, but I literally just wrote that sentence. You could say life has slowed considerably since my years backpacking around glaciers, and you'd be 100 percent correct.  The way I make coffee is probably different than most. I always seem to take something simple and purposely make it harder. Making coffee is simple. Scoop the grounds into the filter in the basket of the machine. Pour in the water. Press the button. OR for the digitally inclined... grab the plastic pod of coffee.Put it in the machine. Push the button. Hey, coffee!

    Here's my method: purchase beans (I'm fondest of the Ethiopian/Kenyan varietal) from my favorite roasterie in Madison, WI online. Get beans and store them in my vacuum sealed container. Remove beans from container as needed, measure them out by gram on my digital scale. Dependent on to the amount I'm brewing, apply my 14x multiplier of grams of beans/ grams of water ratio, and then measure the appropriate water addition.  Heat the water to 195-205 degrees (205+ extracts tannins, no bueno) and take a temp reading with my digital thermometer. As I'm heating the water, grind the beans in my conical burr grinder, rinse my paper filter, and then place it in my ceramic dripper. Add the ground beans to the filter, add 40-60 grams of heated water, wait for the bloom (seriously, don't ask) and then continue adding water while weighing the output on a digital scale. After about 3-5 minutes, I've added all the water I'll need, waited for the dripper to stop dripping, and be ready to drink my coffee. By the way, this nets me exactly one cup of coffee.

    Before the kettle, I'd heat the water in a pyrex glass in the microwave, or simmer it in a pot on the stove. The kettle is a game changer. It holds the temp so perfectly and it's spout is specifically designed for the pour over method. I don't know why I didn't get one sooner (actually I do,  and if you've read this far, you can figure out why). If that wasn't bad enough, lately I've been thinking about how it doesn't make much sense to continue buying freshly roasted beans when I can buy green ones much cheaper, and begin roasting them in the comfort of my own home. I'm just a few geeky contraptions away from this becoming a possibility. After a short learning curve, I'll almost have this whole operation down to a science!

   I brewed my wife some coffee the other day. She promptly added creamer, 2 packets of sugar, and told me it tasted "fine."

OTBP 4

Today's post of "Off the beaten path" will highlight a spot a lot closer to home. One the best places for camping and outdoor recreation in Missouri is Meramec State Park. Located about 3 hours from Webb City off I-44, Meramec is a sprawling 7,000 acre park offering plenty of activities to is guests. Campers can find spots along the clear waters of the Meramec river running beneath towering limestone bluffs. There is plenty of great fishing and swimming along the river, and you can paddle along the waters in a canoe or kayak.
 





 If hiking is your thing, there are over 13 miles or wilderness trails available. The wilderness trail is an 8 mile loop with primitive camping spots along the route. If you're not a camper, there are furnished cabins and a hotel available to guests.

   The highlight of the park is the over 40 mapped caves located on it's grounds. The biggest and best of these is Fisher Cave. For a small fee,  you can take a guided 1 hour tour through part of the cave. With the summertime temps in the mid 90's, I decided to bite the bullet and take my 4 and 7 year old sons into the cave which has 50 degree year round temps. I had 2 main worries before entering the cave 1) there are no lights inside the cave whatsoever, and you travel along using flashlights provided by your guide 2) 4 and 7 year old boys aren't known for efficiently managing themselves should the need for a "potty break" arise. My main concern was getting deep into the inside of the cave, watching my 7 year old freak out when he dropped his flashlight rendering it useless, while shifting my light over the corner to witness my 4 year old taking a pee break on a stalagmite.

   Luckily, none of that happened. My boys were champs. They bravely handled the dark cave and stayed calm. In actuality, due to the tight and cramped nature of caves, little kids are some of the best caving partners to have. They can walk upright while adults have to waddle and crawl through low passageways. Some of the highlights of the hike were finding cave salamanders hunting for bugs along streams. Our guide also pointed to ancient scrapes made along the walls by bears who used to hibernate in the cave hundreds of year ago. Sadly, there was rampant evidence of damage done by humans. Many stalactites and stalagmites were visibly broken. In one section of the cave, graffiti

from the early 1900's was still plainly visible. People would journey into the cave and write their names and dates along the walls.

I definitely recommend checking out Meramec if you are looking for a fun and inexpensive family getaway .

Off the Beaten Path 3

Most people would say that Hawaii, by definition, is off the beaten path due to its remote location. However, once you arrive in Hawaii, you'll quickly realize that a majority of the islands are teeming with residents and tourists. If you want to experience a busy island that still offers the chance to get away from the crowds, check out Maui, and specifically the Island village of Hana.
   Hana is found on the remote southeast corner of the island. The most popular way to get there from the more populated side of the island is by driving the famed "Hana Highway." It's only 52 miles long, but it'll take you close to 3 hours without stopping due to the numerous hairpin curves, one lane bridges, and people stopping to admire the incredible scenery. On your way here are a few great places to stop.

   


Twin Falls: Along the route. It's a great spot to pull over, hike the short trail, and go for a swim. It's one of the most famous of the many swimming holes along the Hana Highway.















  

  



 Wai'anapanapa State Park: The main draw here is the volcanic black rock beach. Please realize that this isn't sand, but tiny volcanic pebbles. It's rough but fun to walk around on. There is also a small cave that opens up into the ocean to check out. This isn't a great beach for relaxing or swimming honestly, as the winds channel some pretty serious waves into the coast. It picked me up and slammed me on the rocks as I was trying to wade onto shore.















After your drive, you'll arrive at the sleepy village of Hana. Since this is usually just a passing point for tourists, you get a glimpse of what a small native Hawaiian village unpolluted by mass tourism and beach hotels is like. Because it's on the opposite side of the giant Haleakala volcano, it is completely isolated from the rest of Maui. The mountain even blocks radio signals, meaning you'll only catch sounds and news from the big Island to the south. One scenic spot to check out in Hana is the secret red sand (Kaihalulu) beach. The red sand are the remnants of an ancient cinder cone of red lava.  













 If you have the time and patience, driving onward from Hana around the southern part of the island you can find the Palapala Ho'omau church and cemetary tucked away down a inconspicuous side road. This beautiful little cemetary overlooks the Pacific, and is the final resting place of Charles Lindbergh, the famous aviator, who retired to Hana and spent his final years there. We literally spent a half hour driving down dirt road after dirt road hoping to find the cemetary, so patience is required. Just as we were about to give up, we found it. It was definitely worth the extra effort.

   Finally, you'll come the O'heo Gulch section of Haleakala National Park. This area contains spectacular waterfalls and swimming holes where you can relax, swim, or just take in the tropical beauty of the area. This section of the park contains the "seven sacred pools of O'heo." You can also take a 3 hour hike to the 400 foot Waimoku falls.





It's not an easy or inexpensive trip, but the trip to Hana, Maui is definitely worth it if you like traveling off the beaten path.

Off The Beaten Path 2

   The eclectic community of Polebridge,Montana stands at the Northwestern boundary of Glacier National Park.  If you are lucky enough to travel to Glacier (which I wrote about last year during S.O.L.) consider yourself already off the beaten path. However, you really do have to be willing to get a little lost to find Polebridge.

    At the western entrance to the park in West Glacier, you take a long, winding, gravel road north for 45 miles. You won't see any other towns or people, but you'll pass many mountain streams and wildflower meadows, with the opportunity to spot deer, elk, moose, or bear. The first time I went to Polebridge, I nearly missed it entirely. The community consists of around 100 residents, and only about half live there year-round. There is a small sign for the village off the gravel road that I zoomed past. If it wasn't for my buddy Ben riding shotgun, I likely would have kept going onward for miles before I realized my mistake.

     As soon as you pull into Polebridge, you'll see the famous Polebridge Mercantile, a seasonal general store and the only place where you can find general sundries, shopping, and necessary goods for people doing their best to purposefully get lost. They bake amazing and gigantic cinnamon rolls in the morning. Don't expect wifi or phone service while you're in Polebridge, it ain't happening. The entire place is off the grid and runs solely on solar power or gas generators. There is one restaurant, the Northern Lights Saloon and Cafe, which is run by some of the friendliest people I've ever met. The night we ate there, they shut the place down early to watch the Perseid Meteor Showers, which just happened to coincide with our visit. The staff and local residents invited us to a bonfire to watch the meteor shower with them and swap                                                                                           campfire stories.

Looking into the rugged and undeveloped Northwest section the park from Polebridge

A view of the entire town and its solar panels

     If you like watching stars, I can't think of a better place to visit than Polebridge. Since it's completely off the grid, with no other artificial lighting around for dozens of miles, the stargazing is simply beyond compare. I met a professor of astronomy who drove from Mississippi to watch the Perseids because he claimed it was the darkest spot in the lower 48 states. If you're staying the night, check out the North Fork Hostel. It's the only place in town to rent a bed for the night, and mainly hosts backpackers heading into the North Fork section of Glacier. It's owned by park ranger, Oliver, who is an eccentric German fellow who has many stories to share if you have the time. If you're a fan of flushing toilets, electricity, or central air conditioning, I'd advise you to head back towards the park, but if you don't mind it, the hostel is a great place to rent a bunk for the night. In the morning, you'll wake up to the sounds of the North Fork of the Flathead river running directly behind the hostel. Follow the road into the rugged northwest corner of Glacier for incredible views and solitude.

Off the Beaten Path

  Today I wanted to highlight some of my favorite places I've visited that were "off the beaten path." I guess the criteria to fit this would be a destination that is either 1) relatively unknown or less visited compared to a counterpart, 2) difficult or requiring more work to get to, or 3) both. 

   One of my favorite places to visit is western North Carolina. I lived in the south for 5 years, and the WNC mountains were easily my favorite place to visit. A place that holds a special place in my heart is the Dupont State Forest, which is about 45 minutes southeast of Asheville, North Carolina. It consists of about 10,000 acres and is incredibly beautiful, with tons of waterfalls to visit and over one hundred miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. The great thing about Dupont being  tucked away in the Pisgah Mountains is that it sees far less traffic from tourists, who usually head down the road to the equally awesome Smoky Mountains. 

     Dupont is most known for it's waterfalls. It was a major filming destination for the movie, "Last of the Mohicans" starring Daniel Day Lewis.  The famous scene shot beneath the waterfall was filmed at Bridalveil Falls. Dupont was also where most of the outdoor scenes for the movie "The Hunger Games" were filmed.  The entire area was previously owned and donated by the Dupont chemical company for conservation. There are sections of the forest that are fenced off  where a former Dupont factory stood. 

    Even though the falls in Dupont are spectacular, I spent most of my time there mountain biking. The single track in Dupont is incredible and world renowned. Cycling enthusiasts travel from all parts of the country to ride the network. The Big Rock Trail is one of my favorite areas. It consists of huge sections of granite rock that you can ride for miles, with pristine views. I highly recommend visiting the area and surrounding forests if you like hiking, camping, and adventure!

Welcome Back!

   Today I start my second year doing the Slice of Life Challenge. It's been a busy year with lots of surprises, changes, and memories. I won't bore you with all the details, as I'm sure you could say the same about yourselves, so I'll just spend my time today going over some interesting,random, and funny facts I've learned in the past year.

1. There's a volcano (Kawah Injen) in Indonesia that spews blue lava. 

2. Disney's Pixar Studios turned 30 in 2016. 

3. Bubble wrap was initially designed to be used as wallpaper.

4. Last year, The dates 04/04/2016, 06/06/2016, 08/08/2016, 10/10/2016 and 12/12/2016 all fell on the same day — Monday.

5. Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the 20 dollar bill. 

6. In the past year, scientists figured out how to link robotic limbs with the part of the brain that controls intent to move, so people don't have to think about how they will move the limb, it will just happen. 

7. Ice Bucket Challenge donations were credited with helping to find a major gene linked to ALS...one step closer to a cure. 

8. Last July, volunteers in India smashed a world record by planting 50 million trees...in just 24 hours. 

9. Child mortality rates continue to decline worldwide, and are down 53% since 1990.

10. After reading this post, you will not recognize that the the brain does not recognize the second 'the.'