Winter Hiking

 Back in the day, I enjoyed winter camping.  I had the skills, the right equipment and was prepared to turn around if needed.  This last point is important since you need to know when to quit.

For example I had (still have) mickey mouse boots that are Army design to keep feet warm.  I bought them from Bata Shoe company in Edgewood or Aberdeen Maryland back in the early 80s.

How'd I learn about these boots?  From an Hurricane Island Outward Bound trip I took in the early 80s also in the White Mountains of NH.  We summitted Mt. MOOSILAUKE.  We met in Hanover, NH.  It was a great experience.

My borrowed Mickey Mouse boots in New Hampshire.

Plate Tectonics

  Nothing better that to get the blood flowing with the earth is coming apart under your legs.  Yes folks I am talking about plate tectonics, the general theory that the planet's crust is moving about.  Splitting some places and crunching side by side or underneath in others.

Here are some lecture notes from my Physical Geography class.  I deleted a few slides...

Finally some pictures from Iceland where this is happening.

Model Rockets

 Been so busy in the fall, my rocket launches had completely stopped.  Now it is too cold.  But have some good ideas where the spring launches might begin.  So in anticipation of the spring rockets, I posted a short clip on

YouTube called Aiming for the Sun.  Suffice it to say, I didn't know it was a song title.

Airports

 Sometimes you have to connect in an airport when you fly.

One useful tool a colleague shared with me is https://www.ifly.com/

For me, since it is necessary to connect, time to make it from one terminal to another, or better, one gate to the next airport knowledge is important.  I simply don't need the stress.

Here are a couple airport pics for you.

And here is a video of landing at SJU, Puerto Rico on a Cape Air flight (highly recommended).

Foreign Travel and Covid

 I got tested last week, strictly precautionary, since cases are rising and people are not wearing masks,  We I registered for the test, one of the questions asked was if I planning to travel; I replied no.  

But others are travelling abroad and while there are protocols to get tested before and after travel and masks are required on planes, there are so many variables to consider before someone makes an international trip.

In one case, Ireland is a selected trip.  The tour had been postponed at least once and now it is apparently set.  

So I checked the Ireland government webpage for guidance.

About a quarter of all cases have occurred in the last 28 days according to Johns Hopkins.

You decide.  

Ok, have connected airlines in Dublin, but that is my total time on the island.

Cricket

 I watched this Cricket game for a bit on Christmas day after taking Bubba-Doo for a walk in a local park.  I still don't understand the rules, but it was nice to see some folks enjoy the "spring like" weather.  Today, on the other hand is quite cold even though it is sunny for the dog walk.

The video had to be downgraded to upload from my cell phone so it is not that great.

Level 4: Very High Level of COVID-19 DO NOT CRUISE

 DO NOT CRUISE

That is what the CDC reports on 

December 30, 2021

The COVID-19 Travel Health Notice level has been updated from Level 3 to Level 4, the highest level. This reflects increases in cases onboard cruise ships since identification of the Omicron variant.

It is not safe.

I am seeing a ton of adverts with really tempting prices, but is it worth death or sickness?

I have only been on one cruise (the Inside Passage Alaska), and I recall the screening process before we boarded in Whittier. Picture below:

Whittier is pretty interesting since while you can get to it by boat, if you want to drive, you need to go through a tunnel that changes direction every half hour.

So back to health issues for cruises:

Key Information for Cruise Ship Travelers

• Avoid cruise travel, regardless of vaccination status.
• Even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.
• The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships, and the chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.
• Outbreaks of COVID-19 have been reported on cruise ships.
• If you travel on a cruise ship, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel and get a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose if you are eligible.
• People who go on a cruise should get tested 1–3 days before their trip and 3–5 days after their trip, regardless of vaccination status or symptoms.
• Along with testing, passengers who are not fully vaccinated should self-quarantine for a full 5 days after cruise travel.  
• People on cruise ships should wear a mask to keep their nose and mouth covered when in shared spaces. While CDC is exercising its enforcement discretion under CDC’s Mask Order to not require that persons wear a mask under certain circumstances on board foreign-flagged cruise ships subject to the Temporary Extension & Modification of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO), including onboard cruise ships choosing to follow the requirements of the CSO on a voluntary basis, individual cruise lines may require travelers (passengers and crew) to wear masks on board the ship.

Wait for more people to get vaccinated and it will be safe to cruise in a year or so.

Gas Stations of the World

 Well, maybe not the world but certainly the western hemisphere and north of the equator.  See some example below.

St. Lucia

 It is unfortunate that this island paradise made the New York Times "Disaster Atlas" found in the Sunday Review.

I don't recall the problem with the "toxic sargassum seaweed", but organic debris is common along ocean beaches. 

Typically hotel staff will removed the flotsam and jetsam long before the beach worshippers claim a recliner, but the organic material appears to join plastic and other wastes to dispose of.  

So in the meantime, enjoy these pics of St. Lucia.

oh yeah some pictures downtown too.

finally, some steel drums....