Travel Advisory Map

While many world citizens are being warned against travel to the US due to mass shootings and other acts of domestic terrorism, the US is doing the same for Americans.

A new interactive travel map is sponsored by the State Department.

Red areas should be avoided and the cross hatch countries have warnings suggesting

Exercise Normal Precautions - Contains Areas with Higher Security Risk

I am surprised we don't have that shading for our country?

Peer Review Week 16-20 September 2019

Wow, who knew about Peer Review Week?

What's Peer Review?  Well short answer is the unbiased review of research.  It is like when some medical doctor writes about some new treatment.  These external review people check to make sure the research is appropriate and accurate given the parameters of the study.

Typically this is blind where the author doesn't know the reviewer and vice versa. There are other considerations, but that is the "cliff note version.

Incidentally, that is why the web is frequently garbage since no checks and balances.  So take my blog with a grain of salt.

Overtourism in Iceland

I had a chance to visit Iceland twice.  The first time was in June of 2013 and then a second time October 2015.

From what I am reading, I don't know if I want to go again.

Iceland is suffering the same headaches that Costa Rica has experienced (two visits starting 2000).

Too many people, low cost carriers leaving all lead to a problem in Iceland.

Just like the AT.

Appalachian Trail Histories

A wonderful website called Appalachian Trail Histories is the creation of Professor Mills Kelly and his students in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University. It is a fantastic site that offers a historical view of the AT.  A must visit site for hikers.

Appalachian Trail 1975

Over the holiday weekend, I hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail that I had last visited in June 1975.

While the route has been taken off dirt roads and moved to the west, you can still see the blazes on Brace Road.

Now crossing Beartown Mountain Road, the new trail looks like this.

From 1973, USGS Topo maps show the different routes over time.  First map is 1973, second is 2018.

Notice the trail is still listed in the former route on the 2018 map.

Hurricane Dorian

As this storm heads toward the mainland, there is a lot of hoopla surrounding the path.  Do your self a favor and go to the National Hurricane Center and not that dot com site staffed with beautiful people.

And for that matter, download a tracking map and follow the storm.

I have posted info on hurricanes frequently on this blog, so you can do a search.

Stay prepared.

New archaeological search on AT

I just heard from an Appalachian Trail volunteer that there is a foundation and a series of stone walls west of the Trail on the section he maintains.  Using LiDAR imagery, I zoomed into the area and created this simple image.

The red line is the trail, and the blue lines mark the National Park boundaries.  I hope to visit the site this weekend to photograph the features on the ground.  Preliminary research in the area has given me with names of the former occupants.

Archaeology is like a mystery and I am in the process of gathering "evidence."   Should be interesting.