Spork
This morning we brought some supplies to eight shelters in Broward county. The food was already in place, but we brought some blankets, first-aid supplies, and toys and games for the kids. Since then I’ve been at a shelter at Arthur Ashe Middle School. I’m spending the night here to help out. There are not as many volunteers as they were hoping for. Fortunately it looks like this storm is fizzling out. We haven’t even had much rain yet. It looks like there’s going to be a bit more coming later tonight, but probably not any major wind. We’ve had…
Ernesto Who?
If this sort of thing continues I might have to rename this blog. I arrived here in sunny Fort Lauderdale last night for a class I had planned to take this week. Today at noon, after everyone else in the class bailed out and it was just the instructor and I, we decided to cancel the class. So here I am. My scheduled flight back Baltimore is on Saturday, and I don’t want to get out of here tomorrow if it means taking a seat away from some old lady, so I’ve decided to weather the storm here. I’ve volunteered…
Finally, Some Blue Ridge Photos
Alright so it’s been more than a month since I got back from the trip and I still hadn’t posted pictures. It was a great trip. My friend John joined me on his Valkerie, which has an engine only slightly smaller than my first car, and considerably more powerful. Here’s another picture from the camp out. Have you ever seen a 1200 GS with a sidecar? The ride was great again this year. Here’s a shot of the two bikes at Basin Cove Overlook. We hit great weather the whole time with the exception of a little bit of rain…
Blue Ridge Parkway: The Sequel
Tomorrow morning, a friend and I are headed down the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Horizon’s Unlimited meeting in Robbinsville, NC. It was a great trip last year, and I’m looking forward to the ride again this year. There are some great roads down in that part of the country. Last year I rode all 11 miles and 318 turns of Deal’s Gap. This year, we’re planning on riding the Cherohala Skyway, which twists through the mountain tops for thirty-six miles across the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The bike has been running well, and John is a great mechanic, so we…
Gettysburg
Today was a beautiful day for a motorcycle ride. I headed out onto some of my favorite back roads in northern Baltimore county, headed toward Gettysburg, PA, and made it back six hours later. I should sleep well tonight. Apparently, everybody else with a bike had the same idea. There were a lot of Harleys and a few sportbikes, but no dual-sports. I’ve still only seen one other KLR650 in the wild. I also a saw a couple of trailered railroad speeders heading north through Hanover, PA. There must have been a run somewhere this weekend. I hope everyone had…
VT
It’s been a busy month. Tonight I’m off to Northern Vermont to re-qualify for my Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification. It’s not like I’m planning to become an Outward Bound leader any time soon, but it’s a great program and it makes sense to stay current. This photo from Hamilton Pool Park near Austin. It felt great to take a couple hours walking around in the woods after seven very full days of training. It’s a beautiful place.
Austin
So far I’m enjoying Austin. It’s smaller downtown than I expected. It kind of reminds me of Nashville. Yesterday I saw an exhibit of Christo and Jean-Claude’s work at the Austin Museum of Art. No, they didn’t have the Reichstag museum, just a model and a number of sketches and preliminary drawings which I kind of liked better than the installations themselves. Take a look at this sketch from The Gates of Central Park project, and here’s a sketch from The Umbrellas. The preliminary sketches of this were great. I also snuck a couple of photos, but these are better.…
Tikal
Here’s a post-trip post. Mostly it’s an excuse to put up some photos of Tikal. This place was the original reason that I decided to come to Guatemala. I’m glad I did, as it’s been a very positive experience for me, and I think also that I’ve had a positive impact on the people of San Andrés. That’s something that as a traveler I’m not always sure of. Tikal is an amazing place, especially at sunrise and sunset. Jeremy and I spent a couple of days walking around climbing stairs and exploring ruins. The second day, we took a predawn…
Dos Boletos
I’m still in Guatemala at the language school. It’s been a terrific experience and I expect that I will come back here to study in the future. My host family is great, and I will definitely miss them when I leave. I stayed here for the New Year’s holiday, and I’m now planning to go to Tikal this Friday. The Internet connections here are all dial-up and shared for the most part by a dozen computers, so you’ll have to wait a week more for some photos. The language classes are going well. I’m beginning to understand some people and…