Camping – The Beginning
Hopefully this won’t be a short-lived series where the next post is titled “Camping – The End”. And by that you probably assume, I am starting camping (again).
I have camped. Let me clarify. I have car camped, where you pull the car up to the site in the park or preserve and set up camp no more than at the most one hundred yards from your vehicle.
Recently my partner in crime and I set out to work our way toward TRUE backpacking. You know, where everything you need in camp is on your back? Where you are 101 plus yards from your vehicle, hanging with the lions and tigers and bears? ____________ ! Yes, this is where I briefly chronicle our adventures in doing just that. Will this help you or anybody else out there? I’m not optimistic. But at the very least you can be entertained or sit there reading, adding your own commentary as if someone else was there to hear you. (And this may be a clue… while you are reading this, you could be out there camping or breathing in the air. Instead you are reading this? It’s a dilemma.)
My gear. Main things: Nemo Losi 3P tent, Mountain Hardware Lamina +35 bag, Exped SynMat UL 7 pad, Deuter ACT Lite 65+10 pack, Jetboil Flash system, Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter, Vasque Breeze Gore-Tex boots (not shown)
To cut to the chase, I got a weed up my… well, where it shouldn’t be and decided we should start camping. It’s highly active, outdoors and there is some REALLY cool stuff out now compared to the days of the Coleman kerosine lanterns. Places like REI and Campmor allow for you to completely geek out on things that’ll aid in adventure, keeping you moving AKA from getting fat. And it’s just so darn cool!
Instead of starting this out with a 13 mile death march up a hill to pitch a tent and live on twigs and berries for a week, we are taking baby steps on the way to a decent goal of backpacking the GA section of the Appalachian Trail. One goal at a time… and it’s easier to start learning to drink from a garden hose rather than a fire hose… or a waterfall. BUT in the meantime we’ll learn HOW to drink from that waterfall, safely.
So where did I start? Shopping. When you have nothing, you gotta get it somehow and trading furs or the roommate’s dog doesn’t seem to work anymore. EBay, scratch and dent, clearance, and plain old sales help you buy some good equipment without breaking the bank. The picture is of my gear. On a future post I’ll go through a few pieces and describe how or why I chose them. For now take a look…
Bloom Energy… the tiny little power plant
A little slow to the “know” but it’s a really cool concept. Shall we see it in the next 10 years? Maybe so?
Salt Lake City – part 5.75
(Delayed entry… sorry… was so darn tired)
So while at Marlowe’s we came outside to a dead truck. At first we thought I had left the lights on… frustration ensued. Police happened to be coming into to lot and I asked if they could help. While talking to them Ruben noticed that someone had tried stealing the batteries and the the Police response “sounds about right.” Really?
The funny part was the next conversation centered around “shop talk” about trucks and owning them (one of the officers). So there was no concern over the possible theft. I guess I can understand. Ruben said that Memphis is not a safe town in a lot of places. So unless blood or gunfire is involved, they really don’t have the time to be bothered. Makes sense in a sad way. Get a Juliani in there to clean it up for everyone. 🙂
Anyway, the story continues… Ruben walked down the street (Elvis Pressley Blvd) to O’Rileys for an adjustable wrench while I waited in the locked truck (which just before he left we heard gun fire). Upon exiting he was approached by a shady individual so he pulled the wrench out of his pocked, revealed it with purpose and kept walked… then sped up when he got closer.
Fixed. So we (more I) decided to stay in Memphis. I wasn’t feeling up to the drive and arriving in ATL at 4:30am. Ruben really wanted to keep going, now with an adrenal rush. But we stayed… on a better side of town, Germantown, in a Comfort Inn and Suites. Comfort Inn has been the choice provider of lodging for this trip. Ruben is a Preferred Customer.
Set to wake at 3:15am CST (4:15am EST).
Sorry no images of battery and gunfire. To flustered to think about it. Enjoy the Marlowe’s photos.
Salt Lake City – part 5.5
We are going thru Memphis. It is dinner time. Ruben required that we eat at Marlowe’s Ribs & Restaurant, as seen on Diners, Drive-ins, Dives.
We have eaten here before, both together on a previous Tennessee driving trip. He got the 2 BBQ choices and 2 sides. I went light with the BBQ Baked Potato… sad thing there is no such thing as “light” here except those brightening the room. It was 2 taters back-to-back with pulled pork, cheese and sauce on the side.
Now we must let it settle… and off we go.
