Archive for March, 2008
Amtrekker Spirituality
Mar 31st
Hey Team,
My short time here in Idaho Falls has been chock full of action. In fact, yesterday was taken up by being a volunteer at a Spirituality and Wellness fair.
I’ll just let you think about what that might mean for a few minutes…
Done? Cause, yes. It’s probably just what you imagined. There was plenty of aura cleansing, some crystal healing and a sea of disillusioned middle-aged women. I learned a lot about why some people put so much of their effort into Spirituality and I learned even more about why I don’t.
This is skirting dangerously close to one of those topics I usually avoid here but suffice it to say, I’m not a very spiritual dude. It was interesting to watch other people watch with rapt attention, constantly nodding in pseudo-understanding, as someone shilling a book and CD combo explains to them that they have to find what they love in life and follow that passion.
I hate to use such a technical term but…duh. What does that have to do with spirituality?!
Also, I learned about how important it is to clear the problems of your forefathers from your energy so that you can attain a higher vibration. I thought that More >
Microwave Potatoes
Mar 30th
Hey Team,
I think a little piece of me dies inside every time I find out a stereotype is true. Not that it happens all that often but when you travel as much as I do with only your preconceived notions to base your potential surroundings on…it happens.
I decided that instead of trying to work on one specific task this week I’d work on trying to knock off a few states in the area on the geocaching list while I organize a few others. Since I found a quick ride up to Idaho I thought, “Why not?”
But here’s the thing about driving to Idaho Falls from Salt Lake City…
Eventually you pass a Potato Museum.
Sad.
In other news: I have a TON of respect for people that don’t own microwaves. Even when I had a home I never cooked. Period. In fact, at 27 I’ve still never gotten around to buying raw meat. In the immortal words of Quigley, “I never had much use for ‘em”
As a result I’ve lived most of my life, outside of my parents home, capable of preparing my meals without soiling much more than a bowl, a spoon and maybe a can opener if I’m not careful. I More >
Where This Man Has Never Gone Before
Mar 28th
Hey Team,
Looks like I’m headed to Idaho Falls, Idaho! Why?
Never been.
I figured since I’m in this region anyway I should probably get to visiting some of those states I missed out on or that geocaching objective is going to be an even bigger pain later. So I’ve lined up a craigslister that’s taking me North where I’ll probably just stick around for a day or so to have a geocaching good time before deciding which direction to move in next.
Also, I’m trying to line up a way for people to get their hands on some Amtrekker t-shirts and whatnot. I’ve looked at Cafe Press and Zazzle but I’m not a huge fan of either. I’d prefer to have them screen printed and not just ironed on like a high schooler would at three in the morning the day of the big dance to show their undying love for…well, themselves probably.
So if anyone has any suggestions or connections let me know!
Okay,
I’m done.
Brett.
Enjoy living vacariously? Good, cause I enjoy living. Feel free to help make that happen.
Thanks!
AKPC_IDS += "257,";
Angel’s Landing
Mar 27th
Hey Team,
Okay, where did I leave off?
The hike. Right. Thanks.
We decided to go do the Angel’s Landing hike, which is a pretty beefy little walk for the average Joe. Shortly after we started walking Adam and Zach decided to run off ahead and ditch Jesse and I. No big deal right?
But it was just a little bit after that when Jesse decided her back was hurting a little too much for such a long hike…which left me in the weird position of potentially going on a four hour walk all by my lonesome. How do I fix this? Duh. Run to catch up with Adam and Zach.
However, in my excitement I managed to run past the place where the guys were standing off to the side waiting for us and, thinking I was always just a little bit behind them, pushed myself to the top as fast as possible. Like an idiot. So not only did I managed to go on the bulk of the hike by myself anyway but I was putting so much effort into getting to the top as fast as possible I didn’t spend much time enjoying the surroundings.
Luckily there was plenty of time to sit around More >
#45 Swamp Boat Ride With Gators!
Mar 26th
Hey Team,
Amtrekker travels to Lafayette, LA and takes part in a swamp tous sponsored by The Atchafalaya Experience!
Pretty pictures and no cohesive narrative ensues!
Sorry for the delay, kids. For once it wasn’t my fault. The company that usually hosts my podcasts was having issues. But now, here it is!
Enjoy!
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player. var WT1_1 = { params : { wmode : "opaque", allowscriptaccess : "always", allownetworking : "all", allowfullscreen : "true"}, flashvars : { file : "http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amtrekker.com%2Findex.php%3Fxspf%3Dtrue%26id%3D19", volume : "80", bufferlength : "5", controlbar : "over", 'logo.hide' : "false", shuffle : "false", playlist : "bottom"}, attr : { id : "WT1", name : "WT1"}, start : function() { swfobject.embedSWF("http://www.amtrekker.com/wp-content/uploads/player.swf", "WT1_1", "437", "522", "9.0.0", false, this.flashvars, this.params , this.attr ); } } WT1_1.start();Thanks!
I’m done.
Brett.
If you like these podcast then why not donate?
Thanks!
AKPC_IDS += "254,";
Those Missing Days
Mar 25th
Hey Team,
I was hoping to have some pictures of Zion up for you guys today but it looks like it will have to wait. You’ll just have to settle for a little bit of story time instead.
Jesse and I got kind of a late start heading towards Zion after double and triple checking that we had packed everything we would need for some comfy camping. (It’s amazing how much more stuff it takes to be comfortable in nature than it does to be an Amtrekker. We brought a LOT more than a backpack full of stuff.) Sadly, we still managed to leave behind some “important” stuff. And of course by “important” I mean pillows and hash browns.
By the time we made it to the park all of the campsites had already been taken. That’s why we were driving around outside the park looking for a new place to throw down a tent when karma finally caught up with me. Apparently it’s much easier to get out of going to jail for going 20 miles per hour over the speed limit in Ohio than it is to get out of a ticket for going five over in Utah.
After narrowly dodging a More >
Fishing for Donations
Mar 24th
Hey Team,
I’m finally back in the real world after an amazing trip to Zion National Park. My camera was dead while I was there but as soon as I get the pics from another camera I’ll post them here with some Zion story time. But for now, there’s something even more exciting to talk about!
Guess who learned to fly-fish!
I’m going to go ahead and assume you said, “BRETT!” and I’ll say, “Good guess!”
I was in the rustic world of Mapleton, UT this week where (thanks to Jesse and Adam) I was able to learn the basics from the safety and warmth of the edge of a pond.
It may not have been “A River Runs Through It” but it was probably exactly what I needed for a first try. PLUS, I’m a broke dude and free is always better than having to buy a fishing permit.
The experience as a whole went pretty well. I DID manage to catch a tree…twice. So that was fun. It was a little bit tougher to get the hang of a cast than I thought it would be.
Eventually though, after some practice I managed to catch a GIANT Bluegill! It was HUGE. At least a quarter More >
A Beach By Any Other Name…Sucks
Mar 21st
Hey Team,
There’s so much I didn’t get to write about last week that I would have loved to share but thanks to a near 72-hour driving stint I feel so far behind. I guess just one quick story and then we’ll have to pretend we’re caught up.
I made a pit stop in Pensacola, FL last week after that amazingly difficult trek to the lowest highest point in a state. (This may sound a little bit nerdy or lame but…) I was especially excited because of a peninsula that served as Pensacola Beach. Here’s the thing: a peninsula coming from a Northern Gulf coast city meant that I could pop on over to the beach and watch the sunset over the water like it’s supposed to.
I thought maybe I could just pretend I was back home for a couple minutes and go on about my business of being a homeless vagrant of an adventurer. But everything was just a little bit wrong. The sky was so overcast that I literally couldn’t even tell which way was west by the time the sun was going down.
Eventually darkness set in and I was wandering along the beach by myself in the pitch darkness. More >