 |
| The VW van we're using a storage |
 |
| Christening with Guinness |
 |
| The kitchen box |
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Thoughts on Tragedy and Fear
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/12/two-cyclists-one-german-one-polish-feared-murdered-in-mexico
Holger Hagenbusch and Krzyszt Chmielewski of Germany and Poland were cyclists found murdered during their round-the-world bicycle trip.I never met these men, but I have met many like them in my travels.
Unless I am involved it is sometimes difficult to absorb a tragedy as anything more than a disheartening event. I try not to be indifferent to suffering anywhere. Sitting in the sun with WiFi so dramatically removes me from a distant trauma where I know there is no way I could have prevented it or helped in the aftermath, yet it causes grief. I usually ruminate on the event, try to rationalize it by fitting it into some larger conflict or natural disaster that may be happening in the area, then wait until the next tragedy occurs.
That said, there have been a few distant events that have struck me personally. One being the 2013 Boston marathon bombing and most recent is this double murder in Mexico. I am a marathon runner and have followed the Boston for years. The four-hour group, which was the most effected group are the people I would have been running with had I been there. They would have been the same fitness as me with similar lifestyles and running schedules. I felt that it was my friends being attacked, though I didn't know any of them and was asleep in Alaska at the time. I had one friend running that year, but he was thankfully long finished by the time the explosions went off.
This article about the cyclists enrage me all over again. My US trip in 2012 was rerouted from its original path to Argentina. I would have been traveling through this area following the trail dozens of cyclists have taken before. I don't know the situation, so my guess is that they crossed the wrong people at the wrong time. Again, these cyclists are people like me; they likely have the same drive, curiosities, and fears that I have. Their families likely worried as much as mine, though through a whole different series of circumstances, after my trip I came home.
There are dangers in traveling. They can be minimized through contemplative planning. Being a female who travels alone, I like to believe I have tuned into most of the potentials. Tragedies like Boston and the two men in Mexico don't deter me from traveling. It scares me, but instead of staying put, I add it to my list of answers to the "What If" questions. I have never been able to control fear. My own experience has taught me that my best hope is to redirect it. Instead of freezing I try to force myself to fight and instead of hiding from the unknown, I try to peek around the corner and wave with a smile. Bears excepted.
Holger Hagenbusch and Krzyszt Chmielewski of Germany and Poland were cyclists found murdered during their round-the-world bicycle trip.I never met these men, but I have met many like them in my travels.
Unless I am involved it is sometimes difficult to absorb a tragedy as anything more than a disheartening event. I try not to be indifferent to suffering anywhere. Sitting in the sun with WiFi so dramatically removes me from a distant trauma where I know there is no way I could have prevented it or helped in the aftermath, yet it causes grief. I usually ruminate on the event, try to rationalize it by fitting it into some larger conflict or natural disaster that may be happening in the area, then wait until the next tragedy occurs.
That said, there have been a few distant events that have struck me personally. One being the 2013 Boston marathon bombing and most recent is this double murder in Mexico. I am a marathon runner and have followed the Boston for years. The four-hour group, which was the most effected group are the people I would have been running with had I been there. They would have been the same fitness as me with similar lifestyles and running schedules. I felt that it was my friends being attacked, though I didn't know any of them and was asleep in Alaska at the time. I had one friend running that year, but he was thankfully long finished by the time the explosions went off.
This article about the cyclists enrage me all over again. My US trip in 2012 was rerouted from its original path to Argentina. I would have been traveling through this area following the trail dozens of cyclists have taken before. I don't know the situation, so my guess is that they crossed the wrong people at the wrong time. Again, these cyclists are people like me; they likely have the same drive, curiosities, and fears that I have. Their families likely worried as much as mine, though through a whole different series of circumstances, after my trip I came home.
There are dangers in traveling. They can be minimized through contemplative planning. Being a female who travels alone, I like to believe I have tuned into most of the potentials. Tragedies like Boston and the two men in Mexico don't deter me from traveling. It scares me, but instead of staying put, I add it to my list of answers to the "What If" questions. I have never been able to control fear. My own experience has taught me that my best hope is to redirect it. Instead of freezing I try to force myself to fight and instead of hiding from the unknown, I try to peek around the corner and wave with a smile. Bears excepted.
Friday, February 2, 2018
A Winter View
A few pictures from the frozen north.
-M
 |
| Winter sunrise, roughly SE. |
 |
| Sunset, roughly South. |
 |
| High noon midday sun near winter solstice. |
 |
| Cold runner. |
-M
Thursday, December 14, 2017
R2AK
I have been in Oregon for the past month with my new "toy." It's 18 feet long, red, and needed some TLC. Alex was here for three weeks and my dad stopped by for about a week. Alex rigged the mast and added a few essentials to modify it for a long-distance race. B4B2 or "Bobbles" is nearly race ready. She could use some polish. Cosmetics aside, the rest is completely functional. I have replaced a rotten rib/bulkhead, the floorboards, and build a couple shelves under the deck for the batteries. There are a half dozen little things left to be done, but the big jobs are behind. Getting to the starting line and gallivanting north is the next leap.
Behold: Alex's solution to our inability to find a fiberglass roller anywhere in Portland.
Behold: Alex's solution to our inability to find a fiberglass roller anywhere in Portland.
 |
| Necessity is the mother of invention |
Landslides and Washouts
In the past few years I have bicycled along two highways that are now closed. It's a strange feeling that something I have seen and traveled over is now rubble in the ocean. Highway 1 on the California Pacific coast was closed last year because of multiple landslides. The section of highway south of Monterey, California, wound high on a hillside that, on reflection, probably was not as stable as it felt.
It's easy to see how a landslide might be inevitable.
The second is the Kaikoura Coastal Highway, strangely also Highway 1, in New Zealand. The section of road southwest of Kaikoura is near to the water with high, sloped cliffs towering above. The cliffs gave way in an earthquake last year and covered several sections of the road.
The town of Kaikoura was completely cut off from the road system for a time after the earthquake. When I first heard about the quake, my biggest worry was for a tsunami. Kaikoura is not far above the high tide mark. They managed to avoid the water attack and just had to deal with the aftermath of sliding hillsides.
 |
| Highway 1 from my 2012 bike trip |
It's easy to see how a landslide might be inevitable.
The second is the Kaikoura Coastal Highway, strangely also Highway 1, in New Zealand. The section of road southwest of Kaikoura is near to the water with high, sloped cliffs towering above. The cliffs gave way in an earthquake last year and covered several sections of the road.
 |
| Kaikoura: low-lying with high coastal cliffs. From 2014 NZ trip |
The town of Kaikoura was completely cut off from the road system for a time after the earthquake. When I first heard about the quake, my biggest worry was for a tsunami. Kaikoura is not far above the high tide mark. They managed to avoid the water attack and just had to deal with the aftermath of sliding hillsides.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
B4B2
I've arrived in the northern hemisphere!
While in Tasmania, I was working 10ish hour days for a demolition company in Hobart. I didn't pay much attention to e-mail over a busy few weeks. During that time Alex found a small sailboat on craigslist in Washington state. At the end of each workday I glanced through group e-mails and pieced together what was happening in the north. 1) Alex agreed to buy the boat, 2) my sister in Oregon agreed to pick it up and trailer it across the State line to park in her driveway, 3) Alex entered the two us in the Race to Alaska, and 4) all that was needed from me was to send funds for the boat and gas. I'm fairly sure I agreed to all this at some point, but those few weeks really were a blur.
So now I am in Oregon, with Alex and the freshly christened B4B2. B4B2 is the amalgamation of Berrimilla4 and Bob2. Alex's Berrimilla is already on the fourth edition and, while Ugly Bob (the first Bob) hasn't officially been launched yet, he has already claimed the title as first in the Bob fleet.
B4B2 needs a bit of fresh fiberglass, some of the inside lumber needs replacing, and Alex is working on the rigging and shroud replacements. We'll add a few extra bits and pieces for the race and strengthen the deck below the mast. We're watching the R2AK website and waiting for more teams to register. Thus far, we're in good company with another craigslist find!
Looking back at old posts, I remembered Collins Falls, a fairly pathetic example of the noun (23 Jan 2017.) I went back several months later and found it in much better form.
While in Tasmania, I was working 10ish hour days for a demolition company in Hobart. I didn't pay much attention to e-mail over a busy few weeks. During that time Alex found a small sailboat on craigslist in Washington state. At the end of each workday I glanced through group e-mails and pieced together what was happening in the north. 1) Alex agreed to buy the boat, 2) my sister in Oregon agreed to pick it up and trailer it across the State line to park in her driveway, 3) Alex entered the two us in the Race to Alaska, and 4) all that was needed from me was to send funds for the boat and gas. I'm fairly sure I agreed to all this at some point, but those few weeks really were a blur.
So now I am in Oregon, with Alex and the freshly christened B4B2. B4B2 is the amalgamation of Berrimilla4 and Bob2. Alex's Berrimilla is already on the fourth edition and, while Ugly Bob (the first Bob) hasn't officially been launched yet, he has already claimed the title as first in the Bob fleet.
 |
| B4B2 |
Looking back at old posts, I remembered Collins Falls, a fairly pathetic example of the noun (23 Jan 2017.) I went back several months later and found it in much better form.
 |
| Collins Falls, looking much better in April. |
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
A Short for a Cloudy Evening
In June I went to see my favorite band from when I was about 11 years old; Hanson! They eventually lost my favor to Glenn Miller and Modest Mouse, but until then they held the heart of an adolescent. I heard they were in Sydney and happen to have a few tickets left. I ended up on the dance floor with 200 of my fellow 30ish-year-old fans who have followed them for the last 20-odd years. One has not lived until singing MmmBop with Hanson.
A small accomplishment was finally catching a lizard on film. These little guys run all over Sydney, but always dive for cover the moment I walk by. This fellow was sun bathing and posed while I hovered with a giant lens. He's about 2.5 inches long and laying on the corner of a cinder block.
On a side note, I applied for a second year visa in Australia. My application was rejected, so I am heading back State side in a couple weeks. More travel plans in the works! In the meantime, here's a picture of me tickling a shark.
-M
A small accomplishment was finally catching a lizard on film. These little guys run all over Sydney, but always dive for cover the moment I walk by. This fellow was sun bathing and posed while I hovered with a giant lens. He's about 2.5 inches long and laying on the corner of a cinder block.
On a side note, I applied for a second year visa in Australia. My application was rejected, so I am heading back State side in a couple weeks. More travel plans in the works! In the meantime, here's a picture of me tickling a shark.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)