eight years

Well today is this blog's 8 year anniversary.  Yea I have been publishing this drivel for that long.

Spring break ended for Joel and it's just starting for Mackenzie. Lucky ducks.

If you read my last blog post I mentioned I had plans for a new outdoor adventure. Well it's under one month I will be doing this and I thought I would finally divulge my plans. Don't anyone try to stop me.

If you see my office, it's littered with maps, books, papers, a scale and lots of other bits of gear and kit. All to get ready for a nearly 60 mile backpack trip through the mountains in southern Arizona. My spring break if you will.

I have reading and charting and weighing. Testing food and recipes for the trail. Getting permits and reservations. I think I have almost as much fun with the planning as I actually do the activity.

I won't be doing this alone. A friend of mine saw my pictures from last years trips and he said he  would be all on board for that. I held him to it, called him on it (actually he called me asking if I had any plans for 2016). I offered this trip, he did not back out. It should be fun.

It's territory I am somewhat familiar with. The greater Tucson area. Starting in Saguaro National Park ending around Mt Lemmon. Getting up to 9000' in elevation a few times and camping between 4000 and 7700' above sea level. 60 miles in 6 days. No, not a lot of miles but the change of elevation will make it a challenge.

You can get a description of the 3 sections of the Arizona National Scenic Trail we will be passing through here:

1 Rincon Mountains
2 Reddington Pass
3 Santa Catalina Mountains

We are doing this probably the latest we can before it heats up too much and finding water becomes an issue. At elevation the temps will be in the mid 70's but in the valleys it will be 10° warmer.

Another nice part about this is I have left ourselves an out if we decide it's too much or we have problems.  End of day three we will be at a campsite accessible by car (waypoint I in the map below).  Joel or others can meet us in camp for/with dinner and some cold beverages (and resupply so we don't have to carry 6 days of food) as it is only about 45 minute drive from town.

Not much more to add, but I am pretty stoked.

Fun weekend

This weekend I did not do any car work, mainly because I need a few more parts and its also Canoecopia weekend!

Yep 3rd year in a row we went out to the show in Madison. It's a nice little getaway for Tracy and I. We know we won't be getting another boat, but it is fun. 

Friday we always do dinner and this time we called up Taylor and went to a place called Merchant off the Capitol square. Had a nice dinner and conversations for her upcoming spring break and that she was almost 20 years old! 

Saturday we went to the show and sat in on a few seminars, the real reason we are here. One is about touring the Apostle Islands and the other about day tripping in Door County. Put a lot of great ideas in our heads and just gorgeous scenery. Heck I might even get Tracy to do a few overnights after talking with some folks on how we can camp out without roughing it. 

We bought some companion books, I got some water shoes and a few other things for the summer and other up-coming adventures this spring. I think I have as much fun planning stuff as I do doing it.

Saturday afternoon we met with Paul and Jenny, friends that now live in Madison. Had dinner at HopCat (rated top 10 french fries in the nation and they were up to the hype) got to catch up with them before heading home.

Sunday, I usually play basketball but not this weekend. I was going to go on a hike. My next adventure is around (more on that as it gets closer) the corner and I may be in good shape, but my feet need a little toughing up. I loaded my bigger daypack with about 25 pounds of water and gear and set to head out. Wait, what's that? Someone wants to come with me? Mackenzie?! Absolutely! I grab a bit more water and extra bowl and spork and we head out. 

At 11:00 am its about 52° and dry. We do a little section from Hwy H to past 28 and back. At the turn around point we break for lunch. I am testing and trying all type of backpacking meals lately so for lunch we had Chicken ala King and Triple Berry Crunch for desert. We sit down and have a nice lunch as the rain starts to fall. Mackenzie is even enjoying the food. It is good and the dessert I picked up yesterday at Canoecopia is awesome. Think of hot pie filling with a strudel crunchy topping yea...Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. 

There she is enjoying some lunch sitting on one of my pads I got for Christmas. (and you all looked at me like I was bonkers when I got them).  We finished lunch, cleaned up and headed back. The rain really picked up, but we were properly dressed. Almost 7 miles in 3 hours and that included 40 minutes of stopping for lunch. I was so impressed with her and my heart was all warm, because I love it when we do little things like this together. Maybe I could even get her to crack and go overnight sometime...

Car Part II

Vicci is still in the clinic getting rehabbed. 

New clutch new exhaust manifold

new timing belt, water pump and accessory belts

New oil pan gaskets for leaks

Waiting to go back in

And back in where she belongs

Tonight I got a bunch of small things in place and was a trial run to see if it would start again.

HOLEEE SHIT!  Once fuel pressure was restored it pretty much started right up! Yea its back in business.  Now just to put the front suspension and brakes back together and put the hood back on.  

So my posts have been lacking, quite a bit. There are reasons for that.  Since Mackenzie's birthday I really had not had any weekends to relax. I had installed a little cabinet I built for a recurring cutsomer as well as a few other things. Last weekend I took on a most ambitious project indeed: Overhauling the Civic.

I bought this car in 1998 brand new for oh $14,000.  It has almost 270,000 miles on it and is on the original clutch and shocks. Its 70,000 miles overdue for a timing belt and has a cracked exhaust manifold. Not to mention a few other wear parts, like hoses and thermostats and water pumps and belts.

Why not pull the engine and transmission and fix this up right?  Headed over to Ryan's place where he has a huge, heated shed and sets of tools to shock and amaze.  Oh and a electric hoist.

We started Friday night and worked on Saturday to get it out and on a stand.  Amazingly, this thing is in incredible shape.  Knowing what I know now, I might have held off on a lot of these things. It's just not normal for a car this old and this many miles to be so clean.

Replacement parts have been ordered and are arriving to hopefully get this beast back together in another weekend.

February Stars

1 month down and eleven to go?

This when the cabin fever starts getting to me.  Not enough snow to snowshoe, ski or snowboard (I know they make snow) and just crappy enough to not want to do much about it. Although some afterwork head lamp lit hikes are sounding pretty good at this point.

I start all my planning for adventures now because it helps and then gets me anxious to do it.  On top of that for some reason my employer decided to give most everyone a extra week of vacation. And then in 2 years I get another for being 15 years (if I stay there). That adds to some motivation for sure.

I have thought about some adventure goals to meet.

150 miles of hiking/backpacking. That is only 40 miles more than I did last year, it will be a bit tougher and I will have to revisit some trails around here, but I have also have a few longer treks up my sleeve. Northern Wisconsin and possibly elsewhere.  Oregon? Arizona? maybe.

60 miles or more of paddling. This might be tough.  I did not get out as much this year, but did find new water. Lake Michigan, The St Croix riverway and new sections of the Milwaukee river.  If my to 'hip'sters get better maybe they will go too. Canoecopia is coming up and Tracy mentioned listening into the people who had sessions to talk about the Apostle Islands and Door County. I also talked to the owner of the gym I go to about a group outing (weekend) on the Wisconsin River too. I wonder if I can talk Jim into another weekend trip.  More Namakagon? Maybe the Bois Brule? The names sound good, don't they?

Biking, 30 miles. A few runs and trails with Ryan and this shouldn't be too hard.  Although at under 5 miles a crack my favorite lunchtime trail will still take 6 visits.

Then there are practical things, like fixing up the civic, which will take some weekends of time and we keep talking about remodelling our bathroom.  The only room in the house that has not been altered since we moved in over 20 years ago. And it looks like it.

Time to start moving....

Taking too long between posts it would seem...

First of all Happy 16th Birthday to Mackenzie! Thats the big time.  And more importantly as of 10:30 this morning she is officially licensed driver.  Great Job!

January Hang

Anyone tracking with me I have made it a point of camping or sleeping outside for at least one night a month.

Started in July 2015 and have been successful through December 2015.  Now the 2 next months will be the most difficult I figure for cold anyway.

So last week Saturday night I got the January 2016 night in.

We had a lot of snow on the ground so stakes would not work. I ended up using branches and some firewood logs buried in the snow to hold the corners of my tarp tight. It worked really well.  The temperatures hit about 23° and windchills around 13°.  I was not cold and slept pretty darn good.

I also goofed around with the snowshoes I got for Christmas. It is pretty cool how they work.  I trudged around the yard in my boots alone and was winded after down and up the back.  I put the snowshoes on and what a difference. No sinking in to trudging. Not even close to winded after a loop around the yard. Then I tried wearing them while setting up my hammock. You really have to lift your feet if you plan on walking backwards. I did not and twice I fell on my ass because of this.  I eventually took them off so not to wreck them or hurt myself. Really looking forward to putting some mile son with these. Now a bit more snow would be helpful after all the rain we just got.

End of Year Wrap

Well that's it. 2015 is behind us and we are staring right down the barrel of 2016.

Looking back this year, it wasn't too bad. As a family we did a lot, as a person I expanded. We had some good times and some sadness.

So where do I start? I have been struggling to write this for the last few days.

First some fun. We went to Mexico as a family! We brought other people. No one died, got hurt or even sick. Planes were not delayed. A travel miracle. I took a lot of pictures.

It was fun because the kids are older now and don't need Mom or Dad around but still did stuff with us. In fact helped with planning and deciding what they would like to do. They are also good at ordering food and drinks so we don't have to get up from our chaise loungers. Although, I can't see too many more whole family vacations as they are getting older and moving on with their own lives, at least Joel for now.

Which is a great transition. Joel started his final year at U of A and wow, I cannot believe it. It seems like only a summer ago we were touring all the campuses and waiting for him to make a choice on where to go. I know he's excited to be that much closer to the 'real world'. Tracy and I could't be more proud of him.

Then there is the other bundle of joy. Mackenzie. A full on teen ager who likes to argue and butt heads with us at every turn. She started driving lessons this summer and is only a few weeks away from a road test. She too is growing into such a well rounded young adult.

Basketball for her sophomore season turned out to be very much like last year. She was team co captain, she started the first game, she had 8 points 6 rebounds and a blocked shot. And after 3 games she was done because of hip surgery. She is still part of the team, practice and games but without the participation. Last year was the reverse, started the season injured and finished strong. There are a few albums of some of the games on my Flickr Album page.

As I write this I can't help but feel as though this is almost like one of those Christmas letters people stick in with their cards.  I guess its a lot of the same.

It looks like I am going over person by person. Thats the problem when you just type off the cuff. What seems like a good idea can kind of sound not so good after a few rereads. Can't tell you how many times I read post and then re-read it only to cringe and want to go make edits. Most often I don't and just let it go. I could never write a book. It would be for ADD afflicted and make little sense in the end.

It was not a great year for Tracy. The high points had to be the 17th anniversary of her transplant, and the Mexico and Arizona trips for her, because there were some rough patches for her. First, she had to start using corrective eyewear again. Some seventeen years after not needing it. I think a lot of us can relate. Then fall came and what is usually one of her favorite times of the year, became sad. Not just for her but our whole family. Her Mom was taken by surprise with what seemed a very sudden end stage of a disease she had been dealing with for years. The progression was rapid and was very hard on all of us to see. Just a month prior she was sitting on our deck for her 81st birthday. Now here it was my birthday, less than two months from that birthday and she had passed. I know Tracy still has bad days and struggled over the holidays coping with her loss. Believe it or not as much as we cursed her 1-4 phone calls a day, it seems out of place not to have those calls anymore.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Tracy also had the other hip operated on in November. She recovered so much quicker this time, but still dealt with a lot of pain and had to scale back all summer. 2016 will be better for her.

The year for me was what you could call active. On a whim in March I did 6 miles of hiking on the ice age trail, little did I know how much that would rekindle my love for the outdoors. Stuff I had only dreamed about when I was younger became my goal to accomplish. So yea I hiked over 105 miles in 2015. I am not getting any younger and its seems the last two years I have made it my goal to become really physically active again. Call it a use or or lose it mentality. And I don't feel like I want to lose it anytime soon. I can't stop getting older but I can sure as hell beat it back and go kicking and screaming.

Along with my hiking I geared up and did some backpacking. I had not done this since my days with the boy scouts. And not only here in Wisconsin, I did a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Again, fed by another boy scouts presentation on whet he did some 30+ years ago. It was a bucket list moment, but it fueled the desire to even more. Now as I sit here in the beginning of winter, I read and think and start planning expeditions as to what is next. Another segment hike of the PCT in Oregon, perhaps Crater Lake? How about the John Muir Trail in California, a segment of the Arizona Trail or even a hike into the Grand Canyon or Havasu Falls. That's to say nothing of the sections of Ice Age trail I can backpack right here in my backyard. The hard part is I have a lot of plans and most end up being solo. Don't get me wrong, people who know me know I have no problem with being alone, some probably think I prefer it. It would be nice to share some of the experiences with someone. Joel is stepping off on his own thing and maybe once he gets settled in a few years he would come, although I never considered him 'outdoorsy'. Tracy doesn't mind camping, but these trips involve a little more effort where there are not always outhouses and no showers for more than two days are common. I could crack Mackenzie, but not for a few more years. She's at the age where she thinks she stinks and is gross every 3 hours and would shower multiple times a day if possible. However, I think if she could just not worry about what she looks or smells like, I think she would enjoy it the most. There may be hope for me. The more people I share my stories with the more encouraged I am
to hear that some are interested in doing the same. We will see.

One other outdoors thing I did, was hang out with my brother. It had been a long time since we did anything together, no families, just us. We did a one night camping and kayak trip just to see how it would go. It was great. So much so he let me drag his ass across the state to camp and paddle 35 miles over a weekend. 3 days of solitude and brother time it was a blast. Again that's something we need more of. Away from work, phones, internet and all the day to day bullshit.

Some other highlights of blog this year: I cooked up 91 pounds of meat on my grill, made enough pizza on the grill to be the equivalent of a 32" pizza from a pizzeria. Just take a 16 inch large now double that across. Mama Mia!  Work is work but it help pay the bills and allow me to do some of the stuff I like. Between work and pleasure I flew almost 20,000 miles this year. Not a road warrior like some folks but plenty for me. I only posted 41 times this year. the lowest since I started blogging. However, it did include what were probably the longest posts I have ever made. You demand quality over quantity. I deliver. Like pizzas.

Here is to a happy and healthy 2016 to all the loyal readers and the rando's that find my drivel accidentally.

Cheers!
-Jeff

Well its the week before Christmas and I have not posted for almost a month.  My Bad. Been kind of busy with both my girls having hip surgery and having to do my best Florence Nightingale for the past few weeks.  Good news is they are almost back in the flow and have both lost the crutches. They both healed very quickly.

Last week I was in the big apple. Does anyone call it the big apple anymore? Seriously.

However the weather was crazy. Low ceilings delayed (no surprise) our flight from 7PM arrival to after 10, but my work associate and I didn't let that deter us. It was after all 66 degrees at midnight. The next day we had lunch and ate outside on the patio. Yea on December 15th. I even removed my jacket.  I suppose my beard helped.

Got home from New York on Wednesday night and the next day picked up Joel from the airport, the last winter break for him!

Joel and I went and hung out with Glen and Cory, because Cory had 4 tickets to the 1:40 AM showing of the new Star Wars Movie. Yep opening night stuff.  Joel and I did not get home until after 5 AM. Friday morning was rough.

That evening I met up with a few people from grade school. We have done this every year for the last few and its always an interesting and fun evening.

Finally I did put the hammock up on Saturday and slept outside keeping my streak alive. It was a low of around 23 which was not bad but the wind was very strong.  That kept me awake more than anything. I actually had a tie out on my tarp break the wind was so strong. I don't know how mild this winter will be but it seems that I may not get to cold at this pace.

Happy Holidays!

One more month down.  June through November.

Yep I slept outside on Friday night.  It got to about 23° but I was fine.  And was woken by a bunch of turkeys squabbling in the woods.

However, I did have a ton of FRC (Frozen Respiration Condensation) on the inside of the tarp!  

Sitting in my office in this cold blustery day I started daydreaming about all kinds of things.  Mainly thinking about some fun stuff to do for next year.

I picked up a book and ordered another for some of the long national trails, looked for maps, read other blogs and gear reviews and thought about where and who would go with me.

I say that as Tracy lays on the couch and rehabs from surgery.  At least I hope she can use her boat when all healed.

Then I think about just relaxing on a beach in Mexico too and that doesn't seem too bad either......

Fall

October has to be one of my favorite months.  I mean I may be biased because it is my Birthday Month, but I doubt it.

The weather has been great the trees are in full color, pumpkin farms and crisp nights.

Speaking of crisp nights....I actually slept in my hammock last Saturday night. Yes, it did get down to 27° here, but I was warm.  I think I will try to do a night in the hammock every month of the year.  I mean there will be some times that the temps in Nov-Feb will be in the 20's and that is about the lower limit of my gear. That should be doable right? I might need to get a different tarp.  One that closes on the ends to stop wind.

Anyway, I walk around the yard every other day with my camera and love taking pictures of all the changing scenery.

Its enjoyable.  So much so I created an Album here that I will add to over the next few weeks.