My favorite North American mountain ranges

Sutter Buttes – Source: sacredland.org

A minimum of 2,000 foot elevation was required for consideration. Some of these listed below are part of larger mountain ranges. Enjoy!

• Cascade Range (California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia)
• Blue Ridge (North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania)
• Grand Tetons (Wyoming)
• Big Horn Mountains (Wyoming)
• Sutter Buttes (North Central California near Yuba City- known as the world’s smallest mountain range)
• Black Hills (Western USA and Canada)
• Canadian Rockies (Alberta and British Columbia)
• Sierra Nevada (California and Nevada)
• Wrangell Mountains (Alaska)
• Sierra Madre Oriental (Mexico)
• Appalachian Mountains (USA Eastern States)
• Pacific Coast Ranges (California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia)
• Great Smoky (Tennessee and North Carolina)
• Adirondacks (New York)
• White (New Hampshire)
• Ozarks (Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma)

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Wackadoodle airport codes outside the USA

• BRA (Barrieras, Brazil)
• EGO (Belgorod, Russia)
• BEG (Belgrade, Serbia)
• BOG (Bogota, Colombia) – don’t get bogged down there.
• CIA (Rome, Italy – Ciampino) – got cha!
• CUM (Cumana, Venuzuela) – please wash your mouth out with soap.
• CUZ (Cuzco, Peru) – cuz I said so
• DAD (Da Nang, Vietnam)
• DOG (Dongola, Sudan)
• DUM (Dumai, Indonesia) – hey, I didn’t name it.
• DUD (Dunedin, New Zealand) – must be really exciting there.
• FUK (Fukuaka, Japan) – careful
• IZO (Izumo, Japan) – should call the lounge the Izone. If you aren’t from the USA, you may not get the joke.
• MAD (Madrid, Spain) – don’t get mad, get even.
• PEE (Perm, Russia) – wonder if they are pissed about the code they were assigned?
• PEX (Pechore, Russia) – flex those pex.
• POT (Port Antonio, Jamaica) – pure Karma that this code should go to an airport in Jamaica – LOL
• SIN (Singapore- Changi) – sort of surprised they accepted this code.
• STD (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) – be careful what you catch here – make sure it is just a flight.

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Funny, cute, and silly airport codes in the USA

• BET (Bethel, AK) – Seems this should have been the one for Las Vegas or Reno.
• BFL (Bakersfield, CA) – I am “baffled” why this is so funny.
• BUF (Buffalo, NY) – Hopefully, you do not have to arrive in the buff.
• BUR (Burbank,, CA) – This code would be good for someplace cold.
• FAT (Fresno, CA) – I realize this stands for Fresno Air Terminal, but talk about bad public relations.
• GGG (Longview, TX) – You’d get better internet service if it was 4Gs.
• IRK (Kirksville, MO) – I would be “irked” too if I had to fly there.
• KOA ( Kona, HA) – Who want to fly into a campground?
• LAX (Los Angeles, CA) – I hope this does not signify their attention to details. It also sounds like the abbreviation for Laxative International Airport.
• MOB (Mobile, AL) – self-explanatory.
• PIE (St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL) – I have no idea why it is PIE.
• PUB (Pueblo, CO) – Now this is my kind of airport! Beer for everyone.
• ROW (Roswell, NM) – I hope we don’t have to – flap maybe, but not row.
• RUT (Rutland, VT) – No one wants to be in one, particularly in an airplane.
• SUX (Sioux City, IA) – If I were the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce or Tourism Bureau, I would ask for a new code designation and fast!
• UTO (Utopia Creek, AK) – Who wants to hear anything remotely close to “uh-oh” or “ut-oh” when flying?

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Things you never (or rarely) find in hotels anymore

Source: colonialrot.com

During our current two-week West Coast trip, I have noticed a number of things that are no longer (or rarely) found in hotel/motel rooms any longer. Certainly, other items have been added to make one’s stay more pleasant such as hair dryers, internet, and coffee makers.

Please feel free to send your additions to my list – I am sure I am forgetting some things.

• A telephone book
• A picture postcard of the hotel/motel
• Full-size writing paper with the logo/name of the hotel/motel
• Ashtray – no smoking, no ashtray. Good for health!
• Matchbooks – ditto
• A Bible – to me, this is a good thing as I think it is rather presumptuous in a diverse society to provide only the Holy book of one religion.
• A hotel/motel directory listing the locations – as the internet rules, so these have gone by the wayside.

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Images of Crater Lake National Park – Oregon

Phantom Ship

Phantom Ship in the foreground and Mt. Thielson in the background

Crater Lake Lodge

Vidae Falls

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Images of Lassen Volcanic National Park

Lassen Peak (volcano)

Brokeoff Mtn (volcano) in the background

Lake Helen

Sulphur mud pots

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“This land is your land” – a 2012 eco-version

Source: mallmemories.com

Saturday, July 14th will be the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth. To honor him and express this eco-bicyclist”s concern beyond those expressed his original lyrics, here is a modified version of Woody Guthrie’s classic folk song This Land is Your Land. The original lyrics written by Mr. Guthrie may be seen through this weblink.

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This land is your land, this land is my land

From Car-lifornia to Wall Street canyons

From clear-cut forests to oil-stained waters

This wasteland was allowed by you and me

-

As I was pedaling – a crowded highway

I saw above me – a concrete skyway

I saw below me – more golden arches

This wasteland was made by you and me

-

Chorus

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I’ve roamed on cell towers  – and taken exits

To sprawling cities - paved over deserts

And all around me – neon signs were shouting

This wasteland was made by you and me

-

Chorus

-

The sun dawns hazy - as I was rolling

Weeds were waving  – and dust was falling

As the smog now settles - voices start shouting

This wasteland was made by you and me

-

Chorus

-

As I tried walking – no sidewalks for me

As I tried biking – drivers scowl right at me

Few remaining places - of peace and safety

Those are the ones for you and me

-

Chorus

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Throughout  our cities – empty seas of asphalt

Are clearly saying – whose really’s at fault

And some are grumblin’ – and some are wonderin’

Why this wasteland was allowed by you and me?

-

Chorus x 2

(Lyrics based on original song by Woody Guthrie)

Happy 100th Birthday, Woody!

Source: en.wikipedia.org

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If sharks ruled the earth

• I thought they already did?
• The world would be a lot more chummy.
• Razor-sharp teeth would be a fashion statement for more than just vampires.
• Steven Spielberg would be required to change the conclusion Jaws and its sequels.
• Vampires wouldn’t be the only blood-thirsty ones running around.
• Being a loan shark would be an important honor.
• Vegetarianism and veganism would be outlawed.
• Drift nets would be banned (a good thing).
• The San Jose Sharks would have to play their hockey games in an aquarium to standing caudal fin only crowds.
• “Sink your teeth into that one” and “getting hammered” would have whole new meanings.
• Shark fin soup would be replaced by person toenail soup.
• Piranha’s would be made goodwill ambassadors.
• Everyone must drive a Barracuda or a Stingray.
• All vacations must be taken to a coral reef where guests are invited to be…ahem, for dinner.
• When our friends in the U.K. say the term “bloody” they will darn well mean it.
• “Shark Week” would be every week on the Discovery Channel.

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Post climate change Summer Olympic events

• Sauna cycling
• Climate change denier decathlon (make them run till they drop)
• Heat wave high-jumping
• Swimming in sweat
• Bad ass butt-blistering badminton
• Empty pool concrete crawl
• Track and burnt to a crisp fields
• Diving into melted marshmallows
• Hop, skip, and puddle jump
• Arid aerobics
• Hot as hell hammer throw
• Molten lava shot put (can you say hot potato?)
• Blistering baseball
• Torrid tennis
• Fiery flame fencing
• Hot foot gymnastics
• Desert doom marathon
• Asphalt egg-frying
• Perspiration polo
• Dead tree trunk lifting
• Bermuda short boxing
• Water bottle relay
• Mirage javelin  and discus throw
• Greenhouse gym-gastics
• Wrestling with guilt (everyone qualifies)

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More disappearing acts to depart soon

Here are eleven more items that I believe will all but disappear within the next decade – some a little more controversial than the previous list:

• The Euro – good idea, but not everyone came to the party with the same idea in mind.
• Gasoline only cars – there will still be a plethora of gasoline only cars left over, but within a decade all new cars will be flex-fuel, hybrid electric, diesel, or electric.
• Paper business cards – instead we will have some type of RFID business cards that can be read by cell phones.
• Paper maps – as a map collector this one makes me sad, but I sure am holding on to the ones I have.
• Printed lodging directories
• Mail boxes – to save money, the post office will require everyone to maintain a post office box instead.
• Super-sized cola drinks – what New York City starts will be followed as obesity costs rise.
• Training wheels – as studies start to show they may hinder learning to ride more than they help, off they will go.
• Three-car or more garages – long overdue as starter castles start reflecting reality. Perhaps a separate bicycle door instead?
• Facebook – keep changing things arbitrarily without telling people ahead of time and it will soon go the way of myspace and digg. Hope you didn’t buy the stock.
• The BCS – this cannot come soon enough. Bring on playoffs.

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