Another hop to the woods. I tend to schedule my hiking and other exercise around locations of diners. I like other types of restaurants too, but seem to have really narrowed in on diners recently. And burger joints. This may be because I don’t hike and bike for exercise, but for experiencing through senses, which … More Wilderness and Burger Baskets
I only walked in the woods a few times during the winter. I’ve just been walking in town. Near the convention center. By a new hotel directly across the tracks from where I stood during a lunch break. A lot of homeless and encampments about. I hear some of my fellow employed express disdain toward … More Sparkling New Hotel
…Drift Creek is where I ended up a couple of weeks ago, after looking at the real-time wildfire map and air quality forecast, and road conditions. Not all that far from the coast. Near the trailhead there was a glimpse of the river meeting the ocean. After gaining that elevation on the drive to the … More In wilderness again…
…by a second force this summer, the smoke. For now I just look at backpack contents until it makes sense to pack again. Early in the summer the pandemic had many trailheads closed. The smoke and fire risk now have a lot of federal lands in my area closed. Some state forest is open though, … More Thwarted from visiting public woods for now…
…for me in national forest. I was near water on some stretches of the trail. It was nice to sleep in the deep woods again. I awoke to temperatures in the high 30s F on this August morning at about 4500 ft., then warmed myself with a hot brew. But the ongoing political unrest. I … More A nice overnight backpack…
…the floor of my living room for the first time. It’s because since working primarly from home, my stretching and exercises are done at home on my mat instead of on the floor of the gym at work. Being on the floor is giving me a glimpse into my dog’s perspective. Dog rest her beautiful … More I’ve been spending time on…
Podcast in Quotes: Episode 1: I (Ben) talk with Jesse about how the southern Oregon woods and wilderness were a central part of his childhood and how hiking as an adult relates to it.
Podcast in Quotes – Episode 3: I talk to Dominic about hiking around and exploring public and trust lands in Europe.
Being homebound during the week got me out for the weekend. Yesterday was for a big loop ride. Rode all day, and even stopped for a break for a short hike to catch-up with a friend south of home. But just after Redmond, I had to stop for a shot of these senior members of … More Hikes and Rides
…the woods and urban areas: the homeless are generally not allowed. I’ll expand on this further down. On an errand in town I wonder if the emptiness of the bus strictly reflects unemployment, or also people switching to safer modes of transport. I still shoot out to the woods of the coastal range partly because … More There’s a connection between…
Thoughts on Trails 