Category: Hobbies

Today I was reminded somehow about my trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.  This was a very memorable trip and here is a true story.

Not sure if it was the first or second night we were hiking on our 12 day trek, but the most important part is that we were guided by a staff member for the first few days to help us learn the rules and get acclimated.  It was my turn to cook and clean up after the meal.  Here are the details of how no trace camping works.

1) The entire meal was made in one bowl…I think we had Chicken Pot Pie for dinner.  The portion was distributed until there was no more left.  No one could turn down the spoon as it came around loaded with wonderful rehydrated food!  Yummy!

2) Time for dessert…since the main course was scraped from the pan, it was available to make dessert, chocolate pudding!  Guess it should have been called “Chocolate Pudding a la tad of chicken pot pie” ;P  It did not taste bad since the pudding was stronger than the chicken.

3) Time to clean up….My turn to be exact.  In the morning, hot water was boiled to make breakfast and thus sterilizing the pan.  It was the job of the cleaner the night before to clean the dishes out and stack them until the morning.  So…leave no trace, meant no cleaning water dumped.  I bet you can guess what happened next…yep, no soap, just a little water in the chocolate pudding pan to clean it out.  The waste water was then swallowed by yours truly!  Could have been a lot worse 😉  Not quite a chocolate shake, but drinkable….perhaps a trial of Nestle Quik?  LOL.

4) Once the ranger was gone……let’s just say, there was no more drinking of the waste water!  

 

One more fun food moment….never mix powdered milk when on a “Leave No Trace” camping trip.  I had a desire for milk at breakfast.  I attempted to mix the power with water, but it did not mix!  Ahhh…I had clumps in water.  Gross!  

In my hunt for a reputable bike shop that carried Giant, I came across Hudson Trail Outfitter in Tenleytown.  It in on my way to World Market up Wisconsin Ave and happily carries the Giant line which oddly enough seems to be falling out of favor with several local shops 🙁

I am a sucker for sales and they had a Giant TCR C2.  This bike is about 17 pounds, has road handlebars, racing specs, and a carbon frame.  While the C1 probably has the top of the line Shimano components, the C2 has Ultegra shifters, 105 brakes, chain, and rear gear hub, and Race Face Crank.

Having not seriously considered carbon bikes due to their seemingly outrageous price, I would never spend $2300 on a bike.  I originally went bike shopping with the goal of spending my pending $600 stimulus check.  That changed to $1000 and ended up a little more than $1500.  I tend to buy the best product at the best price, so a 2007 model for 33% off the list price, sold.  It was a tough decision, but it made no sense for me to get a $1000 bike now only to spend 3-6K down the road and regret wasting the money on an intermediary step.

Ultimately I am planning on paying for the bike by counting all my metro savings.  At this point I commute both to GU and to World Market which saves me roughly $9 a week.  Riding to my volunteer sites saves me an additional $5 a week.  So, accounting for some very hot or cold and snowy days, it should take me about 3 years.  Not bad considering there are no major parts that I should need to replace and not really much depreciation.  This is much different than a new car….that loses 25% when you drive off the lot and you owe more than it is worth for 5 of 6 years on a car loan ;P

Car vs Metro vs Bike

Bike – Healthy, No Cost besides the occasional natural gas 😉

Metro – Besides the waiting 19 minutes for a train on occasion or the behind schedule bus (I tend to get on at near the end of the line…so rarely on time).  Relatively economical and reliable.

Car – $5/gallon, oil changes, parking fees, registration, insurance….ahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to plug public transportation…….the Circulator has been relatively on schedule and at only $1, is a great way to get from Georgetown to the National Mall!  Highly recommend it for it’s fleet of buses every 10 minutes.  That is something that metro does not do outside of rush hour that Circulator does all day!