Road Trip in December - New Mexico

I was only in New Mexico for one rest stop on my recent road trip....entering from El Paso, TX and continuing on to Tucson, AZ on Interstate 10. The pictures from that one rest stop still captured quite a lot about that part of the state: the warning about rattlesnakes (upper left), mountains in the distance...lots of rock (upper right), the fluttering flags (lower left) and the adobe/pueblo motif picnic shelters (lower right).

It was too cold to stop for long the day I went through. Everyone was walking briskly and continuing along their way.

Road Trip in December - Arizona

Arizona in December can be cold. It may warm up in the afternoon or the chill can linger. I was only in the southeast quadrant of the state (Tucson) but it certainly lived up to my expectations: beatuiful blue skies or interesting cloud formations, pre-historic rock art, cactus,and birds.

The pictures below show a rocky mountainside at the rest stop about an hour east of Tucson (upper left), fluttering flags at the rest stop (upper right), the motif on the top of the building at a rest stop (lower right) and a very cold bird at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

The pictures below show a grouping of cactus on the left (including saguaro that were the topic of a previous post), a spiral etched into a rock on the upper right and an open milkweed pod on the lower right (lots of Monarch butterflies come through here on their way to wintering grounds in Mexico).

Some of the plants struggle with the lower temperatures. At Tohona Chul Park, there were syrofoam cups and paper bags over some of the organ pipe and young saguaro cactus to protect them from the lows at night.

This is my previous trip to Tucson was in August. Although I was not touring during that visit, the heat would certainly have encouraged only early morning excursions. In December, coats may be required in the morning; they can usually be shed in the afternoon. 

Planning for 2012

About this time every year I think about what I’ve accomplished in the current year and what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year. Today’s blog item is about the forward look….what I’ve found works best for me. It is not as simple as making a short list of resolutions although that can be a starting point.

The key ‘extra step’ is to establish some frequently taken measurement toward the annual goal. It is important to do this because for almost everyone ‘what gets measured gets done.’ Here are some examples about developing those measurements that will help you accomplish whatever annual goals you set.

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If you want to take off 20 pounds and get in shape during 2012 some example measurements could be:

• Lose 2 pounds per month for the 1st 10 months of the year and sustain your weight for the last 2 months of 2012 (check your weight weekly to know where you are in the 2 pound window for the month)
• Average 12,000 steps per day (use the same pedometer or other measurement device for the whole year) and measure at least weekly
• Lose 10 pounds in the first quarter (January-February-March), sustain the loss in the second quarter, lose 10 pounds in the third quarter (July-August-September), sustain the loss in the fourth quarter.

Of course, this also means that whatever you measure can warp your behavior for the negative. If you decide that the bathroom scale is your sole metric - don’t fall into the obsession of weighing yourself several times a day. You could even decide to weigh yourself infrequently but use a pair of tight jeans as a secondary metric (it always is wonderful to be comfortable in clothes that were previously tight!).

If you have a previous goal that was very successful, it may have become habit and you really don’t need a new annual goal. I had the 12,000 steps a day goal in 2011 and now it is easily achieved with the way I move through my day. For 2012 it is something I will continue doing it but it isn’t a stretch goal any more. Maybe this year I’ll do something with intensity of those steps; this is something my Fitbit Wireless Activity/Sleep Tracker measures so it would be a way to challenge myself to a higher level of activity while simply sustaining the total steps.

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Establishing a goal to see more of the area you live in - hiking or museums or restaurants - is a goal for many people and may increase in importance if you already know the time you will live in the area is limited. Some example measurements:

• Take at least one local excursion every month (make the list of 12 now or decide that you will magnet the directions/brochure to your refrig at the beginning of each month). If the activity is weather dependent, do it as early in the month as possible so that you won’t have to double up the following month.
• Take a local vacation week and plan day trips every day of the week. Plan an excursion for every holiday rather than spending the day at home.

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If you have accumulated a lot of stuff over many years…and are ready to jettison some of it, a goal for 2012 might help get it done. Here some example ways to measure your progress.

• Spend 2 hours each week reducing clutter around the house.
• Donate or freecycle at least once a month.
• Wipe hard drives then take old electronics to Best Buy for recycling by mid-year
• Participate in the neighborhood yard sale in the fall
• Develop of month by month plan of all of the above

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Sometimes a goal can be about a habit you want to change. A few years ago I decided that it would be useful for me to use my left hand for the computer mouse even though I am right handed (so I can have a pad and pen on the right side of my keyboard and the mouse will not be in the way). It took me a few weeks to get reasonably comfortable and a little longer to get totally proficient with the left hand…but now I actually am more coordinated using the mouse with my left hand than with the right. The key for a goal like this is to ‘just do it’ and discipline yourself to stick with it for some pre-established period of time. I used 2 weeks for my initial time window and by the end of the period knew that I could learn to use the mouse with my left hand and the new habit was well on its way being established.

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I almost always have a goal related to journaling since it helps me keep perspective on everything happening in my life. At first my measurement was ‘write something every day’ - there was no length or quality metric. Then I used ‘write a page a day’ and went through times when poems became my popular form of entry because it would make a page pretty quickly. This year I may go with a word count metric…something like ‘1000 words a day.’

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So - do your goals for 2012 and get a fast start on all of them at the beginning of the year!

Mosaics in West Texas Rest Stops

The highway between Fort Worth and El Paso, Texas is quite a long one. When I made the trek recently I was prepared with a book on tape, healthy snacks, and lots of caffeine...but it was actually more interesting than I expected. The mosaics at the rest stops depicting the essence of west Texas almost made up for the coldness of the stops (buildings not heated and sometime open to the wind at the rafters!).

Cowboy boots and a charging bull

A cowboy with more placid cows. Note the prickly pear cactus in the lower right.

The picture on the left side provides a close up of one of the deer shown in the more complete mosaic on the right. Not all of the mosaic pieces are the full square size. There are some small pieces that make the antlers and the head....and the tail.

A grasshopper oil well...a frequent site in west Texas. There are also lots of wind turbines (probably increasing all the time) but there is not yet a mosaic for them.

Last but not least ...

A Longhorn with a Live Oak in the background. I took several pictures of this mosaic and the lighting caused the color to be different in each one. This one is my favorite because it seems to imply a golden sunset.

Road Trip in December - Oklahoma

The vast majority of my previous visits to Oklahoma have been in the summer so going in December was different. The route was new to me as well. It felt like the Oklahoma I remember best as soon as I pulled into the welcome center after crossing the red river from Texas: natural stone building, Indian (tepee) motif for the picnic table covers, a buffalo and dinosaur skull in the visitor center lobby. The casinos along the highway always surprise me because they have sprung up since my childhood. They seem foreign to me even though they play a significant role in the economy these days.

People are friendly in Oklahoma too. A person at the welcome center offered to take a picture with my camera so I could be in the picture and a person getting gas at the next stop I made commented about how far I'd come after doing a double take on the Maryland license plate on my car.

Oklahoma has 'mountains' that seem more like hills but they are mostly rock and there is a 'pass' in the Davis Mountains (middle bottom of the picture block above).

Road Trip in December - Arkansas

There was still a bit of fall color in Arkansas and the day was the warmest so far on the road trip. The interstate crossed the state through Little Rock and Hot Springs. The  area on either side of the roadway often seemed wet; the roadway was raised and sometimes not in great condition. 

The rest areas were well maintained but not as meticulously clean as Virginia and Tennessee rest areas. In one rest stop, the trash cans were all 'animal proof.'

Near Cotton Plant, Arkansas there was a huge swirl of water fowl circling and ribbons of others coming in. It almost looked like a whitish dust devil but composed of birds rather than dust. Unfortunately there was no convenient/safe place to stop and watch the aerial ballet. It must have been some part of the annual migration.

The pictures below captured some of foliage that remained. If the day had been sunnier, the drive would have been even more scenic. There were lots of pine woodlots and evidence of harvesting  that could be seen through a screen of trees left between the highway and the clear cut.

Road Trip in December - Tennessee

The Tennessee leg of my road trip took an afternoon of one day and the morning of the next....through Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis. I'd visited the state before - touring the Hermitage near Nashville and Mud Island in Memphis. This time I was just passing through; I pretty quickly got into the mode of thinking it would be a good place to plan an outdoor vacation...maybe even try camping again. Oak Ridge Lab - today and its history - also might be interesting.

There were still some areas where leaves were clinging to the trees but most were on the ground. In some of the higher places there were tiny patches of snow...lots of fog and frost in the morning. If the sun had been out the trees would have looked glittered. 

The rest areas in Tennessee always seem better than just about any other states. They are well designed and kept clean. Some of them are close to the highway; others are set back a little ways and seem more park-like because of the little bit of distance. The picture of the giant guitar below (upper left) is across the highway from the first rest area in Tennessee entering from Virginia (i.e. the eastern side of the state).

Road Trip in December - Virginia

Starting out in the dark to get the most highway behind me before the end of short winter day....and it was a frosty morning in the 20s.

By the time I got out of Washington DC metro area the sun was up but wasn't making much difference in the temperature. It actually was colder as I drove down the Interstate that runs parallel to Shenandoah National Park.

What can you tell about a state as you drive through on the Interstate? I noted rivers: Potomac, Shenandoah, James. There were signs about this still being part of the Chesapeake watershed. That caused me to think about where the water starts flowing to the Mississippi rather than the Chesapeake. 

Another perspective is the rest areas. Virginia's are Colonial style and are at least 30 years old. They have been renovated inside and, when I passed through, meticulously clean (always welcome on a road trip). There was a person - security or maintenance, not sure which - at each one. It was so cold that everyone scurried about their business as quickly as they could. I took a few pictures at each stop and continued on my way.

10 Favorite Meals to Take Traveling

Food that can be packed and taken with you when you are going to be traveling can result in significant savings and, in many cases, save time by allowing you to eat something you enjoy whenever you are hungry. Over the years, I've discovered that my preference is 'anything but a sandwich' and I've started almost always opting for reusable containers rather than disposable. I also tend to like to package my meal so I can eat it all at once or as several snacks. Use good sense if you are traveling by air and pack items that can be easily accepted through the security checkpoint (i.e. no liquids or gels). My favorite meals when traveling are:

1. A container of small tomatoes, carrots and celery along with a tub of peanut butter (the small tubs of peanut butter can be purchased or you can make your own with small containers)
2. A container of plain yogurt with some fresh fruit  and chopped pecans on top
3. An apple with piece of favorite cheese
4. A pumpkin/pecan muffin
5. A small piece of dark chocolate, a few whole almonds, 2 dried apricots
6. A peanut butter and jelly burrito
7. A piece of crustless quiche
8. Apple crisp with a piece of cheese
9. Carrot, pineapple, raisin salad with marmalade/olive oil dressing
10. A few mixed nuts with a pear

You probably have noticed that these are light meals. I feel better if I eat less when I travel. How about you?

What are your favorite meals for travel?

Gleanings of the Week Ending December 10, 2011

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week:

• The economics of Christmas lights – Seth Godin’s thoughts about why Christmas lights and good/free internet content are indicators of healthy communities
• Lassen Volcanic National Park – year long time lapse from the visitor center webcam…snow…plows…the melt…corn lilies
• Tools vs Insight – Another thoughtful piece from Seth Godin…we need to spend less time learning new tools and more time using them.
• Paper Stars – An interesting idea – maybe to use up odd bits of wrapping paper. They could be hung on a tree or wreath too.
• Future Agenda: The World in 2020 – Insights from a project to look at trends and predict what will happen by 2020.
• Crochet Chain Mini-Wreaths – Simple idea for tree ornaments
• Kepler 22-b…an Earth-like planet – Wow! 600 light years away is pretty far though.
• NASA Mars Rover Finds Mineral Vein Deposited by Water – The Opportunity rover just keeps going and going.
• Why Aren't We Smarter Already? Evolutionary Limits On Cognition – There is already evidence that there are not-so-good side effects to cognition enhancing drugs. Perhaps nature has it about right.
• Our Beautiful Planet…timelapse vignettes – A preview of Tom Lowe’s film. So beautiful.

Road Trip Preparation - Reading

I am planning an extended road trip that will involve driving more than half way across the US and back. Along with plotting routes, checking info on the internet, and making hotel reservations, I’m doing some focused reading to prepare myself for the journey. Building up my knowledge about what the natural world holds has always been an interest of mine and a theme for much of my traveling.  Here are the favorite books I’ve collected through the years and am referencing now.

• Roadside Geology Series. This series of books came out in the 1980s and offers geological notes by mile marker along major highways. For the first half of the trip, I’ll be on my own so won’t be able to reference the books while I drive. Still – I’ve perused them enough to observe the geology along the highway crossing the Appalachians then the Mississippi River; skirting the hot springs of Arkansas then onto the relative flatness of a prehistoric seabed in Texas; climbing to the Edwards Plateau passing sand dunes of silicon then gypsum; crossing the Rio Grande rift.  On the way back, I’ll have a sidekick and the person not driving can provide geological commentary as we move along the interstate highway.

• Audubon Field Guides. The one I am looking at the most right now is the Field Guide to the Southwestern State. This well formatted book with lots of illustrations gives information on habitats, flora, invertebrates, and vertebrates. This is not the optimal time of year for botanizing….but whatever there is to see, I’m primed to see it.

• Field Guide to the Birds. The Field Guide to the Birds of Texas and Adjacent States by Roger Tory Peterson is the one I am looking at now. The copy I am referencing is probably over 30 years old --- used frequently in the past and still worth taking.

• The Off the Beaten Path series of books is also on my bookshelf but I’m not referencing them much this time since I am sticking to the interstates to get to my destination as quickly as possible; maybe they’ll be a primary reference when I can spend more time off the main highways.

Have you done this kind of theme reading before a trip? If so – what was your theme and favorite book?

Kindle Fire – Week 3 Review

Three weeks ago, an early Christmas present from my husband arrived –  a Kindle Fire, Full Color 7" Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi.  I’m documenting my journey getting comfortable with it over the first three weeks. The 1^st week review can be found here; the 2^nd here. The review items for week 3 included:

• The Kindle will allow me to be more ‘paperless’ when I travel since its screen is large enough that I can read my itinerary. I simply put things in the inbox of the email that I might need. As long as everything synced while the Kindle Fire could communicate with the wireless network, the email is there while I am on the road and not connected to anything.
• I have also used it for a recipe again. This time I set the timeout for 45 minutes so didn’t have to touch the display while I was cooking.
• I discovered that the Internet Archive has a lot of their texts available in Kindle format. I downloaded several to read while I waited for my car to be serviced. Since it is an OCR’d version and there are bad characters/words occasionally. I will probably use the ‘read online’ version when I know I am going to be connected while reading.

At the end of week 3, I’m still very pleased with my Kindle Fire and am making good use of its features every day. Is there still more to discover? Probably…but the steepest part of the learning curve is done.

US Botanic Garden - Landmark Building Models

There is a wonderful display of models of the landmark buildings of Washington DC on display at the US Botantic Garden surrrounded by the lush plantings of the conservatory. Their architectural details are created with dried plant materials like bark, pine cone scales, willow twigs, grapevine tendrils and acorn caps. If you are in the Washington DC area between 11/24 and 1/2, it is well work seeing. 

Here is my picture of the model of the Washington Monument. It even has the windows and red lights on top!

A slide show of the Supreme Court building, the Jefferson Memorial ,  the Smithsonian castle, the Museum of the American Indian, the Lincoln Memorial, and the White House is below.

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Preparing for a Road Trip

I made a one day road trip last week…4 hours in the car. That isn’t much of trek but it has prompted me to think about the generic process of preparation. Here’s my quick checklist:

• Car in good working condition?
• Gas tank full?
• Umbrella in car (in case it rains unexpectedly)?
• Sunglasses?
• Snacks and water ready for the cooler?
• Addresses for destination (to enter into the nav system/Garmin)?
• AAA card (in case something does go wrong with the car)?
• Insurance card and registration (in case of an accident)?
• Any time constraints (have to be at destination by a certain time) factored in to departure time?
• Cargo secured in trunk or, if it won’t all fit in the trunk, in the back seat?
• Layers of clothing appropriate for the likely weather conditions?
• Sleeping bag (if winter and driving in bad weather)?

Any suggestions for addtions to this list?