tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19440927726822518442024-02-19T09:12:40.945-07:00UnchartedYour lifeline to Uncharted: Exploration, travel, outdoors, adventure, culture, & active lifestyle community of friends. Latest news and happennings to keep all you Uncharted junkies plugged in.GeoJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563815998099149203noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-20925729508052996072011-09-07T22:05:00.001-06:002011-09-07T22:05:48.408-06:00Trying to Get "Le Grille" Working AgainYou may have noticed (in fact, we hope you have; that means you’re a regular Uncharted visitor) that we’re having a little difficulty at Uncharted.net.<br />
<br />
Our photo uploader works, well, kinda, and you have to treat it like an old pickup, whapping it here and turning up the radio to drown out the noises there. The story uploader, well, that isn’t working at all.<br />
<br />
We’re sorry.<br />
<br />
We’re working on a solution that includes rewriting some of the programming that lies behind Uncharted.net, and doing so on a shoestring budget. We’ll try to do a better job of keeping you up to date on our progress so your visits to Uncharted.net are fun, not frustrating. Although sometimes it’s fun to watch someone be frustrated, as Homer Simpson here: <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qtKtU_zcTGU" width="460"></iframe></div><br />
Rest assured that the experts we have working on Uncharted.net’s woes are much better at their jobs than Homer is at masonry.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, we’re working on a few solutions that’ll keep us all sharing our photos and adventures until we’ve got the site working as we’d like.<br />
<br />
1) The photo uploader is still working, but you just have to be patient with it. If you get an error message, just reload the page, or open up Uncharted.net in a new browser and try again. Most of the time (and trust me, I’ve done a lot of trial and error on this ) your photos will be there, waiting for more to join them or for your muse to help you write captions.<br />
<br />
2) If you’ve got an itch to write a story, simply post it to your blog, on Facebook, Google+ or whatever space you’ve got and send us a link at Uncharted’s Facebook page, which you can find <a href="http://www.facebook.com/exploreuncharted">here</a>. <br />
<br />
3) If you’d rather leave the hosting to us, contact us via our Facebook page and we’ll work things out.<br />
<br />
4) If you have any suggestions, want to make a donation so our site upgrade goes faster, absolutely let us know.<br />
<br />
Thanks for your patience. We love seeing your photos and reading your stories. We hope this interim solution in keeping your enthusiasm alive will, well, keep that enthusiasm alive. Let us know what we can do to do better.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-53611874832159232102011-08-03T22:06:00.000-06:002011-08-03T22:06:45.555-06:00An Oil Change's Worth of Stories to Come<iframe frameborder="0" height="480" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Sugar+City,+ID&daddr=Paxton,+NE+to:Omaha,+NE+to:Williamsburg,+IA+to:Fort+Madison,+IA+to:Nauvoo,+IL+to:Carthage,+IL+to:Keokuk,+IA+to:Hannibal,+MO+to:Far+West,+MO+to:Liberty,+MO+to:St.+Joseph,+MO+to:40.5017,-95.39279+to:Omaha,+NE+to:41.46646,-96.02618+to:41.996,-96.24692+to:42.0035741,-96.902156+to:Yankton,+SD+to:wall,+sd+to:Custer,+SD+to:Powell,+WY+to:44.7654679,-110.463783+to:44.965344,-110.71231+to:West+Yellowstone,+MT+to:Sugar+City,+ID&geocode=FcdynQIdNttW-Snt4YXYCPZTUzGudq9tluYQ0Q%3BFdR7cwIdDG31-Sl7fECZBfZ2hzFofBRy8ALKXg%3BFQt2dQId3C9H-int_Ay1yI2ThzEEtjeuT01CRg%3BFb-yewIdlQ2E-imNnlN09bnlhzHwX1JUmC1yBQ%3BFd7OawIdjhOO-ikpoRTSGCjnhzFk9tO2VY-KHg%3BFZq-agId1ZON-im3UcGO4SXnhzFJYMOFT3_S4A%3BFbG0aAIdAl-R-ikh0U4dhc7ghzE8ioPcnjRlzw%3BFUR-aAIddG6N-il5sSDJTTrnhzG93gto6MdHaA%3BFdvmXQId7vqN-in1VjEJpOjdhzE8qut2Tk6Lmg%3BFUZVXQIdQqtj-ikD7on858PBhzFjSdhpFfRKeg%3BFSLZVgIdUkdf-ikD_HWzYFXAhzEaXO6AGw248w%3BFdKnXgIdW-lY-ilxJS6TThrAhzGocdNbeZZ15g%3BFcQBagId6mtQ-ikj-5pJHSCVhzFl89-2TPaX1g%3BFQt2dQId3C9H-int_Ay1yI2ThzEEtjeuT01CRg%3BFVy6eAIdvMFG-imziP3XtL-ThzFjDN3rj-32Ug%3BFeDOgAIdeGND-ilXoHjtUCOShzHEX5yXpER46A%3BFXbsgAId9GM5-ilfWabfRriRhzFCEzrnt2SBJA%3BFUUpjgId39Ux-ilRw2-uCKGPhzETxHG087Mx7g%3BFalFnwId9Orn-SmXD16J8al9hzEFLWqlKsmjDQ%3BFXvTmwIdKjXT-SlRbWIuf8xihzGATnq383u3wA%3BFbHjqgIdmH6E-SlRGb5rzFNJUzHPGoVqXhM48g%3BFRwRqwId2XRq-Q%3BFeAdrgIdCqpm-Q%3BFYV9qQIdk69g-SkDKzJ6wLlRUzEQIJBI951j3Q%3BFcdynQIdNttW-Snt4YXYCPZTUzGudq9tluYQ0Q&hl=en&mra=dvme&mrsp=12&sz=10&via=12,14,15,16&sll=40.5472,-95.329742&sspn=0.600021,1.053314&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.5472,-95.328369&spn=1.001779,1.757812&z=9&output=embed" width="640"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=Sugar+City,+ID&daddr=Paxton,+NE+to:Omaha,+NE+to:Williamsburg,+IA+to:Fort+Madison,+IA+to:Nauvoo,+IL+to:Carthage,+IL+to:Keokuk,+IA+to:Hannibal,+MO+to:Far+West,+MO+to:Liberty,+MO+to:St.+Joseph,+MO+to:40.5017,-95.39279+to:Omaha,+NE+to:41.46646,-96.02618+to:41.996,-96.24692+to:42.0035741,-96.902156+to:Yankton,+SD+to:wall,+sd+to:Custer,+SD+to:Powell,+WY+to:44.7654679,-110.463783+to:44.965344,-110.71231+to:West+Yellowstone,+MT+to:Sugar+City,+ID&geocode=FcdynQIdNttW-Snt4YXYCPZTUzGudq9tluYQ0Q%3BFdR7cwIdDG31-Sl7fECZBfZ2hzFofBRy8ALKXg%3BFQt2dQId3C9H-int_Ay1yI2ThzEEtjeuT01CRg%3BFb-yewIdlQ2E-imNnlN09bnlhzHwX1JUmC1yBQ%3BFd7OawIdjhOO-ikpoRTSGCjnhzFk9tO2VY-KHg%3BFZq-agId1ZON-im3UcGO4SXnhzFJYMOFT3_S4A%3BFbG0aAIdAl-R-ikh0U4dhc7ghzE8ioPcnjRlzw%3BFUR-aAIddG6N-il5sSDJTTrnhzG93gto6MdHaA%3BFdvmXQId7vqN-in1VjEJpOjdhzE8qut2Tk6Lmg%3BFUZVXQIdQqtj-ikD7on858PBhzFjSdhpFfRKeg%3BFSLZVgIdUkdf-ikD_HWzYFXAhzEaXO6AGw248w%3BFdKnXgIdW-lY-ilxJS6TThrAhzGocdNbeZZ15g%3BFcQBagId6mtQ-ikj-5pJHSCVhzFl89-2TPaX1g%3BFQt2dQId3C9H-int_Ay1yI2ThzEEtjeuT01CRg%3BFVy6eAIdvMFG-imziP3XtL-ThzFjDN3rj-32Ug%3BFeDOgAIdeGND-ilXoHjtUCOShzHEX5yXpER46A%3BFXbsgAId9GM5-ilfWabfRriRhzFCEzrnt2SBJA%3BFUUpjgId39Ux-ilRw2-uCKGPhzETxHG087Mx7g%3BFalFnwId9Orn-SmXD16J8al9hzEFLWqlKsmjDQ%3BFXvTmwIdKjXT-SlRbWIuf8xihzGATnq383u3wA%3BFbHjqgIdmH6E-SlRGb5rzFNJUzHPGoVqXhM48g%3BFRwRqwId2XRq-Q%3BFeAdrgIdCqpm-Q%3BFYV9qQIdk69g-SkDKzJ6wLlRUzEQIJBI951j3Q%3BFcdynQIdNttW-Snt4YXYCPZTUzGudq9tluYQ0Q&hl=en&mra=dvme&mrsp=12&sz=10&via=12,14,15,16&sll=40.5472,-95.329742&sspn=0.600021,1.053314&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=40.5472,-95.328369&spn=1.001779,1.757812&z=9" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
<br />
We just finished traveling over 3,000 miles, mostly on interstates but a lot – notably in Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Iowa – on more minor roads, on our annual vacation. That’s an oil change’s worth of traveling.<br />
<br />
Lots of Uncharted stories to come, obviously. Not necessarily stuff off the beaten track, but some stuff, I believe, well worthwhile to future explorers who want a little advice on whether or not to take the road less traveled. And we certainly did hit some less-traveled roads. If it hadn’t been for that one slow truck we got behind while winding down out of the Big Horn Mountains on US 14 through central Wyoming, for instance, we wouldn’t have seen another soul on that trip. Well worth it, by the way – spectacular views of the mountains, the valleys, lots of snow still on the ground and, at the top in that odd little alpine valley, a roadside spring for refreshment.<br />
<br />
And more to see. Now that we’ve traveled those roads, we’ve got more reasons to go back when we have the time and the inclination. Maybe that’s the magic of Uncharted: Knowing where you’re going to go next.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-48736564873079719612011-06-19T17:51:00.003-06:002011-07-13T09:51:56.653-06:00Alan Murray: Detecting Gorillas All Week Long<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SgdV4SGkD9E" width="425"></iframe></div><br />
Within the next hour and a half, Uncharted's Alan Murray will be detecting gorillas. Much better than Dr. Bunsen Honeydew here.<br />
<br />
Gorilla detecting is a good metaphor for what Alan is doing this week. In case you've forgotten, Alan is teaching a week-long writing and leadership seminar at the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's summer workshop <a href="http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/no-show/sjw-reporting-class3.html">series</a>. The gorilla detecting comes in as Alan teaches his students that we have to go beyond the obvious and stretch ourselves as writers and communicators to succeed in any kind of writing endeavor, not just journalism. (I wish I'd realized the importance of the communication part when I was a journalist; that would have helped avoid several unpleasant problems.)<br />
<br />
We've had a busy month, getting Alan ready for this week's adventure. And we're not done. Andrew will work as a Skyped-in guest speaker on coordinating writing with visuals, while Dave will also Skype in to talk about SEO and other ways to generate web traffic. As Uncharted's director of creative content, I'll be working with Alan all week as well, offering feedback on his students' writing. It's going to be a challenging week.<br />
<br />
Alan is up to it, through. He's good at detectoring gorillas.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-82136964137426317652011-05-09T08:13:00.000-06:002011-05-09T08:13:41.272-06:00It's Just This Thing I Have . . .I don't know what it is with me and ghost towns.<br />
<br />
Back in the late 80s, a Dutch exchange student we were hosting wanted to go pan for gold. He'd gone to the local army surplus store and bought an authentic gold-panning pan -- they have everything at our surplus store, except the gold -- and wanted to try it out. I figured, why not go gold-panning where the prospectors had found gold years before?<br />
<br />
So we headed to Stanley, Idaho.<br />
<br />
Stanley itself is nto a ghost town, though it is almost. Nearby, however, is the ghost town of Bonanza, which sounded as a likely spot.<br />
<br />
We camped, made a fire, monkeyed around as high school kids will do, then went panning for gold. Didn't find a single flake. But we had a ball poking through the old buildings at Bonanza, wondering who lived there, why they left, and why in the world they used such splintery wood for the seats in their outhouses.<br />
<br />
Then on out, I was hooked.<br />
<br />
I've been through ghost towns in extreme southern Idaho, where they built their homes out of stone because trees were scarce. I've been through several in central Idaho, where the roofs have crumbled and trees are growing up through the buildings.<br />
<br />
And I've been to Gilmore, Idaho, time and again, hoping against hope that on the next journey, I can convince my wife to buy a lot there. They're for sale, you know. Owning part of a ghost town. How cool would that be? Read more about it <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/North-America/United-States/Idaho/Gilmore/story/ghostly-gilmore">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJ5CWELxkoNGpSMVVBkkdXQok0jyYtX0C5GcSC_asjbe2xuvvkj1IQb-1HR_hf6krAyutMIIMrmena9fS-xNWvxTGn0K_FYJK3YgrL6OVWh2aLaXCY2HNmANYsA0sxMIg8o9YT8lR18pG/s1600/meadow_lake239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJ5CWELxkoNGpSMVVBkkdXQok0jyYtX0C5GcSC_asjbe2xuvvkj1IQb-1HR_hf6krAyutMIIMrmena9fS-xNWvxTGn0K_FYJK3YgrL6OVWh2aLaXCY2HNmANYsA0sxMIg8o9YT8lR18pG/s400/meadow_lake239.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">Gilmore, Idaho, from the surrounding hills. Photo by Michelle Davidson.</div>Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-63981306899974983172011-05-06T20:15:00.001-06:002011-05-06T20:15:19.914-06:00Uncharted Gets another CSPA InviteWell, we're officially in at the CSPA. Here's what Alan says about our repeated invitation:<br />
<blockquote>Here is the link to the workshop I will be teaching. The Columbia University people told me that the reasons they are having me come teach this summer are because I come well prepared and get really good reviews with class numbers increasing. The words they used to describe the sessions were things like innovative and attention-grabbing. They also like that we cross train and deal with small staffs. This invitation would not be possible if it were not for the team effort that goes into helping me prepare for these events. Each of you have played a key role in this and I appreciate it. When I go to these things and am successful it is only because of this team. You should all take credit for this. Thanks. </blockquote>That makes us feel pretty good. <a href="http://cspa.columbia.edu/docs/no-show/sjw-reporting-class3.html">Here's</a> the link he mentions.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-49707994801547309482011-03-21T11:50:00.002-06:002011-03-21T11:50:00.549-06:00App Review: iSurvivalThe time hasn't come yet that an iPod Touch is the first item I think of when I'm compiling a list of wilderness survival essentials, but a friend of mine recently recommended a survival app that just might change my mind.<br />
<br />
It's called -- maybe this won't win points for originality -- <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/isurvival-wilderness-survival/id377726228?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D6">iSurvival</a>. But as I mock the name, I have to say that for an occasional wilderness wanderer like me, it's got some handy stuff, though I'm hard-pressed to way when, in the future, I envision myself becoming lost at sea. Published by Utah-based <a href="http://www.fishingtonstudios.com/Fishington_Studios/Home.html">Fishington Studios</a>, the app is billed as a "military grade" wilderness survival manual. And considering the friend who recommended the app worked as a paramedic and in California and follows military minutia as he has a son who is a soldier, I have to believe that this app lives up to its billing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQTm4EblOAmUTLNi0uxMXLuacpxwC7YPkLwVrYHN4-xx-GJcCFgrPDxebjdXvlHt4UrTFo_68rFZdlLsLtTCLE2Y9hat1H8EuQhTUEMbkm4eh46Mein2bfUNpNZDOWd21mEIGVrcTghCU/s1600/meadow+lake185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQTm4EblOAmUTLNi0uxMXLuacpxwC7YPkLwVrYHN4-xx-GJcCFgrPDxebjdXvlHt4UrTFo_68rFZdlLsLtTCLE2Y9hat1H8EuQhTUEMbkm4eh46Mein2bfUNpNZDOWd21mEIGVrcTghCU/s400/meadow+lake185.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wilderness Survival, ten-year-old style</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are small tells throughout the manual that reveal the text in iSurvival wasn't originally written for the leisure wilderness crowd -- the chapter on shelters, for example, advises that you choose a place to build your shelter that "provides concealment from enemy observation</span>" -- but, in general, the tips therein echo those I've read in more expensive manuals, including a few I've got lying around the house because I haven't yet gotten around to getting lost.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
Though I've poked fun at the manual a bit, it's certainly something I'd have at my side if I were wandering off into the wilds. The app's clear textual presentation, accompanied by clear, useful illustration of survival techniques ranging from shelter-building to identification of edible wild plants.<br />
<br />
The link provided above says the app is available for $1.99. I searched iTunes and got it for free, though perhaps the "free" was a short-time promotional price. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The only fault I can see in this app is obvious -- run out of power for your handheld device and the app is locked away forever. Perhaps they've included a chapter on locating current bushes . . .</div>Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-10277066153919127022011-03-14T17:12:00.004-06:002011-03-14T17:17:36.525-06:00Fixed the Photo and Story ModulesGreat news! We successfully fixed the "share" function of the <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">Uncharted website</a> so that <strong>you can once again share your photos and stories</strong> from your adventures! Feel free to use your Explorer account to <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">sign in </a>and publish away on <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">Uncharted's website</a>. Invite your friends to do the same by sharing this link with them so they can become an Explorer too: <a href="http://uncharted.net/account/register">http://uncharted.net/account/register</a><br /><br />We look forward to seeing whatever you have to share with us as you continue exploring the uncharted and <strong>keep shooting for 2011 Explorer of the Year</strong>. For 2010 we gave away a nice Uncharted t-shirt and a couple bumper stickers to the winner, and well do the same or better this year, so share your adventures often!<br /><br />Now we are working on new upgrades to the site and we will have some more news, tips and information to send to you again soon. As always, if you have anything you'd like to share w/ the whole Uncharted audience or have feedback, we welcome you to send it to <a href="mailto:feedback@uncharted.net">feedback@uncharted.net</a>. You can also keep in touch with us at our page on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/exploreuncharted">Facebook</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_uncharted">Twitter</a>. In the mean time, all the best!GeoJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563815998099149203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-85054117841157326752011-03-14T11:36:00.001-06:002011-03-14T11:57:03.905-06:00What We LearnedWhew.<br />
<br />
The workshop is done. I'm feeling a lot less stress now. I'm used to giving presentations, but I still get that stage fright right before it's time to go on.<br />
<br />
And that's what we'll do with the writing workshop offered through Uncharted: Go on.<br />
<br />
The March 4th presentation was a good experience. I used about 50 percent of what I had prepared and built the remaining 50 percent on the spot, drawing on what I know works when you've got a bunch of photos, sound clips and souvenirs on hand but you're staring into that blank screen maw, waiting for inspiration to strike.<br />
<br />
The next Uncharted writing workshop will be better than the first. And then they'll keep on getting better as more people attend and as more people tell us what they'd like to see in this workshop, and in other workshops we've got in the works.<br />
<br />
What did I learn from this workshop?<br />
<br />
There's a lot of talent out there. My Uncharted compatriots, shy about sharing what they write, can write some magnificent stuff. Maybe they're lacking a little bit of confidence, or a road map or plan on how to begin. I'm hoping with what I taught them about outlining, making lists, making story diagrams and other such stuff helps them find that confidence and those road maps. I'm expecting great things from them. And you, too. Toddle on over to <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">http://www.uncharted.net/</a> and show us what you've got.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-15546179131682593982011-03-01T21:41:00.003-07:002011-03-14T11:56:18.343-06:00Uncharted Workshop: Reconnect to Your World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6JBdwGTSCEMzHsLNCnMtalscIoWvxtlQGsYYoqC7frBF2Ow0-I3_xvdnUnCXZrQhTyPvRozp3EkRcNHDnML0wgFdkqMjH8OKbRUjk5wNPxhQqyXSkjSnkunG1FcsiqaQLw1ah9Fy7ARj/s1600/4934021099_41db5a363b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6JBdwGTSCEMzHsLNCnMtalscIoWvxtlQGsYYoqC7frBF2Ow0-I3_xvdnUnCXZrQhTyPvRozp3EkRcNHDnML0wgFdkqMjH8OKbRUjk5wNPxhQqyXSkjSnkunG1FcsiqaQLw1ah9Fy7ARj/s1600/4934021099_41db5a363b_o.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
One of the best things about visiting a place – unless you’re one of those secretive fishermen types – is telling the rest of the world about what you just saw. And felt. And smelled. And ate.<br />
<br />
But when you sit down to write it all out, do you get that proverbial writer’s block?<br />
<br />
Me too.<br />
<br />
But by using a few simple tricks and exercises to get your writing juices flowing, you can get past that writer’s block beast and reconnect yourself to the places you love through the lively art of writing.<br />
<br />
What to bring:<br />
<br />
– Computer or notepad and pencil for note-taking<br />
– Your sense of adventure<br />
– Photos, video clips, souvenirs, sand from your shoes – anything to act as a memory trigger<br />
<br />
Who is Presenting:<br />
<br />
Brian Davidson, workshop presenter, spent ten years in community journalism followed by nearly five years in technical writing at a nuclear waste dump in Idaho. He babbles a lot on his blogs and has written “Considering How to Run,” a novel he aims to publish before he’s dead.<br />
<br />
What to Expect:<br />
<br />
Expect to have one Uncharted-publishable story done or well underway by the time the workshop is over, with a clear path on how to write more. Also, some of Brian’s blue nuclear glow might rub off. Don’t worry. It’ll fade with time.<br />
<br />
When and where:<br />
<br />
March 4th, 2011, 5pm – 6:30pm in Logan, UT at the Cache Business Resource Center (CBRC) Room 1901.<br />
<br />
Best thing of all:<br />
<br />
This is a free workshop. Come be Brian's guinea pigs and help him make the next workshop even better. Though that shouldn't be hard.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-14735473848116206482011-01-18T17:25:00.009-07:002011-01-19T08:14:32.942-07:00New for 2011 - Cross-Culture Skills Workshop<strong>We are happy to announce <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">Uncharted's</a> first ever Cross-Culture Skills workshop!</strong> We will present the workshop<strong> in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Saturday, 9 Apr 11 from 9:00am until 12:00 noon</strong> at the <a href="http://kvm.kvcc.edu/">Kalamazoo Valley Museum</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHD0brMHrze2RB_TEEr2fYWQClTr7ihAYzNOi9nvzn58JUztWpLkBJmqT7q6NlR0F_EoRGqJKPC4Yz9tYs7iIa0-90jgzFmazl9ekQ2HVMorMypzEHB6-NnBlTI662BN8YUAoVVkouYs/s1600/DANCE_FESTIVAL_B.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 247px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 179px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563690202839354018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHD0brMHrze2RB_TEEr2fYWQClTr7ihAYzNOi9nvzn58JUztWpLkBJmqT7q6NlR0F_EoRGqJKPC4Yz9tYs7iIa0-90jgzFmazl9ekQ2HVMorMypzEHB6-NnBlTI662BN8YUAoVVkouYs/s320/DANCE_FESTIVAL_B.jpg" /></a>For those who attend, the Cross-Culture Skills workshop will help you <strong>gain useful skills in adapting to new or unfamiliar cultures</strong> while travelling, working, or volunteering in another country or culture, or it will help you while hosting visitors from another culture. The training will help you avoid some of the common mistakes travelers, expatriates, and hosts make when interacting with people from other cultures, and it will also help raise your own self-awareness to your personality and traits which either help or hinder your effectiveness when adapting to another culture. You will also leave the workshop with helpful resources that you can reference long after the workshop is over.<br /><br />We are excited to provide this opportunity and hope it can serve as another useful tool to you in your efforts to explore the uncharted.<br /><br />You can register for the workshop online and get additional details at <a href="http://kzoocrosscultureworkshop.eventbrite.com/">http://kzoocrosscultureworkshop.eventbrite.com/</a> and the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=123535224382928">workshop's event page on Facebook</a> where we will continue making updates as the workshop date gets closer.<br /><br />The registration fee is $30, but <strong>Uncharted Explorers will receive a $10 discount</strong> <strong>reimbursement</strong> at the workshop. Anyone can become an Explorer for free by signing up <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/account/register">here.</a><br /><br />If you are going to attend and would like the instructor to emphasize a certain culture, region or aspect of training, please don't hesitate to reply to this post with that information. <strong>We want to make this as useful to you as we can!<br /><br /></strong>If Kalamazoo is to far away for you to attend, but you are still interested in having this workshop brought to your area, reply to this post to let us know of your interest. We are considering holding other workshops in 2011 and if there is enough interest coming from a location we might be able to make it happen. Also feel free to let us know if there is another workshop topic you would like us to provide.<br /><br />Looking forward to seeing you at the workshop if you can make it! If you have any questions or need additional info, please feel free to reply to this post or make a post on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Uncharted/27287288314">Uncharted's Facebook page</a>.<br /><br />Your friends in the journey,<br />"GeoJoe" and the whole Uncharted team<br /><br /><em>Explore. Live. Feel</em>.GeoJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563815998099149203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-68904699469183046432011-01-12T10:45:00.004-07:002011-01-12T10:54:58.566-07:00Uncharted Explorer of the Year 2010<a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">Uncharted</a> is happy to announce the winner of the <strong>2010 Explorer of the Year!<br /></strong><br />The Explorer of the Year is recognized by Uncharted's editorial staff as having made the highest quality, most innovative, and most influential contributions to Uncharted and the community of Explorers through the course of the year.<br /><br />We are happy to announce <strong>Explorer </strong><a href="http://uncharted.net/Lisa_M_Dickson/profile"><strong>"Lisa M Dickson"</strong></a><strong> was selected as the Explorer of the Year for 2010! </strong><br /><strong><br /><br /></strong><strong></strong><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561358801408264786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO4ftn-S9wJiHrFK597JHyG_s0OT2JWDPmmjkaSgSRFJsmR0ZIo-Plr92Jw7kiOf9XHiw21P7gWs0ixrvwJTuw4CNICDoOvga8c2Q39X5F0h_93aZcItn9GlJQH-7XKLWWT82Rpclz60s/s320/Lisa+M+Dickson+Explorer+of+Year+2010.jpg" /><br /><strong><br /></strong><strong></strong>Lisa's content was endorsed by the Uncharted staff and featured on the <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">http://www.uncharted.net/</a> homepage in 2010, in particular her story, <a href="http://uncharted.net/Europe/Italy/Latium/Nomentano/story/italy-a-permanent-etch-into-my-heart"><em>"Italy - A Permanent Etch Into My Heart"</em></a>. She has also posted content from her discoveries in the past at the following locations: Bahamas, Tetons (Wyoming), Alaska, France, Niagara Falls, and Switzerland, just to name a few. Now that's an Explorer! Head over to her profile to see where else she has been and drop a line to congratulate her. We are very impressed not only with her photo and writing talent, but also her continuous commitment to explore the world. <strong>Congratulations Lisa! And thank you</strong> for everything you have contributed so far.<br /><br />Lisa will receive an Uncharted T-shirt and bumper sticker, and she will be featured in our <a href="http://unchartedblog.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Uncharted/27287288314">facebook page</a>, and historical archives.<br /><br />There were many other excellent contributions from other Explorers, and we wish we had the ability to give something to everyone who contributed. Just about every story or photo we get from each Explorer inspires us and motivates us to reach higher, so thank you again to all Explorers.<br /><br />We will continue recognizing the Explorer of Year winner annually, and hopefully we will get to the point that we can provide even better incentives not just to the winner, but to all Explorers. In the mean time, we wish you the best in your journeys and encourage you to "shoot" for Explorer of Year in 2011!<br /><br />All the best,<br />The Uncharted Team<br /><br /><em>Explore. Live. Feel. </em>GeoJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563815998099149203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-46272796560772845712011-01-04T13:01:00.001-07:002011-01-04T16:56:53.150-07:00Happy New Year! The journey continues in 2011.Happy New Year to everyone, including our fellow explorers, friends and families! All of us with <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">Uncharted</a> want to wish you the very best at the start of your 2011 journey.<br /><br />In the coming weeks we will reveal new Uncharted tools, content and opportunities that we hope will help make your start to the new year even better. But before that, and more importantly, we will announce the <strong>Explorer of the Year</strong> award winner for 2010!<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 96px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558482353347520178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyApUSLtN6KVLBJBVCIKUTwYgYnWZYNc-MjSm8VQguS1OgJLbDx14f9H7ibUNEqZVdj8sN1TEGSl84toc99QHnIZAOFoHyiGhWrAh_sP691g9k789Irw8Hjc8gGwlsvhEVq04pCUQmhY/s320/Uncharted+Logo+Tag.jpg" /><br />We also continue working on fixing the photo uploader "share" functionality on the website. We apologize to anyone who was affected by the problem. Once we get it fixed we will let you know and it should run even better than before, so don't stop taking photos you can share with the rest of the audience once it is repaired.<br /><br />We can't thank all of you out there enough among our friends and fellow explorers for the shared adventures, advice and support since we published our first website content about two years ago. Special thanks also to everyone who took the survey and provided the great feedback which will help make the website even better. The website was only a beginning in our journey to explore the uncharted. 2011 will bring new firsts in this journey, and we look forward to sharing them with you soon!<br /><br />GeoJoe and the rest of the Uncharted teamGeoJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563815998099149203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-88240942362896652572011-01-01T22:58:00.011-07:002011-01-01T23:35:11.210-07:00MSNBC Featuring Andrew's Pink Bunny Suits Sunday Morning<a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">Uncharted's</a> own Andrew Clark, our Director of Presentation, will be making an appearance on MSNBC's <em>"Your Business"</em> show Sunday morning, Jan 2nd, at 7:30 am to talk about his experiences as an entrepreneur in the pink bunny suit manufacturing industry. Yes, that's right, the pink bunny manufacturing business! Let's just say that we are lucky to have such a creative go-getter with us. Here's the show's website: <a href="http://www.openforum.com/msnbc">www.openforum.com/msnbc</a><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557471940809414082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXzfOhmL_ytmBrWTar3Y-e6BTYacnNx5K0-aMq9sZ7NIsXaIJxFxEFMvORqvfC59WUf3V6Hk4T2ZOo-vmin0VwiaqOluIGa1ODAfCKMfFvry5LhF7ezHPr9dNiaezI5QVIMJwm6e6rRM/s320/Pink+Bunny.JPG" />Following is a preview from MSNBC:<br /><br /><em>"It's a classic holiday movie enjoyed by families every year, but "A Christmas Story" has actually been the source of inspiration for some small business owners. Find out how Brian Jones went from selling "leg lamps" in his garage to purchasing the actual house from the movie and running a full-scale retail operation with a licensing deal with Warner Brothers, and see why Andrew Clark, seller of bunny suits, has chosen to avoid licensing deals."<br /><br /></em>Check out <a href="http://www.pinkbunnypajamas.com/">http://www.pinkbunnypajamas.com/</a> while you're at it. Chances are you know someone that would just love to receive one!GeoJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563815998099149203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-14490881888995259402010-12-06T16:11:00.003-07:002010-12-06T16:27:56.029-07:00Photo Uploader Getting a FixHold off on uploading photos for bit. We are working on some fixes and upgrades to the website. Once we're done with that, we should have the photo "share" uploader fixed and an upgraded slide show application operational. Hope this saves you some hassle and our apologies if the photo uploader has caused you any frustration. Thank you for your patience with our tinkering! <br /><br />We are very excited to get this done because once it is finished we get to start working on making some of the improvements many Explorers suggested through the recent survey. A big "thank you" to all who provided such great feedback. More to come on that later.GeoJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563815998099149203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-6203291949816859362010-11-03T21:28:00.000-06:002010-11-03T21:28:00.384-06:00Thanks, Aunt Betty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijmXmNuHG9tU5sr4BlmzNk55Qk8VhlN3CCCrhvN1t1Pv-azbpw4gLEha2kunuKVfu66sJdEUrfpVgWx15H237FEACcCwE8gFFCKhkafKS9WFHGvCFkwGhiArSxoDc6H07iyA4SbkRdOpg/s1600/Shuttle-Discovery-Liftoff-Slide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijmXmNuHG9tU5sr4BlmzNk55Qk8VhlN3CCCrhvN1t1Pv-azbpw4gLEha2kunuKVfu66sJdEUrfpVgWx15H237FEACcCwE8gFFCKhkafKS9WFHGvCFkwGhiArSxoDc6H07iyA4SbkRdOpg/s320/Shuttle-Discovery-Liftoff-Slide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When I was a kid, my Aunt Betty Saltzgiver of Salt Lake City, who knew people who knew people who worked for Morton-Thiokol, the Utah contractor that built the solid rocket boosters and main fuel tank for the United States' space shuttles, had them send me a bunch of photos of the shuttle, the rockets, and just about everything to do with the shuttle, including a little patch I had Mom sew onto my jacket.<br />
<br />
I literally wore those photos out looking at them, poring over every detail, wondering what it would be like to be one of those astronauts flying up into space in that magnificent black-and-white bird.<br />
<br />
One thing led to another, as life often does. I went on to a career in small-town journalism, followed by another career as a technical writer at a nuclear waste dump. But space always remained that final frontier.<br />
<br />
Now Joseph Burkhead, Uncharted's resident pilot, has taken me on a voyage to a shuttle launch -- one of the few remaining launches before what's left of the fleet is retired in 2012. Thanks, Joe. Read his story <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/North%20America/United%20States/Florida/Merritt%20Island/story/space-shuttle-discovery-launch">here</a>.<br />
<br />
And thanks, Aunt Betty. I've still got those photos somewhere.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-53485657814371926082010-10-13T20:54:00.000-06:002010-10-13T20:54:43.611-06:00That Mad Accursed River<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbLBRLcJ8Buzs_rikjxFJrijxoTJ-k1EfVAJBqM5hyphenhyphen3BDtt06brRYptzvdY0PYUjzgpPzTEWbHbbl-uuLtjlnxfV34ii5_4FofVE8OhANuSNsS9DQTQ46R3_wP8Adb5K_s20ycqbYeY8u/s1600/SNAKE+RIVER+RAFTING+C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbLBRLcJ8Buzs_rikjxFJrijxoTJ-k1EfVAJBqM5hyphenhyphen3BDtt06brRYptzvdY0PYUjzgpPzTEWbHbbl-uuLtjlnxfV34ii5_4FofVE8OhANuSNsS9DQTQ46R3_wP8Adb5K_s20ycqbYeY8u/s400/SNAKE+RIVER+RAFTING+C.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I'd love to go do this, as John Milligan says, before I don't.<br />
<br />
There are problems with that: I tend to fall out of boats. A lot. My wife Michelle says she'll go with me, but only in a complete body wetsuit with a plug-in heater.<br />
<br />
I do have one thing going for me: I can pass the Ed Norton Test necessary to get a job alongside him in the sewers: I can float. So maybe, just maybe -- when the kids are older, our oldest in is Scouts and the Scouts want to go do this -- I'll get to go.<br />
<br />
Until then, I'll live vicariously through Alan Murray's wonderful story and photographs on the adventure he, John, Mike and others had rafting down the Snake River in Wyoming. You can read the story and see his photos <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/North%20America/United%20States/Wyoming/Alpine/story/madmen-rafting-the-accursed-mad-river">here</a>. Enjoy.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-54326706159856301442010-10-04T21:21:00.001-06:002010-10-04T21:21:25.823-06:00Uncharted, meet Android<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6w6NPsK4SipYIy9pyvFFzXkEQbM-iu09g_qS41Sfki2RRIrGpWX4rZnq_d8KoToNK1rc5j_QXgMEMmb4Zp4e5dkF5k0EXO3Jq5zVQQZOqBS23dhbWWmMFmZa-kzjDxzP8FSlVZngIspQr/s1600/Uncharted_on_Motorola_Droid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6w6NPsK4SipYIy9pyvFFzXkEQbM-iu09g_qS41Sfki2RRIrGpWX4rZnq_d8KoToNK1rc5j_QXgMEMmb4Zp4e5dkF5k0EXO3Jq5zVQQZOqBS23dhbWWmMFmZa-kzjDxzP8FSlVZngIspQr/s320/Uncharted_on_Motorola_Droid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
From what I hear, smartphones are all the rage. They’re the latest thing. They’re – I think the word is – keen.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I’ll tie an onion to my belt and take your word for it. And John Milligan’s. He successfully used his Android smartphone to take a photo and upload it to his personal profile at <span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.uncharted.net/">www.uncharted.net</a></u></span>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Big deal, you say. Folks have been doing similar things since the time we called nickels bees and could say nonsensical things like “Gimme five bees for a quarter.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But this is significant.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We want our Explorers to use our website through a mobile world. Why be tethered to a desk to make an update to your profile, upload a photo, or even a story, if you’re good at touchscreen or itty-bitty keyboard typing? We expect our Explorers are mobile now, and will only get more mobile as the future unfolds.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">John’s shown us it can be done. Huzzah for him, I say. He makes me want to replace our circa 2001 T-Mobile cameraless cell phone with that nifty little bowling game on it for something newer. Tell me, do they make a smartphone with dials now? I like to make sparks when I place a call . . .</div>Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-20266271604105765022010-07-11T19:58:00.000-06:002010-07-11T19:58:42.351-06:00Dancing, Dancing, Dancing.It's almost time again this year for the folks at the Idaho International Folk Dance and Music Festival to roll into Rexburg, Idaho, completing one of the many invasions this small university town witnesses each year (the others involve influxes of students at random times during the year in which they pillage the local Wal-Mart; and hordes of Sunbirds fleeing the Arizona heat and coming here in search of, among other things, rhubarb).<br />
<br />
Uncharted's got the poop on this year's festival, at least as much poop as can be delivered. Go <a href="http://uncharted.net/North-America/United-States/Idaho/Rexburg/story/folk-dance-festival-2010">here</a> to read all about it.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-59026925003712713112010-06-24T10:12:00.002-06:002010-06-24T10:12:00.175-06:00The Milligan-Wiser Method<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEra7HvxbNCYYrY9QmxUfHY9doHSB9DWkMbXnQ4hKtS-x5sJa5BzweZF3x7DTHqficPp2jiFYXcKubCmhSqSgxTMW4l1nJBA-6vrCfQHosNGG8akuY1tFB9BGdg79YULk9vQQMJGWqBsbd/s1600/Sequence+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEra7HvxbNCYYrY9QmxUfHY9doHSB9DWkMbXnQ4hKtS-x5sJa5BzweZF3x7DTHqficPp2jiFYXcKubCmhSqSgxTMW4l1nJBA-6vrCfQHosNGG8akuY1tFB9BGdg79YULk9vQQMJGWqBsbd/s400/Sequence+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">John and Mike, Intrepid Explorers</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There is something to be said for planning.</div><br />
Pick a destination. Go to Google Maps. Plan a route, taking in the scenes along the way. But keep that final destination in mind. In the eye. And on schedule.<br />
<br />
There are, of course, other schools of thought. Take John Milligan and Mike Wiser’s <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/North%20America/United%20States/Idaho/Lower%20Stanley/story/idaho-s-central-mountains">approach</a> to climbing a central Idaho mountain peak, which started with Google Maps but ended up with he and a friend using their climbing gear to build a raft so they could paddle around on an icy Idaho alpine lake with the unclimbed mountain pouting in the distance.<br />
<br />
Both methods make for fun vacations. Both make for spontaneous vacations. But the latter method, hereafter known at Uncharted as the Milligan-Wiser Method, is the one that holds the most appeal to me as a guy.<br />
<br />
So <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/North%20America/United%20States/Idaho/Lower%20Stanley/story/idaho-s-central-mountains">go read</a> about John and Mike and their adventures in Idaho’s central mountains. Then go and don’t plan a vacation just like it.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-3777017810794473322010-06-11T10:11:00.001-06:002010-06-11T10:11:00.553-06:00Goonies Never Say DieMost of the catchphrases I use come from two movies.<br />
<br />
The first is Ghostbusters. The second, well, let’s see if you recognize them:<br />
<br />
Something goes terribly wrong and I’ve discovered the evidence. I say: “It is Chester Copperpot.”<br />
<br />
One of my kids has wandered off, but I can see a trail that might lead me to them: “Follow them Size Fives.”<br />
<br />
A child o’ mine has to go to the bathroom in a place that’s less than sanitary: “This isn’t the kinda place you wanna go to the bathroom. Because there might be daddy longlegs . . . and DEAD THINGS, Mikey! KILLER dead things!”<br />
<br />
Someone’s having trouble getting something, anything, to open: “Let go of the handle, Francis!”<br />
<br />
Mom wants the kids to do something they’re reluctant to do: “Trust your Mother, boys! Throw ‘er into four-wheel drive!”<br />
<br />
Any helpless, innocent person is instantly named Missus Rosalita.<br />
<br />
Every time I encounter a dead bird in the yard or a dead mouse in a trap: “IT’S A STIFF!”<br />
<br />
You Goonies understood. Immediately. Even before I mentioned Chester Copperpot. Because the best catchphrase is in the blog post title – which I use whenever I’m asked to do something difficult that I don’t want to do.<br />
<br />
Last year, I got to go to Goonie Astoria (and nearby Cannon Beach) before the hysteria of the 25th anniversary of the film’s release hit the town this year and swelled its population far beyond its ordinary 10,000. <a href="http://uncharted.net/North-America/United-States/Oregon/Astoria/story/in-astoria-oregon-goonies-never-say-die">I found Mikey’s house</a> and saw where Chunk performed the Truffle Shuffle.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/t5whaRkuipU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/t5whaRkuipU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></div><br />
I saw Chunk’s bowling alley. I walked on the pier where Steph went bobbing for crabs. I saw Mikey’s Dad’s museum, the County Jail, and other Goonie landmarks as I took my family on our own Goonie adventure through northwest Oregon.<br />
<br />
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/06/AR2010060603590.html<br />
<br />
The most heartbreaking thing I learned as I read about the film’s 25th anniversary: This from the Washington Post:<br />
<blockquote>According to Sean Astin, who played Goonies leader "Mikey" Walsh, he was allowed to keep the treasure map used in the film. Several years later his mother discovered it, thought it was just a crinkled piece of paper, and threw it in the trash.</blockquote>It hurts just thinking about that.<br />
<br />
But I’ll tell you what doesn’t hurt: My wife’s a Goonie, though of the Andy variety (real Goonies will know what I mean). I’m so glad she is. My kids are Goonies, because, hey, what kid wouldn’t want to be?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sNZczcXle7M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sNZczcXle7M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><br />
I can easily see my kids doing this same thing. Riding off, getting into trouble, manufacturing and using fake puke, then expecting a Domino’s pizza after it’s all over. Especially my five-year-old. He’s dangerous.<br />
<br />
I have my sister Chris to thank for turning me into a Goonie. She saw the film in the theater and insisted the rest of the family had to see it. We didn’t believe her. Later, when it was out on video, she rented it and made us watch it. Now, almost every time we see each other, well, you know:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aMj0t7sds7I&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aMj0t7sds7I&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div>Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-83923351016208043882010-05-19T10:13:00.000-06:002010-05-19T10:13:00.517-06:00Watch Out -- He Knows Karate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUPNrzLqEzpijEoRKzvTwFzi_CIWDF2tCpwOFleZuJXvBc78HXJHDVLIx5ViflS7nZi-M-D0CTM-e8ts5cyJczYeq3qmH4B4lso8N9UgJuQhKJZijfQvXRNj0uR7kv36n2TWLS4A-Amhf/s1600/Cathedral.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJUPNrzLqEzpijEoRKzvTwFzi_CIWDF2tCpwOFleZuJXvBc78HXJHDVLIx5ViflS7nZi-M-D0CTM-e8ts5cyJczYeq3qmH4B4lso8N9UgJuQhKJZijfQvXRNj0uR7kv36n2TWLS4A-Amhf/s400/Cathedral.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In the Sandra Bullock film "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114924/">While You Were Sleeping</a>" -- hey, given that this film features Michael Rispoli as the hilariously innocent yet lecherous Joe Fusco, Junior, this counts as a guy movie -- Bullock's character Lucy Moderatz wants nothing more than to spend her honeymoon in Italy. She does eventually get to go, but not with the man she intended.<br />
<br />
Explorer Lisa Dickson harks back to that wonderful 1995 film as she takes us on an <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/Europe/Italy/Latium/Nomentano/story/italy-a-permanent-etch-into-my-heart">Uncharted tour</a> of Rome, Florence, and other points in Italy, showing off the romantic and Romantic splendors of these ancient cities. Makes me want to go there in a terrible way. Also, I want to visit <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114319/">Maude Larrabee's</a> house in Tuscany. She does have one there, you know.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-15042896406240545272010-05-12T21:06:00.002-06:002010-05-12T21:07:27.580-06:00Can You Improve Old Faithful?If you’ve got a snazzy idea to improve one of the United States’ premier tourist attractions, now’s the time to do it.<br />
<br />
Planners at Yellowstone National Park want your help to improve the developed area around Old Faithful, the park’s most famous geyser. The developed area encompasses everything from the Old Faithful Inn to the boardwalks through the geyser complex to the acres and acres of parking lots that spread south of the geyser itself.<br />
<br />
The park is also looking for ways to preserve the geyser area for future generations, protect wildlife habitat and more quickly respond to changing visitor and resource needs.<br />
<br />
The comment period is open now, and closes at midnight, June 7, 2010. Comments will be accepted electronically through the National Park Service’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at http://parkplanning.nps,gov, by hand-delivery at the park’s headquarters at Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, or by mail at the following address:<br />
<br />
Comprehensive Planning & Design<br />
Old Faithful Area Comprehensive Plan<br />
P.O. Box 168<br />
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190<br />
<br />
You can deliver your electronic comment using the <a href="http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?parkID=111&projectID=31367&documentId=33798">link here</a>. The perk service isn’t accepting comments by phone or via direct e-mail.<br />
<br />
The park service will also host three open houses on the plan starting in just a few days:<br />
<br />
May 17, Old Faithful Warming Hut, 6-8 pm<br />
May 18, Yellowstone Association Headquarters, Gardiner, MT<br />
May 19, Visitor Contact Station, West Yellowstone, MT<br />
<br />
All open houses will take place from 6-8 pm. <br />
<br />
The trick will be to balance what sound like good ideas with what makes for a wonderful Old Faithful experience. Some kind of stadium seating, for one, might be handy, as crowds around the geyser can be thick and seats are scarce – but then who wants to swim through a stadium to see a geyser, or have stadium seating block long-distance views? Maybe just a few levels?<br />
<br />
And picnic areas. Old Faithful needs more of them. They’re always at a premium, so finding a spot that’s not already occupied by someone else is difficult.<br />
<br />
I agree that parking at the geyser is ugly, not only from an acres of asphalt perspective, but simply for trying to navigate through the parking lot to get to the geyser. Better directional signs and marked pedestrian paths would be helpful, especially if those paths crossed as few roads as possible.<br />
<br />
I’m sure you’ve got better ideas. Send them on.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-18334041427709636522010-05-05T12:13:00.005-06:002010-05-06T21:33:09.075-06:00Cannon Beach Bliss-Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcxuVkPySTZBsG8vTNrSKSwc5rtDxemgzGA9Zw6ywjLwrrVr6fo_60tckWB73OprymGJogxoHuyCSEAvF4ZkeJ_73aJAP-k81jefwAJoJYka2-qjOfhjvPoEjzH7vSb9D2pNuHR1y62Ng/s1600/CANON_BEACH_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcxuVkPySTZBsG8vTNrSKSwc5rtDxemgzGA9Zw6ywjLwrrVr6fo_60tckWB73OprymGJogxoHuyCSEAvF4ZkeJ_73aJAP-k81jefwAJoJYka2-qjOfhjvPoEjzH7vSb9D2pNuHR1y62Ng/s320/CANON_BEACH_1.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To think I used to be a homebody.</div><br />
As a kid, we never went on vacations. Oh, the occasional trip to Salt Lake City for the day, but rarely anything beyond that. We did do the camping thing in Yellowstone National Park. We did fly to San Francisco. But that was it.<br />
<br />
Then I got married to a globetrotter. Within a year, she dragged me to Washington, D.C. Within five years we'd visited England and France, not to forget to mention a cross-country road trip in the USA and many, many other smaller, yet still grandiose, vacations, including a cruise to Alaska.<br />
<br />
Read <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/North-America/United-States/Oregon/Cannon-Beach/story/cannon-beach-oregon">here</a> about our latest adventure: A trip to Cannon Beach, Oregon, where we stayed for days under the cloudy -- but never rainy -- Oregon sky and enjoyed playing on the beach with our kids.<br />
<br />
Cannon Beach is a wonderful place, and not only because its famous Haystack Rock was featured in The Goonies, one of my favorite films. We visited in the off-season, which I highly recommend. The beaches weren't crowded. The hotels were less expensive. There were fewer people about, so we were able to enjoy the solitude and beauty without having anybody else's laundry flapping in our faces. Go during the off-season, before mid-June and after August ends. That's when Cannon Beach is a wonderful place.Mister Fweemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10339287419996343926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-50113875127877530452010-04-30T09:18:00.004-06:002010-04-30T09:41:03.555-06:00Airport security pointers for US travel<a href="http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/index.shtm#3"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 250px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 290px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465954475829076802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSG4ru2WRxjFMUFuaoI_MXdUoFG2fiAU9WNtVVDL4g9YUm71LRTbwd3hhoMi0VO2CeJ1ArD3qkhdh_A3V2iGZwomcr18cA1gvDedR0S4-FR5zqWR1875ZmVO3WCnkUUprKsY3qRX0zCc/s320/airtravel_screening_exp.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Ahhh, the life of an explorer. Discovering new places is a great way to live, but it comes at some cost, and I'm not talking about just the airline ticket price. Making your way through security at the airports can be a downright messy process, and on more than one occasion has contributed to me missing a flight. In my many travels, I've noticed that many complications in the security line could be reduced if travelers knew a little more about what to expect at the checkpoint. Those of us who come prepared probably won't be "that guy" who halts all 200 people behind us in cue because security has to stop us to tell us to take out our liquids. If we know how to avoid such hiccups at the checkpoint, we breeze through, on to the anxiously awaited destination less stressed, while also helping those behind us enjoy their own travel adventure just a little more. In light of that, be sure to check out the <a href="http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/index.shtm#3">TSA Travel Assistant web page </a>before your next trip in the US. It has some great pointers and might save you some hassle. Happy travels!<br /></div><div></div>GeoJoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15563815998099149203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1944092772682251844.post-85475609510227971392010-04-21T22:56:00.006-06:002010-04-21T23:07:40.082-06:00Doing a Little of A Lot in Moab<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.uncharted.net/North-America/United-States/Utah/Georgetown/story/moab-utah-mountain-biking"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 231px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyFgquZwMSnFG1RqO5f85VsuVRnyLPUQ5l3Z_Lglv3MrH7GVb3mdMVdoIMhfApAUu3ZbJ4XYPcy6n05lHlHRU2ZyCMmAmgzLW6sPQjT0qQIPvEjmPlA8-p9tEZBPSESzX53WDZfUg3DXU/s400/MOAB+SLIDE+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462821928565317458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">And on the eighth day he created Moab. In fact he’s still tweaking it!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Named after the “Plains of Moab,” which are spoken of in the Bible and are found along the Dead Sea beside the Jordan River, Moab, Utah is located on an ancient sunken salt pad adjacent to solidified sand dunes beneath the towering Volcanic LaSalle Mountains entertained by the nearby Colorado River.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Moab is a surreal, geologic oddity that yields some of the most scenic and challenging whitewater rafting the West has to offer, the world’s most legendary slick rock that is a Mecca for bikers and jeepers, and is completed with high alpine lakes accompanied by peaks that are upwards of 12,600 feet, not to forget national parks and abandoned movie sets.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This strange land has an almost spiritual aura that seems to have an affinity to artisans, miners, soul-searchers, and adrenaline junkies. This makes for a dynamic, shifting, almost transient population. Few stay for good in Moab; most just move on through. In fact, it seems most just squeeze what they can out of it, then go. Some enjoy Moab in a hurried race, never to return.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But Moab is one of those places that you should return to. I have been returning since I first went mountain biking there as a boy scout. I returned again last Spring for biking, and again in the Fall to go rafting with my sister Brenda, who is one of the lucky few who “eddied out” in Moab, racking up 15 years guiding the river. I have done a little of a lot of things in Moab, but the thing that I keep going back for is the mountain biking. And if you’re planning on going there for biking, the latest story at <a href="http://www.uncharted.net/North-America/United-States/Utah/Georgetown/story/moab-utah-mountain-biking">www.uncharted.net </a>is one you should read.</span>John Milliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18077799421280819345noreply@blogger.com0