Bellingham Podcast

Welcome (Back) to Bellingham Part 1 - Get Outside

For the week of June 6, 2021

Scenario: You’re in town on business, or a conference, or have heard lots of good things about the city by the Salish Sea. You’ve checked into your AirBNB or your hotel room and unpacked your bags. *Now what?*

Basic Bellingham Fundamentals

Everything in Bellingham is accessible via Interstate 5, exits 250 to 258. Highway traffic (during this COVID era) mostly flows normally, even during rush hour. But when there is a stalled vehicle or an accident on the side of the road, traffic can be backed up for miles. Check your maps app for RED before using the highway.

The main arterial roads off I-5 exits in Bellingham are, from south to north:
Old Fairhaven Parkway
Samish Way
Lakeway Drive
James Street
Sunset Drive
Meridian Street
Northwest Avenue
Bakerview Drive


Outdoor activities

*Take a walk*

* Taylor Dock walk to Boulevard Park - https://goo.gl/maps/xyDenVRvgFiMg7DT8
* Big Rock Garden - https://goo.gl/maps/mgd6w3MKkVVjiAr28

*Take a hike*

* Stimson Family Nature Reserve - https://goo.gl/maps/xnaX9V1Uau7kvTar5
* Oyster Dome Trailhead - https://goo.gl/maps/NdqVgQSReEHH8iT77

*Take a dip*

* Lake Padden Park - https://goo.gl/maps/Kp1Q94pK47PFEpzg9
* Lake Whatcom, Bloedel Donovan Park - https://goo.gl/maps/m9B1dpBXkx3tBpa99

*Take a breath*

* Zuanich Point Park - https://goo.gl/maps/QvFWnKshJhbZWYSb9
* North Lake Whatcom Trail - https://goo.gl/maps/SpcRzm1LEEQ32uSk8

*Take a pedal*

* Interurban trail - https://goo.gl/maps/ukdgpg2sP5jgN7Hv5
* Pump Tracks
* Whatcom Falls - https://goo.gl/maps/rYB8ssV2SNpGt45o9
* Waypoint Park - https://goo.gl/maps/ZbraRbYo2Ct8Gafj8
* Cordata Park - https://goo.gl/maps/yrhQ92tSpEmommap6

*Take a snooze (in your hammock)*

* Cornwall Park - https://goo.gl/maps/6Pje8674QDxdQ4fZ7
* Larrabee State Park - https://goo.gl/maps/u4QLNFM9WCQb7rd69

*Take a gander (at the beauty)*

* Chandler Parkway - https://goo.gl/maps/3nb6z3kHwZvLG4ZKA
* Locust Beach - https://goo.gl/maps/XLaM8ZurhXoV7B9v6

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com

No notes as Chris is back!


AJ: DGR 2021- https://gfolk.me/barse

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com

Another double episode for the weeks of Mother's Day weekend May 10 and May 17.

Chris may or may not still be on clandestine missions...be he will be returning next episode!

Housekeeping: Guest co-host today.

*Dan*

* Active duty Navy, nearly 15 years in.
* Views and opinions are my own
* Former MSF-certified Rider Coach
* Currently in New England, heading back to the SW soon
@Rising_sun_sailor

AJ and the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride 2021 (a DECADE of DGR)
to support: https://gfolk.me/barse


*Motorcycle Zen*
What cha riding these days" (AJ & Dan)

* AJ: TU250X (2009) https://suzukicycles.com/street/2019/tu250x
* Red was just 2009 https://ridermagazine.com/2009/06/22/2009-suzuki-tu250x-road-test/
* Dan: FLHCS (2020):
* Dan’s flavor of color 2020 Heritage Classic Motorcycle | Harley-Davidson United States (archive.org) (https://web.archive.org/web/20200805081711/https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/heritage-classic.html)


So if we had to go ‘buy the best, cry once’ what is that bike?

* AJ: Ducati Scrambler X (PNW Green edition) https://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/jpg/201410/ducati-scrambler-urb-4.jpg
* Dan: HD Limited CVO (Royal Purple and Royal Black Fade) https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/cvo-limited.html
* It depends though. Cross country touring? Absolutely the CVO.
* Carving canyons and dropping a knee en route to the city? Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS https://www.triumphmotorcycles.com/motorcycles/roadsters/speed-triple-1200
* Beginner? Something like the Honda CB500 https://powersports.honda.com/street/standard/cb500f



Best routes on two wheels (tick tock)

AJ:

* Bellingham to Victoria Inner Harbor (imagine doing this with your spouse on the back, hanging on to ya, as you ride up chuckanut, hit a ferry, and nothing but warm air. Parking - not a problem)
* San Juan Islands- Mt. Constitution, and island hopping: PNW pro tip- no need to worry about a missing a ferry on a motorcycle
*


Dan:

* Mohawk Trail - Pittsfield to Greenfield, MA (Quintessential New England Fall leaves changing)
* Car Trips Western Mass - Scenic Driving Western MA - Tours through Western Mass Countryside - Tours of New England - Fall Foliage Tours - Mohawk Trail (http://www.mohawktrail.com/driving-tours.html)
* https://youtu.be/PtbUEXYwKZA
* Mount Washington - Worth the hype; get the bumper sticker. Highest wind ever recorded by man (231 mph/200.7 kts back in 1934).
* 8 mile trip up the mountain with a packed dirt road at mile 6 (if I recall).
* Plan for the weather and expect it to change!
* You WILL work your brakes coming down. Be ready!
* Mazda Hakone Turnpike - Japan
* Outstanding views of Mt. Fuji at the rest area.
* Beautiful first thing in the morning
* Twisties
* ¥700 if I recall
* https://youtu.be/quO1bsOTcac



Quality Assurance

*AJ*

* Long Way Up (Harley/Rivian/ and EV oopses) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=611fw81BN98



Dan

* John Maxwell (motorcycle repair work/tips/general riding) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0AgVTYtD53HU6TfuIN8-dg

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com

On the show for this week, and the next, in this back to back episode we have a guest co-host from the Bellingham Podcast Office of Foreign Correspondents; UK Branch. This episode to to anyone here in the PNW who has a Wonderlust itch that needs to be scratched, especially if the pandemic as made you long for travel, adventure travel, and the UK. This episode is a double episode, so no new episode for the first week of May. Stay tuned...

Our Foreign Correspondent Co-Host;
Dan
https://www.instagram.com/timely_moments/

His Podcast: The Zulu Time Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-zulu-time-podcast/id1497529473


SO for this episode: what if with the Pandemic lightening up- some one from the PNW can land in the UK. The must do treks:*
*Dan:*

* Snowdonia - Tryfan /Betws-y-coed https://www.visitsnowdonia.info (https://www.visitsnowdonia.info/)
* Brecon - Pen y Fan / Go Below http://www.go-below.co.uk (http://www.go-below.co.uk/)
* *Lake District - Scarfell Pike /Tickle Tarn /Ambleside* *https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/places-to-go/explore-windermere-and-ambleside*


Gear
AJ:

* Getting kids to go from the kindergarten playground to the trailhead Tarn 12 (REI) (https://www.rei.com/product/168501/rei-co-op-tarn-12-pack-kids)
* Garmin Instinct If you are going to go with a connected watch (https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/621802)
* Cotopaxi Alpa 42 (https://www.cotopaxi.com/products/allpa-42l-travel-pack?variant=33029386272829) [a pack for the overhead of your flight, for the one bag traveler who likes to get in a trek too]
* Cascade Mountain Tech (treking poles https://cascademountaintech.com/) (Based out of Preston, WA if I recall)
* EB Heritage Strap: https://elliotbrownwatches.com/collections/straps/material_webbing


Dan:

* Elliot Brown Watches https://elliotbrownwatches.com (https://elliotbrownwatches.com/)
* Montane https://www.montane.com (https://www.montane.com/)
* Osprey https://www.ospreyeurope.com (https://www.ospreyeurope.com/)
* DMM Wales https://dmmwales.com (https://dmmwales.com/)
* Mountain Equipment https://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk (https://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/)
* Petzl e+LITE https://m.petzl.com/INT/en/Sport/CLASSIC-headlamps/ePLUSLITE

Quality Assurance

*AJ*

* Alex Honnold Answers Rock Climbing Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDUeh8nyLT0)


Dan

* Spirit of Time Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/spirit-of-time-podcast/id1563106790
* SSAFA Charity https://www.ssafa.org.uk (https://www.ssafa.org.uk/)
* Marine Raider Foundation https://marineraiderfoundation.org (https://marineraiderfoundation.org/)
* ModHanks @modhanks
* Nims Dai @nimsdai

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com

A fair bit of trekking plans....

* Off Locust Beach: 🚢 shipwreck of the Osprey https://klipsunmagazine.com/after-the-storm-43e32548dc04

* Going Soft https://softopper.com/
* Forums, still the enthusist’s knolwedge base https://www.tacomaworld.com/
* Allpa 42L https://www.cotopaxi.com/collections/allpa
* Aero Press: https://aeropress.com/why-aeropress/
* Osprey Skarab 30 https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/skarab-30-SKARAB30.html
* Relive for map playback of tracking data https://www.relive.cc/


Quality Assurance

*AJ*
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/
Shout out Dan: https://www.instagram.com/rising_sun_sailor/

*Chris*
TechLore.tech (http://techlore.tech/) - Go Incognito series on the ‘Tube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3KeV6Ui_4CayDGHw64OFXEPHgXLkrtJO

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com

Chris test drives a new kind of email paradigm

Hey.com (http://hey.com/) - from the creators of Basecamp Project Management software

Sidebar - The Basecamp CEO had a very popular TED talk. It is one one of Chris’ favorites EVER: https://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work

*How Hey works*

* The Screener, do you allow this person/address to have their email arrive in your inbox
* The Feed is for your promotional emails, newsletters, and other casual messages.
* The Paper Trail is where your retail purchase invoices, order confirmations, etc. land


Yay! - No Javascript, no analytics, no tracking, no bloat. Very simple.
Hmmm - $100/year after a two-week trial

*Hey World - Personal blog posts for the rest of us*

Write an email to [email protected], publishes to your account, e.g. world.hey.com/chrispowell (http://world.hey.com/chrispowell)
Includes a page for others to subscribe to.

How it compares to Wordpress, Squarespace, Medium, and others.
Doomsday scenario - What if Google ends Gmail, or Microsoft ends Outlook/Hotmail/MSN, or monetizes it?
Don’t think it can happen? Remember Google Reader?


Speaking of Wordpress and Squarespace - What if you could create a website, populated by simple files, that is virtually unhackable?

*How Blot.im Works*

Blot is a blogging platform with no interface. It turns a folder into a website. Blot gives you access to tools — blog with your favorite text-editor.
Files and Folders are stored in your Dropbox account or on your Git Repository.
Files like .txt, .md, .png, .jpeg, .gif, ,docx, and .html can become blogposts.
Free themes and more.

Yay! - Immediate publication of your writings and photos, use your own domain, and no plugins or databases to keep updated.
Hmmm - $4/month.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com

PRESENT: Personal Collections ...dare I say Analog Collections

*AJ*

* Comic Books (from Marvel to Garfield)
* Video Games
* #watchfam
* Outdoor stuffs

*Chris*

* Sports Cards
* Hardy Boys blue hardcover books, Choose Your Own Adventure paperbacks, Encyclopedia Brown paperbacks.
* LEGOs from garage sales
* Guitars from garage sales

* Rise of online market places, forums, and FOMO
* To combat this; COLLECT FOR YOU not for speculation, or FOMO, or Instagram

* CP - Have the courage to take time and have the internal conversation of why you are pursuing this collection


* Bee.com (http://bee.com/)


* CP - If you are collecting under the Investment mindset, are you prepared to do what it takes to sell your digital good?
* NFT and blockchain tech, speculation
* Is “hoddleing” just a digital “hoarder”
* Feeding into addiction, the casino mentality?

* Don’t be like Chris - Don’t acquire physical things with the intention of impressing people.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com

The “Collector’s gene” and the types of Collections:

* Because of the gotta-have-it (FOMO)
* The flip side of this : Hoarding or the fear of being without it (FOBW)
* Functionality (gear, tools, etc)
* Nostalgia
* Investment (CP - It might be worth a lot someday? I can sell it someday for more money than I paid for it?)
* Scholarship/skills
* this is where ‘memorabilia’ tends to kick in “objects kept or collected because of their historical interest, especially those associated with memorable people or events.”
* Time/Place (travel or to be worldly) (CP - Attempting to garner admiration from friends or acquaintances for how exciting and adventurous a life you’ve led. See Instagram.)



PAST: Background and History

History: First known ‘collections’ beyond hunting and gathering
Collecting is a practice with a very old cultural history. In Mesopotamia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia), collecting practices have been noted among royalty and elites as far back as the 3rd millennium BCE.[5] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collecting#cite_note-5)

Now out of this I think this is were we start to see the curiosity shops, and bringing that home to the curio cabinet. And in scholarship the concept of the museum

* “*The world’s first public museum, the **Ashmolean* (https://www.ashmolean.org/article/the-story-of-the-worlds-first-public-museum)* in Oxford” *

Now out of collectors comes community around collections; we see this in all things.

Collecting “The hobby of *collecting* includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining items that are of interest to an individual collector. Collections differ in a wide variety of respects, most obviously in the nature and scope of the objects contained, but also in purpose, presentation, and so forth. The range of possible subjects for a collection is practically unlimited, and collectors have realized a vast number of these possibilities in practice, although some are much more popular than others.”


NOW a tangent; Collecting and Hobby (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby) go hand in hand so ‘get off your collecting high horse?“:

In the 16th century, the term "hobyn" had the meaning of "small horse and pony". The term "hobby horse (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_horse_(toy))" ...

As we talk about next episode; is digital and FOMO feeding the darker side of ‘collecting’
“Collecting for most people is a choice, but for some it can be a compulsion, sharing characteristics with obsessive hoarding (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_hoarding). ...

Reggie Jackson
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jacksre01.shtml

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellinghampodcast.substack.com