About Outdoor Travel,
Adventure, and Survival

Site Purpose

We have kept carefully maintained checklists, for decades, about many different outdoor activities (camping, hiking, backpacking, cooking, ...). In the 70's our checklist was a paper recording that was duplicated and distributed by use of Xerox copies. In the 80's the checklist grew into a single listing of multiple outdoor activities and it was "word processed" into a single maga-file. In the 90's, the major outdoor activities were separated into individual files (both in Word .doc files and Word Perfect .wpd files). In the early 00's (zero's), the files were converted into HTML files and by the mid 00's HTML the files converted into CSS/(X)HTML files.
"Experience, travel - these are as education in themselves"
Euripides

We have performed many touring trips correctly but we have made mistakes and we have learned some lessons the hard way. We learned from our mistakes and we learned to make notes. These notes have evolved into our Travel Tips, Hints, & Lessons Learned file. The bicycle tips got so big that we had to break it out into a separate Bicycle Travel Tips file section. All of our web pages grew piecemeal over time. Along the way, friends (some that we have never met) have pointed out typing errors and they have made suggestions, all of which are appreciated.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry,
and narrow-mindedness ..."
Mark Twain

In the mid 90's another thing happened. Dennis had developed fallen arches and that condition fairly ended hiking and back packing (now, backpacking is one word). However, thanks to the Good Feet Store, Dennis can now make short hikes but more importantly he can bicycle all day long, ergo, our latest passion. We sort of stumbled into camping from bicycles, teaching ourselves over time and learning from mistakes. Actually Terry had a lot to do with the physical evolution of bicycle riding. After a while, we discovered the Adventure Cycling Association and their magazine/journal called the Adventure Cyclist. We were pleased to learn about other people with similar passions and we soon became Life Members of the Adventure Cycling Association.
"... Bicycling ... did more to emancipate women than anything else in the world."
Susan B Anthony
(Further detailed in the Bicycle Checklist)

Along the way, we have transitioned from local tourists to more distant tourists and we have kept track of the issues (planning, process, cultural and mindset differences) and we have recorded these things into respective checklist files or travel tip files. We certainly haven't seen it all, but we have kept pretty good records that may help others along the way.
"A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and
usually the best way to get there."
  H. Stanley Judd
"It's not the plan that is important, it's the planning."
Graeme Edwards. Dwight D Eisenhower and George S Patton Jr, stated similarly.
(Learn the difference between Plan, Strategy, and Tactic)

The mental and physical requirements for living outdoors (camping, cooking, pioneering, ...) and for surviving natural disasters are very similar (living as a minimalist and being prepared). In the early 90's we evolved a Disaster Survival Planning Checklist. The checklist has held up very well over time, but we do keep it updated. In the early 00's we came across an earthquake survival fact listing (via an Uncle) and we incorporated an expansion of that for an Earthquake Survival Facts List. Note that there was a special interest in earthquakes by Dennis because he had lived in Japan as a kid - Earthquakes are a fact of life in Japan and other places in the world. In the mid 00's we attended a medical conference that addressed Pandemic Flu Facts and Survival, so we added a Pandemic Flu Preparation and Survival Checklist - Note that "Its a matter when, not if", CDC Statement, 2007.
"Be Prepared."
Lord Robert Baden-Powell


Thusly, the curious reader is brought up to date.

For old friends and new, like a fine aged wine,
May all of life's journeys help everyone to improve over time.
Enjoy,