Bay Photos
Past couple nights I’ve been riding along the bay at sunset, snapping a few photos here and there.
Ridin' Free
Guitar Whitey’s Ridin’ Free is a collection of stories about the author’s sixty-some years on the rails. A Seattle native, Whitey started riding during the Great Depression, making him a “cross-over” hobo – one who rode both steam and diesel trains. The book is a wonderful testament to the wandering spirit. Certainly somewhere up there in my top 10. I would recommend it to all.
If it's true that you only go around once, then ,maybe you'd best get at it and do it -- while you still can. You can always go back to school at any age. If you are of the adventurous spirit and feel you should test yourself -- then go for it -- get out there and adventure on life. Go for broke. Go ahead and do it. I would urge you to hop a freight trains while you still can. Never mind where it's going or where you'll end up. Get that first ride under your belt and see how you like it. Get out on the highway, stick your thumb out and see what happens. Forget about a destination, just travel. Hike down some railroad track to the far horizon. Test yourself to see how far you can walk. Try spending a cold night out somewhere without blankets. Peace Pilgrim crisscrossed this country on foot for 23 years, as an older lady, with no sleeping gear. She didn't even wear a coat. Take a vagabond trip carrying a bedroll, but take no money, and take no credit cards. Not even a quarter for the phone. See how long you can hold out. You may be surprised to find out who your friends are. Try floating down some river on a homemade raft, Huck Finn style. Take a job on a boat, any kind of boat or ship as a workaway, never mind where it's going. Try some hellishly hard job of work (physically demanding). See how long you can tough it out. Hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Beat your way through Canada on up to Alaska and try for a job -- any job, with no concern for the pay. Canada and Alaska come about as close as you'll ever get to a "lat frontier." Find your own adventure. Take the risk. Be a dare-devil. Try something new and scary. Try giving your money away. Go for it. Express yourself.
Dream Science Circus
Yesterday’s Dream Science Circus was awesome. Located in a field out near Fairhaven, it was primarily a kid’s show, but I loved it. Lots of wacky people dancing around in the air, a funny ring master, and audience interaction.
Something of an underground Cirque du Soleil. But only $10. And local.
Offline for a bit
Moving back to the ‘ham tomorrow. I won’t have interweb in my place for probably a week or two, but I’m going back to work sometime midweek so I’ll probably be cruising a bit there. (Not that I would be using State resources for my own, personal use. No, sir.)
I imagine that, with my location, there oughta be some wifi I can hire Harrison Ford to haxx0r, too.
Hopping Freight Trains in America
Hopping Freight Trains in America by Duffy Littlejohn is a howto manual for riding trains – a hobo training manual. It’s an enlightening look into trains and hobo culture. At times, the author can delve too deeply into railroad history for my tastes, or become so technical I feel like I’m reading an operation manual for the railroad, but the amount of useful (and generally unknown) information contained in these pages is immense. I highly recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in trains, hobos, or alternative transportation.
With things going the way they are, hopping trains may soon become a much more viable option for long distance travel. Here’s your introduction.
VM
New voicemail/fax number: 206-350-HACK (4225)
I’ve been needing this for a while. Feel free to leave me messages.
Oops
My old SSL cert expired at the end of last month. I had gotten a new one a few months ago, but forgot to install it. It’s up there now, so anybody who uses SSL for any parts of the site will get a new cert warning.