Tales of a Wannabe Nomad
// December 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // SNAPSHOT
From my friends at the Maine Island Trail Association, a holiday card slideshow. I can’t wait to buy a kayak and a membership, and get to camp out on these amazing islands!
// December 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Feature
With Christmas fast approaching, life is getting pretty busy here at the lodge (aka, my downtown Portland apartment). I’ll be taking a few days off to visit with my family in Connecticut and hopefully get some inspiration for new PTV content. Look for a year-end wrap up next week, and then new content in the new year! Happy 2010!
- Chris
// December 21st, 2009 // 1 Comment » // THE FIVE
Eagle Lake; Photo by Dan Cavallari
The Five is a new feature on Part Time Vagabond that showcases an adventure, big or small, in five – and only five – photos with text (or minutes of video, minutes of sound, etc). Think of it as though you’re presenting your trip to a group of really interested friends; you tell a story with each picture, but you only have five minutes to get your whole trip across. What will you say?
The premise is to boil down in the most basic elements what truly makes us want to travel and seek out adventure, and to examine those elements for some hint of what these journeys bring to our lives. Either that, or it’s to look at pretty pictures. You decide.
Now it’s your turn. Did you visit Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon? Have you hiked the Appalachian Trail? Did you make a whirlwind tour of London? Send your Five to info [at] parttimevagabond.com and have it featured on The Five!
// December 18th, 2009 // 5 Comments » // Feature
Arrives by Ferminius on Flickr
I’ve been thinking about lightweight, low budget travel lately, trying to figure out how I can get some trips in over the winter despite my low income. It’s not easy these days, but those of us with the travel bug know that it’s nearly impossible to squash that little bugger.
So I pose this question to you: If you had $1000, where would you travel, what would you do, and how would you do it? (EDIT: I’m not really looking for trips for me to take. I wanted you to think about what YOU would do, where YOU’D want to go, and how YOU would spend the money!)
Post your answer in the comments, and I’ll send a little something special to the best post. That’s right, I’m giving something away! Spread the word!
// December 17th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // GRUB
Beer is good. Friends are great. Beer and friends are amazing! That’s why when I heard my good friend Amber’s latest Hey Brooklyn episode, I was so completely excited I nearly….well, let’s not get into what I nearly did. Suffice it to say, the people at the gym were giving me funny looks.
Anyway, Hey Brooklyn Episode 34 features the good folks from the Brooklyn Brew Shop, a one stop home brew shop for New Yorkers living in cramped cubes real estate agents like to call “cozy studios.” The kits they sell take up about a foot square of space in your kitchen (for the 1 gallon kit), and use real ingredients – yeast too! – to brew up a batch of what look like some fantastic beers. What’s great about Stephen Valand and Erica Shea, the proprietors of Brooklyn Brew Shop, is that they not only cater to the cramped lifestyles of NYCers, but also encourage customers to dream up their own beer creations – and then bring them a bottle too!
Take a listen to Hey Brooklyn Episode 34 to hear more from Stephen and Erica of Brooklyn Brew Shop.
// December 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // VIDEO
I love video, so when I come across a good one, I just have to show you! Here’s one from Steven Bumgardner – a.k.a. YosemiteSteve on Twitter – who shot and edited this timelapse video for his Yosemite Nature Notes podcast. Make sure you look at it in all its full screen, high definition glory. My favorite part comes in around 2:31, where the people look like ants scrambling up the rockface.
People in Yosemite: A TimeLapse Study from Steven M. Bumgardner on Vimeo.
// December 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // VIDEO
Ever wanted to be a game warden in Maine? Check out this well-produced video by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and see if this gets your blood pumping.
// December 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // VIDEO
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting some videos of an interview I did with Russ & Laura from PathLessPedaled.com. The interview was great, and I’m editing several segments for your viewing pleasure. I’m also in talks with several other amazing people who I’m going to interview and feature on PTV. In the meantime, here’s a little taste of what’s to come:
// December 11th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // The Best
The gift-giving holidays are fast approaching, and if you haven’t picked something up for the traveler in your life just yet, you’re close to being in trouble. Fortunately, I’ve found some great gifts you (er, I mean…the traveler in your life) will love to receive, all for under $25.
L.L. Bean Trailblazer HeadlampI just bought one of these little guys after more than six years with my old school Petzl headlamp. The Petzl looked like a miner’s headlamp, with a huge light/lens assembly on front with a twist bezel to power the lamp on, and a battery compartment in the back that held 4 AA batteries. The thing was bulky and heavy, especially in comparison to the Trailblazer. This little guy illuminates a huge area with three bright white LEDs powered by three standard AAA batteries. It’s lightweight, compact, burns for up to 160 hours (on its lowest brightness setting, of which it has 3, plus a blink setting). Another plus: it comes in 4 fashionable colors. $19.95, llbean.com.
Smartwool SocksThese socks are the bad boys of the wool sock industry. Ok, I’m making that up, but Smartwool is one of those companies who just really know their market: people who love wool. But don’t think that this is grandma’s-old-itchy-wool-sweater type wool. No sir, this is soft, warm, comfortable Merino wool, made from the wool of the prized Merino sheep. Put these socks on, and you won’t even know you’re wearing wool, as they wick away moisture from your feet, keep your toes warm, and make sure your shoes don’t end up smelling like…well, like wet sheep. $17.95-$24.95 at most outdoor retailers. www.smartwool.com
L.L. Bean Personal OrganizerThe Personal Organizer from L.L.Bean is one of those items that you never knew you really needed or wanted until you saw one in action. That happened to me when my brother visited and I saw his organizer hanging in the bathroom. The Personal Organizer is great for toiletries, tools, or just random stuff you need a place for. All sizes have a hang strap for easy access to the roomy and functional interior, and it all folds and zips up into a compact and easily packable package. $19.95-$39.95, llbean.com.
Press-Bot French Press Coffee FilterI don’t drink coffee. I’m more of a tea man myself, but the Press-Bot Coffee Filter is great for both beverages. The contraption is a french-press style filter that fits inside any wide-mouth Nalgene style water bottle. From reviews I’ve read, the filter splits in the middle to fit inside the bottle, then springs back into place and forms a nice, tight seal witht the sides of the bottle. With is compact design and the fact that most of us have a Nalgene bottle lying around somewhere, this is a gift that anyone an appreciate. Especially on those cold, early mornings. $20, www.venturedesignworks.com/pressbot.html.
ChicoBag reusable bagsOk, so aside from being economical and environmentally sound, ChicoBags are pretty damn cool. They’re lightweight and sturdy, come in a variety of colors and designs, and they pack up into tiny little balls that you can stick in a cargo pocket or purse. The originals are traditional shopping bags, but ChicoBags also offers sling, messenger, and daypack versions. If you hurry, their limited edition holiday bags are 30% off. $5-$25, www.chicobag.com.
Moleskine City GuideMoleskine (pronounced “mole-uh-skeen-uh”) notebooks get a bad rap as trendy, expensive, hipster geek books that one shouldn’t be caught dead with. On the contrary, I find these books incredibly useful and durable, and I carry one with me wherever I go. I’ve only found two downfalls: 1) When I keep one in my back pocket & repeatedly sit on it, the binding tends to loosen and the oilcloth on the spine splits and comes off; this probably won’t happen with the soft cover books; and 2) I can never find the hardcover, unlined plain notebook!) When Moleskine came out with the City Guides a few years back, I was excited. The books contain maps of the main areas within cities like Madrid, New York, and Dublin; blank pages for scribbles and notes; a 96-page archive for organizing; and translucent sticky sheets that you can stick on the maps to write & reposition. The City Guide book is basically a do it yourself exploration guide. $17.95 at most book retailers, www.moleskine.com.
Klean Kanteen Water BottleThe great BPA scare of the past several years has left plastic water bottle makers trying to recover from a PR nightmare. In the meantime, Klean Kanteen snuck up and took center stage as a leader in BPA-Free water bottles. The food-grade stainless steel containers are sturdy and lightweight, and avoid any nasty metal aftertaste in the water. All the bottles are recyclable, and the fact that they’re reusable means fewer plastic bottles in landfills. Sure, they’ve become somewhat of a status symbol, but it’s a status you should be proud of. $19.95, rei.com
Gerber CurveI saw this little bad boy at work one day and was intrigued. It’s curved, compact design flows nicely while packing a bunch of useful tools inside its body. I’ve always loved the design of Gerber knives, so it’s no surprise that the Curve caught my eye. It has a blade, two screwdrivers, a file, and bottle opener, all of which lock into place. It all clips on to a belt loop or keychain. The first one I saw was metallic pink, and I noticed on the packaging that part of the proceeds from the pink tool would be donated to the Susan G. Komen for The Cure Foundation. At $11.95, you can get one for all the ladies on your shopping list, and know that you’re helping to make a difference. Not bad. Also available in blue and grey. $11.95, rei.com.
*DISCLOSURE: I am a seasonal employee at the L.L. Bean Flagship store in Freeport, ME. My opinions on all products are my own, and do not reflect the official positions of L.L. Bean in any way. I do not recieve any compensation from the company to talk about products. No, L.L. Bean didn’t make me say that. The FTC did.
// December 7th, 2009 // No Comments » // News
Outside Magazine. Image courtesy outside.away.com
According to this New York Times article, Mariah Media, the publishers of Outside Magazine, just bought the Resort Sports Network and will be transforming it to the Outside Television Network. I’m interested to see what kind of programming they put on the network and where it will be available. The last time a television network tried for outdoors programming (the Outdoor Life Network, or OLN), it failed and was converted to VS. It is good to see a focus on outdoors programming again. I mostly worry that it will play boring content that won’t hook anyone, the same ol’ same ol’ snowboarding-and-skateboarding-OMGACTIONSPORTS you can find on every other sports network in the world. Then again, it might just signal a renewed drive to get people interested in outdoors activities, which in my eyes is a very good thing.
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