After looking for a new backpacking location close to eastern Iowa, we decided that Yellow River State park was the place to try. It has good reviews, reported to be a great location to prepare for hiking in the Rockies, one hiker said that the hill to get to one camp site was very challenging. Let's go!
Luckily, Google Maps got me there alright. Some of the streets in the tiny town right before the turn off to Yellow River weren't labeled, making navigation difficult, but I got there okay. The person I was meeting there regrettably used MSN maps (didn't even know they had that) and it very much got him lost. Word to the wise; always bring an atlas, even with gps.
Do to the reviews saying how challenging the hike was, we had planned to get to the first camps site and call it a day. Well, we are both avid hikers and quickly got to where we had planned to be way too fast. Okay, no problem. We headed to the second camp site...and got there quickly. Okay, we thought, let's try for the last one. This last camp site must be the one with the terrible hill, because we had not come across anything challenging yet. We got to the last backpacking only camp site with no problem and decided to stop there. All in, we hiked about 8 miles.
The hike was lovely; lots of flowers, trees, and flowing water. We didn't see too many other people and the weather was relatively nice for late summer in Iowa. This wasn't the terribly challenging course that we expected, but it was nice. We did stick mostly to the hiking only trails, as they also have equestrian camp grounds and trails.
I would recommend this area for a nice weekend backpacking trip as long as the people involved are in relatively decent condition.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
15.1% USA Poverty
The people in the United States of America are living at their poorest since the census bureau starting counting in 1959.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14903732
http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/13/7742437-poverty-rate-hits-18-year-high-as-median-income-falls
That's just pathetic, though not surprising. The dip in American standard of living has been a long time coming and the nation will probably never reach it's height of power and wealth again as the State it currently is. The stimulus suggested by the US president is a start: it's better to do something rather than nothing. "Small business" ventures might be the way to go in the near future, providing more jobs and local products. That, though, would also required a forced change in American thinking. Instead of going to Walmart for everything, people might have to be "persuaded" to WALK to the local downtown area, visit several shops, and collect the goods they need for the coming week. What if there is no "local downtown" in your area? That's where the new small businesses come in. In order for this to work, though, people have to be willing to put for effort and not expect handouts.
In short, I expect things to get much worse before they get better, but never "best" again.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14903732
http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/13/7742437-poverty-rate-hits-18-year-high-as-median-income-falls
That's just pathetic, though not surprising. The dip in American standard of living has been a long time coming and the nation will probably never reach it's height of power and wealth again as the State it currently is. The stimulus suggested by the US president is a start: it's better to do something rather than nothing. "Small business" ventures might be the way to go in the near future, providing more jobs and local products. That, though, would also required a forced change in American thinking. Instead of going to Walmart for everything, people might have to be "persuaded" to WALK to the local downtown area, visit several shops, and collect the goods they need for the coming week. What if there is no "local downtown" in your area? That's where the new small businesses come in. In order for this to work, though, people have to be willing to put for effort and not expect handouts.
In short, I expect things to get much worse before they get better, but never "best" again.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Rant: Ode to the Parking Problem
To: The kids in my apartment complex
Regarding: Parking
All you all f*cking idiots? No, I take that back. Not all of you are. I can count one decent individual out of the other 16+ persons in our small complex. To the rest of you though: you're f*cking idiots. Is parking really that difficult? Really?
A sign indicating locations of parking sports for each apartment was posted. One person kept taking it down over and over again, probably in hopes that no one would see it and they could keep "their" precious parking spot. Of course, if they were so pissed off about it, they could just talk to the other individual parking there and trade places. Person-to-person live social interaction with no media go-between?! GOOD GOD NO!! After clearly indicating that the landlord approved the parking, the individual stopped being a b*tch and left the parking sign up there. This greatly improved the parking situation in that everyone knew where to park.
A b*tchy water polo player (as the stick on the rear of her car suggests) decided that that still wasn't good enough and is still simply parking wherever. in the grass, in random people's parking spots, and now in my parking spot. You know how much that sucks coming in at 8am in a rush to get out to class and someone is in your parking spot? Now I'm stuck blocking at least one other car by squeezing onto an opening in the grass. I left a note on said vehicle, indicating that if she did not move to her allotted place, I'd have to call a tow truck. Why am I even having to do this? It makes no sense: just park in your f*cking parking spot.
Also, specifically to the other idiots in the back parking, MOVE. THE. F*UCK. OVER. The parking is tight back there and in order to get all seven cars back there, you need to park close. Five currently fit back there now. That's two extra parking places that you idiots are taking up and two people who cannot park their cars.
You may not care (please picture Cartman from South Park saying "I can do what I want"), but if your parking place was taken, you would care then. What you do affects others and though you don't give a rat's a$$ about them, they will respond in the manner in which they are treated to you.
To sign off I'll leave you with this: I hope my parking place is open this evening you little f*cking morons.
Regarding: Parking
All you all f*cking idiots? No, I take that back. Not all of you are. I can count one decent individual out of the other 16+ persons in our small complex. To the rest of you though: you're f*cking idiots. Is parking really that difficult? Really?
A sign indicating locations of parking sports for each apartment was posted. One person kept taking it down over and over again, probably in hopes that no one would see it and they could keep "their" precious parking spot. Of course, if they were so pissed off about it, they could just talk to the other individual parking there and trade places. Person-to-person live social interaction with no media go-between?! GOOD GOD NO!! After clearly indicating that the landlord approved the parking, the individual stopped being a b*tch and left the parking sign up there. This greatly improved the parking situation in that everyone knew where to park.
A b*tchy water polo player (as the stick on the rear of her car suggests) decided that that still wasn't good enough and is still simply parking wherever. in the grass, in random people's parking spots, and now in my parking spot. You know how much that sucks coming in at 8am in a rush to get out to class and someone is in your parking spot? Now I'm stuck blocking at least one other car by squeezing onto an opening in the grass. I left a note on said vehicle, indicating that if she did not move to her allotted place, I'd have to call a tow truck. Why am I even having to do this? It makes no sense: just park in your f*cking parking spot.
Also, specifically to the other idiots in the back parking, MOVE. THE. F*UCK. OVER. The parking is tight back there and in order to get all seven cars back there, you need to park close. Five currently fit back there now. That's two extra parking places that you idiots are taking up and two people who cannot park their cars.
You may not care (please picture Cartman from South Park saying "I can do what I want"), but if your parking place was taken, you would care then. What you do affects others and though you don't give a rat's a$$ about them, they will respond in the manner in which they are treated to you.
To sign off I'll leave you with this: I hope my parking place is open this evening you little f*cking morons.
Battle AIDS and Make a Glowing Cat
Seriously, check out the article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14882008
How cool is that?!
Making a readily visible way of seeing where the genes are for fighting AIDS is great. Really, though, the reason I read this article was "Glowing cats?! Neat!" This just might be the next new line of designer pets.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14882008
How cool is that?!
Making a readily visible way of seeing where the genes are for fighting AIDS is great. Really, though, the reason I read this article was "Glowing cats?! Neat!" This just might be the next new line of designer pets.
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