Destination "Government Island"

The stars finally line up in my favor.  For weeks or months I have been threatening a overnighter on the sailboat. This weekend, my son is away at a scout outing and Linda says she’ll go with me. I think it helped that my daughter and her boy friend had announced they were going on their first kayak trip (around Government Island) since becoming kayak owners a week earlier. The boat is moored on the Columbia river and already has lots of gear on board, all we needed to gather was food and beverage, sleeping bags, books, cell phones, cameras and hit the road. 

Government Island is up river from Portland about five miles and is about seven miles long overall.  There are numerous camping spots, some recognized, but many where people with boat just come ashore and make themselves a camp.  The island is uninhabited except for free ranging cattle that pretty much stay off the beaches preferring the tall sweet grass that only grows inland.  Our destination is one of the three improved areas, complete with modern docks, composting toilets, picnic tables and fire pits.

Costa Rica instead of Mexico "thumbs up"

Not very long ago I visited Costa Rica, and I highly recommend you visit. We flew from Portland, Oregon to Atlanta, Georgia to San Jose. The flying was a little time consuming and not cheap, but once you get there the prices were great. There is plenty to see and do. We visited both coasts and the active volcano area. Costa Rica pursues tourism and is very environmentally attuned, much more than the US and they have been eco conscious since before it was trendy. We participated in several semi custom tours where our driver would act as guide and naturalist, sometimes on our own and other times with a group of three of four couples. Everyone we dealt with spoke excellent English, except maybe the couple from Texas, more importantly all the locals are proud of their country and glad to have us visit. Few places make you want to make them your home but Costa Rica is one of them.

Massive rains from Hurricane Rita over 500 miles distant, left mudslides and cut all power. The train car is the hotel registration office.

Railroad bridge converted to cars is a little scary.  The country abandoned railroads all together.

How is it possible that you can fly cheaper than drive

It seems to me that gas has gotten so expensive that you can fly to the next town cheaper than you can drive your car.  Maybe I don't see the big picture, I would be glad if someone would enlighten me.  On the news we always hear about the airline industry being broke. Well maybe that's true and why its cheaper to fly then drive. If that's so why aren't the airlines gone? I can understand flying to Europe or Hawaii, but driving to the next county should be affordable, if not our prices are way out of line. 

What I'm really worring about is that we are seeing a fundamental change to our society, gone are the days of visiting the sea shore, gone are the days of a drive in the country, we may be seeing the end of travel as we know it.  Only the rich will be traveling regularly, the rest of us peons will save a lifetime for that special road trip to Disneyland, or Yellowstone.

Boat Camping

If your missing the good old days of camping and your like me your missing the stress free get away feeling of sitting around a campfire.  Nowadays for us we must have a reservation, we must pack properly, we must act properly, arrive on time leave on schedule and on and on. This systems creates stress and anxiety for me, not at all what I remember. I remember grabbing a tent and sleeping bag, sacks of groceries and arriving at my favorite beach or mountain.  Then picking from one of many campsites to settle in for a few days of doing what ever I wanted. Not any more, there are just too many people and too little camp sites.

So enter boat camping, simply get in a boat, kayak, canoe, ski boat, inflatable dinghy, and go across the lake or to an island, or a beach around the corner where cars can't get. Scrounge some driftwood and relax around a camp fire just like the old days.  Now if you poke holes in my scenario (its illegal, its trespassing, no toilet, etc.) then you just don't have any old days to remember and should consider a cruise to relax. (ker-ching)
John 6/6/11

Summer is just around the corner, but are bad times here to stay?

Here in Portland, OR our weekend forecast is for temps in the 80's and sunshine.  I know that this great weather after a particularly dreary winter is all it will take to get people to make their summer plans.  My vacation rentals will get a boost of reservations for the summer.  I'm finalizing my own vacation plans also.
The stagnant economy has become a way of life for us and I hate it.  I remember in late 2008 saying we should kiss goodby any recovery for 2009, that 2009 was a lost cause, a year where real estate prices, jobs, everything would be flat.  What a horrible outcome our politicians have brought upon us; 2009 is long gone, 2010, more of nothing, 2011 is half over and all we get are gas prices so high all our money is gone. Yes I blame the politicians, and I blame ourselves for continuing to vote the same failures into office. Oh you can place responsibility on banks, wall street, world events, but these people are reacting to policy and laws enacted, or not enacted in Washington. You and I have no power except our votes, and our spending; and of course we also act and react to policy and laws, just like the big bad guys.  The members of congress, our senators and the current president are the real bad guys, they are the reason gas prices are high, they are the reason your house is no longer your nest egg.  On the local level there is just as much blame, our local city and county government have enacted so much regulation and fees that mom and pop business is reeling, new start ups are almost non existent, real estate development is dead largely due to outrageous  costs and regulation.  We as a society have allowed ourselves to lose what we hold dear.  By always saying yes to costly, touchy, feel good earth saving rules and regulations we have ruined our way of life and become indebted to the point of no return, and yet when faced with opportunity to do something, instead of saying "no" we quickly vote our special interests or self serving law makers. I know I only speak for myself, I know that many (about 50%) people are happy with life the way it is.  Polls announced on the news are always showing  satisfaction with our politicians; are you one of them?
John 6/2/11