Trail Seeker

It is my idea to use this blog space to throw out ideas I have had, usually my thoughts are somewhat abstract and unorganized, so if you don't understand what I am saying, rest assured I probably don't either.

Politics: This is an area I may dodge around, not that I don't have political ideas, but rather I am re-evaluting them. I am pretty conservitive both fiscally and socially although I recognize many of the social injustaces that are in need of help. I am tending to lean towards the Libertarian party now. I am faced with an election this year and I don't know who to vote for, I neither want Bush or Kerry in the oval office. We have state measures to vote on, so I will have to weigh the issues.

Recreation: Since I don't get into pro sports, I find myself a little handicapped in a social situation, there are other things I don't find worth my attention that furthers my handicaps. I do like colonial and fur trade era, and have built my own muzzle loading firearms, fashioned period attire and participated in reinactments, most in relation to the fur trade period. We had some family camp outs using period equipment, cooking over the campfire, shooting in friendly competitions, trying out new home made reproductions.

Goals: I live in the country and on some acrage, but my goal is to move out further, live a more independant lifestyle. Solar power sounds so enticing, but I live in area were cloudy days out number sunny. Land being expensive and hard to come by, find the right place for some hydro power would be a daunting task. For now I play with Solar power on a small level, I set up a portable radio station at a State Park and ran my radio all day and half the night on batteries and solar panels during a amatuer radio field day competition where we try to make a many contacts with other stations as possible.

My Amatuer radio goal is to take a portable station that can fit into a back pack, including radio, batteries, flexible solar panel and antenna system to Wizard Island at Crater lake and see how many stations I can work. Right now I have a few things working against me, I don't have the solar panel, they run several hundred dollars and I would be working with a modest antenna system during a time where radio band conditions are moving into the mud. Conditions will be going back up in 4-5 years though and maybe by then I will have the lightweight flexible solar panel. For now, I have wrapped my theme around Crater lake, my QSL cards have Crater lake on them, my personnal web page feature the lake and my Ham radio license plates with Crater lake's image is on order.