What I am feelin' right now

I am on vacation and thinking about things that are perfect.

1. Things that are frozen.

2. Snowshoeing

3. Deer Hunting.

4. Travel Battlewagons. (If you have one for sale please let me know)

5. Cat superheroes

6. Walking on the beach with my beautiful companion.

7. Oberon, 'nuff said.

8. Lake Michigan... all of the time.

To round out the list I will say that I am also thinking about bonfires, hiking, fly-fishing, playing with the giant Frisbee, golf, naps, biking and techy-gadgets.

And as always: http://www.michigan.org/ . Gosh I love those ads, and Tim Allen's voice in them, the lifestyle they portray (minus the Detroit parts) and everything that they stand for. Good job Michigan.

Also I have now reached my decision. I am going to be buying the Ipad, my reasoning is that I am getting rid of the smartphone and I would still like to be able to connect at times. I did the calculations and it will be cheaper on the whole to just get the Ipad and drop the smartphone! So, time to save my nickels!

On other good news, E-Force is letting me re-up my sponsorship, that means new racquets! hoot!

Time to get out of the house and explore, be back in a while, days, maybe a week, maybe only a few hours, you will hear from me though...

Enjoy the weather.

-J

Oh right, forgot, be prepared for the Go to Series reviews coming soon! 

Follow me on twitter: randomstreamoc , look at me getting all hip!

Fun, it is out there and you should be too

Whenever people talk about adventuring and getting outside they make a big deal out of it, they plan, and pack and book rooms, which is all fine and dandy a few times a year, but, what needs to be realized is that you can get outside, get some exercise, have a great time and do it more often by only driving a few miles, or even walking just a bit.

Today we decided to get out of the house despite the intermittent showers. While we would have rather hopped in the car and high-tailed it out of here, we have to work tomorrow, so our trip was short. However short, it was a great time.

We started by walking to Nichol's Arboretum, a large park owned by the University. The "Arb" as it is known around here is like a mini forest amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy city. It makes me forget where I am.

Due to the near constant rain that we have been receiving lately there is an excess of fungi everywhere. I am still working on identifying them, but here they are:
 
 

I find fungus to be extremely interesting, strange and mesmerizing.

Though it was drizzling we still managed to see a few critters including this groundhog!

There were also large visible areas of flattened grass where deer bed down for the night. It is amazing and refreshing to see wildlife still around when most of their habitat has been squashed.

You would never know that she is just 50 steps from the street!

Every once in a while everyone needs to get out, even if it is just around the corner...

To hell with roads, I will take a trail any day!

Wide open spaces within the confines of a tall city.

Chelsea in pursuit of a pic of that groundhog.

Look at that great bag! It survived the rain of the day and no camera equip ruined!

This poor little guy was dodging rain drops to grab a quick snap.

What a great way to get away for a few hours, no noise, no sirens, nowhere to go and no time to get there by. It is very grounding. I cannot wait for our next trip out.

As for now, there appears to be a small rain storm on its way, nothing severe, and we are watching Spies Like Us.

Enjoy your evening,


-J

Totally forgot about this trip!

Well, I didn't really forget about it, but I just skipped over it you see.

So last year we took a trip to the UP. I do not want to get too wordy with this post. But, anyway, we went north with the final destination of tahquamenon falls.

With the sultan of the trip in the back of the mighty stagecoach hanging in the back we trekked noth:

When we got there we were so excited one of us did a cute dance:

The Upper Peninsula, even if it does not contribute to the propulsion of the state's economic status, is one of Michigan's greatest assets. With such picturesque attractions as the many falls, the limestone shoreline and the numerous mountains that dot the landscape it is hard to not think that land is best not when it is touched by human hand, but when it is left the way our creator forged it and the way he wants the land to evolve.

     

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you glaciers for the carving this state into the beautiful land that it is! Without glaciers..... we would be like one of those nasty middle-America states... eww.

I love trips to the UP. If you have never been, you should go. If you have been, you should go again, they could use the tourist dollars.

One of my favorite sightings from the trip was of this little guy:

Chelsea and her dad were determined that it was a 6 foot viper. However if you look closely you can see that he is no bigger than the leaves to his right. I wish that I could have gotten a picture of the Michigan rattlesnake that we saw on our recent trip to Wilderness State Park.

Oh the things you see when you get out and do things.

So on that note, get outside, do something, and as always remember to check up on this thing from time to time. I am updating all of the time for now.

-J

If you would like some..

random thoughts well then head over to http://mythoughtexact.blogspot.com/

This is a separate blog that I have just started. I would really like it if you would go check it out from time to time.

Also follow this blog with your googlefriend account, that way you know when I post new content.

Have a good sunday.

-J

Oh, ps, I am considering a few things, let me know what you think:

  












Which would you choose?

I am reading...

Many books at the moment:

The History of Michigan Law
Hot, Flat and Crowded - Thomas Friedman
The Philosophy of Law, an Introduction to jurisprudence
Laws - Plato

The latter I am reading on the Kindle for PC application from amazon. That thing is great because you can get it for free and then you just search for the free classic books. I think that it would have been exceptionally swell for undergrad, as many of the classics are available for free. Even though I love the feel of a physical book the price is definitely right with this thing! So until I find the books on sale I will read free ones on here! Give it a try: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

Coming soon

Coming soon to this blog is a series that I call: The go to Series. It will focus on things that I consider the best of the best, the items that I cannot make it through the day without. I hope that you find the upcoming list to be insightful and a good starting off point for your own adventuring.

This series will be a long running one covering all of the seasons and many different areas of my life. The list includes: books, backpacks, jackets, places to relax, magazines, pens, cameras, gas stations, pillows, clothing, knives, hatchets, stores, shoes, roads, photographs, towns, coffee shops, parks, apartments, glasses, beer!, wines, restaurants, plants, trails, lakes, streams, hills, mountains, wishlists and flooring. This list is short compared to the actual series that is soon to come.

If I have left anything out, please let me know. I would also love recommendations and your own personal go to things!

Thanks,

J. Edward

PS here is a nice pic for you of a beautiful time of the year that I call the Me season. Enjoy.

What would you like to see?

Hey! Give me some feedback! What would you like to see me review? Where would you like to see us go? What would you like to see on this blog? I would love some input from you people!

Coming soon: WHAT WE TAKE ON OUR ADVENTURES!

Let me know what you think of this thing

And now some cool pictures:

SunCloud Diversion Polarized Sunglasses - Special Buy at REI-OUTLET.com

I would like a pair of these if someone would buy them for me. Just have it sent to store: ann arbor. K thank you

SunCloud Diversion Polarized Sunglasses - Special Buy at REI-OUTLET.com

Eddie Bauer Friday Harbor Jacket: Test 1

Last night we were treated to a storm that was just incredible; possible hail, 70 mph+ winds, feet per hour rain amounts and monstrous thunder booms! It was great.

As we sat in the apartment I decided that this would be a great opportunity to test out the weatherproofing capabilities of my new Eddie Bauer Friday Harbor Jacket. The jacket is advertised as being waterproof, windproof and breathable. The website says that it offers, "ultimate protection in bad weather."

The severe thunderstorm of last night was definitely "bad weather." So in the midst of the storm I decided to don the jacket and run out into the malestrom.

Zipped up, hood on, flaps buttoned, and wrists tightened down I went out.

(As you can see we were prepared for power outages, and I was excited)

The jacket was very comfortable, even in the thick humid air of the storm. As soon as I stepped outside I was very happy to have it on. The rain was coming down by the bucket and when the weatherman said 70 mph winds he was not joking.

The detachable hood of the Friday Harbor provided great shelter from all that mother nature was throwing at us.

As you can see the rain just beads up and slips off the garment. I am very impressed at the breath-ability of the jacket as well. Though it is sold as a three season jacket (fall, winter, spring) I think that under the right conditions it could be the go to jacket even in a heavy summer rain. I have other shells, one from Eddie Bauer as well, for warmer weather, but if you just wanted one jacket to do the duty this might be your best bet. I remained dry the entire time I was outside dancing and running around.

The interior of the jacket is roomy enough to add a layer or too, but fitted enough to look great with just a t-shirt. I plan on continuing to test this jacket in a series to really give a good review of its claim to provide three season protection.

Let me know if you would like to see any specific options tested on it.

So far I give the Friday Harbor Jacket:

A big ole thumbs up.

Give one a shot by purchasing at:

Until next time.

J.

Thunderstorms amongus!

Just wanted to let you know that the Ann Arbor area is getting pummeled with thunderstorms! I am talking hammer-smash faced! Pics of the storm and the aftermath soon... if we make it!

My break into the world of jogging and a review of Champion C9 running shorts!

Admittedly I am rather new to the running world, so I am still trying to decide if it is a sport that I could get behind. Being new I did not want to make a large investment, past shoes that is. I looked at all of the gear that runners use, water bottles, fanny packs, hats, wristbands, jerseys and shorts and decided that to start I would just use my initial investment of the shoes and a regular pair of shorts.

After a few runs I decided that the gym shorts were sufficient, but not the best to jog in. I thought that in order to give jogging a real shot I should see what the whole "support inside the shorts" was all about. I priced a few pairs out and was astonished at the prices, generally $30-75 for guys, after a little while of searching and shopping I stumbled on the C9 line by Champion at target, at $14.99 they are a steal for running shorts. I figured them another rather cheap investment in the decision making process of running

After my initial run this these shorts I realized that there is a true difference. The C9 running shorts eliminate any uncomfortable feelings encountered by gym shorts, and due to the light material that the actual shorts are made of they do not stick to the skin, even during the warmest of runs.

I fully recommend these shorts for anyone who is looking into running and does not want to make a large investment, or anyone looking for a new pair of running shorts.. They run a little small, but other than that they wear well and are a great bargain.


You can pick a pair up at:



In other news, last night I bought a Friday Harbor jacket from Eddie Bauer, I look forward to testing it against all that Northern Michigan can throw at it this fall and winter and letting you all know how it holds up! Take care, GET OUTDOORS NOW!

Life at a snail's pace

On a trip looking for some morels I happened upon this miniature alien creature. Thought it was pretty cool:

Around the corner I stumbled upon one of his comrades, lurking...

Even the littlest of things can be remarkable, take time to look around and notice them.

Fun in the hometown

PART ONE: BEAR CREEK

One of the best things to do is to find a place that is out of the ordinary and right in your backyard. Fortunately for us we are in a rare area that has many of these gems a few miles away.

First off we took advantage of a little hiking trail down the road from home at the Spirit of the Woods Club. It was a dreary day with the sky unable to make a decision between spitting and downpouring. However we took to the woods anyway. Thank goodness that we did too.

As soon as we got onto the trail we started to look for morel mushrooms, as the conditions were favorable, but stumbled upon a small field of the plant pictured above. They are Jack in the pulpits, a Michigan orchid, and very rare at that. I was so delighted to see them in the wild as it shows that we have not totally destroyed nature.

As the rain became steadier we kept under the canopy of the large hardwoods and examined the oddities that grow in the damp area of the bog between river bends.

The next few pics are a bit of a miny-study that I call Avatar:

 

Don't you just feel like you are running around with those blue things?

Anyway, as the rain let up we made our way out of the hardwoods and onto the banks of Bear Creek.

Fortunate does not even begin to describe how I feel about areas like this. Though the main hiking trail is not very long it sure does provide a nice area to take a small hike. The river is also a great place to catch various species of trout.

PART TWO: A FEW SHOTS OF PORTAGE POINT


To the East we have many trout streams and inland lakes, but it is to the West where you find my favorite attraction to this area: Lake Michigan. Its almond colored beaches and clear blue waters are constant reminders of why we need to protect what we have been given.

 On this day the sky was an unusually dark shade of blue, but beautiful nonetheless.

I do not really have too much to say about this beach that cannot be better summed up by pictures.

 

Please visit this remarkable place if you get an occasion, better yet, make it a priority to go see this place, or any place along the Lake Michigan shore.

First Camping Trip '10

Now that New Mexico and Graduation are behind us we can now relax, and what better way to do that than to replace the confines of walls and a roof for nylon and mesh.

We packed up the Grand Am and headed north.

Stop one was at Wilderness State Campground near Mackinaw.

I was successful in my first attempt to start fire with only tinder and flint. Within minutes we had a roaring blaze.

(Hint: if you ever need to make a fire on the beach the dried grass and reeds that wash up on the shore make excellent tinder as they go up in seconds.)

First things first, after starting the fire you must throw as much meat on it as possible. Salt and pepper heavily.

Honestly, meat is best when cooked like a barbarian, over an open fire.

While walking along the Lake Michigan coast at Wilderness I came upon a most peculiar specimen...

The water level is down just enough to see some very cool things including this rock >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
that appears to have been the anchor for the roots of the tree that still surround it. This is a great example of how nature just adapts to its surroundings, if you can't grow your roots through something, grow around it.

The next day we abandoned camp and headed to the Mackinaw City area where we traded our silly currency to the locals for their wares. Among my trades was a Rocky Balboa-esque TapOut sweatshirt from Jacques. A rare find indeed.

We spent the majority of the day searching for a suitable camping site to the south in Petoskey. Once one was  found we quickly made our way to the nearest all you can eat buffet.

Needless to say we crammed a lot of hiking and sightseeing into a day and a half and on the trip home Chelsea was whooped!

Until next time!