Kauai in a Box

A couple months ago, my partner, Dwight, announced he had some spare vacation days. That was my cue to rush to the computer and put together a trip to the island of Kauai (Hawaii) based on previous visits: Kauai in a Box. How you approach Kauai depends on your definition of activity. The Kauai.com list of…… Continue reading Kauai in a Box

Dreaming of Kyushu

This winter I’ll be back in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands. I will have visited Kyushu three years in a row: 2013, 2014, and 2015. I go back for the gentle subtropical climate while Minnesota’s long winter refuses to budge. Kyushu is a manageable size, about one-sixth the area of Minnesota or…… Continue reading Dreaming of Kyushu

Amtrak at Union Depot

Cycled to St. Paul’s Union Depot. This winter I’ll take Amtrak to Miami, stopping in several cities including NYC.

Planning for Winter

Beautiful sunny day. Spent half the day inside, planning flights, hotels, cars and trains in warm places this winter.

Categorized as Plan

Success Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know

Success is too often defined as celebrity, money, or power.Do SomethingA colleague, an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota, was about to deliver an early morning lecture. He stood in his heavy coat, and pronounced it to be a super frigid day.The students groaned in agreement.He then asked: “What are we going to do about…… Continue reading Success Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know

Planning Hikes

Today, worked on shortlist of places to hike. Used Google, Google Earth, Garmin MapSource, Evernote, and a paper map.

Categorized as Walk, Plan

Japan’s Islands off Islands

Sakurajima, active volcano off Kagoshima, Southern Japan, March 2013The winter is setting in, and won’t budge for another four or five months: it’s time to think about travel to warmer places like Southern Japan.One theme of my next visit to Japan is “Islands off Islands.”Japan is an archipelago consisting of thousands of islands. Four are…… Continue reading Japan’s Islands off Islands

Gathering Gear

12EEEE and 12A. Today, I’m getting my brain in gear for a multi-day hike along part of the Superior Hiking Trail. To help me plan, I have some useful resources from previous trips. September 2011 Superior Trail hike: itinerary and GPS tracks (GPX format). The trail we followed is in dark red in the above map; the Canadian border…… Continue reading Gathering Gear